C2204 The Mothers Gift
Zhiya's eyes, as enchanting as a young phoenix's, widened in astonishment. Her colossal form came to a halt amidst the Star River, gazing intently at Yu Yuan, who stood before her without summoning his Divine Transcendence, appearing as insignificant as an ant.
She seemed to be aware of the enigma surrounding Yu Yuan's Soul Altar. After ceasing her battle with Yuan Le, she hesitated briefly before withdrawing.
Her wings fluttered gently, casting a shower of purple light that swiftly filled the void ahead, creating an imposing chasm.
Bright space rifts emerged within the depths of the chasm, severing her connection with Yuan Le.
Yu Yuan's presence brought a grave seriousness to her demeanor, a stark contrast to her approach with Yuan Le.
"Zhiya, you're keeping a very close watch on me," Yu Yuan said with an involuntary chuckle.
To him, the Dark Phoenix's defensive maneuvers and the chasms her wings wrought were clearly not meant to deter Yuan Le, but to guard against his own potential advance.
The luminous space rifts could hinder the teleportation capabilities of the Dragon Slaying Stage.
Should he recklessly attempt to teleport using the Dragon Slaying Stage, Zhiya's powers might warp the space around him, sending both him and the stage into an unknown location through the torn fabric of the void.
"If you're intent on killing Yuan Le, I'll step aside," he offered.
The voice of the purple phoenix, which eclipsed the Star River, was as chilling as a frosty blade, stirring up numerous ice storms along the flanks of its radiant purple wings.
At the heart of the ice storm, strands of Yuan Le's hair, on the verge of transforming into an alien beast, were ruthlessly obliterated.
During their fierce battle, Yuan Le had secretly left a trace of Blood Crystal Light on her phoenix wings, which she had now extinguished, eliminating all potential threats.
"I've heard about your escapades in the Everlands," Yuan Le bellowed with a depth that echoed the roars of countless deities, reverberating through the expansive Star River and resonating within the chasms created by the Dark Phoenix.
With a soft burst, the bright space rifts shattered under the force of his roar. As the Lord of Ruin, Yuan Le leveraged his mastery of the Astral Domain to shatter the barriers erected by Zhiya, clearing the path between them.
"My junior has detailed to me the grievances between you two. You were once allies, collaborating to end the era of Naga dominance. Yet, your falling out led to the downfall of the Boulderdawn Sect at its zenith, paving the way for humans and evilkind to jointly dominate the vast expanse of the Everlands."
Yuan Le bellowed, hoisting the Celestial Pillar of Life upon his shoulder as if he were shouldering a dark red wall that stretched for thousands of miles.
Within the Celestial Pillar of Life, innumerable totems of alien beasts engaged in a fierce battle to the death, vying for the title of beast king and striving for a breakthrough in their bloodlines.
The blood-red gateway Yuan Le had opened was now extinct, with myriad Life Seeds and glimmers of blood-colored light merging into the artifact.
"You two..."
Yuan Le's voice deepened as he intoned, "There are deeper secrets between you! The half-blood girl named Yu Zhu, her soul..."
Suddenly, a phoenix's cry capable of ripping through the space rift resounded.
Yuan Le's speech was shattered; he could not complete his thoughts. Every word he attempted to utter was erased by the cry of the phoenix.
"The drop of divine blood from the Secular Bird Queen is of no use to you; let me have a look."
Yu Yuan, poised on the Dragon Slaying Stage, underwent a sudden transformation into his Divine Transcendence and reached out to grasp Yuan Le's neck.
He wouldn't allow Yuan Le to finish his intended speech!
Boom!
Beneath the feet of Yu Yuan's Divine Transcendence, an expansive seven-colored land materialized, with billions of rainbow veins coming into view.
At the heart of this vibrant land stood an immense green tree, its leaves alone covering thousands of acres, its verdant branches brimming with the life force of plants.
The seven-colored land visibly boasted vast forests, towering mountains, and sprawling rivers and lakes.
Above Yu Yuan's Divine Visage, a colossal thunder pool hovered, with fearsome thunder balls tumbling within like pills.
The violet gold Dragon Slaying Stage was suddenly suffused with ice force, transforming into an ice blade thrusting towards Yuan Le.
A whimper escaped Yuan Le's throat as he watched Yu Yuan's Divine Transcendence reach for him. Despite the expanse of the Star River between them, it felt as though his throat was already in a vice-like grip.
He was rendered speechless, unable to utter a single complete word.
As the ice blade approached, a silver-white cold fog surged forth, engulfing Yuan Le's form and freezing his blood solid.
The giant ape, with its hands clasped around its neck, was surrounded by the Bloody River, which lashed out at the void like a whip.
Yu Yuan let out a derisive chuckle.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The Bloody River burst open like a string of firecrackers, with countless bolts of lightning exploding within it.
The thunder pool, suspended above Yu Yuan's head, hovered over the ruptured Bloody River, striking the spiritual currents within with the strange power invoked by Yuan Le's true name.
On the fringes of this realm, numerous ninth-level beast kings collapsed, lightning spewing from their mouths and noses as they offered their devout worship.
"Come forth!"
Yu Yuan reached out with a commanding gesture.
Puff!
Yuan Le spewed a mouthful of foul-smelling blood, which contained flecks of green light amidst the death aura that permeated the blood lake.
The cold fog rapidly solidified the blood lake, transforming it into a green blood crystal.
