C2099 The Spring

In the Dark Domain, on the Tia Main Planet, a figure hovered in the depths of the void, deep in thought. This figure was the Ghost God Yu Yuan, whose body had been taken over by another entity.

Scattered around the Tia Main Planet were thirty-six colossal energy vortexes, now silent and devoid of the mysterious starry power that once emanated from them. The origins of these enigmatic vortexes remained unknown to all.

The energy that had poured into the Gray Domain from the starry sky had vanished without a trace, and neither Yu Yuan nor Zhong Chichen could determine its final destination. Invisible soul strands emerged from Yu Yuan's body, slipping silently into the various energy vortexes, but not one returned successfully. It was as if the entity was fishing with the power of its soul, yet it caught no fish and even lost its lines.

With a frown, it communicated its will telepathically, instructing others to act.

Moments later, two figures materialized behind it. One was the Demon Lord Tan Xiaotian, and the other was Arthurs, the self-proclaimed Origin Realm God, now reduced to a mere remnant soul after a devastating blow from Beilstein.

Without his Evil God skeleton, Arthurs stood behind the entity, his Evil Soul intact, mirroring Tan Xiaotian's stance. Gazing at the back of the one who had possessed Yu Yuan, Arthurs spoke with a voice tinged with reverence, "Master? Was it you who summoned me?"

Arthurs had been forgiven. Following the orders of the Holy Hall's Guardian, he was allowed to leave the sacred place. Skilled in the mysteries of space and the soul, Arthurs was once again entrusted with important tasks and now stood before the entity alongside Tan Xiaotian.

As Arthurs' evil soul flickered with thought, he looked upon the still energy vortexes and said, "Master, I too have explored these, to no avail. During my time in this realm, I uncovered a truth. It is said that these energy vortexes, known as the springs, existed before the Gray Domain came into being."

Tan Xiaotian's face twitched involuntarily at Arthurs' revelation, feeling out of place even as he stood behind Yu Yuan's formidable form. Yet, reconnected with the Darkness Origin Spirit, he found himself occasionally swayed by unusual thoughts, leading him to adopt a more docile demeanor.

It turned around indifferently, fixing its gaze upon Arthurs' malevolent soul.

Every secret within Arthurs' malevolent soul had vanished.

All that was related to this place transformed into specks of memory light, which were instantly seized by it.

This seemed to be a soul-searching art of even greater depth and mystery.

Arthurs fell silent, his evil soul blurring and trembling slightly under its scrutiny.

The secrets of the Gray Domain were uncovered through the relics of the Djinn Clan by the descendants of the Titan Spinosaurus.

The thirty-six energy vortexes, referred to as "springs" by the Djinn Clan, appeared to have emerged suddenly at a certain moment.

Following the emergence of the "springs," they began to gush forth starry powers, catching the attention of the supreme Spinosaurus. Thus, the previous ruler of the Origin Realm sought them out.

Due to the "springs," the Spinosaurus transformed this once inconspicuous Starfield into his own private Starry Forbidden Ground.

Subsequently, this area became his "Dragon Cave."

The treasures he captured from across the galaxies of the Origin Realm, along with numerous juvenile Starry Behemoths, were all placed within the Gray Domain.

The emergence and wonder of the Gray Domain were all because of these "springs."

Yet, the Djinn Clan's records did not reveal the origins of the thirty-six "springs," nor whether the supreme Spinosaurus ever unraveled their secrets.

Whoosh!

He flung the banner toward Arthurs.

The banner was an amalgamation of the Profound Dao Flag and the Soul Summoning Flag, holding within it the mysteries of the soul and the intricate subtleties of space, forming a realm of its own.

Without a physical form, Arthurs, the Evil God who once proclaimed himself the Origin Realm God, was powerless to resist and was drawn straight into the banner.

The banner became his temporary vessel, its inner world extensively redefined, vast and infinite, shimmering with a rainbow sheen.

Tan Xiaotian's eyes widened in astonishment, noting the resemblance between the banner, its inner world, and the Dragon Slash Platform, with laws that seemed strikingly similar.

With a whoosh, the banner enveloping Arthurs, imbued with a strand of its spiritual consciousness, issued a clear command to him. It directed Arthurs to wield the banner and investigate one of the "springs." Arthurs instantly understood that his pardon was due to his mastery of various Soul Arts and his control over spatial forces. He was the sole Evil God who had traversed the Abyss Gate with his soul and could move freely within the Origin Realm.

