C2162 Human Nature and Divinity

A thunderous roar akin to a flash flood or tsunami erupted from the three great continents, echoing from the depths of the Tia Main Planet's oceans and from its towering mountains, resounding across the star-filled skies of the Gray Domain.

Eyes widened in shock as various beings from different corners of the cosmos turned their attention to the figure that had abruptly materialized.

The Heaven Opening Flare Star, riddled with numerous deep caverns, shone with a vibrant spectrum of colors, now radiating with an even more dazzling light.

The Dragon Slash Platform, crafted from the same substance as the Heaven Opening Flare Star, floated above it. Yu Yuan stood upon it, seemingly merging with the entirety of the Gray Domain.

He had not performed any astonishing feats, nor had he grown to the immense size of a Yang God.

Yet, his sudden reappearance in the Gray Domain atop the Dragon Slash Platform, without concealing his presence or aura, sent waves of shock through all the Protoss, Evil Gods, and Devaputras.

Not long ago, the Origin Soul of the vast expanse had ventured into a Death Spring using the body of the Undead Sovereign.

Not long ago, the Great Demon God Beilstein had abruptly departed through the Heaven Opening Flare Star.

Now, amidst the shifting winds and the dawn of a new era, Yu Yuan had returned. From whence he came was a mystery.

What was his purpose for returning?

The mightiest among the Protoss and those at the Unrestrained Stage fixed their gaze on Yu Yuan above the Heaven Opening Flare Star, their emotions and expressions a complex tapestry. Many were uncertain how to approach Yu Yuan now.

"Why has he returned?" Duan Yisheng of the Silver Moon Sect murmured, rubbing his eyes. Upon confirming it was indeed Yu Yuan, he sighed, "That individual, whose will has fully awakened, has been relentlessly bestowing the Origin to forge the highest echelons. The transformation of humans into Protoss is an unalterable truth, accepted by both the enlightened and the oblivious. What difference can your return make now?"

Duan Yisheng watched as a crescent moon gently ascended from the former site of the Silver Moon Sect in the vast cosmos.

Atop the crescent, Tan Junshan, who had risen to the pinnacle through the essence of the Moon's Great Dao, showed deep reverence for the creator.

And at the Ancient Desolate Sect's location, Zhongli mounted upon a dragon, his body enshrouded in a life force as vibrant as a rainbow, signaling the presence of the divine.

Beneath Zhongli, a silver dragon cried out in anguish as it hefted his considerable weight, soaring with him beyond the expansive sky.

"Your grand scheme for a new Vast Expanse has fallen through. You've failed to keep your promise, and with such an abundance of refined Origin, who could resist the allure of divinity? Especially after discovering that the very root of humanity stems from him, who could possibly stand against him?"

Duan Yisheng cast a sidelong glance at Lau Ying, who stood bathed in the glow of starlight, her gaze lost to the heavens.

A flicker of sorrow crossed his eyes.

Lau Ying appeared to have no recollection of Yu Yuan, her eyes fixed on the silhouette above the Dragon Slash Platform as she struggled to remember, the bewilderment in her gaze growing ever more profound.

"Ah, let it be, let it be. I know nothing, I've seen nothing," Duan Yisheng murmured, exhaling a long sigh. He quashed the thoughts within him, choosing to maintain his silence in his lucid state.

Like Shi Jing'er and many others who had not yet ascended to the pinnacle, who had not yet merged with the essence of the Unrestrained Stage, he was not foolish; he chose to feign ignorance.

It was only through feigning ignorance and forgetting that one could truly live on without dragging their sect and those dear to them into the fray.

...

"Gray Domain."

Yu Yuan stood atop the Dragon Slash Platform, squinting as he spotted Barol and Brie, who were on the brink of death under the cruel torment of two Evil Gods.

Brie could just barely open his eyes to glimpse his form.

Barol of the Star Race, on the other hand, had nearly no life force left within him, lacking even the strength to open his eyes—perhaps only able to hear the sound of powerful beings calling out his name.

"Divinity, humanity."

Yu Yuan's face remained serene, yet inside, a storm of realization thundered.

He needed to connect with his true self, to experience the emotions of the Yang God, to awaken compassion for Barol and Brie, for these two exalted beings.

He reflected deeply, slowly coming to understand that as he crafted the Soul Altar, raising its stature ever higher, his innate humanity began to wane.

The presence of the word "Divine" within the Soul Altar endowed him with a divine indifference toward all life, a sentiment that grew increasingly profound.

He finally came to understand.

Communicating with the Yang God through his true form, he sensed the emotions within the Yang God's essence. As he reconsidered Barol and Brie, irritation began to simmer within him.

Simultaneously, he sensed a complex resonance with the temple standing majestically in the vast expanse.

With his mental prowess, he attempted to manipulate it.

