C2153 They Were All Blunt
Deep within Yu Yuan's sea of consciousness lay an exceptionally pure Soul Power, surging with Bertain's formidable energy.
This Soul Power was untainted by extraneous elements, free from the stray thoughts and impurities of living beings. It possessed neither the force of extreme cold nor scorching heat, nor did it harbor any hidden light or dark auras.
Yu Yuan could fully absorb it through the Soul Altar.
Whoosh!
The topmost layer of the altar, jade-like in appearance, glowed brightly with the infusion of pure Soul Power, expanding the reach of the mysterious and immaculate Soul Cleansing Brilliance.
"Oh!"
Kaiya and Youqian's faces lit up with astonishment as they acutely felt the intensified effects of the Soul Cleansing Brilliance on their devil souls. They instantly realized that the twisted, corrupting force left by the Primal Soul of the Abyss would be eradicated in an incredibly brief moment beneath the amplified radiance.
"Teacher."
A smile graced Yu Yuan's lips as Bertain's hearty laughter echoed around them. The Soul Power from Zagreus, once murky, was purified by a gray bridge and transformed into pure Soul Power, flowing into his consciousness.
In the blink of an eye, the Soul Power he had expended to refine the Soul Cleansing Brilliance was largely replenished. His spirits soared.
With Bertain's assistance, there was no longer a need to delve into the perilous darkness or draw Soul Power from its depths.
"You needn't be formal with me. Since you're working to awaken Kaiya and Youqian and cleanse the filth from the depths of the devil soul, feel free to harvest the Soul Power of this realm without worry!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Numerous arms extended from the armor, transforming Bertain into a veritable Thousand-Handed Demon God, tugging and weaving through the void. Each arm was a torrential river, channeling Soul Power that he had concealed deep within Zagreus for the Sky Fiend race to draw upon and grow stronger.
With his manipulation, the Star River appeared to shift, as if the stars were being repositioned, and the very fabric of the universe seemed to invert.
The Soul Power from the fringes of the Astral Domain was also drawn by his might, converging towards him and Yu Yuan.
Even the Dark Deity Green Willow, Zhong Chichen, Loong Jie, and the Evil God Hamm, though far from his presence, were astounded by the divine prowess Bertain had unveiled.
The sprawling Zagreus Astral Domain, resplendent with stars, contained numerous worlds and domains. Yet in Bertain's grasp, the Infinite Galaxy and its myriad domains appeared to shrink a billionfold, transforming into a chessboard at his fingertips. He manipulated the stars as if they were mere chess pieces, and the etched patterns on his cosmic chessboard represented the fundamental rules of this realm. It seemed that the cosmic order of Zagreus could be effortlessly altered by his hand. He was the arbiter of the rules.
Every being within the Astral Domain was bound by the laws he established; defiance was not an option. As Bertain's thousand arms pulled, a boundless influx of Soul Power surged into Yu Yuan, invigorating him with vitality. In mere moments, with Bertain's assistance, Yu Yuan had fully assimilated the Soul Power. Freed from concerns, he boldly refined a more potent Soul Cleansing Brilliance, purifying Kaiya, Youqian, and a soul fragment of Bertain himself in a brief span.
"There's still more power to come," Bertain said, his smile wide with delight.
A torrent of cosmic energy, both pure spiritual energy and the tumultuous power of the Abyss, converged towards Yu Yuan, offering him a choice. The visible cosmic energy, once raw and untamed, now took the form of hazy light ribbons through Bertain's meticulous refinement. As these ribbons neared Yu Yuan, they were further transformed by Bertain's divine might—some into the purest divine force, others into the wild and chaotic energy of the Abyss.
The divine force was once the hallmark of the Everlands, born from the demise of the Titan Spinosaurus, the enigmatic Heart of the Titan, and the miraculous wall that bounded the Everlands. This divine force, a psionic power from the Star River, had the ability to cleanse the Origin Realm, stripping away all filth and distilling the essence of purity. This spiritual energy was not only accessible to the inhabitants of the Everlands but also to all intelligent life within the Origin Realm, regardless of their lineage's rank.
The Psicrystals and Soulstones birthed from the Everlands were considered rare treasures beyond our world.
Yet, the energy from the Abyss was a stark contrast.
This chaotic and violent Abyss energy was far more complex than the cosmic energy of the Origin Realm, containing numerous forces beyond the absorption capacity of ordinary people. Even the Otherkin Blood Warriors struggled to adapt.
But the Gods of the Abyss, along with other Abyssal races, could harness this tumultuous energy.
Indeed, the Gods were favored by the heavens.
They could adapt to both the purest spiritual energy and the more tempestuous Abyss energy, refining and transforming it for their own use.
The spiritual energy was channeled directly into the lower elixir field's acupoints using the human cultivation system, while the wild, chaotic Abyss energy infused their bones, flesh, and organs, fortifying their physical form.
Spiritual energy entered the elixir field, and Abyss energy tempered the body, both serving to empower the Gods.
