C2102 The Sublimation of the Primal Anima!
The Light Spirit's screams echoed through the space.
Deep within Yu Yuan's sea of consciousness, on the Astral Plane of the Soul Altar, a slender figure materialized. Yu Yuan's face involuntarily twitched at the sight.
The figure was that of a beautiful young girl in a white dress, with a radiant smile and meticulously tailored clothes. She was in a state of panic, shouting and calling out frantically. It was none other than Canli, the saintess of the Dawnbringers!
Canli was vigorously shaking the Light Scepter, her delicate frame quivering with fear as she pleaded with Yu Yuan from a distance, her voice tinged with the sorrow of tears. "Stop it, let me escape, please, I'm begging you!"
"Canli" was so distraught, tears were streaming down her face.
But Yu Yuan knew the truth; this was not Canli. It was the Light Spirit.
The figure of Canli was nothing more than a shadow conjured from the energy of light, a mere illusion devoid of a soul. The Light Spirit was exploiting its familiarity with Canli, using her likeness to craft a false body and implore for his aid.
It had grown more cunning and troublesome, now even manipulating his sense of compassion.
"Something's not right," Yu Yuan thought to himself, sensing an odd shift.
First, it was the Dark Anima, and now the Light Spirit. They seemed to have changed, deviating from the Primal Animas of his memories, which were detached, emotionless, and exalted above all.
The Primal Animas he knew were extraordinary beings of intelligent life, embodying a fusion of Cosmic Order and spiritual wisdom. They were devoid of emotions, operating in a rigid and numb manner, strictly adhering to their rules.
Suddenly, a streak of green lightning crackled atop his Soul Altar, and a long-forgotten memory burst forth. This sealed memory originated from the Primal Soul that had been his companion for eons, the very essence that had shaped the Abyss.
That entity, regarded by the denizens of the Origin Realm and many Primal Animas as the source of all evil, had once claimed that with its transformation and breakthroughs, it could alter the Primal Animas, endowing them with more than just spiritual wisdom.
It could grant the Primal Animas the capacity to experience the full spectrum of emotions, turning them into beings akin to intelligent life, complete with the most unfathomable passions and desires. One day, the Primal Animas might even experience sorrow, pain, love, and even the depths of longing.
That was something it had always longed for.
As the mightiest Primal Anima, it understood that both humans and the creatures of the Abyss possessed such complex emotions.
Yet, it lacked emotions, something it could only yearn for but never attain.
Other extraordinary Primal Animas like itself possessed intelligence and spiritual wisdom, as they were embodiments of cosmic order.
But they were all as emotionless as cold metal.
It yearned for change.
After consuming the Primal Soul of the Everlands and achieving a breakthrough, it seemed to have sparked a miraculous transformation.
Once the Dark Anima took over Tan Xiaotian, it began to present itself in a feminine manner, adopting the speech and mannerisms of a woman.
The Light Spirit, in the guise of Canli and driven by fear, knew how to appear pitiful and elicit sympathy from others.
These two Primal Animas, somehow influenced by its power, were becoming increasingly humanized.
Though they still lacked physical bodies, they had begun to experience the emotions of intelligent life...
"They're going to kill me. You must save me. That's what you promised!" Canli continued to cry out.
Yu Yuan observed closely.
He gradually noticed that he was in an extraordinary place atop the Abyss, filled with countless Sunstones.
This place bore a resemblance to the Heart of the Everlands.
The Hex Stones, crystal clear and brimming with unimaginable light energy, filled the core of the earth.
These Hex Stones had formed from the boundless cosmic energy and the power of the Abyss, deep underground.
In its dwelling, natural veins could form, producing Sunstones of the highest purity.
Any member of the Dawnbringers who acquired a Sunstone and refined the light energy within it through their bloodline could undergo a profound purification and transformation.
Even if it departed, the land where it had resided for eons would become a beacon of light because of the area filled with Sunstones.
The continent would continue to shine over the Abyss, allowing the lands below to bask in the light.
"I must leave. I am bound for the Wasteland!"
In the cavernous underground space, countless luminous threads, like the neural pathways of the Light Spirit, converged towards a dazzling star.
This star was the so-called Star of Light that Yuan Le had brought from the Wasteland and entrusted to him.
