Darkness.
Boundless darkness, thick as substance, pressed in from every direction, carrying a chill that froze the soul and a savage intent to tear everything apart. Li Yuan felt as though he had been cast into the depths of a sea eye before the world had taken shape. His senses were stripped away, and his body was savagely torn at by an invisible force. Every inch of skin, every bone, groaned under the unbearable strain.
That mass of "Sacred Spirit Origin" was no lifeless thing. It was a living consciousness, an aggregation of pure malice! Countless chaotic, painful, venomous thoughts stabbed at his Sea of Consciousness like icy needles, trying to corrupt his will and assimilate him into the darkness.
"Get out!"
Li Yuan roared from the depths of his consciousness. With danger instinctively spurring it to its limit, his Crimson Sun Battle Body blazed to life. His dark-red figure was like a stubborn spark in the absolute darkness, the Crimson Sun patterns beneath his skin burning brighter than ever as they resisted the all-pervasive invasion and pressure.
But the resistance was agonizingly difficult. The energy level of this Origin was far too high, far too vast! His Crimson Sun Qi was rapidly depleted in its struggle against the darkness, and the radiance of his Battle Body was slowly compressed and dimmed.
Just as he felt his consciousness about to be completely swallowed by the endless venom and chaos—
Deep in his dantian, that Dark Crimson Gold Crimson Sun, which had been revolving steadily all along, seemed to be utterly enraged by this extreme, sinister force!
It no longer merely radiated light and heat. It suddenly shuddered, and the nearly liquid Crimson Gold Light at its core erupted with an overbearing will to rule over all and smelt everything!
This will was far more concentrated, more pure, and more... exalted than the chaotic consciousness of the Sacred Spirit Origin!
Bzzzz—!
An invisible, incomparably powerful suction force erupted with the Crimson Sun at its center!
This was not something Li Yuan had deliberately controlled; it was the Crimson Sun's instinctive reaction! The greed of a beast that had found a nourishing feast!
Sss—!!!
Like red-hot iron plunged into grease!
The dark energy that had been savagely invading Li Yuan abruptly changed course in the face of this terrifying suction! No longer the attackers, it became the prey!
Pure, vast power from the Netherworld Origin was forcibly torn from the heart of the darkness. Like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, it surged into Li Yuan's body, where the Dark Crimson Gold Crimson Sun greedily devoured and refined it!
Roar—!!
The Sacred Spirit Origin let out a soundless, furious shriek that struck directly at the soul! It rolled and contracted violently, trying to resist the plunder, but the Crimson Sun's Devouring Power held an absolute advantage in their very natures. Its resistance was feeble and futile!
Li Yuan's body became the battlefield where two forces clashed.
On one side was the Sacred Spirit Origin's savage cold and chaos; on the other, the Crimson Sun's overbearing, scorching refinement and devouring.
Agony swept through him once more! His meridians were repeatedly battered by the two tremendous forces, nearly snapping inch by inch! Yet with the Crimson Sun's regal, domineering aura supporting him, his will became clearer and more resolute than ever.
He could clearly feel the astonishing transformation taking place in the Dark Crimson Gold Crimson Sun as it devoured the pure power of the Netherworld Origin!
Its size slowly shrank, but its light grew ever more restrained and concentrated, its color shifting from dark gold toward a deeper, heavier Dark Crimson Gold! It was as though every impurity had been tempered away, leaving only the most primal, purest core of molten rock!
At the same time, the Qi and Blood surging through his body transformed in sync with the Crimson Sun! Their total volume did not seem to increase dramatically, but their quality had improved by more than double. Heavy and scorching, they carried the destructive properties of molten rock along with a trace of the Netherworld's chilling penetrating force. As they flowed, they rumbled like a surging river!
Wrapped in darkness, his Crimson Sun Battle Body instinctively grew more refined and powerful! His muscle fibers became denser, his bones took on a faint metallic sheen, and beneath the dark-red hue of his skin, the Crimson Gold patterns seemed to be branded deep into his flesh!
Who knew how long it had been? Perhaps only an instant, perhaps an eternity.
The enormous, roiling mass of dark energy had shrunk by nearly half! Its savage will had grown weak and chaotic, no longer able to effectively suppress or invade Li Yuan.
Li Yuan suddenly opened his eyes!
In his Crimson Gold Pupils, molten rock seemed to flow, illuminating the darkness within arm's reach!
He felt an unprecedented, surging strength within him, as though a single punch could shatter a mountain, and sensed the Dark Crimson Gold Crimson Sun in his dantian—smaller now, yet even more terrifying.
He had succeeded! Not only had he avoided being devoured, he had also plundered and refined nearly half of the Sacred Spirit Origin!
"Time to get out."
He murmured, clenching his right fist. He did not even need to use a technique; he simply gave the transformed Crimson Sun Qi and Blood within him a casual shake.
Rumble—!!
The remaining half of the dark energy mass surrounding him was like fragile glass struck from within by a boulder. It exploded! Endless darkness receded like the tide, utterly dispersed by a Dark Crimson Gold radiance that was even more overbearing, even more scorching, and filled with an aura of Destruction!
Li Yuan's figure reappeared inside the Cavern!
He was still standing in the palm of the White Bone Altar, but the dark energy mass in the altar's palm had vanished without a trace. Terrifying waves of heat radiated from him like a furnace, while Dark Crimson Gold Qi and Blood steam curled around him without dispersing, making him look like a fiery demon god returned from the Netherworld!
The entire Cavern fell silent.
Everyone stared at the figure on the Altar, dumbstruck, as if they were witnessing the most unimaginable thing in the world.
He... he had actually... taken the Sacred Spirit Origin and...
"You... you destroyed the Sacred Spirit Origin?! You actually destroyed it!!" The Netherworld Cult Bishop was the first to react. He let out a shrill, frenzied scream, his gray-white pupils bloodshot with the utter madness and venom of a shattered faith and a life's work destroyed!
Li Yuanhong's face had also turned deathly pale, his entire body ice-cold. He pointed at Li Yuan, his finger trembling and his lips quivering, yet he could not utter a single word. He could neither understand nor accept it! How had the Sacred Spirit Origin, powerful enough to make even peak Aperture Opening Realm experts wary, simply... vanished?!
Li Yuan slowly raised his head. His Dark Crimson Gold pupils swept across everyone, finally settling on the seemingly mad Netherworld Cult Bishop and the ashen-faced Li Yuanhong.
The corner of his mouth curled into a cold smile, its killing intent scorching like molten rock.
"Tastes pretty good."
"Now it's your turn."
Before you continue