C2060 Difficult Choice!
Jihui's brow furrowed as he cast his gaze repeatedly toward the Everlands, attempting to communicate with the Will of the Deep.
Yet, the Primal Soul deep within the Abyss remained silent, offering no response at this time.
Boom!
The vast expanse of Aetherius trembled as the Evil Temple, which sprawled across its territories, quaked violently.
"Guardian..."
Jihui turned to seek counsel from the guardian, hoping to find answers.
Suddenly, multicolored, thick blood began to ooze from the grand hall, its pungent scent of iron permeating the land around the Holy Temple.
The shaking of the Holy Temple and the oozing blood were undoubtedly the aftermath of a fierce battle between the Evil Gods of the Abyss and the Demon God Bertain.
Bertain's refined iron armor would not bleed; thus, the blood was most likely that of an Evil God.
The entity at the heart of the Everlands and the guardian presiding over the Holy Temple were preoccupied with urgent matters and could not respond to him.
Jihui was unable to discern whether Yu Yuan, who was addressing him, had truly awakened or was still enveloped in confusion.
Yu Yuan's real body was undergoing a bizarre metamorphosis, a process yet to be completed.
The awakening within Jihui's heart was due to the presence of original essence within the depths of Yu Yuan's dominant soul, having successfully ascended to the eleventh level with his real body.
Yu Yuan had not yet achieved this milestone.
"Think carefully before you respond," Yu Yuan implored, warding off the Solar Spirit's attempt to seize him with Primal Blood, as he cast a downward glance at the human leader. From Yu Yuan's eyes, two broad beams of bloody light burst forth.
"Han Miaoyuan!"
Caught off guard, Han Miaoyuan's face paled at the sight of the blood light bearing down on him. Without hesitation, he released the Banner of Duality, which he had refined from the wall of the Everlands.
The vibrant yellow banner, alive with countless golden patterns, transformed into the kingdoms of the Everlands, reviving many sects lost to the annals of history.
Sects that had once flourished but had since fallen, including some of the upper echelons, now manifested within the Banner of Duality.
Mountains and rivers, imperial factions, and verdant oases within the Banner of Duality were invigorated by the divine force, radiating a brilliant glow.
Throughout his extensive life, Han Miaoyuan had both lived through and borne witness to history, which he showcased through the Banner of Duality. The rise and fall of the Boulderdawn, along with its ultimate destruction, were all chronicled within the fabric of this banner, now unfurled before him.
In the annals of human history, nearly every illustrious kingdom had been reduced to a mere representation within the world of the Banner of Duality. Han Miaoyuan, who had achieved immortality, watched over the Everlands in his own unique way. The epochs he had seen, the shifting of sects, the passage of time, and the indelible marks of human civilization etched into the annals of time—all were revealed within the Banner of Duality, emanating a formidable power.
This power bridged the ancient and the modern, encompassing the tumultuous history of humanity's struggles with profound depth. When the wall of the Everlands merged with the Banner of Duality, the Divine Artifact's might became boundless.
"Universe in My Hands!" Han Miaoyuan bellowed, wielding the recorded saga of humanity within the Banner of Duality to fend off Yu Yuan's eleventh-level Solar Spirit. He knew he had to muster every ounce of his strength for a chance at survival.
The vast Banner of Duality, the focus of so many hopeful eyes, failed to manifest its expected potency despite Han Miaoyuan's great aspirations. Cao Jiaze, standing before the Evil Temple, discerned the banner's intricate nature and, with a swift yank towards the cosmos, severed its connection to Han Miaoyuan.
From that moment, the Banner of Duality had no further ties to Han Miaoyuan.
"Cao Jiaze!" Han Miaoyuan cried out in alarm.
"Lin!"
Left with no other recourse, he desperately called out to Lin Daoke for aid. As Lin Daoke's compassion stirred, he witnessed two columns of blood-red light from Yu Yuan's Solar Spirit impale Han Miaoyuan's Divine Visage. The concentrated essence of the Blood Dao Order within the light extinguished all vitality within Han Miaoyuan. Simultaneously, the Divine Position within his mind shattered to pieces.
Yu Yuan, at the eleventh level, positioned the Dragon Slaying Stage at his brow, effectively preventing the Will of the Primal Blood from infiltrating. Amidst this, he still managed to slay Han Miaoyuan.
Whoosh!
A surge of black and green essence burst forth from the shattered crown of Han Miaoyuan's head, plummeting towards the Everlands.
Cao Jiaze, having secured the Banner of Duality, watched as the essence descended like a shooting star into a crevice in the earth.
In his grasp, the Banner of Duality abruptly condensed, its pole transforming into a spear.
Surrounded by a dense swarm of soul lightning, the spear lunged just as the essence neared the ground, freezing time itself. The essence halted, unable to move.
The Banner of Duality, now a formidable weapon in Cao Jiaze's hands, obliterated the black and green essence.
The Titan Spinosaurus's demise scattered its heart across the Everlands. Seizing the moment, the Primal Soul from the Abyss refined the Heart of the Titan and delved into the mysteries of the Primal Blood. It became tainted by its kin, losing its spiritual wisdom and willingly serving the other.
The Blazing Fire, its eternal companion, also sided with the Abyss's Primal Soul, turning against it.
Now, having regained its spirituality due to Bertain's emergence, Yu Yuan's resistance, and the meddling of Primal Blood and Primal Vitality, it saw a chance for freedom.
