C2257 The Result of Greediness

At the edge of the Spring of Death, a mesmerizing light spilled forth, slicing through the fabric of space with its blinding brilliance.

Zhong Chichen called upon the Book of Time, standing upon the ancient tome that held the mysteries of time and space. He used its pages, which encompassed a little world, to gather the radiant light spilling from the Spring's edge.

The resplendent light concealed the depths of the void, harboring a theurgy potent enough to pierce through an entire world. As the Book of Time captured each strand of this strange luminescence, its pages expanded, becoming vast and spacious, with new and wondrous spaces etched upon them.

A fervent hue slowly overtook Zhong Chichen's striking features, his customary nonchalance and indifference to the world around him completely erased. Unbeknownst to him, he was on the verge of tumbling into a meticulously crafted snare. Engrossed in his quest for the ultimate Way of Heaven, he felt the object of his ardent pursuit drawing ever nearer.

Gradually, Zhong Chichen and the Book of Time ventured beyond the periphery of the Spring of Death, delving deeper into its mysteries.

Meanwhile, the crowd's focus was riveted on Yu Yuan, closely monitoring his transformations, thereby overlooking Zhong Chichen's movements.

Without warning, the Spring of Death, which had been still for so long, began to revolve slowly inward.

Zhong Chichen, intent on deciphering the essence of the void through the Spring's design, was jolted into awareness. His face contorted with alarm as he realized he had ventured too far. He tried to extricate himself, to withdraw the power he had extended into the Spring, but it was too late.

Filaments of seven-colored light, fine as strands of hair, coursed with the Spring's rotation, cascading toward the Underworld.

This prismatic glow was the dragon's breath that Zhong Chichen had dispersed within the Spring, an exploration of the void's secrets, a convergence of his own strength. The realization of impending doom struck him hard.

"Be careful!"

Yu Zhu, Yuan Lianyao, and Mother Earth, perceiving the peril, called out to him from a distance, their voices laden with urgency.

They also sensed a growing will of death behind Arthurs in the depths of the Spring of Death. In addition to this, there was a terrifying presence, entirely distinct from the will of death, as if it were poised to shatter countless voids. It seemed to be drawn to the Spring of Death, crossing over from another realm.

This menacing presence caused the Creitecesh, which resembled a transparent, multifaceted crystal, to suddenly fracture into fragments. The Creitecesh was filled with dense space rifts, spawned by the emergence of this terrifying aura.

The fearsome entity from the other side appeared to have unleashed only a fraction of its power, yet it nearly obliterated the Creitecesh, erasing all the foundational Void Rules of the Astral Domain.

"I!" Zhong Chichen screamed in terror. The dragon's breath and spatial magic he had released to explore the true nature of the Spring of Death had already been drawn to another will.

At that moment, he was reminded of the two options Arthurs had presented to him: either remain in the Wasteland, breaking the wall that separated the two worlds, where the entity from the other side could grant him deeper insights into the void and aid his ascent to the Supreme Realm; or, he could pass directly through the Spring of Death to the other realm, where he would achieve the Supreme Realm's advancement.

Clearly, there was absolute confidence that once he crossed over, he would be unable to elude that being and would inevitably become one of their number. Only someone with such assurance would offer no conditions, simply aiding his rise to the Supreme Realm by his mere passage.

"Mr. Zhong!" Yuan Lianyao called out as she moved toward the Spring of Death, only to be blocked by the Peak of Creation.

"It's futile," Mother Earth said calmly, halting her.

Zhong Chichen's current predicament was the result of his deepening exploration into the void, which had led him to a state of obsession and self-forgetfulness. The Death God and Kurkova, beings of equal stature, were confident in their approach to Zhong Chichen. From the moment he drew near the Spring of Death and began to silently discern its void secrets, they must have laid a trap for him.

Their inaction until now was intentional, designed to keep Zhong Chichen unsuspecting, even offering him enticements to let his guard down, waiting for the perfect moment to ensnare him. Now, the Spring of Death was like a spider's web in the void, set to capture its prey, Zhong Chichen.

Boom!

Beneath Yu Zhu, the Phoenix Shrine began to ripple with void energies, and the radiant light beneath the ripples swiftly faded away.

This wondrous Phoenix Shrine, under Yu Zhu's command, attempted to rescue Zhong Chichen, yet it was disrupted by a tremor emanating from the Spring of Death.

Crack!

The grand Phoenix Shrine shook violently, causing some bricks to burst apart and unveil a mural of a colorful butterfly in flight.

The mural featured a resplendent butterfly, intricately crafted from special lifeblood, with lines that encapsulated the profound essence of the Voidweaver.

Indeed, it was the Voidweaver herself.

A tenth-level Voidweaver and a formidable adversary to Zhong Chichen, she was also a cosmic giant beast long coveted by the Dark Phoenix.

She met her end in the Ashlands, even falling prey to a little spinosaurus.

Yet her mastery of the void's mysteries was etched into the Phoenix Shrine in this manner.

