C2390 Ninth Era!
The sudden manifestation of eight Yu Yuan left everyone in awe.
The gaze and focus of the mighty ones were fixed on the various forms of Yu Yuan, each trying to deduce the origins and identity of these eight figures.
Moreover, they pondered the true purpose behind Yu Yuan's actions.
"He does not deserve our trust!"
Harris, overwhelmed by fear and anxiety, once again fixed his eyes on Yu Yuan, now perceiving Yu Yuan's massive, multicolored form as a formidable adversary. "Lord Bertain," he said, "if the Spirit of Creation is poised to enact the destruction of the world, why has Yu Yuan persisted through the ages?"
The old sorcerer furrowed his brow, remaining silent. He was unable to offer an explanation, equally ensnared by shock and bewilderment.
The eight Yu Yuans varied in appearance and age, their bodies devoid of any signs of life, yet they had lingered near the Blood Crystal for untold years.
It was evident that Yu Yuan, with his colossal, colorful body, was accessing hidden memories through these eight incarnations.
Neither Harris, the God of Oblivion, nor Heesters, the God of Time, could trace Yu Yuan's true history.
This was because Yu Yuan possessed a past and memories that were far more secretive and ancient!
These memories had never resided within the Yu Yuan of this era but were kept at the pinnacle of the Origin World, within the eight lifeless forms of Yu Yuan's body.
Yu Yuan, a being of immense power, could faintly sense that he harbored ancient memories yet to be awakened.
But since these memories were not of this era, they left no trace.
Only by arriving here, by reaching the uppermost echelon of the Land of Origin, and by confronting these eight versions of himself, could he rekindle the memories from his distant past.
"His bewilderment stems from the simultaneous influx of memories from eight different epochs. These memories, belonging to distinct eras, have converged in his mind, overwhelming his thoughts. He must now disentangle and make sense of these merged memories," Harris discerned the enigma.
"No wonder the Spirit of Fate endured such a horrific recoil, resulting in the shattering of Stephanie's form," the old sorcerer exclaimed.
Through Yu Yuan's recounting, they learned that the Spirit of Fate, having taken over Stephanie, had nearly caused Heesters to perish instantly.
Yu Yuan's intervention, however, turned the tide against the Spirit of Fate, causing it to relinquish Stephanie's body.
It was revealed that Yu Yuan had made his presence known in the previous eight epochs, each time visiting the Land of Origin.
What a complex and enigmatic destiny Yu Yuan must have.
"So, we've entered the Ninth Era."
The Secular Bird Queen's brow furrowed as she observed the two bewildered Yu Yuans and then turned her gaze to the eight Yu Yuans depicted on the Blood Crystal. "It appears we are currently in the Ninth Era. The eight preceding eras all concluded with cataclysmic destruction. The Primal Animas returned, and many deities, sovereigns, and peak warriors met their demise."
"The Ninth Era!"
The revelation sent another shockwave through the hearts of those present.
"Look, there's a fissure above us."
Ji Ningshuang, bereft of the Stardust Blade, peered into the sky above the Blood Crystal with her icy, lucid gaze. She focused on the void hovering over the heads of the eight Yu Yuans.
She noticed a crack that was in the process of sealing itself.
"A fissure?"
The old demon narrowed his eyes to inspect it, his face contorting once more.
The Land of Origin, shaped like a pyramid, was encased within the resplendent All Spirits Ban. The vast All Spirits Ban resembled a vertical goose egg, enveloping the entirety of the Land of Origin.
The fervent Primal Animas journeying from the exterior could instantly traverse the goose egg-like All Spirits Ban to reach their intended destination.
This was because they were Primal Animas, inherently part of the Land of Origin, arriving to reunite and assimilate.
Yet, it was unknown to them whether supreme beings with corporeal bodies could cross the All Spirits Ban.
At this moment, at the very apex of the All Spirits Ban, there lay an exceedingly fine crack.
What could have caused this?
Who or what force was capable of creating a fissure in the formidable All Spirits Ban?
The crack was healing, suggesting it had only recently formed, shortly before their arrival at the Land of Origin.
"I suspect that something has either entered or left the Land of Origin," Tan Xiaotian interjected suddenly.
"That healing fissure, no matter its origin, seems to be the only way for beings like us to enter or exit the Land of Origins!" exclaimed the God of Oblivion, Harris, his eyes ablaze with intense yearning.
He was convinced that to penetrate the enigmatic Land of Origins and to uncover the final resting place of the Primal Animas, they must act before the fissure completely seals.
He was acutely aware that he lacked the power to create such a fissure himself.
The God of Oblivion, overwhelmed with terror at the knowledge that the end of the world was inevitable, suddenly made a desperate decision.
Whoosh!
Without uttering a word to Bertain or notifying Kurkova, the Death God, Harris's crystalline, white jade skeletal form burst forth from the temple area of Yu Yuan's multicolored body and soared towards the sky, aiming for the still-healing fissure.
Transforming into a ghostly white streak of lightning, he recklessly charged at the crack, intent on entering the Land of Origins.
"Harris!"
