C2085 The Best Foundation
The mountain trembled continuously, yet it refused to simply depart. Within it, the Earth Spirit coveted the Phoenix Ashes, eager to assimilate and purify them. Yuan Le was indecisive.
Sekou beat his chest in frustration as the star beneath the bear's feet drifted away from the mountain. The Earth Spirit, which had taken over the bear, was the Primal Anima of the mountain. Sekou's actions were a reflection of the will of the mountain's Primal Anima.
The Uxthar Tree, towering above the Phoenix Ashes, seemed insignificant to it. The Shadowkin and Wingkind, still nursing their wounds, posed no threat, and it saw no need for Yuan Le to intervene.
Yuan Le, however, kept glancing at Yu Yuan, not out of concern for Chen Qinghuang or the Uxthar Tree, but wary of Yu Yuan's potential involvement.
"You?" The bear's gaze settled on Yu Yuan.
Yu Yuan had claimed to have slain a Primal Anima, but the bear was skeptical. After all, Yu Yuan, at the eleventh level, didn't appear to have reached such a capability. The bear had never ventured into the Abyss, nor had it encountered Yu Yuan's true form.
If it could witness how the Tree of Life and the Thunder Spirit behaved so submissively before Yu Yuan, perhaps then it would believe his claims.
Yu Yuan's eyes sparkled with amusement, offering no reply to the bear's silent questioning.
In that moment, amidst the withered leaves of the divine tree, Chen Qinghuang slowly rose from her seated meditation. Her new, elegant green gown concealed her wounds, and though her complexion was a touch pale, no apparent injuries were visible. Yet Yu Yuan, Yuan Le, the Death Viper, and the black goat all knew her wounds were far from healed.
Her proud gaze moved beyond the Direbear, resting on Yu Yuan, seeking answers.
Yu Yuan gave a slight nod. "No hurry. We'll wait for the Lizard."
Chen Qinghuang looked surprised.
"We'll handle it together later," Yu Yuan stated calmly.
"Oh," was all Chen Qinghuang replied.
"Hmph!" Behind Yu Yuan, Ji Ningshuang, who was refining the Stardust Blade, stood within the crimson barrier of the Primal Blood Continent.
She harnessed the Primal Blood and the power of extreme cold within the wall to replenish her depleted energy.
Ji Ningshuang felt a twinge of displeasure during Yu Yuan and Chen Qinghuang's brief exchange and couldn't suppress a snort of irritation.
In her view, the likes of Yuan Lianyao, Liu Ying, Lin Zhuyun, and Elena, despite the whispers linking them to Yu Yuan, were inconsequential to her. They were simply too weak.
However, whenever she heard about Chen Qinghuang's dealings with Yu Yuan, she sensed trouble. Their ambiguous relationship, riddled with secrets unknown to others and seemingly intertwined with Yu Yuan's past life, irked Ningshuang.
To her dismay, after sustaining severe injuries, Chen Qinghuang had managed to find her way to the Ashlands.
This only added to Ningshuang's irritation.
Regrettably, her cold snort went unnoticed by Chen Qinghuang, while Yu Yuan feigned deafness.
"Yuan Le, Zhiya has already returned to the Wasteland. If you fail to make it back, she'll assume the throne," Yu Yuan said with a sardonic grin. "Bear in mind, Bertain can emerge from the Evil Temple at any moment. The second he does, if you're still in this realm, retreating safely to the Wasteland will be no simple feat."
Yuan Le's face contorted slightly.
All five of his Beast Gods, except for Sekou, who was inhabited by the Earth Spirit, showed signs of alarm.
The Dark Phoenix, second only to Yuan Le in strength and with a pure Phoenix lineage, had rallied numerous Beast Gods in the Wasteland, all of whom had witnessed Zhiya's might.
Should Yuan Le meet with misfortune, Zhiya would undoubtedly rise as the new sovereign of the Wasteland, favored by the Primal Blood.
These Beast Gods, having once partaken in the hunt against Zhiya, might now face retribution and be purged by her, paving the way for the rise of new Beast Gods.
With a thunderous boom, the colossal Abyssal Greater Basilisk, its platinum scales bursting apart, traversed a swath of the Star River to reach this desolate and silent expanse.
In the old lizard's eyes, a greenish-black flame seemed to flicker, and as its spiny tail whipped through the void, it tore open a "Maw of Oblivion."
