C2129 The Demon Lord's Request
The Wellspring of Creation and the two walls where Yu Yuan vanished had long since sealed shut. The substantial ice barrier cut off the world outside.
Occasionally, blood-red hues and flashes of Sunsilver streaked through the crystalline barrier.
The reconstituted crystalline wall was evidently more robust than the one Tan Xiaotian had previously shattered.
The Demon Lord stood before the crystal barrier, his touch filled with a sense of wonder, his face growing increasingly grave.
The new crystalline wall harbored many complex and wondrous truths, woven with mysterious rules, becoming one of the strongest seals in existence. It was an obstacle Tan Xiaotian could not currently overcome because the extreme cold resided in the Frostlands, and the Primal Blood was there as well.
After some contemplation, Tan Xiaotian's resolve hardened. "I am Tan Xiaotian. I wish to cross over."
Clang! Clang! Clang!
He punched the ice crystal wall, the impact echoing as if he were striking cold Sunsilver. His hand, enveloped in cold fog, grew stiffer by the moment.
His body, too, succumbed to the encroaching ice energy, as if being devoured by a glacial cavern.
Flecks of lightning transformed into fine Rift Cutters, lacerating his punching hand.
Yet, he remained undeterred.
He continued to pound on the ice crystal wall, not yet shielding his fist or body with dark energy.
Not even his mind and soul were fortified against intrusion by magic power.
After several strikes, he sensed a consciousness within the crystalline wall locking onto him.
This familiar presence seemed to scrutinize his mind, observing in silence.
Knowing it was Yu Yuan and anticipating what lay ahead, Tan Xiaotian dropped his defenses, allowing the other to watch.
"Please enter."
Shortly after, Yu Yuan's voice, tinged with mild surprise, echoed from within the crystalline wall.
The wall was engulfed in a surge of scarlet, which then morphed into a spectrum of radiant light.
As if a Warp Gate had been crafted solely for Tan Xiaotian, he stepped forward without a word of thanks, leaving behind even the Shadowsky cushion, and squeezed into the convergence of the colorful light.
The Demon Lord vanished in a flash.
...
Throughout it all, the fluttering Dark Anima within the shattered black mirror silently observed Tan Xiaotian, watching his every action.
The Dark Anima watched him as he tapped on the crystalline wall and then departed.
Utterly calm and silent, the Dark Anima neither stopped him nor offered persuasion or explanation.
It simply allowed Tan Xiaotian to drift away.
In its view, the Dark Overlord it had crafted was not its equal.
As the Demon Lord, Tan Xiaotian, had ascended to supremacy through its dark energy, he was expected to always put its interests first and embrace the duty to empower it.
When needed, Tan Xiaotian should willingly surrender his body.
This eleventh-level Dark Overlord was not easily created.
Yet, if such a Dark Overlord turned traitor, like Yu Yuan had...
It could empathize with what its fellow had felt at that time.
"You have displeased me."
It whispered after Tan Xiaotian's departure.
Time passed.
At the pinnacle of the Abyss, in the Origin Realm, the one who had amassed the souls and ghosts from the Path of Undead finally descended.
Upon the Primal Soul's return, it discovered that Yu Yuan's real body, the Solar Spirit, and the Wellspring of Creation were all missing.
The Demon Lord, Tan Xiaotian, had also vanished.
In that instant of descent, the two extraordinary beings, allies for eons, communicated in their unique way.
He instantly grasped the situation and learned everything.
"Yu Yuan taking the Wellspring of Creation might not be a negative development. They won't be able to refine that mass of blood and flesh they've acquired."
He gazed at the shattered obsidian mirror, observing the fluttering Dark Anima within, his demeanor serene.
"We both recall the steep price we paid to bring the Abyss Primal Blood to its end. A world's silence and the annihilation of countless lives were necessary to erase it."
"The beings it spawned surpassed the cosmic giant beasts of the Origin Realm and the Beast Gods of the Wasteland."
"It was also above its two kin."
"With that clump of flesh and blood, Yu Yuan, relying on the Origin Realm's Primal Blood, will need an extensive period to decipher the Life Seed it left behind."
His voice was icy as he bore Yu Yuan's visage.
