C2231 The Crazy Phoenix
"What?"
Yu Yuan's spiritual form, round and substantial, began to take on a clearer shape within the confines of the heavy armor. His spiritual consciousness was amassing in vast quantities at the heart of the ocean. He had completed the integration of the fire laws from his Abyssal kin sealed within, successfully merging the refined fire rules with his spiritual consciousness.
"You should know that I've been fully committed to helping you advance, fulfilling all your needs," Yu Yuan's visage, crafted by the Origin Soul, said with a stern look, no longer gazing at the center of the seal but rather at Extreme Flame, who was gathering power.
"Yes, you have taken good care of me," Extreme Flame acknowledged.
"As you continue to ascend, you'll have the strength to reduce all flesh to ashes once you reach the highest level. You are the contingency I've been preparing for the future," Yu Yuan stated candidly. "The mightiest flame can incinerate all flesh, including the Abyss Origin Blood."
Extreme Flame chuckled, "I understand."
...
Within the microcosm of the Creation Pool, the colossal expanse of flesh, resembling a vast, multicolored land, undulated with Yu Yuan's arrival. Sovereigns who had once reigned supreme in the Abyss flickered momentarily before swiftly blending into the flesh.
Deep within the flesh, energies vast as oceans collided endlessly, their auras clashing and the various Bloodline Crystal Chains shattering amidst the fray. This flesh was an eternal battlefield.
From above, Yu Yuan sensed the ferocious species born in the Abyss, now engaged in ceaseless combat in their original forms, shrunk down by millions of times. Long dead, they had become part of the flesh, yet the profound truths of their bloodlines and powers had not been fully dissolved.
The residual impurities, clashing with each other and fueled by the energy of the flesh, had taken on this chaotic and bizarre form. Any powerful beings from the world outside, should they rush in, would uncontrollably merge into this mass of flesh and blood.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The surface of Yang God Yu's skin flickered with a crimson glow, like blood-colored butterflies in flight. Meanwhile, his true form in the outside world continued to unravel and decode the life's truths left by the Abyss Origin Blood on the eighth layer.
He understood that this peculiar mass of flesh and blood had become so chaotic simply because it was an accumulation of the flesh and blood of beings from the true Abyss, and without a consciousness to refine and purify it, it had remained in this tumultuous state.
At its core, nestled deep within its substantial flesh, was the very heart Yu Yuan had previously revealed!
The heart was not only its core but also its primal form. The mass of flesh that had accumulated around the heart had grown immensely, simply because it was fused with it.
A chaotic amalgamation would naturally result when the flesh and blood of all beings in the world were combined.
Yu Yuan just needed to thoroughly grasp the essence of the Abyss Origin Blood to become the missing piece of spiritual consciousness.
With that, he could take the lead in purifying and refining the impurities within the flesh.
What he needed was time.
...
"Even after refining the Origin Blood of the Desolate Realm and grasping the essence of the Origin Realm's Origin Blood, controlling this mass of twisted, raging flesh will take a considerable amount of time," he mused.
"And I will not afford him the luxury of time to gather his strength."
The Origin Soul, taking on Yu Yuan's visage, spoke again within the sealing barrier to the Extreme Flame.
His gaze, devoid of emotion, returned to the Great Demon God Beilstein, stating, "He's trapped inside. The key feature of the Myriad Spirit Restriction I've crafted is its one-way nature: easy to enter, but exceedingly difficult to leave."
He referred to the seals cloaking the Creation Pool and the true Abyss as the Myriad Spirit Restriction!
It signified the entrapment of countless Origin Spirits!
"Now that he cannot escape, I can proceed to eradicate your self-awareness and claim your body."
Upon hearing this, Beilstein erupted, "Kid, why didn't you get me, Lin Daoke, and the Demon Phoenix out before diving in?"
