C2390 Ninth Era!
The sudden appearance of eight Yu Yuans left everyone in shock.
All eyes and attention were fixated on the various incarnations of Yu Yuan, as the onlookers speculated about their origins and identities.
What could Yu Yuan's purpose possibly be?
"He cannot be trusted!" exclaimed Harris, his voice tinged with fear and unease. As he gazed upon Yu Yuan's massive, multicolored form, he saw a formidable adversary. "Lord Beilstein, if the Origin Spirit is poised to enact an apocalypse, why has Yu Yuan persisted through the ages?"
The old devil furrowed his brow in silence, unable to offer an explanation, equally overwhelmed by shock and confusion.
The eight manifestations of Yu Yuan varied in form and age, devoid of any signs of life, yet they had remained on the crystal face for untold years.
It was clear that Yu Yuan, with his vibrant, colossal body, was accessing hidden memories through these eight forms.
Neither the Oblivion God Harris nor the Time God Heesters could unravel the mysteries of Yu Yuan's true history.
This was because Yu Yuan possessed 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 highest echelon of the Origin Land, within the eight lifeless bodies of Yu Yuan.
Yu Yuan, a being of immense power, could sense the presence of ancient memories yet to be awakened within him.
But these memories were from another time, not experienced by his current form, and thus left no trace.
Only by coming here, by reaching the pinnacle of the Origin Land, and by confronting these eight versions of himself, could Yu Yuan revive the memories of his distant past.
"His bewilderment stems from absorbing the memories of eight distinct epochs all at once. These memories, from various ages, have flooded his mind. He must now disentangle and make sense of this deluge," 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 devil declared.
Through Yu Yuan's narrative, they learned that the Spirit of Fate, having possessed Stephanie, nearly brought Heesters to his demise.
Yu Yuan's intervention, however, turned the tide against the Spirit of Fate, causing it to relinquish Stephanie's form.
It became evident that Yu Yuan had manifested in the previous eight epochs and had visited the Origin Land each time.
What a complex and mysterious destiny Yu Yuan must have had.
"So, this marks the beginning of the ninth era."
The Secular Bird Queen's brow furrowed as she observed the two confused Yu Yuans, then turned her gaze to the eight varied forms of Yu Yuan on the crystal face. "It appears we are now in the ninth era. The previous eight eras all ended in destruction, with the Origin Spirits returning and many gods, supreme beings, and peak experts meeting their demise."
"The Ninth Era!"
The revelation sent ripples of shock through everyone once more.
"Look, there's a crack above."
Jee Ningshuang, bereft of the Starfrost Sword, peered into the space above the crystal face with her icy, lucid gaze. She noticed the void above the heads of the eight Yu Yuans.
A fissure was in the process of healing.
"A fissure?"
The old devil narrowed his eyes to see, his face turning pale at the sight.
The pyramid-shaped Origin Land, encircled by the dazzling Myriad Spirit Restriction, resembled a vertical goose egg, enveloping the entire land securely.
The fervent Origin Spirits on their "pilgrimage" from the outside could instantly traverse the goose egg-shaped Myriad Spirit Restriction to reach their intended destination.
They were, after all, Origin Spirits, inherently part of the Origin Land, returning to merge back into it.
Yet, it remained unclear whether beings like them, with flesh and blood, could cross the Myriad Spirit Restriction.
At the moment, a very fine crack existed at the highest point of the Myriad Spirit Restriction.
How had it come to be?
Who or what force could have created such a crack in the formidable Myriad Spirit Restriction?
The crack was healing, seemingly having formed just before their arrival at the Origin Land.
"I believe something must have entered the Origin Land. Alternatively, something might have left," Tan Xiaotian interjected.
"That healing crack, no matter its origin, seems to be the only way for individuals like us to enter and exit the Origin Land!" The Oblivion God, Harris, his eyes gleaming with intense longing, was convinced.
He was certain that if he wanted to delve into the enigmatic Origin Land and uncover the fate of the Origin Spirits, he needed to act before the fissure sealed completely.
He was acutely aware that his own power was insufficient to create such an opening.
Thus, the Oblivion God, harboring a profound sense of impending doom, made a daring decision.
With a whoosh, Harris acted without a word to Beilstein or notifying Death God Kurkova. His crystalline, white jade-like body surged from the temple of Yu Yuan's multicolored form, shooting toward the still-mending fissure.
Transforming into a ghostly white bolt of lightning, he charged recklessly at the crack, intent on penetrating the Origin Land.
"Harris!" Kurkova's voice pierced the air as the white lightning Harris had become streaked toward the healing breach, poised to traverse the Myriad Spirit Restriction and infiltrate the heart of the Origin Land.
