C2282 Just a Step Away!
Tan Xiaotian strode away with an air of nonchalance, vanishing into the depths of the spring.
The radiance emanating from the Peak of Creation swiftly dimmed following his abrupt departure.
Clearly, the Light Spirit was caught off guard by Tan Xiaotian's decision.
Yet, the Light Spirit realized that with Tan Xiaotian gone, both it and Canli could breathe a sigh of relief.
Deprived of Tan Xiaotian, the Dark Anima lost its prime vessel for possession. Even if it were to follow the Primal Soul into the Wasteland, it posed no threat to either Canli or itself.
"He's left, just like that?" Yu Yiyi expressed, bewildered.
"He has his own sense of pride," Yu Yuan remarked gently.
The struggle between light and darkness was settled when the Light Spirit assimilated the profound meanings of the sun, moon, and stars.
Canli, nurtured by the Light Spirit, was destined to overshadow Tan Xiaotian once she ascended to supremacy.
Given Yu Yuan's involvement, Canli and her patron, the Light Spirit, might refrain from striking at Tan Xiaotian, tolerating the presence of this Dark Overlord.
But could someone as proud as he truly accept such a situation?
In his eyes, while the Dark Anima that supported him could afford to lose, he himself refused to be defeated!
He could never concede that he, Tan Xiaotian, was inferior to Cardo, let alone to Canli, a mere greenhorn!
His sole aspiration was to fully assimilate the Dark Anima, seeking a breakthrough.
Regrettably, the Primal Soul, in league with the Dark Anima, had become the mightiest Primal Spirit across all realms, ever-present within the core of Genesis Continent.
Seeing no glimmer of hope, unwilling to wait for Canli to outpace him, and even less inclined to be consumed by the Dark Anima, he was at an impasse.
In the Origin Realm, the Wasteland, and the desolate Abyss, he found no force that could propel him further. His only hope lay in the perilous Underworld.
In pursuit of his Way of Heaven, he acknowledged the risks yet chose to face them unflinchingly.
"Truly a formidable figure of the Everlands."
Qi Yunhong, on the cusp of reaching the pinnacle after refining the colossal thunder vortex, watched Tan Xiaotian charge undeterred into the Spring of Death. A feeling of kinship stirred within the imperious man. "I've always looked up to him. He is the undisputed sovereign of the Everlands, far surpassing Han Miaoyuan."
Youyu, who had hoped to settle the score with Tan Xiaotian in the Wasteland, was taken aback when the latter unexpectedly ventured into the Underworld without any signs. With a furrowed brow, he muttered, "I hope our paths cross again someday."
"Apart from the Primal Soul, he's the first to willingly enter the Underworld," Yu Yuan remarked.
Arthurs, following the Primal Soul's command, ventured into the void with a flag in tow. Meanwhile, Zhong Chichen, deep in his contemplation of the profound meaning of the void, was stealthily abducted by someone on par with the Death God.
Kurkova had extended numerous invitations to Chen Qinghuang, all of which were steadfastly declined.
Tan Xiaotian alone understood that the realm beyond was starkly different from the Origin Realm, Wasteland, and Abyss, harboring a mysterious and sinister evil, yet he charged into it with unwavering resolve.
"Yu Yuan, how much longer will it take?" Taishi inquired, standing atop the Peak of Creation, feeling the mountain's immense divine power. "You must refine that flesh quickly, or we risk complications."
Tan Xiaotian's departure didn't surprise him in the least. He seemed to have foreseen Tan Xiaotian's true intentions for venturing to the Wasteland, aware that Tan Xiaotian would never accept being second to anyone.
"It won't be long now," Yu Yuan assured. His real body and his Undead Sovereign form were positioned at opposite ends of the Wellspring of Creation.
Speaking through his real body, he explained, "On my way here, the ninth tier of my Soul Altar experienced several disturbances, forcing me to divert my focus to quell them, which caused the delay."
He had meticulously planned to penetrate the mysteries of all Primal Blood using the Blood Altar of the Soul Altar before reaching Creitecesh from the Frostlands.
His journey with Tan Xiaotian in the Stellar Oblivion had caused a slight delay. Subsequent disturbances on the ninth tier's Soulstone Pedestal required him to halt his exploration of the Secrets of Life and concentrate on subduing the ninth tier. This was the reason for his tardiness.
"We must expedite our efforts. I sense... He is nearly upon us."
As Taishi concluded, he descended into the depths of the Peak of Creation, his thoughts radiating outward. "Please grant me a more profound level of the Great Earth Divine Power. I, Taishi, will forever be grateful."
"I don't require your thanks; fulfilling my promise to Yu Yuan is enough," Mother Earth declared with a light snort.
In an instant, Taishi felt the deep secrets of the earth flow into him as streams of light, coursing through his limbs and merging forcefully into his soul's core.
Within various caverns of the Peak of Creation, Canli and Taishi simultaneously embraced the ultimate cosmic orders of the Light Spirit and Dark Anima.
Yu Yuan, too, found tranquility once more beside the Wellspring of Creation.
...
The Stellar Phoenix.
This vibrant Astral Domain, shaped like a soaring phoenix with outstretched wings, featured two hazy Star Rivers forming the majestic bird's expansive wings.
Stars and lands were scattered across the Star Rivers, casting brilliant starlight.
The "neck" of the firebird was a diamond-shaped landmass.
At this moment, that slender, elongated land was filled with dazzling spatial luminescence.
