C2122 I Am a Deserter

A cold mist wafted through the shimmering barrier between two realms, suddenly pierced by a blinding flash of blood-red light. Without notice, the Origin Blood Continent from the depths of the Cold Domain had shifted to the location of Chen Qinghuang and Zhong Chichen. The blood-colored barrier that enveloped the continent touched the ice barrier that held back the darkness, and from deep within the Origin Blood Continent, a thunderous "thump" resonated.

With each resounding thump, not only did the hearts of Chen Qinghuang and Zhong Chichen pound, but so did those of the Chaos Roc, the Grand Illusionary Divine Lord, and Ann Ziqing. Chen Qinghuang's eyes widened in astonishment as she observed the massive Origin Blood Continent, taking in the surge of blood energy and the tremors it emitted. For reasons she couldn't quite fathom, the deep crimson star before her increasingly resembled a colossal heart, magnified a millionfold.

The life essence that flowed into her own microcosm of blood and Qi allowed her to sense the overwhelming tide of blood energy constantly pouring into the ice barrier. She understood that it was Yu Yuan's Yang God Body, drawing forth the power of blood from within the star and engaging in a strategic battle with the two mighty Origin Souls amidst the shadows.

"The vast Origin Soul has been consumed by the heart of the earth. You... should be alright, shouldn't you?" Chen Qinghuang couldn't help but express her concern.

"It has joined the battle," Zhong Chichen murmured, his gaze fixed on the Origin Blood Continent, his eyes sparkling like precious gems. Those who had been forced to flee back to the Origin Blood Continent on the Dragon Slash Platform, escaping the maelstrom of raging, twisted flesh and blood, now witnessed blood-colored clouds streaming from the bowels of the land.

Slowly, the entire world was bathed in a deep crimson hue. The heavens, the earth, the mountains, and the lakes—all were stained with the color of blood. The air was thick with an incalculable amount of blood essence energy. They instantly realized that once the sentient consciousness of the Origin Blood merged with Yang God Yu Yuan's form, it began harnessing the star's infinite blood energy. In the dark recesses of the universe, a fierce battle was surely unfolding.

...

In the Demon Domain, the relentless Reincarnation Furnace churned above the Grim River's blood-yellow currents, which ferried countless cleansed souls and spirits into the heart of the furnace. The vortex-like furnace spun eternally, funneling the purified souls toward their next cycle of rebirth.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Silver spires of the Dark Mountains floated high above the furnace, drawing the mightiest from this realm.

Among them, as an Undead Ruler, was the ancient vine tree, along with Matina, Wagner, Youyu, and Ghost Kings resembling Luo Yue. Numerous Ghost Kings and phantoms had gathered.

The Demon Area was sealed once again, allowing entry but no exit.

The Path of the Undead, connecting to the Demon Area, had been working overtime recently, ushering in countless ghosts.

This was due to the mass deaths among the Bright Clan, Asura Clan, Star Race, Banshees, and Dark Elfkind.

Alien beasts were being hunted by the Evil God, their souls dissipating in the cosmos, providing sustenance for the Heavenly Demons.

Like the Devaputras, the souls of the alien beasts were not part of the Demon Realm's cycle of reincarnation.

Yet, many warriors of the alien races with powerful bloodlines of the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Levels were falling to the onslaught of the Evil Gods and Heavenly Demons.

The consequence of these alien deaths was that their spirits would enter the Path of the Undead.

From there, they were transported to the Demon Realm.

Due to the numerous deaths of the alien races and the brutal wars across galaxies, the Path of the Undead was operating frantically.

Recently, the influx of souls and ghosts into the Demon Realm was nearing capacity.

Each Grim River brimmed with the spirits of mighty warriors from various races. Many Ghost Kings and phantoms selected suitable individuals and pulled them up to the Dark Mountains.

The strife within the Origin Realm led to the creation of many souls and ghosts, throwing the Demon Realm into disarray.

Atop the Dark Mountain, where the ancient vine took root, Youyu, with his stern expression, glimpsed a detached, gray-white eye opening in the depths of the furnace within the deep-sea vortex.

That eerie gray-white eye appeared as a manifestation of the Great Dao deep within the Reincarnation Furnace.

Youyu's mind stalled.

He turned to Matina, Wagner, and the Ghost King, who resembled a Primal Spirit, only to find that the others appeared unaffected, as if blind to the gray-white eye.

"It has chosen you."

In that moment, the leaves of the ancient vine rustled. The Undead Ruler conveyed its thoughts directly to Youyu.

