C2178 Destroy!
"What is that?"
Sky Tiger gazed in astonishment at the Death Vortex swirling on Old Ape's chest, sensing a potent aura of death. He exclaimed in outrage, "The Secular Bird Queen may have departed, but her power continues to erode the Desolate Lord's flesh and blood!"
It was evident that Sky Tiger harbored strong resentment towards the Secular Bird Queen.
A gaping chasm had opened in Old Ape's chest, where a diminutive Death Vortex, birthed from the shattered Life Keychain, was rapidly expanding.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In this star-studded expanse permeated with the essence of death, a powerful deathly aura was drawn to the tiny Death Vortex, converging from all corners.
The vortex's growth accelerated even more.
Old Ape gasped for air, his Demonic Eye ablaze with a fervent desire for death.
His colossal arms flailed chaotically at the void around him, as if trying to recapture the Skyshatter Hammer he had cast away, longing to use it to end his life and embark on the ultimate journey into death's embrace.
"Death is the final destination."
His words were garbled, his face twisted in a grimace of madness.
He was clearly afflicted by a sinister deathly power.
"Desolate Lord? Desolate Lord! Can you awaken and tell me what's happened?"
Sky Tiger scratched his head, bewildered by Old Ape's antics. This candid Demon God was at a loss, casting his gaze across the Starfield, suspecting the Secular Bird Queen might be lurking, infecting Old Ape with her malevolent deathly whispers.
Old Ape's peculiar state and actions were unlike anything he had ever witnessed, leaving him uncertain of how to proceed.
Yu Yuan observed intently and noticed that Old Ape's flesh was decaying rapidly, the decay intensifying the closer it was to the Death Vortex.
Thud! Thud!
Old Ape's massive Demon Heart was ensnared by a pallid deathly glow. Slender strands of the Law of Death solidified into luminous scythes, slicing through the heart's flesh.
The Demon Heart was the bedrock of his strength, the nucleus of his savage power, and it also harbored the might granted by Yuen Li, the King of the Desolate Realm.
The flesh cleaved by the Death Scythes laid bare the severed, densely woven Bloodline Crystal Chains.
These entwined Crystal Chains concealed the mysteries of blood, the Old Ape's own insights into berserk strength, his life's fearless spirit, and his unyielding will.
The Bloodline Crystal Chains and spiritual force within the Demon Heart were valiantly resisting the ever-expanding vortex of death. The Demon Heart's power waned as the flesh was torn and the Bloodline Crystal Chains shattered. A mysterious death symbol had emerged on the bones of his chest, marking him by an alien entity. This symbol of death was spreading through his veins, corrupting his vitality and decaying his flesh.
To the Old Ape, the symbol that granted the Secular Bird Queen her profound deathly powers was an omen of doom. The vitality of the Sky Tiger's flesh and blood was fading, and his formidable form was slowly withering away.
In this Starfield, the rich and powerful blood energy that should have been omnipresent turned from life to death following the Secular Bird Queen's departure. This deadly aura, now toxic to the Old Ape, was being drawn inexorably towards the Death Vortex.
"What in the world is that?" The Sky Tiger's Demonic Eye widened in horror. This battle-hungry White Divine Tiger was oblivious to the thirty-six energy vortexes of the Gray Domain and the mutations occurring within the Death Spring. He was utterly uninformed.
His allegiance lay with the Demon Palace and Zhiya, while the Old Ape had sided with the King of Desolate Realm, Yuan Li. They stood on opposing sides of the conflict. Yet, when the Sky Tiger witnessed the Old Ape's broad chest being ripped open by the Death Vortex, it let out a fierce growl and manifested its true form.
The colossal White Divine Tiger, towering ten thousand feet high, shook its needle-like fur as a bloodthirsty gleam flashed in its Demonic Eye. A billowing white cloud reappeared, lifting the Sky Tiger's massive form as it hurtled towards the Old Ape without a moment's delay.
With a thunderous roar, the white cloud, brimming with the essence of destruction, collided with the Death Vortex, which was tearing apart before the Sky Tiger. As the cloud detached from the tiger's body, the Sky Tiger's size diminished slightly.
"Unleash the Skyshatter Hammer!" Lightning crackled and razor-sharp blades materialized amidst the tumultuous white cloud.
