C2139 A Difficult Problem

Chen Qinghuang was aware that Yu Yuan, on the Dragon Slaying Stage, was exerting his influence on the mightiest cultivators who resonated with his soul through his Soul Altar and the formidable Soul Power of his eleventh-level essence.

Currently, Yu Yuan was in the Straikepera, yet his soul was scrutinizing these formidable experts and assessing the state of the Ashlands. "Those symbols originated from one of the springs."

After a moment of contemplation, the vision of Reid seated by the spring surfaced in the depths of Yu Yuan's mind. He mused, "The spring is seamlessly intertwined with my Solar Spirit and the Ashlands. Even as my bloodline and the foundational rules began to resonate, the mysteries within eluded me."

"The spring? Are you referring to those most enigmatic energy vortices deep within the Ashlands?"

Zhong Chichen, who had escorted Denise and her Starborn kin to the Frostlands, emerged through the white jade-like rock face. A master of the profound meaning of space and time, he too had studied the enigma of these energy vortices, yet to no avail.

In astonishment, he exclaimed, "Those peculiar vortices, it seems even our forebears never fully unraveled their secrets."

The little spinosaurus, the Abyssal Leviathan, and the other cosmic giant beasts were all taken aback. "Those things..."

The mature Starpierced, its back aglow with starlight, displayed star charts pinpointing remarkably unique regions deep within the Star River. "The memories etched in my bloodline were ignited by your touch, yet they bear no trace of those entities."

The eyes of the Starpierced gleamed like a star-studded river, filled with bewilderment. "My ancestors scoured every Star River in the Origin Realm and ventured into the Wasteland. But they never marked those energy vortices, and I possess no knowledge of them."

The Starpierced is the living atlas of the Origin Realm, its unique trait being that the worlds explored by its ancestors are imprinted deep within its bloodline, a legacy handed down through generations. The absence of any record in the Starpierced's extensive bloodline knowledge base only added to the mystery of these energy vortices.

"Indeed, it emerged from one of the springs."

Yu Yuan's surprise deepened as he cast a meaningful glance at Chen Qinghuang, revealing that Arthurs, who once claimed to be the "Origin Deity," had been ordered to investigate one of the "springs" with the fused artifacts, the Wraithbanner and the Banner of Duality.

"Thirty-six springs—could they lead to another world? Yu Yuan, could the Death Primal Anima you mentioned possibly exist in a different realm?" The Abyssal Leviathan suddenly grew agitated.

The Abyss, Origin Realm, and Wasteland are the only known worlds.

Could there be others beyond these?

Yu Yuan shook his head, "That's unclear."

"Springs, symbols of death, and unknown sigils," Chen Qinghuang murmured to herself.

She was perplexed, struggling to suppress those symbols to prevent her Soul Power and the death force within her from endlessly converging.

An ominous feeling was growing within her.

She feared that once the death symbols grew strong enough, something truly horrific would occur.

She worried she wouldn't be able to control the power unleashed by the death symbols.

It was as if she could see a vision of the vast worlds within the Origin Realm vanishing into oblivion because of her.

"Perhaps I should venture into the Abyss or even the Wasteland," Chen Qinghuang suggested to Yu Yuan.

Yu Yuan, with a furrowed brow, replied, "Let's not discuss that right now."

In an attempt to lighten the somber mood, he steered the conversation elsewhere, "If there's a way to extract Bertain from the Evil Temple, as long as it's outside the Everlands or the Ashlands, I can awaken him safely."

"You mustn't be the one to go! Your presence in the Ashlands would immediately cause issues," Zhong Chichen interjected urgently.

"A fragment of my spiritual sense has entered the Sky Fiend Indigo Wraith's devil soul. I'll use the Sky Fiend Indigo Wraith to scout the Everlands. Such a faint presence of my spiritual sense shouldn't provoke any strong reactions," Yu Yuan explained.

As he spoke, he pondered the challenge of retrieving Bertain.

His real body, carrying the Soul Altar, would be instantly exposed if it so much as touched the Ashlands, let alone entered the Everlands.

He would be besieged by Demon Gods, Evil Gods, and the Most High of his kind.

The Heart of the Everlands would lock onto him in an instant.

