C2061 The Chaotic Battle
"Don't concern yourself with Yuan Le."
A vast and ethereal specter materialized in the void behind Dread Mount, gazing upon the millions of Sky Fiends.
"Great Demon God!"
"Old Patriarch!"
The Sky Fiends erupted in cheers upon seeing his visage, bowing reverently before him.
"Father!"
Kaiya's face lit up with surprise. She was about to join the Sky Fiends in their jubilation when she suddenly noticed that Bertain's image lacked a dense concentration of devil souls.
There was merely an image with a hint of spirituality, devoid of overwhelming power.
This indicated that the Bertain before her, despite appearing grand and enigmatic, was nothing more than an illusion, lacking the fearsome demonic might to intimidate the heavens.
"Times have changed. Even with Yuan Le's true form here, he cannot cause upheaval."
Bertain's towering specter first soothed the agitated throng of demons before calling out, "Saca, Sable!"
From the depths of two mountains brimming with magic power, responses echoed, "We are here!"
The two devil souls heeded the Great Demon God Bertain's call, shifting the colossal mountains to manifest their presence. "Patriarch, we have always awaited your summons."
Saca and Sable, both esteemed Demon Gods, had long stood guard in this place, never venturing out.
Few were aware of these steadfast Demon Gods, unwavering in their loyalty to Bertain through the Sky Fiend race's transitions.
Absent from the ranks of the Extraterrestrial Otherkin elites, their names and visages remained unknown.
Yet, they were venerable Sky Fiends, predating even the High Priest Reid.
Without Bertain's summons, they would remain eternally silent, their existence concealed from the world.
"Keep vigil over the Abyss, and be alert to the stirrings in its darkest depths."
With this command issued, Bertain's immense specter vanished into the void behind Dread Mount.
His final whisper reached Kaiya, "Watch the Dark Phoenix in the Everlands closely. Her decision is crucial. With the Ashlands shattered, you should focus most of your devil souls there. Exercise caution; the Primal Souls of both the Abyss and the Everlands could corrupt you."
"I understand!"
...
In the Ashlands, Han Qi, now a God of Ghosts, transformed into a wisp of gray-white light and fled through a fissure.
With Han Miaoyuan dead and his esteemed disciple Cao Jiaze intervening, Han Qi sensed impending doom and dared not linger in the Ashlands any longer. His only desire was to escape as far as possible.
Cao Jiaze could only watch as Han Qi made his escape.
"Youyu, Matina, Wagner," Yu Yuan commanded, his voice echoing from within the evolving Demonic Vessel as he gazed along the Levi River at the direction of Han Qi's flight. "Eliminate him."
Youyu departed in silence.
Matina and Wagner turned their attention to an ancient vine tree rooted in Shadow Mountain, seemingly seeking its counsel.
The tree's leaves rustled softly in response.
With a nod of understanding, Matina and Wagner set off in pursuit of Han Qi, following Youyu's lead.
The stance of the Undead Lord was unmistakable. Han Qi embodied the Primal Soul of the Abyss, and the entity within the Wraithlands had formed a tentative alliance with two other Primal Animas from the Origin Realm. Together, they aimed to stand against the mightiest Primal Anima of the Abyss.
"When you sever your origins, avoid doing so in the Ashlands. The farther from the Everlands, the better," Yu Yuan, an eleventh-level Solar Spirit, advised Zu Ann and Qin Luo as he observed their preparations to excise their primal essence. "Allow me to assist you."
With a whoosh, two orbs of radiant light enveloped Zu Ann and Qin Luo, carving a passage through the void and transporting them to a secluded cavern within Eiwrone.
When they reemerged, they found themselves in the Ionodios of the Annihilation Nebula.
"Eh?" Yu Yuan peered into the distance.
Beyond the Ashlands, a dense purple miasma churned tumultuously.
A deep purple palace, slightly smaller than the Evil Temple, hovered amidst the roiling clouds, merging seamlessly with the surrounding miasma.
The palace, nestled deep within the demonic cloud, inched closer to the Ashlands.
A golden deer, an Iron-winged Bird, and a tenth-level Darkgold Beast God, along with a silver wolf and a crow, manifested their immense forms of the Beast God and Dark Deity before the palace within the demonic clouds.
Vital energy in hues of white, gold, dark gray, and silver bled from the beings loyal to Zhiya, enriching the color of the clouds buoying the palace.
Yu Zhu and the Astral Tiger maintained their human shapes amidst the unfolding scene.
Creak!
The grand doors of the palace swung open, and Zhiya, who had just been in the Dark Realm moments before, returned through the Void Array inside the hall and stepped out of the now-open doors.
Standing before the Phoenix Shrine, she peered into the tumultuous Ashlands through a rift torn by the "Eiwrone."
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Enchantresses, Stoneborn, and members of the Fire Lizard clan flew out from the gash created by the "Eiwrone."
Most of these warriors were merely eighth and ninth level Blood Warriors of the Otherkin. As they emerged from the Ashlands, they were petrified at the sight of the imposing palace amidst the swirling demonic clouds and the towering, fierce Beast Gods that nearly scared their souls out of their bodies.
"Phoenix Shrine!"
"Dark Phoenix of the Everlands!"
The Blood Warriors of the Otherkin, in sheer terror, steered clear of the daunting shrine.
