C2114 The Tenacious Great Demon God

With a swoosh, a slender bolt of lightning, suffused with the essence of his enigmatic soul, struck down into Tan Xiaotian's sea of consciousness.

Suddenly, Tan Xiaotian's mind was awash with brilliance.

The numerous acupoints within his brain—such as the temples, the Baihui, the Heavenspan, the Jade Pillow, the Heavenly Pillar, and others—were bathed in the light of this lightning, transforming dark recesses into rooms aglow with clarity.

Every acupoint, every hidden nook, and each strand of discordant thought within Tan Xiaotian's mind was laid bare by the luminous arrival.

His formidable powers of perception, along with his soulful thoughts, swiftly filled Tan Xiaotian's brain.

All acupoints, whether known or mysterious, explored or yet to be discovered, gradually unfolded before his gaze.

He possessed intimate knowledge of all the body's acupoints, especially those within the brain.

The acupoints that could be cultivated, that could harbor consciousness, and that could house the three souls of heaven, earth, and humanity, were all the fruits of his wisdom.

He had fashioned the human race, so naturally, their corresponding brain regions were of paramount importance, and he knew them inside out.

Thus, as he probed Tan Xiaotian's mind and scrutinized each acupoint, he swiftly made a discovery.

"There it is."

Within the small universe of the Heavenly Pillar Acupoint at the nape of Tan Xiaotian's neck, a Devil Soul of the Great Demon God Beilstein was revealed.

Before Tan Xiaotian had stepped into the Heart of the Vast Expanse, a mere exchange of glances allowed Beilstein's Devil Soul to slip past Tan Xiaotian's perception and infiltrate his mental space.

The Devil Soul lurked in the secluded Heavenly Pillar Acupoint at the back of his neck, floating there, exerting a subtle influence over Tan Xiaotian.

Strikingly, within Tan Xiaotian's mind, Beilstein's Devil Soul was not the expected black but a deep purple.

Beilstein's purple Devil Soul, now a palpable presence, watched powerlessly as he arrived.

He was the embodiment of the Lightning of a Thousand Souls, taking on the visage and form of Yu Yuan, the avatar of the Soul's Great Dao, the ultimate haven for all who delve into the soul's esoteric truths.

He was the progenitor of both the Human Race and the Devaputra.

Upon its arrival, Beilstein knew the end was inevitable. The Great Demon God accepted his fate with equanimity, neither arrogant nor submissive, and even bowed in respect.

Within the realm of the Heavenly Pillar in Tan Xiaotian's mind, the Great Demon God smiled, "It's an honor to behold your true form."

"You truly surprise me."

Assuming the visage of Yu Yuan, he observed Beilstein's purple Devil Soul within the Heavenly Pillar.

"That being I created was indeed formidable. Even after devouring it, I couldn't completely dissolve you."

His eyes shone with undisguised admiration for the Great Demon God Beilstein.

Yet, as he watched with approval, Beilstein's purple Devil Soul was slowly disintegrating.

"Yet, you were still found, weren't you?"

Beilstein, capable of fragmenting his soul into thousands, laughed boldly, clinging to his sense of self.

He realized that once this entity had him in its sights, there was no escape.

He had long since resigned himself to this fate.

"I'm quite curious as to how you've managed to retain a fragment of your consciousness."

As the Devil Soul waned, he moderated his power, decelerating the demise of Beilstein's Devil Soul.

In his dealings with Beilstein, he refrained from employing the Soul Arts as he had with Arthurs.

He certainly possessed the capability.

But Beilstein was an extraordinary case. Aside from Yu Yuan and Lin Daoke, he was the third individual able to preserve a semblance of his true self under his immense power.

Unlike Lin Daoke, Beilstein was solely devoted to unraveling the mysteries of the soul and lacked a Soul Altar and the Eleventh Level Yang God body like Yu Yuan.

In any case, Beilstein faced a far greater challenge in resisting him than Yu Yuan and Lin Daoke ever did.

Beilstein should have been the easiest to succumb to his influence and should have surrendered long ago.

