C2086 The End of the Soul

The Evil Temple had taken flight and settled in the Everlands, while the Genesis Continent remained stationary.

From a bird's-eye view, the Genesis Continent resembled a colossal beast sprawled across the land, its hills and mountain ranges jutting out like a spine, with dense Soul Power surging directly into Yu Yuan's mind.

His Soul Altar, akin to a gargantuan whale drawing in water, absorbed the boundless Soul Power.

It seemed insatiable.

"Genesis..."

Yu Yuan whispered to himself, sensing that the word, along with the enigmatic land that enveloped him, had been his companions through innumerable moments in time.

It appeared as though he had both emerged and perished there.

"I hope that the darkness will provide me with new insights, granting me greater strength to contend with it."

The memories that had surfaced allowed Yu Yuan to understand that the Soul Altar he was forging in his sea of consciousness was essential in his struggle against the mightiest Primal Anima.

In this realm, he alone had crafted such a Soul Altar, one that even the Primal Soul of the Abyss could not contend with.

"Ugh!"

He scrutinized the area and discovered a vast chasm where the Evil Temple once stood, with black flames burning within.

As he gazed upon the dark blaze, the scent of the Dark Anima reached him, and he instantly realized that the shadowy force concealed within the Genesis Continent had anticipated his arrival.

The immense pit and the dark flames within it served as the eyes of that entity.

Thus, Yu Yuan hovered over the pit, observing the black flames, and declared, "I intend to reclaim what is rightfully mine."

Deep within his sea of consciousness, the Soul Altar now boasted six layers, embodying the profound meanings of the rules of Primal Soul, Primal Vitality, Primal Blood, Light, Thunder Spirit, and plant spirit.

Through the Tree of Life and the Thunder Spirit, he had unearthed many forgotten events and uncovered numerous truths.

Yet, more memories remained hidden from him.

According to the Tree of Life and the Thunder Spirit, the darkness of the Genesis Continent had been the longest-standing companion to the Primal Soul of the Abyss, forming a true alliance.

In the eyes of the Primal Soul of the Abyss, the Tree of Life, Thunder, and Light were more akin to vassals.

Their statuses were not at all equivalent.

Among the myriad spirits, only the Dark Anima had remained a constant companion. It had shielded it in slumber and steadfastly stood by its side, earning the status of an esteemed ally.

Yu Yuan's journey had a dual purpose: to harness the Dark Anima to resurrect the layer imprinted with dark magic, thereby elevating the Soul Altar from six to seven levels. Additionally, he sought to uncover what lay beneath the shroud of darkness.

Yet, when he called out, the deep darkness of the Genesis Continent offered no reply. Moments later, his expression turned icy as he focused on his brow. A radiant light began to emanate from there, growing ever brighter.

He had forged a link with the highest tier of land atop the Abyss, channeling a dazzling force of light through his body as a conduit, piercing the surrounding darkness and infusing him with its essence.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Massive columns of light burst forth from his brow, cascading toward the chasm ablaze with black flames. The luminous power born of him threatened to shatter the dark inferno below and delve into the abyssal depths.

But the black flames converged, forming a lustrous, pitch-black mirror. The light pillars, upon contact with the mirror, were instantly extinguished. The light, swallowed whole by the dark mirror.

Yu Yuan's brow creased in frustration.

The Dark Anima, superior to the celestial Light Spirit and reigning in this realm of infinite darkness, rendered the Soul Altar's light ineffective, unable to penetrate the dark's core.

"You're proving quite recalcitrant," he murmured, drawing nearer to the mirror that appeared to stretch across the pit.

Within the obsidian reflection, he saw his own visage. The mirror, mirroring the Heart Lake, drew forth the sinister aspects of his psyche, infusing them into his mirrored image.

There, his malevolent reflection, empowered by the Dark Anima, grew in strength. It met his gaze from within the mirror.

Suddenly, dark will and malevolent thoughts surged within Yu Yuan, staining the jade-like tier of his six-level Soul Altar with an inky darkness.

