C2250 Between Right and Wrong

The Demon God Bertain abruptly changed his course of action.

He resolved to stop observing from above and to cease granting Mu Xiao and the Moon Succubus Queen any additional time.

What Bertain had done remained a mystery, yet the souls of Mu Xiao and the Moon Succubus Queen were ablaze, signaling the end of their ascension and their lives.

"Farewell, then."

With a dismissive wave of his hand, Bertain bid adieu to the two mightiest among the Otherkin.

A greenish-black mist began to seep from the eyes, nostrils, and ears of Mu Xiao and the Moon Succubus Queen, swirling out in tendrils.

This mist, enigmatic and insubstantial, matched the soul sea where Bertain resided and the phantom he had formed.

The distinct hue of his soul and his unique essence silenced the skeptics of Bertain and the alien beasts.

As the crowd noticed the greenish-black smoke from Mu Xiao and the Moon Succubus Queen merging with the barrier, their faces turned grim.

"I apologize, I was mistaken about you."

From a distance, the Astral Tiger bowed, a cold realization dawning upon him. He pondered, "If the Tectonic Ripper and Blazing Sun Toad were to survive, wouldn't they eventually become like Loong Jie, transformed into weapons at his command?"

"Does this make things clearer?"

Bertain smirked, his chuckle resonating through the soul sea, "The Tectonic Ripper and the Blazing Sun Toad are merely Beast Gods. Alien beasts, with their weaker spirits, are more susceptible to his influence and easier to dominate. A mere touch of Soul Power is enough for him to firmly wield control over these Beast Gods in due time."

With these words, he explained the necessity of the Beast Gods' demise.

"Mu Xiao and the Moon Succubus Queen, much like the black goat, understand the art of soul cultivation."

"Their robust souls required a greater infusion of Soul Power and spiritual sense during the invasion. Once ignited, they too exhibit the signature aura and color of his essence."

Having spoken, Bertain turned his gaze to those gathered beyond the barrier.

Youyu, Zhong Chichen, Yuan Lianyao, and the other formidable beings nodded subtly, signaling their comprehension.

The Astral Tiger, as a Beast God, would no longer delve into the matter, refraining from further criticism regarding the deaths of the Beast Gods.

"Lord Bertain, what about me? You must help me!" Loong Jie, now in human form, pleaded with repeated nods and bows, desperate for salvation from his impending doom.

The sight of Mu Xiao and the Moon Succubus Queen's souls burning, releasing their distinct colors and auras, had shattered Loong Jie's psychological defenses, leaving the lecherous dragon restless and unable to find peace.

Bertain had made it clear that once he had quelled the All Spirits Ban, he would still be capable of corrupting Loong Jie. The mere thought of being transformed into a golden spear, reduced to an object of his control, filled Loong Jie with such dread that he was on the verge of prostrating himself and begging for Bertain's intervention.

Having recently ascended to the eleventh level, Loong Jie had imagined he would soar freely through the skies, but the prospect of being subjugated once more was unbearable!

"You've already escaped the seal. You'll be safe for the time being, so quit your whining!" Bertain rebuked him with impatience.

"My lord! What about me, and Green Willow..."

In that moment, Starborn Ballo, amidst the dazzling stars, struggled with the workings of the stellar rules and asked in a strained voice, "Is there still a need for us to strive for the Supreme level?"

If their fate was sealed, if they were destined to be tainted by him, then what meaning did their current efforts hold?

"The two of you should press on. There's always a solution. I have an idea, but it requires a significant sacrifice from both Yu Yuan and me to potentially clear your future threats."

Watching Mu Xiao crumble into dust and the Moon Succubus Queen's soul return to the seal, the Demon God spoke with scorn, "They don't deserve such a steep price from Yu Yuan and me. They lack the merit for me to take that risk."

Bang! Bang!

At that moment, the forms of Mu Xiao and the Moon Succubus Queen burst apart, their weak vital energies soaring towards the flesh at Yu Yuan's feet. These feeble streams paled in comparison to the rich vitality of the Beast Gods, to the point where even Dark Phoenix Zhiya scarcely gave them a second glance.

Yet, as they perished, the gathered plant essence and lunar quintessence they had previously absorbed stirred a sense of poignancy. Alas, with their demise, these potent energies were absorbed back into the All Spirits Ban.

After their failed attempt at ascension, the two Beast Gods and the supreme beings of the Wasteland had sacrificed their vital energy in vain.

The earth, the blazing sun, the vegetation, and the moonlight they had gathered for millennia flowed back into the All Spirits Ban, infusing the wall with even greater power.

The All Spirits Ban seemed to grow more robust, showing no signs of breach under the relentless assault from the Beast God Temple and the artifacts from the outside world.

"You are indeed clever."

After a prolonged silence, the Primal Soul of the Abyss cast a deep glance at Bertain from high above and left these words behind.

Then, the massive phantom and the dark green soul sea, conjured by the Demon God, merged into the still-present halo behind him.

The defeat of the two Beast Gods and the deaths of Mu Xiao and the Moon Succubus Queen caused the dazzling halo behind him to reappear.

