C2133 The Spit of the Spring

Gray Domain.

The once impenetrable barriers of the forbidden zone had shattered, allowing free passage and stripping away its air of mystery.

Boundless Great World and Tia Main Planet, akin to twin stars, settled in the energy vortexes known as "fountains" by the Djinn Clan, each existing in its own unique way.

The Boundless Great World was permeated with the chaotic and violent energy characteristic of the abyss.

The energy contained within the Gray Domain, once transformed by the core of Boundless Great World, surged from the ground fissures as abyssal power, growing ever more intense.

The fundamental laws of nature in Boundless Great World were altered by its core, breathing new life into the landscape.

Fierce abyssal flora, spawned by the energy's strange mutations, began to thrive in the Desolate Swamp, Absence Relic, Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea, and other enigmatic forbidden lands, giving rise to new and mysterious treasures.

The Protoss who had migrated, along with the mighty from various sects—whether arriving from Tia Main Planet or returning from the abyss—were once again active within Boundless Great World.

At this moment, a crescent moon hovered over the Silver Moon Sect in the Heavenly Source Continent, a place once consumed by flames.

The moon's radiant and pristine light cascaded down like a silvery stream, embodying the manifold laws of the moon.

Tan Junshan sat atop the crescent, a stream of dark blue Origin flowing into his brow as he embarked on his path to divinity.

Harnessing the Moon's Great Dao and the rich Origin from the planet's core, Tan Junshan was ascending towards the pinnacle of power.

Within the dilapidated palace amidst the ruins of Profound Sky Sect's former domain, Lin Yu, in the late Unrestrained Stage, also commenced his own ascent to the supreme echelon.

Now, with Boundless Great World's condensed Origin in abundance, any late-stage Unrestrained Stage cultivator with sufficient talent could endeavor to attain godhood.

Consequently, many of the Protoss's mightiest returned from distant galaxies, seizing the opportunity to ascend to divinity.

...

Amidst the shadowy cosmos.

Arthurs and the banner entered a peculiar "fountain," which suddenly began to spin in reverse.

A bare pole, stripped of its flag, shot out from the "fountain."

Engraved on the stark pole were cryptic symbols, lacking any discernible pattern, their deeper meanings elusive to onlookers.

The Devaputra Pontiff, Reid, had made his return from the abyss and had been fixated on the "fountain" for quite some time, vigilantly monitoring this locale on behalf of his deity.

Upon discovering that the flag had vanished, leaving only the pole behind, Reid was utterly astounded. "What is this!" he exclaimed, deeply shaken. The "fountain" was one of the Origin Realm's enigmatic secrets and a point of great significance to him.

The Pontiff scrutinized the barren pole and the inscribed symbol above, with devilish light crackling in the depths of his eye sockets. Yet, despite his vast knowledge and eternal lifespan, Reid, esteemed as a sage among scholars, could not decipher the profound meaning of the symbols, which left him feeling profoundly disheartened.

"Something is amiss! There must be some anomaly on the other side of the fountain!" he realized with a sense of urgency.

With a swift motion, Reid extracted the flagpole. When he attuned his Devil Soul to it, he was overwhelmed by a sensation of his Devil Soul withering, an intense desire for self-destruction washing over him. Death, it seemed, was the pursuit and inevitable end he sought.

Reid's Devil Soul flickered hesitantly. He dared not touch it with the demonic body he had refined, nor did he dare to probe with his soul. Instead, he hastily wrapped the flagpole with his cloak, concealing it from view.

As he observed the "fountain" from which the flagpole had emerged, his gaze shifted uneasily, a sense of deathly silence enveloping him. For millennia, the "fountain" had been a constant source, gushing with cosmic energy without fail.

Yet, recently, the "fountain" had ceased its flow, no longer expelling cosmic energy. Arthurs, with the flagpole in hand, had ventured into one of these "fountains" under another's directive. Now, the "fountain" had reversed its course, resembling a "Chaos Abyss," a cold and indifferent maw that was subtly rotating, absorbing the power of the Gray Domain.

Its rotation was slow, its absorption minimal, as if it were cautiously testing, discerning the mysteries hidden within the energy it was siphoning.

Suddenly, a shiver of dread coursed through Reid. He sensed an eerie presence within the "fountain," watching him intently. Without delay, he took the flagpole and made for the Evil God Temple, seeking out the guardian.

