C2071 He Is Trapped in a Heavy Encirclement
Within the abyss's darkness lies a mystery that even I struggle to perceive. Its layers mirror our current strategy in a curiously similar way.
Yet, the abyss has ventured further than we have—it is far more ancient and immense.
Each time Yuen Bu speaks of the abyss, his deep-seated apprehension is palpable.
His dread of the abyss far surpasses that of the Origin Realm, and his unease regarding the Origin Soul that birthed humanity is even more pronounced.
His words and the reverence in his voice regarding the abyss have left the Beast Gods utterly astonished.
For someone as self-assured as Yuen Bu, who spoke of the Titan spinosaurus without such gravity, to show such deep concern when discussing the Great Demon God Beilstein, one has to wonder: Is the abyss as fearsome as he claims?
"You're quite astute," Tan Xiaotian remarked with a meaningful gaze toward the King of Desolate Realm. "In those dark depths, I ascended to the Eleventh Level. Yet, the fraction of that world I can sense is minuscule."
"Even the entity that bestowed upon me the ultimate law of darkness has not fully explored its own domain."
With that, Tan Xiaotian took a deep breath and turned his gaze to Yu Yuan's silhouette.
Yu Yuan stood against the backdrop of a blood-red sky, his figure eclipsing most of the starry expanse, on par with the mountain aglow with celestial light.
Tan Xiaotian mused that Yu Yuan's knowledge of the dark domain where Creation Land resides must be deeper than both his and Yuen Bu's.
After all, Yu Yuan is revered as the Abyss Lord.
Tan Xiaotian was certain that the seven levels of the abyss and its 127 continents were not its entirety.
For at the very depths of the abyss lies the Creation Land.
The level of the abyss that houses the Creation Land is perpetually cloaked in darkness, yet even the Darkness Origin Spirit admits to not fully grasping its vastness.
This defies logic.
The Darkness Origin Spirit, concealed within the Creation Land, and the Abyss Origin Soul, which gave rise to humanity, both reside on this enigmatic land.
The Evil God Temple is also situated within the Creation Land.
Beyond the Creation Land, in the endless abyssal darkness, what else might exist?
Is there another level beneath this darkness?
The deeper Tan Xiaotian delved into these thoughts, the more his disquiet mirrored Yuen Bu's, fostering a sense that even the Darkness Origin Spirit might be confined within.
Hence, it remains ignorant of the deeper secrets and the true expanse of the abyss.
"Yu Yuan, they're stripping away the mysteries of the earth that I've grasped," Taishi said, gazing up at the colossal bear perched upon a star. He inhaled deeply, detecting the presence of an origin spirit in the mountains, and exclaimed with fervor, "An origin spirit! The very origin spirit that corresponds to me has been in the Desolate Realm all along, hidden deep within a mountain!"
A longing surged within Taishi. Having delved into the earth's laws, he had discovered from beings like Cadorath, Tan Xiaotian, and the Fire Phoenix that origin spirits emerged from the primal chaos. Finding his matching origin spirit and receiving the ultimate blessing of its law could propel him to the Eleventh Level.
Witnessing Tan Xiaotian's success, aware of Cadorath's relentless quest, and observing Yuan Lianyao's transformation, how could he not be inspired to follow suit? Yet, in the Origin Realm, there had been no sign of an Earth Spirit, and he was uncertain if one even existed.
But now, with clear awareness and a vivid sense of its presence, Taishi couldn't help but fantasize. "The Great Earth Law within you does not originate from the Origin Realm. Your true pursuit may lie somewhere in the Abyss," Yu Yuan declared abruptly.
He had come to understand that his former identity as the Abyss Lord was intrinsically linked to the Creation Land. When the mightiest origin spirit used the Titan spinosaurus to escape the Abyss and plummet into the vast heart of the ocean, it began transforming this vast expanse into a new "Creation Land."
As the human race flourished anew within this vast ocean, Taishi too experienced a rebirth. This vast ocean, now considered a new "Creation Land," also corresponded to his role as the Abyss Lord!
In the unfathomable depths of darkness, there existed the building wood and the lightning origin spirit. If that was the case, then perhaps another Earth Spirit was out there as well. Sekou, the Earth Bear, had once visited the Origin Realm shortly after the Titan spinosaurus had perished, and before the human race had emerged.
Back then, the Origin Realm had also seen the rise of the vast ocean, yet it had failed to present Sekou with any novel earth laws. But now, Taishi's presence stirred excitement in Sekou and invigorated the Earth Spirit.
What did this imply? It signified that the earth laws within Taishi had begun to awaken as a result of the gradual awakening of the Abyss Origin Soul.
The Origin Soul is not a singular entity. It exists both in the Abyss and the Origin Realm. Given that the Origin Blood manifests in both worlds, it stands to reason that the Desolate Realm's Earth Spirit would have a counterpart in the Abyss. The Abyss, after all, is not made up of stars but vast tracts of land.
All signs point to the existence of Earth Spirits in the Abyss, likely more powerful than the one within the mountain that birthed the Earth Bear Sekou. Yet, Yu Yuan's mind holds no memories of such an Abyss Earth Spirit, and neither the Extreme Intelligence nor the Evil Gods of the Abyss seem aware of their presence.
"Abyss."
"The deepest darkness!"
"That's our destination!"
Sekou, the Earth Bear, suddenly flashed a mischievous grin, baring his curved and fierce teeth. Yuan Li's encouragement had ignited his competitive spirit, and with Taishi's guidance, he glimpsed the potential for advancement, quickly setting his sights on a definitive goal.