Boom! The temple, like an ancient Artifact he had crafted, jerked as if he had suddenly levered it into motion. It strained to break free from the vastness, yearning to return to his feet.

Yet the ground of the vast expanse clung to the temple like the most formidable magnet between heaven and earth.

Despite its violent trembling, the temple could not escape the vast expanse's grasp, unable to return to his hand.

"Master," the Guardian, emerging from the breach, bowed deeply, his weathered face etched with resignation. "I apologize, but I cannot defy His command."

The Guardian, once his faithful steward of the temple, had found a new allegiance following the severance of their bond.

"Great Abyss Lord!" Grimes, the grotesque Spiritualizer, worshiped him fervently from high above the vast expanse, his massive eyes ablaze with zeal.

A minority of Evil Gods, akin to Grimes, paid him their respects as they had upon their first encounter.

Yet, following his rift, two-thirds of the Evil Gods, like the Guardian, had shifted their loyalties. They watched with detached amusement, eager to see how he would extricate himself after his inevitable return to the Gray Domain.

Whoosh! The winds whispered their anticipation.

Tan Junshan, Lu Hongpeng, Qin Luo, Lin Yu, Zu Ann, Van Heqing, both venerable and nascent Primordial Spirits alike, each possessed a strand of dark blue essence, all swayed by that formidable force.

High Priest Reid cast a profound gaze from the Death Spring, its waters etching symbols of demise.

The majority of the Evil Gods, the exalted of the Human Race, the Devaputra Race, and even the Heart of the vast expanse, all were unified under this power that reeked of the Gray Domain.

The laws of the Gray Domain, the mysteries of the vast expanse and Tia Main Planet, indeed, the whole world lay beneath His dominion.

"I've come to take Barol and Brie with me."

Yu Yuan raised a hand, pointing at the two Evil Gods, Gomez and Olliergues, and declared, "Hand over the humans to me. Out of respect for your membership in the Abyss Tribe, I'll only kill the two of you and spare your race from extinction."

Barol? Brie?

Yu Yuan's statement and his unequivocal stance caught the attention of many Human Race powerhouses on Tia Main Planet and in the vast expanses, who now saw the dire plight of the two alien clan leaders.

"Yu Yuan, by defying His command, you are no longer the Lord of the Abyss."

Gomez, with his octopus-like form, sneered first. Emerging from the chaotic and violently charged atmosphere of the Abyss, each of his thick tentacles absorbed energy far more ferocious and concentrated than that of the Abyssal Lands where he had once dwelled.

His tentacles swelled and multiplied, sprouting additional eerie eyes amidst the sounds of coursing blood and crackling electricity.

"Oh, right."

The tentacles, entwined with the Evil Cauldron, emerged from the breach in the Evil God Temple and drifted towards his primary body mass.

The root-like tendrils that had branched off reattached to his limbs. Yu Yiyi, shrouded by the Evil Cauldron, wore an expression of distress on her lovely face.

With a rip and a series of puffs, the dark Demonic Energy curtain contorted as formidable Evil Demons emerged, snarling within the Demonic Marks on the cauldron's walls. They clawed at the ocular tentacles, resisting Gomez's power.

The Evil Demons, fraught with urgency, shouted in an attempt to rouse Yu Yiyi from her confusion.

Under the sway of the corrupting force, Yu Yiyi's memories were jumbled, her will indistinct, leaving her unable to marshal her strength to counter Gomez.

Thus, the Evil Cauldron shielded her steadfastly, keeping her safe from Gomez's assault. Yet, this wondrous cauldron was seized by the tentacles and forcibly pulled from the palace.

"This insolent wretch dared to strike my hand with her decrepit cauldron."

Gomez was audacious, emboldened by the proximity of the Holy Hall in the Vast Ocean, the presence of the Heart of the Vast Ocean, and the numerous Evil Gods and exalted humans. He taunted Yu Yuan, "If you submit and willingly enter the Heart of the Vast Ocean to be inhabited by our creator, I will spare her."

"You remain our Abyss Lord, as well as the venerable patriarch of the Protoss."

"Otherwise, she would have perished here, and you would have met your end in the Gray Domain."

Gomez's many tentacles flailed through the void.

"When did a feeble Evil God like you become bold enough to challenge me?"

Yu Yuan regarded him with an icy demeanor, his brow furrowed as he spoke, "I have a faint recollection of slaying at least three Evil Gods from your Abyss Tribe. They were all your forebears, and each was mightier than you are now."

"I know! I'm well aware! Our teachings and scrolls have been handed down through the ages, informing me of the atrocities you committed against our tribe!" Gomez shrieked.

His multitude of thick tentacles thrashed wildly as they burst forth from the churning abyssal currents.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Yet, the instant he broke free from the expanse of the Boundless Great World, those serpentine appendages abruptly burst into a cloud of blood mist.

…