The great Demon God Bertain, in the Sky Fiend's domain of Zagreus, was harnessing the purest Soul Power to aid in the recovery of Yu Yuan's Soul Power at the Soul Altar.
He also separated the spiritual energy of the Everlands from the unruly and chaotic power of the Abyss.
His aim was to keep Yu Yuan in peak condition to tackle the challenges posed by Youqian, Kaiya, and his own troubles in one decisive move.
Bertain's actions revealed his profound grasp of the mysteries of the Everlands and the structural rules of the Abyss.
"You don't need to be so meticulous in your separation," Yu Yuan said with a serene smile. "I find it somewhat challenging to gather the Soul Power of this world, but as for cosmic energy, my body can directly convert it. Whether it's spiritual energy or Abyss energy, I can transform it myself without you going to such lengths."
With a whoosh, Yu Yuan absorbed all the spiritual energy and the chaotic power of the Abyss that Bertain had gathered.
Like an ocean embracing countless rivers, some of the power flowed into his elixir field, some dispersed throughout his bones and meridians, and some seeped into the microcosm of his vitality.
Within Yu Yuan's body, diverse forces found their sanctuary, coexisting without conflict.
His real body seemed capable of accommodating everything!
Whoosh!
The Soul Altar above his head, radiating Soul Cleansing Brilliance, suddenly shone brightly.
The powers of the Way of Heaven, wielded by various Primal Animas and embodying the profound mysteries of the Paramita and the Abyss, manifested on different tiers, leaving Bertain in awe.
Gazing at the enigmatic Soul Altar, it was as though he was witnessing seven Primal Animas being subjugated by Yu Yuan's might.
Light, thunder, flora, Primal Soul, Primal Blood, Primal Vitality, and ice—all forces of disparate hues and essences—were seamlessly integrated by Yu Yuan's form.
Bertain sensed that Yu Yuan could morph into the Abyss's Tree of Life, become a pool of lightning, or the most luminous source of light in existence.
He could even become a flawless blood crystal akin to Primal Blood, or the chilliest icicle known to the Three Realms.
And each was imprinted with the most profound Cosmic Order!
"I seem to have forgotten that you are not merely the dragon slayer or Hong Qi."
Bertain slapped his forehead, a realization dawning on him, and chuckled, "That's why I'm even more reassured now."
Whoosh!
The devil soul beneath the Soul Cleansing Brilliance suddenly intensified.
The green-black residual soul within Bertain's devil soul, resembling tangled earthworms, multiplied as his devil soul transformed.
He transferred a substantial amount of the impurities branded on his dominant soul to the soul fragment below the Soul Cleansing Brilliance.
The remnant soul, now cleansed and purified, was drawn back to the dominant soul. In this way, Bertain enlisted Yu Yuan's help to cleanse his soul in stages.
"I won't stand on ceremony with you. If you run low on Soul Power, just let me know."
With these words, Bertain set off towards the meteor sea.
"Saca..."
A shadow crossed his face.
"Father, Old Saca has been tainted by His power and has yet to find himself again."
Seeing her father's somber expression and fearing he might hold a grudge against Saca, Kaiya quickly interjected, "Old Saca received His grace in the Abyss, absorbing many profound earthly forces. Lately, he's been a bit overbearing, but it's only because you've been slow to awaken."
Youqian remarked, "Elder Chieftain, Saca has lost touch with himself; this isn't who he truly is."
One was his daughter, the other a highly esteemed prodigy within their clan; both young Sky Fiends understood him profoundly.
As they observed his somber expression and heard him utter the name "Saca," Kaiya and Youqian couldn't help but worry for Saca, believing in his innocence.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, an image materialized in front of Bertain's armor: Saca, kneeling and offering his humble worship.
"There are things you two are unaware of," Bertain said with a cold snort.
Deep within the fragmented meteor sea, the mountain of corpses, constructed from Ghouls, kept exploding and reforming, much to Saca's annoyance.
The gray-green Divine Bird swept its wings through the void, sending forth bolts imbued with Death Magic that cleaved through the hidden veins of the meteor sea, reducing them to rubble.
Saca's devil soul would vanish and then reemerge within the meteor sea. The reason for its persistent reconstitution was the rich Soul Power of Zagreus, which Saca could harness to replenish his devil soul's depletion.
As long as Saca's dominant soul remained intact, even if the soul fragments were severed by the light of death, they could be reforged through Soul Power.
Chen Qinghuang, who had not yet displayed her Divine Visage, had also reached the meteor sea's edge in her human form. Saca, wearied by her onslaught, had a clouded devil soul consciousness and had not yet detected the descent of the Demon God Bertain, for the meteor sea where Saca resided was shrouded in a dense white fog of death.
Saca was cut off from the outside world by her force.
She had, of course, seen Bertain.
Yet, at the sight of Bertain, the soulspark in her eyes was obliterated by the death symbol, driving her further into madness.
"Bertain!"
The name seethed through her clenched teeth, laden with deep-seated loathing.