After being refined beneath the earth, the entity had become a vessel capable of carrying its own spirit and the principles of light magic. Canli, whom it had manifested, resided within the Star of Light, having gathered its spirit and light magic.
Whoosh!
From a fissure in the earth of the secluded valley where Cardo and Yuan Le had once stayed, a star burst forth.
This radiant star was so brilliant that no one on the surface could gaze upon it with the naked eye.
Jihui, Lu Hongpeng, and Van Heqing, like the greatest of beings, involuntarily closed their eyes, unable to withstand the star's intense glare.
It was overwhelmingly luminous. The potent light it emitted had the power to blind those who dared to stare too long.
As it ascended, the world was enveloped in a blinding white, leaving everyone momentarily sightless.
The light it cast compelled even the mightiest in the layers of the Abyss below to bow their heads, unwilling to lift their gaze to the heavens or to behold the source of light it had become.
In that moment, all understood that the brightest star had always been this one.
"You move quickly."
The Dark Anima possessing Tan Xiaotian scoffed and, riding upon a mat known as Shadowsky, pursued the fleeing Star of Light.
With each ascent, the light above diminished incrementally.
Darkness once again enveloped the sixth and seventh levels of the Abyss.
Upon reaching the fifth level, the dark energy it had brought forth could no longer obscure the entire expanse.
The darkness rising from below failed to reach the fifth level, causing it to flicker between light and dark.
Yet, it continued to rise with determination.
Crackle! Snap!
Suddenly, a dense web of Cosmic Order lightning entwined around it, drastically slowing its ascent.
It came to an abrupt halt, sensing that something was amiss, and looked downward.
From the endless darkness of the Genesis Continent where it had concealed itself, Yu Yuan's figure emerged once more.
Yu Yuan had not pursued Tan Xiaotian, who was under its control, but instead seized the opportunity to descend as it took flight.
On the fifth level of the Abyss, it was ensnared by more familiar rules of the Cosmic Order and could not ascend further.
It was Yu Yuan, wielding the power of the Lord of the Abyss and his masterful control over the world's laws, who had marshaled the strength of the entire world to restrain it.
As it struggled with Tan Xiaotian's body against the Cosmic Order's binding strands, the lands of the Abyss trembled violently.
The fifth and sixth levels, along with some territories on the fourth, seemed to be quaking as if gripped by an immense force. Nearby lands collided, their edges crashing together with a thunderous roar that shook the heavens and the earth. The cities and nations upon these lands, crafted by the intelligent life of the Abyss, crumbled under the world's tremors and collisions. Countless creatures of the Abyss met their demise.
It furrowed its brow in the dark.
The cosmic order's lightning that restrained it was linked to every stratum of the Abyss. Unable to break free, its contortions were pulling at the many worlds within the Abyss. Even with the eleventh level power of Tan Xiaotian, it lacked the strength to drag these Abyssal worlds in pursuit of the Light Spirit. It could only continue its ascent if it severed the ties that bound it to the Abyss.
In the darkness, Yu Yuan gazed once more at the vast chasm left by the departure of the Evil Temple, and at a pitch-black mirror that materialized in response to his presence.
With a whoosh, the Soul Altar, deeply ensconced within his sea of consciousness, emerged from his brow and hovered above his head like a divine diadem.
"Isolate," he commanded.
At his mental behest, a surge of power emanated from the Soul Altar, creating a barrier between the Soul Altar within Tan Xiaotian and the one concealed in the Genesis Continent.
"I'm not sure how much of your spiritual sense resides within Tan Xiaotian's body," Yu Yuan said with a slight smile. "But I do know that not being able to summon Tan Xiaotian at will for possession and combat is a significant setback for you. Moreover, part of your spiritual sense is trapped within Tan Xiaotian's body, unable to return swiftly."
"You are quite weak now."
Yu Yuan remained still, directing the Soul Altar toward the obsidian mirror. He intended to merge the Dark Altar, rightfully his, with his own Soul Altar, integrating it into his power.
He was also aware that whether it be the Dark Anima or that individual, they would surely reveal themselves.
And sure enough, within the dark mirror, his reflection reappeared. It was the form of the Undead Sovereign, crafted by the Dark Anima and the Primal Soul of the Abyss. There he was, within the dark mirror, locking gazes once again with the Heart of the Everlands.
...
