C2240 Nodded and Acknowledged It
The arrival of the Moon Succubus Queen and Mu Xiao once again triggered celestial anomalies.
Their innate abilities in the powers of wood and moon were second only to Loong Jie's mastery of the Path of Metal. As soon as they entered, Yu Yuan felt a jolt of hope invigorate his spirit.
Gold, wood, water, fire, earth, sun, moon, and stars—the profound truths of the eight Primal Animas were on the verge of unity.
Loong Jie had the capacity to harness the power of the Golden Spirit, Mu Xiao could harvest the essence of wood, Green Willow was in the process of distilling the secrets of water, the Tectonic Ripper was attuning to the strength of the earth, while the Blazing Sun Toad, Moon Succubus Queen, and Ballo were assimilating the arcane mysteries of the sun, moon, and stars.
Yu Yuan had once attempted to absorb the Cosmic Order left by the eight Primal Animas using his Soul Altar, but he soon realized the futility of his efforts.
The residual power of the Primal Animas seemed to prefer seeking inheritors with corresponding singular bloodlines.
In essence, the power they left within the All Spirits Ban longed for a supreme being to complete the inheritance.
Yu Yuan resolved to satisfy their desire.
"Not bad, the Wasteland does harbor formidable beings."
With the arrival of Mu Xiao and the Moon Succubus Queen, the heavy burden on Yu Yuan's psyche, felt beneath the Soul Altar, eased considerably. He smiled and remarked, "You probably didn't see this coming, did you?"
He remained silent, his brow furrowed.
From another realm, through the Wellspring of Creation, he was a stranger to the Wasteland, unaware of the existence of beings like the Moon Succubus Queen and other alien beasts.
"Your luck is quite remarkable," he remarked coolly.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Below him and Yu Yuan, the dense forest that had witnessed the demise of Brie and his soul now burgeoned anew with the arrival of Mu Xiao. The towering ancient woods, rejuvenated by Mu Xiao's presence, encircled him as they had once surrounded Brie.
From every direction, the rich and vibrant plant essence streamed into the woodland, infusing the ancient trees with a dazzling brilliance and a jade-like sheen.
"This is the Way of Heaven I've longed for!"
Mu Xiao, the Wasteland's enigmatic figure, allowed the branches to penetrate his parched flesh, laughing maniacally amidst the trees.
Mu Xiao and Brie were clearly different. As the branches pierced his body, they instantly recognized his extraordinary talent and merged with his heart and limbs without hesitation.
Feeling the remarkable influx of plant essence, Mu Xiao was invigorated as the deep secrets of the flora were etched into his consciousness.
Crack!
Behind the Primal Soul, a halo resonating with the true essence of plants shattered.
Attracted to Mu Xiao, a crystal resembling green jade flew towards this outlier of the Wasteland.
Licking his cracked lips, Mu Xiao grew larger within the forest, as a sinister vitality emerged within him.
His gaze settled on the Tectonic Ripper, Dark Deity Green Willow, and the Blazing Sun Toad with clear malice.
"The vitality of beasts."
A ravenous look flashed in his cold eyes.
As the ancient wood effigies surrounding him merged with his bloodline, malicious thoughts arose, and he began plotting against Green Willow, Blazing Sun Toad, and Tectonic Ripper.
All three, born of alien beasts, were considered his foes.
"Truly, this is a magnificent sensation."
The Moon Succubus Queen's delicate and slender silhouette danced gracefully in midair. The fragments of the shattered silver lunar halos that once orbited the Primal Soul now gently swirled around her like a dazzling silver streamer.
The moonlight halos reassembled in her presence, and streams of lunar essence steadily infused into her body, blending with her bloodline.
"Ah, you're here too!"
With a light laugh and a smile, she noticed the master of Shadow's Keep in the heart of the Wellspring of Creation, who had just slain another Horned Demon champion.
"I owe you no thanks for the rescue, for you are no different from Yuan Le, with the blood of alien beasts coursing through you."
"Yuan Le sought our eradication, but you saved us merely to spite him. We understand your motives. You desire our submission, to command us in your battles against Yuan Le."
"Yet you, too, are an alien beast!"
The Moon Succubus Queen's face turned icy.
"Alien beasts slaughtered my people and ravaged the Moon Succubus Clan! As the surviving monarch of my clan, I will never ally with alien beasts!"
In the depths of the dense forest, Mu Xiao sneered, "Why should the Wasteland be ruled by these creatures? Just because Yuan Le won favor and ascended to supremacy, does it mean the alien beasts' lineage is superior to ours?"
"Hehe, Yuan Le is dead, and the Dark Phoenix is trapped. How wonderful! Our time has come!"
Neither Mu Xiao nor the Moon Succubus Queen felt any gratitude towards Zhiya for their escape from Yuan Le.
After all, Zhiya was one of them, another alien beast from the Wasteland.
They despised all alien beasts!
These two, second only to Loong Jie in talent, drew upon the energies of plants, the moon, and the essence of truth. Even as they neared the pinnacle of supremacy, they still had time to menace Green Willow, the Blazing Sun Toad, and the Tectonic Ripper.
The weakest among them, the Tectonic Ripper, cowered under their malevolent stares, its connection to the earth's power growing sluggish.
