C2212 Disbelief
The eleven-layered seal shimmered like a kaleidoscopic curtain of light, enveloping the flesh and blood within the pool as if it were a series of alternate dimensions. The mesmerizing brilliance captivated the Beast God and the Light Origin Spirit, leaving them slightly bewildered.
Zhiya, in her human form, paused abruptly upon entering the first layer of the seal. Her face, a paragon of beauty, was suddenly alight with excitement, and her eyes sparkled with a sheen akin to that of the seal itself.
"You really dare," Mother Earth exclaimed, her tone shifting from mockery to a gentle acknowledgment. "Perhaps you can no longer hear my voice, but I urge you to delve deeper. Do not stop."
"I hope you reach that orb of vibrant flesh and blood," she whispered faintly.
"I can hear you," Zhiya responded promptly, remaining within the first layer of the seal. Though she seemed worlds apart from Mother Earth, she appeared to see her clearly and declared, "You and I, along with these so-called Origin Spirits, are fundamentally different."
With that enigmatic statement, she advanced toward the second layer.
To the surprise of both Mother Earth and the Light Origin Spirit, Zhiya's intrusion into the eleven-layered seal caused no anomalies or disturbances. The calm was unexpected.
"Because she is a being of flesh and blood!" The Light Origin Spirit, whose consciousness resided within the stars, ventured to hover midair once Zhiya entered the Creation Pool. "We are Origin Spirits, inherently governing the principles of certain elements. What enters the seal is merely our consciousness and power."
"We lack corporeal forms. These seals impose no restrictions on beings of flesh and blood. In fact, they permit physical bodies to traverse the barriers and reach the mass of flesh and blood."
"The recent demise of the white python serves as potent evidence!" the Light Origin Spirit huffed.
Zhiya's haughty demeanor within the barrier seemed to place her above the Origin Spirits, irking the Light Origin Spirit.
"Indeed, that seems to be the case," Mother Earth concurred, her gaze fixed on the Demon Phoenix Zhiya as she navigated the seal. She watched with eager anticipation, hoping Zhiya would swiftly reach the mass of flesh and blood.
To enter was to embrace death.
"Lord Sky Tiger, do you think the Hall Master will be safe?"
Behind the White Divine Tiger, who had transformed into a majestic man, the golden giant deer that had not assumed human form expressed its concern with a hint of worry, "The Hall Master is the cornerstone of our faith. She must not come to any harm."
"Rest assured, she will not," the White Divine Tiger replied, his expression stern. He had already informed the Hall Master about all the oddities of the Creation Pool immediately after parting ways with Yu Yuan and making his way back to the Phoenix Shrine.
The peculiar vibrations and the mind-warping suction had instantly slain the three Beast Gods that pursued him, much like the white python.
Zhiya's composed reaction when he recounted the events took him by surprise. It was almost as if she had prior knowledge of the Creation Pool's existence and the bizarre, multicolored flesh within it. She seemed aware that whenever this flesh quivered, it would drive powerful creatures to lose control, hurling themselves towards the Creation Pool in a suicidal sacrifice.
The Sky Tiger suspected that the Hall Master's primary objective in commanding the Phoenix Shrine to this location was not vengeance against Yuen Bu—it was the Creation Pool itself.
"Your Highness!"
The black goat from the Beast Temple, now in the guise of an enchanting woman in a black dress, approached the Phoenix Shrine with the utmost reverence and bowed deeply.
The soul form of the purple phoenix swiftly transformed into the visage of Yu Zhu before descending into the shrine.
Yu Zhu made her appearance only after the doors of the shrine swung open. She regarded the black goat, now kneeling and trembling before her, with a cool and slightly displeased tone, "What do you want?"
"Your Highness, I humbly request to serve you in the Phoenix Shrine from now on!"
The black goat's face was a canvas of fervor and sycophancy as she gazed up at Yu Zhu with the reverence one might reserve for a deity, the sovereign of all souls. "You require attendants to manage various tasks for you. In the current state of the Desolate Realm, I am the most fitting candidate. Please, Your Highness, grant me this honor!"
Her demeanor towards Yu Zhu was far more subservient than her conduct towards Zhiya of the Demon Clan or Yuen Bu, the King of the Desolate Realm. It was a devotion that stemmed from the depths of her soul.
Within the Phoenix Shrine, which had undergone an internal transformation, she sensed an ineffable mystery of the soul. The presence of Yu Zhu and the Phoenix Shrine had introduced many enigmatic soul laws to the Desolate Realm.