In the mirror, his nefarious doppelgänger twisted a smile, chilling to the bone.

Elsewhere, Tan Xiaotian's mind stirred as he once again felt the summoning of the Dark Anima. The pervasive darkness compelled him to keep his distance from Yu Yuan in the outside world, avoiding any close encounters.

"What are you up to?" Tan Xiaotian grumbled, eyeing the towering, blood-red silhouette of Yu Yuan's back. "Why did you venture to that continent to seek the origin that created me? What are you trying to achieve?"

"Don't ask so many questions. You wouldn't understand even if I explained," Yu Yuan responded without looking back.

The Phoenix Ashes had penetrated the mountain, revealing the form of the Lizard in a frenzied state, its tail whipping up a "Maw of Oblivion." Both the Lizard and the Secular Bird Queen were bathed in a deep crimson glow—one's bloodline was obliterated, the other healed, receiving starkly different fates.

"Everlands!" Yu Yuan called out, noticing a surge of blazing fire energy amidst the frenetic and chaotic forces emanating from the "Maw of Oblivion." The Everlands had previously been absorbing the immense cosmic energy in the Ashlands, transforming it into the power of the Abyss. Thus, the "Maw of Oblivion" was connected not to the seven layers of the Abyss, but to the transformed power of the Everlands. This indicated that the Everlands lay on the other side of the "Maw of Oblivion."

Yu Yuan realized the impending trouble. Yuan Le had not yet departed, and now it seemed leaving would not be so simple.

"I hope you all are prepared," Yu Yuan murmured to himself.

In a whoosh, a figure emerged from the hole, carried by the energy of the Abyss, his face impassive.

"Ebon Star, Cao Jiaze!" Tan Xiaotian exclaimed in surprise.

Cao Jiaze shook his head, casting a profound glance at Tan Xiaotian. The wavering consciousness of the Demon Lord within him shifted immediately. Tan Xiaotian suddenly found Cao Jiaze incredibly agreeable, feeling an urge to draw nearer.

It was as though Tan Xiaotian's very purpose and his life's quest were to safeguard Cao Jiaze and to assist him in fulfilling his deepest desires.

Deep within his soul, there was a primitive imprint that had been twisted.

Tan Xiaotian looked at Cao Jiaze, a strange, sycophantic smile spreading across his face—a smile he had never worn since birth.

In an instant, Tan Xiaotian and his Shadowsky materialized behind Cao Jiaze, serving him attentively like a shadow.

With an impassive gaze, he observed the crimson star and the towering mountain.

Ji Ningshuang, Yuan Le, and the five Beast Gods were beneath his notice.

Finally, his eyes settled on Yu Yuan's eleventh-level Solar Spirit, and he nodded subtly.

Yu Yuan's face soured as he spoke, "You've emerged so swiftly and ventured so far. It seems you've nearly unraveled the mysteries of the Heart of the Everlands."

Surrounded by many onlookers, he remained silent.

"What is it?"

The black goat beside the mountain was seized by boundless terror at the arrival of Cao Jiaze, as if it had glimpsed the far shore of Mind Magic.

The beast soul of the woman in the black dress quivered, and the two black goat horns at the back of her head shattered upon probing into Cao Jiaze's mind and seeing the image within the Soul Pillar.

Silently, the black goat's horns broke off, and the two forms of Spirit Magic she had attempted to merge began to backfire.

Clutching her dress, the black goat vomited blood profusely and reverted to her goat form. The soul star she had refined also burst apart along with the horns.

The black goat, a practitioner of dark Mind Magic, could not endure its own power. Its life was extinguished before its fervor could be spent.

"Untamed! Hurry to the Beast God Temple!"

Yuan Le bellowed.

The Ape, born in the Godsblight Marsh and a denizen of the Everlands, had also caught Cao Jiaze's shifting gaze.

Startled by Yuan Le's warning, the Ape bolted towards the Beast God Temple.

Yet Cao Jiaze's gaze still found him.

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