C2121 Greed
At the summit of the Abyss.
"Is that the Light Scepter?"
Jihui watched in confusion as the Light Scepter flew out of this world and vanished into the vast expanse of the Origin Realm.
The luminescent wall that enshrouded the continent, with its intricate patterns of light, seemed to be erased by an unseen force.
The land that once shone upon the Abyss no longer converted the chaotic and violent energies into sources of light and divine crystals.
First, the Star of Light seized the opportunity to flee into a space rift, vanishing without a trace, and now the Light Scepter too had taken flight, successfully breaking free under the protection of Yu Yuan.
Jihui felt as if the seven levels of the Abyss were being forsaken, as if each continent and its wonders were eager to escape.
The vast land beneath his feet still cast its glow upon the six levels below, continuing to radiate light.
Yet the protective barriers and walls, once formed by the presence of the Light Spirit, had lost their light magic.
Jihui's mind was crystal clear; he knew that no new divine crystals would form beneath the land.
When the light within the God of Light's crystals is spent from illuminating the Abyss, darkness will return, and light will cease to manifest.
Then, there will be no more light in the seven levels of the Abyss.
"Jihui, what secrets lie hidden in the dark depths below?"
"Jihui, would you care to descend and see for yourself?"
Van Heqing, Zu Ann, and Qin Luo, all supreme beings among humans, sought answers with a sense of wonder.
Some of their souls had been twisted and altered, affecting them at pivotal moments.
Yet, for the most part, they remained unaltered.
They had visited the Abyss, but their explorations were limited to the upper seven levels.
Below those, they had heard, lay the Dark Forbidden Zone, a realm where only Evil Gods dared to tread, a place they had yet to venture.
Having survived in the Abyss for many years, Jihui's knowledge of it far surpassed anyone else's.
They had no choice but to turn to Jihui for answers.
"Tan Xiaotian!" emerged from the darkness below only to plunge back into its depths, and Yu Yuan's real body also descended into the profound darkness.
They were eager to uncover the mysteries that lay beneath the seventh level of the Abyss.
"By all accounts, you are supreme beings like the Evil Gods, and because you hail from the Gods, you rank above them," Jihui mused. "I'll seek his counsel first. I shall be the one to delve into the depths."
"Count me in!"
Kaiya burst forth from among Reid, Youqian, Saca, and the other Sky Fiends, positioning herself alongside Jihui.
"I'm coming with you!" she declared emphatically.
The enigmatic allure of the darkness below the seventh level beckoned her, igniting her curiosity to explore its depths.
Her mind was shrouded in mysteries as dense as dark fog, impenetrable and concealing unknown secrets.
She had a hunch that the enigmatic creature within her devil soul might find its answers in the abyss below.
"You, and me as well..."
Jihui was uncertain.
In the shadows, he attempted to reach out to the masters he revered in his mind, all of whom were Yu Yuan.
But no matter how he tried, he couldn't establish contact, neither with the master in the Ashlands nor with Yu Yuan's real body. Their connection had been severed, leaving him unable to sense their presence.
Without their approval, he dared not carelessly lead others into the deep darkness.
...
Deep within the darkness.
The Solar Spirit stood above the Genesis Continent, its hand tearing through the dense dark seals. Yu Yuan's face broke into a wide grin as he exclaimed, "Thrilling! This is the power I was meant to have!"
With a rippling sound, his arm, once like red crystal, transformed into violet gold, the divine power within it piercing through the fabric of space and time.
"By harnessing the power of the Primal Anima and making it my own, I can indeed amplify my strength!"
He reached out and struck at the Dark Anima that had taken over Tan Xiaotian.
Balls of purple-gold light, like freshly refined stars, carried an unspeakable force as they shattered the intricate rules of darkness.
Boom! Boom!
Seven black shields materialized in front of Tan Xiaotian, barely managing to withstand the barrage of the purple stars.
His face was a mask of icy detachment as he slowly backed away from the Wellspring of Creation, watching with a cold gaze as the blood-red curtain continued to expand, threatening to engulf the entire Genesis Continent.
"You seem quite pleased with yourself," the Dark Anima remarked icily.
"And why shouldn't I be?" Yu Yuan retorted with a wild laugh.
Suddenly, numerous slick, fleshy tendrils burst from the blood-colored pillars supporting the Wellspring of Creation. It was as if a multitude of powerful beings were reaching out from within the pillars, their appendages entwining around the Wellspring of Creation.
The tentacles strained as they dragged the Wellspring of Creation.
"You are very greedy," Yu Yuan remarked, his brow furrowing slightly.
No sooner had he spoken than the tentacles entwined around the Wellspring of Creation burst apart.
"You are indeed mighty, especially after having consumed the Primal Soul of the Everlands. Your strength is now beyond belief."
