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The silver-scaled giant dragon soared beyond the atmosphere of the Everlands, clutching a blood-drenched skeleton as it flew into the extraterrestrial realm. The skeleton faced Yu Yuan, its hollow eye sockets filled with an eerie stillness.
Zhongli Dapan, the current sect master of the Forgeroses, had ascended to godhood through his flesh. Yet, as he gazed intently at the Soul Altar at the center of Yu Yuan's brow, he managed to draw upon a vast reservoir of vital energy to regain his sense of self, only to perish in an instant. Thus, a once formidable figure met his end.
The silver dragon, in a state of panic, kept glancing back at the Everlands, as if pursued by the most fearsome entity in existence.
"Sir Zhongli."
Yu Yuan, embodying his Divine Visage, observed the diminutive silver dragon before him, along with the crimson skeleton it bore. His real body was largely numb to the depths of sorrow or joy, yet he couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret.
However, the Solar Spirit, linked to his real body, blazed with rage at the death of Zhongli Dapan. The Solar Spirit's fury flowed into the real body, making the emotions palpable.
"Sir Zhongli!" Yu Yuan called out, as his remnant soul and vital energy dispersed, engulfing Zhongli Dapan's bloodied remains in an attempt to find a glimmer of hope for resurrection.
Regrettably, Zhongli Dapan had left behind neither a residual soul nor a single drop of lifeblood. Revival was a lost cause.
"Yu Yuan, we should depart posthaste. The Ashlands are no place for battle!" Brie, having entered the Dragon Slaying Stage and drained the life force and vitality from Olliergues, joined Ballo in urging him.
"The Ashlands are now under his dominion. It's unwise to confront him here."
"Never set foot in the Everlands!" Ballo and Brie cautioned.
"Great..."
Soulreaver Grimes's exaltation of Yu Yuan came to an abrupt halt. Around the Evil God, a dozen more had stealthily emerged from the Everlands.
Faced with a choice between Yu Yuan and the creator of the Abyss, they sided with Yu Yuan. Their ancestral lineage and ancient texts informed them that their race's sudden flourish was due to the rise of Lord of the Abyss Yu Yuan. They had learned that during the peak of the Abyss's glory, the Lord of the Abyss stood as an equal to its creator.
The conviction that the Lord of the Abyss possessed the power to contend with that formidable being settled within them.
Yet, the unsettling image of Zhongli Dapan's abrupt demise, his flesh stripped from his bones as he burst from the Everlands, left them uneasy.
Witnessing such might, some Evil Gods began to waver in their resolve.
"Ah, you really are too obstinate," lamented the guardian, an elder of the Gods, with a heavy sigh.
Boom!
The Evil Temple, situated in the Everlands, quaked violently before ascending skyward.
A spiritual sense enveloped the Heart of the Everlands, channeling dense Soul Power directly into the Evil Temple.
Crafted by Yu Yuan under the creator's directive, the Evil Temple seemed to awaken with a soul of its own, severing its connection with the Lord of the Abyss.
The intrinsic bond between Yu Yuan and the Holy Temple, long-standing and unyielding, was callously erased.
His expression grew grim as he squinted toward the Holy Temple.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The ascending Evil Temple generated a tremendous suction force, transforming the dome's breach into the Maw of Oblivion, instantly drawing in Evil Gods one after another.
No Evil God remaining in the Everlands, not even the likes of Soulreaver Grimes, could withstand the pull of the Holy Temple.
In an instant, every Evil God summoned by the guardian was engulfed by the Holy Temple.
The guardian's face turned pale, as if he had stumbled upon the unbelievable, his gaze shifting from Yu Yuan to the Holy Temple.
Within the Holy Temple, the bizarrely shaped, colossal Evil Gods became one with the structure—some fused into the walls, others adhered to the stout pillars, and still others settled upon the ground.
The limbs of the Evil Gods underwent a peculiar fusion with the Holy Temple, their corporeal forms integrating into its very fabric.
The grand Evil Temple itself was constructed from the skeletal remains of innumerable fallen Evil Gods.
As a sacred site of worship for every Evil God upon their ascension, the Holy Temple shared an indelibly profound bond with those born of the Abyss.
Their lives began and ended here.
Now, the Holy Temple, emblematic of the ultimate dominion of the Abyss, had forcibly drawn all the Evil Gods into its embrace, momentarily merging their physical forms and spirits with the structure.
The Evil Gods had, in essence, become the living sinew of the Holy Temple.
The spiritual sense and Soul Power of the Evil God had seemingly refined the Holy Temple into a demonform, a method characteristic of the Star-Spawned Terror's way of forging such a vessel.
