C2110 The Burden of the Pressure
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The massive Life Seeds, shimmering like jewels, materialized one after another upon Yu Yuan's Soul Altar.
Within these Life Seeds lay enigmatic life forces and bloodline powers, the essence of the cosmic order distilled. Yet Yu Yuan found himself unable to thoroughly decipher them with his Soul Altar, much to his astonishment.
The Life Seeds within the Wellspring of Creation corresponded to vanished races or immense creatures.
His Soul Altar, however, was a culmination of the profound mysteries of Primal Blood. With the exception of the Secrets of Life on par with his own, he could usually grasp the underlying truths with a mere glance.
And these colossal Life Seeds were etched onto the Soul Altar itself. How could their secrets elude him?
Unless...
At this thought, Yu Yuan's heart jolted, and a wave of inexplicable sorrow washed over him.
No related memories surfaced, nor could he discern the vanished truths. Yet his heart throbbed with a piercing pain, whispering of a history long concealed.
A world had perished.
And that lost world might very well have been his homeland, the nation where he had spent countless years.
The Life Seeds from the species of that world were now brimming with twisted, frenzied, and chaotic energies.
After the world's demise, all Life Seeds were gathered and placed within the Wellspring of Creation.
There, tainted by corrupt forces, they eternally struggled, mirroring the chaos of their final moments.
Their annihilation, the erasure of their world, seemed to be the doing of the Primal Soul before him.
"Ugh!"
Yu Yuan's spirit quivered once more.
He noticed that the colossal Life Seeds within the undulating flesh of the Wellspring of Creation were vanishing.
His third eye peered into the Wellspring of Creation, and with the power of the Soul Altar, he followed the guidance of his deceased self. He wasn't just imprinting the Life Seeds; he was absorbing them directly!
Each Life Seed, the size of a toddler's fist, appeared in his Soul Altar only to vanish from the Wellspring's flesh and blood.
These Life Seeds held the Bloodline Revelation, the secrets of life's evolution and growth.
Moreover, they seemed to be intertwined with the insights of another Primal Blood on the essence of life!
Illuminated by the divine light from his brow and the vanishing of the Life Seeds, the tumultuous Wellspring of Creation calmed, much like a giant beast soothed from its violent thrashing.
It ceased its frenzied release of the power that drew all flesh and blood to it, the force that compelled the mightiest to converge.
It was becoming tranquil.
Its serenity also timely halted a catastrophe, preventing dire news from unfolding.
"What happened?"
"Why are we attacking Yu Yuan?"
"Who controlled us?"
On the fringes of the Dark Realm, Loong Jie, the Abyssal Leviathan, and the little spinosaurus, now transformed into a violet-golden giant dragon, flapped their broad, serrated violet-golden wings in alarm and turned their gaze towards Yu Yuan.
Facing them, Yu Yuan's towering chest, akin to a blood-colored mountain, bore numerous wounds visible to the naked eye.
There were gashes torn by dragon claws, marks of destructive fire, corrosive acid burns, and slashes from void blades.
Yu Yuan's face conveyed weariness and resignation. Using his back to plug a gap in the ice crystal wall, he stood firm, barring them all from the Dark Realm.
Yu Yuan forbade them from rushing into the darkness on the other side, from throwing their lives away needlessly.
Rip!
Behind Yu Yuan, a vast black prism sliced into his broad back with its sharp mirrored edge.
Yu Yuan's back muscles, glistening like blood crystal, coiled like red crystal dragons, each raised muscle hiding veins pulsing with the essence of the Bloodline Revelation.
His flesh split open, and blood-colored lightning severed, casting a tragically beautiful and dazzling light.
A powerful life force surged beneath his skin, desperately mending his wounds.
He seemed oblivious to pain, as if he hadn't suffered any attack. Instead, he gestured dismissively to the strongest who had come because of him, saying, "Stay back, all of you. Do not head towards that darkness. Don't make me lose focus!"
"Something in the darkness of the Abyss is affecting us, incessantly beckoning us to come."
Chen Qinghuang was the first to come to her senses. She looked at Yu Yuan with a pained expression, aware that he was confronting the others' march towards death while also fending off the darkness's assault.
"Do not go there. Retreat to the Primal Blood Continent and take refuge within the land!" Yu Yuan commanded.
"And you!"
He reached into the void with both hands, creating cascades of blood-colored waterfalls that enveloped Ji Ningshuang, who was inhabited by the ice spirit. With his own abundant vital energy, he began healing Ji Ningshuang's wounds.
Ji Ningshuang had ascended to the pinnacle using her own flesh and blood. Recently, her mind had been warped by the Wellspring of Creation.
The ice spirit that had possessed Ji Ningshuang decided to withdraw its essence upon realizing the difficulty of controlling her body.
Before Ji Ningshuang's soul could fully awaken, she found herself at the mercy of her own flesh and blood.
She was among those who had besieged Yu Yuan.
