C2104 The Evolution of the Wheel

In the Stellar Oblivion, a towering mountain that had crossed the border stood resolute amidst the shattered cosmos. The Boulderdawn Sect's extraterrestrial base camp was no more. Valuable meteorite fragments, propelled by the force of Mother Earth, soared toward the mountain.

Some fragments settled on the expansive summit, transforming into peaks atop peaks. At the mountain's pinnacle, a tapestry of iridescent light weaved between the peaks, shining like a rainbow.

Deep within the valleys of this world, young beasts of the Wasteland were born. They drank from springs brimming with sweet, vibrant water, their delicate bones hardening to the strength of sunsilver, radiating a kaleidoscope of light.

The deceased Ape emerged from the Beast God Temple, taking his place behind Yuan Le. The black goat, resurrected by Yuan Le, reverted to a black-robed woman, yet her spirit was subdued, unable to regain the might of a tenth-level Beast God.

The smilodon, Death Viper, Direbear, black goat, and Untamed—all five Beast Gods—congregated at the mountain's zenith.

Whoosh! The grand Beast God Temple quivered atop the mountain, sending out waves of spatial ripples and tearing open luminous fissures. Centered around the temple, the void was slashed open, revealing an abundance of space rifts.

Through the vast space rifts, Mother Earth's magnetic energy dissipated, sending out calls that echoed across dimensions, beckoning the lands that had drifted from the Abyss.

"Sky Fiends are intercepting," Yuan Le noted, observing a miniature Dark Tower hovering in his palm. The tower, akin to black iron, was gradually suffused with the resplendent light of space, serving as his eyes.

With a casual toss, the Dark Tower peered through a space rift, revealing a sea of meteorites, endless Sky Fiends, and dazzling sword lights.

"Lin Daoke!" The Ape, revived within the Beast God Temple, caught sight of the sword light and exclaimed in surprise, "Lin Daoke, how did you end up there?"

"I'm wondering the same," Yuan Le said, furrowing his brow.

The Lord of Ruin gazed at the rejuvenated Ape with an approving eye, expressing his satisfaction with a simple, "Well done."

The Ape felt a newfound lightness. His resurrected beast soul was weaker, lacking the imprint of the Primal Soul.

His new body felt superior to his previous form, endowed with vast untapped potential. Yet, the Ape found something peculiar about his transformation. With Yuan Le's assistance and the adjustments made by the Primal Blood, his giant ape physique now sported sparser fur, a departure from its former lushness. His cheeks had become noticeably smoother, and the number of acupoints within him had significantly increased, each harboring profound mysteries.

As he caressed his face, a mirror materialized in his hand. Staring back at him was a youthful, vibrant reflection that seemed increasingly akin to the humans of the Everlands. His rebirth, facilitated by the Primal Blood within the mountain, had altered his original Life Seed. Astonishingly, the Ape Race was evolving towards humanity.

Fear gripped him as he turned to Yuan Le, his voice tinged with alarm, "Patriarch, what of me?"

Understanding his concern, Yuan Le replied with a gentle smile, "I've gathered life seeds from the Origin Realm and numerous races of the Abyss. It will sift and refine them. The favored ones will naturally compensate for certain deficiencies and evolve in a superior manner upon their rebirth."

"A superior manner? Could it be?" The Untamed God was bewildered.

"The Human Race, or rather, they are now called the Gods. Currently, they are the pinnacle of intelligent life across the Three Realms. Adapting and changing in their likeness has long been its intention."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have maintained a human form for so long."

"Actually, both you and I require only minor skeletal adjustments. Our Ape Race shares many commonalities with the Gods."

Yuan Le soared from the mountain to the space rift, where the Dark Tower afforded him a broader view. He was now contemplating whether to dispatch a Blood Clone to get a clearer picture of the situation.

"Be cautious, it could be a trap," warned the weary black goat with a note of calm. "After it consumed the Primal Soul of the Everlands, the Sky Fiend began hunting alien beasts, indicating it's also a source of the Sky Fiend. Lin Daoke is of the Gods, born of it, and has no reason to oppose the Sky Fiend. Nor should Lin Daoke resist it."

Upon mentioning it again, the woman clad in a black dress involuntarily shivered.

The black goat recalled the moment it was slain.

She had not regained her tenth-level strength because what she lacked was not bloodline energy but rather an accumulation of Soul Power.

