C2075 Bloodbath Ground
The Light Origin Spirit, having forged a tacit understanding with Yuen Bu, quivered deep within the earth. It was the first to detect the return of Yu Yuan.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
From the depths of the radiant light curtain, intense beams of light converged on a solitary figure. These beams, beyond the Light Origin Spirit's control, seemed to have awaited this figure's return for millennia, ready to integrate into his body upon his awakening.
That figure was Yu Yuan.
With a single glance, Yuen Bu recognized that Yu Yuan, who had just been in the Gray Domain, had inexplicably traversed to the highest tier of the Abyss. The light's power, concealed within the curtain shrouding the land, was now coalescing upon Yu Yuan.
Yuen Bu frowned inwardly. Through his mastery of life's laws, he could discern that the light's power was fusing with Yu Yuan's soul. Upon Yu Yuan's arrival, the illuminated land appeared to fall under his dominion.
Boom!
The ground trembled subtly as a force perceptible to Yuen Bu coursed toward Yu Yuan, infiltrating his limbs, bones, meridians, and dantian.
Yuen Bu huffed, offering reassurance, "There's no need for alarm. That's his authentic form. His Yang God, having ascended to the Eleventh Level, remains within our grasp. His newly formed Primordial Spirit is not yet a match for Beilstein; he's no threat to me at present."
Yuen Bu's gaze then shifted to the floating sword cave, where he observed Lin Daoke, Ji Hui, and several other formidable human figures. "Aside from Lin Daoke, no one can withstand my strike."
He commanded the Shrouded Tower to pivot, standing atop the dark iron edifice with an air of haughty anticipation.
He awaited the arrival of Yu Yuan, Lin Daoke, and such mighty beings at his side, ready to capture them all in one decisive move.
"No, you don't get it! You'll never understand!" The Light Origin Spirit, as if recoiling into the earth's depths, was consumed by dread.
"You claimed you could restrain him, yet you failed. I need time. My progression is incomplete, and I haven't reached the mountain you spoke of."
The Light Origin Spirit clearly intended to renege on its agreement with Yuen Bu, preparing to once again submit to Yu Yuan.
Yuen Bu confidently declared, "Leave it to me. Continue your advancement. Rest assured, without an Eleventh Level Yang God, none of these people pose a threat."
"Heh!"
Yuen Bu's laughter boomed like thunder, echoing across the continent and piercing through the light barrier to reach the lands below.
"Who's laughing?"
"Up there, on the highest continent in the sky, who's laughing like that?"
The abyssal powerhouses below and the human cultivators journeying through the abyss all looked up in wonder at the sky, as the continent above shone with an unusual brilliance.
The continent hadn't glowed this brightly in ages, signaling to them that something was amiss.
"Yu Yuan!"
"Yu Yuan has arrived!"
"And our Sect Master too!"
As silhouettes began to materialize high above the continent, Great Sword Immortals like Su Qingmo and Yue Mu from the Sword Sect shot up into the sky from various regions.
They were all exclaiming, speculating whether Yu Yuan, Lin Daoke, and the others had sealed their alliance.
Before departing, Ji Hu had confidently assured them that upon Yu Yuan's awakening, he would assume the mantle of Abyss Lord and command all beings of the abyss.
All Evil Gods of the human race would heed the Abyss Lord's directives.
With Yu Yuan, Ji Hu, and Lin Daoke arriving together and no conflict yet in sight, it seemed to them that Ji Hu had indeed accomplished his goal.
Unbeknownst to them, Yuen Bu, the King of Desolate Realm, had quietly entered the area and was communicating with the Light Origin Spirit below.
They all set off towards Yu Yuan and his company.
Yu Yuan, transported by the guardian of the Evil God Temple, looked down upon the gathering crowd, searching for any trace of Yuen Bu.
"Yuen Bu!"
With those words, he found himself above the secluded valley where Yuen Bu was located.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Beams of intense light chased after him, raining down upon his form and flowing into his soul.
Deep within his consciousness, a silver platform began to take shape.
The silver platform shimmered brilliantly, capturing the piercing light and imprinting the essence of its luminance, all without the influence of the Light Origin Spirit.
