C2268 Each of Them Sublimated
"I was about to explain how I managed to devour the soul sea, resist the spiritual sense, and throw Lin Daoke and the others' souls into disarray," Bertain said with a heavy sigh and a bittersweet smile. "Yet, I've carelessly fallen into His trap once more."
The Demon God, after a moment of shock, quickly regained his composure. "The fragmented devil soul will only fade away once it leaves the demonform. This indicates that its corrupting power lies deep within my devil soul."
"I'll see if I can extract it with my own strength!"
Bertain immediately set to work.
Clad in the Golden Dragon Armor, he plunged back into the tumultuous lightning maelstrom. He shed the gleaming armor, revealing his demonform, as clear as amethyst, to the depths of the thunderous fury.
"My demonform fears not the lightning's forge nor its strikes. Let's see if you truly are immovable!"
Crack! Boom!
Massive lightning bolts and exploding thunder balls were forcibly drawn out of the lightning vortex by the Demon God.
He inhaled deeply, consuming the blinding lightning and thunder balls that filled the heavens.
Bertain's crystalline form endured a trial by lightning!
The fearsome energy released by the rampant lightning and thunder was enough to deal a heavy blow to an Undead Sovereign, akin to Youyu.
Yu Zhu, a master of Mind Magic, wouldn't last a moment against such a barrage of lightning without the Phoenix Shrine's protection.
Bertain's towering demonform, perched atop the dragon armor, stood like an eternal deity, unyielding to the relentless assault of countless lightning strikes, as immovable as a mountain.
His demonform continued to expand, reminiscent of an ancient Titan ancestor, born amidst the thunder.
"Who is that?"
"Is he undergoing the calamity thunder?"
"He isn't one of our esteemed alien beast kin, nor does he need to endure the calamity thunder to seek a breakthrough to the tenth level!"
The Stormwraiths, Thunderhawks, and lightning sables watched in awe as Bertain, no longer concealing his demonform, stood exposed.
The alien beasts howled and roared.
The emergence and swift growth of Bertain's demonform turned their life-sustaining thunder vortexes into raging tempests, instilling fear and unrest.
They were utterly unaware of Bertain's origins or what he was attempting within the thunder vortex.
"Previously, without a true demonform of my own, I wouldn't have dared to act so recklessly."
Bertain grinned wickedly, having moved past the incident of the devil soul's demise, his fighting spirit reignited. His demonform, reminiscent of an amethyst crystal, stretched taller and slimmer. He braved the relentless assault of lightning and thunder, as a purple haze slowly emanated from within him.
This towering demonform, with a chest as smooth as a mirror, began to show a network of fine cracks. From these, a greenish-black smoke started to seep out, a signature trait and a means by which he infected others.
As the amethyst demonform weathered the internal and external onslaught of lightning and thunder, the dispersal of the greenish-black smoke indicated an infection by these forces. He had indeed eluded Bertain's spiritual sense, leaving Bertain completely unaware.
With a hiss, the greenish-black smoke dissipated, instantly reduced to ashes under the tempest of the immense thunder vortex.
Bertain exclaimed with a surge of excitement, "You see, even He can be dissolved by lightning!" "But you might be right," he conceded. "The flash of insight I had, that spiritual light, it came from Him! He showed me how to absorb Soul Power, how to reforge an arm, and how to channel Soul Power into Lin."
"This means Lin is in danger too!" he realized.
The demonform continued to endure the brutal lightning and thunder, the intricate and mystical form of the Demon God showing ever-deepening fissures. The essence of his devil soul was rapidly diminishing.
"Why not take a break, and let me give it a try?" Yu Yuan suggested, noticing Bertain's worsening condition and the emergence of new greenish-black soul threads within his demonform. Concerned that Bertain might not withstand the onslaught, Yu Yuan offered, "I have the Soul Cleansing Brilliance at my disposal. Let me handle it."
Yu Yuan had come with the intention of using the Soul Altar to unleash the divine radiance and erase the residual infection within Bertain. His success with the Soul Cleansing Brilliance in the Origin Realm had already been proven.
"I want to eradicate His infection with my own strength!" Bertain refused. Having ascended to the pinnacle through the Spirit Magic, he was aware that the ultimate power of thunder was destined to be his bane, which is why he had long ago chosen to temper his soul with thunder.
He had been adapting for a long time and had gained some insights.
He believed that in the Wasteland, the Primal Soul's influence was insufficient to permeate the barrier between realms. Moreover, this land of rampant lightning was more conducive to him unleashing his power.
Stubbornly, he sought to use his own strength to erase the taint left by that individual.
Crack! Sizzle!
He channeled more lightning into his body, transforming his unique demonform into an unconventional lightning dojo, where he gradually began to manifest aspects of the Dao of thunder!
"If I weren't a Sky Fiend but someone like Qi Yunhong, with a flesh and blood body, I would have been able to quickly assimilate the profound lightning secrets linked to your Soul Altar within the All Spirits Ban. I would have already ascended to the Supreme Realm!"
The Demon God declared arrogantly, "Green Willow, Ballo, and that lecherous dragon are no match for me."
Yu Yuan nodded slightly and said, "If you were human, you would have already unraveled the ultimate truth of the Path of Earthfire and ascended to the Supreme Realm through the mysteries of fire."
The flame patterns above the Forge of the Sun held the essence of earthfire, crafted by Bertain.
