C2151 Something Big must Happen!

"Stop!"

Yu Yiyi exclaimed in alarm.

"I'm merely administering a light punishment to let her know that within this Holy Temple, I set the rules. You may be the master of the Crucible of Evil, but you must still abide by my laws," the guardian stated icily.

"Why the arrogance? We both serve the same master, our souls share the same origin. What gives you the right to lord over me?" Yu Yiyi demanded furiously.

Inside the column of light, the Frost Queen's form was breaking apart, her soul still ablaze amidst the lightning.

Yet, she gestured to Yu Yiyi, shaking her head and telepathically urging, "Don't, don't make an enemy of the hall's guardian."

She clearly understood the gravity of provoking the guardian of the Evil God's Hall, aware of his formidable divine powers.

If Bertain's armor was his demonform, then this ancient and enigmatic hall was the guardian's own body.

Within his domain, the guardian's strength was overwhelming, capable of wielding the divine powers of past Evil Gods. The Frost Queen believed that Yu Yiyi's confrontation with the guardian was not an act of spiritual wisdom.

She was acutely aware that despite having lost her spiritual wisdom and memories, she could be restored through the Crucible of Evil.

There was no need to engage in a deadly battle over the guardian's hubris.

"We both serve the same master?"

The guardian scoffed derisively, "The one I serve is the Supreme Lord of the Abyss, the true ruler of the Abyss! It was only after he became a dragon slayer in the Everlands that he gained a servant like you. A mere servant, who upon death became an artifact soul, dares to consider herself my equal?"

"Do you, little servant girl, truly believe you're someone of importance? So, having received a portion of His grace and evolved into a mighty Demon God, you think you're formidable?"

"Among the myriad Evil Gods like you, aren't they all bowing reverently to me within this hall?"

"Keep this etched in your heart: we are not alike. You lack the standing to be my equal."

In the void, the rule's whip continued its relentless assault.

The Frost Queen's dense devil soul within her crystalline form grew fainter.

Soon, the Frost Queen would plummet from her status as the mightiest Bane to that of a ninth-level Bane.

Upon returning to the ninth level of the Bane, her memories would fade, and her spiritual wisdom would vanish.

With Yu Yiyi's current strength, once she was brought back to the Crucible of Evil, she could naturally draw upon the submerged Bane to restore her power, allowing her to reclaim her place among the mightiest of Banes.

Yet, the humiliation inflicted by the guardian was more than she could bear.

"Just endure it."

The elderly guardian glared at Yu Yiyi with a cold, haughty gaze and declared, "Within this Holy Temple, no one can stand against me, except for the master I serve and our mutual creator. You certainly can't, and neither can Bertain, the Sky Fiend whom even I revere, who I have also subdued here."

Yu Yiyi was seething with anger, but then she noticed that in the recesses of the dome and the walls of the Holy Temple, it seemed as if thousands of departed Evil Gods had been roused by the guardian's power.

Shadows flitted across the dome, the pillars of the hall groaned, and the intricate cosmic order carved into the walls began to emerge.

Yu Yiyi's silhouette, standing in the hall, was bent by this overwhelming force, as if she were being compelled to bow before the Guardian.

Filled with indignation, she struggled under the grand and formidable energy of the Holy Temple, gradually succumbing to a crouching position.

It was as though an unseen hand was pressing on her back, gripping her neck, forcing her to bow her head to the Guardian in a meek gesture of seeking pardon.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Inside the cauldron, thousands of Banes howled furiously, the dark glyphs squirming. She used her knowledge of Spirit Magic and spells to communicate with the cauldron, attempting to arrange a defensive formation.

But at the Guardian's disdainful snort, all her defiant efforts dissipated like smoke.

"Remember, the true lineage of the Gods comes from the Abyss. I'm referring to those with flesh and blood, not the likes of you," the Guardian continued to taunt. "Even now, as a Great Demon God of the Sky Fiend, your demonform is crafted, not innate. In the Everlands, now and in the future, the Gods, Evil Gods, and Sky Fiends should have a clear hierarchy, with the Gods rightfully at the forefront."

In the Guardian's mind, the Gods from the Abyss would always be the most exquisite masterpieces.

The other inhabitants of the Abyss, the Evil Gods, came next in the hierarchy.

The Sky Fiend, forged by the Primal Soul of the Everlands, might have once been the sovereign of this realm, but after the Primal Soul was consumed and assimilated, the cosmic order was destined to shift.

Within the column of hollow light, the Frost Queen, shrouded in smoldering smoke, abruptly turned her gaze to Bertain encased in armor.

Bertain, like a devil soul suspended in time, had two specks of purple light in the depths of his armored eye sockets, glimmering like sesame seeds.

Purple—the hue of the Sky Fiend Soul.

This ingrained memory had long been wiped clean, forgotten, and even the Frost Queen could no longer recall it.

Yet, witnessing the sudden intensification of the purple light, the Frost Queen felt a surge of emotion, as if the bold, red-bearded giant she revered was on the verge of returning.

Boom!

The armor erupted from the earth, lifting off and dispersing the force that had been bearing down on Yu Yiyi.

