C2199 A Sudden Favor

"You?"

Yu Yuan gazed curiously at Mother Earth, who was situated in a corner of the cave. He was intrigued by this new and unique body.

The body, brimming with the essence of the earth, radiated a strong and vibrant life force, a trait unique to living beings.

Yet, the body of Mother Earth was clearly not crafted from flesh and blood.

What had just happened?

Yu Yuan was equally bewildered.

"I need to take care of some things first!"

Mother Earth fixed Yu Yuan with a stern look. Through its deep brown eyes, it conveyed its intentions with precision.

It suddenly frowned, pausing as if it had just realized something. It was no longer just a blend of spiritual consciousness and laws; it now had a tangible body.

With a body, naturally, it could speak.

And so...

"You don't need to flee."

Mother Earth abruptly looked up at the City of Light, where the Light Origin Spirit was concealed. Its voice was warm and mellow, soothing like a balm to the soul, as it softly said, "You're not the one who should be fleeing."

Joy shone in its eyes, seemingly pleased with its own voice. It was swiftly adapting to acting through this new body.

"How do you feel? I just want to know if there's any discomfort."

The crisp, melodious voice of the Light Origin Spirit emanated from the City of Light, refined by the laws of light. "No source spirit has ever had a body before. Quickly, tell me your sensations. Perhaps..."

"I feel good," Mother Earth stated earnestly.

"Good?"

The Light Origin Spirit was taken aback.

Whoosh!

The Light Star, which should have been outside, was drawn by the power of Mother Earth, bypassing the cave's rocky barriers to make a sudden appearance.

The Light Star soared into the City of Light, where the consciousness of the Light Origin Spirit materialized into a youthful girl at the city gates.

"Can you wield the earth's laws with this body? Do you still have control over Creation Peak?" The Light Origin Spirit exclaimed.

"Yes."

Mother Earth extended her hands, her expression one of deep concentration as she connected with Creation Peak through the earth's mysteries housed within her body.

A smile of delight played on her lips as she murmured, "This is wonderful. It's infinitely better than when I possessed that foolish bear. When my consciousness was adrift, you thought to rescue me and managed to remind me."

"You are a trustworthy ally."

She nodded gently at the Light Origin Spirit, her gaze brimming with affirmation.

"You may dwell on this mountain forever. I will offer you my protection."

"The concerns that trouble you will not materialize into real problems. I will become stronger than ever before, surpassing my previous mightiest self!"

Whoosh!

The Earth Bear, once in the cavern of Creation Peak, was suddenly yanked into presence by Mother Earth.

Sekou's towering form was forcibly reduced to a mere hundred feet tall as he gazed up at Mother Earth, hovering in the void. "You?"

In the cave, with its eerie ambiance and deep red walls, the sight of her beautiful form filled him with boundless dread.

He was certain that this stunning woman before him was none other than the embodiment of Mother Earth.

"Why have you awakened? And now that you are, what of me?"

Sekou's words faltered.

Not one for eloquence, he felt an innate awe when facing this deity who had elevated him to the pinnacle of power and had granted him the profound laws of the earth.

Yet, he had recently allied with Yuen Bu, resolved to defy the Origin Spirit alongside him.

Yuen Bu had claimed that Mother Earth's spiritual consciousness should still be trapped within the seal of the Creation Pool, not yet ready to return.

Now, with Mother Earth before him in such a radiant form, Sekou was filled with trepidation.

"I will reclaim all that I have bestowed upon you."

Mother Earth spoke with a detached tone.

Beneath Sekou's feet, a dense network of rainbow-colored veins appeared, sprawling out like a spider's web.

Glancing down, he instantly felt the essence of the earth within him, the bloodline laws he had mastered, and his grasp of the earth's power rapidly draining into the vibrant pattern below.

The bear's mind was a muddle; he couldn't comprehend what was unfolding.

In just a moment, the bear, once brimming with the earth's potent energy, was stripped of all connection to the earth's power.

