C2142 The Power of Life and Death

Yu Yuan took a deep breath, steadying his tumultuous spirit. The spiritual sense he had released through Yu Yiyi and the Colddeath disciples had been erased by someone just before entering the "spring." The obliteration of his spiritual sense naturally impacted him as well. He also witnessed Lin Yue and the other Colddeath disciples, who he could communicate with through a blood resonance, being cast one by one into the "spring." The disciples of Colddeath left in the Ashlands had been purged because of him. Although they were human, the spells they practiced were connected to the Solar Meridian, leading to their eradication.

His spiritual sense, along with the thoughts of others, were also snuffed out by the same individual who had found and killed the Indigo Wraith. This person, coming from the Everlands, saw the anomaly in the Sky Fiend Indigo Wraith's mind and used Soul Power to blanket the Ashlands, extinguishing all the remnant souls he had released. Deep within his consciousness, the layer corresponding to the Primal Vitality still burned with symbols unknown, like death's very flames.

"That person, with a body of a Sovereign, entered the spring that spreads death," Yu Yuan relayed the latest information to Youyu and the Primal Vitality residing in the ancient tree. From the moment that individual emerged from the depths of the Everlands, wielding a flagpole at the "spring," Youyu and the Primal Vitality fell silent.

As the Primal Vitality embodies the collective rules of the Way of Heaven for the Undead, it could not fail to perceive the immense Soul Power within the Undead Sovereign. Thus, it was aware of the gathering of ghosts on the Path of Undead above the Abyss and its previous actions.

"What do these symbols truly mean?" Yu Yuan inquired, gesturing to his forehead.

The luminous platform corresponding to the Primal Vitality within the depths of his brow was now visible, revealing profound symbols that both the Primal Vitality and Youyu could see.

"They are forces linked to the mysteries of death," the Primal Vitality communicated through a Soul Voice from the ancient tree, audible to both Yu Yuan and Youyu.

"Why are these symbols also emerging deep within my soul layer?" Yu Yuan questioned further.

"Death encompasses a vast array of powers," came the somewhat muffled and eerie voice from within the ancient tree, as if pondering the best way to articulate its thoughts.

"The death force that the secular bird acquired originates from a cosmic giant beast known as Deathwings. The mystery of how this cosmic giant beast developed a bloodline infused with the secrets of death remains unsolved. The life power governed by Primal Blood is fundamentally opposed to death."

"The life power of Primal Blood, along with the essence of all Bloodline Revelations, falls under the category of the power of life," Primal Vitality explained.

"The power of life?" Yu Yuan exclaimed in surprise.

"Indeed," Primal Vitality affirmed through the ancient tree, "the power of life has the capacity to nurture all beings, bestowing upon them a multitude of Bloodline Revelations, endowing them with various divine abilities. All of this is encompassed by Primal Blood, classified as the power of life, or the force of life itself."

"Life and death represent distinct categories of power, and naturally, this applies to the concepts of life and death themselves."

"Therefore, it's quite peculiar that the cosmic giant beast known as Deathwings possessed a Bloodline Revelation associated with death."

"After the secular bird slew Deathwings, it seamlessly embraced the Death Magic."

"Even before the Deathwings' demise at the hands of the Secular Bird Queen, I had taken notice of it. Long ago, I had tasked the Lunar Meridian, another Undead Lord, with locating the Deathwings."

"Eventually, the Deathwings perished, and its heart, the core of the giant beast, was refined by the secular bird, granting it the death force."

"However, the skeleton of the Deathwings was discarded. Beneath the bloodstained feathers, on the wing bones of the Deathwings, my Undead Lord observed a familiar symbol."

"Those symbols were not preserved. With the Deathwings' death, the symbols faded and vanished."

"It's possible that the Death Magic was absorbed by the Secular Bird Queen through the heart of the Deathwings."

Primal Vitality continued, "I speculate that the cosmic giant beast known as Deathwings must have encountered some foreign object, transforming into a being with traits completely antithetical to Primal Blood."

"Death..."

Primal Vitality spoke once more through the ancient tree, "The cycle of souls I oversee, the process of rebirth, shares some aspects and mysteries with the broader death force. It is for this reason that I took a special interest in the Deathwings and this remarkable cosmic giant beast."

