C2253 Gradually It Took Shape
Youyu was the one speaking.
The Great Demon God Bertain had just ascertained that Yu Yuan, the person before him, bore no lingering essence of the one they sought. Without hesitation, he summoned the soul stone.
The soul stone, radiant with soul power, materialized in Youyu's palm, revealing a miniature Wraithlands that seemed to connect instantly with the surrounding void, accompanied by the faint sounds of weeping ghosts.
In the Creitecesh, the cosmic energy was suddenly tinged with a chilling, eerie soul aura.
Mother Earth spoke gently, "This object has the power to alter the cosmic order of a realm, making it easier for the ghosts of the Wasteland to grasp and amplify their strength."
"You..."
Chen Qinghuang's brow furrowed, as if she wanted to speak, but ultimately she restrained herself.
She glanced back at the still Spring of Death, only to notice Zhong Chichen circling it with a look of fascination.
The Seven-Colored Dragon showed no concern for whether Yu Yuan's body would successfully awaken.
His interest and attention were entirely on the Spring of Death, as if he were contemplating stepping through it to explore an entirely new world.
"Don't seek your own demise," Chen Qinghuang warned him coldly.
"Not at all, not at all," Zhong Chichen replied nonchalantly, dismissing her concern with a wave of his hand as he continued to loiter around the Spring of Death.
"I'll awaken him."
Youyu gestured for Bertain to stand back and placed the soul stone against Yu Yuan's forehead.
The soul stone burst forth with divine radiance, and from beneath it, blood-yellow streams of the Levi River flowed forth, penetrating Yu Yuan's brain and the mysterious pathways within his body.
Whoosh!
Yu Yuan's mind seemed to expand and brighten the moment the soul stone touched his forehead.
Bertain and Yu Zhu, both adepts in Mind Magic, squinted as they scrutinized the scene within Yu Yuan's mind. They observed the Undead Sovereign's brain undergoing a transformation, with Soul Power coalescing into Shadow Mountains, and the Levi River winding through them, reminiscent of the Wraithlands in the Origin Realm.
Woo! Woo! Woo!
The mournful cries of countless ghosts echoed from the Levi River within the soul stone, where another phantom of Youyu emerged.
Youyu utilized the soul stone to lay out the Way of Heaven, simultaneously harnessing the power of the brain to jolt Yu Yuan's disordered Shadow Mountain and spiritual sense.
Matina, the God of Ghosts, along with Razses, Wagner, and Luo Yue, coordinated with Youyu. They summoned the Ghost Kings, Spectres, and ghosts loyal to them, pouring their power into Yu Yuan's brain. This caused the Shadow Mountains to howl, bringing forth the soul marks etched within them.
Boom! Boom!
Yu Yuan's brain, also that of an "Undead Sovereign," erupted with earth-shattering noise. The gray-white mountains careened wildly, bursting with astonishing light.
Some Shadow Mountains, nearly immovable, revealed bizarre symbols on their surfaces, exuding a thick death aura.
Youyu, having ascended to the rank of Undead Sovereign through Primal Vitality, bore striking similarities to Yu Yuan in both internal structure and the arcane secrets he had mastered. He instantly knew how to reorganize the muddled soul and the entangled spells.
Without hesitation, he exerted all his might to shift the unyielding Shadow Mountains.
While the Demon God Bertain observed, Youyu couldn't wait to act. He intended to use his strength and the soul stone's mystical power to swiftly rouse Yu Yuan.
However, as he began to wield the soul stone's power to restructure the Shadow Mountains in Yu Yuan's mind, categorizing the phantom-like wisps of souls in a manner he understood, the death symbols etched into the mountain walls began to affect him.
Within the soul stone, the feeble ghosts and spirits in the Levi River unknowingly transformed into a surge of Soul Power, dissolving into the river's flow.
Intelligent ghosts with spiritual sense perished inexplicably.
Yet Youyu turned a blind eye, considering it a necessary sacrifice for Yu Yuan's awakening.
Time passed, and as the Spectres' wisdom was consumed by the death aura, becoming another wave of Soul Power that blended into the Levi River, Youyu sensed the gravity of the situation.
"Youyu, hold on a moment," Bertain, the Great Demon God, finally intervened.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
With a mere flick of his finger, Bertain, the Great Demon God, scattered droplets of purple flame onto Yu Yuan's body and brain, like a shower of rain.
The flames transformed into lanterns within Yu Yuan's body, yet they did not ignite themselves.
Hundreds of these purple lanterns drifted through Yu Yuan's meridians and acupoints, casting light on the minutest parts of his body and revealing an increasing number of stark death symbols.
These symbols were abundant in Yu Yuan's bones and especially numerous within the cold flesh of his brain.
Bertain's Devil Eyes flashed with a chilling gleam as he said, "Secular bird, surely you understand the meaning of those symbols?"
"I do."
Chen Qinghuang, having resumed her human form, remained stoic, her gaze undisturbed. "Youyu was overly eager. I would have preferred for you to enter his body and aid in his awakening."
Regret tinged Chen Qinghuang's voice.
"Trying to harm me?" Bertain scoffed.
Before Chen Qinghuang could respond, the Great Demon God continued, "The entity before you is merely a devil soul. What significance would its destruction within Yu Yuan's body hold?"
