C2180 Its Plan
Yu Yuan gazed at the Genesis Continent, his thoughts surging like a tidal wave. He sensed a profound connection to this vast land that concealed the Chaos Titan.
"A landmass larger than Tyria itself!"
Ballo from the Starborn was stunned by the expanse beneath the darkness, exclaiming, "Could it shatter the nine seals and sink into the Abyss?"
"Forget it. It contains the Dark Anima!"
Qi Yunhong, privy to the truth, mercilessly shattered Ballo's fanciful notions, declaring solemnly, "In the beginning, even the Primal Soul of the Abyss resided in the deepest reaches of this continent, eternally accompanied by darkness."
Ballo and Brie went pale.
Having never ventured into the seven tiers of the Abyss or the most secretive dark places, they were oblivious to the Genesis Continent's origins.
Boom!
The colossal Genesis Continent quaked. The land, meant to rest at the Abyss's lowest tier, plummeted from the heavens, landing either on the Genesis Continent itself or in some other dark recess.
"What else is there?"
Yu Yiyi was equally astonished by the spectacle above.
Smaller landmasses cascaded down after the Genesis Continent, materializing within the sky's first barrier, visible to all.
The violent and chaotic energy that once filled the upper Abyss now descended as well.
Whoosh!
The pit that once housed the Evil Temple revealed an immense, pitch-black crystal surface, the Heaven's Dais from Yu Yuan's time as the Lord of the Abyss, etched with the essence of dark magic.
Following his demise, the Dark Anima seized this artifact, dragging it beneath the Genesis Continent.
Presently, numerous nascent dark creatures surged from the Darkland within the crystal, preying on the Abyssal species that had tumbled from the sixty-four landmasses of the lowest Abyss tier, consuming them to augment their strength.
Through this carnage, the dark creatures ascended.
"There's a bloody hunt unfolding!"
Qi Yunhong bared his teeth in a grimace, catching glimpses of diminutive dark creatures launching assaults on the beings above the land.
Yu Yuan's brow furrowed.
By the original covenant, he was to reign over the seven tiers of the Abyss.
Yet now, all six layers of land above the Illusion Abyss had been cast adrift, scattering across the vast expanses of the Origin Realm, where they would vie for dominion with its inhabitants.
The lowest realms would forever remain untouched by light. The sixty-four lands, shrouded in darkness, did not ascend as one might expect. Instead, they plummeted further into the abyss.
The tribes of the Abyss across these lands seemed to have been granted tacit approval, allowing the Dark Anima to spawn dark creatures within the crystalline vistas of shadows.
Upon the Genesis Continent, these newly emerged dark creatures were hideous and menacing, many resembling reptilian beasts, with some akin to pythons and toads.
These dark creatures, born with exceptional intelligence, were fully awakened to their Soul Power. Enveloped in thick, pure dark energy, they thrived in the World of Darkness, bolstered by the nearly inexhaustible nourishment of Soul Power, which made them immensely strong and wise.
Their only deficiency was their lack of flesh and blood, necessitating continuous evolution to adapt their life forms. Created by the Dark Anima, their very essence was intertwined with the Primal Soul, endowing them with extraordinary spiritual essence.
Yu Yuan, the Lord of the Abyss, felt a resonance with the Genesis Continent, unimpeded by the nine layers of seals. He could sense everything transpiring above, seeing it all with clarity.
A profound melancholy took root in his heart. As the dark creatures proliferated, preying upon the beings of the Abyss on the sixty-four lands, he sensed the demise of what was rightfully his.
As the ruler of the Abyss, he should have been the arbiter of life and death for all its denizens, including the Evil Gods, not to watch them fall prey to the glyphs of darkness.
The Genesis Continent quaked, as though calling out to him, urging him to shatter the nine layers of seals and emerge onto the land.
"Yu Yuan, your face, your neck!" Qi Yunhong exclaimed in alarm.
The appearance of more black spots, the insidious touch of the Abyss's Primal Soul, signaled its gathering strength in the shadows.
In this energy-deprived Abyss, Yu Yuan grew increasingly weary without sustenance.
Through his connection with the Genesis Continent, he knew that breaking through the nine layers of the wall and reaching the land of creation would allow him to immediately replenish his energy amidst the darkness.
Now, the realm was not only filled with darkness and boundless Soul Power but also with wild, chaotic energy. The depletion of his soul, the drain of his spiritual energy, and the loss of his vital energy could all be swiftly restored.
However, the nine-layered wall harbored the Eight Extreme Primordial Laws of Sun, Moon, Stars, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, all under the actual control of the Primal Soul. It was nearly impossible for him to breach it.
"Master, I can sense your continuous weakening. Do you wish to proceed?"
Yu Yiyi's heartfelt inquiry reached him.
She was asking if he needed to refine the Bane within the cauldron, transforming the collected horde of over a hundred thousand Bane into a surge of Soul Power for replenishment.
Yu Yuan shook his head, "I still have the Dragon Slaying Stage at my disposal."
The Dragon Slaying Stage, trampled by many, was the first to be harnessed by him, channeling its rich divine force into his body to combat the encroaching force of the Primal Soul and the Abyss.
