C2354 The Sacred Land of the Primal Anima
"What's happened to the Malformed Horror?"
"And Lord Heesters, why has he changed like this?"
Dickinson, the God of Calamity, noticed that Wendigo and Chai En were unharmed, yet the Malformed Horror and Heesters were clearly struggling with uncontrolled power. He found this quite perplexing.
"Dickinson, we are not in Lord Heesters's realm of time, but rather in the Domain of Origin, belonging to the Spirit of Creation," Wendigo pointed out.
"The Domain of Origin?!"
Dickinson's face turned pale as he realized the bizarre events unfolding with the Malformed Horror and Heesters. He shrieked, "You dare to remain in this place?"
Terrified, Dickinson let out a fearful cry and looked ready to flee.
"Ah! Ahhh!"
The dark golden serpent let out a harrowing scream as golden blood seeped from its dark golden scales.
Within its body, the refined Spirit of Calamity was on the verge of awakening, much like the Wind Spirit.
"The Domain of Origin! Indeed, this is the realm of the Spirit of Creation!"
The giant snake lamented.
It finally dawned on him that this place was not under the control of Heesters, the God of Time, but was instead the stronghold of the Otherworld's Primal Anima and Primal Beasts, a place they all avoided.
Only in the enigmatic Domain of Origin could the Primal Animas they had refined possibly awaken.
"Let me out! Let me out now!"
The God of Calamity, with his dark golden scales, dragged his suddenly heavy serpentine form towards the realm's sole spring.
"Boom!"
He crashed into the resplendent All Spirits Ban and was repelled, his scales bleeding even more profusely.
His power was clearly no match for Heesters, the God of Time. The barrier, a fusion of three All Spirits Bans, was not something the God of Calamity could disturb.
Undeterred, he repeatedly slammed into the barrier, causing many of his dark golden scales to fall off.
Dickinson, the God of Calamity, was desperate to escape the Domain of Origin, but the All Spirits Ban inflicted severe injuries on him. It seemed he would soon meet his end.
Unless the Spirit of Calamity within him could awaken and leave his body, he was likely to die first.
"Great Creator, I beg of you, save me!"
The Malformed Horror, still locked in combat with the Wind Spirit, cried out for Yu Yuan's aid.
Yu Yuan nodded, and in an instant, his Solar Spirit Body appeared above the Malformed Horror. His vital energy stirred within him, and the life-force-rich vital energy immediately began to permeate the Malformed Horror's being. The creature's wounds healed in the blink of an eye, and it surged with renewed vigor, once again contending with the Wind Spirit's power, attempting to refine the Primal Anima anew.
With Yu Yuan's assistance, the Malformed Horror wasn't afraid of sustaining severe injuries and could sustain the battle for a prolonged period. The Domain of Origin aided in the awakening of the Wind Spirit within it, while Yu Yuan's support caused its strength to surge, ensuring it didn't succumb to defeat in its internal struggle with the Wind Spirit.
Suddenly, a miniature whirlwind burst forth from the Malformed Horror's chest. Within this tiny tempest swirled the cosmic order and spiritual sense of the Wind Spirit, along with the power it had siphoned from the Malformed Horror.
Upon Yu Yuan's arrival, the Wind Spirit, realizing it couldn't prevail, decided to flee the Malformed Horror's body. The miniature whirlwind existed only briefly before it darted off into the distance, heading to a foreign land within the Domain of Origin, much like the Spirits of Greed and Slaughter had done.
"Thank you, great Creator!" the Malformed Horror exhaled in relief. After watching the Wind Spirit depart, it expressed its gratitude to Yu Yuan.
Yu Yuan simply waved his hand and ascended from the Malformed Horror's head, his brow furrowed as he turned his gaze toward the God of Time, Heesters. He could sense that among the Primal Animas, the reawakened Spirit of Time within Heesters was the most formidable.
"Yu Yuan, how come you're unscathed?" Youyu, who seldom spoke since arriving in this realm, eyed Yu Yuan with a mix of surprise and curiosity. "Your Solar Spirit Body was clearly refined with the Primal Blood of the Wasteland. All the other Primal Animas have been reviving in the Domain of Origin. Why hasn't there been any activity from that Primal Blood?"
