C2392 I'll Give It to You!
"I naturally hope that you all live well."
Assuming the form of Yu Yuan, the Primal Soul gazed at the four Primal Animas before him with a calm and earnest demeanor. "Once you merge with the Land of Origin, it will only hasten its manifestation and bolster its power."
The figure in black, "Yu Yuan," gently shook his head. "This is not my desire."
"Are you afraid of the Spirit of Creation?" the Light Spirit murmured.
"Do you also fear it?" chimed in the Spirit of Fate.
The Spirits of Space, Time, and Darkness maintained their silence, attentively absorbing his every word.
"We've battled it for eight epochs, never once claiming victory, forever constrained by its power. Shouldn't we be afraid?" Yu Yuan's visage conveyed a mix of bitterness and resignation.
Even he, despite his might, spoke of the Spirit of Creation—with its roots deep within the Domain of Origin and its dominion over the void—his voice laden with gravity and a sense of defeat, devoid of any ease.
"In the previous eight epochs, it released seeds like you, which grew stronger until, on the eve of destruction, it reaped them. Era after era, it has grown unimaginably powerful."
"We've strived for so long, through eight epochs, yet we've never succeeded in breaking free from its shackles. Shouldn't we approach it with caution and reverence?"
Upon hearing this, the Spirit of Fate interjected, "The seeds of the Primal Anima that it dispersed?"
The Primal Soul replied coolly, "Exactly."
He then informed everyone that with the reopening of the new world, the realms absorbed by the Domain of Origin would once again diverge, and the Spirit of Creation would scatter the seeds of the Primal Anima anew.
Like dandelion seeds cast to the wind, these seeds of the Primal Anima would slowly come to life.
The Primal Animas had believed themselves to be products of natural birth and nurturing.
Unaware and nascent, a true Primal Anima would emerge only after eons of growth and transformation.
From the most rudimentary state of a Primal Anima, they would instinctively seek advancement, evolving into intermediate and advanced beings.
Some Primal Animas could awaken their spiritual sense during this transformation, revealing entirely new and unique mysteries—precisely what the Spirit of Creation delighted in witnessing.
The purpose of the Spirit of Creation seemed to be the creation and destruction of worlds, the dispersal and gathering of Primal Animas. It grew stronger from this cycle, becoming the sovereign of all Primal Animas and the fundamental origin of all beings.
"You speak of us. Who else, besides you, desires to escape this infinite cycle of rebirth? Who else possesses your strength and can keep their spiritual sense intact?" The Light Spirit inquired abruptly.
The Spirit of Fate, the diminutive Primal Beast, listened intently for the response.
The Spirits of Space, Time, and Dark Anima remained silent, their lack of curiosity betraying their prior knowledge of the answer.
The Primal Soul didn't respond to the question. Instead, it extended a hand and pointed to its own face.
"It was him all along."
The Light Spirit had an epiphany.
...
Deep within the void lies the Domain of Origin.
The slender fissure that had mysteriously appeared at the pinnacle of the Domain finally sealed completely.
Thus, the All Spirits Ban was left without any breach.
Aside from the Primal Animas drawn by the Spirit of Creation's call, who willingly entered, it became nearly impossible for others to access the Domain of Origin.
"Let's just wait. When Yu Yuan awakens, he can reveal the truth to us."
Bertain resigned himself to this reality, understanding that with his level of insight, breaking the All Spirits Ban was beyond his capabilities.
"When he awakens, who knows what dire events might unfold?" Kurkova's beautiful visage was etched with concern. "We still don't comprehend why, with each destruction of the world, there are eight of him at the peak of the Origin."
"And how did the previous versions of him manage to penetrate the All Spirits Ban?"
Harris attempted to enter through the crack but was instantly reduced to nothingness. Both Bertain and Tan Xiaotian found themselves at a loss before the All Spirits Ban.
Yet, within it, there were eight Yu Yuans, overflowing with the profound memories that the Yu Yuan of this era could perceive and assimilate.
Kurkova couldn't help but harbor suspicions.
"I, too, am filled with questions, but all we can do is wait," Bertain stated icily.
"Very well," Kurkova conceded, speaking no further.
During this period, even those who were not Primal Anima could sense the increasingly intense mysterious magnetic field emanating from the Domain of Origin, spreading wildly toward the edge of the void.
"Thank goodness we're not Primal Anima!"
Tan Xiaotian was secretly relieved and chuckled, "Otherwise, we'd end up inside a crystal in the Domain of Origin, just like Mother Earth and the Light Spirit."
The Demon Lord's covetous gaze frequently swept over the lower reaches of the Domain of Origin, fixated on the one black crystal he could perceive.
Within that crystal resided the auras of six Dark Anima, spirits of darkness born across six epochs.
Their spiritual sense, Cosmic Order, and energy all seemed to be contained within that black crystal!
"If I could just obtain that black crystal and refine it..."
Tan Xiaotian couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.
