C2252 The Golden Dragon Armor Was Sent Back to the Supreme Body
The Wraithlands were under siege, and the Primal Vitality was in peril!
Youyu and Yu Zhu, both deeply connected to the Primal Vitality, strangely sensed a faint distress signal from it within the Wasteland.
The signal was so feeble that its origin was unclear, yet they were certain it emanated from the Primal Vitality.
"I must return!"
Disregarding Yu Zhu's counsel, Youyu respectfully bowed to Zhong Chichen, earnestly pleading, "Mr. Zhong, I implore you to transport me back to the Wraithlands. My duty calls, and no matter what fate befalls me there, I will face it without regret."
With a heavy heart, he gazed at the soul stone in his grasp, and with determination, he declared, "This stone, which I was charged with bringing into the Wasteland, will henceforth be yours."
He offered the soul stone to Yu Zhu, hoping she would accept it.
He trusted that Yu Zhu would maximize the stone's potential. Originating from the Primal Vitality as a Root of the Lunar Meridian, it had the power to fortify the Phoenix Shrine in the Wasteland.
"This..."
Yu Zhu hesitated, her expression one of reluctance.
"Hold on!"
Before the Beast God Temple, Bertain fixed his gaze on the soul stone in Youyu's hand, observing the stream that signified the Root of the Lunar Meridian, and spoke with composure, "Neither of you, including this Lunar Meridian that is part of the Primal Vitality, should be able to detect any disturbances from the Wraithlands."
The group looked on, bewildered.
"What do you mean?" inquired Youyu, seeking understanding.
"The barrier between the Origin Realm and the Wasteland, despite having weakened, remains a formidable blockade against the essence of souls."
"For tens of thousands of years, I have attempted to breach the barrier to enter the Wasteland, all in vain. This barrier, in stark contrast to the Abyssal Gate, is unparalleled in its insulation against the aura of souls!"
As he explained, his counterpart within the All Spirits Ban approached the sealed barrier.
The Demon God, with a palm like a purple demonic crystal, pressed against the stratified wall. He was not attempting to pass through the barrier, but rather to sense the aura contained within its confines.
A moment later, the Demon God spoke with a grave tone, "What you're sensing as unusual might be a distress aura leaking from the Wraithlands, emanating from the All Spirits Ban."
Yu Zhu and Youyu's faces paled abruptly.
Zhong Chichen was startled. "Does he have a connection with the All Spirits Ban wherever he is?"
"Exactly. Your instincts are correct. He's likely in the Wraithlands of the Origin Realm. He's always linked to the All Spirits Ban, so even from the Wraithlands, he can detect it and let a trace of that realm's aura seep through, triggering your awareness."
Bertain's face was etched with concern. The deeper his understanding of the Demon God, the more he realized his boundless power.
"Since it's intentional, Youyu, going back would be futile and wouldn't help. Moreover, after the Wraithlands, the Frostlands are next." Bertain's mood darkened. He sighed and turned to Yu Yuan, still embedded in the flesh, "Time is of the essence. Once the Wraithlands fall and he refines the Primal Vitality, his power will grow even more formidable."
"Are you suggesting that the Primal Vitality of the Wraithlands will be extinguished?" Lin Daoke asked, alarmed.
"It's not quite extinction, as he can directly absorb the Primal Vitality. It's akin to the Primal Soul of the Everlands, which will become a part of him," Bertain clarified. "He can absorb and devour anything related to the soul. What will be destroyed are the unrelated Primal Spirits, such as metal, wood, water, fire, earth, and celestial bodies like the sun, moon, and stars."
...
In the Creitecesh, the Spring of Death was situated.
The colossal Peak of Creation stood beside the spring.
Mother Earth, now in a new body, and the Secular Bird Queen stood vigil over the Spring of Death.
Occasionally, the Light Spirit would emerge as the Star of Light from the ground to converse with Mother Earth.
"This spring is a latent threat to both the Wasteland and you."
The dignified and elegant Mother Earth, with her soft and gentle voice, addressed Chen Qinghuang, who refused to settle on the Peak of Creation and instead remained solitary on a meteorite, "If he, the one on the other end, can even refine the Death Spirit, once he breaches the Wasteland, he will surely transform it into his domain of death."
"He will transform the energy of the Star River in the Wasteland into an unending stream of death force that he can directly absorb."
"The Wraith Tree will soon proliferate across the various Astral Domains of the Wasteland."
The vision that Mother Earth painted filled the Light Spirit with dread. She exclaimed, "Why did Yu Yuan leave the Spring of Death in our care?"
"I'm not sure," Mother Earth replied with a furrowed brow.
"If you want to destroy it, you should take it up with Yu Yuan yourself instead of complaining to me," Chen Qinghuang said icily.
She harbored no reverence for Mother Earth, having ascended to supremacy through the power of death. Lately, she had been deeply immersed in unlocking the mysteries of death.
"The Lord of the Abyss won't heed my words," Mother Earth admitted with a sense of resignation.
Chen Qinghuang paid her no further attention.
Time passed.
