C2219
"Why can't the Solar Spirit come?"
Yu Yuan sneered as he leaped from one sealed layer into an intensely hot world.
Volcanoes erupted with ferocious flames, and rivers of lava drifted through the air. Scorched stars dotted the sky, creating a scene even more daunting than the Embers Star.
A colossal sun bobbed within the sea of blazing fire, as if it were a plaything.
Crack!
Streaks of lightning, honed by fire magic, surged toward Yu Yuan, piercing through the protective screen of vital energy that had formed around him, threatening to char his flesh to cinders.
Narrowing his eyes, Yu Yuan discerned the essence of a hundred different Emberfiend bloodlines within the oncoming lightning, transforming into arcane fire symbols.
Fire Kylins, fire phoenixes, fire lions, flamingos, and numerous other Emberfiends he had never encountered seemed to be miniaturized, rampaging within the bolts of lightning.
They sent waves crashing against his Bloodwraith and body.
"Do you really have to go for the kill the moment we meet, considering we're acquaintances?"
Behind Yu Yuan, the massive Wheel of Life materialized, its deep crimson hue slowly turning, conjuring an imposing vista capable of engulfing all life. Inside the wheel, lightning flashed, thunder roared, and light and darkness alternated, revealing the Way of Heaven that many masters from the Abyss, Origin Realm, and Wasteland had sought their entire lives.
The lightning, laden with the bloodline mysteries of the Emberfiends, vanished into the Wheel of Life without causing so much as a ripple.
Boom!
The scarlet dome of the sky wall burst open, and Yu Yuan shattered the encircling flames of blazing fire, successfully reaching the area beyond the Celestial Pillar of Life.
"It's a relief you're not dead."
Looking down, he saw Zhiya had dodged the golden sword light, her vitality flourishing. He spoke indifferently, "Go on out first, Yu Zhu is waiting for you outside."
A harsh look flashed across Zhiya's stunning face as she retorted, "You could die a thousand, ten thousand times, and I still wouldn't!"
She was utterly ungrateful.
"I'm not the one who's going to die."
With a cold huff, Yu Yuan turned his attention away from her and strode unhurriedly toward the sea of flames.
In the midst of the resplendent twilight, Yu Yuan stood at the Dragon Slaying Stage, his demeanor as serene as still water. The souls from the Great Demon God Bertain had been quelled, and the sword light Lin Daoke had earlier unleashed vanished with Yu Yuan's arrival. Bertain and Lin Daoke, though elsewhere, seemed to recognize his presence, discerning his distinct aura. Perhaps he had the ability to project his unique essence across realms.
Amidst erupting volcanoes and charred, fiery stars, Yu Yuan glided effortlessly, untouched by any assault of metal, wood, water, fire, lightning, ice, or the spirits of sun, moon, and stars.
Zhiya, with her delicate and refined features, showed a look of astonishment. After a brief hesitation, she reached out tentatively. Her gesture shattered a golden sword light and she descended upon the Celestial Pillar of Life, engulfed in blazing fire. A deep connection sparked between the hidden bloodmark within the pillar and her fingertip.
With a whoosh, the Celestial Pillar of Life materialized before her, and her elegant, statuesque form gracefully alighted upon its summit. Barefoot, her feet as finely crafted as purple jade, were surrounded by clusters of vibrant red bloodmarks.
As she stepped down, the bloodmarks transformed into dragons, phoenixes, Astral Serpents, Golden Elephants, and Kylins. In the Everlands, the ancestral Dark Deities of thirty-six ancient evilkind species materialized one after another, amassing combat strength and vital energy beneath her crimson soles.
Moreover, a crimson tree dominated a vast expanse atop the pillar, radiating a brilliant blood light. The ancient evilkind ancestors, each a tenth-level giant dragon, received an immense boost as if the enigmatic tree had augmented their bloodlines and strength.
The Celestial Pillar of Life burst forth with infinite blood light, forming layers of blood-hued veils that shrouded her. Remarkably, she felt none of the intense heat from the fiery world around her.
Zhiya's brow furrowed slightly, her stern visage softening a touch as she asked coldly, "What are you here for?"
"If you can be here, why can't I?" Yu Yuan responded icily, his back still to her, not bothering to turn and face her.
"Is this your true form?" Yu Yuan's attention was captured by the spherical reflection amidst the sea of fire.