The light pillar encasing the Frost Queen shattered in an instant, its lightning and shadowy light dissolving into the ground like water.

"Bertain!"

The Guardian abandoned his amusement with Yu Yiyi and his idle pastime with the Frost Queen, his attention now riveted on the armor. In his heart, he called forth the Evil God.

While beckoning the Evil God's return, he sought to connect with the representation of the Origin deep within the heart of the Everlands.

Wails and howls filled the air!

The grand, ancient hall echoed with ear-piercing shrieks, as if legions of Evil Gods were bellowing, sending shockwaves through the mightiest of the Everlands.

The Evil Gods dispersed throughout the Ashlands, upon hearing the howl, scrambled in alarm to the source.

At that moment, the Evil Gods in the Ashlands, sensing the Guardian's distress through the howl, understood he was summoning them.

The Evil Gods dared not delay, converging on the Holy Temple without hesitation.

A bizarre suit of fine gold armor burst through the dome of the Holy Temple, revealing itself outside the Evil Temple.

"Bertain!"

"Old Chieftain!"

By the Spring of Death, on the main planet Tyria, the mightiest among the Gods, the Sky Fiend, and the Evil Gods were all stunned by this spectacle, gazing in disbelief.

The Great Demon God, Bertain, emerged from the Evil Temple, not through its grand entrance, but by his own indomitable will.

He didn't exit the Holy Temple as everyone had expected; he didn't pass through the grand open doors to receive the worship of the myriad Sky Fiends. Instead, he shattered the temple's dome.

The fractured dome signified his stance.

Within the armor, Bertain's devil soul emitted a purple glow like a starshard—small, yet brilliantly luminous.

A Sky Fiend powerhouse like Reid, upon gazing at the devil soul within Bertain's armor and seeing the purple light, suddenly found his consciousness in disarray. His memories became a tangled mess, leaving him unable to discern his own identity.

The devil souls of other Star-Spawned Terrors, dark and tumultuous, seemed on the verge of fading away.

All the Sky Fiends were influenced by Bertain, yet none could snap out of it. None could regain their self-awareness, and some nearly perished.

"Even you, Reid..."

Bertain sighed mournfully.

He didn't linger in the Everlands or the Ashlands for long. Clad in his devil soul armor, he soared toward Eiwrone and quickly located a secluded cavern.

Jihui, witnessing his actions and departure, didn't dare intervene.

Jihui sensed that any attempt to obstruct Bertain would bring immediate disaster.

Though unclear about what had transpired, Jihui detected Bertain's agitated state, as if he had been roused by some provocation.

At this moment, Bertain was exceedingly dangerous—anyone who dared to interfere would meet their end.

Thus, Jihui had no choice but to watch Bertain depart.

"Lord Bertain!"

Beneath the dome, now with a gaping hole, the Frost Queen collected the shattered ice crystals and reassembled the demonform she had crafted, slipping back into the Crucible of Evil while the guardian was distracted.

Inside the cauldron, she breathed a sigh of relief and pumped her fists with vigor, "Our venerable chieftain has returned!"

Outside, Yu Yiyi remained standing, her actions unaffected by Bertain's disturbance.

Holding the diminutive Crucible of Evil, she observed the beleaguered guardians. The phantom flickered between clarity and obscurity, seemingly summoning scattered Evil Gods through various means and employing mystique to reach out to the Evil God within the Heart of the Everlands.

The guardian was too preoccupied with Bertain's abrupt departure from the Evil Temple to pay any attention to her and the Frost Queen.

"Something significant must have happened!"

Yu Yiyi silently mused.

...

In Zagreus.

Kaiya found herself enveloped in a radiant light capable of purifying the corruption of the Primal Soul. Her sense of self and spiritual wisdom had largely returned. Following Yu Yuan's instructions, she had her father leave the Evil Temple and make haste to Zagreus.

For her, summoning her father had never been a challenge.

However, before the emergence of the Soul Cleansing Brilliance, no matter how she tried, her efforts to beckon her father were futile.

Now, things were different.

Knowing the light's effectiveness on her father, she was more than willing to assist Yu Yuan. She reached out to Bertain using their unique, secret method of communication.

Just as Yu Yuan understood, she was desperately calling for Bertain's help.

"Save me, father... save me!"

She repeated her plea to Bertain, who was distant, somewhere within the vastness of the Everlands.

Shortly thereafter.

Hamm, whose evil soul had merged with the Sword Prison, stood outside the Starway, eagerly awaiting Yu Yuan's summons when he suddenly heard the guardian's call.

The Guardian urgently implored all the Evil Gods scattered across the Origin Realm to regroup and aid in the capture of the Great Demon God Bertain.

Hamm's normally compassionate face was marred by distress.

His tribe had flourished under the Lord of the Abyss, Yu Yuan.

He held Yu Yuan in high esteem, being from the Abyss himself and one of the Evil Gods. Yu Yuan had never intentionally corrupted him or expended extra effort to overturn his beliefs or warp his will.

As a result, he had always retained his sense of self.

Listening to the Guardian's summons while also considering Yu Yuan before him, Hamm was visibly agitated, torn about whom to follow.

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