In the midst of his protest, the Great Demon God Beilstein exchanged covert glances with Lin Daoke and Zhiya. His Devil Soul's voice echoed in their minds: "We must unite to break free from this seal!"
Lin Daoke subtly nodded in agreement.
The Demon Phoenix, her expression icy, remained unresponsive.
"Teacher, there's no need to worry; you'll be safe," Yu Yuan reassured, offering a faint smile through the barrier to calm the Great Demon God.
"I'm extremely worried!" Beilstein retorted, visibly frustrated.
His thoughts shifted, and his eyes, glowing with a purple aura, suddenly focused on the armor engulfed by extreme flames.
On the armor's surface, Demonic Marks began to emerge, converging into an awe-inspiring Demonic Formation.
The Demonic Formation, swarming with countless demons, managed to suppress the spiritual consciousness of the extreme flame. Both the armor and the extreme flame within were drawn by the Demonic Formation, moving inexorably towards Beilstein.
Crackle!
As sparks erupted in every direction, the Law of Fire etched into the armor was yanked by the Demonic Formation and burst apart.
The spiritual body of the extreme flame, which had been solidifying, grew indistinct due to Beilstein's interference.
The blurriness signified a diminishing of the extreme flame's spiritual consciousness.
He grunted and spoke icily from within the armor, "This is the Myriad Spirit Restriction. Attempting such soul manipulations here is futile."
No sooner had he spoken than the piercing gaze of the Origin Soul settled upon the armor.
The forces of the Heavenly Dao converged, the brilliance of the sun, moon, and stars flared, and zeroed in on the armor!
With a soft pop, the array Beilstein had covertly inscribed inside the armor, which resonated with his soul, was instantly snuffed out.
Beilstein's face turned sour as he commanded, "Demon Phoenix, Lin, act quickly!"
Whoosh!
Lin Daoke withdrew the Yang God Sword from his chest, steadied his breath, and with laser focus, he unleashed a strike towards the heavens.
Beneath the dark azure sky, a majestic Gold Mountain loomed as if it were a finger pointing at Lin Daoke's earth-shattering sword.
Clang!
Lin Daoke's face twitched as the sword light shattered. In a flash, he followed the trajectory of his sword, charging towards the now hazy extreme flame.
He sensed that the seal behind the extreme flame was the most fragile, the easiest to breach.
"You all go outward, I'll go inward—no one is to command me!"
In this pivotal moment, Zhiya turned fierce, once again assuming her phoenix form.
The purple phoenix she transformed into did not head outward as Beilstein and Lin Daoke had hoped.
Instead, like Yang God Yu, she dove towards the deeper flesh of the Creation Pool at an astonishing speed.
"It's either death in there or I'll carve out a piece of flesh for myself!"
Zhiya's phoenix eyes blazed with frenzy and determination. She utterly disregarded Beilstein's plan and had no intention of collaborating with the others, choosing instead to follow her own path.
She never considered the bigger picture.
"An irrational madwoman."
Extreme Flame shook his head in disbelief as he watched Lin Daoke approach with his sword, while Zhiya charged headlong into the mass of flesh. "Is this what a crazy woman looks like? Having such an ally is truly a stroke of bad luck."
Clang!
The armor detached from his spiritual body, intercepting Lin Daoke's sword. Extreme Flame disappeared into the depths of a fiery inferno, declaring, "You can't break the seal. You'll all be worn down to death. That's your destiny."
His final remark was aimed at Lin Daoke.
Lin Daoke's sword thrusts rang against the armor, previously refined by Mo Baichuan, Yuan Lianyao, Beilstein, and himself, sending sparks flying in every direction, yet it remained unbroken.
"Crazy woman, you're going to get us both killed! Yu Yuan will be in trouble because of you!"
Beilstein couldn't contain his anger, lashing out at Zhiya's reckless behavior. "If you're so eager to die, do it on your own. Don't drag others down with you!"
