C2213 The Great Fusion of the Mysteries
Had Mother Earth foreseen the scene that unfolded after Zhiya entered the Wellspring of Creation, she would have never permitted her to approach it.
She harbored an inexplicable hostility toward the Dark Phoenix, Zhiya. Yet, the Lord of Ruin, Yuan Le, only inspired disgust and animosity in her, not the same level of hostility. Yuan Le, a supreme being forged by the Primal Blood of this realm, was considered an equal to the Primal Blood in her eyes, which made him unworthy of her regard.
However, upon first laying eyes on Zhiya, she sensed something amiss, a premonition that Zhiya would become a significant threat. Her awakening to the seven emotions and six desires was recent, and her time in a physical body was brief, leaving her unaccustomed to the surge of new thoughts and feelings.
She had intended to watch Zhiya perish in the Wellspring of Creation, but the sight of the terrifying mass of flesh and blood, docilely extending its tendrils, immediately set off alarm bells. Yet, when she decided to intervene, she found herself at a loss for how to proceed, as Zhiya was already inside the Wellspring of Creation.
Having previously suffered greatly within the dazzling confines of the wall, she was loath to breach its barriers again and take action within the protections of the Wellspring of Creation. She had no choice but to wait outside.
"Hall Master!"
"Our new king!"
The Beast Gods, steadfast in their loyalty to Shadow's Keep and recently sworn to Zhiya, were visibly astounded. The image of the Dark Phoenix, Zhiya, grew immensely imposing, as if she had been instantly enshrined in myth.
The words of Zhong Chichen, along with the Moonfang Tiger's elucidation, struck a chord of terror in the Beast Gods as they realized the flesh and blood within the Wellspring of Creation was perhaps the most fearsome anomaly in existence. This entity surpassed both their creators and the Primal Blood of the Origin Realm!
Could Zhiya truly have made contact with such a being? The Beast Gods overflowed with boundless anticipation for the new ruler of the Wasteland, believing that under her reign, all beings of the Wasteland would ascend to unprecedented heights of martial prowess!
"Green Willow."
The Astral Tiger, as majestic as a mountain, tread upon a cloud brimming with killing intent, drawing near to the Book of Time from the deep purple sea of demon energy.
"It's been a while."
Green Willow, a fellow Dark Deity, acknowledged with a nod from afar. Anticipating the Astral Tiger's purpose, he spoke up, "Our paths diverge, leading us to different fates. I owe much to the Untamed, but I have no desire to bow to Yuan Le as he does. And regarding the Hall Master, I must apologize. I've grown accustomed to my solitude and wish not to be bound by the influence of any sect."
The cloud beneath the Astral Tiger stilled.
Indeed, he had intended to invite Green Willow back to Shadow's Keep.
Back in the Everlands, they were contemporaries among the evilkind's strongest. Though he was slightly older, the difference in age was not significant.
At that time, the Everlands' Origin was scarce, and Shadow's Keep's share was minimal. With Zhiya, the Kylin, and the Untamed firmly occupying the three seats, he had only managed to secure the highest position through Zhiya's efforts.
Unless the Kylin perished and the Untamed fell, as long as he survived, there would be no opportunity for Green Willow.
Under the constraints of the Everlands' cosmic order, without access to the Origin, Green Willow's combat prowess alone would not suffice to ascend to Dark Deity status.
Ultimately, persuaded by Boulderdawn, Green Willow risked it all for a Supreme God seat.
The Astral Tiger held great esteem for this former peer of his race. With Yuan Le gone and Zhiya's formidable spirit revealed, he extended an invitation to Green Willow.
"Are you sure you won't reconsider?"
"No, thank you."
"Very well, I respect your decision."
The Astral Tiger resigned himself to disappointment.
Standing by the Phoenix Shrine, Green Willow gazed at Yu Zhu through the open doorway.
Within the ranks of the Dark Phoenix Zhiya, Yu Zhu, second only to the Demon Phoenix herself, offered a respectful bow to Green Willow, saying, "I will speak with Mother Earth and ensure she doesn't trouble you."
Green Willow offered a smile, though he was about to say such measures were unnecessary.
However, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of Zhiya at the Wellspring of Creation and abruptly changed his tune, "Then I'll thank Miss Yu."
Zhiya's pale finger pierced through the red membrane, reaching the space occupied by the peculiar mass of flesh.
The odd flesh, which had been dormant for quite some time, began to stir slowly, as if roused by her touch.
Her finger, once imperceptible within the space of flesh and blood, swelled to an immense size due to the continuous infusion and amplification of the Dark Phoenix's power. It transformed into a totem pole of white jade, representing the evilkind.
The totem pole, refined from her single finger, bore the ancient totems of thirty-six evilkind from the Everlands.
The Black Serpent, Moonfang Tiger, Golden Elephant, Kylin, Phoenix, Giant Ape, and numerous other ancient evilkind totems came to life, seemingly struggling to escape the confines of the totem pole.
This bore a striking resemblance to the Celestial Pillar of Life, which Yuan Le had crafted, both containing the essence of bloodline and life power.
Following Yuan Le's demise, she seized the Celestial Pillar of Life and delved into its intricacies, managing to craft a totem pole that encompassed the thirty-six ancient evilkind totems with just her finger.
The grand totem pole symbolized the most powerful thirty-six ancient evilkind of the Everlands at their zenith.
The Nagas claimed five of these, the Phoenix one, leaving thirty ancient evilkind.
Through the passage of time, some of these thirty ancient evilkind vanished, others remained formidable, and still others were supplanted by different groups.
These thirty-six ancient evilkind were once validated as capable of birthing a Dark Deity or having had one emerge from their midst.
