C2402 Divine Fall
"Tan Xiaotian!"
The powerhouses of the Origin Realm and the Wasteland cried out in shock at the news of Tan Xiaotian's demise.
The death of Tan Xiaotian cast a shadow over the faces of the Great Demon God Bertain, Ji Ningshuang, and the Secular Bird Queen. His formidable dark energy had failed to ensnare Lin Daoke's brilliantly radiant arm, disintegrating his form and essence completely, turning his residual soul and life force into oblivion.
At that moment, Lin Daoke had dispatched a supreme being like Tan Xiaotian in the blink of an eye.
Puchi!
Yu Yuan's titanic hand was also perforated by Lin Daoke's Solar Spirit Sword. The bloody, vortex-like Maw of Oblivion in his grasp became a gaping, blood-drenched cavity.
Deep within the bloody chasm, his bones were exposed, continuously infiltrated by the might of the Divine Sword.
Lin Daoke's sword light became a razor-edged blade, severing the bloodline rules as it advanced towards his chest.
Yu Yuan's brow furrowed slightly, and he let out an involuntary grunt.
The vibrant red heart nestled deep within his chest was the foundational root of the Abyss's Primal Blood. Should Lin Daoke's sword light penetrate it, Yu Yuan would inevitably be plunged back into a dormant state.
To be dormant meant the extinguishing of his consciousness, the loss of his will to resist—this was precisely what he and the Primal Soul had been fervently striving to avoid.
Whoosh!
The Soul Altar within his mind abruptly transformed into a crimson blood eye, emerging at the center of his forehead.
Within the depths of the blood eye, intricate patterns of scarlet pulsed and shimmered.
The heart, symbolic of the Origin Realm's Primal Blood, the blood crystal clusters resembling stalactites, and the Tree of Life from the Wasteland, all manifested within the pupil as living embodiments of the Dao of Life.
Thud!
A tremor resonated from the genuine blood-red heart within Yu Yuan's colossal frame.
This heartbeat sent a reverberation through Lin Daoke's chest.
Lin Daoke narrowed his eyes, a splendor akin to the All Spirits Ban merging seamlessly into his chest cavity.
Touched by the Secrets of Life wielded by Yu Yuan, a momentary lapse in Lin Daoke's focus made it challenging to sustain the astonishing essence of his swordsmanship.
The sword light dissipating in Yu Yuan's palm was effortlessly eradicated by him, and the once formidable sword was rendered powerless. He withdrew the crystal-like Solar Spirit Sword from Yu Yuan's blood-soaked palm, pausing briefly to gather his strength before striking at the descending Wellspring of Creation.
Rip! Rip!
The Solar Spirit Sword carved a horizontal and vertical slash, releasing the profound arcane secrets of time and space, transforming into the Primal Soul that had once hovered above that star, ensnaring Yu Yuan with a dual-layered, powerful restriction.
Mirror-like barriers of space, intersected by the unwavering River of Time, wove together to form a binding of both spatial and temporal dimensions. The Wellspring of Creation's formidable descent, including Yu Yuan's towering divine form, came to an abrupt halt.
"Old tricks won't work twice."
The Primordial Soul, wrapped within the immense Heaven-Opening Sword Array, had been riddled with holes by Lin Daoke's primordial spirit sword. Yu Yuan's form, submerged within the sea of light, was battered and perforated. Yet, he cried out to Yu Yuan, "Awaken!"
This Soul Voice, imbued with the Heavenly Dao of the Soul that he wielded, shattered the time and space seals Lin Daoke had forged with his twin swords, jolting Yu Yuan awake just in the nick of time.
Boom!
As Lin Daoke readied another sword strike, the Wheel of Life materialized behind Yu Yuan's head. Within the blood-red wheel, a supreme psionic power capable of consuming the blood of all beings surged forth.
This explosion of life force stirred the unseen blood ocean within the All Spirits Ban, which churned as if boiling. The Wheel of Life behind Yu Yuan's head cast an even more intense glow, the blood ocean within the Blood Crystal resonating with Yu Yuan, magnifying the Secrets of Life.