This revelation had not only stirred her but also the Black Mountain Goat herders and the alien beasts who had begun to practice Soul Arts.
She envisioned a near future where the alien beasts of the Desolate Realm would gradually master the secret arts of soul cultivation.
Moreover, the newly born alien beasts would possess innately powerful beast souls!
The weaknesses of the alien beast horde were set to change with Yu Zhu's arrival and the silent deeds of the Phoenix Shrine, leading to a breakthrough in the entire horde's evolution.
The transformation that Yu Zhu and the Phoenix Shrine had brought about in the Desolate Realm would be a boon to all its inhabitants!
It was an achievement that even Yuen Bu could not have accomplished in his lifetime.
"I will allow you to first examine the outer soul patterns of the Phoenix Shrine. Once you demonstrate understanding and potential, I will grant you entry," Yu Zhu stated impassively.
"Thank you for your grace!"
The black goat bowed deeply once more.
At that very moment,
Zhiya, having entered the Creation Pool's sealing barrier, navigated through successive layers of seals under the watchful eyes of Mother Earth, the Light Origin Spirit, and numerous Beast Gods.
She paused before the barrier adjacent to the mass of flesh and blood.
One more step, and she would cross the barrier, entering the space occupied by the mass of flesh and blood.
Even the White Divine Tiger, who had the utmost faith in her, and Yu Zhu, who had been conversing with the black goat, suddenly tensed and turned their attention to her.
Her pale, slender hands lightly touched the red membrane-like barrier, her lips curving into an enigmatic smile.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The tentacles sprouting from the bizarre flesh, as if detecting her unique scent, morphed into monstrous creatures resembling pythons and dragons, converging on the barrier at her palm.
Oddly, these typically savage tentacles refrained from their usual mid-journey combat and cannibalism.
They were unusually docile.
Even more peculiar was that, at the barrier where her palm rested, the tentacles did not violently collide or desperately batter against it.
The tips of the tentacles gently probed the red membrane, as if sniffing the scent wafting from Zhiya's palm through the barrier. To onlookers, the once menacing tentacles now seemed like docile pets under her care.
Mother Earth and the Light Origin Spirit exchanged glances, both visibly shaken by the sight before them. Despite their eons spent in the Illusion Abyss, neither could fathom why Zhiya, unlike the white python, wouldn't be consumed by the abyss.
There had to be a connection between the enigmatic mass of flesh and Zhiya!
"The Hall Master is truly..." Sky Tiger began, his voice low and filled with reverence, yet he struggled to find the right words to convey his awe.
The smilodon, the bone snake, the black mountain goat, the golden giant deer, and the hundred Beast Gods of the Desolate Realm were all profoundly moved by the spectacle.
Yu Zhu, however, remained comparatively composed, seemingly having anticipated that her mother could interact with the terrifying flesh unscathed.
"This!" The astonishment in Zhong Chichen's voice echoed from an unhealed rift in the void.
The Time Book, ancient and weighty, floated out effortlessly. Zhong Chichen, Loong Jie, and Demon God Lvliu were all fixated on the Creation Pool.
"Yu Yuan seized this Creation Pool from the mightiest Origin Spirit in the domain of the Darkness Origin Spirit and transported it countless miles to the Desolate Realm," Zhong Chichen mused, his expression a mix of amusement and bitterness. "Was it all to deliver it into your hands?"
He was struggling to grasp the scene that had unfolded before him.
Back in the Cold Domain, and throughout their journey, Yu Yuan had repeatedly told him that this flesh originated from the true abyss, from the now-extinct Origin Blood. Devoid of any spiritual consciousness, it was merely a distorted mass of flesh, intertwined with the Life Seeds of the abyss and immense blood energy.
Yu Yuan had confessed his inability to penetrate its mysteries, stating that only by harnessing the combined life forces of the Origin Blood from both the Desolate Realm and the Origin Realm could one possibly unlock the profound secrets of the flesh and claim it.
Yu Yuan had also revealed that he once probed the mass with an arm of the Yang God, only to have it devoured by the voracious flesh.
Zhong Chichen was now convinced that only Yu Yuan's Yang God, after grasping the true essence of the Origin Blood from the Desolate Realm, would be able to re-enter the Creation Pool and fathom the profound nature of that mass of flesh and blood.
Zhiya's actions at that moment shattered Zhong Chichen's preconceptions, striking him as sharply as a slap across the face.
"I refuse to believe it!" Mother Earth cried out in a piercing scream.
