C2238 The Mother Was Anxious
Zhiya could sense the eerie nature of this realm and understood that due to the presence of that mass of flesh and blood, unacknowledged powerhouses would face relentless attacks.
Thanks to the Breath of Life within him and the presence of the Life Seeds, Yu Yuan was recognized.
She, on the other hand, was not. How many Abyss Overlords could she possibly kill? A few? Or perhaps dozens?
Her strength would inevitably run out, and every Abyss Overlord she defeated would be resurrected infinitely, closing in on her for another siege.
Unable to draw upon a continuous flow of vital energy from the outside, she would ultimately be drained to death, becoming part of that flesh and blood.
The thought of turning into a puppet within the flesh and blood, just like the Abyss Overlords she had obliterated, brought her to a state of calm.
"I'll leave. This place is yours now."
Zhiya conceded.
Her sudden shift to calmness and reason took Yu Yuan by surprise, eliciting a chuckle from him.
Yu Yuan hadn't anticipated that the numerous Beast Gods, instantly slain by the All Spirits Ban, would inadvertently aid her, providing some relief to her battered phoenix form.
"Getting in is easy, but leaving is far from simple."
His laughter faded, and Yu Yuan's demeanor turned icy once more.
He observed as yet another formidable Horned Demon emerged, cultivated by the multicolored flesh and blood. The piercing gaze of this Horned Demon expert refocused on Zhiya.
The reappearance of this Horned Demon expert gave Zhiya an immense headache.
She had already slain this once-dominant Horned Demon of the Abyss three times.
With each resurrection, the Horned Demon grew stronger and more adept with the powers and combat techniques from its past life.
Slowly, Zhiya began to feel as though she was no longer facing the deceased denizens of the Abyss.
If things continued this way, each Abyss Overlord would manifest their true power and encircle her, making escape nearly impossible.
"You have no way to let me out?"
Zhiya's brow furrowed slightly as her bloodied, pale hands transformed into sharp blades of light.
The blades shimmered with purple, lightning-like patterns, encapsulating the Bloodline Revelation of extraterrestrial alien beasts, which she had forcefully merged.
Her gaze pierced through the crystalline barrier, taking in the expanse of the purple sea beyond and the two majestic temples that stood guard over it.
She seemed to be wrestling with herself internally, as though on the cusp of making a momentous decision.
"What exactly is the deal with Yu Zhu?"
Yu Yuan abruptly broke the silence, the Dragon Slaying Stage firmly in his grasp.
The Dragon Slaying Stage, brought from the outside, was unable to harness its teleportation powers within this miniature realm, yet its inner world remained intact.
The only solution he could conceive was to temporarily allow the Dark Phoenix to take refuge within the Dragon Slaying Stage, to see if it could conceal her vitality and quell the disturbances within the vibrant flesh.
The area was riddled with oddities, and his confidence was not absolute. He saw this as an opportunity to unravel the mysteries that perplexed him.
"Yu Zhu chose her surname herself; it has nothing to do with you!"
Zhiya was infuriated by his words, her expression and tone turning as frigid as frost.
Yu Yuan didn't get the chance to probe further. Zhiya, having regained some of her vital energy from the demise of several Beast Gods, launched herself once more at the mightiest Horned Demon of the Abyss with the grace of a stunning mortal form.
Yu Yuan let out a contemptuous snort, "She won't shed a tear until she sees the coffin."
He resolved to stand back, ready to step in when Zhiya could no longer cope and sought his aid.
Narrowing his eyes, he surveyed the inner sanctum of the Wellspring of Creation and noted that among the Beast Gods who had entered, only the Blazing Sun Toad and the Tectonic Ripper remained.
The Starbeast God, the Lunarphite he had just conversed with, and the Silver Fox that had vied with the Lunarphite, had all perished under the All Spirits Ban.
Remarkably, it was the Blazing Sun Toad and the tenth-level Tectonic Ripper God who were left, each delving into the mysteries of the burning sun and the earth's power.
The Tectonic Ripper God, previously lower in the ranks among the Beast Gods, had managed to manipulate the cosmic order, a feat that took Yu Yuan by surprise.
"I knew he was up to no good!"
The Death Viper transformed into a gaunt human male, his cheeks so emaciated they seemed to be mere skin stretched over a skull. "The ultimate Way of Heaven, a legacy of the Primal Anima, is not so easily obtained. In just a moment, all but two of my companions have fallen!"
Emerging from the Beast God Temple, the Beast Gods who had been lusting after the Primal Anima maintained their silence.
The Astral Tiger didn't even glance at them, speaking with a cold detachment, "The Blazing Sun Toad and the Tectonic Ripper have clearly succeeded, proving that Yu Yuan didn't deceive you. He made it clear that life and death are in the hands of fate, and those who enter must rely on their own prowess. If becoming a Supreme Being were so simple, why haven't I achieved that status?"
The Death Viper and the black goat, who were about to speak, promptly closed their mouths.
"Just wait..."
Yu Zhu, positioned in front of the Phoenix Shrine, let her icy gaze drift over the smilodon, the Death Viper, and more Beast Gods emerging from the Beast God Temple. She suddenly declared, "When Mother's injuries are severe, those Beast Gods who have left their lifeblood in the Beast God Temple should willingly enter the All Spirits Ban."
The revelation stunned the assembled Beast Gods.
The Astral Tiger shuddered, a spark of realization igniting within at Yu Zhu's words.
He understood Yu Zhu's strategy instantly. It didn't matter if those Beast Gods were attuned to the Way of Heaven of the All Spirits Ban; their corporeal forms, once inside, could succumb to the ban's oppressive force and perish.
