C2389 The Wait of a Hundred Million Years
"I know."
Yu Yuan, the Undead Sovereign, stood upon his own shoulder, gazing up at the apex of the pyramid.
Even he, as obtuse as he might be, realized that the memories he had forgotten must contain elements linked to the Land of Origin!
The resemblance was uncanny, in both shape and layout.
His ten-story Soul Altar bore a striking similarity to the pyramid-shaped Land of Origin!
"Let's head to the top first."
Yu Yuan, piecing together his fragmented memories, was convinced that something at the pinnacle of the Land of Origin would surely provide enlightenment.
"Alright!"
The big devil's voice quivered with excitement. Without the Primal Soul of the Abyss in sight, he harbored no fear.
"Where is the Spirit of Creation?"
The Demon Lord scanned the area, attempting to locate the formidable Primal Anima that ruled this place among the myriad crystals.
"It will reveal itself when it wishes to," Yu Yuan stated calmly.
"That makes sense."
Tan Xiaotian nodded in agreement.
His magic power and conscious thoughts were utterly incapable of breaching the All Spirits Ban.
He could sense the six dark spirits of the Origin Grounds because the dark energy he practiced resonated only with the aura of the six Primal Animas within the same black crystal.
"I've sensed them—the Forgotten Spirits emerging from within me! No, not just one, but four familiar Forgotten Spirits!" As Yu Yuan ascended, the God of Oblivion Harris's eyes, glittering like jewels, suddenly fixed on a location.
There, in the heart of the Land of Origin, was a pale blue crystal.
The Forgotten Spirits that had emerged from Harris's body slipped into the pale blue crystal after passing through the true All Spirits Ban.
The intricate principles of the Forgotten Spirit's cosmic order, spiritual sense, and divine power had long since merged with the pale blue crystal.
Yet, within that crystal, Harris could feel the presence of four Forgotten Spirits, in addition to the one lurking within him—three others!
"There are five Spirits of Death altogether."
Kurkova abruptly extended her hand, pointing to a crystal as white as bone, and said with a furrowed brow, "Besides the one that left my body, there are four other Spirits of Death."
"Extreme cold..."
Ji Ningshuang, usually reserved, watched as the others shared their insights. After a brief pause, she added, "There are six Primal Animas in the Land of Origin, as cold as the deepest frost."
She gently raised her hand, pointing to a higher ice crystal, and said, "They're all there."
After a brief pause, she added, "The ice magic that granted me the truth of extreme coldness, elevating me to a supreme being, is not among them."
At her words, everyone was taken aback.
The Arctic Breath from the Origin Realm and the Primal Blood had been absorbed into the little world within the Genesis Continent. After being devoured by the Primal Soul, they transformed into a bizarre body of flesh and blood.
As a result, the Arctic Breath had become part of the Primal Soul's body and might not have reached the Land of Origin yet.
Thus, Ji Ningshuang did not detect the familiar scent of Arctic Breath in the ice crystal but discovered traces of six Primal Animas similar to it.
"There were six Dark Animas, six instances of Arctic Breath, five Undead Spirits, and four Spirits of Oblivion," she observed.
Demon God Bertain's brow furrowed deeply as he turned to Yu Yuan and asked, "Undead Sovereign, how many epochs have there been before us?"
The six Dark Sky Curtains that Tan Xiaotian had refined originated from different epochs, suggesting there were six epochs.
Yet there were only five Undead Spirits, including one that had previously merged, and even fewer Spirits of Oblivion.
Something seemed off.
"I'm not currently clear on how many epochs there have been. What I do know is that not every Primal Anima from each epoch could successfully return at the end of their world," Yu Yuan answered methodically.
He was still piecing together past memories that had faded, trying to integrate them.
"Has a Primal Anima fallen? Or has it been consumed in a ritual?" the Old Devil exclaimed in shock.
Yu Yuan remained silent, his colossal, multicolored body of flesh continuing its ascent.
Suddenly, the Old Devil exclaimed, "I can't feel the presence of the Primal Soul in the Soulstone Pedestal! Not a single Primal Soul has ever existed there!"
With a whoosh, Yu Yuan's towering, jade-like form came to an abrupt halt at these words.
It was then that everyone realized they were nearing the apex of the pyramid-shaped Land of Origin.