With a whoosh, Sekou extended his massive paw, and beneath it, Taishi appeared as if the heavens and earth were unfolding. In his paw, a gravity a thousandfold stronger was born, forcing Taishi, equally skilled in this power, to bow under the overwhelming force.
Taishi's eyes blazed with fury. He had intended to approach the colossal bear and commune with the Earth Spirit, but sensing malice, he promptly unleashed his divine dharma idol. A towering idol, nearly ten thousand feet tall and as solid as granite, emerged in Sekou's palm, encircled by a halo of blood-red light. Against the odds, Taishi rose to his feet.
With his dharma idol summoned, Taishi resembled a small mountain of blocks cradled in Sekou's palm. Sekou's massive bear form had somehow filled the entire star, which clearly could not support his immense frame. Unapologetically, he stepped beyond the black goat's star and stood upon the mountain's peak.
Sekou, dwarfing both the unseen Yuan Li and the Beast Temple, stood atop the mountain, holding Taishi with his dharma idol aloft, and grumbled in the ancient language of beasts, "You're merely playing the expert at the master's door."
The mountain beneath him suddenly quaked, and a massive, unyielding force surged through his other arm.
Taishi, towering nearly ten thousand feet high, was firmly grasped by one hand and couldn't escape.
His other hand delivered a crushing blow to Taishi's divine idol!
It was reminiscent of Yu Yuan's earlier assault on the Old Ape of the Great Swamp, as Sekou's palm, heavy as ten thousand kilos, shattered Taishi's divine idol into fragments.
The statues, as if carved from jade, crumbled in an instant.
Puff!
Taishi's blood stained the cosmos.
The blood he coughed up fell upon the mountain's peak, absorbed by the terrain as if it were a sponge soaking up water.
In a moment, Taishi's divine form was dismantled, his blood, bones, and sinews all consumed and decomposed by the power of the Earth Spirit.
Clearly, it wasn't just Sekou who was interested in Taishi; the Earth Spirit within the mountain was equally intrigued.
It sought to trace the origins of the earth's laws through Taishi, to determine whether a kindred Earth Spirit existed in the abyss's endless darkness.
Should such an entity exist and be assimilated, it would surely ascend from its nascent stage to an intermediate one.
Perhaps even to an advanced level!
Should it reach the intermediate stage, Sekou's chances of breaking through to the Eleventh Level would be as promising as Tan Xiaotian's.
And if it could reach the advanced stage, Sekou would transform into an Eleventh Level being in an instant, without any hindrance.
Moreover, it could craft a Starfield realm of its own, akin to the Beast Temple, evolving life and establishing a domain on par with the allied Source Blood.
"Taishi!"
Yu Yuan's thunderous roar echoed mightily, reverberating through the desolate starry river.
He had not anticipated that this seemingly docile bear, once incited by Yuen Bu, would bare its ferocious nature and decisively strike at Taishi.
By the time Taishi's divine idol was conjured, Yu Yuan was already racing toward the mountain, but it was too late.
The Earth Spirit unleashed its might, and with a single slap, obliterated Taishi's divine idol, inflicting grievous wounds upon him.
"Yu Yuan, this Earth Bear is even stronger than it boasts," Tan Xiaotian warned. "Atop that mountain, it's aided by a compatible Origin Spirit, giving it combat prowess on par with the Eleventh Level."
Yu Yuan ignored the warning.
Taishi's dire situation had stripped Yu Yuan of his composure. He charged toward the mountain recklessly, soon to be trapped by the surrounding Beast Gods.
Over a hundred Beast Gods were present, including Sekou the Earth Bear, Yuen Bu, and two mighty Origin Spirits.
Yu Yuan had only attacked from the periphery using the Dragon Slash Platform, a position from which he could retreat with ease even if he suffered setbacks.
But should he venture into the mountain, into the range shrouded by the demonic clouds and mist, moving among the stars, he would inevitably face the onslaught of all the Beast Gods.
Tan Xiaotian was beginning to realize that the mountain, the stars, and the Beast Gods were interconnected!
Since Yu Yuan and the Old Ape had arrived, not a single Beast God had departed.
This was clearly a naturally occurring, infinitely intricate formation!
This formation surpassed the likes of the Empyrean Array, Heaven Sealing Soul Transformation Formation, and Sky Opening Array.
If Tan Xiaotian was correct in his assumption of a super-large scale formation, with Yuen Bu, the Earth Bear, two great Origin Spirits, and over a hundred Beast Gods, even Yu Yuan's Eleventh Level Yang God and his own status as the Supreme of Darkness would likely not be enough to escape unscathed!
Sensing the danger, Tan Xiaotian issued his warning.
Regrettably, Yu Yuan, blinded by urgency due to Taishi, paid no heed.
Boom!
Yu Yuan, who had the cosmos above and the abyss below, still stepped into that realm.
"Fool!"
"He dares to enter?"
"In the world we've crafted, in the domain we've mastered, he dares to intrude!"
The black goat, the smilodon, the bone snake, and all the Beast Gods were stirred by Yu Yuan's bold move.
Even the Old Ape, previously sunk into the depths, returned from the abyss, entering the fifth star beneath the mountain's peak that Yuen Bu had tailored for him.
"Tan Xiaotian, leave now. There's no need to watch any further."
The Desolate God reverted to his human guise, producing a tobacco pipe and lighting it, drawing in a deep breath of smoke.
"Considering your persistent attempts to convince me, I'll offer you some advice in return: don't let your personal likes and dislikes sway you. If Yu Yuan is indeed the Abyss Lord, you should be open to the possibility of his downfall."
"His death would grant you true freedom, allowing you to act without answering to anyone. Without him, Tan Xiaotian, you might very well become the next Abyss Lord."
The Old Ape earnestly counseled.