Dark Phoenix Zhiya had somehow acquired her lifeblood, partially unraveling her void truths, and merged them with the arcane bloodline mysteries of the deceased Chronowyrm, using the Voidweaver's lifeblood to engrave the butterfly's image into the Phoenix Shrine.

As Zhong Chichen was on the brink of vanishing into the Spring of Death, Yu Zhu's attempt to intercept him with the Phoenix Shrine backfired when another will within sensed her presence. A mere exertion of force was enough to shatter the bricks concealing the colorful butterfly.

Yu Zhu uttered a stifled groan, fearing the entire Phoenix Shrine might burst apart, forcing her to withdraw her power.

She also sensed a gaze emanating from the spring, as if it sought to memorize her essence and the Phoenix Shrine she wielded.

After a moment's hesitation, Yu Zhu prudently withdrew into the sanctuary of the shrine.

Whoosh!

In that instant, Zhong Chichen, along with the Book of Time, was swept away to the far side of the Spring of Death.

The onlookers could only watch in dismay as Zhong Chichen faded from sight.

Youyu, Yuan Lianyao, Chen Qinghuang, Mother Earth, and the Light Spirit, none of whom were versed in space magic, could do nothing. Meanwhile, a devil soul of the Demon God Bertain stirred within Yu Yuan.

"This Chronowyrm has chosen its own demise."

Arthurs stood impassively, feeling the Spring of Death gradually return to calm. He knew that the powerful individual, Zhong Chichen, had been captured and had already left the Underworld from the other end.

At the same time, an extremely subtle wisp of death aura seeped into the soul stone through Arthurs' hand. The soul stone remained unchanged, save for the gray stream representing the Lunar Meridian, which began to flow gently.

The rest of the group, fixated on the Spring of Death, failed to detect the fine death aura. Only Chen Qinghuang sensed something amiss. Her cool eyes brimmed with confusion as she observed the stream within the soul stone.

She realized that Kurkova, the expert Arthurs had referred to, was making contact with the Lunar Meridian inside the soul stone. The wisp of death aura was merely passing through Arthurs' hand, a meaning he could not decipher. But she could.

After a brief reflection, she understood the message the death aura conveyed to the Lunar Meridian: You are incomplete. Even if you reach the Underworld, you cannot evolve into a new Primal Vitality because you are inherently flawed.

Chen Qinghuang had an epiphany. The Root of the Lunar Meridian, capable of evolving into Primal Vitality, should have proactively communicated with Arthurs and sought assistance from the Death God on the other side. However, the Death God, recognizing its imperfection, did not acquiesce to its request.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, Bertain's devil soul, after swirling inside Yu Yuan's body, drifted out from his chest, exclaiming in astonishment, "Eh? Where's Zhong Chichen?"

Silence enveloped the group.

"He was absorbed by some entity on the other side while investigating the spring," Mother Earth explained dispassionately, after a moment, as she barred Yuan Lianyao's path.

Bertain's face grew somber, his barely contained rage tinged with frustration. The Demon God spoke icily, "His greatest fault is his belief that once he regains his full power, no one can stop him."

"This conviction is deeply ingrained in his bloodline and will never be eroded."

The Demon God's gaze lingered on the spring, focusing on Arthurs at its deepest point. Under such scrutiny, Arthurs squirmed uncomfortably, haunted by memories of past beatings.

Back when the Nagas caused chaos in the Origin Realm, Zhong Chichen was the most difficult to deal with; he could even evade my pursuit. Now that he has regained his strength and obtained the Book of Time, he can easily retreat from any encounter in the Wasteland or the Origin Realm."

"This has allowed him to live a carefree and composed life because he has never encountered anyone who could surpass him in space magic."

"Now that he has met his match, he still thinks he can escape from danger as easily as he did in the past."

"Finally, he's taken a big fall."

Bertain highlighted Zhong Chichen's issue and then addressed Yu Zhu, "I can awaken Yu Yuan and help him reorganize the remaining memories of his soul, but the power of my devil soul is insufficient. I need you to grant me access to some of the Soul Power within this shrine."

"If Youyu's soul stone hadn't been lost, I would have drawn power from it. Now, I have no choice but to turn to you."

Bertain was ready to proceed with his plan to awaken Yu Yuan despite Zhong Chichen's disappearance.

"I will awaken him myself."

Yu Zhu disagreed. After Bertain left Yu Yuan's body, she released a pure spirited body and descended towards Yu Yuan's brain.

"You know far less about the Primal Soul than I do!" Bertain exclaimed in displeasure.

Yu Zhu ignored him.

Whoosh!

As Yu Zhu's spirited body was about to land, Yu Yuan's "Undead Sovereign" body suddenly glowed with a translucent green light, repelling the descending spirited body.

She tried to descend, but was unable to.

"At the Wellspring of Creation, Yu Yuan's real body is reestablishing its connection with the Undead Sovereign body."

Bertain only needed a glance to understand the issue, expressing his astonishment, "My devil soul and my body within the All Spirits Ban can't maintain the connection and soul connect. His real body is deep within, yet this 'Undead Sovereign' body is still unconscious!"

The Demon God's voice was laced with incredulity.

"Can it really sense that?"

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