C2142 The Power of Life and Death

Yu Yuan steadied his breath, striving to calm the turmoil within his spirit. The soul consciousness he had dispatched through Yu Yiyi and the followers of the Blood God Cult had been wiped clean just before entering the "spring." This obliteration of his soul consciousness had, of course, impacted him as well.

He had also witnessed Lin Yue and those Blood God Cult disciples with whom he could communicate via blood resonance being cast one by one into the spring. The disciples who remained in the Gray Domain had been cleansed because of his actions. These followers were human, practicing techniques that tapped into the Yang Meridian, and they had been summarily purged.

The soul consciousness he had projected into the Green Incubus, along with the thoughts of others, had been snuffed out by that same individual who had found and killed them. This person had emerged from the Boundless Underground, perceived the anomalies within the Green Incubus's mind, and then smothered the entire Gray Domain with his soul power, extinguishing all the thoughts Yu Yuan had released.

Deep within his sea of consciousness, the layer corresponding to his origin soul was marked with enigmatic symbols, still burning like death's own flames.

"That individual used my supreme body to enter the spring that spreads death," Yu Yuan conveyed the latest developments to Youyu and the origin soul nestled within the ancient vine.

Since the moment that figure had soared from the Boundless Underground and appeared before the spring with a flagpole in hand, Youyu and the origin soul had been silent. As the embodiment of the laws governing the Great Path of the Undead, the origin soul could not fail to detect the immense soul power within the Undead Sovereign. Thus, it was aware of all the actions it had taken, such as amassing specters on the Path of the Undead.

"What exactly do these symbols signify?" Yu Yuan inquired, gesturing to his forehead.

The corresponding platform within his forehead, linked to the origin soul, suddenly became visible, its radiant surface etched with profound symbols for both the Source Soul and Youyu to see.

"They are tied to the mysteries of death," the Ancient Vine Tree conveyed through a Soul Sound, audible to both Yu Yuan and Youyu.

"Why do these symbols also emerge on the surface of my soul?" Yu Yuan pressed for further understanding.

"Death encompasses many powers; it is quite expansive," the voice of the Ancient Vine Tree responded, somewhat indistinct and peculiar, as if pondering the best way to articulate its thoughts.

The Secular Bird's power of death was derived from a Starry Behemoth known as Death Wing. The mystery of how this Starry Behemoth evolved a bloodline infused with the secrets of death remains unsolved. The life force governed by Source Blood directly opposes and conflicts with the power of death.

"The life force of Source Blood, along with the true essence of all creatures' bloodlines, falls under the category of the power of life," explained the Source Soul.

"The power of life?" Yu Yuan echoed, surprised.

"Indeed," replied the Ancient Vine Tree. "The power of life has the capacity to nurture all creatures, bestowing upon them the true essence of their bloodlines and a variety of divine abilities. All of these fall under the category of Source Blood, which is the power of life, or the power of life itself."

"Life and death represent distinct categories of power, and the same holds true for the concepts of life and death themselves."

"Therefore, the emergence of a bloodline related to death within the Starry Behemoth known as Death Wing is quite peculiar."

"After the Death Wing was slain by the Secular Bird, the Secular Bird seamlessly embraced the true essence of death."

"Even before the Secular Bird Queen had slain the Death Wing, I had taken notice of it. Long ago, I had commanded the Yin Meridian, another Undead Ruler, to seek out the Death Wing."

"Following the demise of the Death Wing, its heart was refined by the Secular Bird, granting the Secular Bird the power of death."

"However, the Death Wing's skeleton was discarded. Beneath the bloodstained feathers, my Undead Ruler observed symbols similar to those on the wing bones."

"Those symbols did not endure. With the Death Wing's demise, the symbols gradually faded and vanished."

"It's possible that the true essence of death was absorbed by the Secular Bird Queen through the beast's heart."

The Source Soul speculated further, "I suspect that the creature known as Death Wing must have encountered some foreign object, transforming into a Starry Behemoth with properties completely antithetical to the Origin Blood."

"Death..." the Source Soul continued through the ancient vine, "The cycle of souls I oversee, the process of rebirth, and certain aspects of my dominion and mysteries intersect with a broader spectrum of death's power. It is for this reason that I took special interest in the Death Wing and this remarkable Starry Behemoth."

