C2152 A Teacher!
"Great Lord of the Abyss!"
Hesitating briefly, the Evil God Hamm looked up at the Dragon Slaying Stage where Yu Yuan had presented the Soul Altar and bowed respectfully. Then he reported, "The guardian of the Holy Temple is summoning me. He says that the Great Demon God Bertain has shattered the dome of the hall and escaped."
"All across the Origin Realm, the Evil Gods scattered along the Star River are being rallied by him."
After much deliberation, Hamm ultimately pledged his allegiance to Yu Yuan.
"You are his master. I should serve you!"
Hamm stated his position with humble conviction.
Hamm was aware that another form of Yu Yuan existed within the Everlands and had ventured to a spring where death force was dissipating, but he was not privy to the details.
Often, he felt that this Yu Yuan was an extension of himself, ready to merge at any moment. Thus, he served each incarnation of Yu Yuan with careful respect.
Yu Yuan was taken aback; he hadn't anticipated Bertain breaking free so swiftly.
"Bertain is on his way?"
The Dark Deity Green Willow, who was covertly with Loong Jie, shuddered at the news of Bertain's imminent arrival.
Bertain's notoriety was immense. Throughout the ages, whether in the time of the Nagas or the human-dominated era, no one could withstand the might of the leader of the Star-Spawned Terror alone.
His invincibility was well-earned.
"Zhong Chichen! Open the Starway!"
Kaiya's voice rang out urgently from beneath the Dragon Slaying Stage.
She sensed it!
Summoning the Book of Time, she placed the hefty tome over the Starway, severing its connection to the outside world. Zhong Chichen, prompted by the urgency, rushed to Yu Yuan's side.
"My father is coming!" Kaiya exclaimed.
Yu Yuan gave a slight nod.
Loong Jie also held his breath in anticipation.
Without further ado, Zhong Chichen removed the Book of Time from the Starway, and instantly, a suit of armor forged from fine gold soared out.
Loong Jie swiftly retreated as the armor emerged, not daring to remain too close.
Forged in the Cosmic Crucible and imbued with the essence of Sunsilver, this demonform, under the dominion of the Great Demon God Bertain, might possess the power to directly smelt Loong Jie's strength.
Loong Jie sensed trouble brewing in the Ashlands, and now, that feeling persisted.
With a hiss, the Demon God's armor dissolved, revealing the deep, demonic glow in his eyes and uncovering his face.
He gazed at the starry expanse claimed by the Sky Fiends with a sense of nostalgia and cast a glance at the meteor sea forged by Saca. Regrettably, Saca was currently so disoriented by the Secular Bird Queen's assault that he failed to notice the arrival.
"Zagreus," the Demon God whispered. He had not come through the Time Gate of Tyria but from Eiwrone.
Previously, he had traveled from Eiwrone's Maw of Oblivion to the Abyss, his devil soul navigating through various holes to find a connection with the major Sky Fiend Astral Domains.
"I am intimately familiar with every inch of our Sky Fiend territories," Bertain murmured to himself.
"Father!"
"Lord Bertain!"
Beneath the glow of the Soul Cleansing Brilliance, Kaiya and Youqian were moved by the sight of Bertain. To their astonishment, a vivid purple light shone from the devil soul beneath Bertain's armor, signifying the vast Primal Soul imprint of the Everlands.
Such marks should have been obliterated after being consumed and assimilated, making their reappearance highly improbable. Yet, within the depths of Demon God Bertain's devil soul, the purple radiance was strikingly bright, indicating that Bertain was indeed lucid.
His soft exclamations and murmurs upon entry also confirmed the presence of his self-awareness. Youqian and Kaiya, having regained their senses, had braced for Bertain's arrival to be marked by frenzy and madness, only to find him possessed of an unexpected serenity.
In a rush of air, as the armor levitated, Zhong Chichen, trembling with fear, prepared to shield the Starway with the Book of Time.
"Destroy the ferry outright!" commanded Yu Yuan.
Without a moment's delay, Zhong Chichen wielded the Book of Time, which erupted in a dazzling display of light. Beams brimming with spacetime energy plummeted down, bombarding the vortex-shaped Starway amidst a cacophony of chaotic forces.
In a short time, the Starway, meticulously constructed by the Skyreach Consortium, shattered into a shower of ghostly light, its fragments dispersing like threads of space unraveling.
The Starway, constructed by the Skyreach Consortium, had ceased to exist, meaning that the formidable beings of the Ashlands could no longer arrive in the blink of an eye.
Only those like Jihui and Arthurs, who were masters of the void, could still traverse the distance instantaneously.
"Excellent work! Well done!" Youqian exclaimed in praise.
Yu Yuan, bearing the title of Lord of the Abyss, had initially intended to address Bertain by name before his arrival.
Yet, when the towering figure with the red beard emerged from the armor, he found himself instinctively calling out, "Teacher..." His mind was flooded with memories of the old man's guidance through two lifetimes and countless heartwarming moments.
