C2184 I Took the Initiative!

A dark crimson galaxy swirled with wild, violent streaks of blood-red lightning, reminiscent of whips wielded by deities, furiously lashing at Yu Yuan's form.

Crack!

What truly terrified the Beast God was that each massive blood-red whip, upon contact with Yu Yuan's body, would vanish inside him in an instant.

Yu Yuan's normally human-sized, scarlet body began to stretch and grow taller. The surrounding void crackled and fissures appeared incessantly.

Yu Yuan's expanding form seemed too much for the mountain peak's space to contain, as if it could not bear his immense and endless blood energy and was on the verge of shattering.

Abyss Lord!

The Beast God, the black goat, and the Old Ape, observing from a distance, were involuntarily reminded of Mother Earth and her reverent title for Yu Yuan.

"Heh!"

Yu Yuan let out a thunderous roar to the heavens, summoning a blood-colored storm around him, born from his manipulation of the world's blood energy.

Deep within the storm, blood seemed to bubble forth, and upon closer inspection, one could see the Life Seeds of the Origin Realm, the Desolate Realm, and even those of the intelligent races in the Abyss beginning to sprout.

A colossal blood-colored halo materialized behind Yu Yuan's head, with layers upon layers of blood-colored rings, amidst which countless worlds seemed to rise and fall.

Yu Yuan stood as the epicenter of creation, the origin and foundation of billions of beings. The void and earth around him surged with boundless vitality, giving rise to miraculous transformations of life.

The blood-red lightning, akin to whips, vanished one by one upon striking Yu Yuan's formidable body, leaving the Beast Gods of this realm in awe.

If it wouldn't be given willingly, then it would be taken by force.

Yu Yuan had harbored this resolve since setting foot in the Desolate Realm.

With the resurgence of his memories and the construction of the seven-tiered Soul Altar, he had gained profound insight into beings like the Origin Spirit—those exalted entities transformed by the laws of the cosmos.

He knew how to fend off the Origin Spirit's possession, how to handle it, and when to mount his resistance!

If the Origin Blood of the Desolate Realm refused to be swayed and to surrender its secrets of life, Yu Yuan was not one to back down easily.

The Origin Blood of this realm, too, lusted after that enigmatic mass of flesh, seeking to overtake it with a sentient consciousness. This played perfectly into his hands.

You struck first, so expect no mercy from me!

With both hands at work, he was enveloped in thick, blood-colored lightning that he drew into his physique.

Within, he activated the essence of life at the Eleventh Level Supreme Mastery, dissolving the lightning—laden with the secret of the Origin Blood from the Desolate Realm—into his bones and flesh.

As each bolt of blood-colored lightning was absorbed, his Yang God form seemed to sprout prismatic bones tinged with blood.

Using his Divine Sense to peer within, he observed the blood-colored lightning and his powerful flesh and blood essence coalesce into a prismatic crystal.

In that moment, he grew significantly taller!

His growth and the enhancement of his physique were fueled by the life essence of the Origin Blood of this realm, transforming his bones into the foundation of his strength.

A wealth of bloodline knowledge and life's secrets were etched into his being, becoming indelible memories.

At this time, the Hannya Divine Tree at his feet lay still as death.

The Hannya Divine Tree, which had been silent before, continued its silence as Yuen Bu's blood clone dissolved into blood beneath it.

The divine tree's leaves ceased their fluttering.

Even the spirit within its verdant branches seemed remarkably subdued.

It silently sensed that Yu Yuan was harnessing the tree's source power as they connected.

Yu Yuan wielded plant laws more profound and intricate than those the Divine Tree had ever touched.

"The Abyssal Tree of Creation, my... source," the Hannya Divine Tree slowly realized.

"Yu Yuan!"

Another blood clone of Yuen Bu burst forth from the grand Beast Temple.

As this clone emerged, it transformed into a colossal ape, towering a thousand feet tall, its dark red body bristling with hairs that seemed to hold the bloodline profundities of all life in the Desolate Realm. In this non-human form, it snarled and stared eagerly at the blood-colored lightning above.

"Yet another clone?"

Yu Yuan grinned broadly, shaking his head in amusement.

"Yuen Bu, oh Yuen Bu, I have ascended to Creation Peak and now stand before the Beast Temple, yet you refuse to greet me in your true form. Why? Don't you realize that only your true form can unleash its full power when it arrives?"

The Source Spirit lacked a physical form; it was the tangible manifestation of the Great Dao Law, a concentration of supreme laws and energy.

To unleash its boundless power, the Source Spirit had to infuse its spiritual consciousness into a corresponding vessel. Only then could it wield the Great Dao Law to develop a myriad of potent divine techniques.

Yu Yuan knew the Source Spirit all too well.

The avatars of Yuen Bu possessed a mere one percent of his strength. They were too weak, lacking the vigor to manifest the divine abilities tied to this realm's source blood.

"If you refuse to show your true form, then don't fault me for my discourtesy!"

Amidst his wild laughter, Yu Yuan's Yang God form swelled massively. In a mere moment, he towered tens of thousands of feet high, rivaling the height of the Beast Temple itself.

Crack!

The branch he stood upon could not bear the abrupt enlargement of his frame and snapped. Yu Yuan, now resembling a blood-hued mountain much smaller than Creation Peak, cast off the pull of Mother Earth and floated weightlessly in the void.

