C2159 Success and Failure

After what felt like an eternity, the Secular Bird Queen's stunning silhouette finally vanished from Yu Yuan's view, and his heart slowly regained its composure.

A disturbance arose in the distance—an unseen soul field had become active. Yu Yuan cast a glance in that direction and commanded, "Come forth."

A nondescript, silvery stone at the site of the Starway explosion suddenly expanded into a towering stone statue. The statue, as lofty as a mountain, radiated a bright moonlight that gradually illuminated the surrounding dark void.

The statue had two faces; the benevolent one bowed respectfully to Yu Yuan. "Great Lord of the Abyss," intoned the Evil God, Hamm, from afar.

As Yu Yuan summoned him, Hamm, who had shown unwavering loyalty since the era of the Godsblight Marsh, approached with a flattering air. After performing an elaborate bow, he spoke, "The Guardian has been summoning me persistently, and my lack of response must have caught his attention. Soon, I may become one of his eyes, allowing him to witness the events unfolding in the Zagreus Astral Domain."

Hamm watched Yu Yuan cautiously, fearful that Yu Yuan might react with fury and reproach him for his delayed disclosure. He had postponed his report to avoid drawing the attention of Bertain, the big devil.

"The Guardian?" Yu Yuan's brow creased slightly, recalling the Guardian's deference within the palace.

The Evil Temple, situated in the Everlands, was perilously close to the heart of the earth, making it vulnerable to the corruption and warping of consciousness. With his current might, any being with a soul and bearing his mark would find it nearly impossible to escape his grasp.

"The Guardian may have already betrayed you," Hamm whispered.

Yu Yuan's gaze sharpened, and he could clearly see Hamm's evil soul nestled within the statue, a duality of good and evil, as if it held dominion over the hearts of all creatures.

"It brings me great comfort to know you stand firmly with me," Yu Yuan acknowledged with a nod.

"Master," Hamm responded eagerly, "the Abyssal race to which I belong has always been your follower. It's not just me; generations of Evil Gods before me have revered you immensely. There are few left in the Abyss who hold you in such high regard as we do."

"Our race has grown strong because of you, and naturally, we see you as our leader."

"But..." Hamm paused, uncertainty in his voice. "Once I return and step into the Evil Temple again, my spirit and self-awareness will be warped and usurped by Him. The Guardian has become utterly subservient to Him because the temple lies within the Everlands, and He resides there."

"It wasn't always like this."

In the Zagreus, Hamm had seen the Soul Cleansing Brilliance purify the Sky Fiend and had observed the Great Demon God Bertain use an amethyst resembling a Soul Altar to rid himself of soul corruption. This made it clear to Hamm that all Evil Gods were susceptible to His influence.

Hamm's ability to preserve his spirituality was partly because he belonged to the Abyss, feeling a profound connection to it. Additionally, Hamm had never strayed from the Ashlands or acted improperly.

What the future held, however, was uncertain.

Confronted with the Sky Fiend in Zagreus and disagreements with Yu Yuan, Hamm chose to remain faithful to Yu Yuan, bolstered by his spiritual integrity. These experiences would forge memories, etching themselves deep within Hamm's soul, beyond his power to erase.

He knew that certain individuals would be aware of his actions, as would the Guardian, and there was no hiding from them.

"You could become the eyes of the Guardian, and in turn, His eyes," Yu Yuan mused. "Do not venture to the Frostlands, and for now, do not follow me. The Origin Realm is vast, as is the Abyss. You're free to roam, but remember, I have not forgotten you. Hamm, I remember what you've done for me."

Hamm bowed deeply, "I will heed your guidance."

While pondering his next destination in the Origin Realm after parting ways with Yu Yuan, Hamm suddenly recalled something. "The Starborn, Ballo, has been taken by Gomez. Knowing Gomez, he'll savor Ballo slowly and won't kill him quickly."

"And there's more. Brie from the Shadowkin has also been captured."

Hamm continued, "With the Guardian calling everyone back to the Holy Temple, Gomez, and the Evil God who seized Brie, will have no choice but to return."

Yu Yuan's brow furrowed upon hearing this news.

Brie and Ballo, two of the most powerful beings among the Otherkin, had a far better rapport with him than Rebecca, the enchantress of the evilkind. Ballo, in particular, stood out.

"Everlands, the Holy Temple that was once under my dominion," Yu Yuan murmured, his gaze intense.

"You absolutely cannot go there!" Hamm exclaimed in alarm, his voice tinged with fear. "He is at the Heart of the Everlands. The spiritual sense he has split from himself is insignificant compared to his true power, and you understand that better than anyone."

Yu Yuan narrowed his eyes in contemplation, remaining silent and not engaging with Hamm's plea.

...

Everlands, Evil Temple.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The Evil Gods, who had been spreading chaos throughout the Origin Realm, heeded the Protector's summons and returned from the vast Astral Domains, reconvening in the expansive Holy Temple.

In a corner, Yu Yiyi, clutching the diminutive Crucible of Evil, seemed starkly out of place among the Evil Gods.

