C2249 He Changed His Strategy

The two Beast Gods, who were on the brink of reaching the Supreme Being, met their end in a flash of blood across the sky, all because of a single dismissive remark from Bertain.

Mu Xiao and the Moon Succubus Queen were, understandably, petrified.

Lin Daoke had just restored the primordial spirit sword with a surge of soul energy, and the sudden ruthless slaughter by the Demon God left many powerful beings outside in shock.

Confused and dissatisfied glances converged upon the Demon God, all seeking clarity on the unfolding events.

Yu Yuan, perched atop the multicolored flesh, shared in the astonishment. Bertain's current course of action seemed to completely undermine all his prior efforts and plans.

It was Yu Yuan who had advocated for the method of dissolving several strands of energy to create a Supreme Being.

Could there be a flaw in his approach?

Since Bertain, the one responsible for slaying the Beast God and upending the plan, Yu Yuan refrained from voicing his doubts, opting instead to wait in silence.

He was confident that Bertain had his reasons and awaited an explanation.

"What a headache," Bertain muttered, frowning in response to the entreaties of Mu Xiao and the Moon Succubus Queen.

The two mightiest Otherkin of the Wasteland were as if gripped by the throat, their aspirations to grasp the Way of Heaven utterly eclipsed as they anxiously awaited Bertain's verdict.

Their fates hung on the whims of the Demon God.

Lin Daoke and the others came to a sudden realization that perhaps one no longer needed to embody the Primal Anima to ascend to Supreme Being within the All Spirits Ban and dissolve its power.

Bertain must have uncovered something significant!

If the Blazing Sun Toad and Tectonic Ripper were fated to perish, then Mu Xiao and the Moon Succubus Queen saw no reason for their own survival.

Aware of Bertain's formidable reputation and exalted status in the Origin Realm, these two Wasteland Otherkin powerhouses knew they stood no chance against him and resorted to desperate pleas for mercy.

"We will agree to anything, just to stay alive," Mu Xiao's bark-like face quivered as he spoke. "If you require it, we will accompany you to the Origin Realm. As for the Wasteland... we are prepared to abandon it, for it holds nothing of value to us anymore. My people, the Moon Succubus tribe, have been decimated by the Wasteland's alien beasts, leaving only us."

The Moon Succubus Queen, with a somber tone, added, "All we ask for is the chance to survive."

The two began to appeal to sympathy.

Their initial high spirits upon entering the All Spirits Ban had plummeted due to the instant deaths caused by the Blazing Sun Toad and the Tectonic Ripper.

"You two..."

In the azure-black soul sea, Bertain stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, "Let's wait and see."

Relieved, Mu Xiao and the Moon Succubus Queen bowed repeatedly to Bertain, expressing their gratitude for his mercy.

Whoosh!

Inside the now semi-transparent Dragon Slaying Stage, where Life Seeds skimmed the surface, Zhiya's exquisitely beautiful face emerged.

She noticed two streams of vital energy flowing into the colorful flesh, vanishing inside it.

A touch of regret flickered in her eyes, lamenting her failure to capture the two streams of vital energy.

She had felt the deaths of the Blazing Sun Toad and the Tectonic Ripper and sensed the influx of vital energy. She had intended to intercept and absorb it to recover her losses as quickly as possible.

Yet, she feared that leaving the Dragon Slaying Stage would make her a target for that mass of flesh. While she hesitated, the vital energy streams had already merged below.

"What is the big devil up to?"

Standing within the void of the Dragon Slaying Stage, she gazed upward, her brows knitted with concern. "Those two Beast Gods were under my command. The big devil killed them without cause; he owes me an explanation!"

"You should worry about yourself first. You never truly cared about those Beast Gods," Yu Yuan retorted with a cold snort.

The Beast Gods had once been loyal to Yuan Le, but since she had consecrated the Beast God Temple, they had come under her command. To her, they were different from the Astral Tiger, Golden Deer, and Iron-winged Bird.

Yu Yuan could see she was merely seizing an opportunity to stir up trouble. "That young beast you've been nurturing just let out a roar that sounded quite powerful."

"If it reaches maturity, you know it will be more formidable than the Titan Spinosaurus," Zhiya declared with pride.

"Aren't you afraid of nurturing a threat? And are you so confident it will always obey you?" Yu Yuan smirked, the Solar Spirit Body speaking released a profound and ancient breath of life. "Why do I have the feeling that once I grasp the power left by the Primal Blood of the Abyss and refine this flesh, I might also be able to tame it?"

Zhiya's face turned pale with shock. "You wouldn't dare!"

"You're desperately trying to cut off a piece of flesh to take with you, aren't you? To feed it?" Yu Yuan's voice was icy. "That's a Chaos Titan's offspring. If it eats this flesh, who knows what might happen. And I doubt you can control it, to make it act solely on your commands."

"It's mine. I've been the one raising it!"

Zhiya let out a wild scream on the Dragon Slaying Stage, transforming into a resplendent purple phoenix and soaring through the void within. She gathered the overwhelming divine force with her purple feathers.

She was unconcerned with whether Yu Yuan would be displeased, intent on using her true form to siphon off all the spiritual energy from the Dragon Slaying Stage.

She was determined to regain her strength quickly to face the impending upheaval.

"My Beast God Temple! To think the big devil could actually refine it!"