At his words, everyone's attention turned to Yu Yuan, their curiosity piqued.
Loong Jie echoed the sentiment, bewildered, "Yeah, how come you're unaffected?"
From her vantage point above the meteorite in the distance, Mother Earth also wore a look of skepticism.
He had a clearer understanding of the situation than anyone else. As the steward of the Peak of Creation, he had been present throughout Yu Yuan's process of refining the Primal Blood of the Wasteland.
Now, even Heesters's Spirit of Time was stirring back to life upon entering the Domain of Origin.
Why, then, was Yu Yuan unharmed?
"I'm not sure myself," Yu Yuan said, furrowing his brow.
"Wait!"
Loong Jie, who had assumed the form of a formidable human warrior, let out a sudden roar, revealing his massive golden dragon form that stretched out like a gilded wall.
In the depths of Loong Jie's golden eyes, there was a look of turmoil, as if his mind had been invaded by another consciousness.
In an instant, the golden dragon, who had ascended to supremacy through metal magic, took off without warning. He soared away from the spring's location like a miniature tornado, accompanied by spirits of bloodlust and greed.
Despite the calls from the others, Loong Jie ignored them all, acting as if he were under a spell.
Following this incident, Green Willow, Ballo—who had achieved supremacy through the mysteries of the stars—and Yuan Lianyao, who had mastered fire magic, all exhibited similar bizarre behaviors!
These supreme beings had their consciousnesses twisted almost simultaneously, each beckoned by some entity and leaving one by one.
Yu Yuan had just pinpointed Yuan Lianyao and was about to intercept her when a radiant sun drifted over from the distant, dim starry sky.
The sun's brilliance was so intense that its warmth was felt by all, even from its remote position in the starry sea.
"The Solar Spirit!"
The Light Spirit exclaimed in alarm, as it, along with the Thunder Spirit and Mother Earth, turned their attention to the sun.
Yu Yuan could also distinctly sense a powerful Primal Anima within the fiery sun!
Behind this sun, a moon began to emerge, surrounded by stars shimmering in the celestial haze.
Within the moon resided another formidable Primal Anima.
Among those stars, a Star Spirit was concealed, moving between them without regard for spatial distances.
With just a thought, it could instantly materialize on another star, as if all the stars served as its physical form.
Subsequently, Yu Yuan became aware of the presence of the Golden Spirit, Water Spirit, and Fire Spirit.
The Golden Spirit and Water Spirit exuded auras that were unfamiliar to him, but the Fire Spirit was unmistakably the one that had fled the Everlands with the Primal Soul and the Blazing Fire.
Loong Jie, Green Willow, Ballo, and Yuan Lianyao were summoned away by this realm's Primal Anima. The Domain of Origin is home not only to the Spirit of Creation but also to a multitude of other Primal Animas! In the Abyss of Truth, the elemental Primal Animas of gold, wood, water, fire, earth, and those of the sun, moon, and stars, which once existed in the Origin Realm and the Wasteland, had never reappeared. Unexpectedly, they were being birthed anew in the Domain of Origin. The power of all Primal Animas could be significantly enhanced in the Domain of Origin. Those refined by the Origin God and Primal Beast would even experience a revival and awakening. Indeed, this place is the sacred ground of Primal Animas.
"Don't concern ourselves with them right now. At most, they'll be possessed once more," Youyu advised when he noticed Yu Yuan preparing to retrieve Yuan Lianyao, Loong Jie, and the others. "They are merely supreme beings, not Primal Gods or Primal Beasts. The Primal Anima summoning them bears no deep-seated grudge; it simply seeks to possess them to demonstrate its power!"
"The God of Time, Heesters, and Zhong Chichen are critical to our mission. We must depend on them!" Youyu reminded him with a calm demeanor.
Yu Yuan turned to see the towering white jade skeleton. The pendulum on its polished forehead, symbolizing the power of time, had come to a gradual halt. The pendulum ceased its swing. The Book of Time, previously rolled up like a blade, now lay open before Heesters. The fragmented beams that burst from Heesters's pupils fell upon the Book of Time and merged into it without a sound. Each fragment of light represented the scattered spiritual sense of the Spirit of Time.
