C2196 The Eighth Level!

Inside the Peak of Creation, the cavern walls were drenched in a hue as deep as blood. The eyes that manifested the spiritual sense on the walls began to weep blood, rendering the cave increasingly eerie and horrifying.

The Light Spirit, previously insistent and vocal in urging Yu Yuan to depart, fell silent. The City of Light shook violently, as if seized by chills.

Yu Yuan lay upon the earth, his form radiating a dazzling bloody light, while numerous minuscule thoughts penetrated the Seven-Colored Divine Soil beneath him. The Hallowed Ground was visibly diminishing in size.

"You still claim it's not being consumed, but ever since you laid upon it, its demise has only hastened," the Light Spirit lamented within the city.

It sounded like a wronged woman, endlessly complaining, "Though I'm not fond of it, I don't wish to witness its end like this. Alas, you're more terrifying than that pond. It's shrinking, and I fear soon not even a trace will remain."

The blood-red eyes on the walls silently observed Yu Yuan's Solar Spirit and the contracting Seven-Colored Divine Soil, their gaze filling with terror.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

With the ongoing contraction of the Seven-Colored Divine Soil and the loss of its essence, the Peak of Creation, as sturdy as divine iron, seemed on the brink of collapse under the weight of the Primal Blood.

The earth's power, deep within the stone, bled towards the Seven-Colored Divine Soil in an effort to stave off Mother Earth's demise.

Crack!

The blood-red rocks fractured, and the blood crystals were compelled to retreat.

Puff!

One by one, the blood crystals, like crimson swords, stabbed into the earth, the cave walls struggling to support their weight.

As more fissures spread through the solid rock, and the possibility of a collapse loomed, the previously clamorous Light Spirit found a flicker of hope, exclaiming, "If it's the end, then so be it. Your death will be my liberation. The world is vast, and I will surely find a new haven!"

In its view, Mother Earth, akin to a seven-colored divine bed, was on the verge of being drained dry by Yu Yuan.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The spiritual sense from Yu Yuan's Solar Spirit, carrying the arcane rules and essence of Mother Earth, surged toward his real body within the nine-layered wall.

Yu Yuan could distinctly sense his spiritual thoughts piercing through a thin barrier, as if his Solar Spirit was traversing the confines of the Stellar Oblivion, crossing from the Origin Realm to the Wasteland, moving from one domain to another. At that moment, he realized that the nine-layered walls surrounding the Wellspring of Creation and the nine-layered walls of the Abyss of Truth were not one and the same. Hidden within the Wellspring of Creation's barrier were secret passages and Mystic Gates leading to the layers of the Abyss of Truth!

The rules and arcane secrets etched into both types of barriers were consistent, originating from the same entity. However, once his Solar Spirit's spiritual sense had crossed over, trying to locate the Mystic Gate again proved futile.

...

In the Abyss of Truth, atop the Dragon Slaying Stage, Yu Yiyi, Ballo, Brie, and the others were taken aback by the sight of rainbow-colored beams of light, seemingly out of nowhere, converging on Yu Yuan's real body.

"Light of the Earth!" exclaimed the Tree of Life and Thunder Spirit in unison.

Yu Yuan's true body, upon hearing the two Primal Animas' cries, felt a jolt of energy. The rainbow beams infused into his brow, forming a small piece of Seven-Colored Divine Soil. This tiny fragment bore the distinct veins of the earth, teeming with the intricate Earth Laws.

Within the resplendent nine-layered wall, truths related to the earth, drawn to the Seven-Colored Divine Soil, transformed into streams of rainbow light that seamlessly integrated into the wall. With each integration, new earth veins emerged. The nine-layered wall, which had previously been imprinting the profound meanings of the Primal Anima within the Soul Altar, was now being manipulated by Yu Yuan to reveal the cosmic order within.

In a remarkably brief span, Yu Yuan crafted a new platform. "This feels familiar; I've had such a platform before. Now, it's like second nature," he murmured to himself.