Yu Yuan, displayed upon the blood-colored curtain, broke into a wide grin. Below him, the Dragon Slaying Stage materialized distinctly.
Rooted in the Dragon Slaying Stage, cascading layers of blood light sustained the existence and expansion of the blood-colored curtain.
The spiritual sense of the Primal Blood that had merged with his Solar Spirit aided him in crafting myriad stunning spectacles within the curtain, warding off the pervasive dark energy and Soul Power.
The Soul Power wielded by the Primal Soul of the Abyss had the ability to infiltrate the minds and souls of all beings, threatening to extinguish every spark of spirit.
Such an onslaught of Soul Power should have been overwhelmingly terrifying, with even greater destructive force.
Yet Yu Yuan stood resilient against it.
After connecting with the consciousness of the Primal Anima, he swiftly learned of one of its unique traits.
The Frostlands and the World of Darkness were adjacent, separated only by a crystalline wall.
This proximity allowed the spiritual sense of the Primal Blood to interact with the Primal Blood Continent within the Frostlands.
Deep within the Primal Blood Continent, in a wondrous region at its core, lay the full manifestation of the Primal Blood.
Within Yu Yuan, there was merely a fragment of the Primal Blood's spiritual sense.
But due to its closeness, the Primal Blood's spiritual sense drew power from the Frostlands' source, surging into Yu Yuan's Solar Spirit and dramatically amplifying his combat prowess.
The Primal Soul of the Abyss, however, was different. The Yu Yuan it inhabited was also just a fragment of its spiritual sense.
The World of Darkness indeed offered vast reserves of Soul Power for it to command. But as the complete embodiment of the Primal Anima, it remained within the Heart of the Everlands, within the pond itself.
Engraved within the pond were all the insights into Mind Magic it had gleaned, along with the concentrated Soul Power and remnant soul it had refined.
Yet, at this moment, neither the Heart of the Everlands nor the pond that represented it were present.
Therefore, even with the return of its spiritual sense, the Demonic Vessel that had possessed Yu Yuan's body, known as the Undead Sovereign, was unable to unleash its full power due to the Wellspring of Creation being unreachable.
"You're not at your strongest right now," Yu Yuan said with a laugh. He then added, "If your spiritual sense had taken over my real body or that of the Demon God Bertain, you would be much stronger. But since you haven't merged with the Primal Vitality or devoured it, only understanding its power, the Demonic Vessel you're in also limits your strength."
"If you wish to preserve the flesh and blood within the Wellspring of Creation, you'll need to demonstrate if you have any other skills."
Amidst his laughter, Yu Yuan, with his Solar Spirit, stepped onto the Dragon Slaying Stage and soared into the heavens. The blood-red curtain remained.
The immense vital energy within the curtain had been summoned from the Primal Blood Continent in the Frostlands, representing the power he had accumulated over billions of years.
The curtain kept the Wellspring of Creation from descending.
"You have a keen understanding," he said, his deep gaze moving beyond Yu Yuan's Solar Spirit to the richly blood-hued curtain. He rubbed his forehead and reached out to communicate with the Blazing Fire in the Everlands.
The arrival of the Primal Blood's spiritual sense had complicated the situation, causing him some distress.
He attempted to call upon the Blazing Fire to join the battle. Yet, the Heart of the Everlands required a suitable vessel for possession, and the most fitting candidate, Yuan Lianyao, had vanished without a trace after leaving the Ashlands.
Despite the Blazing Fire's repeated summons, there was no response from Yuan Lianyao, and recently, her presence could not be detected anywhere in the Origin Realm.
Thus, faced with his call, the Blazing Fire found itself in a predicament similar to his own. It wasn't a matter of reluctance to fight but rather the absence of a body to inhabit, leaving the Blazing Fire without an alternative for the time being.
Sizzle, sizzle!
The crystalline wall separating the two worlds emitted a dense ice energy.
This energy was swiftly absorbed by Yu Yuan's real body and vanished into his Soul Altar. In his sea of consciousness, the Ice Shard platform, which had previously halted, was once again in a state of formation.
Thanks to the influx of ice energy from the Frostlands, as long as there was no interference from the Primal Soul or the Dark Anima, the Ice Shard was certain to materialize within Yu Yuan's sea of consciousness.
The consciousness of the Primal Blood took note of Yu Yuan, who had once reigned as the Lord of the Abyss, and was astonished to find that within the dark domain of his adversary, he could stand his ground against both the Primal Soul and the Dark Anima.
The enmity between Yu Yuan and the Primal Soul of the Abyss, coupled with Yu Yuan's audacious defiance, greatly pleased the Primal Blood. In response, it unleashed its chilling power, channeling ice energy from another realm to bolster Yu Yuan's real body, fortifying him for the battles that lay ahead.
