C2115 The Abyss of Truth
In the Everlands, within the hallowed confines of the Evil Temple, a guardian stood vigil by a thick, ink-colored stone pillar, his gaze fixed on the devil soul of the Demon God Bertain, encased within a suit of armor. The eye sockets of the armor, which enveloped the spirited body, flickered with a dark, devilish flame. Within this flame, an eerie dark lightning occasionally sparked, a manifestation of Bertain's undying soulspark.
The presence of this dark lightning signified that Bertain, the Demon God, still clung to a sliver of his own spiritual essence. The guardian watched with a silent reverence. After all this time, this Demon God, born of this very world, had outlasted even his creator, who had dissolved into another entity. Bertain's resilience was truly remarkable.
Suddenly, the last glimmer of the soulspark within the depths of the armor's eye sockets vanished. The guardian, accustomed to patience, waited yet again, this time for an extended period. No new soulspark emerged to dance like a flame within Bertain's eyes, and the green and black devil soul began to fade.
The guardian, now bearing the visage of an aged man, remained silent for a long while before he resumed his watch. Still, no new soulspark flickered into existence. He knew that Bertain's resistance had been thoroughly obliterated after enduring prolonged corruption.
"At last, it has ended," he murmured with a tinge of regret in the stillness of the deserted hall. "You were not as formidable as the Lord of the Abyss whom I serve. Once you lost the will to resist, you lost your sense of self," the guardian reflected with a heavy heart.
In the Abyss, he had rallied numerous Evil Gods to hunt down Bertain, even employing the might of the Evil Temple, yet they could only contain the Demon God. It was through their rivalry that he understood the extent of Bertain's terror and might. Without the silence of the Everlands' Primal Soul, Bertain would have been a formidable challenge.
Now that Bertain was devoid of spirituality, the guardian felt an emptiness, a sense of loss for what had been. He knew that the Lord of the Abyss would use his power to twist and warp Bertain, erasing the deepest marks of his identity.
The greatest Demon God of this realm could not endure to the end. The outcome was inevitable. As Bertain would step out of this hall, he would no longer be the same being. Instead, he would become a mere follower, a vessel for the descending power of the Lord of the Abyss.
"It's a shame."
...
Within the Abyss.
He withdrew his will and remnant soul from the Tianzhu acupoint at the nape of Tan Xiaotian's neck.
Within the recesses of Tan Xiaotian's mind, he observed the ever-transforming primordial spirit.
Tan Xiaotian's primordial spirit alternated between a pitch-black, enigmatic temple and a dark orb of light.
These were the cravings of the Dark Anima, as well as Tan Xiaotian's own fixations and aspirations, now vividly unfolding before him.
"Snuffed out."
He spoke these words to Tan Xiaotian's continuously morphing primordial spirit.
Boom!
All the acupoints Tan Xiaotian had sealed, along with the concealed power of the Demon Lord lurking in his meridians and organs, resurfaced in response to his command, unleashing a surge of dark momentum skyward.
Swirls of darkness manifested around Tan Xiaotian's head, beneath his feet, and encircling his body.
The whirlpools, like an outward release from his acupoints, devoured the dark energy of the surroundings, merging into his limbs and flesh, and in an instant, his combat strength soared to unprecedented levels.
The will of the Dark Anima, within the darkened hall of Tan Xiaotian's primordial spirit, immediately sensed a fresh surge of power.
This newfound strength, erupting suddenly, was more than threefold the power Tan Xiaotian had previously concealed within his physique.
His synergy with Tan Xiaotian and his dominion over the Dark Overlord's form also markedly improved.
"I hope you'll be more compliant, unlike Yu Yuan and those other troublemakers."
The Dark Anima whispered gently.
His hushed tones dispersed through the multitude of acupoints in Tan Xiaotian's brain, crushing any rebellious thoughts in the newly exposed territories.
He had at last gained true mastery over Tan Xiaotian.
This marked the first occasion he had descended with his spiritual sense since he had fashioned Tan Xiaotian.
He reveled in the sensation of possessing an eleventh-level supreme being, forged from his own dark power.
"How marvelous. This is the vessel I desired, the power that rightfully belongs to me."