As Kurkova's cry rang out, the ghostly white lightning that Harris had become flashed toward the mending fissure, ready to traverse the All Spirits Ban and penetrate the inner sanctum of the Land of Origins.
His goal was to locate the pale blue crystal buried there, containing numerous Forgotten Spirits, and to refine the Spirits from past Great Eras, thereby grasping more profound truths of the Forgotten Spirits' Way of Heaven.
Yet, his form as a bolt of white lightning came to an abrupt halt at the fissure, once again revealing his luminous, white jade skeletal form.
A look of sheer terror flashed through the depths of Harris's jewel-like eyes, as if he had glimpsed something horrifying in that instant.
Then, Harris's skeletal form, as if mirroring the Peak of Creation, Bertain's "Apocalypse" cape, and Dragon Bone Staff, shattered with a resounding crash, disintegrating into nothingness in the blink of an eye.
The God of Oblivion, Harris, was obliterated in an instant—body and soul utterly annihilated.
Even the mighty Demon God Bertain could not detect any trace of Soul Power or spirit emanating from Harris in the moment of his demise; he simply vanished without a trace.
This spectacle left the onlookers stunned. The Demon Lord Tan Xiaotian touched his nose and let out an awkward chuckle, his handsome face betraying a hint of unease.
He, too, had departed from Yu Yuan's colossal, colorful form and now stood in the very void that Harris had occupied before his fall, ready to attempt the crossing himself.
Had the God of Oblivion, Harris, managed to safely navigate the crack, Tan Xiaotian would have been the second to follow.
But Harris was dead.
The slender fissure remained, not yet fully healed, and now, no one, Tan Xiaotian included, dared to make a move.
"Harris's bravery is admirable," the Old Demon remarked coolly. "He didn't wait for Yu Yuan to integrate his memories and awaken. He tried to venture into the Land of Origins while the crack was still present. His plan was sound, but there are always unforeseen events, and sadly, his luck was not on his side."
Harris's silence clearly irked him. In the pantheon of the Otherworld, Harris held a relatively low rank and should have been obedient to him.
Therefore, he was rather indifferent to Harris's sudden demise.
...
At the other end of the void.
The enigmatic Star River, encasing the Origin Realm, the Abyss, and the Wasteland, lay motionless in the void, its duration there unknown.
Suddenly, a tremendous force erupted from the murky wall!
The Star River, which had been still for eons, began to move!
In the deepest reaches of the void, the tube-like Star River, unaffected by gravity or any external interference, started to accelerate from a slow to a rapid pace.
Yet, the inhabitants of the Abyss, Origin Realm, and Wasteland remained oblivious.
Above the Dragon Slaying Stage.
Following the merge of his real body and Solar Spirit, Yu Yuan's two forms, drawn by the pull of the massive, five-colored flesh, headed towards the Spirit of Creation.
As his grand, five-colored form observed the presence of eight other Yu Yuan's atop the "pyramid."
Both his real body and Solar Spirit felt the impact.
The two Yu Yuan's fell into a state of bewilderment, separated by an immense distance, each trying to assimilate the profound memories of the other eight Yu Yuan's.
Zhiya, the Dark Phoenix trapped on the Dragon Slaying Stage, took note of his peculiar state.
As the two Yu Yuan's suddenly found themselves in this odd predicament and Yu Yuan's consciousness failed to envelop the Dragon Slaying Stage, Zhiya, in her purple phoenix form, immediately sensed the blood-colored canopy above her begin to slacken.
After a moment's hesitation, Zhiya began to test the strength of the blood-colored sky.
Initially, she exerted only a slight force to gauge Yu Yuan's response. When she saw that the two Yu Yuan's seated above the Dragon Slaying Stage remained unmoved, she unleashed her full power.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The graceful purple phoenix beat its wings repeatedly, striking against the blood-colored sky within the Dragon Slaying Stage.
"Do you really want to come out?"
After what seemed like an eternity, Yu Yuan, seated in meditation on the Dragon Slaying Stage, suddenly opened his eyes.
He looked down at Zhiya.
The Dark Phoenix Zhiya, who had unleashed a torrent of purple demon energy, complete with the roaring bloodline mysteries, instantly regained her composure upon hearing his words, yet her expression was still rife with jealousy and hatred.
"Very well."
Yu Yuan gave a slight nod and freed her from the Dragon Slaying Stage, saying, "I can sense that the little Primal Beast is still alive. It's somewhere within the external ring of light. Since you're so eager to meet your end, go and seek it out."
With that, the Dragon Slaying Stage began to vanish into the void, accelerating to its utmost speed.
He had ultimately decided to disregard the Dark Phoenix Zhiya, leaving the obstinate and extreme purple phoenix to wander the boundless depths of the void on her own.
The Dragon Slaying Stage continued to pick up speed.
He felt the mysterious summoning force from the Origin Grounds growing stronger, radiating outwards in every direction.
This potent summoning force would, in time, pierce through the void and infiltrate the external ring of light.
"In the eight epochs, there have been eight versions of me."
In the depths of his mind, numerous fragmented memories swiftly coalesced.