This young woman, whose potential had been extravagantly depleted by the ice spirit, was in dire straits.
Yu Yuan could not bring himself to harm her. Instead, when she struck at him with the Stardust Blade, he had to dissipate some of his own vital energy to help mend her shattered form.
In her confusion, Ji Ningshuang lashed out at Yu Yuan, her sword flailing wildly at his chest and neck.
He could only respond with a wry smile, enduring the onslaught while continually infusing her with vital energy, hoping to prevent her from rapidly declining in strength.
"Down you go!"
At Yu Yuan's command, Ji Ningshuang, the last to reclaim her senses, plummeted from the Dragon Slaying Stage, enveloped in a cascade of vital energy.
She came to a halt.
Clutching her slender Divine Sword, she tried to remember the actions she took while under the ice spirit's influence.
Her icy gaze fell upon the frostbitten wound on Yu Yuan's chest—a wound she had inflicted.
Yet within her, the vital energy bestowed by Yu Yuan coursed like slender, blood-red lightning, weaving through her fractured bones and torn organs.
Silent and stoic, the image of Yu Yuan crystallized within the icy depths of her heart, an imprint unlikely to fade for centuries to come.
"Return," Yu Yuan called out once more. The Dragon Slaying Stage transformed into a resplendent, seven-colored Divine Boat of the Other Shore, shimmering beneath them.
Taishi and the spectral form of Cao Jiaze emerged at the base of the stage.
A primordial spirit and a lunar spirit beckoned to Taixu and the others, gesturing for them to come down so they could be escorted back to the Primal Blood Continent, away from the darkness and the unknown malevolent entities lurking within.
The two beings, devoid of physical form, were acutely aware of the recent events they had witnessed on the Dragon Slaying Stage.
Taishi commanded, "Mr. Zhong, take the helm of the Dragon Slaying Stage!"
The onlookers, still reeling from the ordeal, were at a loss for their next move. Yet, it was Taishi's stern call that snapped them to attention, making them realize the gravity of their predicament.
Thus, the mighty beings who had been summoned by the Wellspring of Creation, nearly succumbing to the darkness and becoming part of it, hurriedly descended onto the Dragon Slaying Stage.
Zhong Chichen knew the Dragon Slaying Stage all too well. When he arrived, thanks to Yu Yuan lifting the restrictions, he was able to directly access the stage, entering a realm infused with space magic.
Streams of seven-colored light swirled around him like vibrant ribbons, granting him temporary command of the Dragon Slaying Stage and forging a direct link with the Primal Blood Continent.
With Loong Jie, the little spinosaurus, the Abyssal Leviathan, Ann Ziqing, Taixu, and others joining him, Zhong Chichen readied himself to activate the Dragon Slaying Stage.
"You should go too!" Yu Yuan called out upon noticing the Secular Bird Queen hesitating to join the others on the stage. "The darkness harbors entities that ensnare the stronger the living creature is. Since you haven't ascended to the eleventh level like I have, you won't be able to resist its allure. Join them on the Dragon Slaying Stage—hurry!"
Yu Yuan pressed her.
"No," Chen Qinghuang replied, shaking her head. Her proud and graceful silhouette began to exude an aura of death in the void. A Divine Bird, enshrouded in the essence of death as if it had perished eons ago, materialized from her Solar Spirit.
The Divine Bird soared and screeched above her, emitting a chilling, life-ending cry. Her vitality was entirely converted into death force. The very life force she used for resurrection, regeneration, and healing had vanished without a trace. She resembled a lifeless entity, an Undead Divine Bird whose wings were ignited with the pale flames of death.
"Since that unknown entity only affects living creatures, I will simply forsake all my fleshly power."
Before Yu Yuan could turn around, she preemptively charged through the ever-widening gap torn open by the Dark Anima.
Swirls of deathly fire streaked towards Tan Xiaotian, enveloped in darkness, cascading into the world shaped by the black mirror.
He abruptly paled, stepping onto the layer of darkness and was compelled to flee into its depths.
He did not wish to witness the World of Darkness, which held the potential for his next advancement, and its newly spawned beings being penetrated by the Secular Bird Queen's flames of death.
The nascent dark creatures were too frail to withstand even a single wisp of the deathly fire.
The Secular Bird Queen had indeed taken on some of Yu Yuan's burden.
"We..."
The Abyssal Leviathan licked its dry lips, thinking, "If she can do it, perhaps we should try as well. It's time to lend Yu Yuan a hand."
"You cannot." The primordial spirit at their feet decisively halted them and prompted Zhong Chichen once more, "Quickly!"
"Understood!"
Without allowing the Abyssal Leviathan, the little spinosaurus, Ann Ziqing, Taixu, and the rest any further contemplation, the Dragon Slaying Stage reached the Primal Blood Continent amidst rings of radiant light.
The Dragon Slaying Stage crossed through the crimson barrier and entered the shattered realm of the Primal Blood Continent, where everyone finally came to their senses.
