C2083 Under the Darkness
In the vast expanse of darkness, the Abyss Wood swayed its branches and leaves, channeling its power outward. The green leaves, which had absorbed and refined the essence of plants for millennia, now turned to dust, their energy reluctantly surrendered.
Crack!
Blinding bolts of lightning streaked across the Abyss Wood's thick, scaly roots, vanishing as quickly as they appeared. This lightning, embodying the quintessence of thunder, was the ultimate truth sought by Wai Zhuo, Qi Yunhong, and others throughout their lives, yet it remained elusive.
The profound Laws of the Great Dao, which they had longed to grasp in their dreams, were now willingly offered to Yu Yuan by the very source of thunder itself. These laws were etched into Yu Yuan's Soul Altar, becoming a distinct layer adorned with vivid lightning.
Confronted by Yu Yuan's demands, both the Abyss Wood and the Origin Soul of Thunder meekly surrendered their arcane secrets, enabling Yu Yuan to reconstruct the two shattered layers of his Soul Altar within his mind. They harbored a deep-seated fear of Yu Yuan.
Yu Yuan was the spokesperson for the Abyss Origin Soul, once the mightiest divine weapon at its disposal. It was through Yu Yuan that the Abyss Origin Soul had enforced its will.
The chosen representatives, once seized by them, were also vanquished by Yu Yuan. Their memories were haunted by the horrific images of Yu Yuan's wrath. Even though Yu Yuan had slain their chosen vessels, the manifestations of their will, they still felt the pain as if it were their own.
Furthermore...
Yu Yuan had not engaged in battle with the Titan Spinosaurus, and before his demise, he had already achieved parity with the Origin Soul, securing an equivalent status within the Abyss. In his Late Period, Yu Yuan was no longer just a mouthpiece for the Origin Soul; he had become more akin to an ally.
The Origin Soul could no longer possess Yu Yuan; it needed to consult with him and seek his consent for its actions. In this regard, Yu Yuan was, in essence, the true Abyss Lord.
The Origin Spirits of both the vegetation and thunder had always been adrift in the darkness, privy to many secrets. They were aware that Yu Yuan's previous fall was orchestrated by the combined forces of the Spinosaurus and the Abyss Origin Soul.
Although Yu Yuan had been defeated and paid with his life, his resurrection and the creation of four new levels within his Soul Altar, along with the presence of the high-level Origin Spirits of Origin Blood and Origin Soul from the Origin Realm, indicated that Yu Yuan would return even stronger than before.
It was uncertain who would emerge victorious in the protracted struggle between him and the Abyss Origin Soul.
Consequently, under Yu Yuan's coercion, the Origin Spirit of the grass and wood and the Origin Spirit of thunder had no choice but to obediently cooperate, not daring to defy him.
"You have secured your right to exist in the future," he declared.
Yu Yuan was pleased as he felt the intricate laws being imprinted within the green leaf in his hand and the thunderous orb, and as he observed the formation of two new levels within his sea of consciousness.
Before his descent into the darkness, the stage corresponding to the Origin Soul revealed the soul's profound mysteries, triggering a flood of new memories.
He realized that the Origin Spirits of the plants and lightning, who had long resided here, had been subdued by him, leading them to ally with the Abyss Origin Soul and willingly remain in the shadows.
His mind held fragmented memories of the origins of these two Origin Spirits, as if they had been violently torn apart, preventing him from recalling them in full.
"I've forgotten where you two originated from. And from where did I bring you to the abyss?" Yu Yuan inquired abruptly.
The branches of the Abyss Wood and its expansive leaves began to retract toward the trunk, quivering as if in fear.
Shortly thereafter, it relayed a startling revelation.
The Spirit of the Plants and the continent it anchored itself to had once been home to Mother Earth—a superior Origin Soul.
They were indigenous to this world!
This place was, in fact, the Origin Realm!
The landscape Yu Yuan now beheld, teeming with wild and chaotic energy from the abyss, with its one hundred seventy-two lands and seven abyssal layers, was truly the sky of the Origin Realm!
This land had once belonged to them!
It was the rightful domain of the Spirit of the Plants and Mother Earth, never meant to be the abyss.
The true abyss lay beneath the infinite darkness.
The abyss's power emerged from the shadows, and the Abyss Origin Soul manifested itself in the unfathomable depths, corrupting the continent where Mother Earth's Spirit concealed itself, drawing sustenance from it.
As a result, numerous abyssal creatures began to proliferate across the continent.
Generations of abyssal beings and Evil Gods were all creations of the Abyss Origin Soul.
Yet, these abyssal progeny were not sufficiently evolved to satisfy the Abyss Origin Soul.
Thus, from the depths below, the Creation Land emerged.
The human race emerged on a continent known as Creation Land, a manifestation of a higher intelligence.
"You are the first human."
"When Creation Land rose from the darkness, you were already there. You were formed beneath it, and together with Creation Land, you appeared before our eyes."
"After you, seeds drifted from Creation Land, falling upon our earth and giving rise to new humans."
The timid Spirit of Grass and Wood spoke.
Yu Yuan's face took on a new expression.
A myriad of fragmented memories struggled to coalesce within the jade platform of his mind, desperately trying to form a whole, yet seemingly thwarted by some force, they remained incomplete.