His six great dark canopies, which he had refined, contained no Dark Anima, and the dark magic he had gleaned from them was incomplete, none of them whole.
As a result, Tan Xiaotian's power had increased, but not to its ultimate potential. He could clearly see the opportunity for further advancement, yet he was unable to enter the Domain of Origin, which naturally left him feeling tantalizingly unsatisfied.
The six great Dark Anima born in the previous six epochs were still in a state of chaos and unawareness, seemingly easy to refine in his perception.
"Oh, if only I could get my hands on that black crystal and refine the six great Dark Anima within it," Tan Xiaotian sighed wistfully. "The might of my Six Great Darkness Canopies would surge! And should that Dark Spirit loyal to the Primal Soul dare to show itself before me, I would capture it on the spot!"
Listening to his musings, Ji Ningshuang also cast a longing glance at the ice crystal housing six great ice spirits, sharing Tan Xiaotian's sense of regret.
The Death God Kurkova and Chen Qinghuang, who had assimilated the profound meanings of Destruction and Poison, shared this sentiment as well.
Supreme beings like them could sense crystals within the Domain of Origin that resonated with the powers within their own bodies, each containing several dormant Primal Animas.
These crystals were like ripe fruits, ready to unleash divine power and grant incredible cosmic laws and rules to those who consumed them.
Yet frustratingly, they knew they could not cross the threshold.
"Yu Yuan!"
Suddenly, the Great Demon God Bertain let out a low shout.
Within the Blood Crystal at the pinnacle, Yu Yuan, with a somber expression and head slightly bowed, hands seemingly drenched in blood, had been dead for untold years. Yet now, he stirred peculiarly.
Yu Yuan's neck produced a strange crackling noise as he slowly lifted his head.
One of his eye sockets, empty and wooden, devoid of any light, exuded a chilling eeriness.
But in the other socket, where emptiness should have reigned, a green-black pupil had inexplicably appeared.
A green-black pupil filled with countless ghosts, Sky Fiends, and a silhouette that was becoming ever clearer!
"Primal Soul!"
The crowd gasped in astonishment, their screams piercing the silence.
The Primal Soul, which had once spread the laws of the soul across the Wasteland, and loomed large beside many springs with its dark, vast green-black pupil, had somehow entered Yu Yuan's body.
It had become the eye of a Yu Yuan who had been silent for eons, from a bygone era!
Within this eye, the figure that was steadily becoming more distinct was the concentrated spiritual sense of the Primal Soul.
"Are you surprised to see me?"
The Primal Soul asked, its tone detached, speaking from within the green-black pupil, its voice echoing the All Spirits Ban.
Simultaneously.
Yu Yuan's "Undead Sovereign" form was swiftly overtaken by this spiritual sense.
The Undead Sovereign, perched upon the shoulder of Yu Yuan's vibrant body, also looked up at the onlookers.
"It's that fissure!"
Tan Xiaotian exclaimed.
The group had an epiphany, realizing that the slender gap tearing through the All Spirits Ban in the ethereal expanse above must have originated from the Primal Soul!
It had carved a slit, embedding itself within one of Yu Yuan's eyes.
As Yu Yuan of eight eras attempted to transfer the profound, ancient memories to his ninth-era self, the Primal Soul seized the moment to spread its corrupting influence within one of Yu Yuan's forms.
It plunged both the greater and the lesser Yu Yuan into confusion amidst the tumultuous flood of memories.
The weaker Undead Sovereign, merely a vessel for a ghostly presence, was effortlessly possessed.
"Not surprising at all."
A majestic voice boomed, thunderous as the heavens, reverberating through the void near the Domain of Origin.
"Yu Yuan!"
High above, Bertain, Demon Lord Tan Xiaotian, Chen Qinghuang, Ji Ningshuang, and even Death God Kurkova—who had always harbored doubts about Yu Yuan—abruptly turned their gaze toward the immense eyes of Yu Yuan.
The bewilderment that had clouded Yu Yuan's eyes vanished in an instant.
Yu Yuan, colossal as an Astral Domain, clutched the fiery Wellspring of Creation in one hand and, peering into the true Primal Soul within the All Spirits Ban, declared, "You have indeed arrived as promised."
"You've awakened a bit early," the Primal Soul, upon hearing the phrase "not unexpected," grasped the situation. It fixed its attention on the Wellspring of Creation and remarked, "So, it was through this pool that you preserved your undying spiritual sense. Excellent. The fact that you've awakened so soon, unaffected by the Domain of Origin, is an unexpected delight."
Undeterred, the Primal Soul, having usurped the body of Yu Yuan, the Undead Sovereign, soared outward, promptly detaching from the massive, multicolored form as it spoke, "I shall borrow this body for the time being."
"It's yours," Yu Yuan consented.
To the astonishment of both Bertain and Tan Xiaotian, Yu Yuan permitted the departure of the body without any attempt to intervene.
