C2176 My Hand!!

In the Desolate Realm, Yu Yuan wielded the power of the Creation Pool, soaring towards the mountain that once revealed the Origin Realm.

This mountain, encircled by a constellation of stars, was known to the inhabitants of the Desolate Realm as Creation Peak, symbolizing the acquisition of the universe's creative essence. Within it flowed Origin Blood, and hidden in its depths was a nascent Earth Spirit. Moreover, it housed the Beast Temple, capable of endlessly resurrecting Beast Gods. Indeed, Creation Peak possessed the power to claim the universe's creative force.

The Sky Tiger, with a formidable and expansive form, led the way, encircled by a halo of its own blood. Despite Yu Yuan's repeated invitations, it steadfastly refused to draw near the Creation Pool. To the Sky Tiger, after witnessing the tragic fate of three Beast Gods, the Creation Pool was nothing short of a monstrous deluge.

Through their dialogue, Yu Yuan learned that the Demon Phoenix, accompanied by Yu Zhu, was searching for something within the Desolate Realm. Zhiya had refined a celestial body in the Desolate Realm, carving out a sanctuary known as the Phoenix Divine Land. This haven served as a temporary refuge for the Beast Gods, alien beasts, and formidable creatures loyal to her.

Recently, following the departure of the Phoenix Shrine, the Phoenix Divine Land that Zhiya had established came under siege by the realm's Beast Gods. The Sky Tiger, having failed to await the Shrine's return or Zhiya's arrival, was confronted by a multitude of Beast Gods. In a fierce confrontation, the Sky Tiger slew two Beast Gods and, with the Demon Palace's elite, broke free from the Phoenix Divine Land. It then cunningly lured away the mightiest among the Beast Gods. This selfless act was done in the hopes that the remaining Beast Gods and Demon Palace's warriors could find their escape.

The pursuing Beast Gods revealed to him that Yuen Li had personally intervened, hunting down the Phoenix Shrine within the Desolate Realm, which explained Zhiya's absence from the Phoenix Divine Land.

When the Sky Tiger spoke of the Supreme Being of the Demon Palace, its face betrayed a deep reverence. It was convinced that the Demon Phoenix could survive an encounter with the King of the Desolate Realm and that from the clash with Yuen Li, the Demon Phoenix would emerge with even greater strength. The Sky Tiger's devotion and belief in the Demon Phoenix were unshakeable.

It was well aware that the source of Yuen Li's power was none other than Creation Peak itself, with its life-giving Origin Blood and the enigmatic Beast Temple, a place more mysterious than the Phoenix Shrine and vitally linked to the life and death of all Beast Gods in the Desolate Realm.

To deplete Yuen Bu's power and alleviate the burden on the Demon Phoenix, he had taken Yu Yuan to seek out Creation Peak.

"The Hall Master often brings you up in conversations with Her Highness Yu Zhu," Sky Tiger suddenly remarked.

The bond between Yu Zhu and the Demon Phoenix's Zhiya was an open secret.

As a devoted follower of the Demon Phoenix, Sky Tiger was aware that Yu Zhu carried the Demon Phoenix's lineage in her veins.

In Yu Zhu, Sky Tiger also sensed the presence of Yu Yuan's soul aura, and notably, Zhiya had not altered Yu Zhu's name.

"Your Highness?"

While examining the Creation Pool, he caressed the yet-to-manifest nine-layered barrier, attempting to unravel its mysteries. Hearing Sky Tiger's words, he looked up and inquired, "How is Her Highness Yu Zhu doing?"

"She rivals the Hall Master in strength. She truly is extraordinary. Of all the Beast Gods in the Demon Palace, her soul is the mightiest, with boundless potential for growth. She recently expressed that her soul has eclipsed that of the black goat under Yuen Bu's command, claiming she could slay it."

Sky Tiger, harboring doubts, openly acknowledged Yu Zhu's uniqueness, "In all my travels across the vast Origin Realm, I've never encountered a demon or alien beast as remarkable as her. The only one who might compare is Andrea from the Divine Soul Sect, but Andrea's physical form is far too frail."

