C2199 A Sudden Show of Goodwill

"You?"

In a corner of the cave, Yu Yuan gazed at Mother Earth, who had descended in the form of a spiritual sense, with curiosity. He was intrigued by this novel and peculiar body she inhabited.

The body, brimming with the essence of Mother Earth, radiated a strong and vibrant breath of life, a scent unique to living beings.

Yet, Mother Earth's body was clearly not crafted of flesh and blood.

What had just happened?

Yu Yuan was equally bewildered.

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

Mother Earth shot Yu Yuan a stern look, her dark brown eyes conveying her intended message with precision.

She suddenly furrowed her brow and paused, as if realizing something had changed. She was no longer merely a blend of spiritual sense and rules; she now unmistakably possessed a body.

With a body, naturally, she could speak.

And so...

"There's no need for you to flee."

Mother Earth abruptly lifted her head, her gaze settling on the City of Light, where the Light Spirit was concealed. Her voice was warm and mellow, soothing as it softly spoke, "You are not the one who should be fleeing."

A look of delight crossed her eyes; she seemed quite pleased with her voice and was swiftly adapting to operating within this new body.

"How are you feeling? I just want to know, is there any discomfort?"

The Light Spirit's crisp and pleasant voice emanated from the City of Light, refined by the light magic, "No Primal Anima has ever had a body before. Please, share your sensations with me. Perhaps..."

"I feel very good," Mother Earth replied earnestly.

"Very good?"

The Light Spirit was astonished.

Whoosh!

The Star of Light, which should have been external, was drawn by the Earth Spirit's power, defying the rocky barriers to manifest within the cave.

The Star of Light soared into the City of Light, where the Light Spirit's consciousness took the form of a youthful girl at the city gates.

"Can you wield the cosmic order you govern with this body? Do you still have control over the Peak of Creation?" The Light Spirit exclaimed.

"Yes."

Mother Earth extended her hands, her expression one of concentration, as she linked the earth's secrets housed within her body to the Peak of Creation.

A smile of contentment played on her lips as she whispered, "This is truly marvelous. This sensation is infinitely better than when I possessed that foolish bear. When my consciousness was adrift, you considered rescuing me and even tried to alert me."

"You are an ally I can trust."

She gave the Light Spirit a gentle nod, her gaze brimming with affirmation.

"You may dwell on this mountain forever. I will provide you shelter."

"The concerns that trouble you will not manifest into real issues. I will become stronger than before, surpassing my previous peak of strength!"

Whoosh!

Sekou, the Direbear, who had been in the pit of the Peak of Creation, was suddenly yanked into the presence of this powerful entity.

His towering form was forcibly reduced to a mere hundred feet in height. He gazed up in bewilderment at the figure suspended in the void. "You?"

Upon witnessing her radiant visage within the cavern's deep red walls, Sekou was overcome with boundless fear.

He was convinced that the beautiful woman before him was none other than Mother Earth incarnate.

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

Sekou's words faltered.

Not adept with words, he felt an innate reverence when confronted by the deity who had elevated him to the Supreme Realm and graced him with the profound cosmic order.

Yet, he had recently allied with Yuan Le, resolved to stand against the Primal Anima together.

Yuan Le had claimed that Mother Earth's spiritual sense should still be trapped within the Wellspring of Creation's seal, not yet ready to return.

Now, with Mother Earth embodied as this stunning woman, Sekou was filled with dread at the mere sight of her.

"I will reclaim all that I have granted you."

Mother Earth spoke with a detached tone.

Beneath Sekou's feet, the ground burst forth with a dense tapestry of rainbow-hued veins, sprawling out like a spider's web.

Looking down, Sekou instantly felt the earth essence within him, the bloodline rules he had mastered, and his grasp of the earth's power rush toward the vibrant pattern below.

His mind plunged into chaos, unable to comprehend what was unfolding.

In an instant, the giant bear, once brimming with the earth's potent essence, was stripped of all ties to the earth's power.

Gone were the bloodline chains linking him to the earth in his heart, the memories in his beast soul, and any trace of earth power in his body.

The Direbear abruptly lost its supreme power.

"Since you have not made any grave errors, you will be allowed to live."

Mother Earth spoke with a detached tone.

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

Her spiritual sense shifted, prompting the walls of the expansive cavern to contract slowly.

The blood crystals rolling across the hard floor of the cave, along with the thick blood mist, were compelled to either emerge or converge toward the center due to the shrinking space.

"You struck me 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 the breath of life and observed the blood crystals tumbling about and the bloodstained marks on the dark red walls.

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

The Primal Blood, in its primal form, would inevitably be coerced into revealing its true nature by the power of Mother Earth.

The cave kept contracting.

Eventually, the once vast cavern had diminished nearly a hundredfold.

All the blood crystals, the rich blood mist, and the blood springs within the walls reluctantly began to coalesce within the confines of the cave, ultimately forming a large tree as red as blood.

The tree was leafless, with branches resembling red crystals, intertwined with blood-colored lightning.

Enveloped in a dense blood mist, the tree radiated the purest breath of life, its form closely resembling the Life Keychain, yet on a much grander scale.

This blood-red tree represented the Primal Blood of the Wasteland, the original Tree of Life, the source of all beings in the Wasteland, the creator of alien beasts and numerous intelligent species, and the deity whom Yuan Le had worshipped for countless years.

Yet even Yuan Le, the Lord of Ruin, had never witnessed such a manifestation.

He was compelled by Mother Earth, the ruler of the Peak of Creation, to gather the scattered powers of blood and rules, forcing him to assume his original Tree of Life form.

In this primal state, he was vulnerable to attack and faced the possibility of perishing.

He lacked the enormity of the Tree of Life, with no leaves to eclipse the sky, standing stark and bare within the cave.

Hiss!

Within his red crystal-like branches, blood-red lightning coalesced, forming numerous deep red eyes that watched over Mother Earth, now inhabiting an unusual form.

His spiritual sense reverberated through the cave. "There's no need for this."

He sought to smooth over the tension between them.

"He is called the Tree of Life, his original form. If you wish to refine him, I can offer my assistance. Trapped within the mountain, he cannot escape."

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

Yu Yuan was struck with the feeling of an unexpected windfall.

Sizzle!

The bloodstains on the cavern walls were erased by Mother Earth's power. The Primal Blood that had infiltrated the Peak of Creation was now completely suppressed by Mother Earth's return.

Her Primal Anima status skyrocketed from intermediate to high level in an instant.

Moreover, it appeared to be climbing even higher.

Through a trade with the sealed secrets within the Wellspring of Creation, Mother Earth had gained insights into the earth's mysteries from the Abyss of Truth. After her spiritual sense was reconstituted, she emerged with a power surpassing her former strength.

She had once been a high-level Primal Anima.

"You expect him to refine me? You must be out of your mind!"

The Tree of Life, forged from Primal Blood, bore branches as red as blood crystals, emanating a frosty gleam. "Within this cavern, my power is at its peak. Yuan Le, the Dark Phoenix, and Snow Kid 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 cavity ripped open, unleashing bloodline chains from within his heart.

The Direbear was rapidly depleting its life force.

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