C2179 The Death Silkworm

The Ape, harboring a deep-seated bias against Yu Yuan, was oblivious to the fact that he had just been snatched from the brink of death by Yu Yuan himself.

As the Astral Tiger's roar echoed, the Ape's face underwent a sudden, dramatic transformation when he noticed the severe injury to his chest.

The Blood Vein Bracelet adorning his wrist was a rare treasure bestowed upon him by Yuan Le, the Lord of Ruin, designed to save his life in perilous situations.

The bracelet would activate in moments of danger.

At this moment, the Blood Vein Bracelet was gushing with thick vital energy, detaching itself from his arm and transforming into a protective chest armor to cover the gaping wound.

Glancing down, the Ape nearly jumped out of his skin. "My Demon Heart, my Life Keychain!"

Thump! Thump! Thump!

As the protective armor enveloped his languishing Demon Heart, the blood patterns on the dark red armor shifted, forming nine intricate arrays that unlocked the dormant potential of life within him.

Thanks to the armor gifted by Yuan Le, his body ceased aging. The Ape was filled with terror and quickly attempted to shrink his demon form.

In an instant, he transformed into the old man who was often seen smoking dryly and squatting on rocks.

"My eternal journey!"

He lamented, realizing that the Life Keychain had dissolved and that the Way of Heaven, painstakingly established by Yuan Le, had been destroyed earlier.

As a trusted confidant of Yuan Le, he understood that the Life Keychain required life dew for its creation. Even as the Lord of Ruin, Yuan Le's ability to refine life dew was finite.

He fell into a pensive silence.

Meanwhile, the armor that shielded his Demon Heart, sparing him from a swift and aged demise, flickered, conveying fragmented images recorded by the armor to him.

Through these visions, he saw the death vortex that had emerged in his chest when his spiritual wisdom had lost control, and he had desperately sought his own end.

He also witnessed the Astral Tiger's selfless rescue.

"This peculiar vortex!"

The Ape, familiar with the Ashlands, felt a sense of recognition. He slapped his shoulder, exclaiming, "There are similar vortexes in the Ashlands, scattered around the Tyria Main Planet!"

The Astral Tiger, looking bewildered, inquired, "What are you talking about?"

"You don't understand."

Ape shot him a stern look and huffed, "How many times have I told you to distance yourself from the Dark Phoenix? Why won't you listen? Snow, the Dark Phoenix hasn't gained the Primal Blood's recognition in this realm and is fated to be no match for our leader! I'll introduce you to the Peak of Creation. Out of respect for me, the leader will welcome you into the Beast God Temple!"

Astral Tiger firmly refused, "The Temple Master has been good to me; I won't betray her!"

"Foolishness!"

Ape was seething with anger. "Our leader is the legitimate ruler of the Wasteland, the King of the Monsters. He can grant you the Life Keychain, bestowing upon you eternal life. Leave just a drop of your lifeblood in the Beast God Temple, and you can be resurrected even if you fall in battle! Snow, you ought to heed my advice!"

Yet, no matter how much he was urged, Astral Tiger simply shook his head.

"Taiyin!" Ape called out Yu Yuan's ancient name, "Was it you who brought the secular bird to the Wasteland?"

Yu Yuan snapped out of his reverie.

The death whirlpool that had been in Ape's chest, shattered by the Wheel of Life, left a resentful deathly roar echoing in his mind.

Through this eleventh-level Solar Spirit, he was able to grasp the power within the roar and discern the intentions behind it.

He had indeed understood the other's thoughts.

The roar suggested that while he might occasionally disrupt a death whirlpool's formation, he couldn't prevent more from arising.

An enigmatic being saw the Secular Bird Queen as a harbinger of death, tasked with creating more death whirlpools in the Wasteland.

This entity also hinted that the Wasteland's fruit was ripe and ready for harvest.

The mysterious presence from the Otherworld saw the entire Wasteland as fruit for the taking, leaving Yu Yuan with mixed emotions.

The survival of the Wasteland and the fate of the Beast God were of no concern to him.

His sole desire was to reach the Peak of Creation as quickly as possible, to seek the Primal Blood of this realm, to request the Secrets of Life, and to swiftly unravel the divine intricacies of the flesh within the Wellspring of Creation.