The remaining evilkind, not of this caliber, were born with nascent spiritual wisdom, requiring successive breakthroughs in their bloodlines to suddenly awaken to intellect at a pivotal moment.
With the fall of the Nagas, Shadow's Keep emerged as the emblem of the Everlands, and henceforth, Zhiya reigned supreme over all evilkind.
She crafted thirty-six totem poles, each representing an ancient demon, and devised the Starborne Ritual of Primeval Demons to subdue the Abyssal Leviathan within the Embers Sea.
At that moment, the white jade totem pole she had formed from a segment of her finger encapsulated the essence of all thirty-six totem poles!
Tentacles, resembling those of a fearsome anaconda, emerged from the bizarre, multicolored flesh and coiled around the white jade totem pole she had shaped with her finger.
The tentacles constricted around the totem pole, as though attempting to integrate with it and become an integral part of the totem.
Hiss, hiss!
Invisible to the naked eye, a ghostly lightning and an elusive Life Seed coursed through the anaconda-like tentacles, transferring from the mass of flesh into the white jade totem pole.
Zhiya's smile grew even more pronounced.
Her features were individually beautiful, but their combination had previously seemed somewhat awkward and unnatural. Now, they were undergoing a remarkable transformation.
It was as if a universally acclaimed goddess of beauty had, with an expert touch, reconfigured her facial features.
With minor adjustments to the spacing of her features, her once unnatural appearance, though seemingly unchanged, was now entirely different.
Her exquisitely beautiful face suddenly took on a natural look, shedding any hint of artificiality.
It appeared effortlessly perfect!
Unexpectedly, it was her face that first transformed after she used her finger to merge into the white jade totem pole and manipulated the tentacles to encircle it.
"This is the manifestation of the cosmic order!"
Zhong Chichen narrowed his eyes in close observation, then, as if struck by a sudden revelation, he spoke with reverence, "The Dark Phoenix has received an immense blessing!"
"What?" Green Willow exclaimed, bewildered.
"The life and bloodline rules that she has been pondering are now fusing together, gradually forming a cohesive whole," Zhong Chichen explained with a grave tone, inhaling deeply before adding, "It's truly astonishing."
Loong Jie, scratching his head, admitted, "Rainbow Sage, I'm lost."
"Our shared ancestor, after his descent into the Everlands, harnessed the Secrets of Life from the Primal Blood, transforming it into a mighty rain of blood. This lifeblood gave rise to our Naga lineage. The flesh consumed by the original Fellbeasts allowed them to evolve into Dark Deities, with the potential to ascend even higher."
"However, the complete Secrets of Life that our old ancestor once possessed became fragmented after his death."
"The Dark Phoenix has gathered an extensive array of bloodline mysteries from the Everlands, incorporating those of our Nagas and thirty other ancient evilkinds. Yet, they remain incomplete."
"She is inherently flawed."
"In her quest to fill the gaps in the Secrets of Life, she hunted cosmic giant beasts beyond our world. She even enlisted the help of the Colddeath and extraterrestrial alien beasts to explore the Laws of Life from the Wasteland."
"Regrettably, the life and bloodline mysteries she amassed have never formed a complete system."
"She cobbled together bits and pieces, insatiably seeking more, which only led to her Way of Heaven becoming increasingly disordered. Despite exhausting her strength and intellect to devise an all-encompassing solution, she has never been successful."
"This incompleteness and imperfection are also evident in her physical form. She managed well enough when shaping her human body, but her features lacked natural grace when she sculpted them, resulting in an unnatural appearance."
"In truth, it is her Secrets of Life that are unnatural, for she is fundamentally a hodgepodge."
"But now..."
Zhong Chichen spoke with grave solemnity, his voice hushed so that only Loong Jie and Green Willow could hear.
"The bloodline mysteries of the thirty-six ancient evilkinds of the Everlands, the profound truths of the cosmic giant beasts slain by her hand, and the powerful secrets of alien beast bloodlines have at last been flawlessly integrated within her!"
"Through that corrupt mass of flesh and blood, she has achieved both sublimation and a breakthrough!"
"She now stands on par with the eleventh-level Solar Spirits like Yuan Le and Yu Yuan, ascending to the zenith of blood magic. Her accomplishments are certain to surpass those of Yuan Le, and as for Yu Yuan... it's hard to say."
Zhong Chichen was filled with a sense of wonder.
Green Willow, also of evilkind, listened to Zhong Chichen's discourse and, upon gazing once more at the Dark Phoenix, a newfound respect welled up within him.
Regardless of circumstances, both Zhiya and he were born of the native evilkind of the Everlands.
The emergence of such a miraculous being from the evilkind filled him, a descendant, with a sense of pride and longing.
Deep within the caverns of the Peak of Creation.
The last vestige of spiritual sense within the Primal Blood, enshrined in the Tree of Life that shimmered like a blood-red crystal, was finally extinguished by Yu Yuan.
As the Primal Blood was extinguished, a fragment of Mother Earth's spiritual sense manifested on a dark red rock face.
"Dark Phoenix Zhiya has ventured into the Wellspring of Creation, reaching for the orb of flesh."
Mother Earth, adopting the form of a Dao Elephant, retained her ethereal human shape, casting her projection upon the rock wall.
She fixated on the Tree of Life, attuned to the gradually reviving essence of Yu Yuan. Observing the branches, sharp as swords of blood, retracting into the trunk, she declared, "You must act immediately."
"Should I enter the Wellspring of Creation and vie for the orb of flesh with Zhiya?" Yu Yuan's chuckle resonated within the trunk.