The mystique that allows a devil soul to inhabit objects, bones, or even entire mountains was a secret imparted to the Great Demon God Bertain by the Primal Soul of the Everlands. Now, having devoured the Primal Soul of the Everlands, he had mastered this art. No longer confined to a suitable flesh and blood vessel, he could manifest his power through the refinement of special artifacts.
The Evil Temple was such an artifact, perfectly suited for his use and considered by him as a temporary body. With a whoosh, an ethereal figure materialized above the Holy Temple, taking the form of Yu Yuan. It was his habit to present himself in the likeness of Yu Yuan, for long ago, when his spiritual sense first descended upon Yu Yuan and wholly possessed him, he discovered the sheer delight of having a body. That sensation was unforgettable, and in his heart, he identified with Yu Yuan's appearance.
Now, even as he had transformed the Evil Temple into his body, the image of his soul remained that of Yu Yuan. He spoke with a serene voice, "I want to take a look."
Yu Yuan, taken aback, asked, "What do you want to see?"
"The choices they make," he replied with a gentle smile.
The Evil Temple, now hovering above the Everlands, was adorned with innumerable mystic runes that glimmered with an enchanting light. A mysterious magnetic field emanated from the temple, swiftly encompassing the entire Ashlands. This field purged all traces of corruption from the souls of the Ashlands' mightiest.
In a moment of clarity, Reid, the High Priest of the Star-Spawned Terror, came to understand his true identity and the fate that had befallen their creator. His devil soul remained a dark hue, not the expected purple.
"Yu Yuan..." he murmured.
Suddenly, figures like Zu Ann, Qin Luo, Van Heqing, Lu Hongpeng, the newly ascended Grand Sword Immortal Tan Junshan, and the freshly anointed God Lin Yue all regained their senses. Every exalted being from the Gods and the Sky Fiend, as if bathed in the Soul Cleansing Brilliance, regained self-awareness in an instant. They were all aware of the events that had transpired.
"Brother Yu, has Brother Yu arrived?"
In the midst of Duan Yisheng's horrified gaze, Liu Ying reclaimed all her suppressed memories. She also beheld Yu Yuan's colossal Divine Transcendence, towering in the distance within the Everlands.
Liu Ying's face lit up with joy, and she transformed into a beam of starlight, eager to seek out Yu Yuan.
"Don't go!"
Sensing that something was amiss, Duan Yisheng yanked Liu Ying back down from the sky, his voice laced with panic, "Something terrible must be about to happen! Don't add to the chaos, girl! I've got a bad feeling that many people will die. Please, don't be reckless!"
"I have the power to warp their souls, to make them live entirely at my whim. But now, I'm curious to see what choices they will make once I restore their original spiritual essence and allow them to retain their self-awareness, especially after they learn the truth." He smiled at Yu Yuan, and with a mere movement of his lips, Yu Yuan understood everything.
He lifted all the seals.
The Sky Fiend, the highest of the Gods, cleansed the tainted souls that had been warped and corrupted. Each one was purged of his influence and returned to their true selves.
With a mere thought, he accomplished this through the Evil Temple and the Ashlands.
"Yu Yuan!"
From the direction of Tyria, someone burst forth from the palace constructed by the Skyreach Consortium.
It was the dazzling Jade Tower!
Crafted from exquisite jade, gold, and crystal, the opulent new Jade Tower outshone even the palaces of the Everlands. Tong Laoqian, who had reached the middle period of the Unbound Realm, was a unique individual whose soul and thoughts had been previously twisted by the infection.
Now that the seals were removed, Tong Laoqian regained his sense of self. Seeing Yu Yuan, he emerged with a beaming smile to welcome him.
"Stay away!"
Yu Yuan commanded.
Tong Laoqian, taken aback, suddenly cried out, "What's the matter? You've come into your own and now look down on me, is that it? Do you remember how I looked after you back when you were a nobody on the Sundering Isles? I placed all my bets on you; I even sacrificed the Jade Tower to save your life!"
"I remember," Yu Yuan acknowledged.
"Anyone who dares to show you kindness, as he did, will meet the same fate."
The God above the Evil Temple spoke deliberately, casting a distant glance at Tong Laoqian.
The spirit within Tong Laoqian's body flickered like a candle in a tempest, snuffed out in a mere moment.
The resplendent Jade Tower, brimming with exquisite jade, sparkling gemstones, and gleaming gold, still shone brightly. The gold and copper coins scattered on the floor retained the essence of Tong Laoqian, marked by the secrets of Sunsilver he had come to understand.
Yet, Tong Laoqian's form lay soulless, much like Olliergues before him.
Employing the same method Yu Yuan used to dispatch Olliergues, he effortlessly eradicated Tong Laoqian as the Jade Tower soared away from Tyria.
It was as effortless as brushing away a speck of dust.
