C2136 The Audacious Thought

"Is he still around?"

Upon Yu Yuan's return, those who had been anxiously awaiting his arrival quickly gathered to inquire.

The Origin Blood and Extreme Coldness, two mighty Origin Spirits, were also attuned to his actions on that blood-red continent, hanging on his every word.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Shimmers of blood-red light and icy ripples danced around Yu Yuan in the void.

He instantly realized that the Origin Blood and Extreme Coldness were still probing his physical and spiritual state in their unique ways, checking if he had been overtaken by possession.

Clearly, Origin Blood and Extreme Coldness harbored a deep apprehension towards their most formidable peer.

"There is no presence in the darkness; it seems as if the Darkness Origin Spirit itself has recoiled." Yu Yuan said calmly.

"That's impossible!"

Tan Xiaotian shook his head, his piercing gaze as sharp as a Demon Lord's, as if trying to penetrate Yu Yuan's soul. "The Darkness World is an Alien Realm meticulously crafted by those two extraordinary beings. If any of them were there, you'd be detected the moment you entered the darkness. The Origin Soul... it might depart, but the darkness is eternal."

Tan Xiaotian, born of darkness, was privy to these secrets and was utterly convinced.

"They indeed did not make an appearance," Yu Yuan reiterated.

"The one who granted me the secrets of darkness might be preoccupied with other matters, aware that he can't contend with you. Or perhaps the Origin Soul is absent for now, so even though he knows of your return, he is powerless against you."

Tan Xiaotian voiced his judgment with unwavering confidence: "Regardless, once you go back, the Darkness will surely take notice."

"It's a relief that you've returned unharmed," the Chaos Roc expressed, breathing a sigh of relief.

Yu Yuan reflected for a moment, uncertain of the actual situation, and decided not to dwell on it further. "I'll use the Soul Altar to purge the lingering soul fragments tied to the Origin Soul from the depths of your being."

"Hold on a second."

Tan Xiaotian, who desperately longed for absolute freedom, abruptly halted him, urging him not to rush.

Yu Yuan looked puzzled.

"Have you considered that if your remarkable Soul Altar can cleanse us from the Origin Soul's influence, it should work equally well on the Great Demon God Beilstein?" Tan Xiaotian said earnestly, "Both of us are aware of the extent of Beilstein's formidable combat prowess and his profound dominion over the Origin Realm."

Taishi, Taixu, and the Chaos Roc were all taken aback upon hearing the news.

They immediately realized that Tan Xiaotian had come up with a daring plan.

— To save Beilstein!

"The best candidates for possession are only two. One is your true form, and the other is Beilstein, Cao Jiaze..." The Demon Lord cast a glance at the Profound Sky Sect's prodigy, now a Yin God. "Please forgive my bluntness, but although you are a potential vessel, you're not the ideal one."

Cao Jiaze responded with a hint of bitterness, "I'd rather not be that choice."

"Beilstein is incredibly strong. A mere look from him allowed me to retain a sliver of my intellect. If he can regain his self-awareness, he'll be a formidable force capable of confronting that entity.

Without such a perfect vessel, and unable to claim your true form, that entity will be missing a tremendous force.

I'd prefer to wait, conserve your strength, and take the risk of purifying Beilstein's soul first. If Beilstein can awaken and reclaim his consciousness, the inhabitants of the Origin Realm might stand a chance once more.

The Devaputras see Beilstein as a deity. He... might just bring us an unexpected boon. After all, he was once your mentor."

At this juncture, Tan Xiaotian suggested a bold and perilous strategy: he wanted Yu Yuan to venture into the Gray Domain in his true form.

He intended for Yu Yuan to traverse the vast expanse, rescue Beilstein who might still be in the Evil God Temple, and aid in his awakening.

Beilstein, capable of standing against all Evil Gods by his lonesome, was worth the gamble and a concerted rescue effort.

Previously unable to assist Beilstein, Yu Yuan's seventh-tier Soul Altar now featured an icy platform, infused with thunder and divine light, creating the Soul Cleansing Brilliance that could rouse Tan Xiaotian from his stupor.

Taishi could be purged of the Origin Soul's corruption.

Without relying on the Origin Soul for ascension, Taishi's Primordial Spirit was but a phantom, yet he was a bona fide Great Demon God.

