C2201 The Burden of All Things

"He has saved you on more than one occasion."

The Light Origin Spirit spoke softly, a hint of apprehension in their voice, "Furthermore, that was merely one of his Yang Gods. Both of us are aware that his true form has successfully reconstructed the Soul Altar from the past, and possesses the power to annihilate Origin Souls like ours."

"Opposing him seems unwise to me. I have this feeling that he is the formidable force capable of dealing with that individual. We ought to assist him."

In the past, Mother Earth, a high-level Origin Soul, was destroyed, and the Light Origin Spirit was captured on that piece of land.

The Light Origin Spirit felt a mix of hatred and reverence for Yu Yuan during the time of the Abyss Lord. Upon discovering the newly resurrected Yu Yuan battling the Abyss Origin Soul even more fiercely than before, they began to lean towards supporting Yu Yuan.

Their ability to reach Creation Peak and arrive in the Desolate Realm was also thanks to Yu Yuan's covert assistance.

They preferred to form an alliance with Yu Yuan rather than stand against him.

"You're mistaken; I don't need him at the moment. Even without the Abyss Lord, I can contend with that entity!"

Mother Earth, in human form, spoke with a cool demeanor, "You'd better think it through—whether to stand with me or to ally with him. I'll give you time to consider your decision. Don't act impulsively."

"Of course, I'll also demonstrate the level of power I currently wield!"

The cave trembled, and a fissure leading to the mountaintop emerged in response to her words.

"Let's head outside and leave him to grapple with the Origin Blood. After all, regardless of who emerges victorious, they will remain trapped in this cave, under my control."

Mother Earth ascended with an air of confidence.

The Light Origin Spirit paused briefly before detaching the Light Star and ascending with Mother Earth towards the summit.

Their true form transformed into boundless orbs of light, no longer resembling the City of Light, filling the slowly healing cavern.

"Lunar, Sun, and Star..."

They mused within the cave, where points of light within the boundless orbs began to slowly crystallize, as they attempted to refine the celestial bodies.

Yet, they repeatedly failed in their attempts to take shape.

"If only I could grasp the true essence of the laws imprinted by the three Origin Spirits, perhaps I too could ascend to a high-level Origin Soul and stand equal to Mother Earth."

"No, I can surpass Mother Earth and be as mighty as she is!"

"I long to have a body too!"

He eagerly anticipated this within the cave.

"I'll give you time to think it over, to slowly uncover the mysteries of the sun, moon, and stars within the Creation Pool. No one else can assist you with this; if anyone can, it would only be me."

Yu Yuan's consciousness shimmered within the light.

All his blood-red arms had transformed into a dense blood membrane, enveloping the Tree of Life, the symbol of the Origin Blood.

Beneath the membrane, his struggle with the Origin Blood was fierce, his mind's consciousness clashing even more violently with the spirit of the Origin Blood.

Yet, he was capable of multitasking.

...

The dazzling Creation Pool suddenly emerged from the pit beneath Creation Peak.

Deep within the Nine-Layered Sealing Barrier, the vibrant rivers of blood, which had represented the consciousness of the Origin Blood, had vanished without a trace.

At last, the Creation Pool reappeared at the summit of Creation Peak.

Whoosh!

A crystal-clear star hovered above the Creation Pool, beneath which a young girl with her lips sealed tight appeared deeply troubled.

Suddenly, a fissure opened on the mountaintop, and the rich, potent energy of Mother Earth burst forth from the gap.

Mother Earth, now with a wondrous body, materialized out of nowhere. She first gazed upon the enigmatic Creation Pool, then turned her attention to Yu Han, the Snow Child overtaken by the Origin Blood.

"This peak is solid, capable of supporting all creation."

Her warm and melodious voice resonated across the summit, her power as Mother Earth permeating through the mountain, creating an immensely heavy magnetic field.

Yu Han, seized by the Origin Blood, sensing danger, attempted to flee but was engulfed by the sudden emergence of the dense magnetic field atop the peak.

Yu Han crashed to the ground with a thud.

In that moment of impact, a strand of the Origin Blood's consciousness was forcibly drawn by the mountain's gravitational magnetic field, plunging into the heart of the mountain and fusing with the Tree of Life.

Yu Han, having reclaimed his spiritual self, glanced at Mother Earth, then at the Light Star above her head, the fierce giant ape in the distance, and the poised purple phoenix.

