C2150 A Light Punishment!

Yu Yuan was taken aback.

Despite knowing the dubious origins of those death symbols and the risk they posed—potentially driving her to madness, spreading death force uncontrollably—Chen Qinghuang refused to address them. She seemed resigned to a path of relentless slaughter and insanity.

"Why?" Yu Yuan couldn't help but inquire.

"I need more power," Chen Qinghuang explained. "To kill the Dark Phoenix, I am willing to take the risk."

Yu Yuan fell silent.

Her demise in both her past lives was a direct result of Dark Phoenix Zhiya's schemes—a hatred that could not coexist under the same sky. As a reborn human, her recent battle with Zhiya in the Ashlands had brought her to her strongest state yet, surpassing her power from 100,000 years ago.

Yet even at her peak, she felt no hope of victory against Zhiya.

In the face of endless darkness, she risked everything, forsaking any chance of rebirth. She converted all her power into death, and only then did she unleash a force beyond herself.

She came to realize that her original combat style and power would likely be insufficient to defeat Zhiya. However, the enigmatic death symbols had deepened her understanding of Death Magic, revealing a glimmer of possibility to vanquish Dark Phoenix Zhiya.

For that slim chance, she was prepared to embrace the risks, indifferent to the countless lives that might be lost as a result.

"Don't concern yourself with me, and don't interfere," she said.

"And please, don't try to stop me!"

Chen Qinghuang's final plea carried an air of resolute finality.

Yu Yuan observed her from a distance, noting her averted gaze, signaling her reluctance to make eye contact.

The aura of death and unwavering resolve emanating from her indicated a firm decision—one she did not wish to be swayed from by anyone.

In the realms of Origin, Wasteland, and Abyss, few were worthy to stand against her in battle.

Following Yuan Le and Dark Phoenix's departure to the Origin Realm, the current Abyss and Origin Realm had no one who could decisively defeat her, leaving her without recourse—except for Yu Yuan, in Bertain's absence.

Her plea was simple: for Yu Yuan not to stand in her way.

She intended to delve deeper into Death Magic, spreading death in her quest for enlightenment and the power to defeat Dark Phoenix Zhiya.

Beneath the radiance of the Soul Cleansing Brilliance, Youqian and Kaiya, two formidable Demon Gods, faintly overheard the exchange between him and the Secular Bird Queen. The pair exchanged knowing glances, choosing to remain silent.

Yu Yuan, too, furrowed his brow in quiet contemplation.

Whoosh!

In a moment of silence from Chen Qinghuang, the massive green-gray Divine Bird soared towards the meteorite sea that Saca had refined.

The Sea of Falling Rocks shimmered like a magnificent Star River, now teeming with innumerable Ghouls. These Ghouls, akin to pebbles, were cast into the Sea, shredding Saca's devil soul into fragments. The invisible earth meridians that Saca used to link the meteorites were also found and torn by the Ghouls.

The Sky Fiend, lacking a physical form, had crafted this mysterious and expansive meteorite sea as his specialized demonform. He could have ensnared Chen Qinghuang and encircled the green-gray Divine Bird with the meteorite sea to hunt the cosmic giant beast resembling the Abyssal Leviathan.

Yet, the swarms of Ghouls, like voracious insects gnawing at a colossal elephant, were now ravaging his demonform amidst the meteorite sea. He was undaunted by behemoths but vexed by the Ghouls exuding death force.

His primary devil soul, adjacent to the mountain of corpses, manipulated vast swathes of rubble and the planet's gravity itself, battering the towering mountain of corpses. But the mountain of corpses felt no pain; whenever it was smashed, its form would be replenished and stitched together by fresh Ghouls.

Once the mountain of corpses was entombed by the falling rocks, the green-gray Divine Bird delicately stirred its wings, causing the stones shrouding the mountain to burst apart. The mountain of corpses, once freed, dispersed its potent death force into the crevices of different meteorite landscapes.

Bit by bit, the links between the meteorites composing Saca's demonform were severed. As the meteorites hurtled and howled through the void, the hidden mysteries of the earth were altered by the infusion of death force.

The Great Demon God Saca, an ancient Sky Fiend blessed with eternal life, found his devil soul and strength slowly eroded by the Secular Bird Queen. He was inching ever closer to the path of death.

On the other side.

Within the Straikepera, in front of the crystalline mountain range, Yu Yuan's Solar Spirit, which he had left in the Frostlands, suddenly stepped forward. Deep within the Solar Spirit's body, the bloodlines and meridians shone with a rainbow-colored brilliance, reminiscent of a primordial World-Sundering Stone, radiating dense space magic.

At this moment, the Solar Spirit could leverage its connection with Yu Yuan's real body and the Dragon Slaying Stage to directly access the battlefield in Zagreus. It also enabled Yu Yuan's real body to instantly reach the Solar Spirit's location through the Dragon Slaying Stage.

Ji Ningshuang, Ann Ziqing, and Xuanli, who had been stripped of their soul marks by the Abyssal Leviathan, witnessed the arrival of the Starpierced armor, accompanied by the little spinosaurus and the Abyssal Leviathan itself. Upon seeing Yu Yuan's Solar Spirit emerge, they realized that a significant event must have unfolded in Zagreus.