The deceased Beast Gods would transform into streams of blood, feeding into the Wellspring of Creation's vibrant flesh and blood.
Her mother, Zhiya, had mastered the Bloodline Revelation of all the alien beasts and had even refined the Beast God Temple itself, positioning her to intercept the blood before it could merge with the Wellspring's multicolored flesh. Zhiya had already utilized this tactic once to regain some of her strength.
"This girl is just as ruthless as her mother," the Astral Tiger thought, his gaze upon Yu Zhu now tinged with a newfound respect.
"I've already said that those Beast Gods with lifeblood remaining shall go first. After all, as long as Mother lives, she can resurrect you with that lifeblood. What is there to fear?" Yu Zhu's expression remained cold as she addressed the fearful Beast Gods, "If you refuse to go, I'll kill you right here and erase the lifeblood you've left in the Beast God Temple, extinguishing any hope of your rebirth!"
The assembly of Beast Gods urgently turned their gaze toward the Astral Tiger, aware that he was the Dark Phoenix's trusted aide. They were hoping he would speak on their behalf.
The Astral Tiger declared with gravity, "I obey His Highness's commands."
The Beast Gods of the Wasteland were in despair, fervently praying that the Dark Phoenix, Zhiya, would persevere a bit longer, sparing them from a premature demise in her rescue.
...
"That girl is increasingly embodying the Dark Phoenix," someone remarked.
Nearby, Zhong Chichen chuckled dryly as he perused the Book of Time, leaving it ambiguous whether he was commending or mocking. "Apparently, she doesn't regard the lives of the Wasteland's Beast Gods with much concern. Aside from her mother, perhaps only Yu Yuan truly matters to her."
"Yu Yuan..." Yuan Lianyao paused, her gaze shifting to Yu Zhu as she pondered the implications of Zhong Chichen's comment.
"It's unfortunate that Taishi couldn't access the Origin Realm."
On the Book of Time, Youyu, sitting alongside Zhong Chichen and Yuan Lianyao, rarely initiated conversation. "Given Taishi's innate talent and insight, he could have unraveled the ultimate secrets of the earth at any point during his time in the All Spirits Ban."
"Indeed, Taishi would have faced no issues," Zhong Chichen concurred.
Taishi, who had ascended to prominence in the Everlands at the same time as Yu Yuan, was a leading figure in the Boulderdawn, his status and combat prowess second only to Yu Yuan's.
Youyu had battled side by side with Taishi in earlier years, while Zhong Chichen, the Seven-Colored Dragon, had once been besieged by Taishi.
Both had a profound respect for Taishi's combat abilities and believed that his failure to ascend to supremacy was solely because he hadn't won the favor of a Primal Anima.
Taishi from the Everlands possessed greater gifts than Sekou from the Wasteland; his intelligence and understanding were incomparable.
"What's there to regret?" Yuan Lianyao smiled subtly. Hailing from Creitecesh, she had recently visited the Peak of Creation and met Mother Earth there. "Mother Earth from the Peak of Creation has already shared the profound meanings of her rule with another Primal Anima within the All Spirits Ban."
"Let's just say that Mother Earth is the embodiment of the earth's power in this realm."
"She's still advancing, breaking through barriers. With her mastery of the cosmic order, she's fully capable of elevating Taishi to a supreme status."
"And there's more..."
Yuan Lianyao drew out her words, smiling, "She's now aligned with Yu Yuan, effectively making her an ally of Boulderdawn. So, everything should fall into place naturally."
Upon hearing this, both Zhong Chichen and Youyu had an epiphany.
"It's a pity that the Way of Heaven I seek, along with the corresponding Primal Anima of time and space, is so elusive..."
Zhong Chichen lamented with a sense of loss.
Yuan Lianyao's bright eyes sparkled as she glanced at Yu Yuan's true form, locked in a standoff with the void. "The Spirit of your Way of Heaven may not reside within the three realms we know. In the Creitecesh, the death force of the Secular Bird Queen has given rise to a Spring of Death."
"That spring clearly connects to another world. Before Yu Yuan and I arrived, he mentioned something."
Yuan Lianyao hinted with an air of mystery.
Zhong Chichen, intrigued, inquired, "What did he say?"
"Whether it's the Spring of Death in the Ashlands or the one in the Creitecesh, both have the power to bridge two worlds. To forge such a stable connection through these springs is beyond the capabilities of you, Jihui, or even the Origin Deity."
"It would have to be someone of a higher order, someone who understands the very essence of the void."
Yuan Lianyao explained.
Zhong Chichen was struck by a revelation, murmuring, "Of course, of course. Jihui, Voidweaver, and I are limited to shuttling between different Astral Domains within a single world. We can only create pathways and spatial arrays that span these domains. We can never transcend one world to link two together."
"The vortexes in the Ashlands are unmistakably connected to another world. That's beyond our reach!"
Growing impassioned, Zhong Chichen fixed his gaze on Yuan Lianyao and pressed, "That Spring of Death in the Creitecesh, has it been destroyed? Have you encountered anything there?"
"Yes, a consciousness emerged. The messages and vibrations he released were comprehensible to Yu Yuan and Chen Qinghuang."
Yuan Lianyao was transparent, "The Secular Bird Queen, along with the Peak of Creation, is currently tasked with safeguarding the Spring of Death. Once we've resolved the issues here, Yu Yuan might be inclined to explore and discover the enigmatic entities that exist in another world."
"I must go there!" declared Zhong Chichen.