Within the green blood crystal lay mysterious symbols of death, incomprehensible to Yuan Le, symbols he could only attempt to erase, yet deliberately left untouched.
The blood crystal settled before Yu Yuan's forehead on the Dragon Slaying Stage, which reverted to its pristine white surface, cradling the crystal.
Yu Yuan narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing it closely.
Simultaneously, whoosh!
The Phoenix Shrine, perched atop Zhiya's expansive wings, was swiftly enshrouded by a thick purple miasma, revealing a doorway.
Yu Zhu appeared at the threshold.
Yu Zhu, unchanged in her appearance, had become the co-ruler of the Phoenix Shrine. Still petite and slender, she donned an intricately patterned purple robe and a violet gold crown.
She greeted Yu Yuan with a gentle smile.
Her presence began to permeate the Phoenix Shrine, as the bloodline mysteries within the hall were refined by her body and soul.
One by one, the Moonfang Tiger, golden deer, Iron-winged Bird, Darkgold Beast, crow, and silver wolf—all tenth-level Dark Deity Beast Gods—departed from the Phoenix Shrine, making their way to the Beast God Temple on the opposite wing.
"From this moment forward, the Phoenix Shrine is yours. You are now the leader of the Phoenix Clan."
Zhiya spoke affectionately at the entrance of the Beast God Temple, confident in her conquest of the temple and its successful consecration.
Yuan Le and the Primal Blood of this realm can forget about reclaiming ownership of the Beast God Temple.
As soon as she acquired the Beast God Temple, she entrusted the Phoenix Shrine, which she had painstakingly created over countless years, to her daughter.
"Thank you, mother."
Yu Zhu nodded gently, accepting the Phoenix Shrine with serenity. She promptly engraved the Mind Magic she had mastered into the Phoenix Shrine.
Her brilliance was unparalleled; her insight into Soul Power surpassed that of all the Beast Gods in the Wasteland.
Her soul was extraordinary, bearing the core mark of the mightiest Primal Soul in existence.
The black goat within the Beast God Temple sensed the transformation of the Phoenix Shrine and the enigmatic Mind Magic, feeling a wave of intense fear.
The black goat acutely perceived that as Yu Zhu inscribed her soul onto the Phoenix Shrine, it was as if she was reshaping the entire Wasteland!
The Wasteland, unified by Primal Blood, suffered from the absence of Primal Soul and Primal Vitality, rendering the spirits of its native beings inherently weak.
Within the Wasteland's Star River energy, the scarcity of Soul Power greatly restricted the spiritual might of its inhabitants.
The Mind Magic she had acquired in the Origin Realm seemed trivial before Yu Zhu.
As Yu Zhu merged with the Phoenix Shrine, the very fabric of the Wasteland silently underwent a monumental shift.
...
Elsewhere.
After corralling all the ghosts at the border between the Wasteland and the Origin Realm, Youyu pondered whether to notify Yu Yuan.
He intended to return to the Origin Realm and planned to inform the Primal Vitality that the Wasteland was not yet fit for resettlement.
Not at this time, at least.
As he was about to depart, a fresh Root of the Lunar Meridian within the soul stone was suddenly permeated by a soul.
Startled, Youyu extracted the Root of the Lunar Meridian from the soul stone, revealing the expansive, murky river before his eyes.
"There's no rush to leave. The Wasteland will undergo a transformation because of me, and future beings will understand the importance of refining their souls."
Yu Zhu's voice echoed from the depths of the Root of the Lunar Meridian.
The nascent Root of the Lunar Meridian, touched by Yu Zhu's power, suddenly blossomed with greater wisdom, becoming a fitting "Undead Lord" for the Primal Vitality.
"Wait a moment."
The newly emerged Root of the Lunar Meridian shared its thoughts.
Youyu paused briefly, nodded in agreement, and said, "Alright." He then waited patiently.
With a whoosh, a multicolored rainbow pierced through the barrier from the Origin Realm.
Within the rainbow's glow, there was a hefty tome, upon which stood two Dragon Gods, Zhong Chichen and Loong Jie, as well as Green Willow, a Dark Deity in human form. They were all perched atop the book.
"I knew it would work!" Zhong Chichen exclaimed with a delighted smile. "The barriers between the realms have become much weaker than before! If my mastery of the Spacetime Rule can break through, it means that many powerful beings like me can also penetrate the barrier of the Origin Realm and step into the Wasteland! Hehe, just as those Beast Gods invaded our world, we can now enter theirs!"
"I wonder if Yu Yuan managed to acquire what he was after, or if he found the Secular Bird Queen."
While Zhong Chichen, Loong Jie, and Green Willow were conversing, they noticed Youyu and asked in surprise, "Why are you still here?"
"Why have you come?" inquired Youyu, equally puzzled.
"Now that we can come and go as we please, we thought we'd check out the Wasteland," Zhong Chichen explained cheerfully. "Green Willow and Loong Jie suspect that the Water Spirit and Golden Spirit might exist here in the Wasteland, so they're taking a chance to see if they're right."
"Wasteland!" A glint of excitement shone from deep within Green Willow's vertical pupil. "This is the birthplace of the alien beasts. Could this truly be my homeland?"
"Maybe this place does hold the Water Source!" Green Willow's lifeblood emerged from his chest, transforming into droplets that drifted along the Star River of the Wasteland, slowly drifting away.
The droplets served as extensions of Green Willow, reaching out across the vast expanse of the Wasteland to sense the presence of the Water Spirit.