The Bloodline Crystal Chain in his heart vanished, memories of it erased from his soul, and not a trace of earth's power remained in his body.

The Earth Bear lost its supreme power in an instant.

"Since you have not erred grievously, you shall at least continue to live."

Mother Earth spoke with a detached tone.

In dire need of the Earth's vital energy, she drew forth a portion of the power she required from Sekou's body, causing the light in her eyes to shine more intensely.

Her divine will shifted, and the expansive cavern began to contract, the walls pressing in slowly.

Blood-colored crystals rolling across the hard floor of the cave and the dense blood mist were compelled to either emerge or converge toward the central area.

"You struck first, so don't hold it against me," she whispered to the blood mist.

Yu Yuan, tucked away in a corner of the cave, sensed the convergence of life's essence. He watched the blood-colored crystals tumble about and noted the crimson streaks on the rock walls.

He understood that Mother Earth was not addressing him, but speaking to the Origin Blood concealed within Creation Peak.

The Origin Blood, in its primal state, would inevitably be coerced into revealing its true form by Mother Earth's power.

The cave kept shrinking.

Eventually, the once vast space had reduced to nearly a hundredth of its original size.

All the blood-colored crystals, the rich blood mist, and the blood springs within the rock walls reluctantly began to coalesce within the cave, eventually forming a large tree as red as blood.

The tree bore no leaves, only branches like red crystal, with blood-colored lightning weaving through them.

Enveloped in a thick blood mist, the tree radiated the purest life force, its form nearly identical to the Life Keychain, only much larger.

This blood-red tree was the original form of the Desolate Realm's source blood.

It was the Tree of Life, the origin of all beings in the Desolate Realm, the Founder of the intelligent races, and the deity whom Yuen Bu had worshipped for countless years.

Yet, even Yuen Bu, the King of the Desolate Realm, had never witnessed such a form.

The Mother Earth of Creation Peak had forced it to gather the scattered powers of blood and law, reverting to its primordial Tree of Life form.

In this original state, the Tree of Life was vulnerable to attack and faced the possibility of perishing.

It lacked the grandeur of the Abyss Wood, with no leaves to eclipse the sky, standing stark and bare within the cave.

Hiss!

Blood-colored lightning condensed within its crystal-like branches, transforming into numerous deep red eyes that watched Mother Earth, now in her peculiar corporeal form.

The spiritual consciousness of the Tree of Life reverberated within the cave. "There's no need for this."

It sought to smooth over the tension between them.

"It goes by the name Tree of Life, its primal form. If you wish to refine it, I can offer my assistance. Trapped within the mountain, it cannot escape."

Mother Earth paid no heed to the Tree of Life, instead turning her attention to Yu Yuan and extending an olive branch to him.

Yu Yuan felt as though fortune had unexpectedly smiled upon him.

Sizzle!

The bloodstains on the cavern walls were erased by Mother Earth's power, and the infiltration of the Desolate Realm's source blood into Creation Peak was completely suppressed with her return.

Mother Earth's source spirit level skyrocketed from intermediate to high in an instant, and it seemed to be climbing even higher.

By trading with the seal within the Creation Pool, Mother Earth had acquired profound secrets of the earth from a kindred spirit in the true abyss. After reassembling its spiritual consciousness, it now wielded greater power than before its demise.

It had once been a high-level source spirit.

"You want him to refine me? You've lost your mind!"

The Tree of Life, formed from source blood, glowed crimson like crystal, its branches shimmering with a chilling radiance. "Within this cave, my power is at its peak. Yuen Bu, the Demon Phoenix, and the Snow Child can all be summoned by my will!"

"And that includes this bear!"

A crimson branch impaled Sekou's chest.

With a ferocious roar, Sekou lunged at Mother Earth. His chest ripped open, and from within his heart, Bloodline Crystal Chains burst forth.

The Earth Bear was rapidly depleting its life force.

...