These intricate mysteries of light were his legacy, left behind so that upon his awakening, he could reconstruct his Soul Altar.
Upon his arrival, an additional layer instantly formed on his Soul Altar, refining itself with remarkable speed—an unforeseen delight.
The tumultuous abyssal energy surged into his body, flooding his meridians and core, making him feel as though the entire world was in tune with him.
He felt even better here than when his Yang God was in the Gray Domain or the Dim Starfield.
This sensation was what one might call... homecoming.
"The abyss never ceases to amaze me. Yu Yuan, you may have destroyed my two blood avatars last time, but here I am again," Yuen Bu said with a smile, ascending slowly alongside the Shrouded Tower.
The void near the Shrouded Tower twisted violently, as if being compressed by Yuen Bu's might, threatening to rupture at any moment.
"Halt!"
From afar, Yu Yuan commanded with authority. The continent, veiled by the Light Origin Spirit, erupted in a prism of colors, anchoring the teetering void.
He thwarted Yuen Bu's attempt to use the Shrouded Tower to fracture space and make his escape.
"So, it's your true form."
Yu Yuan gazed at Yuen Bu, now in human guise, and sensed an immense tide of blood energy radiating outward.
Mountains for miles around the valley disintegrated silently into dust.
They resembled dense clouds dispersed by a gale, now reduced to smoke.
Yet, Yu Yuan was aware that these mountains, now mere dust, had been very real, simply obliterated by Yuen Bu's overwhelming force.
"Keep your distance!"
As Yue Mu also seemed eager to get involved, Ji Hui couldn't help but bellow, "Yuen Bu is in that valley—he is the King of the Desolate Realm, and he's come in the flesh!"
"Yuen Bu!"
"King of the Desolate Realm!"
Exclamations of awe echoed across the landscape.
"Those not of the highest echelon, descend to the land below," Ji Hui directed, overseeing the scene from the clouds above. He addressed the soaring figures, "Remain where you are, and resist the urge to ascend for a closer look!"
Whoosh!
Lin Daoke and the Sword Sect's revered figures, including Van Heqing and Lu Hongpeng, were instructed to keep their distance from Yu Yuan's location. It was a zone off-limits to all but Yu Yuan and himself.
Yuen Bu, the King of the Desolate Realm, had only slightly unveiled his power, yet it was enough to obliterate the landscape for miles around. The residual force continued to spread, annihilating any obstacle within view.
This Yuen Bu was not the same as the two blood clones Yu Yuan had previously vanquished.
Yuen Bu's true form had effortlessly rewritten the underlying laws of the world, transforming it into his own battlefield.
Beneath Yuen Bu, the earth morphed into a vast expanse of crimson, as if soaked in blood. Intricate patterns, dense and intricate, emerged, pulsing with the profound mysteries of lineage.
The terrain was rendered perfectly flat, with blood-red light emanating from the surface. The patterns writhed as if they were living entities.
With a squint and a smirk, Yuen Bu declared, "This shall be known as the Bloodbath Ground."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Any beings not quick enough to flee or lacking the protection of the exalted ones burst into clouds of blood mist at the emergence of the Bloodbath Ground.
These clouds ascended from the land, drifting like blood-red lanterns before descending upon the Bloodbath Ground.
With the infusion of the blood mist, the spread of the Bloodbath Ground gained even greater momentum.
"Stop."
With a single command from Yu Yuan, invisible, intangible strands of law pierced the Bloodbath Ground that Yuen Bu had conjured, halting its relentless expansion.
Yu Yuan's evolving form began its descent from the heavens.
The Shrouded Tower, where Yuen Bu stood, fractured and crumbled. Despite his efforts to sustain it, the tower's disintegration was inevitable. The nascent creatures of the Desolate Realm, spawned from the blood patterns of the Bloodbath Ground, collapsed before they could flourish.
"Since you've ensnared my Yang God, I shall keep your physical form in this realm," Yu Yuan proclaimed, standing upon the Bloodbath Ground and gazing into the encroaching blood mist. "Through you, I intend to ascertain the current state of my Yang God."
