C2065 The Death of My Enemy
"Cardo."
Deep within the fractured darkness of the sky, Tan Xiaotian bore witness to the demise of his arch-nemesis, yet he derived no satisfaction from it.
The reason was that Cardo had not perished by his hand.
He hailed from the Everlands, and Cardo was the chieftain of the Dawnbringers. During his campaigns across the Extraterrestrial Star River, the most formidable adversary he had ever encountered was Cardo.
Light and darkness were locked in an eternal struggle.
Every supreme primordial spirit that traversed the dark sacred way and ascended within the Everlands would inevitably confront the mightiest of the Dawnbringers.
For millennia, Cardo had led the Dawnbringers, an indomitable Holy Mountain that loomed before the Demon Lords from successive generations of the Devil Palace.
Many who embarked upon this dark sacred way to reach the Most High met their end at Cardo's hands beyond the stars.
It was not until Tan Xiaotian's era that someone possessed the power to truly challenge Cardo and ultimately surpass the Holy Mountain of Light.
Beyond the Abyssal Gate, guided by Jihui to the Genesis Continent, Tan Xiaotian was favored by the Dark Anima and mastered the entirety of dark magic.
He ascended first to the eleventh level.
He outstripped Cardo, convinced that without her own ascension, she could never be his equal.
He had envisioned a day when he and Cardo would clash in battle, hoping that she, too, would rise to the eleventh level after her journey through the Wasteland.
He yearned for Cardo's return, to engage in a battle where they were evenly matched.
But Cardo did return, only to fall to Yuan Le's blade right before his eyes.
Her death left Tan Xiaotian with a profound sense of emptiness, as if a significant pursuit in his life had abruptly lost all meaning.
"Cardo."
Yu Yuan silently reflected, never having anticipated that the illustrious patriarch of the Dawnbringers would fall to Yuan Le's treachery so soon after entering the Wasteland.
Cardo's valiant resistance against the inner demon in the Stellar Oblivion and her offering of the life dew were vivid in his memory.
As Yuan Le had suggested, had Cardo assimilated the life dew, she might have been subject to his control, yet she would have gained immortality and avoided her dire fate.
Yu Yuan was wracked with a sense of guilt and self-reproach.
With a whoosh, a group of ghosts, invisible to the average person, floated out from Cardo's lifeless body. The residual soul of this once mighty being instinctively sought the "Path of Undead," yearning to follow the universal rules and enter the Wraithlands for reincarnation.
The ghost's faint spiritual essence seemed to sorrowfully gaze upon Yu Yuan's eleventh-level Solar Spirit.
Yu Yuan's spirit was jolted, and he immediately attempted to communicate with Youyu's Primal Vitality through his Demonic Vessel. His goal was to preserve as much of Cardo's spirituality as possible, ensuring that her journey through the Path of Reincarnation would retain all memories, allowing her to be reborn within another member of the Dawnbringers.
He was determined to do something for Cardo.
"Light Scepter, Star of Light, Beast God Temple, bring them to... Canli," the ghost's thoughts were a chaotic swirl.
In Yu Yuan's eyes, the ghost transformed into a little girl in a white dress, the spitting image of Cardo's original form. She radiated innocence, purity, and kindness, always putting the Dawnbringers first. She seemed perpetually youthful, and next to Canli's youthful form, she was like a younger sister.
Even in her final moments, she remembered her wish to propel Canli to the leadership of the Dawnbringers, to entrust her with the Light Scepter.
The Light Scepter and the so-called "Star of Light" appeared to be sealed within the Beast God Temple, guarded by Yuan Le.
She implored Yu Yuan, hoping he would retrieve these crucial items and deliver them to Canli, to ensure the continued strength and prosperity of the Dawnbringers.
Yuan Le's fists clenched, his knuckles bursting with a bloody light as he struck at the ghost.
Boom!
Cardo's residual soul, which had been on the brink of embarking on the "Path of Undead" to seek rebirth in the Wraithlands, was extinguished by Yuan Le's blow, obliterating her chance at reincarnation.
Seizing the moment, the black goat, now in the guise of a dignified lady, opened its mouth wide and inhaled. The Soul Power that lingered within Cardo's residual soul became sustenance for the black goat, which she consumed completely.
The black goat licked its lush lips, savoring the taste as if it were the finest delicacy the world had to offer, and remarked, "Such a sweet and rich soul is a treat only found in the Origin Realm. Cardo, Rebecca, Brie, Jessica, I shall savor the souls of each tenth-level Blood Warrior from the Origin Realm."
Her lustrous black hair cascaded down her neck, with dark, curved horns that gleamed brilliantly.
"I promise to help you," Yu Yuan murmured.
He had abandoned attempts to commune with the Primal Vitality after Cardo's residual soul was shattered by Yuan Le and consumed by the black goat, leaving no chance for resurrection. Not even the Primal Vitality could conjure something from nothing or bring Cardo back to life.
"Help her? Yu Yuan, you'd better think about how you can help yourself!" the black goat scoffed.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Mysterious soul light emanated from the two curved horns on the back of the black goat's head. Yu Yuan suddenly realized that one horn was channeling Mind Magic related to the Primal Soul, while the other was connected to the Primal Vitality. The black goat, highly esteemed by Yuan Le, had astonishingly grasped the Mind Magic in the Wasteland, following a path much like Kaiya's.