These profound memories had become an integral part of his soul, unforgettable not just for one lifetime, but for eternity.
His utterance of "Teacher" brought forth a hearty laugh from Bertain, who resided within the armor.
"Excellent, you've done well! You've truly lived up to my expectations!"
"I never imagined that such a light source could exist in the cosmos, capable of eradicating its corruption."
With a beaming smile, Bertain stepped out from the ruins of the Starway and approached the edge of the Soul Cleansing Brilliance, peering intently with narrowed eyes.
He had not yet undergone the purification of the Soul Cleansing Brilliance, but he had evidently regained his spiritual awareness, much to the astonishment of Yu Yuan, Zhong Chichen, Youqian, and the others.
They were all baffled by his lucidity.
"Father, how?" Kaiya inquired, unable to contain her curiosity.
"Your devil soul was created from a fragment of my own soul's essence. As you were bathed in this light and began to reclaim your spiritual intelligence and sense of self, I too felt its presence. This radiance shines not only on your devil soul but also on a part of me."
Bertain's laughter was filled with a sense of triumph.
His devil soul could communicate with Kaiya's, thanks to his immense power that allowed him to defy the barriers of the Origin Realm.
With the doors of the Evil Temple left agape and the Evil Gods departed, nothing could prevent his influence.
Thus, at the very moment Kaiya was touched by the Soul Cleansing Brilliance, he had already transferred a portion of his devil soul into her consciousness.
He had acted with utmost secrecy, even as he explored the marvels of the Soul Cleansing Brilliance, curious to discover any potential side effects.
He needed to ascertain whether Yu Yuan would distort Youqian and Kaiya's thoughts and spiritual wisdom under the radiance of the Soul Cleansing Brilliance.
The individual in question had inflicted significant harm upon him, compelling him to proceed with caution.
Within the Evil Temple, he employed his devil soul to eavesdrop on the conversations between Yu Yuan, Kaiya, and Youqian, keeping an eye on the developments within the Zagreus. Only after confirming the genuine harmlessness of the Soul Cleansing Brilliance did he leave the temple and travel through the shadowy passage of the Eiwrone.
"No wonder I felt so exhausted. It turns out... your devil soul was present as well."
Yu Yuan was somewhat baffled. Despite harnessing the power within the Soul Altar, he failed to detect the presence of another devil soul deep within Kaiya's mind.
"Heh!"
Bertain let out a sly grin.
In the core of Kaiya's devil soul, overlapping spiritual presences emerged, forming a protective circle. Bertain's devil soul seemed to merge with Kaiya's, enveloping it in a protective embrace.
With a whoosh, the devil soul soared from the crown of Kaiya's head, manifesting as a towering elder with a fiery red beard, his soul's threads dissolving away.
"Truly worthy of being my past mentor," Yu Yuan exclaimed admiringly.
He hadn't noticed the overlap between Bertain's devil soul and Kaiya's, which seemed like a spectral illusion or projection, almost as if it didn't truly exist.
Most notably, his Soul Altar had failed to reveal it, a testament to Bertain's exceptional nature.
"There are still many of his remnants within me that I've yet to erase. Let's see how long you can endure."
Bertain gestured towards his dominant soul while curiously observing the Soul Cleansing Brilliance, remarking, "Managing just Youqian and Kaiya seems to be your limit. By stealthily introducing another devil soul, I've caused you to expend more Soul Power, increasing your burden. It appears that Soul Power is your most significant energy drain."
"Conversely, you seem capable of transforming and continuously absorbing other forms of power."
Bertain reflected briefly and quickly deduced the composition of the Soul Cleansing Brilliance, surmising that Yu Yuan's fatigue and strain were due to the substantial depletion of Soul Power.
Bertain, encased in his armor, suddenly closed his eyes and lifted his arm, heavy with Sunsilver.
The Demon God assumed a posture as if to embrace the entirety of the Zagreus.
"Come," Bertain bellowed.
The Soul Power that had been dispersed throughout Zagreus began to coalesce!
From the moment Bertain had arrived, he had become the master of Zagreus, the sovereign of the Sky Fiend Astral Domain. His Mind Magic reigned supreme over the astral domain.
In regions haunted by the Sky Fiend, Soul Power was often more abundant, and Zagreus was no exception.
At Bertain's command, all the Soul Power in Zagreus surged toward him, as if answering his summons, desperately trying to merge with the devil soul within his armor.
He extended his hand toward Yu Yuan, and a misty bridge unfolded across Yu Yuan's forehead.
The Soul Power from all directions streamed into the bridge, its impurities swiftly purged, transforming into exceedingly pure Soul Power.
This Soul Power was virtually indistinguishable from what Yu Yuan had harvested in the boundless darkness.
He could absorb it directly!
"Go ahead and purify without restraint. I will replenish the Soul Power you lack until it overflows."
The overwhelming tide of pure Soul Power was thrust into Yu Yuan's brow, saturating his consciousness.