They proceeded with utmost caution, fearing that the Beast God and Dark Deity in front of the palace might lash out at them without warning.
The formidable and intimidating Astral Tiger cast a glance at them and then waved them through with a dismissive gesture.
Relieved as if pardoned, they dared not linger and retreated at top speed.
"Hall Master?"
The muscular Astral Tiger, pointing to his own forehead with a frosty look in his eyes, said, "Something is still attempting to infect me, to warp my thoughts and consciousness."
"I feel it too," whispered Yu Zhu, whose appearance remained less than delicate and beautiful.
She watched as Yu Yuan used the Dragon Slaying Stage to shield his forehead, seemingly to prevent external forces from penetrating.
Blood-red stars, crimson as fresh blood, orbited around Yu Yuan's Solar Spirit's head. The sinister, blood-colored aura twisted the void, emitting whispers that she could sense.
These murmurs momentarily disoriented Yu Zhu's devil soul.
Another consciousness occasionally surfaced deep within her devil soul, seeking to infiltrate her spirit, but her steadfast will repelled it.
Neither the Astral Tiger nor Yu Zhu received any response to their hushed voices.
They couldn't help but look up at Zhiya, who had come back from the Dark Realm, only to see the Dark Phoenix with her strikingly beautiful yet oddly juxtaposed features fixated on the Secular Bird Queen.
The Astral Tiger was at a loss for words.
"Harlot!"
Zhiya hissed with venom, forcibly averting her gaze from Chen Qinghuang, and announced, "Yuan Le has arrived."
Astral Tiger and Yu Zhu were taken aback.
Zhiya's deep purple eyes pierced through the rift in the Ashlands, quickly discerning the tumultuous scene and identifying every individual present.
Her somber gaze methodically moved from Yu Yuan's Solar Spirit Body to his Demonic Vessel, and finally to his real body.
Lin Daoke, Reid, Jihui, Zhong Chichen, Loong Jie, and the rest didn't even catch her attention.
Ultimately, her focus settled on the Evil Temple, towering over half of the Aetherius continent, and on Cao Jiaze, who had just shattered an aspect of the Banner of Duality.
In that moment, Cao Jiaze, who had never before spoken, looked up and met her gaze. A newfound warmth appeared on his face upon seeing her and the Phoenix Shrine materialize outside the Ashlands.
A remnant soul fluttered within the depths of Zhiya's demon soul.
"You are unlike the other humans and evilkinds."
"You are a being that was born in the Everlands before the Titan Spinosaurus entered, bearing my mark deep within your soul," it offered, extending a gesture of goodwill towards Zhiya.
The Moonfang Tiger, Kylin, Untamed, and Yu Zhu were all born in the Everlands following the fall of the Titan Spinosaurus, their souls imprinted with traces of the Abyss.
The Dark Phoenix, however, was an exception.
She and the Great Demon God Bertain were contemporaries. When she came into being in the Everlands, the Titan Spinosaurus had not yet arrived, nor had it brought the Primal Soul of the Abyss.
"You ought to assist me, as I can be of assistance to you."
It transmitted its intentions.
Unswayed, the Dark Phoenix withdrew her gaze from Cao Jiaze, shaking her head dismissively before turning her attention to the Great Demon God Grec, now manifested as a crimson moon.
The once captivating red moon had lost its allure, its blood hue fading to a pale shadow.
As she fixed her eyes upon the moon, the red moon, brimming with the Secrets of Life, reciprocated her gaze.
Primal Blood communicated its message.
She shook her head once more, her expression icy, "You're too late. When I visited the Dark Star Region long ago, you withheld your favor and opposed me at every turn."
"Since you've chosen him and granted him the most complete life sequence, you must now bear the consequences."
Yu Yuan's refusal to seize control of Yuan Le, coupled with his genuine ability, prompted the Primal Blood to reconsider its plans upon witnessing Zhiya's emergence.
The Primal Blood sought to shift its focus, aiming to recruit Zhiya to its cause and collaborate to eliminate Yu Yuan.
It vowed to Yu Yuan that once the Solar Spirit shattered, it would transfer the life sequence to Zhiya, filling in what she lacked and enabling her to ascend to the eleventh level, becoming an entity akin to Yuan Le, the Lord of Ruin.
Whoosh!
The Secular Bird Queen's attention was abruptly drawn to the Phoenix Shrine's manifestation, and she caught sight of the Dark Phoenix, Zhiya.
Without a moment's hesitation, Chen Qinghuang stepped onto the branch of the Uxthar Tree. Supported by the Phoenix Ashes, she burst forth from a fissure in the Ashlands.
Her majestic Divine Visage, with three heads and six arms, materialized instantly, with strands of Cosmic Order encircling it like dazzling ribbons.
Behind her Divine Visage, a mysterious sea of chaos emerged, with the Azure Bird soaring through it. Each beat of its wings brought forth the light of death and the flames of destruction.
The rejuvenated Secular Bird Queen's combat prowess soared to new heights, her fearsome power capable of obliterating heaven and earth.
"Whore! You're seeking your own demise!"
Zhiya shrieked.
The secular bird and the Dark Phoenix were fated adversaries. Upon encountering each other, all other matters would be set aside for a battle to the death.