As the purple phoenix, she continued her shrill cries within the Dragon Slaying Stage. "What's mine is mine, and the big devil better not dream of taking it! My Beast God is under my command. If he dares to kill even one more, I will show no mercy!"

Yu Yuan watched Zhiya's dance within the Dragon Slaying Stage in silence, sensing that her threats were not empty.

If she were to act recklessly, it seemed she truly had a method to confront Bertain and cause the Great Demon God to stumble.

"Lord Bertain!"

The Astral Tiger, witnessing the sudden deaths of the Blazing Sun Toad and Tectonic Ripper, drew the 'Heavenly Tribulation Clouds' back to itself and spoke with grave authority, "We demand an explanation for the demise of those two Beast Gods."

As soon as the Astral Tiger spoke, the Golden Deer, Iron-winged Bird Beast God, and Darkgold Beast all paused their assault on the All Spirits Ban.

Zhong Chichen, Loong Jie, and Yuan Lianyao, present on the Book of Time, turned their attention as well.

Their focus was not on the Beast God Temple, but rather on the sealed inner sanctum, where Bertain's true form resided.

"Every supreme being that ascends within the All Spirits Ban finds it nearly impossible to escape. Moreover, each new supreme being's emergence further empowers it! To put it bluntly, it's probably eagerly anticipating the rise of numerous supreme beings."

Bertain didn't glance at the Astral Tiger; instead, he focused on the two figures of Yu Yuan amidst the flesh, speaking only for Yu Yuan to hear.

"Including Loong Jie!"

"Even though Loong Jie has managed to escape for now, once he quells the All Spirits Ban, he'll be capable of contaminating supreme beings just like he did with Reid and Tan Xiaotian," Bertain explained with composure.

Loong Jie, shocked and pale, quickly examined the dragon's brain domain within the Book of Time, attempting to locate and eradicate any lingering traces.

"It's futile. In the realm of the soul, he is the strongest across all three dimensions. Only Yu Yuan and I can confront him with our own methods and strategies," Bertain said, shaking his head to signal to Loong Jie that his efforts were in vain. "Each time a supreme being emerges, he gains another powerful follower. Our previous actions only served to augment his strength. His lack of interference, allowing Loong Jie to ascend to supremacy first and these others to advance one by one, stems from his confidence in his ability to control them all."

Yu Yuan's expression darkened slightly.

He was unclear as to why Bertain was so certain that every supreme being who had ascended through the All Spirits Ban would struggle to break free from his grasp.

Given that Bertain had already taken such actions, even slaying the Tectonic Ripper and the Blazing Sun Toad, he must have been fairly confident.

If that were the case, what about Green Willow and Ballo?

Yu Yuan instinctively looked toward Green Willow and Ballo, noticing their complexions shift dramatically at Bertain's words as they stared at him in stunned silence.

Bertain paid them no mind. He suddenly looked up, gazing back at the entity within the soul sea, "Is that so?"

The entity offered no response, maintaining its usual air of indifference.

Bertain, standing in the soul sea, used his Soul Power to mend his severed arm and further refined a surge of Soul Power to aid Lin Daoke in healing the wounds inflicted by the primordial spirit sword. His bombardment of the All Spirits Ban with the Beast God Temple's treasures and those of many powerful beings was all observed by the entity with a cold detachment.

"Mu Xiao, Moon Succubus Queen, the simplest and most direct solution would be to kill you," Bertain said, massaging his forehead. "Green Willow, Ballo, I might manage to keep under control. But adding the two of you to the mix? It's a real headache."

As he spoke, his Devil Eyes intermittently flashed with an unusual hue.

Mu Xiao and the Moon Succubus Queen were once again gripped by fear.

"Should I halt my ascent to the Supreme realm?"

Out of fear of Bertain, the slender Moon Succubus Queen timidly suggested, "If I don't advance to Supreme, does that mean I can survive?"

Mu Xiao paused, his eyes betraying his indecision.

For him, whether he served the Demon God Bertain or was enslaved by the power of the Primal Soul, there was essentially no difference.

And he had no intention of abandoning the path to the eleventh level Supreme.

Attaining the Supreme status might eventually free him from their servitude and grant him ultimate freedom.

Yet, if he missed this chance at the Supreme path, the opportunity might never arise again.

"You've already embedded the intricacies of the cosmic order from the All Spirits Ban into your bloodline and heart. In the All Spirits Ban, you'll quickly grasp these rules, and the essence energy of the Moonborn Spirit here will aid your swift breakthrough," Bertain said, piercing through the Moon Succubus Queen's thoughts with a glance.

He scoffed, "But you're aware that the moon's profundities, once branded into your bloodline, won't vanish as long as you live, as long as you don't die. Leaving the All Spirits Ban alive, you can take your time to ponder them and collect moon energy across the Astral Domains."

"In time, you could still reach the Supreme level, just delayed by a few decades."

The Moon Succubus Queen hung her head in dejection, murmuring, "Nothing escapes you."

"No matter when you achieve Supreme status, now or later, he will seek you out and taint you with his power," Bertain said with a chilling gaze in his Devil Eyes. "It remains a risk and a nuisance, and you two hardly seem worth my effort."

"Enough, I've lost interest. Let's expedite your departure."

Thump! Thump!

In the minds of Mu Xiao and the Moon Succubus Queen, their souls ignited. These two formidable Otherkin of the Wasteland could no longer utter a plea for help.

...