C2155 Demonic Power Overflowing the Heavens!
In the remote reaches of the Zagreus Astral Domain, a gale howled in response to Bertain's dissatisfaction, giving rise to a frenzied storm.
In this distant expanse of the void, untouched by the Secular Bird Queen's death force, the boundless psionic power of the Star River churned, as if transforming into the remnants of vanquished Sky Fiends.
Whoosh!
Bertain's devil soul, now merged with his armor, ascended from the armor's neck to the sky like a thick, cascading soul waterfall, swiftly reaching the heavens.
There, high above, the massive specter of Bertain, which had once manifested in the Ashlands, emerged once more. It resembled an immense, dark-green soul sea, brimming with millions of purple shards that filled the entire celestial space above the meteor ocean.
These myriad purple shards coalesced within the dark-green soul sea, forming a towering, deep purple specter that shimmered and solidified, becoming as clear and flawless as amethyst—a pure soul crystal.
This crystalline form was the spitting image of the first level of the Soul Altar within Yu Yuan's own Soul Altar.
The great Demon God Bertain, now in his soul crystal guise, materialized within the azure-black soul sea, steadfast in his actual self. His hand, akin to amethyst, emerged from the dark-green soul sea and struck downward with force.
The purple firmament, struck by his hand, shattered over the meteor ocean like a swarm of mosquitoes, turning millions of Ghouls to dust in an instant.
The meteorites, previously refined by Saca, were connected by the earth's veins. Now, under Bertain's mighty hand, they were scattered. The connections between the meteorites were severed by his unfathomable Soul Power, rendering the meteor ocean even more expansive, yet disconnected.
To the Observer, it appeared as though Saca's demonform had been dismembered by Bertain's powerful strike.
The green Divine Bird, which had cried out, sensed danger and took flight, but it too was struck by Bertain's overwhelming Sky Fiend Palm. The bird reeled through the void, its wings crackling with stark, white lightning that fragmented into a shower of light.
These glittering sparks fell like a heavy white downpour, the refined death intent within them threatening to drag all life toward the silent, desolate realms of the extraterrestrial.
The death aura emanating from Chen Qinghuang and spreading throughout the Zagreus Astral Domain was abruptly halted when Bertain manifested in this form. The dark will of Bertain had constructed barriers along the necessary paths of the death aura's spread, effectively stopping it in its tracks. Unable to move forward or infiltrate, Chen Qinghuang's apocalyptic endeavor was thwarted by Bertain, preventing the expansion of its destructive reach.
Bertain's displeasure, coupled with the comprehensive cooperation of the entire Zagreus, effortlessly dominated the current state of affairs. The battle between Saca and the Secular Bird Queen, disrupted by external forces, was forced to a standstill.
"Father!"
"Old Patriarch!"
"Lord Bertain!"
Kaiya, Youqian, and the surviving ninth-level Demon Gods gazed in awe at the enigmatic form of the Great Demon God Bertain, their devil souls pulsating with fervor. This was the timeless patriarch of the Sky Fiend Clan, once the most formidable being in the Origin Realm.
The Great Demon God Bertain! His azure-black, expansive soul sea was his primary devil soul, yet the amethyst-like figure represented his eternal spiritual wisdom, his self and actual self, now tangibly realized.
Like all other Star-Spawned Terrors, the Great Demon God Bertain was born as a mere devil soul, devoid of a flesh-and-blood body—a well-known fact. Lacking a physical form put the Sky Fiend at a disadvantage, necessitating the search for an appropriate demonform to refine and artificially construct a body. But Bertain had defied this immutable truth.
His devil soul had materialized, as though sculpted from a flawless piece of amethyst. Within the dark-green soul sea, the towering amethyst devil soul shimmered with an intoxicating, translucent glow, resplendent and mysterious, concealing the deepest secrets of the Path of the Soul.
Freed from his armor, the Great Demon God Bertain possessed a corporeal demonform. With this new form, his devil soul could withstand the onslaught of lightning and resist the constraints of ice force, making him an unparalleled and extraordinary being, defying all known conventions and expectations.
When humans ascend to their highest form, their dominant soul evolves into a primordial spirit, which is typically an ethereal spirited body.
Only with the blessing of an original source could a spirited body materialize.
With the source granted by the devil, the primordial spirit acquired a special material that allowed it to morph into myriad forms. It was only through merging with the source that it could ascend to godhood.
A god could be a Soul Pillar, an ice mountain, a sea of flames, a chair, and so forth.
Yet, the common belief was that the Star-Spawned Terror existed as an ephemeral devil soul.
Today, Bertain shattered that perception!
He stood amidst the dark blue soul sea, his form carved from amethyst, a tangible presence no longer bound to illusion.