"After the death of a living being, their ghosts are released. I guide these silent souls to the Wraithlands, where they become part of my domain. It's rumored that certain entities, tainted by evil upon death, can move without a soul."

Primal Vitality suddenly turned to look at Youyu.

Youyu was taken aback.

Back in the Everlands era, Youyu was known as the Evil King, Yu Xi. He had invented a method of Animate Dead, forging a sinister path that refined Ghouls.

This dark art was taught to a disciple of exceptional talent and was passed down through generations, eventually leading to the Ghoul King.

Animate Dead involved refining the bones of a deceased being whose soul had dissipated.

These bones could belong to a human, an alien beast, or an evilkind champion.

Powerful Ghouls could move independently and retain some of their former strength, serving their masters in the heat of battle.

According to Primal Vitality, beings that died and moved without a soul could be categorized under the death force.

"This path of evil corpses involves the physical body and is not within my realm. In the Everlands, you acquired the mystique of the Undead Lord, but the Animate Dead technique you, as Evil King Yu Xi, mastered is unrelated to me," Primal Vitality declared.

Yu Yuan also gazed at Youyu, equally astonished by the Animate Dead technique. He wondered how Youyu had come to understand it during the time of Evil King Yu Xi and why he had chosen to forsake it.

Youyu was the original pioneer of the Animate Dead path, the creator of this malevolent way.

After falling in battle, Youyu first became the Ghost King, Youling. When he saw no future as the God of Ghosts, he opted for reincarnation as Yu Xi.

He rose to lead the Skyblight Cult, using his past wisdom and the cult's mystique to develop a new body tempering technique. However, he strayed from the intended path and instead created the Animate Dead.

"As the Ghost King, I used the shadow energy of the Land of Terror to temper a skeleton. After reincarnating and becoming Yu Xi, I realized I couldn't use shadow energy to refine my corporeal body."

"I realized that the corpse still harbored residual death aura, so I harnessed this death aura, blending it with shadow energy to refine the technique for creating Ghouls. During this process, I was inspired by the Dark Phoenix. She observed my body tempering through her avatars and offered me some guidance."

"She's a sworn enemy of the Secular Bird Queen and possesses a profound understanding of the powers controlled by the Queen."

"It's possible that the aspect of the death force I employed in my Animate Dead technique originated from her."

Youyu explained, lost in his memories.

Yu Yuan was at a loss for words.

The profound meanings grasped by the Primal Vitality were intertwined with the death force. Despite being a cosmic giant beast, the Secular Bird Queen's death force was contrary to Primal Blood.

The Primal Vitality had encountered those symbols before, found on the bones beneath the Deathwings' feathers. How the Deathwings came to possess such power remained a mystery to the Primal Vitality.

So far, there were no definitive answers regarding these symbols.

The enigmatic symbol on his forehead was deepening, continuing to draw upon his Soul Power to grow stronger, increasingly influencing his physical form.

Furrowing his brow, he suddenly unleashed the Soul Cleansing Brilliance.

Lightning, bitter cold, and radiant light, combined with the pure force of his soul, formed a luminous beam that targeted the symbol on the platform.

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

"These symbols do you no good, but for the Secular Bird Queen, they might present an opportunity," the Primal Vitality remarked.

Zhong Chichen's voice reached him from Straikepera, informing him that the Secular Bird Queen had set out alone.

"Later, let me know how to extract Bertain from the Everlands."

The Dragon Slaying Stage emitted a spectrum of radiant light, its keen edge cleaving through the void, precisely targeting the fading silhouette of Chen Qinghuang.

Chen Qinghuang was en route from Straikepera to Zagreus, with the intent of death growing ever more potent in her gaze.

The overpowering yearning for death deep within her psyche had become irrepressible.

Zagreus, a realm under the dominion of the Sky Fiends, teemed with beings loyal to the Sky Fiend Clan. Subconsciously, she deemed Zagreus the perfect domain to unleash her power to its fullest extent.

She intended to annihilate all life within the Zagreus Astral Domain.

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