The blood-colored lightning, once seemingly out of reach, was now at his fingertips, drawn into his body with each tug and pull.

In this instant, he truly appeared as the King of the Desolate Realm, the sovereign of Creation Peak.

The fearsome might emanating from him stunned all the Beast Gods, who dared not make a move, fearing a casual strike could end their lives.

"I..."

The colossal ape, standing a thousand feet tall, began to speak when suddenly another thread of its spiritual consciousness emerged from the earth, swiftly merging with the ape's form.

Puff!

The blood clone of Yuen Bu, still in the midst of growth, was overtaken by its consciousness and abruptly began to hemorrhage.

The growth of the giant ape ceased, its body now a ghastly sight, soaked in blood.

Every Beast God in the Desolate Realm sensed the arrival of its consciousness, which left Yuen Bu's blood clone grievously wounded in the blink of an eye.

Above the mountain's summit, the frenzied, twisting blood-colored lightning sought to flee from Yu Yuan, to break free from his grasp.

"None of you will escape!"

Yu Yuan's Yang God, a beacon of life's miracles, acted like a vast magnet, drawing the blood-colored lightning towards him, each bolt relentlessly pulled into his being.

He regarded Yuen Bu's blood clone, the giant ape, as unworthy of his attention.

He collected the blood-colored lightning, which was imbued with the laws of the Dao, with utmost seriousness. His face radiated pure joy.

Mother Earth, having possessed Sekou, stamped her feet and then descended into the ground near the Creation Pool, refraining from meddling in the turmoil above.

The Black Sheep, the Old Ape, and the Ice Phoenix, among other divine beasts, dared not venture near the battlefield.

Aoao!

Yuen Bu's blood clone let out a painful roar as the sound of its bones shattering echoed within.

Yu Yuan cast a glance at the suffering clone and coldly snorted, "This blood clone of yours might withstand its consciousness, but it's only capable of speaking and expressing its thoughts."

"It's delusional to think it can demonstrate its power and wield the profound mysteries of its bloodline through your blood clone."

Yu Yuan saw the situation with crystal-clear clarity.

The Yuen Bu clone, now reduced to a puddle of blood, had its blood energy and potential completely drained in an instant by its spiritual consciousness, resulting in the clone's explosive demise.

The blood clone of Yuen Bu was now spitting blood incessantly, a consequence of attempting to harness the clone's power after the descent of its spiritual consciousness.

Having learned from the initial failure, it didn't exhaust the clone's power all at once but instead tried to gradually master it.

Yet, in Yu Yuan's view, all its efforts were futile.

"I'm suddenly quite curious about what you're up to, Yuen Bu."

Yu Yuan's gaze settled on the Beast Temple as he mused, "This is the Desolate Realm, the domain you and your master govern. No matter where you are, Yuen Bu, you can instantly teleport to this Beast Temple upon its call."

"It's desperately in need of your true form, and yet you've only sent two ineffective blood clones."

Yu Yuan shook his head in disappointment.

His Yang God form had grown even more imposing, keeping the blood-colored lightning trapped high above the mountain peak, unable to break free.

Without Yuen Bu's true form appearing, the source blood of this realm lacked a suitable vessel, making it nearly impossible to prevent him from absorbing the blood-colored lightning from the sky.

As for the Creation Pool sinking into the earth's depths, he wasn't concerned at the moment.

The nine-layered, formidable barrier, sealed by the Abyss Origin Soul, concealed the ultimate essences of metal, wood, water, fire, earth, sun, moon, and stars, and was still under the control of the Abyss Origin Soul's residual power.

The Origin Blood, Mother Earth, and the Light Origin Spirit, among others, would be unable to decipher the barrier swiftly, even with their combined efforts.

There wasn't even a chance of success.

Since Yu Yuan couldn't unlock the secrets of the Creation Pool, he had no cause for concern.

Rip!

Blood-colored lightning streaked through the void, each bolt captured and assimilated into his body.

His colossal Yang God form was taking shape, its skin and flesh giving way to sections of radiant bones. The transformation was so profound that even the black goat, garbed in a black dress, and the Old Ape could sense it.

"Old Patriarch, what's happened to you?"

The Old Ape had summoned the Skyshatter Hammer, standing by to engage in battle.

Seeing Yuan Li's clone in distress, he grew concerned. Could Yuan Li be in danger within the Desolate Realm?

"My King, what about you?"

The black goat, along with the Beast God who had steered clear of Creation Peak, kept a watchful eye on Yuan Li.

All the Beast Gods had heard Yu Yuan's declaration.

At a time when they most required Yuan Li's strength, his true form should have returned promptly. No corner of the Desolate Realm could impede the connection between Yuan Li and the Beast Temple.

Yuan Li's absence, leaving behind only two inadequate blood clones, raised questions. Was this deliberate, or had something befallen him?

Either possibility filled the Beast Gods with concern.

Regrettably, they found no answers to their questions, as Yuan Li's blood clone, now a massive ape, was overtaken by its own spiritual consciousness.

The Beast Gods' attention, much like Yu Yuan's, was inexorably drawn to the Beast Temple.

It seemed the Beast Temple held the answers they were seeking.

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