With a whoosh, the Seven-Colored Divine Soil crystallized upon entering his sea of consciousness, expanding exponentially. The seven-colored crystal city, once ready, perfectly aligned with the seven-layered Soul Altar as it settled into place.

The Soul Altar, previously seven-tiered, unexpectedly expanded into an eight-tiered structure. As the new layer formed, Yu Yuan, situated at the ninth level of the sealed barrier, astonishingly escaped the celestial constraints of the sun, moon, and stars that loomed above him. He concentrated his gaze and discovered that the formidable Demon God Bertain and the master of the Sword Sect, Lin Daoke, were ensnared on the sixth level of the Genesis Continent. While Yu Yuan was nearest to the ninth level of the Abyss of Truth, the two were still confined to the sixth level, separated by the sealed barrier.

Bertain and Lin Daoke, despite employing the profound Cosmic Orders they had comprehended, were unable to penetrate deeper toward him. "Perhaps..." Yu Yuan mused, as he shrouded his real body in the luminescence of the eight-tiered Soul Altar and made his way toward the eighth level.

Confronted with towering golden mountains and gravity a millionfold stronger, the tumultuous sea within his mind, the vines encircling his form, and the sporadic eruptions of fire seemed to have diminished in intensity. Even the cosmic expanse of sun, moon, and stars could no longer oppress his spiritual thoughts, granting him a sudden sense of ease.

Within the sealed barrier of the Abyss of Truth, he could see Bertain and Lin Daoke, as well as the Genesis Continent abutting the barrier, and the chunks of land descending into the depths. "Those lands!" Yu Yuan's eyes sparkled with realization. The sixty-four parcels of land plummeting from the lowest layer of the illusory Abyss were enveloped by the dark barrier, rich with the essence of Mother Earth.

Through the newly emerged Seven-Colored Divine Soil deep within his consciousness, he found he could manipulate these lands. He even felt a stirring... "Gather!" he whispered within the Nine Seals Realm, attempting to harness the newly imprinted, intricate rule of the earth's surface. A formidable surge of earth essence energy from the sixty-four lands cascaded into the nine-layered barrier, drawn directly to him by his Soul Altar.

His once lean frame instantly swelled with vigor. The acupoints within his lower elixir field brimmed with earth essence energy, which he could transmute into pure divine force. This divine force could then manifest into various natural elements such as vegetation, thunder, light, and extreme cold.

Ever since Yu Yuan's real body was delivered to the Abyss of Truth from the Ashlands, it has been relentlessly eroded by a plague of dark spots.

Desperate and unable to draw even a sliver of power from the energy-starved Abyss of Truth, he had no choice but to take a dangerous gamble and penetrate the barrier, seeking to break through its nine layers and return to the utter darkness.

This played right into his adversary's hands.

Upon his main body's entry into the sealed depths, the seven layers of the Soul Altar within captured the esoteric nature of the Primal Anima's rules, leaving an indelible mark.

The sensation was strikingly similar to when the Solar Spirit ventured into the Heart of the Everlands and the Lunar Spirit stepped forth as the Undead Sovereign!

Now, at last, he could regather his strength and, with the support of the newly formed landmass, had the capability to navigate through the barrier.

Boom!

The soaring Gold Mountains crumbled to pieces, their celestial patterns of sun, moon, and stars that warped the laws of his soul's lineage, obliterated by the brilliance emanating from his eight-layer Soul Altar.

Ultimately, the unparalleled divine radiance and fairy light bursting from the eight layers of the Soul Altar effortlessly annihilated the myriad Dao Manifestations within the barrier.

At long last!

Yu Yuan, crowned by the eighth layer of the Soul Altar, encountered Bertain and Lin Daoke within the sixth layer of the barrier.

"Yu Yuan!"

"Yu Yuan!"

Bertain, looking disheveled, and Lin Daoke, panting heavily, were shocked beyond belief at the sudden appearance of Yu Yuan.

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