It would not let this opportunity slip away.
It, too, was a Primal Soul, the creator of the Demon God Bertain. After succumbing to the Abyssal infection, it had silently honed its essence.
It understood how to annihilate the source and how to significantly weaken its adversary's power.
Having pierced the essence, it flicked the banner pole, unfurling the Banner of Duality towards Jihui.
It gazed at Jihui.
The Wraithbanner, under Jihui's command, seemed drawn to the Banner of Duality and inexplicably flew from Jihui's hands.
Jihui's soul experienced an intense sting, as if pierced by needles.
With Cao Jiaze's eyes, he gazed solemnly at Jihui, who began to bleed profusely from all seven orifices. Deep within Jihui's mind, a primal force was dissolving as if corroded by sulfuric acid, and with it, Jihui's primordial spirit was also disintegrating.
"Strip away the source, or face death," Yu Yuan urgently warned him. "You're not like Zu Ann and Qin Luo; you possess the strength to resist. Besides, its power is currently diminished."
Jihui was wracked with a crippling headache, bombarded by a cacophony of voices. It was as though beings from the Everlands—humans, archdemons, Terra Fiends, ghosts—had all burst forth from the Banner of Duality, swirling within his soul, threatening to rupture it.
"I am loyal to you!"
"My lord! I have always been loyal!"
"My allegiance has never wavered!"
In agony, Jihui clutched his head and wailed as a greenish-black essence seeped from his fingertips. This sinister substance ate away at his flesh, reducing his fingers to mere skeletal remains. The source had become a monstrous entity.
With a forceful sweep of his hand, he turned the corrosive essence into a greenish-black mist that, along with the Wraithbanner, flew towards Cao Jiaze. Cao Jiaze enveloped the Wraithbanner and the dark essence with the Banner of Duality, then struck the Evil Temple's doors with it.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With three strikes, another source was shattered, and the Evil Temple trembled incessantly. Cao Jiaze's gaze then settled on Zu Ann and Qin Luo.
"Hold on, go kill Han Qi first," Yu Yuan instructed Cao Jiaze, using his real body. He then shared with Zu Ann and Qin Luo the technique to shatter their source without succumbing to its corruption.
"If you wish to live, extract the source and use my method to preserve your primordial spirit!"
...
In the Dark Realm, the Demon Lord Tan Xiaotian awaited the promised illumination, but instead, beams from the heavens rained down, obliterating his demonform and erasing the nascent Dark Overlord from existence.
Leaves resembling tracts of land ceased to gather light.
The Tree of Life, hewn by Ji Ningshuang, began to recede into the dark depths of the Abyss.
Tan Xiaotian was somewhat bewildered. He couldn't fathom what had transpired, how he had so effortlessly evaded disaster, spared from destruction by the light, and still remained alive to this day.
"My father saved you."
Kaiya's devil soul materialized in the Dark Realm, "Tan Xiaotian, the Evil Temple is supported by the Tree of Life, which is why it can channel the power of light. My father is currently besieged by the Evil God within that temple."
"Your father is Bertain?" Tan Xiaotian exclaimed in astonishment.
Kaiya nodded slightly, "The Ashlands have crumbled. You, born of the Everlands, need not battle in the Dark Realm."
Her devil soul turned to find Dark Phoenix Zhiya, only to discover that Zhiya had vanished in the blink of an eye.
Tan Xiaotian had aspired to forge his own dominion in the Dark Realm, but after hearing her explanation, he turned his gaze to Yuan Le, who had arrived from the Wasteland.
Yuan Le offered a warm smile, "It's time for me to depart as well."
He observed the ice phoenix, now a mere mount under Ji Ningshuang's control, drained of its vital and ice energies.
"Alex, you should come back now."
Yuan Le gestured towards the Onyx Altar at his feet.
Alex abruptly came to his senses, enveloped in vital energy, and swiftly broke free from Ji Ningshuang. He was teleported, barely alive, to the Onyx Altar within the Dark Tower.
Yuan Le and Tan Xiaotian exchanged nods. Addressing Kaiya's devil soul, Yuan Le said, "I bear a grudge for the many Beast Gods of mine you've slain."
He exhaled towards Kaiya's devil soul, which burst like a bubble with his breath.
With a whoosh, the Dark Tower vanished from the Dark Realm, leaving only a ripple of space behind.
The crystalline wall of the Dark Realm, breached by Tan Xiaotian and further shattered by the Tree of Life, began to resemble the Ashlands, slowly transforming into a tangible world.
The Dark Tower possessed the power to pierce through space, utilizing the space rules.
Different Dark Towers could also teleport to one another, converging in a mere moment.
...
"Yuan Le!"
"The true Yuan Le has arrived in the Origin Realm!"
Countless Sky Fiends howled across Zionidall. Kaiya stood atop a soaring Dread Mount, while below, in the churning demonic clouds, billions of little devils were chanting Bertain's name.
When Bertain reappeared in the Ashlands, all the Star-Spawned Terrors were aware of his return.
The Sky Fiends celebrated, as if they had triumphed in battle, extolling Bertain's virtues.
Yet Kaiya was aware that Yuan Le, the Lord of Ruin, was likely marshaling the second cohort of Beast Gods, once again stepping foot into the Origin Realm.
This time, Yuan Le's real body, which had advanced to the eleventh level before Yu Yuan, was also expected to arrive.
It seemed the Wasteland was sparing no effort.
