C2101 An Unprecedented Precedent!

Yu Yuan, on the seventh layer of the Abyss, witnessed the abrupt transformation in the heavens above.

With a mere flicker of his consciousness, he realized it was the same individual who had directed Kaiya and the Demon God Saca to intercept the landmass seeking to rendezvous with the High Mountains.

At this juncture, Kaiya likely had no recollection of her earlier entreaties and admonitions.

Kaiya, the venerable Sky Fiend Saca, along with Reid and Youqian, had succumbed to the warping of their minds, their free will subverted.

Yu Yuan, poised in the seventh layer of the Abyss for the descent of the Dark Anima, was suddenly beset by a headache.

His Solar Spirit, alongside the Primal Blood Continent and the Dragon Slaying Stage, was on the verge of stepping into the Dark Realm.

Within the Dark Realm, his Solar Spirit had tasks to attend to and needed to be vigilant against the encroaching darkness.

Hence, the Solar Spirit could not depart.

Whoosh!

In that instant, the silhouette of Demon Lord Tan Xiaotian ascended from the boundless depths of darkness.

Tan Xiaotian stood upon the surging sea of shadows as if treading on solid ground.

Beneath the Demon Lord's feet, the darkness seemed to harbor a tangible world, perhaps the very Genesis Continent itself.

Regrettably, Yu Yuan's vision was too clouded to discern it.

Tan Xiaotian's eyes, dark as ink, resembled two black stars emitting an engulfing void.

Upon his emergence, Yu Yuan instinctively cast his gaze toward him.

Boom!

The mere act of locking eyes sent a jolt through Yu Yuan.

The malevolent thoughts and specters of inner demons that lurked in the recesses of his heart ran amok in his sea of consciousness, emerging within his pristine six-tiered Soul Altar.

In a flash, his Soul Altar was sullied with numerous impurities.

These impurities, born of his soul, were his own negative emotions, his inner demons.

Inextricably linked to his soul, they were indelible.

As long as he lived, negative emotions would inevitably surface at times, a trait unique to intelligent life.

No one was exempt.

Ordinarily, the Soul Altar's distracting and malevolent thoughts, along with various negative emotions, could be subdued by his spiritual wisdom, seldom surfacing to cloud his judgment or decisions.

However, the presence of Demon Lord Tan Xiaotian and their mutual gaze amplified these thoughts and emotions to an overwhelming degree.

He was momentarily disoriented.

"Refinement of the Heart through Light!"

Yu Yuan, having been through this before, quickly steadied his mind and spiritual wisdom. The plane of light within his mind shone once more, releasing a resplendent divine glow.

The stray and malevolent thoughts in his sea of consciousness and the Soul Altar were dissolved, and his negative emotions were once again quelled.

Yu Yuan instantly realized that Tan Xiaotian, who was deep in the darkness below, was no longer himself.

Deep within Tan Xiaotian's eye sockets, his pitch-black pupils shone like dark stars within a dark green Astral Domain.

Tan Xiaotian had indeed been overtaken by darkness.

Having ascended to the eleventh level of supremacy, Tan Xiaotian struggled to free himself from the Primal Soul's control. He resisted being constrained by the Dark Anima and refused to be possessed by it.

This resistance was a result of his own influence and incitement.

Nonetheless, Tan Xiaotian had reaped benefits from the Dark Anima. Upon reaching the eleventh level, he willingly journeyed to the Dark Realm, intending to forge a Darkland for the Dark Anima to amplify its strength.

Yet, Tan Xiaotian also made it clear that he did not wish to be seen as a puppet by the Dark Anima, nor to have it descend upon him with its willful spirit.

To this end, Tan Xiaotian even severed a portion of his primal essence, daring to defy the mightiest Primal Anima.

However, when only one Primal Soul remained between heaven and earth, Tan Xiaotian still could not avoid his fate.

Corrupted, Tan Xiaotian was commanded to depart the Everlands for the Genesis Continent, where he was ultimately possessed by the Dark Anima that had created him.

He had no say in the matter.

"You remain unchanged, as obstinate and irrational as always."

The entity spoke through Tan Xiaotian's voice, which was surprisingly soft and mellifluous, as sweet as honey.

It used an ancient human tongue, slightly different from the languages of the humans in the Everlands.

This ancient language, in fact, originated in the darkness of the Dark Realm, and was the first spoken by humans.

