The surge in Shi Yan’s power did not prompt him to immediately attack the 'Yuan'; he maintained his original posture, the chain forged from a giant star held tightly around the main head and serpentine body of the 'Hui'.
From the depths of his eyes, energy the color of scarlet blood erupted wildly, blasting into the deepest recesses of the 'Hui's' mind! The soul pressure formed by that energy finally shattered the delicate balance the 'Yuan' had painstakingly established!
Suddenly, with overwhelmingly superior advantage, Zi Yao began to counter-attack the 'Hui's' soul consciousness, her clone moving to devour the main body!
Within the 'Hui's' mind, there was a magnificent, bizarre, and radiant realm. That brilliant light, like the undulating phosphorescence of the ocean, filled every corner endlessly.
In the deepest, most secret part of this splendid, colorful ocean of divine light, rested a seven-hued altar. That altar represented the original form of the 'Hui'. Above the altar shimmered a dazzling mystery of divine light, a domain, within which resided a miniature serpentine soul—the main consciousness of the 'Hui'.
At this moment, the miniature, pale blue-green serpent was affected by a pool of black seawater and enveloped by the scarlet light, appearing utterly exhausted and listless.
Zi Yao’s exquisite soul transformed into a beam of purple light, suddenly coiling around the body of the pale blue-green serpent.
The little snake struggled fiercely, its body gradually dissolving under the purple beam. Conversely, the purple beam visibly thickened and brightened at a rate perceptible to the naked eye, becoming increasingly saturated with energy!
As the miniature main soul of the 'Hui' was being absorbed by Zi Yao’s counter-attack, countless profound and enigmatic memories were completely seized, leaving nothing behind; every last bit was assimilated by Zi Yao.
Zi Yao's aura perfectly matched that of the serpent; the transition of memories was flawless, everything proceeding as if it were the most natural course of events.
Outside.
Shi Yan’s monstrous, ferocious body watched the body of the Heavenly Serpent, which had been thrashing violently while bound by the River of Falling Stars, suddenly fall silent.
He understood that after enduring untold hardship, the primary consciousness of the 'Hui's' soul had been stripped away by Zi Yao.
From this day forward, the age of the 'Hui' would be terminated, and Zi Yao’s consciousness would completely dominate the flesh and power of this Primordial Life Form!
The 'Yuan's' power, having been split into three parts, initially held the absolute upper hand, leaving Long Xi, Shi Yan, Zi Yao, Napton, and the others utterly helpless. However, at this precise moment, the 'Yuan' suddenly roared toward the void. It thrashed as if driven mad, dispatching its main spiritual consciousness to suppress Zi Yao’s soul!
It did not wish for the 'Hui' to awaken, but it equally did not want to see the 'Hui's' soul consciousness truly absorbed by Zi Yao. The shifting dynamics of the situation made it feel immense peril, compelling it to withdraw the strength it was using against the Ancestor Long Xi and Napton's group to aid the 'Hui' against Shi Yan and Zi Yao.
“Whoosh! Whoosh!”
The streams of soul power it had diverted to the other eleven serpentine heads were immediately retracted. The remaining eleven sub-souls of the 'Hui', freed from restraint, counter-attacked with frenzy!
Each sub-soul transformed into a wriggling little snake, manifesting within the depths of the 'Hui's' soul, wildly striking at Zi Yao’s spirit!
However, Zi Yao, having absorbed the 'Hui's' main soul, had gained the majority of its soul memories and esoteric power. She was no longer defenseless, no longer a weakling to be slaughtered at will!
She had acquired much of the 'Hui's' strength!
The purple light that was Zi Yao’s manifestation suddenly changed, taking the form of a serpentine body with a human face. Within the 'Hui's' sea of consciousness, she circulated her power and profound truths, instantly establishing a foothold in this world brilliantly illuminated by divine light. She manipulated energy here and there, causing all the divine light to serve her purpose.
Countless dazzling beams of light zipped and swirled throughout this domain, striking at the little snakes.
In this world, she appeared to be the sole protagonist; even Shi Yan’s soul consciousness, deep within, could feel her immense power!
The 'Yuan' roared in fury, but after Zi Yao seized dominance over the 'Hui's' soul, its own spirit surging in was intercepted by countless rays of divine light, blocked from truly penetrating Zi Yao’s mind, unable to reverse the determined outcome!