Perched on Yu Yuan's shoulder, they spotted a massive, glowing platform level with their height.
It was a green Soulstone Pedestal, not black and green!
From their vantage point, it appeared to be fractured.
It seemed that long ago, the Soulstone Pedestal at the pinnacle of the "pyramid" had cracked for some reason.
A greenish light, matching the color of the Soulstone Pedestal, emanated from it, preventing anyone from seeing the scene within the crystal through the dim glow.
"In each era, numerous Primal Animas have emerged. Why has the Primal Soul never appeared?"
Harris turned to Bertain and said, "You didn't sense the presence of the Primal Soul. Does that mean the Primal Soul hasn't returned in any era? Or could it be that the Primal Soul has always remained singular, unchanged from beginning to end?"
The big devil bellowed, "You should be asking Yu Yuan, not me!"
No sooner had he spoken than he took flight from Yu Yuan's shoulder, heading upwards, for he had noticed a look of bewilderment gradually overtaking Yu Yuan's eyes!
The bewilderment in Yu Yuan's eyes was strikingly similar to the confusion the Light Spirit, Mother Earth, and the Thunder Spirit had shown when they momentarily broke free from their frenzy.
The difference, however, was that Yu Yuan's confusion seemed to stem from something he had seen, as if he had been startled!
People like Bertain were merely standing on Yu Yuan's shoulder, gazing towards the Origin Realm at eye level with their colossal host.
Before them lay the green Soulstone Pedestal, yet above it was another, smaller crystal layer!
This smaller crystal was a deep crimson, visible only through the eyes of Yu Yuan's vibrant form.
The big devil was eager to discover what had caused Yu Yuan's bewilderment, a sight that had even impacted his Undead Sovereign form.
Both the colossal and the smaller Yu Yuan were engulfed in confusion, as if lost in the depths of an Otherworld from their past memories.
"Ah!"
Bertain, ascending, suddenly let out a startled cry.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Tan Xiaotian, Chen Qinghuang, Ji Ningshuang, and two deities from the Otherworld all soared into the sky at his scream.
The eyes of the mighty, alongside Yu Yuan's towering presence, were level, hovering at either side of his temples.
From this vantage point, they discovered atop the Soulstone Pedestal a crystal that resembled a slab of blood jade.
Within this blood-colored crystal seemed to lie an expansive, blood-red sea. Its turbulent waves were palpable, yet its depths remained impenetrable to the eye.
Above this sanguine crystal, they beheld eight manifestations of Yu Yuan!
The eight figures of Yu Yuan were not identical; they were scattered about, each with distinct movements and postures.
Some depicted Yu Yuan in his twilight years, his head crowned with a mane of silver, his face etched with deep wrinkles, sitting silently upon the ground.
Others showed Yu Yuan in the fullness of his strength, his stature robust, exuding vitality and vigor.
There were even images of Yu Yuan as a youth, barely fifteen or sixteen, brimming with youthful exuberance.
One particular Yu Yuan appeared dark and foreboding, his hands seemingly stained with blood.
These eight representations of Yu Yuan, seemingly from different epochs, lacked any sign of life or soulful resonance. Whether standing or seated, they hovered above the blood jade-like crystal.
It was as if they had existed for eons, eternally awaiting something.
"Yu Yuan!"
"There are eight Yu Yuans!"
Tan Xiaotian and the two deities from the Otherworld were more astonished than Bertain at the spectacle above the blood crystal.
They quickly turned to regard the Yu Yuan behind them, whose eyes were a deep crimson.
This Yu Yuan, forged from polychromatic flesh, gazed upon the eight images of himself on the blood crystal, seemingly lost in a bewildered state.
A creeping sense of unease began to overtake the group.
They continued to ascend toward the pinnacle of the Origin Grounds, drifting past innumerable crystals.
Each crystal, large and small, carried the essence of Primal Anima, spanning various epochs.
Upon reaching the summit, they first encountered a crystal layer corresponding to the Soul Altar, akin to Yu Yuan's own. Then, at the very top, they found a layer corresponding to the essence of life—the blood crystal.
And there, once again, were the eight Yu Yuans!
"He has been here before; he came here with every world's end!"
The God of Oblivion, Harris, cried out in terror, his gaze fixed on the bewildered, deep red eyes of Yu Yuan. "He can sense that the memories he is now integrating originate from those eight!"
...