"The Secular Bird Queen has unleashed a disaster in Zagreus," Yu Yuan softly explained, keeping an eye on every move happening there through his connection with his real body. "Don't be overly concerned; this is all part of the plan to rescue the Great Demon God Bertain."

The Frostlands were currently tranquil.

Denise of the Starborn and their warriors had settled down after joining forces with Elena of the Shura in the Frostlands.

Only a few remnants of imprints needed to be cleansed from Tan Xiaotian's soul, and as long as he remained in the Frostlands, there was nothing to worry about.

There was no need to pay special attention to the other side, where darkness prevailed, as nothing out of the ordinary was detected.

Thus, Yu Yuan's Solar Spirit had left the Frostlands, ready to coordinate actions with his main body.

...

In the Everlands.

Within the vast interior of the Evil Temple, the Demon God Bertain's devil soul was encased within armor forged by the Cosmic Crucible. The green-black devil soul was motionless, as if time itself had been suspended.

Bertain, who once reigned supreme over the Origin Realm, had been in this state for quite some time.

Across from the armor, a human-shaped elder guardian would occasionally flicker into view by a column of ink jade. He would gaze intently at Bertain's devil soul, ensuring everything was in order before vanishing as suddenly as he appeared.

As the temple's guardian, he could communicate with the many Evil Gods active in the Origin Realm through the Evil Temple.

As long as the Evil Gods remained in the Origin Realm, he could utilize this enigmatic temple to observe their movements, effectively turning the Evil Gods into his own eyes.

In a corner of the temple, Yu Yiyi leaned against the wall, which resembled dry bones, idly toying with the miniature Crucible of Evil in her hands. She had been commanded to remain within the Holy Temple and was forbidden from leaving. Yu Yiyi dared not defy the order.

"Master, may I please come out to catch a glimpse of Lord Bertain?" pleaded Frost Queen from within the little world of the crucible. As a newly ascended supreme Bane, she was once a Frostfiend. In her eyes, Bertain represented the faith of the entire Sky Fiend clan, an unattainable and majestic presence. She, along with her father and their Frostfiend clan, harbored a profound adoration for Bertain.

Now, such a revered figure was also within the Holy Temple, his devil soul housed within that peculiar armor, and she yearned to behold him up close.

"There's nothing worth seeing," Yu Yiyi remarked dismissively. Yet, she relented and released Frost Queen, allowing her to materialize outside the crucible. The Frost Queen, with her crystalline ice body and elongated form, her scorpion tail glinting with a frosty gleam, was strikingly distinctive.

She edged closer, eager for a better view of Bertain. A vague nervousness overtook her, as if merely being near Bertain could suffocate her.

"Halt!" The guardian emerged promptly, his commanding voice halting Frost Queen's advance. "I am tasked with guarding Bertain. No one is permitted to approach him, as I have been instructed!" Frost Queen stopped in her tracks, a hint of dejection in her voice as she acquiesced, "Understood."

The enigmatic Evil Temple and its guardian wielded unparalleled authority, emblematic of the power within the Abyss and an object of veneration for the Evil Gods. Before such an entity, Frost Queen, a mere Bane, dared not overstep.

"There's essentially no difference between you and me," Yu Yiyi suddenly declared, rising to her feet and gliding over to Frost Queen, heedless of the guardian's rebuke. She positioned herself before the armor of the great Demon God Bertain without a glance in his direction. Instead, she provocatively fixed her gaze on the guardian, now appearing aged and decrepit, and said icily, "You are the artifact soul of this temple, and the temple itself is a weapon of doom forged by our master. Just as the master uses this temple to dominate all the Evil Gods of the Abyss, I command the Banes within the crucible. Our roles are fundamentally the same."

"Senior, since we're both artifact souls, why the haughty attitude?"

"It's different."

The guardian deliberately elevated himself on the obsidian pillar, gazing down with a cold indifference at the presumptuous young girl. "Every Evil God that enters this temple possesses power of the highest order. Any Evil God under my command could give you a run for your money, but those Banes within your crucible..."

His eyes fell upon the Frost Queen, and he scoffed, "Banes, Sky Fiends, they don't hold a candle to Evil Gods, let alone the Gods. They lack even a corporeal form. Their deficiencies are too great; they don't deserve to set foot in this temple."

The guardian was privy to the secrets.

Sky Fiends were a race spawned by the Primal Soul of the Everlands, and their source had been consumed by that entity.

In his heart, it was the Gods born of the Abyss and other Abyssal races that were his true offspring.

To the current guardian, the status of the Sky Fiends from the Origin Realm had significantly diminished.

"Without my permission, not a single Bane from your crucible is allowed out!" the guardian huffed.

Above the lofty ceiling, myriad rainbow webs emerged, as an overwhelming power cascaded from the dome.

Boom!

The Frost Queen was enveloped by a hollow beam of light, with lightning crafted from the rules striking her like a whip.

The Frost Queen, a Bane of the highest caliber, saw her icy crystalline form break apart under the assault.

Wisps of smoke began to rise from the soul of the Frost Queen, ensconced within her chiseled demonform.

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