With Tan Xiaotian's body, he closed his eyes, then swiftly reopened them, once again setting his gaze upon the Secular Bird Queen.
His eyes became two pitch-black stars, possessing the power to eclipse all other sources of light.
His gaze settled upon the ashen feathers of the Divine Bird, and the pale flames of death, the light of annihilation, were quietly smothered by his dark energy.
The darkness within his domain seemed to awaken with a soul's consciousness, transforming into a divine power that only manifested in the realm of myths.
He observed the green Divine Bird and Chen Qinghuang's extraordinary Divine Visage, with its three heads and six arms. All light emanating from the Divine Bird and the Divine Visage rapidly faded away.
The Divine Bird retracted into Chen Qinghuang's form, and the Divine Visage, too, was reduced to its original state amidst the shadows.
Chen Qinghuang reverted to her human appearance, clad in an ancient and simple cyan cape adorned with a Divine Bird feather pattern on the sleeves and a spread-winged Divine Bird totem on her back.
Her complexion turned ashen, then darkened further as her soul and consciousness were besieged by the encroaching darkness within her own mind.
Her body and spirit were gradually succumbing to the abyss.
"This is how it should be."
He withdrew his gaze and contemplated his hands, feeling the seamless bond between Tan Xiaotian's body and his dominion over the world.
His dark energy would engulf any place he envisioned.
Facing the breach with his back, Yu Yuan was certain he could shatter it with ease before it sealed shut.
He thus sought guidance.
"There's no need."
The Primal Soul declined with a smile and a shake of his head.
He ceased his efforts at once.
"I wish to see an additional layer of ice form within the mind of the Lord of the Abyss."
The Primal Soul offered a casual explanation, adding with a smile, "Once that layer of ice materializes and my spiritual sense takes residence, I will use the body of the Lord of the Abyss and the strength of that icy platform to break all the ice crystals sealing me."
The Dark Anima instantly comprehended and refrained from further intervention.
"The platform in the Lord of the Abyss's mind, forged by the Primal Blood, can also shatter the barriers between the Origin Realm and the Wasteland. I will inhabit the body of the Lord of the Abyss and journey to the Wasteland, to unify the Primal Anima there as well."
He shared his intentions.
Then, gesturing towards the boundless darkness, he addressed the towering Tree of Life, "You may subside for now."
His words carried the weight of the Heavenly Law, manifesting as he spoke.
Because of His words, the Tree of Life that obscured the heavens and the Thunder Spirit within it, along with Qi Yunhong, who was receiving the legacy of thunder, sank deeper into the darkness below.
They soon vanished from Yu Yuan's view.
"I must administer some punishment," He murmured softly. "The one I had chosen for you was too fortunate. Even before my descent, you were meddling in the shadows, thinking I was none the wiser?"
"You shall remain in the true Abyss for some years. When I need you, when I call upon you, then you may leave."
His idea of punishment was to confine the vegetation, the Thunder Spirit, and Qi Yunhong to the deeper darkness.
Without His consent, these two Primal Animas and Qi Yunhong, forged by the lightning, could not escape that eerie and silent realm.
Whoosh!
Yu Yuan, with his real body and the Soul Altar, glimpsed some indistinct images.
He was looking into the true Abyss.
Below, in the dark depths, floated the massive carcasses of enormous beings!
They were indeed larger than the Cosmic Giant Beasts, their size surpassing them by many times. It was unclear how many years they had been dead.
Their remains, mixed with star and earth fragments, gave the appearance of a desolate and lifeless world.
Their hearts and organs had been excised with sharp tools.
Even their skins and bones were devoid of flesh and blood.
"Organs, flesh, and blood!"
Yu Yuan's heart leaped, and a shiver ran down his spine.
Upon reflection, he realized that the missing organs and flesh of this ancient race, larger than the cosmic giant beasts, had likely been compressed, refined, and fused together.
That was the flesh and blood within the Wellspring of Creation!
Sizzle!
Several Life Seeds he had absorbed into the Soul Altar seemed to be violently stirred as he peered into the Abyss below and saw the remains of those great creatures.
Some force, something within the Life Seeds, was reorganizing and adjusting.