The spiritual energy within the Dragon Slaying Stage was rapidly depleted.
After some time, the Dragon Slaying Stage was left with only the hidden cosmic order, devoid of any abundant divine force.
"Should we refine the Bane?"
Yu Yiyi asked again, her tone steady.
The Crucible of Evil had advanced to a Divine Artifact, and she had reached the pinnacle of her power, no longer as dependent on the cauldron.
Yet, once the Bane inside were transformed into Yu Yuan's power and vanished, the cauldron would begin to decline.
The Frost Queen, Chebus, Grimlantern, and Shadowfox, all formidable Bane with awakened spiritual wisdom, would be obliterated.
In Yu Yiyi's heart, the cauldron had long been an extension of herself, and those Bane with spiritual wisdom were regarded as steadfast allies.
She was deeply reluctant to let them go.
Nevertheless, the relentless power assailing Yu Yuan was a protracted war between him and the Primal Soul in the Abyss of Truth, a place from which he could not even flee.
If Yu Yuan were drained of his strength, she, along with Ballo and Brie, would face a certain demise.
"I shall attempt to break the seal."
After much contemplation, Yu Yuan acknowledged the folly of the idea, aware that it was likely futile, yet he resolved to try nonetheless.
He had no other choice but to act.
The spiritual energy within the Dragon Slaying Stage was depleted. What would happen after the Crucible of Evil was refined into Soul Power and vanished? Was he expected to sacrifice Yu Yiyi, slay Ballo and Brie, and annihilate Qi Yunhong and the Tree of Life?
His only option was to break through the seals and escape the desolate Abyss of Truth. Only then could he hope to continue his struggle against that formidable opponent with the full might of his peak strength.
With a whoosh, Yu Yuan left the Dragon Slaying Stage below and his real body shot upwards into the heavens. The seven-layered Soul Altar on his forehead emerged, casting a resplendent array of colors.
"It's futile. You won't be able to shatter the nine-layered wall. We've already tried and failed," one voice said.
"Bertain himself couldn't break it, and neither will you. Don't waste your efforts," another chimed in.
"Don't be foolish and rush into danger. Better to return quickly," a third advised.
The chatter of the plant spirits and the Thunder Spirit echoed from Yu Yuan's Soul Altar once more.
Within this Abyss, the two Primal Animas could sense the corresponding platforms within the Soul Altar, enabling forceful communication with Yu Yuan.
Boom! Yu Yuan's real body penetrated the first layer of the sealed wall, and he was greeted by a sky filled with dazzling stars, a fiercely burning sun, and three full moons suspended before him.
Suddenly, an immense golden mountain plummeted from the heavens.
Before he could react, a gravitational force a thousandfold stronger than normal bore down on him, the Earth Spirit's control over gravity making even the slightest movement a challenge.
Looking down, he noticed thick, thorny vines entwined around his legs. The thorns dug painfully into his flesh, eliciting an involuntary cry and sending a shiver through his scalp.
Boom! The golden mountain crashed down, and his ascending form was struck a severe blow by the first layer of the wall.
The Golden Spirit, Earth Spirit, and the power of plant magic all manifested their strength in unison.
"Unbind!" he commanded.
The Soul Altar at his brow whirred into action, and the principles of plant magic he had mastered appeared on the verdant platform.
He managed to unravel the vines binding his legs, and his heart swelled with triumph.
Crash! Crash!
A deep blue sea churned within his consciousness, disorienting him and blurring the lines between north, south, east, and west.
Before him, a myriad of stars spun in harmony, forming a radiant sea of stars that draped over his head.
He looked up to behold the sea of stars, brimming with endless marvels—a fierce sun and moons like vigilant eyes, casting their light upon his soul and the Heaven's Dais.
His consciousness began to fade.
Amidst his disorientation, he heard the cries of the plant spirit and the thunder spirit.
"The nine layers of seals are stripping away the other ultimate truths branded upon your Soul Altar! That villain, that utterly wicked one, cast you into the Abyss to force you to challenge the seals!"
"As soon as you enter, the truths etched into your Soul Altar will fuse with the seal!"
"Such malevolence! So cunning and vile!"
"Ice, light! Ah, the thunder magic I wield!"
"The power of plants I've grasped!"
The plant spirit and the thunder spirit wailed without end.
The two Primal Animas below sensed that their innate Way of Heaven was being inscribed into the sealing wall above, soon to become part of the Nine Great Restrictions.
"I knew something was amiss."
In the depths of the endless darkness, the Demon God Bertain and Lin Daoke, the master of the Sword Sect, emerged silently.
From their lofty vantage point, they surveyed the variously sized lands and the distinctly visible Genesis Continent, as well as the nine splendid layers of the sealing wall.
"He intends to strip Yu Yuan of the Primal Anima's true essence and incorporate it into the seal," Bertain said with a cold laugh. After his initial assault failed, he had retreated to the Frostlands, seemingly accepting that he couldn't breach the seal and abandoning his relentless pursuit of the Abyss of Truth.
Now, he had returned with Lin Daoke in tow.