Yu Han trembled, huddling in a corner.

Each being towered above him, a colossus whose influence resonated across both realms, far beyond his capacity to challenge.

The King of the Desolate Realm, reverted to his colossal ape form, was drawn across the vast expanse from the distant stars of Creation Peak by the sudden emergence of a powerful magnetic field at the mountaintop.

Despite his struggles, the giant ape could not break free from Creation Peak's magnetic pull and was drawn in inexorably.

Boom!

His impact upon the ground was immense, and the iron-like earth cracked open with numerous fissures.

Yuen Bu, reeling and disoriented, had blood streaming from his crimson eyes, with rivers of blood encircling him.

He and Zhiya were locked in a fierce battle.

Earlier, he had entered a frenzied state, throwing caution to the wind in his single-minded determination to reclaim the Beast Temple from Zhiya.

This obsession fueled a formidable killing intent, unleashing a torrent of energy that even Zhiya, with her two divine temples, struggled against.

But as he crashed to the ground, Yuen Bu, the King of Desolate Realm, snapped back to reality, a wave of pain washing over him.

"Sekou!"

The connection to the Life Keychain within him had been severed. He realized that Sekou must have met with disaster.

The next moment, he caught sight of the unfamiliar Mother Earth, illuminated by the Light Star above her.

In the cosmic void.

A majestic purple phoenix, its wings spanning millions of miles, gently beat its wings, stirring up bloody tempests and colorful ripples of space-time.

The Phoenix Shrine and the Beast Temple were perched upon her wings, clinging steadfastly.

She had eluded the grasp of Creation Peak's divine earth power, not falling uncontrollably like Yuen Bu.

Her piercing phoenix gaze scrutinized the Mother Earth atop the peak and the Light Origin Spirit, which had fallen silent.

"Who are you?"

Yuen Bu regained his senses and asked with uncertainty, "Are you Mother Earth? What happened to Sekou? Did you kill him?"

"The foolish bear was overtaken by the origin blood. He perished, unable to withstand its power," Mother Earth replied in a voice both gentle and chilling, "I merely reclaimed the earth's power that I had once granted him."

"Dead? Sekou is dead! My most trusted Sekou, my only companion!" Yuen Bu muttered irritably. His voice grew louder, and the blood-colored rivers swirling around him surged with a terrifying power that could destroy everything, splashing chaotically in all directions.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The once vibrant world atop the mountain peak, with its mountains, rivers, hills, and spirits, was flattened by his violent power.

As he spoke, blood and bits of flesh spattered from his mouth.

He had yet to rid himself of the drop of the Secular Bird Queen's Divine Blood. He allowed that drop to continuously erode his mouth, destroying the flesh within.

He did this to fend off the possession by the Origin Blood.

"You're clever, but sadly, you can't escape the shackles of fate," Mother Earth said, her expression serene and her voice still melodious. "After Yu Yuan and He battle it out in the depths of the cave, the victor will see you as a trophy. Once Yu Yuan is possessed by the Origin Blood, your existence will become meaningless. Your death is certain."

Mother Earth observed Zhiya as she spoke, and likewise, Zhiya's phoenix eyes lingered on her.

"How did you manage it?"

She suddenly asked, her curiosity piqued as she gazed at the purple phoenix suspended in the starry void, "How did you refine the consciousness of the Origin Blood? Even the Abyss Lord Yu Yuan managed only to withstand its invasion, scattering it to oblivion, yet you've managed to absorb it."

"You've even taken control of the Beast Temple with the consciousness of the Origin Blood you absorbed. You're more formidable than Yuen Bu."

She was baffled.

Yuen Bu, taken aback, exclaimed, "How is that possible?"

On one of the purple phoenix's wings, the stone door of the Beast Temple, symbolizing supreme authority in the Desolate Realm, swung open.

Before the door stood the graceful figure of Zhiya.

Behind the door, in the hall, the Black Mountain Sheep, the smilodon, and the bone snake, once loyal to Yuen Bu, now prostrated on the ground, bowing to the silhouette of Zhiya's human form.

These Beast Gods were humble and docile, treating Zhiya with even greater reverence than they had Yuen Bu.

After she resurrected the smilodon and the bone snake, the Old Ape from Yuan Li's tribe lay in a pool of blood, its flesh being devoured by several Beast Gods.

Witnessing the scene within the hall, Yuan Li descended into madness once more, his fear of death diminishing even further.

...