Neither he nor Lin Daoke had anticipated that the Demon Phoenix, born from the vast expanse, wasn't trying to flee the Myriad Spirit Restriction but instead was heading straight into its heart!
It had been made clear that entering the Myriad Spirit Restriction was easy, but leaving was a different story.
The deeper one went, the more difficult it was to escape.
Together, he, Zhiya, and Lin Daoke might have a glimmer of hope to break the seal and escape.
Once they were out, the Demon Phoenix, lacking a suitable vessel for possession and relying solely on the Creation Pool and the Myriad Spirit Restriction in the Desolate Realm, would be powerless.
That individual also seemed wary of the flesh within the Creation Pool, not daring to venture too close.
If they managed to escape, Yu Yuan would have ample time to subdue the mass of flesh in the Creation Pool and harness its power to shatter the seal.
Beilstein had quickly devised this viable strategy, which Zhiya, evidently, had not embraced.
She could have simply ignored the advice, but instead, she plunged even deeper, vying with Yu Yuan for that mass of flesh and blood!
Swoosh!
Amidst the Great Demon God's curses, Demon Phoenix Zhiya effortlessly breached the barrier and entered the small world housing the multicolored flesh.
Her icy gaze fixated on the flesh beneath Yu Yuan's feet, her broad wings shimmering with a metallic sheen like massive blades. "This flesh should be mine!"
"You've lost your mind."
Yu Yuan shook his head, considering the Demon Palace Sovereign who had intruded to be even more volatile than the flesh at his feet.
"Without grasping the life principles it embodies, you'll never possess it. Your reckless entry now serves no purpose other than to complicate my situation."
"And to think, I considered rescuing you from the Myriad Spirit Restriction. You truly have a death wish."
Disappointment etched across Yu Yuan's face, he anticipated that Zhiya's presence would inevitably stir trouble.
And trouble came!
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Sinister tentacles, resembling colossal serpentine dragons, burst forth from the flesh, lunging at the transformed purple phoenix that was Zhiya.
Gulp!
Deep within the flesh, a formidable abyssal presence seemed to salivate, coveting the blood energy within the Demon Phoenix.
Upon Yu Yuan's arrival, he had witnessed the Abyss Overlords dissolve into the flesh, and now, they were reemerging.
The scent that had attracted the Abyss Overlords to Yu Yuan was the essence of the flesh itself.
Clearly, Zhiya, the Demon Phoenix, was not the source.
Eyes filled with avarice and shadowy forms targeted the purple phoenix, biding their time to strike.
"Die, all of you!"
With a flap of her wings, the purple phoenix caused the robust, menacing tentacles to burst apart before they could reach her.
Yu Yuan's form glowed with a purple-gold hue. The depths of her piercing phoenix eyes held the essence of life she had discerned, transforming into a blood lake and streaks of lightning, resonating with her demonic core.
A perilous aura emanated from the purple phoenix, deterring the tentacles from rashly approaching.
At this moment, the surge of life force and magnetic field within her were tumultuous and frenzied. Her mind was in an extreme state of agitation, causing the weaker parts of her flesh to feel uneasy.
Unlike before, when she had touched the barrier with her palm and activated the life force she had come to understand, she refrained from doing so this time.
The profound truths of life that she sought were derived from the deep recesses of Yu Zhu's memories. To access them, she needed to maintain a serene demeanor and synchronize her heartbeat with that of the heart within her flesh.
By achieving this harmony of heartbeats, she would not only avoid being corrupted by the flesh and blood but would also be recognized as an integral part of it.
Only in such a state could she extract the essence of life she so desired from the now compliant tendrils of flesh and blood.
However, during her latest foray, she chose a different approach.
Armed with the essence of life she had harvested from the beings of both the Origin Realm and the Desolate Realm, she was determined to seize it by force!
Regardless of her ability to assimilate it or the potential risks involved, she was resolute in her decision to carve out the flesh first and deal with the consequences later.
