C2210 Two More Levels Appeared in the Wasteland!
Above the Abyss, beneath the shroud of darkness, the nine radiant layers of the sealing wall suddenly pulsed with immense power, as if making a grand request of the universe itself.
Each layer of the wall was alive with a myriad of dazzling cosmic phenomena, reminiscent of the eight Primal Animas resurrected and working in unison to maintain the seal.
Crack! Crack!
One-third of the sixty-four land fragments that had sunk with the Genesis Continent and clung to a layer of the wall now silently fractured.
Most of these shattered lands were rich with lightning and ice energy, and their power was formidable!
Once broken, the fragments plummeted into the wall below, where the secrets of the eight Primal Animas—gold, wood, water, fire, earth, sun, moon, stars, thunder, and ice—stripped them of their residual energies.
The unleashed lightning dispersed like ripples across a pond, while the ice energy morphed into vast icebergs and icicles, piling up within the wall.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The energy-depleted land fragments passed through all nine layers of the wall and emerged in the Abyss of Truth.
These powerless shards were indistinguishable from the broken remnants of worlds and stars scattered throughout the real Abyss—like discarded refuse, they lay in the desolate heap, keeping silent company with the forsaken depths.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two new layers of sealing walls materialized above the Abyss, swiftly infused with the mysteries of the ten Primal Animas.
Gold, wood, water, fire, earth, sun, moon, stars, thunder, and ice!
Below, the desiccated yellow leaves of the Tree of Life rustled, and lightning crackled. The cries of the Thunder Spirit transformed into subdued peals of thunder, audible only to the Tree of Life and Qi Yunhong.
"The thunder magic innate to my being!"
"For countless eons, I've gathered and pondered the secrets of thunder from across the world!"
"It is imbued with my power!"
The Thunder Spirit wailed.
In a corner of the eleventh layer of the sealing wall, Lin Daoke, Master of the Sword Sect, was cleaving a silver star when a Gold Mountain suddenly burst asunder. In an instant, it transformed into millions of golden sword lights, hurtling towards him.
Millions of razor-sharp ice shards, intermingled with lightning, emerged alongside the golden sword light, closing in on him in the blink of an eye.
It was too fast!
Lin Daoke's brow furrowed as the primordial spirit sword, nurtured deep within his forehead, was compelled to soar out, shattering the sky's Primal Anima manifestations. He bellowed, "Two more layers of seals have been added!"
Bertain let out a stifled groan, his thoughts in disarray, as if a mysterious presence had descended into the sealing wall that encircled them. This new arrival wielded the power to govern all the cosmic orders within the sealing wall.
Bertain suddenly realized that the sealing wall had an owner; someone was manipulating its workings, aiming to fulfill an unspeakable purpose. "Two more layers?" he wondered aloud.
Upon Lin Daoke's prompt, Bertain cautiously extended his devil soul's perception and, indeed, the nine layers of the sealing wall had imperceptibly expanded to eleven. The lands that had been pressing down on the wall from above had diminished by a third.
Bertain's Devil Eyes radiated divine brilliance as his enigmatic spiritual sense seemed to rewind time, revealing scenes within the wall that were previously hidden from him. He saw that the fragmented continents had transformed into massive meteors plummeting into the Abyss of Truth.
The energy once contained within the lands had been completely stripped away by the eleven layers of the sealing wall, leaving nothing behind. "As geese leave feathers in their wake, so did Yu Yuan leave a trace of his ice energy and thunder magic after his real body entered. The energies from the exploding lands, once integrated into the seal, resulted in the addition of two more layers," Bertain deduced, rubbing his temples. "Escaping from this will be even more challenging now."
"Where's Yu Yuan?" Lin Daoke inquired.
Bertain fell silent, his spiritual sense continuing its backward journey. After a moment, he replied, "He's gone to the Wasteland."
Both Bertain and Lin Daoke were visibly astonished by this revelation. Bertain wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't personally witnessed Yu Yuan entering the Dao Elephant at the Peak of Creation.
...
At the Peak of Creation, Mother Earth's expression was grave as she observed the two new layers enveloping the Wellspring of Creation, sensing the fresh infusion of ice and thunder profound meanings mingling with the previous nine layers. "His power has infiltrated. You'd best resolve this quickly," she advised.
Her voice echoed from the deep red rock walls of the mountain's belly. Inside the cave, Yu Yuan's Solar Spirit was nowhere to be found. The Primal Blood of this realm had transformed into the Tree of Life in its nascent form, its roots, trunk, and leaves all encased within a deep red blood membrane.