"Understood," Arthurs responded, not daring to defy the order. He seamlessly integrated with the banner, treating it as a temporary vessel, and soared toward one of the "springs." Then, all fell silent.

He waited patiently at the brink of the "spring," using the fragment of his consciousness within the banner to perceive the oddities within the "spring." Time passed.

Eventually, he turned to gaze at Tan Xiaotian, the Demon Master, with a vacant expression. Tan Xiaotian, too, had sensed the call of the Darkness Origin Spirit from the Abyss, aware that Yu Yuan's true form had become a dazzling beacon of light, contending with the rising darkness.

"You go first," he commanded through Yu Yuan's formidable ghostly form.

Tan Xiaotian's brow furrowed. "Through the heart of the Vast Ocean," he was instructed once more.

The reluctance in Tan Xiaotian's heart mysteriously dissipated. He remained silent and descended toward the core of the Vast Ocean. Passing the Evil God Temple, he noticed that all the Evil Gods were absent, save for the Great Demon God, Beilstein.

Beilstein's Devil Soul lingered within his armor, his eyes represented by two stagnant orbs of black and green flame that neither flickered nor danced. Staring into Beilstein's demonic gaze, a twinge of pain momentarily crossed Tan Xiaotian's brow.

Yet, he proceeded as instructed, delving into the earth's depths toward the Extreme Flame and the Heart of Vastness, from where he would journey to the Creation Land. Unbeknownst to him, as he departed the temple, a glimmer of expression flashed across Beilstein's otherwise vacant and numb demonic eyes.

Regrettably, the flicker of brilliance vanished as swiftly as it had emerged, as though it had never been there at all.

Elsewhere, at the edge of the starry expanse, stood the Phoenix Shrine.

Numerous high-ranking alien beasts from the Origin Realm, pursued by Sky Devils and targeted by an alliance of Evil Gods and humans, heeded the call of the Demon Phoenix Zhiya and converged from all corners of the universe.

Zhiya welcomed each alien beast, granting them passage through the Phoenix Shrine to the Desolate Realm.

She didn't even require these alien beasts to pledge their loyalty to her upon their arrival in the Desolate Realm.

On this particular day,

A fiery "solar nucleus" soared across the void, traversing millions of miles to reach the Phoenix Shrine.

The White Divine Tiger and Yu Zhu were visibly shaken at the sight of the "solar nucleus."

The Sky Tiger, with its formidable frame like a barrier, positioned itself in front of the temple and declared, "There's the scent of the Fire Phoenix's essence!"

"And that... frog," Yu Zhu murmured softly.

A massive "solar nucleus," transformed into a prism-shaped firestone, bore a solitary figure seated upon it.

She sat serenely amidst the divine flames, her beauty beyond compare, her vitality pulsing like the most violent volcano across all three realms.

Beneath her lofty chest, each acupoint appeared to have been transmuted into a myriad of fiery worlds.

Her name was Yuan Lianyao.

With a crackle,

The laws of crimson lightning warped the very fabric of space around her, eliciting a reaction from the Sky Tiger, which feared that the uncontrollable surge of Yang God flames might spill over and engulf the open shrine.

The flame-wreathed alien beasts en route to the temple entrance prostrated themselves, wailing with fervent devotion.

It was as though they were prostrating before a divine spirit of fire.

Upon witnessing her arrival, Zhiya's heart ached, for the Fire Phoenix she considered a sister had left its mark on this woman.

And this woman had significant ties to Yu Yuan.

"Great Demon Phoenix,"

Yuan Lianyao rose from the solar nucleus with a respectful nod and said, "I wish to travel to the Desolate Realm and seek passage through the Phoenix Shrine."

"I can sense that the Extreme Flame is incessantly beckoning me to the Gray Domain. I aim to escape its call by passing through the Desolate Realm."

Yuan Lianyao implored earnestly.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Clusters of fierce flames and bolts of lightning retreated to her tall, alluring figure as she spoke. The "solar nucleus" she was perched upon cooled, no longer scorching like a branding iron.

She locked eyes with Zhiya, regarding her as an equal, devoid of any fear.

The exquisitely featured Demon Phoenix stood before the shrine in human form, her expression shifting like clouds on a stormy day. It seemed as though she had a myriad of thoughts to express, yet ultimately, she revealed none.

"Agreed."

Zhiya gave a gentle nod.

Behind her, the shrine teemed with alien beasts that now scurried toward the Desolate Realm, unwilling to linger within the hallowed halls any longer.

They appeared to fear Yuan Lianyao's presence, dreading that this formidable woman might reduce the shrine to a desolate inferno.

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