Its speech was smooth and natural, betraying no sign of unfamiliarity, as if it had long since mastered it.

After it spoke, Yu Yuan and Lin Daoke both wore peculiar expressions.

The Primal Anima, embodying a certain order and law, possessed intelligence and spirituality, yet lacked a physical body and soul.

The Primal Anima was merely a fusion of spiritual wisdom and the profound meanings of laws.

This was common knowledge to both Yu Yuan and Lin Daoke.

A Primal Anima, devoid of body and soul, wasn't a typical creature and naturally did not conform to gender distinctions.

When they projected their spiritual sense into a male body, they became male.

When entering a female body, they became female, with no exceptions—until now.

The Dark Anima had chosen to inhabit the body of Demon Lord Tan Xiaotian. Speaking through Tan Xiaotian's corporeal form, the voice that emerged was astonishingly feminine.

But there was more.

The body remained Tan Xiaotian's, as did the face, with no alteration to his height or features.

Yet, upon its arrival, Tan Xiaotian's visage, once handsome and bewitchingly charming, took on a softer, more feminine quality.

Even the contours of his cheeks appeared subtly refined, losing some of their harshness.

Primal Anima typically showed no concern for such minutiae and never altered the host's appearance.

This one was decidedly different.

It seemed dissatisfied with Tan Xiaotian's gender and, after taking over, it attempted to present itself in a feminine guise using Tan Xiaotian's body.

In all of Yu Yuan's lifetimes, including his tenure as the Lord of the Abyss, he had never encountered such a precedent in his understanding of Primal Anima.

This Dark Anima was truly unique, seemingly intent on deliberately exploring the emotions of intelligent life.

Crack!

A faint snapping sound reached Yu Yuan's ears.

The sound originated from Breluan.

At Kaiya's behest, an ancient Sky Fiend named Saca, with his demonform as vast as a meteorite sea, had infiltrated Breluan.

Saca was dismembering Breluan, which was on the verge of shattering into even more fragments.

The entity inhabiting Tan Xiaotian's body curled its lips into a chilling smile, albeit one that seemed somewhat forced and unnatural.

"If you dare to leave, my power will flood the sixth and fifth levels of the Abyss. Only when I have a suitable body can I unleash my true strength."

It was well aware of the events unfolding in the skies of the Origin Realm.

Kaiya, Saca, and a host of Sky Fiends had already converged in the void of the Origin Realm, bordering the Abyss, ready to obliterate the lands as they detached.

The Mother Earth would never permit her fragmented power to rapidly coalesce and amplify.

"Mr. Lin."

Yu Yuan called out gently.

"Hmm!"

Lin Daoke was jolted awake as if from a deep sleep.

The Master of the Sword Sect finally shifted his gaze from Tan Xiaotian, smirking and shaking his head as he muttered, "Such an odd fellow..."

He found it difficult to come to terms with Tan Xiaotian of the Devil Palace being overtaken by the Primal Anima.

"Please ascend and ensure that the lands depart whole and unbroken. Oh, and do not kill Kaiya from the Star-Spawned Terror."

Yu Yuan made his request.

"Kaiya, Soul-Capturing..."

Lin Daoke frowned and murmured, "She won't be easy to take down."

"You must promise me, Van Heqing, Little Lu, and the rest..."

Lin Daoke was unaware of the destination of the departing lands or the nature of Yu Yuan's dealings; he simply stated his conditions.

"I'll do my utmost!" Yu Yuan nodded emphatically.

"Understood."

In an instant, Lin Daoke transformed into a beam of sword light, shooting towards the heavens, swiftly crossing the seven layers of the Abyss.

With Jihui, Van Heqing, and the Everlands' mighty ones watching, Lin Daoke's sword light outpaced all the lands fleeing outward.

He reached Breluan.

"Yet another has been swayed by you. Your power of persuasion stems from it. Yu Yuan, you and it are meant to be as one, just as Tan Xiaotian and I are."

The Dark Anima, possessing the Demon Lord, extended a hand into the darkness and pulled forth the mat known as Shadowsky.

"This defiant creature, I will use this expanse of shadow to obscure your brilliance."

It suddenly turned its gaze to the land at the summit of the Abyss, peering through all barriers and stone to behold the Light Spirit. "I will fashion this black sky into a shade to envelop your light."

"Block it!"

"Hold it back for me!"

"I'm making a run for it!"

...