Swoosh!
Yu Yuan's Soul Altar, located at his brow, suddenly burst forth with a blinding blood light. This astonishing beam pierced through the All Spirits Ban behind Lin Daoke and struck the highest point of the Blood Crystal in the Origin Realm.
With a flash, the blood light entered the crystal. Inside the Blood Crystal, an infinite, deep red sea of blood ebbed and flowed, each glimmer representing the life force of countless beings from the eight bygone Great Eras, the remnants of once-thriving intelligent life.
The spark of life here was even more complete and integral than within Yu Yuan's Soul Altar or the Blood Altar that resided within his vibrant, five-colored form.
Suddenly, deep within the tumultuous, boiling expanse of the blood sea, Yu Yuan caught sight of two enigmatic crimson fruits.
These two sizable fruits shone like bright red hearts, emitting a radiance impossible to overlook.
At a glance, they resembled the roots of the Great Dao that Yu Yuan had cultivated in the Abyss, appearing as living hearts, yet also as ripe fruits of life.
The two crimson fruits drifted in the endless blood sea, distant from one another, yet they seemed to draw each other closer.
Despite their attraction, no matter how they soared through the blood sea, they never managed to truly unite.
It appeared they lacked a crucial element.
Peering through the blood light, Yu Yuan observed the two peculiar blood-red fruits. As curiosity took hold, he was suddenly enveloped by an overwhelming divine might that blanketed the entire Origin Realm.
His consciousness, within the blood light, was extinguished by this formidable divine force.
"Fruit, fruit, they draw near to each other but never collide," Yu Yuan whispered to himself.
With the wisdom of eight Great Eras and countless lifetimes, he pondered the enigma of the fruits, relentlessly deciphering their secrets.
A flash of insight erupted from the pinnacle of the Soul Altar, within the heart-shaped Primal Blood of the Abyss, and he finally grasped the significance of the two fruits and what they symbolized.
Named the World Destruction Fruit, their collision would herald the onset of annihilation!
"I must return as well!"
Bertain, intent on dashing toward the dazzling Star River, witnessed Tan Xiaotian's instantaneous demise. Far from being deterred, the event only fueled his ferocity.
With a resounding blast, the amethyst body of the mighty Demon God Bertain shattered into the void.
Thousands of tiny amethyst shards, each no larger than a fingernail and brimming with chaotic energy, surged towards Lin Daoke.
The countless fragments of amethyst coalesced into a maelstrom of chaos above Lin Daoke's head, threatening to warp his spirit.
As Bertain turned to engage in battle, Ji Ningshuang and the Secular Bird Queen swiftly took flight toward Lin Daoke.
Lin Daoke's eyes, cool and detached, glanced upward at the myriad of fragmented amethysts, as numerous threads capable of altering destiny emanated from the depths of his gaze.
The threads of destiny vanished into Bertain's fractured demonform in an instant, seeping into every shard of amethyst. Each fragment contained a separate devil soul of Bertain, and each soul had witnessed its inevitable demise. In the Ninth Era, Bertain's death was certain; it was merely a question of when. Lin Daoke, wielding the Divine Power of Fate he had mastered over the first eight eras, had merely hastened Bertain's predestined end. This was not a manipulation, but an acceleration.
Thus, Bertain, having seen the vision of his own death, allowed the devil souls within each piece of amethyst to succumb to the dictates of fate. The mighty Demon God Bertain, along with the countless amethysts, shattered into oblivion, and the devil souls were extinguished one by one. Following the demise of Demon Lord Tan Xiaotian, the Great Demon God Bertain too met his downfall.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
It was then that Lin Daoke turned his gaze to Ji Ningshuang and the Secular Bird Queen, unleashing two distinct beams of brilliance. His eyes radiated a peerless sword's will, concealing the ultimate truth capable of annihilating both women. The divine glow aimed at Ji Ningshuang transformed into a fiery river, revealing the true essence of the Fire Spirit from various eras within its fiery flow. Ji Ningshuang was engulfed by the inferno, slowly being consumed by the flames.
