C2263 Please Do as You Please

"You're out already?"

Loong Jie, who had recently ascended to the Supreme Realm, had been somewhat dispirited. Yet, upon witnessing Yu Yuan's escape from the All Spirits Ban, the golden dragon briefly hesitated before approaching with a beaming smile.

Loong Jie knew his place. The terrifying energy he sensed from Yu Yuan snapped him to attention.

Even with the Life Keychain gone and eternal life granted through his ascension, he realized he was no match for Yu Yuan. It was wiser to remain submissive.

"I knew it! The All Spirits Ban couldn't hold you!"

Loong Jie's cheeks and neck glowed with a golden sheen, shining brightly under the radiance emanating from Yu Yuan.

He didn't spare a glance at Dark Phoenix Zhiya, instead showering Yu Yuan with flattery from a distance.

"The Rainbow Sage, Youyu, and Miss Yuan sensed something amiss in the Creitecesh and have gone to investigate," Loong Jie informed him, adding, "And Miss Yu Zhu has also headed to the Phoenix Shrine."

"I'm aware."

Yu Yuan nodded in acknowledgment.

Elsewhere.

"Hall Master!"

The Astral Tiger, the Golden Deer, and the rest of the Beast Gods stationed at the Beast God Temple bowed reverently as they saw Zhiya emerge unbound.

While honoring Zhiya, their gazes inevitably shifted to Yu Yuan, who was effortlessly wielding the Dragon Slaying Stage.

Yu Yuan stood tall and resplendent, his radiance rivaling that of the All Spirits Ban's barrier.

He appeared as a deity amongst mortals, exuding both grandeur and an imposing presence.

To the Beast Gods, his image loomed larger than life, shrouded in a mystique that seemed beyond comprehension.

The sight of the Soul Altar, constructed from ten layers of jade-like divine crystals, left an indelible mark on their souls.

Even the Astral Tiger, ever faithful and unwavering in his belief in Zhiya, recognized that Yu Yuan was now beyond their reach.

Privately, he considered that even Bertain, the mighty Demon God of the Sky Fiend, paled in comparison to the current Yu Yuan.

After all, Yu Yuan could freely traverse the All Spirits Ban, a feat Bertain had never achieved.

The golden deer, born in the Wasteland, bowed before Zhiya with a heart full of unease.

The Beast Gods were uncertain about the nature of the relationship between Zhiya and Yu Yuan, silently praying that they were not enemies. If they were, Yu Yuan might destroy the Wasteland.

Yu Yuan, who had not activated the stunning "Soul Altar," towered above the Wellspring of Creation. The Beast Gods and other Beast Souls sensed his presence, feeling that he was even more imposing than the Peak of Creation, an adversary beyond their capacity to challenge.

The black goat, having refined its soul, felt this most acutely.

After the fusion of her soul layers, Zhiya was acutely aware that any malicious gaze upon her would result in her beast soul being either consumed or reduced to dust.

"You all have done well," Zhiya commended, nodding appreciatively at the Beast Gods who had stayed behind. "And you, you're quite clever."

She singled out the black goat god for praise.

Zhiya was taken aback when the smilodon and Death Viper fled, and the Direbear perished, yet the black goat, formerly loyal to Yuan Le, had not fled, which pleasantly surprised her.

"Serving you and Her Highness is my honor," declared the black goat, now transformed into a striking woman in a black dress.

"Her Highness..." Zhiya's expression revealed her surprise. Realizing that the black goat was referring to Yu Zhu, she quickly grasped the implication and nodded. "It makes no difference, serving me or her."

With a whoosh, Zhiya, whose beauty was unmatched, gracefully ascended after the Beast Gods' homage and paused at the entrance of the Beast God Temple.

In her human form, her back was adorned with sharp Celestial Plumes. She harnessed the wings to draw upon the vital energy within the Beast God Temple for rejuvenation, while simultaneously repairing the array tampered with by Bertain and erasing the remnants of the Demon God.

The Beast God Temple, floating above the purple sea, began to descend slightly, settling just above the water's surface.

The sea of purple demon energy churned violently as a dense, frenzied vital energy rose from the temple's base, permeating the hall and merging with Zhiya's purple Celestial Plumes.

Zhiya's aura surged dramatically. Despite the immense drain from the All Spirits Ban, she quickly recovered in a short span of time.

Yu Yuan cast a deep glance at the alien beast lurking at the bottom of the purple sea, seemingly evasive of his gaze.

The churning purple sea began to still under the weight of his prolonged stare.

"Don't frighten it!" Zhiya admonished, shooting him an irritated look outside the hall.

"Remember, keep it under control."

Yu Yuan frowned and huffed, then abruptly re-entered the All Spirits Ban.

The Great Ban, forged by the Primal Soul of the Abyss, held no sway over him.

Once inside, he expanded the Dragon Slaying Stage and declared, "I'll use the Dragon Slaying Stage to send you all away."

Remaining within the confines of the ban were only Bertain, Lin Daoke, Ballo, and Green Willow. Except for Lin Daoke, who had yet to ascend, the others were all supreme beings.