At these words, Zhong Chichen and Yuan Lianyao from the Book of Time, Yu Zhu at the Phoenix Shrine, and Mother Earth atop the Peak of Creation all fixed Chen Qinghuang with disapproving stares.
"To assist your ascension to supremacy, Yu Yuan has long stood guard over you in the Creitecesh," Yuan Lianyao, who had also arrived via the Book of Time, exclaimed indignantly. "Now, as he lies injured and unconscious, you forsake his healing to wield those death symbols against him?"
"Chen Qinghuang, Yu Yuan has shown you such favor, and yet you remain ungrateful!"
Yuan Lianyao's anger blazed.
At the Wellspring of Creation, she could have been gleaning deeper insights into fire magic from the spiritual flames revealed by the wall's enchantments.
It was only because Youyu and Yu Zhu detected the emergence of another Undead Sovereign in the Creitecesh, deducing the return of Yu Yuan's Undead Sovereign form, that she paused her pursuit of fire magic.
She had believed that the Secular Bird Queen, having been under Yu Yuan's wing on numerous occasions, would share her concern for Yu Yuan's wellbeing.
Who would have guessed that Chen Qinghuang, despite understanding the profound implications of those death symbols, chose not to disclose them and even plotted to harm the individual who had awakened Yu Yuan?
"To decipher those death symbols, a sacrifice is necessary," Chen Qinghuang explained indifferently. "The ideal sacrifice would be a powerful being, and it's not limited to just flesh and soul."
"Why should I have informed him about the fall of Bertain ten thousand years ago when I was a participant myself?"
"It was Youyu who acted too hastily."
As she spoke, the soul stone on Yu Yuan's forehead, which was linked to the Levi River, continued to release a multitude of ghosts.
With the demise of these ghosts, Youyu noticed that the ultimate truth of the Way of Heaven, the Primal Vitality, began to manifest in the depths of Yu Yuan's mind. The death symbols on Shadow Mountain were indeed fading away.
In their place, myriad gray-white sparks of lightning emerged, exuding a complex and intricate essence of the soul.
The Spirit Magic that was characteristic of the Undead Sovereign was now truly present within Shadow Mountain.
"She's correct!" exclaimed Youyu.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The lanterns that the Demon God Bertain had placed inside Yu Yuan's body began to extinguish one after another.
Bertain let out a light snort, realizing that the soul aura and dark will he had used to probe the mysteries within Yu Yuan had been wiped out by the death symbols.
The Demon God suddenly became aware of something and turned his gaze to the Spring of Death, motionless behind Yu Yuan.
At the very depths of the Spring of Death, a gray-green glimmer was slowly growing brighter.
Both Bertain and Youyu realized that the essence of the souls from the extinguished lanterns and the ghosts that had perished in the Levi River were all being absorbed by the Spring of Death.
It appeared to be aiding the gray-green light in its gradual refinement.
The light radiated an intense death aura, compelling everyone who gazed upon it or sensed it to feel an overwhelming urge for death.
"There's another message within the symbols inside Yu Yuan," Chen Qinghuang remarked coolly, sharing the information she had gleaned from the symbols. "When a fragment of the Primal Soul's spiritual sense was erased within Yu Yuan's body, the Primal Soul deliberately twisted Yu Yuan's soul, infusing it with the Spirit Magic it had mastered."
The Primal Soul was intentionally left for Yu Yuan, so he could attempt to restore his disordered soul and grasp the Spirit Magic inherent in the Primal Soul, along with the essence of Primal Vitality that was innate to Yu Yuan.
The Primal Soul from the Abyss served as bait, for Yu Yuan was tainted.
He sought the coveted secrets of Spirit Magic, and in doing so, was bound to succumb to the poison, tainted by the remnants of the Primal Soul's aura and power.
He wasn't foolish, though; he didn't take the bait. Instead, he dispatched Yu Yuan to Creitecesh.
Chen Qinghuang clarified the circumstances, adding, "Before he sent Yu Yuan over, he imbued him with his own death force. He requires a sacrifice of blood and soul to manifest within the Spring."
"If the sacrifice is of blood and flesh, then he takes on a corporeal form. If it's of the soul, then he assumes a spiritual form."
With that, Chen Qinghuang turned her gaze to the Spring of Death, offering no further explanation.
"There are numerous ghosts and spectres in the Levi River. You should be the one to handle it."
Bertain stepped back, distancing himself from Yu Yuan's body, and settled upon the Book of Time. His curiosity piqued, he scrutinized the Spring of Death and, indeed, noticed the gray-green glow within it growing increasingly vibrant.
The Demon God was notably intrigued. "In the Otherworld, there's one who understands the essence of death and has even clashed with him. Moreover, he has slain one of his spiritual senses."
With a mischievous grin, Bertain beckoned to the spring, "Visitor from the Otherworld, I'd be keen to have a word with you!"
A peculiar wave rippled out.
The gray-green light acknowledged the gesture, but Bertain could not comprehend it.
"He wishes to converse with the awakened Yu Yuan and the Yu Yuan of the past, not with you," Chen Qinghuang stated icily.
"Oh?"
Bertain, momentarily at a loss for words, then let out a sardonic laugh. "Quite the arrogant one, isn't he? Hey, the other one, the one who dwelled in a palace of flesh, did he meet his end at your hands?"