"Old Patriarch."

Upon seeing Beilstein, Reid knelt on one knee, offering a reverent bow to the dark soul within the armor. In a hushed tone, he said, "We have been awaiting your return."

After paying his respects, Reid removed the cloak wrapped around the flagpole, revealing the unknown symbol atop it.

The symbol's unveiling was met with an eerie silence, and the Evil God Temple trembled mightily.

"In our Origin Realm, such symbols do not exist. The alien beasts of the Desolate Realm and those of our own realm use a script similar to the Demon script of the Boundless Great World." Reid, with a furrowed brow, continued, "I'm certain that the language and symbols of the Desolate Realm are different. Could such symbols exist in the Abyss?"

Reid purposefully avoided looking directly at the symbol on the pole, focusing instead on the Guardian.

He feared the resurgence of a self-destructive desire.

The Guardian appeared even more solemn, his gaze fixed intently on the flagpole and its mysterious symbol.

He was aware that the thirty-six enigmatic "fountains" were the greatest mysteries of the Gray Domain and the very source of its creation.

The exalted Titan spinosaurus had chosen to transform the Gray Domain into a dragon's lair due to these "fountains."

Yet, even the Titan spinosaurus had not unraveled the secrets of the "fountains."

He, too, had returned from his explorations empty-handed.

It was out of prudence that he had sent Arthurs with a banner to investigate on his behalf.

Now, Arthurs was missing, or perhaps... dead. The flag was gone from the pole, but the pole itself had been delivered.

"What lies within the fountain?"

The Guardian pondered deeply, his spirit diminishing bit by bit within the dark stone pillar.

Boom!

The Evil God Temple shook once more.

Startled, the Guardian snapped to attention. He instructed Reid to cover the flagpole with the cloak again, then spoke with trepidation, "We have no such symbols in the Abyss, of that I am certain!"

"Please convey a message for His return at the earliest convenience," Reid requested.

"Understood."

The Guardian nodded in agreement and instructed Reid, "Keep this object here in the temple for now; I will take responsibility for its safekeeping. As for you, continue to keep a vigilant eye on that unusual spring!"

After Reid consented, he departed.

In the Cold Domain, the Secular Bird Queen ceased her attempts to persuade Yu Yuan. She observed him communicating with the will of the Origin Blood Continent. Perched on the edge of the Creation Pool, she gazed curiously at the flesh and blood within it.

A sudden chill crept up her spine.

It was as though a gray-white eye, brimming with a deathly intent, was fixed upon her from afar in the Origin Realm.

Within the depths of that eye swirled numerous strange symbols, exuding a pure essence of death, as if they were a gateway to a silent realm.

The eye vanished in a flash, as if it had never been there.

Yet the enigmatic symbols from within the eye were seared into her soul, becoming one with it, seemingly inseparable.

Chen Qinghuang shook her head, attributing the vision to the overwhelming events she had recently endured.

Despite this, the peculiar symbols etched deep within her soul remained indelible.

To her astonishment, these symbols seemed to enhance her understanding of death's power, deepening her insights.

She was, however, completely unaware of what the symbols signified.

"What seems to be the issue?" Yu Yuan's Yang God form, residing within Chen Qinghuang, detected an eerie aura that could drive one to desire death.

Unaware of this herself, Chen Qinghuang's emanations could inadvertently influence others, leading them to their demise.

Yu Yuan's thoughts drifted to a time 100,000 years ago when, in a state of uncontrolled power, she had spread death and destruction, silencing entire galaxies.

Concerned for Chen Qinghuang's well-being, Yu Yuan, in his Yang God form, scrutinized her closely.

"There's nothing to worry about. I'm probably just overworked, and it's causing me to see things," Chen Qinghuang reassured, shaking her head.

"Don't rush off to the Darkness World. You're not familiar with the conditions there," she added.

Yu Yuan, with a furrowed brow, replied, "The Origin Blood is urging me to venture into the Desolate Realm to extract another fragment of the essence of life from its Origin Blood. Only then can I more swiftly unravel the mysteries of the Life Seed and cultivate this mass of flesh and blood."

"It will be quite challenging to confront him on Yuan Li's turf," Chen Qinghuang remarked.

"I'm still weighing my options."

...