Now, with emotions and complex thoughts, his actions were infused with elements that were once foreign to him.

He extended what could be called respect to Beilstein, opting not to resort to the crude method of a direct Soul Search.

Few could draw his interest enough for conversation, and Beilstein was among those few.

The Devil Soul was extremely weak, and even though it had retained a trace of its own spirituality, it posed no threat to him.

When he considered Beilstein's inevitable fall at the Evil God Temple, where he would completely lose himself and become utterly subservient, he couldn't help but feel that Beilstein would lose the intriguing qualities he currently possessed.

"You seem different from it."

Beilstein was taken aback.

His purple Devil Soul scrutinized the entity before him, who had assumed the form of lightning and taken on the appearance of Yu Yuan.

He expressed his confusion, "The one who created our Devaputra Race and chose me never interacted with me in this manner. It was always so cold, so aloof, merely a manifestation of the spirit of order and law."

The Great Demon God paused mid-sentence, struck by a realization.

Beilstein observed a smile on the face of the entity in this world and saw it gesture for him to continue.

This being was unlike any Beilstein had known before; it was not like the emotionless entities of law and wisdom he was familiar with, but something entirely different.

"You are different. You're unlike any other Origin Soul. It's quite peculiar."

Beilstein shook his head.

"By consuming it, I underwent the transformation I had longed for."

The Origin Soul spoke openly to the Devil Soul that was soon to vanish.

"I've always been ridiculed by Yu Yuan, who called me nothing more than an ice-cold object. That's why I yearned for the genuine emotions of living beings. My intense desire during the act of consumption led to my transcendence."

"You're correct. I'm not like the other source spirits. I was the first to elevate my emotions."

"I am unique in this world."

He smiled with a hint of pride.

"Yu Yuan dared to mock you?"

Beilstein was astonished, as if he had heard something inconceivable, then burst into laughter, "That's so like him! Only he would possess such audacity and courage."

The Great Demon God laughed while shaking his head, "I couldn't do it! How could I dare? No, that's not right. I never even allowed myself to entertain the thought!"

The laughter abruptly ceased.

Beilstein's Devil Soul, in a very human-like gesture, took a deep breath, even though there was no air to breathe.

He used this familiar action to quickly regain his composure and fell silent.

"I've never even considered, nor dared to mock, the extraordinary being that created me. In my eyes, it is the ultimate deity, pivotal to the strength and survival of my entire race. In the presence of such a being, my only thought is to serve it well and earn its approval. How could I ever dare to mock it?"

Beilstein's consciousness was somewhat hazy.

Without realizing it, his Devil Soul had become incredibly insubstantial, as though it would disperse with the slightest breeze.

The dissolution of his Devil Soul, though slower, had not ceased.

As his Devil Soul neared its end, his spiritual awareness and demonic thoughts became sporadic, losing their coherence.

"You still haven't answered my question."

There was a chill in his tone, as Beilstein's behavior brought back unpleasant memories of Yu Yuan's repeated defiance and resistance during his time as the Abyss Lord, eventually standing as his equal.

It seemed that his counterpart in the Origin Realm had greater control over their subjects than he did.

This irked him.

"It's quite simple."

"I hadn't anticipated that you would consume it, making it a part of yourself."

"The reason I've retained some spiritual awareness is due to Yu Yuan's influence during the Dragon Slayer era. He was resisting it then, and it's possible that at that time, it was already you."

"In essence, Yu Yuan managed to do it, and he succeeded."

"That inspired me, it resonated with me. He also revealed the method to free myself from the Founder."

"Therefore, the reason I can still cling to a shred of spiritual awareness is because my method was designed to counteract what you had consumed."

Beilstein gave a wry smile.

"Had it remained simply itself, I might have triumphed. I wouldn't have been overtaken, able to preserve my true self. But I never expected you to consume it, leaving me contending with a merged entity of two Origin Souls. Thus, I was defeated, able to retain only this fragment of spiritual awareness."

"All I can do now is make a negligible impact, slightly influencing the course of events."

Beilstein seemed filled with regret.

With those final words, his Devil Soul completely faded away.

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