"Tan Xiaotian, do you still refuse to leave?" The Untamed, wielding the Heaven-Shattering Hammer and maintaining his giant ape form, glared with eyes ablaze with wild, blood-red fury.
"Remembering our past friendship and the aid the Devil Palace has provided me against Zhiya, I urge you not to meddle!" The Untamed growled at Tan Xiaotian.
Boom!
The Heaven-Shattering Hammer was hoisted aloft, and pillars of blood-red light burst forth from the Beast God Temple behind Yuan Le, infusing the Ape's hammer. "Yu Yuan, you dared to try and bend my will in the Dark Realm! I've done so much for Boulderdawn, and yet I've received nothing in return!"
Crackle!
The Heaven-Shattering Hammer, pulsing with bloodline mysteries, transformed into countless Life Seeds, twinkling like stars. The Ape from the Marsh, blessed with a fragment of the Secrets of Life by Yuan Le's favor, now exhibited a power that far exceeded its former might.
"I've been patient with you, but you're always too hasty, never willing to wait," Yu Yuan said, his brow furrowed in discontent over Cardo's demise. "However, since you share kinship with Yuan Le, no matter our actions, you are bound to walk this path."
"Haha! Say whatever you want now!"
The Ape cackled maliciously, the vital energy radiating from his chest in waves, as heavy as a mountain. His body's acupoints were suddenly flooded with the cosmic energy he had collected.
He soared from the mountain and strode fearlessly toward Yu Yuan, his demonic form growing once again.
"Let's all take a moment," Yuan Le interjected. At his words, the Ape halted midair, the black goat ceased its provocations, and Tan Xiaotian let out a cold snort.
"The source of light in our Wasteland is known as the Star of Light. It, along with Cardo's heart and the Light Scepter, are all housed in the palace behind me," Yuan Le explained with a smile. "I had this palace specially constructed. You, Yu Yuan, should be familiar with what it contains."
"After we ascend to the eleventh level and forge our Primal Anima, we are commanded to build such a palace."
Yuan Le paused, a sudden realization dawning on him as he turned to Tan Xiaotian with a surprised and questioning look. "Did you just say that the Evil Gods in the Abyss refer to Yu Yuan as... the Lord of the Abyss?"
"My Blood Clone was effortlessly slain by him in the Abyss. The foundational rules of the Abyss, all its power, seemed to resonate with him," Yuan Le exclaimed, visibly shaken. "Yu Yuan, who are you, really?"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With a mere thought from Yuan Le, the colorful stars encircling the mountain began to tremble violently.
Brilliant light burst forth from each star, with potent vital energy surging outward.
The Beast Gods, previously obscured by the blood-red mist, were now roused by Yuan Le's mental tremor.
They all fixed their gaze on Yu Yuan's Solar Spirit Body.
Each Beast God's eyes emitted a broad beam of light, potent enough to pierce through heaven and earth, shattering a realm.
Yu Yuan's immense, crimson form, with arms, forehead, neck, and chest, was enveloped in clouds of blood-red mist, standing firm against the power that threatened to obliterate the cosmos.
Like a Holy Mountain at the edge of the universe, Yu Yuan remained unshaken, no matter the ferocity of the storm that raged around him.
A Death Viper, stripped of its flesh, reared its head, its cold gaze fixed upon Yu Yuan.
The Death Viper's innards were streaked with vibrant blood, exuding a sharp, corrosive stench, while faint wisps of smoke curled from its mouth.
After consulting Yuan Le, he employed a newly acquired technique to transform into a skeletal young man.
With a gesture, Cardo's remains flew into his grasp from a distance, the flesh dissolving instantly to reveal a glowing skeleton.
In his hands, the skeleton was manipulated into an array of exquisite ornaments: earrings, necklaces, and bracelets, all crafted from Cardo's bones. He worked with the skill of a master artisan from the Wasteland, expertly fashioning the bone into fine jewelry.
"Your Majesty, with her white bones and Tan Xiaotian's black bones, I can create the finest adornments for you—a contrast of black and white to embellish your person," he said, reverently lifting the bone jewelry for inspection.
The pieces, wrought from Cardo's bones, vanished one after another.
Soon, they reappeared adorning the Beast God, who toyed with them as if they were trophies of conquest in the Wasteland.
Yuan Le remained indifferent, his brow furrowed in contemplation. "The Ashlands are in turmoil, yet you managed to summon a Solar Spirit to see me; it's quite thrilling. Tan Xiaotian calls you the Lord of the Abyss. Does this mean you can wield the power of the Evil Temple of the Abyss?"
At the mention of the Evil Temple, Yuan Le's demeanor grew grave. He turned to gaze at the Beast God Temple behind him. "I am constructing such a temple, as is Zhiya. Only individuals of our caliber can harness the temple's might. I had assumed you had not yet succeeded."
"If you can indeed command the Evil Temple, then you have outpaced me, Bertain, and even that ancient spinosaurus!"
