C2197 The Mother Earth That Had Changed Its Appearance
A vast Star River stretched out above the head of the Great Demon God, Bertain, where hundreds of millions of stars twinkled, and the sun and moon shone together in splendor. Bertain's head, resembling a purple amethyst, was bathed in the celestial light. This radiance transformed into a cosmic order that suppressed the soul, compelling Bertain to constantly reassemble his soul fragments.
After his myriad souls split apart, they would swiftly reunite, repeating the cycle endlessly. Within the glow refined by the three great Primal Animas, Ice Shards and thunder balls emerged. The thunder ball obliterated souls, and the Ice Shard shattered thoughts, embodying the true essence of the Thunder Spirit.
When Yu Yuan entered this realm and was sealed by the nine-layered wall, he accessed the true essence of the Primal Anima, previously absent from this place, through the Soul Altar in his mind. The rules of extreme cold and thunder naturally countered Bertain, a master of the Path of the Soul. These forces, mingling with the luminosity of the sun, moon, and stars, caused Bertain's numerous soul fragments and thoughts to crumble under the might of the cold and thunder, leaving him in agony.
Meanwhile, Lin Daoke of the Sword Sect was surrounded by a whirlwind of Spirit Swords and Divine Swords. The mountains and rivers around him, now a million times heavier, merged with the energies of vegetation and flames, making his surroundings oppressively crowded. Lin Daoke wielded his sword without pause.
Gradually, the gleaming mountains and rivers morphed into golden longswords. As the golden swords struck, the truths of the sun, moon, and stars, the cosmic order, the intricacies of nature, and the fluidity of water were all revealed within the sword light. Suddenly, Lin Daoke felt as though he was confronting peers of equal stature, fellow seekers of the pinnacle of swordsmanship, akin to Grand Sword Immortals.
The brilliance of the golden swords' light assailed him, and it was as if he were battling several of the most supreme Grand Sword Immortals simultaneously. His spiritual energy and Soul Power were greatly depleted, and without the means for rapid replenishment, he quickly grew weary.
With a whoosh, Yu Yuan's sudden appearance invigorated both Bertain and Lin Daoke, as they observed him with renewed vigor.
Above Yu Yuan's head hung a dazzling eight-tiered Soul Altar. The radiant glow from its miraculous tiers shielded him from the crushing gravitational field that was millions of times stronger than normal.
The vines that had entwined around him seemed effortlessly torn asunder, as if Yu Yuan had mastered the ultimate cosmic order of flora.
Not even the Ice Shards aimed at Bertain could form above Yu Yuan's head.
The Soul Altar, with its stages of earth and wood, diminished the potency of the corresponding Dao phenomena within the wall's seal.
The intense glare of the sun, moon, and stars that once oppressed the soul was now significantly lessened by the power of the eight-tiered Soul Altar.
Bertain and Lin Daoke had broken through by sheer force, but Yu Yuan, with the aid of the Soul Altar, had deciphered some of the wall's sealed power, allowing him to navigate the situation with far greater ease.
"You two are indeed remarkable," Yu Yuan remarked, pausing to admire the celestial array of sun, moon, and stars above Bertain's head, as well as the golden Divine Swords that seemed to be wielded by Primal Anima against Lin Daoke. "To have broken through the five-layered wall and reached the sixth layer with your strength is truly impressive."
He realized that the reduction in pressure he felt was due to most of the sealed power targeting Bertain and Lin Daoke.
Despite their ignorance of the cosmic secrets of metal, wood, water, fire, earth, and the celestial bodies, they had used brute force to reach the sixth level.
Yet, advancing further to the seventh, eighth, and ninth levels would prove to be exceedingly difficult.
Moreover, both Bertain and Lin Daoke had expended a tremendous amount of energy.
"We intended to join forces and assist you, but we never expected you to make it this far on your own," Bertain observed, noting Yu Yuan's unharmed state and the astonishing energy flowing within him. "You were quite weakened before entering the seal. How have you managed such a swift recovery?"
Yu Yuan felt a surge of warmth and replied with a smile, "I've connected with the sixty-four sinking lands."
"What lies within the Abyss of Truth?" Lin Daoke, skillfully evading streaks of golden light, wielded his sword single-handedly to shatter the towering cosmic tree before him. He called out, "I'm eager to delve into the depths below and see for myself."