Chen Qinghuang wasn't guided to the Wasteland by me, but I will ensure she stays alive," Yu Yuan stated with discontent.

"Her survival means she'll keep spawning death, transforming the Astral Domain where alien beasts thrive into a desolate void," Ape raged. "Taiyin, you remain as selfish as ever! You only care about the lives of those closest to you!"

Whoosh!

The outermost layer of the Wellspring of Creation's nine-layered wall burst into view, with a dazzling sun forming on the first layer, accompanied by stars and moons.

Within the first layer, a writhing snow-white silkworm began to emerge.

The plump silkworm instantly drew the gaze of Yu Yuan and the two Dark Deities. Observing the creature, they sensed it embodied the profound meaning of death.

Radiating the epitome of death intent, it began its ascent from the first layer toward the second.

The sight of the deathly white silkworm held Ape and Astral Tiger's attention momentarily, and both Beast Gods were overcome with a longing for death.

Boom!

A fiery sun enveloped the scene, with the brilliance of stars converging and the crescent moon slicing through the air, engulfing the white silkworm. The Dao Image of the silkworm vanished in an instant.

With the demise of the corpulent silkworm, Ape and Astral Tiger's death wish dissipated, and the robust cosmic order of death that pervaded the silent Astral Domain shattered.

Suddenly, they sensed that the void energy in this region of the Astral Domain was devoid of any death aura.

Life force surged in from the Star River, revitalizing the Astral Domain with a rich vitality that was no longer corrupted by the law of mortality, no longer transforming into death force.

All this change was due to the silkworm's disappearance.

"That white silkworm, with its aura of deathly stillness, could actually influence the entire Astral Domain? What in the world is it? Could it be the physical manifestation of the law of mortality, or perhaps the Primal Anima of death?" Ape exclaimed in astonishment.

Astral Tiger too fixed a wide-eyed stare on Yu Yuan.

The bizarre occurrences in the Wellspring of Creation, along with the Death Dao Elephant that surfaced after Yu Yuan's arrival in the Wasteland, filled Astral Tiger with dread.

"Plaguebringer."

The chilling moniker Yu Yuan bore during his time in the Everlands flashed through his mind, sending a shiver down his spine. He was convinced that Yu Yuan's arrival in the Wasteland would herald a catastrophic disaster.

"I don't have time to explain, nor can I!"

Yu Yuan, sensing the urgency, barked, "I have no interest in the power struggle between Yuan Le and Zhiya for the Lord of Ruin's throne. Lord Untamed, Astral Tiger, lead me to the Peak of Creation at once. I must see this realm's Primal Blood!"

Clang!

A crisp ringing emanated from the heart-guarding armor on Ape's chest.

The Ape, poised to chastise Yu Yuan, let out a cold, frustrated snort and said, "I'll take you there."

Yu Yuan, taken aback, asked, "Is this Yuan Le's intent?"

"The Primal Blood itself has decreed it," Ape replied with reverence.

Yu Yuan nodded, "It must recognize the gravity of the situation."

"Snow, our tribe's elder has ceased his pursuit of the Dark Phoenix. He's scouring the Wasteland for the Secular Bird Queen. Four Astral Domains have already been obliterated due to the Secular Bird Queen. If she fails to manage the situation, all Wasteland races face extinction; the Dark Phoenix's battles are utterly pointless," Ape declared, clearly exasperated.

"Enough talk, take me to the Peak of Creation!" Yu Yuan pressed.

"Hold on, the Dark Tower will arrive shortly to guide us," Ape grumbled.

Soon after, the Dark Tower, consecrated by the Lord of Ruin Yuan Le, materialized in the revitalized Astral Domain.

Ice phoenix Alex stood at the Onyx Altar within the Dark Tower, his face a mask of reluctance, and announced, "I have been ordered to escort you to the Peak of Creation."

"Snow, if you're not willing to align with the Beast God Temple, then don't bother coming along," Ape whispered.

Astral Tiger immediately turned and departed.

...

In the Abyss.

The heavens unveiled an extraordinary spectacle!