The Blazing Sun Toad, while consuming the solar nucleus, stealthily distanced itself from Mu Xiao and the Moon Succubus Queen, aware of their fearsome reputation among the Wasteland's alien beasts and not wishing to be interrupted at a crucial moment.
Its evasion slowed the toad's progress.
In contrast, Green Willow, the Dark Deity, paid no mind to Mu Xiao and the Moon Succubus Queen, fully engrossed in absorbing the water essence and etching its secrets into his lineage and sinews.
Green Willow was fearless, backed by the presence of Yu Yuan, Bertain, and Lin Daoke.
"Some just refuse to be tamed," remarked Bertain, the Demon God, idly stroking his now immaculate, beardless chin and chuckling at his own clean-shaven image. "Lin, we should keep an eye out. We ought to alleviate some of Yu Yuan's burdens, right?"
Lin Daoke gave a small nod in agreement.
They both recognized that Mu Xiao and the Moon Succubus Queen were troublemakers, defiant and unmanageable.
Yu Zhu, in her haste to recruit them, likely hadn't briefed them on the intricacies of the All Spirits Ban. They were only aware that Yuan Le had perished, and that a grand opportunity awaited them.
They were adversaries of Yuan Le, which meant they had never had the chance to visit the Origin Realm or learn about its state of affairs.
The renowned powerhouses Bertain and Lin Daoke, whose fame echoed throughout the Origin Realm, were naturally strangers to them.
"You two?"
The Moon Succubus Queen, enveloped in a radiant silver lunar halo, drew in the flawless moonlight. She gracefully incorporated a crescent moon into her chest and then looked at Lin Daoke with astonishment. "Are you beings from the Origin Realm? What brings you here? Do you intend to meddle in our affairs?"
Lin Daoke nodded, his face devoid of emotion.
An unparalleled sword's will surged from Lin Daoke's gaunt frame. This sword's will, unrefined into visible sword light, flickered briefly in the depths of his eyes.
Slash!
The lunar halo shielding the Moon Succubus Queen, faced with this intensely fierce sword's will, suddenly fractured, and the once unified ring shattered into numerous fragments.
These jagged pieces appeared to be shrouded by an even finer sword's will, threatening to shatter them further.
"Who are you?"
The Moon Succubus Queen's complexion drained of color. "In your world, you must be a person of great significance!"
Confronted with Lin Daoke, the Moon Succubus Queen was gripped by the terrifying notion that a mere casual stroke of his sword could obliterate her existence.
Lin Daoke furrowed his brow and paid her no heed, simply fixing her with a gaze that cautioned her against any rash actions.
Not far off, Mu Xiao, whose malevolent growth intertwined the forest's trees and branches with his own form, was absorbing the dense plant essence when a soft chuckle reached his ears.
"Don't make any sudden moves."
The branch stealthily advancing towards Green Willow's massive, serpentine form halted at the sound of the chuckle.
Mu Xiao was taken aback to see a figure, seemingly sculpted from amethyst, standing before him with a beaming smile, positioned right at the heart of the numerous branches.
The branches that came into contact with this person's body burst apart with a snap, none able to penetrate the demonic crystal.
The plant secrets Mu Xiao had pondered, his malevolent vitality, seemed ineffectual against this individual.
Instead, after locking eyes with this person, it was as if Mu Xiao's very soul was on the verge of being drawn out.
"You two, just earnestly pursue the Way of Heaven and don't even think about causing any trouble. Otherwise, the moment you ascend to supremacy, I'll be the first to slaughter you both as soon as the All Spirits Ban fractures."
Bertain threatened with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
Mu Xiao and the Moon Succubus Queen were terrified upon hearing this.
Bertain's words carried a confidence so immense that it suggested even if Mu Xiao and the Moon Succubus Queen were to advance, they would still not escape his grasp.
And what about now?
"Who are you?" Mu Xiao asked, his voice quivering.
"In the Origin Realm, I am known as Bertain," the Demon God replied with a congenial smile. "Perhaps you've heard of me."
"Ah! The venerable patriarch of the Star-Spawned Terror, the true supreme being of the Origin Realm, the slayer of the Titan Spinosaurus—Bertain!" Mu Xiao exclaimed, suddenly compliant. "Of course, I've heard of your renown!"
He had never met Bertain, but the name of this formidable figure who had shocked all three realms was well known to him.
Even Yuan Le, the Lord of Ruin, who had become the de facto ruler of the Wasteland, refrained from invading the Origin Realm out of concern for the patriarch of the Star-Spawned Terror.
Mu Xiao could hardly believe that the person standing before him, battling in this dense forest, was none other than Bertain, the mighty Demon God of the Origin Realm!
"And what about you? Who might you be?" the Moon Succubus Queen inquired, turning to Lin Daoke.
"Everlands, Sword Sect, Lin Daoke," he introduced himself.
At his words, the Moon Succubus Queen wilted like a frostbitten eggplant.
She had heard the Dark Phoenix mention Lin Daoke, the leader of the Sword Sect from the Everlands, more than once. She knew that he, like Demon God Bertain, was an entity they dared not provoke.
"Be good and advance to your supreme state. And please, don't bother others, alright?" Bertain said, his eyes twinkling with benevolence.
"Alright, understood," the two Otherkin powerhouses from the Wasteland nodded in agreement, over and over.