A person like Bertain, no matter which sacred way he chose, would surely gain the favor of the Primal Anima and inevitably ascend to the Supreme Realm.
"Thunder? Heh, I can temper my soul with thunder and penetrate the essence of thunder magic!"
Bertain's laughter boomed within the thunder vortex as blinding white lightning bolts rained down uncontrollably, instantly killing many thunder-attribute alien beasts.
A ninth-level Stormwraith prostrated ceaselessly towards the heavens, as if begging for divine mercy.
"Stormwraith..."
Yu Yuan suddenly recalled the time in the Ashlands when Bertain had concealed the devil soul within the Stormwraith's mind, unexpectedly revealing himself and thwarting Arthurs' schemes.
It was unthinkable that the devil soul would take refuge in the mind of a Stormwraith, the very creature that should dread the power of lightning the most.
Consequently, Arthurs suffered a severe blow and was pursued into the Maw of Oblivion. There, in the seven layers of the Abyss, he roamed unrestrained, ensnaring all the Evil Gods within.
"Don't let me die. As long as a single devil soul remains within me, I can return to my former self once I've purged its corrupting influence."
Bertain made his plea to Yu Yuan.
Yu Yuan gave a slight nod and called out, "Mr. Lin."
Lin Daoke, who had been refining the Solar Spirit Sword with spiritual energy in the secluded space within the Dragon Slaying Stage, emerged with a furrowed brow.
Lin Daoke, looking much improved, gazed upon Bertain, who was being relentlessly struck by lightning within the heart of the thunder vortex, and a look of perplexity crossed his face. "What's he doing?"
Yu Yuan provided a detailed account of the events that had transpired.
After hearing the explanation, Lin Daoke paused, then shared, "I too obtained a strand of Soul Power within the All Spirits Ban."
Yu Yuan spoke candidly, "There might be an issue with that."
Lin Daoke's frown deepened.
"You and the Demon God both face the imminent threat of being overtaken by Him, transformed into His vessel. No, that's not quite right. He intends to possess your teacher, using your body and the Divine Sword as His instruments." Yu Yuan shared his speculation.
He continued to monitor Bertain's condition.
As Bertain was battered again and again by the fierce lightning, he grew increasingly weaker with each wisp of black and green Soul Power that escaped him.
Still, a greenish-black miasma seeped out from his demonform.
It appeared that only when his devil soul was utterly dispersed would he be fully drained.
"I can't resolve this."
Bertain finally conceded, ceasing his attempts to obliterate the remnants of His presence within the demonform with lightning.
"His insidious power has become even more enigmatic, indistinguishable from my own soul. Furthermore, His influence continues to proliferate within my soul, as though it can never be eradicated."
Even the mighty Demon God Bertain found himself at an impasse.
After ceasing his efforts, Bertain's Devil Eyes peered deeply at Yu Yuan and said, "I suspect that even your Soul Cleansing Brilliance may prove ineffective now."
Yu Yuan immediately attempted to invoke the towering "Soul Altar," consolidating the forces at his command.
Whoosh!
The Soul Cleansing Brilliance, a fusion of the forces of lightning, ice, and light, bathed the Demon God Bertain in its glow, endeavoring to erase the invasive presence within him.
The demonform, now showing cracks, was shrouded in the light of the Soul Cleansing Brilliance, yet no corrupt essence seeped out. Within the demonform, Bertain sensed no dissolution of the invasive substance. Fused with the power of thunder, light, and ice, the Soul Cleansing Brilliance, known for its potent purging effect on soul impurities, had unexpectedly become ineffective.
"It's persistent, and it's also enhancing its invasive capabilities," Bertain said, shaking his head with a hint of concern.
Yu Yuan reflected briefly before responding, "It's due to the All Spirits Ban." Previously, the All Spirits Ban encompassed only the primal truths of the eight genuine Abyss of Truth elements. The secrets of thunder and ice had not been previously imprinted within the All Spirits Ban. This indicated that they were unfamiliar to it, realms beyond its control. Yet, when his real body was cast from the Ashlands into the Abyss of Truth, in a desperate attempt to break through the All Spirits Ban, something changed.
The moment his true form entered, the profound meanings related to ice and thunder on the levels of the Soul Altar were imprinted by the All Spirits Ban. Henceforth, the All Spirits Ban included the true essences of ice and thunder magic. The Light Spirit, too, had probed the All Spirits Ban, exchanging and leaving traces of light magic within.
He had always wielded the All Spirits Ban, able to perceive and understand the deep significance and wonders of all the primal truths within. Once he learned of the profound mysteries behind the Soul Cleansing Brilliance's creation, his power to corrupt escalated, rendering the Soul Cleansing Brilliance ineffective.
As Yu Yuan forged the planes of gold, water, and fire through the All Spirits Ban, incorporating the sun, moon, and stars into the Astral Plane and elevating the arcane power of flora and earth, he also used Yu Yuan's Soul Altar to enhance the All Spirits Ban and elevate his own divine abilities. It seemed that Yu Yuan and he had engaged in a fair exchange, with both parties timely sharing insights into the mysteries of the primal anima.
A chilling thought suddenly struck Yu Yuan. If the essence of the Primal Anima within the All Spirits Ban and his Soul Altar were strikingly similar, then should he ever gain the power to possess Yu Yuan, he could effortlessly take over his Soul Altar and fully harness the power of his true form.
"Come with me to the Creitecesh. The Death God from the Underworld has already sensed that something is off with you. She might just have a solution."