The halo acted like a Mystic Gate to his true location, enabling him to traverse various All Spirits Bans.

Quickly, the phantom likeness of Yu Yuan, the dark green soul sea he had created, and the rings of brilliant halos all vanished from this All Spirits Ban.

He had actually withdrawn from this foreign land!

"He's gone?"

"Just like that?"

"What's happening?"

Everyone was at a loss, unsure why he would choose this moment to refrain from continuing to oversee the grand scheme.

Could the All Spirits Ban, without his control, withstand the Great Demon God Bertain and Yu Yuan, who had unraveled the mysteries of the flesh?

Boom!

The Beast God Temple above continued to hammer against the seal, depleting the power within the All Spirits Ban.

Astral Tiger, Zhong Chichen, and Loong Jie, empowered by his strength, unleashed their full might, straining every sinew to strike the seal with their weapons, determined to break it in one fell swoop.

"Something's not right; this doesn't match his usual tactics."

Yu Yuan, with a dark expression, scoured the seal for any trace of him, wracking his brain over where he could have gone, and what he might be plotting in secret.

He was not one to easily surrender; known for his cunning and exceptional wisdom, his departure surely indicated another strategy in play!

"Stay vigilant, everyone."

Bertain, now without the dark green soul sea, had lost his earlier composure, his face turning gravely serious. "His next moves will soon come to light."

As he finished his sentence, a miraculous event unfolded.

The surface of the All Spirits Ban's transparent wall suddenly burst with the divine symbols of Primal Anima: metal, wood, water, fire, earth, the sun, moon, stars, ice, and lightning. A myriad of symbols and the lights of rules flashed into existence in a mere moment!

It became clear to everyone that the wall of the All Spirits Ban was composed of layers meticulously stacked upon one another.

Though it appeared to be a single layer due to the eleven delicate layers being superimposed, it had always been eleven layers—unchanged.

Then, a savage aura capable of engulfing all creation erupted from the All Spirits Ban!

Yu Yuan's face contorted with urgency, and he blurted out without a second thought, "Maw of Oblivion!"

"Maw of Oblivion!"

"Ah, is the Maw of Oblivion emerging?"

Upon hearing Yu Yuan's cry, all those familiar with the dreaded Maw of Oblivion, along with the alien beasts, experienced a dramatic shift in their expressions, a wave of intense panic washing over them.

And sure enough!

The cosmic energy from the Star River, where the Wellspring of Creation resided, began to pour frantically into the All Spirits Ban!

The inhabitants of the Beast God Temple and Phoenix Shrine, as well as the Beast Gods outside, felt their inner strength and vital energy being drawn out.

"Everyone, get into the two temples and take refuge in the Book of Time!" Bertain's alarmed shout echoed from within the sealed area and from inside the Beast God Temple.

Chaos reigned in the outside world.

The Beast Gods and the black goat swiftly took shelter in the Beast God Temple and Phoenix Shrine, respectively. Yuan Lianyao, Youyu, and Loong Jie, who had not yet moved, immediately slipped into the pages of the Book of Time.

In an instant, all that remained outside the Wellspring of Creation were the two temples, a vast expanse of purple sea, and the solitary Book of Time.

The ceaseless energy from the Star River continued to flood into the All Spirits Ban.

The predominant vital energy within the cosmic powers of the Wasteland passed through the All Spirits Ban and converged upon the flesh.

The remaining energies were rapidly purified by the All Spirits Ban, undergoing disintegration and transformation.

They morphed into the essences of metal, wood, water, fire, earth, the sun, moon, stars, ice, and the power of thunder.

The All Spirits Ban possessed the astonishing ability to consume all forms of energy within the cosmos and the earth itself!

Moreover, it could transform like Yu Yuan, converting energy into various attributes.

At this moment, the most transformed element was the golden energy that Loong Jie had nearly drained after ascending to supreme status.

This golden energy accounted for at least half of the transformed energy!

"It seems you're headed in the wrong direction."

From atop the Dragon Slaying Stage, the Dark Phoenix Zhiya could see the changes in the external world through the clear stage surface. She witnessed the All Spirits Ban demonstrate the "Maw of Oblivion's" miraculous ability, voraciously consuming the vast energy of Yuan Le and the Peak of Creation's Astral Domain.

Yuan Le and the Peak of Creation were already the richest cultivation sites in the Wasteland.

The cosmic energy here was naturally far superior to that of other Astral Domains, infinite in its expanse.

The All Spirits Ban's recent consumption compensated for all deficits in a short span, replenishing all the absorbed energies, with a considerable surplus remaining.

Yu Yuan offered no rebuttal; indeed, he had no grounds to argue.

If the All Spirits Ban could harvest and even transform cosmic energy, then his plan to elevate Loong Jie, along with other humans and the Beast God, to supreme status by assimilating a surge of energy was futile.

This also indicated that Bertain was correct.

His silence and inaction, his tolerance of the assaults on the blazing fire, and his feigned exhaustion were all tacit endorsements of the supreme beings' emergence.

Because he was confident in his ability to control those supreme beings!

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