In the Ashlands, it would be nearly impossible for him to use Soul Cleansing Brilliance to help Bertain erase the Residual Soul's knot.

"You think you can extract Bertain? That's incredibly difficult! Bertain must not have the will of the Heart of the Everlands descend upon him, and ideally, the Heart of the Everlands shouldn't be present in the Ashlands at all," Zhong Chichen said, shaking his head.

The rest of the group also found the idea to be far-fetched.

Suddenly, within the depths of Yu Yuan's consciousness, a shadow flitted across the table that bore the Mind Magic of the Primal Vitality.

He was taken aback, initially thinking that his Undead Sovereign body was being sought by the Primal Soul.

Upon closer inspection, he was astonished to discover that the shadow was none other than Youyu!

The fact that Youyu could manifest on this table, despite the vast distance, indicated that his power had grown to an inconceivable extent.

"Reveal yourself!"

With this thought, Yu Yuan concentrated his mental focus on the table.

He visualized Youyu's image on the table, a secret repository of Primal Vitality.

He watched intently as the image he had conjured took shape.

Before long, the imagined figure of Youyu began to respond to spiritual sense and intent, drawing them in.

Whoosh!

The spiritual sense and intent swiftly infused the imagined figure of Youyu, transforming it into the real Youyu.

Youyu was standing at the familiar entrance to the Wraithlands.

From Youyu's position, the nearby landscape began to materialize, and the Path of Undead emerged.

It seemed Youyu had stepped out from within the Wraithlands to investigate the anomalies on the Path of Undead, as there had been no recent influx of ghosts.

In the external world, there should have been a plethora of ghosts created by the Otherkin pursued by the Evil God, Gods, and Sky Fiend.

Yet, contrary to expectations, the Wraithlands had not seen a significant surge of these deceased spirits, which was clearly abnormal.

"No, this can't be right, Youyu is the Undead Sovereign!"

As Youyu's figure on the table became increasingly vivid and distinct, Yu Yuan came to the startling realization that Youyu, previously at the God of Ghosts level, had achieved a monumental breakthrough!

Youyu had ascended to become the second Undead Sovereign!

"Is that you? You..."

Youyu's voice, laced with uncertainty, emanated from the far reaches of the Star River.

He grew exceedingly vigilant, sensing a will that had targeted him, and he promptly marshaled his power.

In the remote depths of the extraterrestrial Star River, the only one who could match him was Yu Yuan's Undead Sovereign form. He suspected that the Primal Soul from the Abyss had come seeking him!

He had long been aware that Yu Yuan's Undead Sovereign body had vanished into the Heart of the Everlands.

The Primal Vitality had lost its connection to Yu Yuan's "Undead Sovereign" body, confirming that the Yu Yuan it had created had been tainted by the evil of the Abyss.

After this realization, the Primal Vitality abandoned that version of Yu Yuan and instead created him.

Youyu's anxiety stemmed from his suspicion that the evil Primal Soul targeting him originated from the Abyss.

"I am Yu Yuan."

Youyu, who had come to investigate the disturbances at the Wraithlands' entrance, struggled to believe the familiar voice he heard.

"At the entrance of the Wraithlands, from this distance, I should be able to..."

Yu Yuan instructed Chen Qinghuang and the others to stay put while he, in his real body, commandeered the Dragon Slaying Stage. He broke through the dense layers of space, weaving through the void cracks with ease.

The Dragon Slaying Stage, an extraordinary vessel, effortlessly ripped through the void.

It wasn't long before his real body, along with the Dragon Slaying Stage, materialized at the entrance of the Wraithlands.

This wasn't his first visit.

Upon his return to the Wraithlands' entrance, he narrowed his eyes and noticed that all the "Paths of Undead" stretching out before him resembled parched riverbeds, devoid of any ghosts and exuding an aura of death.

From the dense white fog at the entrance, an ancient tree emerged.

Its branches, many of which extended into the Wraithlands, seemed ready to retract at a moment's notice, fleeing as far away as possible should danger arise.

The Primal Vitality resided within the ancient tree, its spirit observing Yu Yuan. It quickly recognized that this was Yu Yuan's real body, which still retained its self-awareness.

Upon this discovery, the rigid trunk of the tree eased slightly.

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