Yu Yuan could barely make out enormous skeletons and animal bones strung with iron rings and golden daggers, all manipulated by diminutive White Divine Tigers. They were engaged in a cacophony of battle cries within the depths of the white clouds.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
This phenomenon, known as "Fire the Heavenly Tribulation Cloud," was a dreaded bloodline secret among the powerful outsiders of the Origin Realm, epitomizing his brutal path of slaughter.
Those who perished at the hands of the Sky Tiger were stripped of their bones and their remains were incorporated into this awe-inspiring Tribulation Cloud of murderous intent.
It signified that even the Great Dao of the heavens would be shrouded by this Tribulation Cloud.
Puff!
The Old Ape's chest cavity burst open as if a grotesque flower of death had bloomed, due to the expanding death vortex.
The vortex consumed the flesh and sternum in his chest, enlarging the cavity and silently draining his life force.
"Get back!"
The Sky Tiger bellowed.
The energy from the deathly still galaxy that surged toward the Old Ape's chest was dissipated into mist by the formidable killing aura of the white clouds, the deadly energy obliterated by the force that could slaughter the heavens.
The "Fire the Heavenly Tribulation Cloud," which had consumed a portion of the Sky Tiger's strength, left even Yu Yuan in awe of its might.
Bewitched by the peculiar flesh and blood, the Sky Tiger rushed towards the Creation Pool, but due to a twist in its sentient self, it failed to unleash the "Fire the Heavenly Tribulation Cloud."
Otherwise, the blood wall that Yu Yuan had painstakingly crafted might not have been sufficient to halt the bloodthirsty Sky Tiger.
Boom!
The "Fire the Heavenly Tribulation Cloud" descended upon the Old Ape's broad chest, sealing the gaping wound and also cloaking the death vortex within.
The Tribulation Cloud completely obscured the Old Ape's chest, and under the control of his demonic soul, the Sky Tiger's boundless killing force clashed with the power swirling in the Death Vortex.
Having accomplished this, the Sky Tiger exhaled a breath of relief and said, "In my youth, Desolate Lord was very kind to me. He had his differences with the Hall Master and never aligned with the Demon Palace, so by all accounts, he should not have paid me any attention."
Gratitude shone in the Sky Tiger's eyes as he continued, "Before I broke through to become a Demon God, when my bloodline's power was insufficient and my love for battle led me into many life-or-death calamities within the vastness and the Outer Star River, it was he who resolved the crises I could not overcome with my own abilities."
Yu Yuan gave a slight nod, signaling his understanding.
"He has always been particularly caring towards the children of the Demon Clan, ensuring they maintain their own spiritual essence. I, Lvliu, and the Golden Elephant have all benefited from his generosity."
Watching the irrational death wish in Old Ape's eyes, Sky Tiger let out a huff, "Yu Yuan, whatever your relationship with the Secular Bird Queen may be, I don't care. Her reckless dissemination of death's power in this world of alien beasts is something I cannot tolerate!"
"Our races are different. You mourn the demise of the alien beasts in this realm, but I do not."
With a face as impassive as an ancient well, Yu Yuan replied icily, "I've witnessed the Beast God of the Desolate Realm massacre countless lives across several Starfields. Before I was drawn to Creation Peak, I saw the life force of the Origin Realm being drained, the innocent erased. Where were you when that happened?"
With a dismissive twist of his mouth, he continued, "Beast God, you've wreaked havoc in the Origin Realm, slaughtering its inhabitants. So why can't you bear it when Chen Qinghuang enters the Desolate Realm and does the same?"
Sky Tiger was taken aback, lapsing into silence.
Yu Yuan said no more, turning his gaze to the unusually calm Creation Pool and the eerie mass of flesh within. He murmured to himself, "The current form of Old Ape, with such rampant and vigorous energy, has yet to provoke a reaction from you. The three Beast Gods that pursued Sky Tiger combined don't match Old Ape's strength, yet you hastily spread distortion and upheaval..."
He contemplated the differences between Old Ape and the three Beast Gods.
He soon understood the reason, saying, "The bones and flesh inside Old Ape are saturated with dense death energy. Life and death are in opposition, clashing with one another. You disdain Old Ape, considering his flesh polluted and vile, don't you?"
Aware that the peculiar flesh possessed only primal instincts and had long since lost any semblance of wisdom, Yu Yuan still posed the question to himself.
Then, a piercing screech erupted from deep within Old Ape's chest.