The entire tree, ensnared by a blood cocoon, resembled a living entity in the throes of a strange transformation. Within its vibrant core, Mother Earth struggled to detect the spiritual consciousness of the Primal Blood. Through the translucent blood membrane, she could barely make out the blood lightning coursing through the Tree of Life's branches—a sinister force belonging to Yu Yuan, relentlessly consuming the faint glimmers of blood that twinkled like distant stars, intent on eradicating the Primal Blood completely. It was clear that Yu Yuan had discovered a method to refine the Primal Blood and was on the cusp of success.
"I wonder how Yuan Le is faring," she mused.
With a silent invocation of her powers, Mother Earth shifted the ethereal Peak of Creation across the void, traversing millions of miles of the Star River in a mere moment. She arrived at the Wellspring of Creation, where the Phoenix Shrine stood, immersed in a thick sea of purple demon energy, seemingly encircled by the winding Levi River.
A newly matured purple phoenix, exuding the authority of a deity presiding over the souls of all creatures in the Wasteland, emitted an ancient and enigmatic soulful presence that astonished even Mother Earth. The essence of the purple phoenix, infused with the essence of both Primal Soul and Primal Vitality, spread quietly through the Wasteland, forming the most fundamental and central structure of the soul.
From the depths, a phantom shaped like a blood ape emerged, its silent roars of fury echoing through the abyss as it drifted up from the depths. The beast soul of the giant ape was engulfed by the Phoenix Shrine.
With a whoosh, the colossal Beast God Temple soared from the depths of the purple sea, as if it had always been lurking beneath the surface. The temple's doors creaked open, releasing a procession of Beast Gods who had once pledged allegiance to Yuan Le. Creatures such as the black goat, the Death Viper, the smilodon, the Kylin, the Starbeast God, and the Blood Stripe Beast God emerged in succession.
Hovering above the turbulent purple sea, the Beast Gods watched intently. Among them, the Moonfang Tiger, the golden deer, the Iron-winged Bird, and other Beast Gods loyal to Zhiya also made their appearance.
All the Beast Gods gazed into the churning purple demon energy with profound intensity. Though their eyes could not perceive anything within the tumult, they could sense the heart-pounding waves of demon energy that pulsed through the air.
Since Zhiya had commanded them to leave the Beast God Temple and gaze upon the purple sea of demon energy, they had no choice but to comply.
Time passed, unmeasured.
The churning purple depths eventually stilled, the sea of purple ink obscuring everything, impenetrable to the vital energy of the Beast Gods.
They could see nothing.
As restlessness began to take hold among the Beast Gods, with some on the verge of directly questioning Zhiya, a colossal skeleton emerged slowly from the now tranquil purple sea of demon energy.
The skeleton was stark white, devoid of flesh, sinew, or organs.
It was the skeletal form of a giant ape.
All the Beast Gods fell into a hushed silence, their expressions frozen in shock as they beheld the skeleton.
The Lord of Ruin, who had reigned supreme for countless years and led the alien beast race to its zenith, had perished in this purple sea, his flesh and blood utterly consumed.
What could Yuan Le's remaining massive skeleton possibly convey to the Beast Gods?
Was it a sign that henceforth, Zhiya would be the new Lord of Ruin?
"Hall Master, there's also... the one in the Peak of Creation."
The golden deer, having long sworn fealty to the Dark Phoenix and become a member of Shadow's Keep in the Wasteland, spoke up softly, emboldened by Zhiya's favor.
At its words, the Beast Gods turned their gaze to the nearby Peak of Creation, as prompted by the golden deer.
Mother Earth's expression grew cool.
The Star of Light, which hovered above her, retreated fearfully behind the Wellspring of Creation, as though wary of attracting the Dark Phoenix Zhiya's attention.
"The Primal Blood within the Peak of Creation is nearing its end. There's no need for concern," Zhiya stated with detached calm.
The revelation sent a wave of horror through the Beast Gods of the Wasteland, leaving them more bewildered and uncertain about their future.
The Primal Blood in the Peak of Creation wasn't just Yuan Le; it was the lifeblood of the entire Wasteland, the divine essence capable of crowning the Lord of Ruin!
If it were to perish, what future, what hope, would remain for the Wasteland?
"I shall replace him perfectly," Zhiya stated once more.