His goal was to locate the pale blue crystal within the Origin Land, a repository of Forgotten Spirits from bygone epochs. He aimed to meld these spirits and unveil the profound truths of the Forgotten.
Yet, the white lightning he had become abruptly halted at the fissure, revealing his resplendent, white jade form once more.
A look of utter terror flashed through the depths of Harris's jewel-like eyes, as if he had glimpsed an unspeakable horror in that instant.
Then, Harris's crystalline body shattered like Creation Peak itself, like Beilstein's "Doomsday" cape and Dragon Bone Staff, disintegrating into nothingness in the blink of an eye.
The Oblivion God Harris was no more; his body and soul had vanished into the void, his death absolute.
Even the Great Demon God Beilstein could not detect the essence of soul or spirit that Harris might have released as he perished, for he had become nothingness all at once.
This spectacle left the onlookers stunned. Demon God Tan Xiaotian touched his nose, a sheepish grin spreading across his handsome features.
He too had departed from Yu Yuan's colossal, colorful form and now stood in the void where Harris had plummeted, ready to brave the passage through the crack.
Had the Oblivion God Harris crossed the fissure unscathed, Tan Xiaotian would have been the second to follow.
But Harris was gone.
The slender crack lingered, not yet fully sealed, and now, no one, Tan Xiaotian included, dared to make a move.
"Harris's bravery is admirable," the Elder Demon remarked coolly, "He didn't wait for Yu Yuan to integrate his memories and wake up, instead attempting to enter the Origin Land while the crack remained. His idea was sound, but there are always unforeseen events, and his luck was simply not on his side."
Harris's silent approach clearly left him somewhat displeased. Among the pantheon of foreign gods, Harris ranked lower and should have heeded his command.
Thus, Harris's sudden demise seemed to matter little to him.
...
At the far end of the void.
The enigmatic river of stars, encircling the Origin Realm, the abyss, and the Desolate Realm, lay motionless in the void, its duration there unknown.
Suddenly, a tremendous force burst forth from the murky boundary!
The river of stars, mysterious and still for eons, began to move!
In the deepest reaches of the void, this tube-like river of stars, unaffected by gravity or any external interference, started to stir, gradually accelerating.
Yet, the inhabitants of the abyss, Origin Realm, and Desolate Realm remained utterly unaware.
Above the Dragon Slash Platform.
After the merger of his main body with the Yang God, Yu Yuan's two forms, drawn by the pull of the massive, multicolored flesh, soared toward the Origin Land.
As his vibrant body glimpsed the existence of eight other Yu Yuans at the peak of the "pyramid."
Both his main body and Yang God felt the impact.
The two Yu Yuans were plunged into confusion, struggling to integrate the vast memories of the other eight Yu Yuans across the immense distance.
His odd state did not escape the notice of Zhiya, the Demon Phoenix trapped on the Dragon Slash Platform.
As the two Yu Yuans suddenly found themselves in this peculiar state, and Yu Yuan's consciousness no longer enveloped the Dragon Slash Platform, Zhiya, in her purple phoenix form, sensed the blood-colored canopy above her beginning to slacken.
After a moment's hesitation, Zhiya began to test the strength of the blood-colored sky.
Initially, she exerted only a modicum of force to gauge Yu Yuan's reaction. When she saw that the two Yu Yuans seated atop the Dragon Slash Platform 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 Slash Platform.
"Do you really want to get out?"
After what seemed like an eternity, Yu Yuan, seated in meditation on the Dragon Slash Platform, abruptly opened his eyes.
He looked down at Zhiya.
Zhiya, who had been stirring up torrents of purple demonic energy, suddenly grew still at his words, though her expression remained one of deep resentment.
"Alright."
Yu Yuan gave a slight nod and freed her from the Dragon Slash Platform, saying, "I can sense that the little Origin Beast is still alive. It's somewhere within the outer ring of light. Since you're so eager to meet your end, go and find it."
Having done all this, the Dragon Slash Platform accelerated away into the void at breakneck speed.
He had finally chosen to disregard Zhiya, leaving the obstinate and extreme purple Demon Phoenix to wander the boundless depths of the void on her own.
The Dragon Slash Platform's speed increased ever more rapidly.
He could feel the mysterious summoning power from the Origin Land, targeting all Origin Spirits, growing stronger and radiating outward in every direction.
This potent summoning force would, in time, break through the void and infiltrate the external ring of light.
"In the eight epochs, there have been eight versions of me."
In the recesses of his mind, numerous fragmented memories swiftly coalesced.