Yu Yuan was utterly bewildered.
The seven-layered Abyss he found himself in was not an abyss at all, but the Origin Realm.
The Abyss Origin Soul had emerged from the true Abyss, spreading its influence through the boundless darkness above the land of Mother Earth.
Dissatisfied, having not met its expectations, it brought forth a new land from the darkness.
This land was Creation Land.
On this newly emerged land, there was one person from the start, and that person was him!
Only after him did the seeds of the human race scatter across the continents of Mother Earth and the Abyss Wood, mingling with other Abyss Tribe members and ultimately elevating humans to the status of Abyss Gods.
This was the vision witnessed by the Spirits of Grass and Wood.
"Share your knowledge with me. Once I have inscribed your laws within these two layers, I will return to Creation Land to have a word with that darkness."
...
In a desolate and silent Starfield.
Yu Yuan brought his hand down with a smack, and a bloody world unfolded above the head of the Earth Bear, Sekou.
Hundreds of Starry Behemoths bellowed as if from the depths of the Time River, exerting their force upon Sekou, plunging the brutish bear and the Earth Spirit within him into the abyssal depths.
Crack, crack!
Sekou's animal bones snapped one after another, regenerating just as quickly.
The smilodon's vicious fangs clamped onto Yu Yuan's arm, but as Yu Yuan let out a hearty laugh and shook his arm, the teeth shattered to pieces.
The shattered teeth sparkled like tiny, glistening stars, radiating the esoteric essence of their bloodline.
Yu Yuan's free hand formed a fist and hammered down towards the Skyshatter Hammer.
Thud!
The Old Ape, swinging the Skyshatter Hammer, was sent hurtling back by Yu Yuan's punch. His arm bled profusely, and his chest was stained red with blood.
The bone snake, witnessing this, retreated behind Yu Yuan.
It dared not engage in the battle but instead kept its distance, casting glances at Yuen Bu.
The bone snake recognized the reality of their situation, understanding that they stood no chance against Yu Yuan unless Yuen Bu's true form returned. Only then could they hope to defeat Yu Yuan here.
Jee Ningshuang, intent on slaying the black mountain goat, paused in surprise upon receiving a message from Yu Yuan.
Yu Yuan instructed her to return, to cease her battle, as it was now pointless.
Jee Ningshuang hesitated.
At the mountain's summit, the Beast Temple trembled.
The doors of the Beast Temple swung open, and Yuen Bu's true form emerged, while his blood avatar retreated inside.
"Enough!" Yuen Bu bellowed.
The earth spirit possessing Sekou, along with the bone snake, the smilodon, and the Old Ape, had been valiantly resisting Yu Yuan's onslaught outside the mountain.
His roar brought a sense of calm to the Beast Gods, halting their struggle against Yu Yuan.
"King?"
The five Beast Gods turned to Yuen Bu in confusion, unsure of what was unfolding.
With the mountain, the Beast Temple, and their presence, wouldn't they be invincible in the Origin Realm?
Surely, Yu Yuan, an Eleventh Level Yang God, couldn't withstand the full might of the King of the Desolate Realm?
"We're returning to the Desolate Realm."
Yuen Bu inhaled deeply, his complexion turning steely as he issued his command with resolve.
The five Beast Gods' faces fell, disbelief etched into their features. Everything had been going smoothly; they hadn't faced any insurmountable obstacles. Why was Yuen Bu ordering a retreat so suddenly?
"We must leave immediately. If we delay, it may be too late."
Yu Yuan interjected, sharing a meaningful look with Yuen Bu. He cast a sympathetic gaze upon the Old Ape and Sekou, the Earth Bear. "It's uncertain how many of you Beast Gods will make it back alive."
The five Beast Gods exchanged furious glances, suspecting that he was being alarmist.
Yu Yuan let out a sigh and declared, "Time to head home."
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The fragments of the shattered starry Heaven and Earth were drawn to the mountain like iron to a magnet, sticking to its midsection.
Adorned with these numerous fragments, the mountain took on an odd appearance.
"The moment Beilstein steps out of the Evil God Temple, he will hunt you down. Then, Beilstein will be possessed by the Origin Soul. I hope you'll be able to withstand him," Yu Yuan cautioned.
He gestured for Yuen Bu and the mountain to depart, seeking to create a window of opportunity for himself.
Having consumed the Origin Soul of this realm, it now wielded control over all beings, save for Yu Yuan himself, including the Devaputra and numerous Abyss Evil Gods, effectively unifying the Abyss and the Origin Realm.
Yuen Bu, along with the Origin Blood within the mountain, had intruded into the Origin Realm, and it would not permit them to leave without a struggle.
Should the mountain make its way back to the Desolate Realm, it would pose a significant challenge within the world meticulously crafted by Yuen Bu and the Origin Blood.
Thus, the most straightforward solution was to swiftly eliminate all intruders from the Desolate Realm.
Once Yuen Bu perished in the Origin Realm, the Origin Blood and Mother Earth's spirit within the mountain would submit to its will, serving it with the same loyalty as the Origin Spirits of Extreme Flame, Vegetation, and Thunder.
This was its ultimate desire.
