C2105 I Have Lost and I Have Gained
Above the Abyss, the continent of Breluan was currently besieged by a vast sea of meteors. Thousands of cyan-black Sky Fiends swam amidst the rocks like schools of fish.
The immense meteor sea, like a colossal net, was slowly tightening its grip on Breluan, intent on crushing the landmass and assimilating it into its stony expanse.
"Lin Daoke, you stand alone," the ancient Sky Fiend Saca's ghostly voice echoed from each meteor.
The enigmatic glyphs on the surfaces of these mysterious boulders shifted and morphed, forming hundreds of arcane Mind Magic techniques that Saca had mastered. They whispered like malevolent spirits within Lin Daoke's Divine Sword, much to his irritation.
Hovering above the fracturing Breluan, Lin Daoke transformed into a blade, his sword light cascading down like a torrential downpour.
Innumerable little devils, slain by the deluge of sword light he emanated, were incessantly reborn through the powers of Saca and Kaiya, persistently driving the meteor sea's relentless assault.
Saca's devil soul pervaded the meteors, endlessly altering their array configurations. Meanwhile, Kaiya's shadowy gaze flickered, revealing the intricate secrets of the Primal Soul and Primal Vitality, firmly targeting every strand of Lin Daoke's sword consciousness and remnant soul.
The swords Lin Daoke had honed were in disarray; the Divine Sense within them unable to connect seamlessly. He had clearly underestimated Kaiya, whose newfound origins had enhanced her combat prowess beyond her past form.
Saca, with his eternal life, coordinated with Kaiya amidst the eerie meteor sea, successfully thwarting Lin Daoke and preventing Breluan's escape.
Suddenly, an outside force intervened, ripping through the void and creating numerous luminous fissures.
Both Lin Daoke and the two mighty Demon Gods recognized that these newly formed space rifts were pathways meant to usher the land away to the Stellar Oblivion, converging at the secluded mountain safeguarded by Mother Earth.
They turned a blind eye, wholly engrossed in their clash of magic arts, unconcerned with anything else.
Shortly thereafter, additional lands emerged from the Abyss, following in the wake of Breluan.
However, the great Demon God Reid, Youqian, Indigo Wraith, and a host of Sky Fiends were also present, ensuring that the continents could not easily depart.
Suddenly, a radiant star, too bright to be obscured, streaked toward the Origin Realm, cutting through the void.
Within the "Star of Light," its brilliance flickered as it vigilantly surveyed the skies beyond.
Tan Xiaotian, trapped on the fifth level of the Abyss, had not faced any formidable adversaries. Following those lands, he too managed to break free from the Abyssal world.
The realm where he had lingered for countless years, creating millions of Sunstones, was now something he chose to leave behind.
In a way, it was his parting gesture to Yu Yuan and the Abyss.
"Light!"
Upon receiving the command, the Sky Fiend tasked with intercepting the continents shouted as the star drifted away.
Beneath its glow, weaker Sky Fiends and devil souls dissolved like snow under the sun.
Only the ninth-level Demon Gods and tenth-level Demon Gods could maintain their refined and cohesive devil souls under such intense light, showing no signs of fading.
"Let it pass!"
Kaiya's face showed a slight change in color.
She had spotted a dark pagoda deep within the space rift, beckoning like a guiding lighthouse.
Without a moment's hesitation, she darted into the rift.
...
On the fifth level of the Abyss.
The Dark Anima possessing Tan Xiaotian felt his departure and knew he had been escorted to the Stellar Oblivion, likely reaching the high mountain by now.
The Dark Anima ceased its struggles.
It observed Jihui, Zu Ann, Van Heqing, and Qin Luo as the mightiest from the Everlands approached.
Zu Ann and Qin Luo had been transported from the Ashlands by guardians, appearing through the Origin Gate pioneered by Jihui.
They had all been curious, pondering the nature of these events.
As the Dark Anima, using Tan Xiaotian's eyes, gazed upon the Most High, the latter suddenly received a directive.
The command was to obliterate all continents that had left the Abyss.
The Everlands' mightiest, upon hearing the order, hesitated briefly before soaring toward the Abyss.
Together with the Sky Fiends, they converged above the Abyss, united in their effort to demolish the fleeing continents.
As Jihui ascended into the heavens, he witnessed the blooming space rifts and summoned Pei Yuling. In the sacred realm of the Void's Maelstrom, Pei Yuling rallied all the Voidweaver elders to the holy lakeside, where they unleashed their combined powers. With the Mirror of the Infinite, Pei Yuling pinpointed the ruptured space rift on the vibrant lake's surface.