He became the first Sky Fiend throughout history to possess a physical body!
Beneath the Dragon Slaying Stage, the Soul Cleansing Brilliance was unleashed to assist Kaiya and Youqian in purifying their souls. Yu Yuan, observing the figure of Bertain, resembling a sculpture of amethyst, was struck by an unexpected familiarity.
The amethyst-like Bertain, his crystalline form interlaced with intricate Mind Magic, was identical to the uppermost tier of the Soul Altar.
Aside from their different forms, the substance and sensation were indistinguishable.
Whoosh!
Beneath the Soul Cleansing Brilliance, the devil soul that had branched from Bertain vanished into thin air.
Within the dark blue soul sea, the amethyst-like Bertain grew in stature.
"In this form, I can preserve the essence of my spirituality," he realized.
He smiled across the distance at Yu Yuan, who instantly understood that Bertain had discovered the means to sustain his spiritual essence and cleanse his mind of impurities without the need for the Soul Cleansing Brilliance.
"Thank you," Bertain said earnestly, expressing his gratitude to Yu Yuan for his unwavering support. "Without your guidance and explicit instruction, I could never have crafted such a demonform. After all the years of contemplation, it's only now that I've awakened to the potential for refining the soul in this way."
In the increasingly fragmented meteor sea, Saca's split devil soul struggled with the growing distance between the meteors and the disrupted connections, impairing its perception.
Suddenly, his dominant devil soul emerged from the meteor sea.
He gazed upward at the towering demonform, akin to an amethyst, within the expansive black soul sea.
Fear was evident in Saca's eyes.
Bertain, however, gazed down at him with detached indifference, and with a mere flicker of his dark will, he asserted his presence.
The armor, devoid of its devil soul, soared from one meteorite to another, pulverizing the ones it landed upon into dust. Then, it shot skyward, targeting another meteorite.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Meteorite after meteorite burst apart, disintegrating into dust and smoke shortly after the armor's departure.
Guided by Bertain's will, the armor moved with lethal precision towards its next target.
Saca's expression shifted dramatically. Without uttering a word, he summoned the devil soul he could still wield. The dispersed devil souls attempted to intercept the armor.
"Saca, to think you'd dare oppose me while I'm fully conscious. Your bravery astounds me," Bertain declared.
Standing atop the murky soul sea, Bertain suddenly descended, the sea transforming into a vast, chaotic consciousness above him.
His new, amethyst-like demonform, crowned with his own turbid Sea of Souls, targeted the devil souls Saca had released.
Under his command, the twisted Soul Power took shape.
The devil souls, sent forth by Saca to halt the armor, vanished like bubbles popping, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Saca let out another harrowing scream.
He gazed at Bertain, his eyes brimming with fear and despair.
In that moment, Saca realized the enormity of the chasm between him and Bertain.
Bertain's ascension to patriarch of the Sky Fiend Clan and his status as an eleventh level supreme was not because he was older or because he was favored by the Primal Soul of the Everlands.
Rather, it was clear that from the moment of his birth, Bertain was beyond the reach of both Sable and himself.
Crack!
The meteorite beneath the armor fractured extensively, yet it did not immediately crumble to dust.
This seemingly ordinary meteorite was exceptionally durable.
As the fissures spread, a brilliant green radiance burst forth from within the meteorite!
The light was blinding, captivating, and it held the purest essence of soul and Soul Power.
Beneath the Dragon Slaying Stage, Yu Yuan's real body witnessed the sudden emergence of the green radiance from the meteorite's crevice, and his soul quivered.
He sensed that beneath the fractured meteorite lay something that belonged to him.
The Demon God Bertain had entrusted Saca and Sable with a task. These two ancient Sky Fiends were to return something to him in the future, something that lay beneath a shattered meteorite.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The armor stomped repeatedly, creating more fissures and causing the outer layer of grayish-brown stone to peel away.
The stone crumbled into dust and dissipated like smoke.
More of a green, divine glow emerged from the cracks, revealing the true form of what had been concealed by the meteorite.
A crystal-clear, green crystal!
It was small, merely the size of a child's fist.
Yet, the light it cast was so brilliant, so captivating! It was like the most enigmatic treasure in existence, a masterpiece from the greatest of creators.
Within the green crystal, a dazzling soul thread evolved, unraveling the essence of Mind Magic, while delicate beams of light etched memories.
The pure soul's primary function was to preserve the spirit's innate nature.
As soon as this object appeared, it captured the attention of all present, including Zhong Chichen, Green Willow, and the Evil God Hamm.
Even the frenzied Secular Bird, upon witnessing this object emerge from the meteorite, abruptly regained her senses.
Not even the profound symbols of death within her eyes or the feathers of the Divine Bird could sway her now.