A plump, snow-white silkworm, reminiscent of the many fallen Chaos Titans of this world, suddenly emerged from the first layer of the wall.

The pristine silkworm appeared to scrutinize the Abyss below, seemingly astonished by its eerie silence.

"A silkworm!"

Onlookers atop the Dragon Slaying Stage, vigilant for any anomalies in the void, looked up in curiosity.

They witnessed the bizarre snow-white silkworm meet its demise at the hands of the three supreme forces of the Way of Heaven. It was obliterated before it could penetrate the second layer of the barrier.

Boom!

While the crowd was still reeling from the shock and speculating about the silkworm's origins, a figure clad in thick armor, carved from amethyst, burst through the endless darkness, colliding with the first layer of the barrier.

"The Demon God, Bertain!"

"It's Lord Bertain himself!"

Brie and Ballo shouted, their faces alight with joy and excitement, as if they believed Bertain was on the verge of shattering the seal and descending from the darkness into the Abyss.

The sun reemerged, the stars and moon coalesced, and a dazzling Star River encircled Bertain's demonform.

Mountains forged of pure gold, vast azure oceans, and intricate patterns brimming with the essence of flora and fauna all surged towards Bertain.

Bertain, donned in his heavy armor, charged with a wild grin on his face.

Yet, he only managed to breach the third layer of the barrier.

As the ultimate mysteries of the sun, moon, stars, gold, wood, water, fire, and earth unfolded and intervened, Bertain's assault was thwarted.

His amethyst demonform, along with the armor encasing it, was flung back into the darkness above.

Bertain was cast back into the profound depths of the darkness.

Ballo and Brie, who had pinned their hopes on him, watched as the Demon God they deemed unbeatable within the Origin Realm failed to shatter the nine layers of the barrier and enter the Abyss of Truth as they had hoped.

"Even the mighty Bertain couldn't descend. It seems we truly can't escape," Ballo lamented, his voice heavy with resignation. "An Abyss devoid of energy is nothing more than a vast prison. In such a world, our days are numbered. Eventually, we will be vanquished."

Brie nodded solemnly in agreement.

They were both convinced that the Primal Soul, birthed from the Abyss of Truth, had yet to strike because it was preoccupied with matters of greater importance.

And knowing they had no means of escape, it allowed them a brief reprieve, biding its time until it could turn its full attention to their annihilation.

Time had passed, its length indeterminate.

Beneath the shroud of darkness, a vast continent emerged within the void, sprawling across a swath of the heavens.

"Genesis Continent!"

The flora and Thunder Spirit within the Tree of Life, upon witnessing the immense landmass, were filled with excitement.

"Could it be that the Great Demon God Bertain has seized control of the Genesis Continent after his initial defeat?"

"No, the darkness resides within the Genesis Continent!"

"If not, then perhaps the Genesis Continent that soared from the Abyss is the same that now descends. Why this sudden descent?"

"It has to be Bertain!"

"That's impossible!"

The cacophony of the plants and Thunder Spirit, bound in an eternal alliance, erupted within the Soul Altar of Yu Yuan's consciousness, so clamorous that Yu Yuan couldn't stand it any longer and bellowed, "Silence!"

Ballo, Brie, and Qi Yunhong, who had been shrieking as well, immediately fell silent.

"I wasn't referring to you."

Yu Yuan massaged his temples, his gaze intent upon the newly revealed Genesis Continent. He experienced a sudden epiphany—a soul resonance with this enigmatic land that not even nine layers of seals could obstruct.

The Genesis Continent, once the site of the Evil Temple, was likely the mightiest Chaos Titan from the Abyss, fused with a Starshard.

It was a desiccated husk, yet it managed to depart the Abyss.

The Wellspring of Creation was meant to descend upon it, to serve as a vibrant source of energy, aiding its flight from the World of Darkness into the Origin Realm or even the Wasteland.

Because he had intercepted the Wellspring of Creation, taking it to the Frostlands and thereafter to the Wasteland, it was abandoned in the dark.

Yet, it was his presence in the Abyss of Truth that precipitated its fall from the darkness.

Yu Yuan was struck by a realization—it belonged to him.

It always had.

​