"I surmise that Yu Yuan and the Primal Blood will undertake many actions to unravel the secrets of the Wellspring of Creation's flesh and blood. Such as seizing the chance to venture into the Wasteland, to slay the Lord of Ruin and meld with the Wasteland's Primal Blood."
The Dark Anima within the shattered mirror visibly perked up at his words.
The gloom that had shrouded the Dark Anima appeared to be suddenly cleared away.
"Fusing the two Primal Bloods has imprinted more of the Bloodline Revelations onto the Soul Altar. Only by fortifying his Solar Spirit Body can he more swiftly unlock the life power hidden within the Life Seeds."
The Primal Soul of the Abyss paused there.
After a lengthy silence, he continued, "You needn't worry. Bertain's final resistance has been crushed by me. A fragment of my consciousness can still inhabit his devil soul."
"Descend now, and I will restore your Darkland. The Demon Lord, born of your power, will remain under your command as your strength grows and you ascend to a higher level Primal Anima."
"The transformation of the Dark Realm into the Frostlands will not impede me, even with the presence of the two Primal Animas."
Yu Yuan, in the guise of the Undead Sovereign, descended upon the fractured artifact soul mirror, plummeting towards the Genesis Continent.
...
Beyond the crystalline wall lay the newly formed Frostlands.
The deep crimson continent hung suspended in the frigid expanse, with the distant crescent moon casting a faint, chilling light.
The vast Wellspring of Creation lay still just outside the Primal Blood Continent, not drawn into its confines.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The mass of flesh within the Wellspring of Creation pulsed with a heartbeat-like sound as it moved from the darkness into the Frostlands, where the Primal Blood Continent resided.
Yet, there were no violent, twisted surges of vital energy, sparing everyone from madness.
Yu Yuan and the Primal Blood watched the anomalous flesh within the Wellspring of Creation with bated breath, fearing it might drive them all to insanity.
Thankfully, the pulsing and the heartbeat sounds ceased before long, bringing a sense of calm.
The Secular Bird Queen, Ann Ziqing, and the formidable Abyssal Leviathan stood warily at the edge of the Wellspring of Creation, eyeing the enigmatic flesh within the pool.
They were aware that this peculiar flesh was what had nearly driven them to madness before.
Initially, Yu Yuan had staunchly guarded the fissure in the crystalline wall, withstanding the agony of their assaults, to keep them confined within the Frostlands.
Yu Yuan had brought such a terrifying entity from the shadows.
They were all quaking with fear.
Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank!
Suddenly, they heard a knocking from within the crystalline wall, accompanied by Tan Xiaotian's pleas.
Their eyes, filled with terror, immediately fixed on Yu Yuan.
"I'll go take a look."
Yu Yuan approached the solid ice crystal wall with his real body, narrowing his eyes in scrutiny.
After a moment, Yu Yuan seemed to have ascertained something. He communicated with the Primal Blood and the bitter cold, managing to summon Demon Lord Tan Xiaotian from the darkest depths of the Darkland.
Upon seeing Tan Xiaotian, a chilling light flashed in Chen Qinghuang's eyes as she coldly exclaimed, "Is he looking for death?"
Hiss!
The power of destruction and death appeared ready to burst forth from her and invade Tan Xiaotian's mind.
Her presence swelled, her fighting spirit surging.
Now, she was not in the Darkland but in the Frostlands. With the Dark Anima possessing Tan Xiaotian, the lack of a home-field advantage meant she might not suffer as she had before.
"That's Tan Xiaotian."
Yu Yuan spoke softly, signaling Chen Qinghuang to stay calm and not rush into battle.
Amidst the many hostile stares, the Demon Lord's demeanor remained unchanged as he calmly stated, "There's no need for such excitement. If I weren't myself, Yu Yuan wouldn't have allowed me to come here."
"He's still a puppet of darkness."
Chen Qinghuang furrowed her brows, puzzled by Yu Yuan's decision. She couldn't grasp why Yu Yuan would willingly draw such a significant threat from the World of Darkness.
Likewise, Ji Ningshuang, embodying the frigid cold, regarded the Demon Lord with animosity.