The channels, once opened by the Beast God Temple, were now mended by the collaborative efforts of Pei Yuling and the Voidweavers, sealing them upon the lake. Concurrently, the fissures in the external, tangible world closed as well.
The lands that sought a shortcut through the space rift to reach the Stellar Oblivion were thwarted by Jihui and the Voidweavers. Those lands, having broken free from the Abyss, crumbled under the formidable onslaught of the Sky Fiends and the Everlands' mightiest, eventually disintegrating into a sky full of meteors.
Ultimately, Lin Daoke noticed the Most Highs from the Everlands gazing at him with unfathomable darkness in their eyes. Dissatisfaction and hostility surfaced, threatening to unleash the inner demons within them, as if they were on the verge of banding together to besiege him.
Lin Daoke was unafraid, yet he had no desire to engage in a deadly struggle with his kin, the supreme experts of his race. "Enough," he muttered, shaking his head in resignation. With a sigh, he departed in solitude.
Van Heqing, Lu Hongpeng, Yue Mu, Xue Jiu, and others were the emerging talents of the Sword Sect, the era's leading practitioners of swordsmanship following Nie Qingtian and Ji Ningshuang. These individuals had merely fallen under the temporary sway of the Abyss's malevolence.
Lin Daoke could not bring himself to strike down those who had mastered the Sword Sect's swordsmanship, so he chose to withdraw. With his departure, the space rifts healed, leaving no continent capable of traversing the vast powers of the Everlands and the Star-Spawned Terrors after escaping the Abyss.
Mother Earth's plan to use these lands for a swift restoration of her strength had come to naught.
...
"Very well," declared the Primal Soul atop the Altar of Shadows, its mastery extending intricately across countless worlds. Fully aware of the celestial disturbances, and with the grand scheme secured, it spoke with equanimity, "The lands have fragmented, and the rules etched within them will now be absorbed by a Sky Fiend named Saca."
"Originally."
After a brief pause, he continued, "Because of you, I had intended to entrust it to Taishi, so that he could uncover most of the secrets left by Mother Earth."
*Crack!*
The six-tiered Soul Altar suddenly contorted within the frozen space.
Dark bolts of lightning erupted from the pitch-black void, and thick plumes of Soul Power transformed into smoke, attempting to infiltrate his Soul Altar and claim the divine artifact he had meticulously forged.
Yu Yuan's brow furrowed.
He could see the disturbance in the Abyss and was aware of the events transpiring in the Origin Realm above.
Despite the combined efforts of Yuan Le and the awakening power of Mother Earth, they failed to move the fragmented lands to the mountain.
Mother Earth, though revived, was unable to swiftly restore the combat prowess of a high-level Primal Anima.
"The light has departed."
The Tree of Life, entwined with bolts of lightning, obediently made its way over.
The Tree of Life voluntarily descended, not daring to stand equal to him atop the Altar of Shadows, becoming apprehensive and uneasy.
The plant spirit and Thunder Spirit within acted as if they had never known Yu Yuan, avoiding his gaze and foregoing communication through the Soul Altar.
It was as if they had never engaged with Yu Yuan before.
His return and his resurgence in the Abyss left the two Primal Animas without any other thoughts, extinguishing even their subtle machinations.
With his comeback, all their petty schemes and calculations were transparent to him.
The plant spirit and Thunder Spirit, overwhelmed by fear of him, knew the consequences of defiance and thus became exceedingly submissive.
"You..."
He slightly bowed his head, gazing at the towering tree that had chosen to yield following the death of its companion.
His penetrating gaze cut through all deceptions, observing the plant spirit and Thunder Spirit shivering within the trunk, their emotions complex in his presence.
He chuckled, "Well, this isn't too bad."
"Hmm!"
Yu Yuan's eyebrows lifted as he turned his attention to the deeper shadows, remarking, "Is there more?"
Yu Yuan acutely perceived that beyond the Tree of Life, something else was drawing near from the depths, also converging upon the Altar of Shadows.
In the vast expanse of darkness, Yu Yuan was aware only of the Genesis Continent and the Tree of Life, having encountered nothing else.
His memories held no records of anything beyond; if they did, they were likely suppressed.
With his return and his summons, something began to emerge from the profound depths of the shadows.
"Those who are faithful to me and forge an eternal alliance with me possess knowledge beyond your understanding."