"After the death of a creature, their spirit and ghostly essence depart. I guide these silent souls to the Gray Domain, where they become part of my realm. It is rumored that some beings, upon death, become tainted with a malevolent force, enabling them to move without a soul."

Source Soul suddenly turned his gaze to Youyu, who was taken aback.

In the era known as the Boundless Underground, Youyu was once the Evil King, Yu Xi. He had invented a technique for refining corpses, forging a sinister path for creating Yin Corpses.

This technique was taught to a remarkably gifted disciple, and through the generations, it gave rise to the Yin Corpse King. Refining corpses involved using the bones of beings that had died and whose souls had dissipated. These bones could come from humans, formidable beings of other races, or even alien beasts.

A powerful Yin Corpse could move of its own volition and retain some of its former strength, serving its master in the heat of battle.

According to Source Soul, the existence of beings that died and became evil without a soul could be categorized under the forces of death.

"This nefarious path of corpse refinement, which deals with the physical body, isn't within my realm of expertise. You obtained the Undead Ruler's secret arts during your time in the Boundless Underground, but the corpse-refining technique you learned as the Evil King, Yu Xi, has no bearing on me," Source Soul explained.

Yu Yuan also regarded Youyu with curiosity, wondering how he could have learned such a method during Yu Xi's time and why he eventually abandoned it.

Youyu was the original pioneer of corpse refining and the creator of this malevolent practice.

After dying in battle, he first became the Ghost King, Youling. When he lost hope for ascension, he chose to be reborn as Yu Xi.

As the leader of the Fiend Sect, he utilized the sect's secret methods and his past wisdom to develop a new technique for body refinement. However, he deviated from his original path and ended up creating a method for refining corpses instead.

"When I was still the Ghost King, Youling, I used the Yin energy from Horror Land to temper a skeleton. After reincarnating successfully and becoming Yu Xi, I realized I couldn't refine corpses with Yin energy anymore."

"I discovered that the bodies of the deceased retained a residual corpse aura. By mixing this aura with Yin energy, I crafted a technique for refining Yin Corpses. During this process, I was also inspired by the Demon Phoenix. She had observed me refining my body and offered me valuable advice."

"She and the Secular Bird Queen are sworn enemies, and she possesses a deep understanding of the powers controlled by the Queen."

"Perhaps, the method I used for refining corpses back then involved aspects of the power of death, inspired by her insights."

Youyu explained as memories surfaced.

Yu Yuan was dumbfounded.

The profound secrets mastered by Origin Soul were tied to the forces of death. Yet, despite the Secular Bird Queen being a Starry Behemoth, her deathly powers were in direct opposition to the Origin Blood.

Origin Soul had recognized those symbols from the bones beneath the Death Wing's feathers. However, she remained unclear on how the Death Wing came to possess such power.

To date, there are no definitive answers concerning the symbols.

The enigmatic symbol on his forehead was deepening, siphoning his soul power to grow stronger, and increasingly affecting his physical form.

He furrowed his brow and suddenly unleashed the Soul Cleansing Brilliance.

Thunder, extreme cold, and light, fused with the pure force of the soul, coalesced into a radiant beam that targeted the symbol etched into the stage.

The death symbol vanished in an instant, completely eradicated by his power.

"These symbols are of no benefit to you, but for the Secular Bird Queen, they may present an opportunity," Origin Soul remarked.

Zhong Chichen's voice reached him from the Still Starfield, conveying that the Secular Bird Queen had departed alone.

"Later, tell me how we can extract Beilstein from the Boundless Underground."

The Dragon Slash Platform radiated a spectrum of dazzling light, its keen edge slicing through the void, precisely targeting the fading silhouette of Chen Qinghuang.

Chen Qinghuang was en route from the Still Starfield to the Serene Starfield, the intent to die in her gaze intensifying.

The overwhelming yearning for death in her mind was becoming irrepressible.

The Serene Starfield, a realm under the dominion of the Devaputra Race, teemed with creatures loyal to the Devaputra. Subconsciously, she deemed the Serene Starfield the perfect arena to unleash her powers.

Her intention was to annihilate all life within the Serene Starfield.

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