The sound was enigmatic, filled with malevolent thoughts that beckoned for death, transforming the essence of life into a sinister force of demise.
The Old Ape's chest bones snapped one by one, the blood bones bearing the symbols of death soaring towards the white cloud unleashed by the Sky Tiger.
A tremendous crackling boom resounded as the "Heavenly Tribulation Cloud," refined by the Sky Tiger, erupted with the force of divine retribution.
Deep within the cloud, numerous colossal apes shrouded in death's pallor clashed ferociously with a white tiger formed from the Sky Tiger's blood, the battle raging so fiercely that it seemed to darken the heavens and earth.
The shrieks of death were relentless, and the Sky Tiger began to bleed from his mouth and nose, unaware.
Some of his animal bones were also fractured by the deathly howls, the cracks morphing into enigmatic Death Symbols.
Once the transformation was complete, he would meet the same fate as the Old Ape, tormented by the demonic soul, driven to seek death with single-minded fervor.
"Damn it."
Yu Yuan realized the gravity of the situation; the Sky Tiger was powerless to liberate the Old Ape. He had no desire to witness the emergence of a new Death Spring in the Desolate Realm.
He was clueless about the aftermath of the Death Spring's manifestation.
The deathly howls, urging one to seek death, grew increasingly shrill and resonant.
The light of sentience in the Sky Tiger's Demonic Eye was on the brink of vanishing, just like the Old Ape.
Yu Yuan knew he couldn't delay. He abruptly broke away from the Creation Pool and plunged towards the Old Ape's chest.
Inside the "Heavenly Tribulation Cloud," the ferocious grey apes and the bloodthirsty White Divine Tigers shattered into oblivion at his arrival.
Yu Yuan, not bearing the visage of a Giant God, navigated through the lethal bone blades and the white tiger's murderous edicts.
He reached the vortex of death, witnessing the diminished demonic hearts and the shattered Bloodline Crystal Chains.
Buzzing filled the air as he entered, the disordered voices of death seemingly transforming into the profound sounds of the Great Dao.
A silent, deathly breath stirred in the depths of the slowly swirling vortex, its presence provoked by the approach of the Yang God.
This nascent deathly breath emitted an obscure and ineffable vibration.
A faint, ghostly white luminescence darted from within the deathly aura, as if the consciousness of a spirit sought to discern the extent and magnitude of Yu Yuan's Yang God.
Suddenly, the delicate and eerie white glow vanished in the blink of an eye.
Boom!
Behind Yu Yuan's Yang God, a blood-red Life Wheel emerged, its halo deep and crimson, as if it contained thousands of worlds in its depths.
The principles of life he had grasped, the essence of the bloodlines from the Starry Behemoths, the beings of the Origin Realm, and the Beast Gods of the Desolate Realm, were all displayed within the halo.
Immense power radiated from the Life Wheel at the back of his head, obliterating all sinister deathly thoughts.
The grating deathly wails ceased abruptly.
Rings of terrifying deep red light radiated from him, shredding the evolving vortex of death and targeting the alien spirit's will within.
A reluctant growl, laden with an intent to annihilate all life, emanated from the depths of the fading vortex.
The growl was soul-stirring, yet Yu Yuan remained unfazed.
The growling persisted briefly before quieting down as the vortex of death dissipated. Old Ape's Demonic Heart had shrunk to half its size, numerous Bloodline Crystal Chains in his heart's walls had shattered, and his heartbeat had significantly softened.
Yet, the fractured bones in his chest and elsewhere, previously marked with symbols of death, were now gradually fading.
As his self-healing continued, the broken bones were remade, and the symbols that had appeared in the cracks were wiped away as if they had never existed.
"Yu Yuan!"
His Demonic Eye flashed with spirit as he bellowed at Yu Yuan, reaching out to seize the Skyshatter Hammer descending amidst the stars.
The gaping wound in his chest closed up with the disappearance of the death vortex. From an ancient blood-patterned bracelet on his broad, muscular wrist, a surge of blood energy flowed, enabling him to heal swiftly without the need for starry sky powers.
"My offspring, the new generation nurtured by our Patriarch, all lost to that Secular Bird!" Old Ape was seething with rage.
"Desolate Lord, please, take a moment to calm down! He has just saved both you and... me."
Sky Tiger interjected anxiously.
"..."