Despite its fierce battle with Heesters, the Spirit of Time's released spiritual power and strength could neither possess nor kill Heesters. After refining it for so many years, Heesters knew all its tactics and divine powers intimately. Even after it had awakened and reclaimed its divine powers and rules, it was powerless against the God of Time. Although Heesters ascended to a Source God through it, his rise to become the third mightiest in the Otherworld was not solely due to it. Heesters's origins may lie with it, but he has honed the power of time to its pinnacle, in some respects even surpassing it.
When the Spirit of Time came to this realization, all it could do was gather the scattered temporal shards and, through a confrontation with Heesters, transform them into innumerable fragments that settled into the Book of Time.
Within one of the book's pages lay a miniature world.
Zhong Chichen sat cross-legged in the boundless void, immersed in the intricacies of space magic while also reflecting on the laws of time.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Numerous shards of time coalesced into a fist-sized orb of light within this small world on the page.
Within the orb, a faint shadow could be discerned.
"Who are you?"
Unaware of the external disturbance, Zhong Chichen, deep in his meditative state, eyed the unexpected visitor and inquired, "What is it you seek?"
"Sever your understanding of space magic, cut off all the cosmic orders you've grasped, and I will bestow upon you the ultimate sequence of time, transforming you into another Heesters," the shadow within the light orb conveyed with clarity.
Zhong Chichen flashed a sardonic grin and shook his head, "I doubt you possess such power."
"I am the Spirit of Time," the voice from within the orb declared.
"Heh, to become another Heesters, I would have to sacrifice the Spirit of Time. If you truly are the Spirit of Time, would you really permit me to sacrifice you?" Zhong Chichen challenged, as he suddenly manifested his Seven-Colored Dragon's primal form on the page.
His resplendent, multicolored scales shone like wondrous pieces of fine gold, some radiating with the power of space magic, others exuding the true essence of time.
And the page, within the voluminous Book of Time, burst forth with a magnificent divine glow.
"It has sought out Zhong Chichen!" Youyu exclaimed.
Yu Yuan felt a surge of determination and prepared to plunge into the Book of Time to extinguish the Spirit of Time within.
Hua! Hua! Hua!
The All Spirits Ban, disrupted by the Spirit of Time and slowly drawing together once more, released waves of light, attempting to ensnare Heesters.
At this moment, Heesters was still contending with the will of the Spirit of Time within him, desperately striving to integrate his own strength.
After a brief hesitation, Yu Yuan suddenly appeared before Heesters. He swiftly seized Heesters, hurling him into the distance, and in the same motion, extracted the troublemaking God of Chaos.
The All Spirits Ban, emitting a resplendent halo, began to spread from the inner recesses of the spring to its exterior.
This All Spirits Ban enveloped the only spring connected to the outside world, forbidding anyone from approaching it, while permitting only visitors from beyond to delve deep inside.
Yu Yuan was struck by an absurd mix of emotions, feeling both the urge to laugh and cry.
Back in the Wasteland, numerous Maw of Oblivion enveloped many springs, lying in wait to ambush the deities from the Otherworld.
Now, the All Spirits Ban, far more formidable than the Maw of Oblivion, encased the solitary spring in the Domain of Origin, poised to prey upon the gods who dared to enter from the outside.
Boom! Thunderous roars!
From the depths of the spring within the All Spirits Ban, an immense and terrifying power burst forth, revealing a mysterious force that Yu Yuan had never before encountered.
This force seemed capable of altering the destiny of the cosmos and weaving the future of all beings.
The evolution of countless worlds in the Otherworld, the direction of all life's fates, including the destinies of the gods, appeared to be at the mercy of this overwhelming power!
"Stephanie!"
Heesters exclaimed, ecstatic.
"The God of Destiny has arrived!"
"She must have felt it, sensed the impending calamity! That's why she's come from her own world!"
"With her presence, Lord Heesters may yet stand undefeated!"
The three Primal Beasts—the Malformed Horror, the Wendigo, and Chai En—were invigorated by this burgeoning power and brimmed with renewed vigor.