The Star River appeared as if it had been sliced by silver blades innumerable times, leaving a multitude of fissures.
Nestled within the largest of these rifts was the Phoenix Shrine, embodying Zhiya's ultimate dignity, bathed in the wash of countless streams of light.
The Astral Tiger, the golden deer, the Iron-winged Bird Beast God, and the Darkgold Beast were among the many powerful alien beasts being ushered from the Stellar Phoenix towards the Phoenix Shrine.
Among them were numerous ice phoenixes, fire phoenixes, and golden phoenixes with relatively modest bloodline levels.
"Why does the Hall Master want us to do this?"
The Astral Tiger gazed upon the grand Phoenix Shrine and the scattered meteorite fragments by the Holy Temple within the space rift, voicing its confusion: "Is there a deeper meaning?"
This was the Void's Maelstrom within the Wasteland.
Following Zhiya's guidance, Yu Zhu employed the newly received arcane knowledge from Zhiya to forge a Void's Maelstrom within the spatial crevices of the Wasteland.
Subsequently, they began relocating the alien beasts from the Stellar Phoenix into the Void's Maelstrom.
When the barriers between the Origin Realm and the Wasteland crumbled, the Phoenix Shrine fiercely drew in a surge of space magic. The recent instructions from Zhiya on crafting the Void's Maelstrom enabled Yu Zhu to effortlessly harness the Phoenix Shrine's power to construct such an extraordinary domain.
This location, while situated in the Wasteland, existed independently from it.
"I'm not sure myself. Mother only instructed the key members of Shadow's Keep to enter here first," Yu Zhu explained.
"It seems like we're seeking refuge," the golden deer mused, shaking its head.
"Refuge?" The Astral Tiger pondered, then added, "Earlier, I sensed a call beckoning me to the Origin Realm. Thankfully, I was able to quickly resist that call."
"It's the influence of the Phoenix Shrine at play."
Yu Zhu nodded gently and continued, "Without the Phoenix Shrine and this Void's Maelstrom, resisting the call would have been difficult for me. In contrast, you managed to easily evade the summoning because you didn't prioritize the tempering of your beast soul, and your physical strength far surpasses that of the beast soul."
"We haven't felt anything."
The golden deer, the Iron-winged Bird, and the Darkgold Beast God each shared their lack of experience.
"It really isn't related to you," Yu Zhu remarked nonchalantly.
...
That day.
Boom! Thunderous sounds echoed!
Within Yu Yuan's sea of consciousness, the ninth level of the Blood Altar experienced another surge of activity.
The upheaval at the ninth level compelled Yu Yuan to concentrate all his mental faculties and willpower to suppress it with the tenth level of the Blood Altar, to prevent any alteration of the levels.
He heeded the Death God's warning that he must never allow the Soulstone Pedestal to occupy the highest tier of the Soul Altar.
He was just one small step away from thoroughly deciphering the Secrets of Life left behind by the Primal Blood of the Abyss, using the tenth level of the Blood Altar.
Once successful, upon imprinting the profound meaning into the Solar Spirit, it would gain control over that piece of flesh within the Wellspring of Creation and proceed with the direct refinement!
Whoosh! The layers of the All Spirits Ban, stacked upon one another, began to vanish silently.
One layer, two layers, three layers, all the way to seven!
The Star of Light, Mother Earth, the Tree of Life, and Youyu, each affected by the Wellspring of Creation's seal, observed the All Spirits Ban with vested interest.
Yu Yuan, who had been seated on the multicolored flesh, abruptly stood up, his expression gravely serious.
A silent plea traveled from the Solar Spirit to Yu Yuan's real body and the form of the Undead Sovereign.
"I need to suppress the ninth platform!" Yu Yuan's real body called out with urgency.
Whoosh!
His Undead Sovereign form swiftly drifted to the Dragon Slaying Stage, instructing, "Qi Yunhong, Yu Yiyi, enter the Dragon Slaying Stage first! Taishi, Canli, stay put inside the Peak of Creation!"
"Youyu, you should be alright since your body lacks vital energy, but still, be cautious!"
"The All Spirits Ban is on the verge of breaking. It's He who will cause the All Spirits Ban to vanish, and that piece of flesh will soon emerge!"
Yu Yuan's repeated calls struck the listeners like a series of heavy blows, dramatically altering their expressions.
Simultaneously, Yu Yuan was multitasking, reaching out through his Soul Altar to summon Bertain, Loong Jie, Ballo, Green Willow, and Yuan Lianyao.
"Be on your guard, everyone. A catastrophe is imminent. That piece of flesh will soon break free from its seal!"
The supreme beings, upon receiving his Soul Voice, came to the stark realization that Yu Yuan could indeed control their movements.
"Aren't you supposed to be able to control it?" Loong Jie urgently sent back a message.
"So close, just one step away!"
Boom!
The final layer of the All Spirits Ban within the Wellspring of Creation vanished abruptly.
The layered seal that had enveloped the piece of flesh was laid bare to the Creitecesh just as Yu Yuan was on the cusp of fully unraveling the Secrets of Life within the Primal Blood of the Abyss.
Within the sealed realm, what appeared to be a mere fragment of five-colored flesh, upon the disappearance of the seal, revealed its true form, stunning all onlookers.
It dominated their view, dwarfing the Peak of Creation in size!
It wasn't as towering, resembling an expansive sea of five-colored flesh, and it spanned a quarter of the Creitecesh.
The energy it radiated twisted the very essence of flesh and blood!