The Secular Bird Queen emitted a single mournful cry. Her manifested three-headed, six-armed Divine Visage, along with the ashen Divine Bird circling above, were penetrated by the light imbued with a destructive intent. Chen Qinghuang had no time to grasp the cosmic order within the light. She realized that this radiance was tailored to the very mysteries of destruction, death, and poison she had been studying, and with one flash, all her understanding of the Way of Heaven was obliterated.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In the Ashlands of the Origin Realm, Loong Jie, Zhong Chichen, Yuan Lianyao, Ballo, and Green Willow were all fiercely striking the luminous wall. Witnessing Lin Daoke's swordplay and the dazzling light that claimed the lives of Tan Xiaotian, Bertain, Ji Ningshuang, and the Secular Bird Queen, they were galvanized by a fearless determination to fight.
They attempted to break free, determined to confront Lin Daoke's Divine Sword even if it meant their destruction in the next instant.
Crack!
The golden sea of light, encased by the spherical "Heaven-Opening Sword Array," was utterly obliterated by the sword light. The greenish-black soul sea, which signified their connection to the Way of Heaven, was also torn into fragments by the sweeping sword light.
The Primal Soul, now housed in a body reforged by the small Primal Beast, was similarly riddled with wounds.
Slowly, it began to sense that its spiritual sense and Soul Power were failing.
A feeling of helplessness crept in, the dread of falling into the endless cycle of reincarnation once more.
Like Yu Yuan and the Origin, it was an undying spirit, not destined for complete annihilation.
Yet, if it were to lose its sense of self, it understood that upon awakening, it would be in the tenth era.
Then, it would become a new Primal Soul, embarking on a slow journey to rediscover its true identity and past.
In this ninth era, it wasn't until Yu Yuan reached the Origin Realm and integrated the eight lost memories that it could be said to have fully awakened.
Wasn't it the same for him?
He didn't fully awaken until after defeating Devitt, mastering the space magic from the Wasteland to the Domain of Origin, and arriving at the Genesis Nebula.
Only then did he realize that, like Yu Yuan, he had struggled through eight eras, repeatedly oppressed and exiled by the Origin.
"Must we endure this cycle once more?" the Primal Soul whispered to itself.
Its eyes, now clouded, took one last look at its old companions, the corners of its mouth tinged with bitterness: "We are merely two pitiful creatures caught in the relentless wheel of fate."
In its vision, Yu Yuan's massive, multicolored form was also being torn asunder by Lin Daoke's Solar Spirit Sword.
Yu Yuan was faring no better.
He could tell that Lin Daoke was inflicting similar grievous wounds on Yu Yuan, gradually eroding his will, leading both of them toward a loss of self once again.
"From this moment, you must obey me and follow my lead," Yu Yuan's voice suddenly echoed from within him.
The Primal Soul, struck dumb, asked, "Is there still a possibility of victory?"
"Yes."
Yu Yuan responded.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
He crashed against the wall like the supreme beings Heesters, Zhong Chichen, Loong Jie, and Yuan Lianyao, his form suddenly halting.
The Boulderdawn powerhouses such as Tianqi, Taixu, Ann Ziqing, Kaiya, and Youqian were momentarily dumbfounded.
Following them were Yue Mu, Zu Ann, Qin Luo, Van Heqing, and the elderly guardian of the Holy Temple.
Everyone connected to Yu Yuan, everyone he held dear, heard his heart's voice.
"My friends, after the dawn of the Tenth Great Era, I will recreate you and awaken you."
"And so, the Ninth Great Era, which belongs to both me and you, shall end at this moment."
Yu Yuan's voice and will echoed within those individuals, urging these mighty beings not to engage in futile resistance.
Then Yu Yuan, battered and bruised, gazed upon Lin Daoke, the origin of all things, and said softly, "As you desire, I shall bring about the end of the world."
Upon hearing these words, Lin Daoke's previously impassive face was suddenly awash with emotion.
The Origin could no longer maintain its composure.