Whether floating in the void, perched upon towering stone columns, or sprawling on the ground, the bizarre Evil Gods of the Abyss scrutinized Yu Yiyi with either eerie gazes or chilling consciousness.

"Why isn't Hamm here?"

"And Arthurs? I recall he was sealed in a column when I departed."

"Guardian, why is Bertain out when our creator has confined him?"

The Evil Gods, some prism-shaped, others like gargantuan octopuses with numerous tentacles, each bearing cold green eyes, and yet others resembling withered trees, all clamored at the guardians.

Having feasted in the Origin Realm, they had grown mightier than before. Unwilling to return to the Holy Temple, they yearned to keep battling for territory, eager to bolster their strength swiftly.

One Evil God, resembling a many-tentacled octopus, had tentacles dripping with fresh blood.

Each of his tentacles, thousands of meters long and as thick as the roots of ancient trees, secreted a slime that ensnared the bodies of the Starborn, consuming their vitality and flesh.

Ballo, the chieftain of the Starborn, was currently ensnared in front of his chest by numerous tentacles, sinuous as green serpents.

Ballo's breath was faint, and the starlight that occasionally burst from within him was greedily absorbed by the eyes on the tentacles.

This Evil God, known as Gomez, proudly displayed Ballo as his trophy of conquest.

Ballo.

Yu Yiyi, tucked away in a corner, observed the patriarch of the Starborn—a figure once held in awe by all—now facing such a tragic fate. Her face clouded over with a somber expression, yet she remained still, taking no action.

Dozens of Evil Gods, empowered by the nourishment of the Origin Realm's forces, had unleashed a violent slaughter, their presence overwhelming and formidable.

Yu Yiyi could sense that at least half of the Evil Gods present possessed the strength to end her life.

In the lair of the Evil Gods, within a world governed by the guardians, she knew better than to voice any untimely sympathies for Ballo's plight.

"Haha, look who I've caught!"

Brie from the Shadowkin drifted in through the wide-open door, his form smeared with blood. But the source of the eerie screams was the severed human head lodged in his chest.

This was an Evil God of the same kind as Samantha, a member of the verdant Thunder Wood Tribe.

He, too, was slender in stature.

Yet now, he resided within Brie’s body, his limbs fused with Brie’s, and his bald, knobby head protruding grotesquely through Brie's chest.

It appeared as though he was thriving inside Brie, bolstering himself with the lifeblood and vitality of the Shadowkin patriarch.

His name was Olliergues, and like Samantha, he hailed from the Thunder Wood Tribe of the Abyss. This tribe's members were born with mastery over the forces of lightning or profound knowledge of botanical secrets.

Their creator was the Primal Soul, which drew upon the secrets held by the lightning and plant spirit.

When the lightning and plant spirit submitted to the Primal Soul of the Abyss, they also surrendered their understanding of the cosmic order to the Primal Soul for its insight.

Ballo, barely clinging to life, strained his eyes to see.

And what he saw was Brie, whose condition was even more dire than his own.

The once-luminous gleam in Ballo's eyes had faded, replaced by a murky haze that mirrored his despondent state, as if hope had vanished from his sight.

"Dead, all dead," Brie endured a torment worse than death itself, unable to utter a sound, whispering only in the recesses of his mind.

He longed for death, yet it eluded him.

He, too, saw Ballo and recognized the shared desolation of their circumstances. His mind was haunted by the horrific sight of the Shadowkin and Wingkind territories ravaged by the Evil Gods.

The Thunder Wood Tribe!

With Olliergues' assistance, this tribe invaded the realms of the Shadowkin and Wingkind. The Thunder Wood tribespeople, with their tree-like forms, fed on the blood and flesh of the Shadowkin.

Countless formidable Shadowkin warriors were rooted by the Thunder Wood tribespeople, who drained the essence of their blood and flesh, just like him.

The demise of each Shadowkin warrior was too horrific to witness!

"Olliergues, you're far luckier than Samantha. Congratulations to you!"

"Samantha has perished, yet you've managed to survive. Moreover, you've brought your Thunder Wood kin into the Shadowkin and Wingkind's Astral Domain."

"You truly are the envy of us all."

The Evil Gods watched Olliergues, rooted within Brie, and considered the Thunder Wood tribespeople, who had once lived in the frigid lands, now flourishing in the Astral Domain of the Shadowkin and Wingkind. They too silently vowed to swiftly seek out a suitable Astral Domain for their own people.

The migration of the Abyssal clans was, of course, predicated on the death and enslavement of beings from the Origin Realm, a practice the Evil Gods were accustomed to.

"Silence!"

The Guardian huffed.

At his stern huff, all the Evil Gods fell silent and fixed their gaze upon him.

"Stay here and await news."

Under the watchful eyes of the Evil Gods, the Guardian's phantom slipped into the Heart of the Everlands through the earth of the Holy Temple.

Evil Gods Gomez and Olliergues leisurely continued to sap the life force from Ballo and Brie, while the others covertly communicated, plotting where to hunt the mightiest Otherkin in the Star River.

To them, the tenth level warriors of the Otherkin were the most exquisite delicacies the Origin Realm had to offer.

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