Sky Tiger shook his head.

His words suggested that Yu Zhu's aptitude and potential surpassed even that of the Great Demon God Beilstein's daughter.

Andrea was born of a union between the Devaputra and the Protoss, a unique being in the Origin Realm, conceived from the Great Demon God's own soul.

Abruptly.

A blood-red flame flickered at the tip of Yu Yuan's finger, revealing Youyu within.

Before setting off to explore the starry expanses of the Desolate Realm, he had taken leave of Youyu, ensuring they had a means of communication.

On Youyu's end, there was a drop of blood refined by the Yang God, serving as their conduit for messages.

Surrounding Youyu, the dark green star was shrouded by a heart stone, with the remains of the black goat scattered about, and a fresh source of Yin energy suspended in the heavens.

The origin of the Yin energy resembled a celestial river suspended in the heavens, amassing the lingering souls of alien beasts that had perished at the hands of the Secular Bird Queen. The First Spirit, Luo Yue, and Wagner-like specters commanded the ghosts at the beginning, middle, and end of this Yin source, causing them to swirl into a vortex. They formed more delicate tributaries, channeling their spectral essence for use by the Yin source.

"Yu Zhu has detected this Yin Meridian," Youyu announced from within the flames. "She's inquiring whether you've entered the Desolate Realm, and if it's with your true form or your Yang God."

The Creation Pool came to a halt, and Sky Tiger, leading the way, also picked up on the anomaly within the flames. The flame danced, transforming into a droplet of blood that resembled red agate, revealing Youyu and the undulations of his soul. Sky Tiger listened intently, attuned to the vibrations.

Sky Tiger caught the mention of Yu Zhu's name.

"Your Highness!" Sky Tiger called out abruptly, hoping to draw the attention of Yu Zhu within the droplet of blood.

Regrettably, only Youyu, the Undead Sovereign, had the means to communicate with Yu Zhu through the Yin Meridian in that shadowy emerald world.

"Relay to her that Sky Tiger is currently with me and will escort me to Creation Peak. I intend to visit Creation Peak directly to confront the origin blood of this realm and request what I seek from it," Yu Yuan directed.

"Understood," Youyu responded with a nod. Moments later, she added, "Yu Zhu mentioned that she and her mother will also be visiting Creation Peak soon. She has requested that you keep an eye on Sky Tiger to prevent any ambush by the Beast God."

Yu Yuan cast a bemused glance at Sky Tiger.

"What did Youyu say?" Sky Tiger inquired.

"Yu Zhu and the Hall Master you serve are planning a visit to Creation Peak as well. It appears Yuen Bu lacks the power to slay Zhiya in the Desolate Realm. Yu Zhu has asked me to look after you to ensure you don't fall victim to the Beast God," Yu Yuan explained.

Sky Tiger looked surprised, then broke into a wry grin and nodded in agreement. "If the Hall Master is making a personal appearance at Creation Peak, he clearly isn't concerned about Yuen Bu's pursuit. Heh, that young lady is quite compassionate, worrying about me facing the Beast God."

"Is there anything else?" Yu Yuan probed further.

Youyu conveyed, "Her soul consciousness has departed."

Youyu's expression was somber as he spoke, "She ascended to godhood by tapping into the source of the Yin Meridian during her time in the vast expanse. She only understood some of the obscure mysteries of the soul. Oddly enough, even I can't fully grasp her intentions. When this new Yin Meridian emerged and her spiritual consciousness was rekindled, she sensed it immediately."

"She enters and exits the Yin Meridian at will, and I'm clueless about her whereabouts."

Youyu's frustration stemmed from his inability, even as the Undead Sovereign, to manipulate the Yin Meridian as effortlessly as Yu Zhu could within the Desolate Realm.

"She's at Zhiya's Phoenix Shrine, a place shrouded in countless secrets. You needn't concern yourself with her," Yu Yuan reassured.

Together, the man and the demon pressed on towards Creation Peak.

