C2237 Challenging for the Supreme Being
Most of the Beast Gods concealed within the Beast God Temple had once pledged their allegiance to Yuan Le, but now their loyalty lay with the Dark Phoenix, Zhiya. Yet, their true fealty was to the mightiest among the alien beasts of the Wasteland, the ruler of the Beast God Temple.
Seduced by Yu Yuan's enchantments, these Beast Gods emerged from the temple, their eyes gleaming as they beheld the spectacle within the All Spirits Ban. They couldn't help but notice the Dark Phoenix, Zhiya, caught in dire straits.
The sight momentarily stunned the Beast Gods.
In the heart of the Wellspring of Creation, the purple phoenix faced the relentless Abyss Overlord, an adversary that could not be slain. Its violet-gold wings were now bereft of both feather and flesh.
Zhiya's expansive and lethal Celestial Plumes had been ravaged by a virulent poison, leaving behind nothing but amethyst-like bones. Even so, she continued to battle the formidable Abyss Overlord with her sharp, skeletal wings, though the madness in her phoenix eyes was slowly dissipating.
Cornered and desperate, Zhiya regained her lucidity, yet it was clear she had not found a means to escape her plight. Defiantly, she refused to seek Yu Yuan's aid or even cast a glance his way.
As her loyal Beast Gods surged from the Beast God Temple, swayed by Yu Yuan's words, her icy gaze pierced through the transparent barrier from the deepest recesses. The Beast Gods who met her gaze felt a shiver down their spines, a clear sign of their fear.
But their fear was swiftly diluted by the overwhelming allure of the All Spirits Ban. The chance to ascend to supremacy overshadowed her formidable presence, eliciting guttural roars from the Beast Gods.
"We beg your forgiveness for our helplessness; we are powerless to assist you in your predicament," they pleaded.
A Lunarphite with a tenth-level bloodline stood at the forefront of the Beast God Temple, addressing Zhiya with remorse in his voice. Yet his silver eyes betrayed a hunger and longing that belied his words. Despite his apologies, he was visibly ravenous for the moons ensnared within the seal.
This Lunarphite, with his tenth-level bloodline, ranked only moderately high in combat prowess among the multitude of Beast Gods in the temple.
He wasn't particularly remarkable.
Yet, his lineage was inexplicably tied to the moon, enabling him to draw upon the lunar essence of the Wasteland. The crystal chains of his bloodline, coursing through his heart, were also imbued with the moon's quintessence.
"Is everything you've said true? Are we permitted to enter the sealed area?"
The towering Lunarphite, thousands of feet high, didn't wait for Zhiya's response before fixing his gaze on Yu Yuan beneath the Soul Altar.
With a raspy roar, he eagerly awaited Yu Yuan's definitive answer.
He had long sensed the presence of a Moonborn Spirit's complete profound meaning within the All Spirits Ban but never dared to hope for it. If the Uxthar Tree had perished there, and Sekou had nearly met the same fate, he hadn't even allowed himself to entertain the thought.
Now, however, seeing Loong Jie, a Dark Deity of the same origin, successfully harnessing the secrets of water, hope flickered within him.
"I grant you permission to compete, but I make no promises regarding your fate."
Yu Yuan responded to the Lunarphite with an easy smile, his thoughts inadvertently drifting to Lee Sha and Tan Junshan of the Starmoon Sect, both capable of ascending to the rank of Supreme Expert through the moon's power.
Regrettably, Lee Sha had fallen to Lin Daoke's sword, and Tan Junshan had succumbed to the Everlands.
"If only Tan Junshan were here, I could have offered him an incredible opportunity," Yu Yuan mused with a hint of regret, addressing the Primal Soul in the void. "I sense that when you are unable to control the All Spirits Ban, the rules and powers left by the Primal Anima are actually longing for a legacy, eager to be passed on to a worthy successor."
"Primal Anima are born of nature and cannot be recreated. Yet, a Supreme can be cultivated."