Eventually, Mother Earth and Chen Qinghuang, after a prolonged silence, turned their gaze to the Spring of Death simultaneously.
Whoosh!
A figure, scarred and exuding a chilling aura, emerged from the Spring of Death, which connected to the Otherworld.
As the figure came into view, both Mother Earth and Chen Qinghuang were visibly shaken.
"Yu Yuan!"
"It's Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit, no, his Undead Sovereign form!"
The Light Spirit cried out in alarm.
Yu Yuan's ascent to the Undead Sovereign had been known to all, with his body taken over by the Lunar Spirit.
Could this wounded figure be the gravely injured Yu Yuan?
"I must inform Yu Yuan at once!"
The Star of Light, where the Light Spirit resided, suddenly burst into brilliant radiance as it attempted to reach Yu Yuan's Soul Altar.
But there was no immediate connection.
"How odd..."
Mother Earth murmured.
They were supposed to be able to sense Yu Yuan's Soul Altar from anywhere in the Wasteland. Yu Yuan had made it clear that they could reach him instantly if there was an emergency.
With the Dragon Slaying Stage and Zhong Chichen at his disposal, traversing between the Creitecesh and the Wasteland was not a challenge for Yu Yuan.
"It must be the Wellspring of Creation blocking our connection to the Soul Altar!" Mother Earth quickly deduced, her expression turning grave. "He must be inside the Wellspring of Creation, within its sealed confines!"
"Don't rush," Chen Qinghuang called out as she approached from a distance, gracefully alighting in front of the Spring of Death, just before the prone figure of Yu Yuan suspended in the void.
Yu Yuan's form was not one of flesh and blood. He appeared much gaunter than his original self and the Solar Spirit, his body coursing with icy air currents akin to those of the Levi River in the Origin Realm, all teeming with Shadow Moon Essence.
Chen Qinghuang observed numerous ghastly wounds across his neck, forehead, and abdomen, yet not a drop of blood was present. Instead, a chilling Soul Power seeped from the injuries, tinged with the unmistakable scent of death.
Narrowing her eyes for a closer examination, Chen Qinghuang realized that Yu Yuan's brain, bones, and meridians were replete with death symbols, all of which she could effortlessly decipher.
"There's no trace of the Primal Soul," she declared with conviction after a moment of sensing. "The death symbols within Yu Yuan's body suggest the erasure of one of his spiritual senses. Moreover, the other entity that consecrated the Evil Temple poses an even greater challenge."
"Was it the one who bestowed upon you the death force that brought Yu Yuan here?" Mother Earth exclaimed in astonishment.
Chen Qinghuang nodded, confirming, "The Primal Soul that possessed Yu Yuan's body scrambled his soul before the spiritual sense could fade, leaving him unable to awaken. Neither you nor I have sufficient expertise in matters of the soul to assist in his awakening."
"Furthermore, upon awakening, he's unlikely to recall what transpired on the other side," she added.
Suddenly, the Peak of Creation trembled, radiating a spectrum of light.
"Something's approaching—two entities, in fact," Mother Earth announced, alarmed.
With a hiss and crackle, two slender rifts in space appeared beside the Spring of Death. From these fissures emerged a thick tome shrouded in a rainbow of divine light and a grand, opulent palace.
Upon sighting the palace, Chen Qinghuang let out a piercing shriek. In an instant, she transformed into the Azure Bird, her expansive wings beating out ashen flames that carried the destructive will to obliterate all existence.
That was the Phoenix Shrine!
To her, anyone who could wield the Phoenix Shrine to traverse the void and instantly reach the Creitecesh had to be the Dark Phoenix, Zhiya!
She was her arch-nemesis and sworn enemy!
Whenever they encountered each other, a life-and-death battle was inevitable. There would be no exceptions.
This was true for both her and Zhiya.
However, when Yu Zhu emerged from the dome of the Phoenix Shrine, adorned in a luxurious gown, Chen Qinghuang, now the embodiment of the Death Divine Bird, was momentarily taken aback.
Her gaze was icy, brimming with undisguised loathing, yet she refrained from striking down Yu Zhu immediately.
"Heh!"
A devil soul from the Book of Time, belonging to the great Demon God Bertain, flashed a sinister grin, capturing everyone's attention.
"That Phoenix is ensnared in the Wellspring of Creation. She won't be free for a while, and she may never escape. Don't be so eager for battle," Bertain counseled Chen Qinghuang before materializing beside Yu Yuan.
Youyu, who had also arrived with the Book of Time, clutched the soul stone firmly and followed in Bertain's wake.
Meanwhile, Yu Zhu, perched atop the Phoenix Shrine, paid no mind to Chen Qinghuang's disdainful stare. She focused intently on Yu Yuan, tapping into the shrine's power to discern his true identity.
"It's Yu Yuan, but his aura is absent."
Bertain, after drawing closer, needed only a brief glance to confirm that the soul mark of the Undead Sovereign was no longer present within Yu Yuan's body.
Yu Yuan's soul was a jumble, his memories and understanding of the rules seemingly scrambled by design.
Moreover, there were clear indications that parts of his soul had been deliberately erased.
"Let's wake him up first."