I couldn't help but chuckle. "You, with the Primal Soul of the Abyss, have acquired the emotions and desires of a normal living being. You also understand how to shape your spiritual sense into a spirited body. Hmm, your aesthetic standards clearly differ from those of other Primal Animas. Your spirited body image is... somewhat crudely crafted."
After Mother Earth and the Light Spirit had experienced a wealth of emotions, they endeavored to craft a more striking image for themselves when shaping their spiritual sense.
The Light Spirit was youthful and radiant, while Mother Earth exuded a regal and dignified presence. Both were of exceptional beauty.
Yet, the Fire Spirit, concealed within the heart of the Everlands and long dormant, had yet to reveal its appearance, though its form seemed a tad bloated.
"I like it just fine," it declared.
The voice of the Fire Spirit, full of blazing fire's impatience, echoed through the newly forged world of flames.
It was brimming with confidence.
It had never anticipated that, after being infused with a spiritual sense by its allied Primal Soul and entering this enigmatic wall, it would immediately encounter a kindred fire magic.
With the Primal Soul's assistance, its experience differed greatly from that of Mother Earth, the Light Spirit, and the Uxthar Tree.
During the exchange of fire magic, it retained its own consciousness, and the flame energy it transmitted seamlessly merged with the wall's fiery essence.
It was acutely aware that all this was a boon from the Primal Soul, sparing it the need for any significant sacrifice.
When the Primal Soul facilitated access, its spiritual sense galloped through the wall, as if it had become a co-ruler of this realm. The power at its disposal, the fire magic it now wielded, was even more formidable than the flames at the Heart of the Everlands!
The ultimate flame power was a scourge to all living creatures, capable of incinerating everything.
Within its divine domain, it was supremely confident when confronting Yu Yuan and the Dark Phoenix, both of whom depended on their formidable bodies and the essence of Primal Blood.
Moreover, here it didn't need to depend on Yuan Lianyao to wield its power!
It was also aware that on the other side, it could tap into the strength of Bertain and Lin Daoke, continuing to bewilder them and ensuring they kept exerting their force.
"You've been stirring unrest for years, and Mo Baichuan, whom I had chosen, perished because of you. You've always sought to surpass me, to reach the Heart of the Everlands." His featureless, indistinct face turned toward Zhiya, his tone laced with mockery. "But to what end? Did you really think your meticulous schemes went unnoticed?"
"I had hoped you might ascend to the eleventh level, entering the Heart of the Everlands in your exalted form, so that I could extract the Secrets of Life bestowed by your Primal Blood."
"Alas, you failed to achieve this. You have been a great disappointment to us."
The 'us' he referred to was, of course, himself and the Primal Soul from the Abyss.
"With the Lord of the Abyss, Yu Yuan, we no longer have a need for you. Your time has come to an end."
The sea of blazing fire roared tumultuously.
Scorched, charcoal-like stars, erupting volcanoes, and countless flame meteors all swerved to avoid Yu Yuan's Celestial Pillar of Life as it surged toward Zhiya.
"As long as I am present, you should show some respect!"
A majestic figure, as if rising from the depths of a fiery ocean, materialized as Yu Yuan's words fell. To the Blazing Fire's astonishment, this towering being of flesh and blood swiftly transformed into a massive, crimson ancient tree.
Branches like red crystal pierced through stars, rent asunder volcanoes, and sliced through the myriad of flaming meteors into fragments.
From within the colossal Tree of Life, the sound of a powerful heartbeat resonated.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The throbbing disrupted the foundation of the Blazing Fire's carefully crafted forbidden area, shattering the underlying rules of fire and leaving the Blazing Fire's powers unsustainable.
In an instant, the flame energy, once concentrated by the Blazing Fire, dissipated into the surrounding barriers.
The sea of fire, once the domain of the Blazing Fire, now seemed to be doused by hail, gradually extinguishing.
"Leave this place to me; I can handle it."
Yu Yuan's voice emerged from the Tree of Life, brimming with the essence of this world, "Once I've dealt with the Blazing Fire, I'll have questions for you."
"Are you deaf?!" Yu Yuan's voice thundered.
"It was you! You're the one who stole what rightfully belonged to me! It was you!"
Zhiya let out a piercing scream. She sensed the breath of life emanating from the flesh and blood within the Tree of Life.
Within the innermost reaches of the Wellspring of Creation, the mass of flesh and blood responded, writhing as it unleashed a magnetic field capable of warping all living beings.
Outside, all the Beast Gods, along with Yu Zhu, the Astral Tiger, and the black goat, suddenly went into a frenzy and charged toward the source.