Fundamentally, Taishi's Primordial Spirit and Beilstein's Devil Soul were identical.

If Taishi could do it, then so could Beilstein.

"It's far too risky, far too radical! He might be at the core of the Vast World! With his power, he's capable of manifesting separate sentient consciousnesses. If Beilstein has been utterly corrupted and subdued, he could instantly project a consciousness from the core of the Vast World directly into Beilstein's body," Taishi exclaimed.

At that moment, the thoughts of the Origin Blood reached Yu Yuan, revealing to him that the true Origin Soul was located in the Heart of the Boundless Great World, making it the most perilous place in existence.

Within the Boundless Great World, its influence and dominion were at their peak, surpassing even the Darkness World that Yu Yuan had left behind.

The roots of its wisdom and the laws of the soul had taken hold in the Heart of the Boundless Great World. When Beilstein was entirely tainted and its will descended,

Under such circumstances, it would be unstoppable if it were in the Boundless Great World.

"We must approach this with the utmost caution."

"We need to ensure that Beilstein hasn't been fully corrupted and that it hasn't descended yet."

"Ideally, it shouldn't be in the Gray Domain right now."

Everyone voiced their perspectives, striving to devise an appropriate strategy.

Tan Xiaotian's proposal, which focused on Beilstein as a breakthrough point, sparked a glimmer of hope among the group. It seemed like a viable path, albeit fraught with immense risk and a slim chance of success.

Should they fail, Yu Yuan's very essence could be at stake.

...

Gray Domain.

In a fragmented Stars World, the Evil Cauldron loomed ominously in the heavens.

Huff! Huff!

The mouth of the cauldron, like a gateway to a purgatorial abyss, devoured the souls within the corpses, dragging them into its depths.

Yu Yiyi sat atop the inverted wall of the cauldron, her demeanor icy, her dark eyes brimming with a chilling, lethal energy.

The Ice Concubine floated behind her, observing the remains of the Star Race, female demons, and the Bright Clan warriors loyal to the Sacred Glory War God, Norant.

These formidable fighters from various races had been slain by the Evil God and human cultivators, their souls ensnared and absorbed by the Evil Cauldron.

Yu Yiyi had ascended to become one of the exalted. The one heavily influenced by Yu Yuan, the Undead Sovereign who had possessed Yu Yuan's true form, was now her master.

Her former master's image had completely merged with that of her current one.

The deep imprints that were once hers had been ruthlessly erased during the fusion with the original source, leaving her memories in disarray.

The entities within the Evil Cauldron, like the Ice Concubine, were forged from the Heavenly Demon, the souls of human cultivators, and the Earth Demon of the Boundless Great World.

Now, all the Evil Demons could be classified as puppets under the command of the soul's Great Dao.

Yu Yiyi could no longer recall who her true master was. Figures such as the Ice Concubine, the black crone, and the Nether Cat—once seen as the supreme masters of the Evil Cauldron—had all been replaced by Yu Yiyi in her heart. The individual who had once wielded control over them had long since become a vague memory.

"Yu Yiyi."

"Yu Yiyi."

A distant, ethereal voice echoed in Yu Yiyi's mind, as though it originated from a far-off world, evoking a sense of familiarity and warmth. Amidst these calls, Yu Yiyi's consciousness grew muddled, and she began to recall many memories that had been previously obscured.

The greenish-black hue in the depths of her eyes flickered like a candle flame, waxing and waning in intensity.

After some time had passed, she ceased using the Evil Cauldron to collect the souls of the deceased and allowed the Ice Concubine to return to the miniature world within the cauldron. Righting the once-inverted Evil Cauldron, she stood atop its rim with bare feet, her presence commanding as she traversed the Gray Domain.

As she passed the Heaven Opening Flare Star, she observed the highly perceptive spatial forces entering the deep caverns that linked to various parts of the Origin Realm, seemingly gauging the condition of each world.

Extreme Intelligence, witnessing her riding the Evil Cauldron with such authority, cast a surprised glance her way but refrained from inquiring further. As one of the exalted beings, Yu Yiyi, through recent arduous cultivation and the Evil Cauldron's absorption and refinement of numerous souls, had become an enigma even to Extreme Intelligence.

With many matters still unclear in her own mind, Extreme Intelligence chose not to pry into the affairs of others.

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