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The "Maw of Oblivion" spun outward, not to absorb the power of the Star River, but to unleash the violent and chaotic energies of the Abyss.
The Star River's energy in this world had long been drained by the towering mountains, leaving it barren and desolate.
With the emergence of the Maw of Oblivion, as it continuously spewed energy, the realm seemed to be transforming into an extension of the Abyss itself.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
A deep red glow emanated from the blood-colored wall where Ji Ningshuang was, casting its light upon the Lizard.
Bathed in the deep red illumination, the bloodline chains of the Lizard's Giant Beast Heart appeared to be erased, one by one.
The Cosmic Giant Beast, a being born of the Primal Blood of this world, was kin to the Lizard, the Secular Bird Queen, and the Abyssal Leviathan—all related to the Primal Blood.
Having been tainted by the Primal Soul of the Abyss, his beastly form and bloodline were altered, and thus, he was abhorred by the Primal Blood.
The Primal Blood was exacting its retribution.
Another deep red light, imbued with a determined will, shone upon Chen Qinghuang.
Beneath her dress, her torn wounds closed in an instant.
Her brutal battle with the Dark Phoenix, which had left her with severe injuries, was now being healed by the potent vital energy within the deep red light.
For the first time, she experienced the grace of this world's Primal Blood, gazing in astonishment at the crimson star.
The Primal Blood had compelled her to slay the Lizard, and she found herself hesitating.
Boom!
Standing tall like a scarlet Holy Mountain, Yu Yuan blocked the path between Sekou and the Phoenix Ashes. He confronted the giant ape, possessed by the Earth Spirit, and declared, "I'll ask you one last time, do you truly wish to merge with it?"
Sekou nodded.
The mountain trembled with might.
"Then so be it," Yu Yuan proclaimed.
He conveyed a silent message to Chen Qinghuang, "The Phoenix Ashes may yet prevail. Mother Earth could be on the verge of a rebirth. We should possess the strength to aid the Phoenix Ashes in their resurgence. I, too, require the reborn Mother Earth to acquire something that has always eluded me."
He sought to craft another layer of the "Soul Altar." The Earth Spirit's essence would serve as the cornerstone for his sea of consciousness, supporting the successive layers of the "Soul Altar."
Indeed, there was no foundation more suitable than the profound meaning of Mother Earth.
Chen Qinghuang paused briefly before reaching out to the Uxthar Tree. With evident reluctance, the divine tree, lush with foliage, withdrew from the Phoenix Ashes.
The Shadowkin and Wingkind elites ascended from the ashen land.
"This is a new opportunity for you. Cherish it," Yu Yuan's thought projected onto the enchanted land, invigorating the intelligent life within.
Instantly, the Phoenix Ashes soared toward the mountain, gliding over Sekou's head.
Yuan Le, the Beast Gods, and the Earth Spirit inhabiting Sekou all watched in amazement and confusion.
They could not fathom why the land, having split from another Earth Spirit, had become so proactive.
With a whoosh, the Phoenix Ashes vanished into the mountain, melding seamlessly into the rock face.
As it did, a surge of the Earth Spirit's essence withdrew from Sekou's being.
The Earth Spirit was consolidating all its power to refine the Phoenix Ashes and achieve its longed-for advancement.
"Yuan Le, am I about to make a breakthrough?" Sekou asked with a guileless grin.
"Congratulations," Yuan Le replied with a smile, nodding in affirmation. For the sake of the Earth Spirit and Sekou, he was content to wait a bit longer.
Meanwhile, Yu Yuan, in the vast expanse of the Abyss, bid farewell to the Tree of Life and the Thunder Spirit. He set off toward the Genesis Continent, a place shrouded in mystery and home to the Dark Anima.
The Genesis Continent, vast beyond the scope of Tyria, stretched out like the serrated ridges on the back of a colossal beast, exuding a sense of dread and awe.
The Evil Temple had departed, leaving no remarkable relics on the Genesis Continent to make a lasting impression on him.
Yet, as he drew near, he sensed the continent's fervent welcome.
It was as if the Genesis Continent, rising from the unfathomable darkness below, possessed a consciousness that had been eternally awaiting his return.
Yu Yuan felt an intrinsic connection to this land; it seemed to belong to him, regardless of his transformations or his current guise.
...