"For those vanished Primal Anima, to create a Supreme whose attributes closely match theirs is perhaps the best way to honor their memory."
As he spoke, Yu Yuan could distinctly feel that with Loong Jie's smooth advancement, the golden halo behind him shattered, slightly diminishing the All Spirits Ban's power.
Green Willow was currently drawing in the water essence and its profound truths from the seal, still unable to disturb the water curtain behind him.
Once Green Willow's insight into the water's power deepens, and he approaches the final stage of becoming a Supreme, he too will be able to shatter the deeper ring of Water Magic from behind the Primal Soul.
At that moment, the All Spirits Ban would once again be weakened slightly.
"I know what's on your mind."
He lingered within the seal, observing Yu Yuan as he persuaded Loong Jie, Green Willow, and two leaders of the Otherkin to enter. Now, he was attempting to sway the Beast God, speaking with detachment, "I'm curious to see whether you'll ultimately succeed."
*Growl!*
A massive Blazing Sun Toad puffed up its cheeks and bellowed at the All Spirits Ban.
The Great Sun Image that manifested beside it burst into blinding brilliance in response to the toad's raucous call.
The Blazing Sun Toad, thrilled by the reaction, croaked even more joyously.
The radiance of the Great Sun Image signified that its magic and bloodline were in a fervent uproar, having successfully resonated with the sun's core energy.
With that, it stood a chance of amassing the Great Sun Image within the All Spirits Ban and merging with the rule of the scorching sun!
Whoosh!
A silver fox with merely three tails glided out from the Beast God Temple, gazing intently at the All Spirits Ban.
Among its three tails, only one emitted lunar vibrations, indicating the silver fox's bloodline was not entirely pure. Yet, its rank within the Beast God Temple surpassed that of the Lunarphite.
The Lunarphite and the silver fox exchanged fierce glares, each instantly recognizing the other as a sworn enemy.
Whoosh!
A Tectonic Ripper, previously perished in the Origin Realm, suddenly materialized in the Beast God Temple following Yu Yuan's proclamation.
Its presence bore a striking resemblance to the Direbear, though its combat prowess and bloodline gifts paled in comparison to Sekou's Tectonic Ripper. It, too, fixed a fervent gaze upon the All Spirits Ban.
It yearned for the earth-related truths within the All Spirits Ban, aspiring to ascend to supremacy just as Sekou had.
With Sekou now gone, and no other Beast God better suited to harness the earth's power before him, he was naturally unopposed, willing to take the gamble.
The Starbeast God, another who had met its end, now resurrected by the Beast God Temple, lusted after the stellar truths within the All Spirits Ban.
Watching the stars plummet and Ballo of the Origin Realm gathering them, the Starbeast God was filled with envy, silently praying for Ballo's swift defeat.
If Ballo met the same fate as Brie within the seal, then this Starbeast God would have the opportunity to ascend to supremacy.
The other Beast Gods, with bloodlines as mixed as that of the Silver Fox, also possessed the essence of earth, sun, moon, and flora.
These Beast Gods did not possess a singular bloodline, yet they all aspired to grasp the ultimate truth of the Primal Anima to vie for the position of supreme being.
They all gazed intently at the All Spirits Ban, yet not one dared to make a hasty move, still contemplating the potential risks and rewards.
Whoosh!
At last, the Blazing Sun Toad, whose bloodline was pure and who fed on the brilliance of the Great Sun, charged into the All Spirits Ban.
Inside the All Spirits Ban, the Blazing Sun Toad croaked loudly at its phantom, visibly agitating it.
Surprisingly, the Great Sun Image that materialized around it was indeed pried open by the Blazing Sun Toad.
A radiant sun descended directly toward the Blazing Sun Toad.
The Blazing Sun Toad opened its massive mouth, which seemed to expand infinitely, as if it could envelop the heavens and the earth.
Within its gaping maw, numerous solar flares emerged, swirling like a fierce solar storm, drawing the Great Sun Image downward.