Such immense Soul Power was beyond what Yuan Le or the Beast God Temple could provide.

Her two horns were still broken, preventing her bloodline from reaching beyond the ninth level.

"A trap, perhaps..."

Yuan Le whispered to himself, cautious not to make any hasty moves.

Simultaneously.

Yu Yuan's image emerged once more on the same leaf of the Uxthar Tree.

Yuan Le was startled and quickly sought to communicate with Yu Yuan to understand the situation.

...

Boom!

A deep crimson star, carrying Primal Blood and ice magic, had completed its arduous journey to the Dark Realm.

With the star's appearance, the Dark Realm grew increasingly cold.

Countless forces of ice magic, perceptible only to Ji Ningshuang, swiftly blanketed the Dark Realm, transforming its foundational rules.

Atop the Dragon Slaying Stage, Yu Yuan's expression grew somber.

Ji Ningshuang had emerged from the Primal Blood Continent's surface, her gaze icy, wielding the Stardust Blade as if blind to his presence.

In that moment, Ji Ningshuang seemed the sovereign of the Dark Realm, its very creator.

"It's been overtaken by the extreme cold."

The Secular Bird Queen murmured.

Yu Yuan, with a frosty nod, agreed, "It's apparent."

Ji Ningshuang had not ascended to the eleventh level; her body was not equipped to withstand the full onslaught of the extreme cold, a fact that left Yu Yuan notably displeased.

Whoosh!

A deep red glow of bloodlight burst forth from the Primal Blood Continent, bathing Ji Ningshuang in its radiance.

As Ji Ningshuang soared on her sword, robust vital energy and the clangor of metal upon metal resounded within her.

The metal magic, a gift from the Primal Blood, rendered her bones as resilient as Sunsilver, while the crimson vital energy tirelessly mended her minor wounds.

Every layer of empowerment was for this very moment.

The purpose was to invoke the spirit of the bitter cold!

The power of ice naturally suppresses Soul Power. Ji Ningshuang was its vessel, channeling its strength to accomplish many feats.

For instance, it could mend the shattered crystalline wall.

Yu Yuan observed closely.

The wall, previously broken by Demon Lord Tan Xiaotian and the Tree of Life, was now accumulating dense ice energy, creating a thick blanket of cold fog.

All Ji Ningshuang needed to do was pass through with her body, harness her power, and the barrier separating the Dark Realm from the darkness could be reformed.

In the past, a Blood King had been favored by the ice energy and bestowed with its immense force.

Already formidable, the Blood King ascended to the eleventh level with this power. Upon its arrival, it demonstrated its might, sealing the heavens and the earth.

The Blood King prevented the darkness of the Abyss from easily seeping through.

Yet, the eleventh level Blood King perished due to the descent of the extreme cold.

Years later, when the crystalline wall established by the ice-empowered Blood King cracked, it selected Ji Ningshuang for its descent to carry out the repairs.

"Don't interfere; the girl as cold as ice won't perish."

When Yu Yuan was about to take action, the Secular Bird Queen held him back, shaking her head, "Because you're here, and because the wall is fractured, not utterly destroyed, she'll survive. Even if she sustains grave injuries, Primal Blood will heal her."

At that moment, the Primal Blood within the Crimson Star conveyed a similar message.

The extreme cold required Ji Ningshuang. Only through her could the power be wielded to once again isolate the Dark Realm and the Abyss, blocking the relentless infiltration of darkness.

"If she's drained by the extreme cold, her potential wrung dry by you, meeting a fate like Cao Jiaze's, don't expect me to be forgiving," Yu Yuan warned, his gaze fixed on the Crimson Star.

With a whoosh, the Dragon Slaying Stage soared off, tapping into the void's power within the Dark Realm, swiftly reaching the juncture of the two worlds.

Enveloped in the impenetrable white cold fog, myriad ice crystals awaited Ji Ningshuang's emergence to coalesce into a renewed barrier.

His Dragon Slaying Stage had reached its destination before Ji Ningshuang.

Before him lay boundless darkness, the very bottom of the Abyss.

He was aware that his real body resided at this moment in the depths of that infinite darkness.

His Demonic Vessel, too, was somewhere within the darkness ahead.

"Let's hold off on going any further. We should wait until the ice magic constructs a crystalline wall, effectively isolating the two worlds."

Upon the Dragon Slaying Stage, the Secular Bird Queen observed his attempt to rush into the darkness and intervened to stop him.

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