Bertain's face lit up with interest.
"There's nothing there—no energy for you to absorb, just desolation and silence. Even the Chaos Titans that died eons ago are worthless," Yu Yuan immediately responded. "It's a world that's completely dead. No matter how splendid its past civilization, it's all history now."
Bertain and Lin Daoke were instantly crestfallen.
They had believed that the Abyss of Truth, with its Primal Soul and eight Primal Animas, concealed endless enigmas, just waiting for them to unearth and explore.
"The wall we're within has a connection to another wall. If you two can hold on a bit longer and draw more power here, I'll search for the Mystic Gate's location."
Yu Yuan could see they still had reserves of strength. After dropping this hint, he drifted within the wall.
"The Abyss of Truth isn't worth your time, but the place the Mystic Gate leads to is definitely worth a visit," Yu Yuan mused as he floated about.
"Mystic Gate? To where does this Mystic Gate lead?"
Bertain called out.
"The Wasteland!"
...
Inside the Peak of Creation in the Wasteland.
The consciousness of the Light Spirit watched the Seven-Colored Divine Soil within the City of Light—formed by the rule of light magic—steadily shrink.
The once hundred-acre expanse of Seven-Colored Divine Soil was now just a few acres.
Its reduction signaled the frenzied loss of Earth Essence.
Yet, the delicate veins of Earth Essence imprinted on the Seven-Colored Divine Soil grew increasingly intricate and abundant.
It appeared that Mother Earth had indeed reaped substantial benefits from the Wellspring of Creation through this exchange.
Should Mother Earth manage to break free and return without depleting her spiritual sense and life essence, she would undergo a tremendous breakthrough and transformation upon regaining her strength!
As the Seven-Colored Divine Soil diminished, Yu Yuan, who lay supine upon it, shrank as well.
Moreover, as Yu Yuan's remnant soul consciousness seeped into the Seven-Colored Divine Soil, the rich life essence within him also began to merge with it.
The Seven-Colored Divine Soil, now reduced to just two or three acres, was tinged with a faint blood-hued film beneath the area covered by Yu Yuan's back.
After some time had passed, the once flat Seven-Colored Divine Soil had become uneven, resembling two mounds that had risen to support Yu Yuan's back. The Light Spirit's consciousness manifested once again above the City of Light, observing the Seven-Colored Divine Soil as it underwent its peculiar transformation. A look of bewilderment spread across its small, fair face.
"Mother Earth, she harbors emotions akin to my own. She has chosen a gender," it mused.
"Given that she was known as Mother Earth before her demise, she must have identified as female."
As the Light Spirit continued to murmur, it glanced at the raised mounds of the Seven-Colored Divine Soil and at Yu Yuan, who was lying atop them, its face growing increasingly perplexed.
In due course, the Seven-Colored Divine Soil sprouted limbs, taking on the appearance of a clay statue with a head and an indistinct face. The legs, previously held together, began to separate.
As the soil's legs parted, so too did Yu Yuan's, which were resting atop them, remaining draped over the soil's legs.
The Light Spirit watched the unfolding scene with a growing sense of unease. Mother Earth, still without a fully formed spiritual sense, was evolving into a female form, while Yu Yuan lay atop her changing body, their chests and backs pressed closely together.
"Yu Yuan, you truly have no shame!" the Light Spirit whispered to itself.
The cave wall shattered, and blood crystals plummeted down. The fragments, drawn by the Primal Blood, rolled toward a specific location.
As Mother Earth, now resembling a human, pushed the heavy Solar Spirit of Yu Yuan upward with her newly formed hands, a loud thump echoed through the cave. Yu Yuan collided with the cave's ceiling, sending debris scattering in all directions.
The debris, along with the fallen rocks, suddenly transformed into sharp stone weapons, pelting Yu Yuan from every angle. He was engulfed by the stones before he could even touch the ground.
Mother Earth, with her newly acquired ceramic-like body, descended from the air and settled onto the ground with a sigh.
A spirited body, composed of earth's energy, emerged from the top of the ceramic figure's head, gazing around in a daze.
The spirited body looked down at the distinctly female form below, its consciousness appearing somewhat dazed.
Infused with majestic and pure life essence, this peculiar body moved with purpose. At the mere whim of its spiritual sense, it could sculpt itself into any form it envisioned.
...