Whoosh!
The Great Sun Image, along with the intricate sun rules it contained, was truly engulfed by the Blazing Sun Toad.
The creature's corpulent belly swelled even further.
After letting out a satisfied belch and croaking a few more times, it suddenly spoke in human tongue, "My ascension to Beast God status may have been recent, but my bloodline talent and understanding of the sun's power far exceed those of the half-hearted pretenders!"
The Blazing Sun Toad cast a scornful look at the Death Viper, smilodon, and black goat within the wall, and continued, "You were merely granted the Life Keychain by the Great Lord, which gave you the power of immortality, and that's why you rank above me. If I were also bestowed with the Life Keychain, I too would possess immortality..."
"Eh, I am about to achieve immortality right now!"
The Blazing Sun Toad's human speech signified a complete transformation of its life form. With the emergence of each supreme being comes the boon of eternal life.
Eternal life is indeed a divine blessing for the supreme beings!
The Blazing Sun Toad, brimming with self-confidence, surprisingly possessed a talent surpassing that of Green Willow and Ballo. Its connection to the sun was both immediate and brutally forceful.
Only Loong Jie's talent outshone his.
After devouring a Great Sun Dao Elephant, the toad eyed the sun's halo behind the Primal Soul with covetous anticipation.
Its bizarre cries caused the halo, formed by the Solar Spirit's brilliance, to gradually crumble.
The disintegrating halo, now resembling fragments of the sun, made its way towards the gaping maw of the Blazing Sun Toad.
The toad's consumption of the sun prompted both the Lunarphite and the silver fox to abandon their standoff outside the Beast God Temple and rush into the All Spirits Ban.
The Tectonic Ripper God was hot on their heels, plunging into the fray.
The remaining Beast Gods, with less pure bloodlines, hesitated briefly. Yet, banking on the presence of their life essence within the Beast God Temple, they too stormed into the All Spirits Ban.
Inside, the All Spirits Ban became a hubbub of activity.
"That golden dragon is far too powerful. I stand no chance," lamented the golden deer, who had long been a follower of the Dark Phoenix. It thumped its chest and stamped its hooves in frustration beside the Astral Tiger, bellowing, "How I wish this golden dragon were as feeble as that being from the Origin Realm. If only the golden dragon perished, I'd be confident in vying for the Way of Heaven within the seal!"
As the Beast Gods from the Wasteland attempted to manipulate the earth, sun, moon, and the laws of flora within the seal, they set off celestial disturbances. Sun and moon beams, towering trees that blotted out the sky, and dangerously careening meteorites materialized, converging on the Beast Gods yearning for the laws.
Yet, the majority of Beast Gods had overrated their own talents and energies.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Most of the Beast Gods were gruesomely ruptured by the Primal Anima laws within the All Spirits Ban, their flesh and bones proving even less resilient than Brie of the Shadowkin.
Many Beast Gods perished instantly, their remains transforming into rivulets of blood. Zhiya seized the moment, deftly gathering them up.
Dozens of blood streams flowed through the barrier into the mass of multicolored flesh, where Zhiya, with a sweep of her bone wings, absorbed them.
Zhiya's wings, once again sprouting feathers and flesh, transformed into something truly otherworldly.
"A bunch of brainless idiots."
With a shimmer, Zhiya shifted into a breathtakingly beautiful human form, her pale, slender hands stained with blood. She cast a somber glance at the still-raging, multicolored flesh.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Another Abyssal Overlord had been resurrected, intent on besieging her, determined to drain her life force until she perished.
A hint of dread flickered in Zhiya's eyes as she came to a grim realization: no matter how fiercely she fought, she stood no chance of claiming even a sliver of the Primal Blood from the Abyss without first deciphering its life sequence.
"Let me go."
She locked eyes with Yu Yuan, finally conceding. In a cold voice, she declared, "I'm done competing with you. All I want now is to leave this accursed place. I refuse to linger here any longer."