The four mighty beings were somewhat bewildered and astonished to see Yu Yuan return after his departure.

"What are you waiting for?" Yu Yuan chuckled.

"He's not monitoring this area?" The Demon God Bertain, sensing the still-dominant Soul Power within the All Spirits Ban, inquired with curiosity, "You left so effortlessly. Does he really know nothing?"

Bertain, the Demon God from the Abyss of Truth, knew well that there was more than one All Spirits Ban.

The various All Spirits Bans were interconnected, all firmly under one being's control.

Yu Yuan had stirred up such turmoil, coming and going from the All Spirits Ban. It was inconceivable that the one in control was unaware, yet why was there no response?

The Demon God was at a loss.

"He knows, but he's powerless to stop me now," Yu Yuan said with a casual smile, his tone confident. "Even he, having lost two spiritual senses and still assimilating another high-level Primal Anima, can't afford to pay too much attention. Besides, I sense that even if he could spare the effort, using the All Spirits Ban to continue my imprisonment is no longer feasible."

With that, Yu Yuan prompted once more, "Go on, head out first."

"Oh, right, of course."

Ballo and Green Willow had few reservations. Upon his urging, they were the first to descend onto the Dragon Slaying Stage.

"It's a pity that Brie didn't achieve his desire," Ballo murmured.

With Yu Yuan's assistance, he had managed to gather the essence of the stars, laying the groundwork for his ascension to supreme status. Yet Brie, who Yu Yuan had invited, met an unfortunate end in this place.

Ballo felt a kinship with Brie, their shared misfortunes stirring a sense of melancholy within him.

"Such is life," Green Willow offered, her consolation tinged with detachment.

With a whoosh, Lin Daoke also made his way to the Dragon Slaying Stage, sitting down with a stoic expression.

His Solar Spirit Sword was in pieces. He needed to leave the confines of the seal urgently, to train in the Star Sea beyond, absorbing divine force into his being to forge a new Solar Spirit Sword.

Suddenly, he looked down at the Dragon Slaying Stage, his eyes reflecting his surprise at sensing a stream of pure spiritual energy below.

"Let's all go inside," Yu Yuan called out, prompting Lin Daoke, Ballo, and Green Willow to enter the inner world of the Dragon Slaying Stage.

Lin Daoke instantly noticed a trace of pure spiritual energy within this secluded little world.

His brow furrowed thoughtfully.

Refining the psionic power from beyond the stars into divine force usable by his lower elixir field was a laborious process, requiring extensive purification.

In the past, he had depended on Han Miaoyuan and the now-destroyed Banner of Duality.

To his surprise, the Dragon Slaying Stage also housed pure spiritual energy devoid of any attributes, exactly what he needed for the Solar Spirit Sword's refinement process, which demanded copious amounts of spiritual energy.

"Mr. Lin, feel free to proceed. Before you, someone from Shadow's Keep has already consumed a surge of spiritual energy. But there's no need for concern. The Dragon Slaying Stage, much like the All Spirits Ban, can harvest the extraterrestrial Star River's psionic power, purifying it into untainted divine force," Yu Yuan reassured him, his smile conveying understanding. "Take as much as you need; I can replenish it. There's no need for modesty."

"However, you won't be able to collect spiritual energy for much longer. After I send you all away, I have other matters to attend to."

With those words, Lin Daoke wasted no more time and began to voraciously absorb the remaining divine force.

The spiritual energy that Zhiya hadn't fully absorbed surged towards Lin Daoke's elixir field.

Simultaneously, the Great Demon God Bertain finally made his entrance onto the Dragon Slaying Stage.

"Lin, there's no need to stand on ceremony with him. As for the Everlands, it seems unlikely you'll be able to return anytime soon. Right now, the Dragon Slaying Stage is the only place brimming with spiritual energy," Bertain said with a hearty laugh. "Once the Dragon Slaying Stage is saturated with spiritual energy, you'll need to make another trip here. The reconstruction of your Solar Spirit Sword will require an immense amount of spiritual energy."

In the following moment, the Dragon Slaying Stage transformed into a portal for the four of them to depart.

In Yu Yuan's grasp, the Dragon Slaying Stage, enveloped in his radiant aura, was unaffected by the All Spirits Ban.

Whoosh!

Holding the Dragon Slaying Stage, Yu Yuan once again escaped the confines of the All Spirits Ban.

After this departure, only his Solar Spirit Body remained within the seals of the Wellspring of Creation, standing atop the massive patch of five-colored flesh.

Meanwhile, his original body's Soul Altar, nestled within his mind, continued to swiftly decode the fundamental truths of life contained within the Primal Blood from the Abyss.

The activities of his original body did not impede the functioning of the Soul Altar.

He simply needed to integrate all the insights into the laws of life into the first tier of the Blood Altar, thereby enhancing the Solar Spirit Body. Once accomplished, the Solar Spirit Body would gain complete mastery over the flesh.

From that point on, whether to refine it or extract it would no longer pose a challenge.

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