The Desolate Realm, akin to the Origin Realm, consisted of numerous Starfields. The Creation Pool reached an unfamiliar Starfield, where dozens of stars of varying sizes were shrouded in an aura of death.

Amidst the rugged, ancient stone halls and the cracked earth, beside the withered ancient trees, lay the skeletal remains of alien beasts.

Clearly, the Secular Bird Queen had visited this place.

Unlike those in the Serene Starfield and the Still Starfield, these deceased alien beasts hadn't transformed into animate Yin Corpses; they simply lay in isolation on the ground.

The stellar powers throughout the Starfield, once capable of nourishing the vitality of flesh and blood, seemed to have been supplanted by a pervasive force of death.

This was a stark contrast to the place Yu Yuan had initially encountered.

The Secular Bird Queen had grown even more formidable and fearsome by spreading death across the Desolate Realm.

Once she departed, the deathly force within the Starfield consumed the vitality within the stars, leaving the space devoid of life. Powerhouses like Yu Yuan and the Sky Tiger found themselves unable to replenish their flesh and blood with the star energy of this realm.

The Sky Tiger, with a furrowed brow, conjured a protective light barrier around himself to ward off the encroaching deathly aura.

"Did she come to the Desolate Realm solely to slaughter the alien beasts?"

The Sky Tiger, having learned from Yu Yuan about the Secular Bird Queen's arrival, scowled upon seeing that all the star-dwelling beasts had been reduced to bones.

Though the Desolate Realm was a haven for alien beasts, it was also home to a mix of other intelligent races, many of whom regarded Yuan Li as their sovereign.

In the far reaches of the Desolate Realm, there were certain alien beasts and intelligent races that did not serve under the command of Yuen Bu. They simply eked out a living in the realm's remote corners.

Sky Tiger was well aware that the Demon Race originated from the Desolate Realm. He and the deceased alien beasts were once part of the same tribe. Witnessing the demise of so many of his kin at the hands of the Secular Bird Queen, he couldn't help but harbor resentment.

Yu Yuan remained silent, his gaze intently fixed on the Creation Pool as he contemplated how to unravel the mystery of the nine-layered barrier.

The peculiar mass of flesh and blood quivered intermittently, and Yu Yuan was determined to find a way to control its corrupting influence on the mightiest beings.

The nine layers felt like a barrier from another dimension, a sense of familiarity washed over him, yet the memories eluded his grasp.

"If I only penetrate the first or second layer, I should be safe from reaching the flesh and blood's location," he mused.

With that thought, Yu Yuan, whose arm had regrown after being lost, reached toward the Creation Pool, effortlessly bypassing the first and second layers and pausing before the third.

Inserting his arm felt like breaking through two layers of water, his fingertips tingling with a refreshing coolness. Beyond that, he felt nothing else.

The barriers he had traversed began to shimmer with divine light, and a multitude of enigmatic runes swiftly emerged, converging towards the location of his arms.

In the abyss below...

"Look up!" Brie of the Dark Elfkind shrieked atop the Dragon Slash Platform, pointing to the ever-changing dark canopy above. A colossal arm, as if piercing through the ultimate darkness from another dimension, descended.

This vast arm, like a deity lurking in the shadows, seemed poised to extinguish the lives of all beings within this realm.

As this arm materialized, the nine layers of the barrier, once invisible beneath the darkness, manifested into a solid presence.

Divine radiance blanketed the heavens, and innumerable runes writhed, weaving together into a supreme Heavenly Dao Array, exuding an overwhelming aura of authority.

"The nine layers of seals!" someone exclaimed.

"Who is attempting to breach the seals? Why have they suddenly become visible?" the flora and the thunder source spirits cried out in alarm.

With a mere glance, Yu Yuan, in his true form within the abyss, recognized the arm that had descended through the darkness from another space-time as belonging to his Yang God.

Seven layers of seals stood between him and that hand.

That very hand had previously suffered greatly within the microcosm of the Creation Pool, hence it refrained from crossing further barriers, avoiding any rash intrusion.

"This is my hand, one of my hands within the Desolate Realm."

...