Youyu was startled.

He immediately realized that the grayish-white pupil visible only to him lay deep within the Reincarnation Furnace's abyssal vortex, symbolizing a strand of the Origin Soul's sentient will.

Without delay, this will began to communicate directly with him.

The Origin Soul informed him that the recent surge of souls and specters had granted it the power to create another Undead Sovereign.

It sought Youyu's opinion on whether he was willing to ascend and serve it.

The sudden opportunity left Youyu bewildered.

The Origin Soul's will persisted, explaining to Youyu that the heart stone he had crafted could house thousands of ghosts.

Should he ascend to an Eleventh Level Undead Sovereign and reforge the heart stone, the relic might be capable of transporting all the disembodied souls and specters from the Demon Area, including its vast reserves of Yin energy.

The Demon Area was a tangible realm, with Dark Mountain's peculiar flora being very much real.

The ghosts and souls there were ethereal, yet they had fashioned corporeal shells for themselves in the Demon Area, akin to how a Devaputra would possess objects, thus acquiring a physical form.

However, the peculiar heart stone could only contain souls, not physical entities.

According to the Origin Soul, after his ascension to Sovereignty, the heart stone would need to encompass all the Demon Area's entities, including ghosts, the Undead Ruler, and the Ghost Kings.

The Origin Soul also expressed a desire for Youyu to incorporate the area's dense Yin energy into the heart stone.

But Dark Mountain would remain, as the souls and specters would have to discard their physical forms and leave behind their refined armaments and armor.

Youyu clarified these details.

The Origin Soul promptly messaged him, clarifying that only the ghosts were to be brought along, and all tangible things could be left behind.

Youyu silently agreed, confident that he could accomplish this after his ascension.

Thus, he earned the favor of the Origin Soul.

Following Yu Yuan, Youyu was selected by the Origin Soul to forge the second Undead Sovereign, a decision influenced by the deaths of countless beings in the Origin Realm and the abundance of Yin energy and souls in the Dark Mountain.

The Origin Soul required an Undead Sovereign through whom its will could manifest.

The Undead Sovereign it had previously created, Yu Yuan, had entered the heart of the vast expanse, and following the conclusion of the duel between the two Origin Souls, with the Origin Soul of the vast expanse being consumed, the Undead Sovereign it had painstakingly crafted was instantly overwhelmed.

It needed to select another spokesperson from among the existing spirits to ensure it could descend in the future and confront the increasingly powerful Abyss Evil God.

"Where do you wish to go?"

Youyu's heart leapt as he realized that the will within the Dark Mountain was likely preparing to evacuate.

It would be prudent to take all the souls and spirits along and withdraw from the Dark Mountain. But to where could they retreat?

The Origin Soul responded promptly: "The Desolate Realm."

Youyu was taken aback, suddenly privy to a wealth of secrets. In this realm, the intelligent races such as the Bright Clan, Asura, Star Race, Dark Elfkind, Banshee Clan, and others had formed not only from the Life Seeds of Origin Blood but also from the Soul Seeds cleansed within the Reincarnation Furnace.

Due to its involvement, the second wave of intelligent races came into being, yet it lacked the strength of the Origin Soul.

As a result, these newly formed intelligent races' potential and soul cultivation paled in comparison to the human race and the Devaputra, whose souls were crafted by the Origin Soul itself, enabling them to ascend to the status of Great Demon God and cultivate the Primordial Spirit.

The formation of other races' souls also involved its influence, but they could only advance to higher levels through their bloodlines.

It informed Youyu that the Origin Realm was on the brink of collapse and might soon be indefensible.

Its plan was to head to the Desolate Realm and collaborate with another source of Origin Blood to foster a multitude of new, richly diverse intelligent races, ushering in an era of formidable new races within the Desolate Realm.

It was ready to abandon the Origin Blood of this world, forget its creatures, and seek a fresh start in the Desolate Realm.

The influx of numerous souls and spirits signaled that the second generation of beings, born of its efforts and the Origin Blood, were facing slaughter and extinction.

The Life Seeds scattered by the source blood had been gravely wounded by the Devaputra, the human race, and the Abyss Evil God, with alien beasts fleeing in all directions, incapable of withstanding the united force of the malevolent Origin Soul.

The soul mysteries it had mastered were now being scrutinized by the enemy, due to the fall of Yu Yuan's Undead Sovereign form.

Seeing not a glimmer of hope for victory, it resolved to become a deserter.

​