Concurrently, Shi Yan realized that in Zi Yao's mindscape, the struggle between her and the eleven serpentine avatars no longer required his intervention.
He retracted his spiritual consciousness and gathered his strength, his monstrous, colossal body suddenly shuddering.
The massive dragon tattoo across his form began to writhe, and a wave of terrifying, world-destroying energy fluctuation spread outward from him like a contagion!
“Crack! Crack! Crack!”
The ocean, sealed by the esoteric energy formed by the 'Yuan’s' profound truths, rapidly collapsed and shattered. The sea, formed by the esoteric power of water, seemed unable to withstand the impact of this force, and the tidal surges receded.
The vast ocean now only reached Shi Yan's waist. At a glance, it seemed as if he were standing in a shallow pond, in which a colossal turtle—whose size offered no advantage over him—was situated.
“Starfall Thousand Turns!”
With Shi Yan's thunderous roar, the void around the River of Falling Stars transformed, becoming thousands of brilliant stars. Each star rolled and spun, weaving a dazzling tapestry of light across the heavens. This tapestry formed hundreds of strange, ancient formations, manifesting as numerous seals and barriers, crashing down like a waterfall.
They rushed toward the massive tortoise body of the 'Yuan'!
“Spatial Imprisonment!”
Spatial ripples instantly spread outward. Wherever the ripples passed, space seemed frozen, and the giant tortoise body suddenly stiffened!
“Boom!”
Shi Yan, now transformed into a behemoth as massive as a demon god, his entire body blazing with terrifying, peerless energy, brought his foot down onto the tortoise shell. The massive dragon tattoo coiled upon him suddenly came alive, its dragon head emitting a sinister grin as it followed the downward stomp toward the giant tortoise.
“Huang! You actually interfered!”
Yuan Zu’s human form displayed shock and fear for the first time. The body of the giant tortoise immediately contracted.
The world upon its shell swiftly shrank, drawn into the deepest recesses of its domain. All the intricate turtle patterns on its shell lit up, turning jet black.
“Thud!”
Shi Yan’s foot landed with a deafening explosion, like a massive hammer striking a war drum, resounding from the 'Yuan’s' shell.
The tattooed dragon and the turtle patterns on the shell collided, causing several distinct cracks to appear on the hard shell. The 'Yuan' entity shrieked in pain as it was stomped down by that single foot.
“I’ll fight you to the death!”
Yuan Zu screamed, abandoning the group of Napton and the others, suddenly vanishing back into his main body. His physical power surged once more, all his dispersed strength reuniting in this instant.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
“Crack! Crack! Crack!”
A colossal demon god, with nothingness above its head and profound darkness beneath its feet, wrestled fiercely with a giant tortoise in the surging seawater, clashing with esoteric power, tearing and bombarding each other with the most savage, brutal physical attacks!
Napton, Xiao Lie, Jia Ni, and their company were suddenly liberated as the 'Yuan' withdrew its power.
The Dragon Lizard, whose tail had been ripped off, clung to a thread of life even as it neared death, and watched, along with Napton's group, the battle between the two terrifying entities in stunned silence.
“Is that fellow truly Shi Yan?”
Jia Ni, her face covered in bizarre markings, wore an expression of lingering dread, tilting her head up to gaze at Shi Yan, whose smallest toe was the size of a small mountain. Her heart overflowed with shock.
“It is him…” Napton’s expression was bitter.
“I heard that at the bottom of the Sea of Destruction, you nearly killed him? I must ask, is the rumor true? Can you—can you defeat him?” Xiao Lie of the Tiangong clan asked without reservation, glancing suspiciously at Napton, “You still want to kill him? Have you damaged your mind?”
Napton looked utterly humiliated, unable to utter a single word.
Jia Ni of the Secret Rune Clan, her bright eyes shimmering with brilliance, expressed unabashed admiration. “Worthy of being the man who won the heart of Mei Ji. Before, I never understood why the most stunning flower of the Phantom Tribe would favor some unknown youth. Now, I think I understand.”
She made no attempt to hide her appreciation, clicking her tongue in wonder. “A man this ferocious and domineering—forget Mei Ji, I think any woman who witnessed this battle would feel their heart flutter.”
“I suggest you all leave immediately.”
Just then, the voice of Ancestor Long Xi sounded, ill-timed. Bloodied and appearing weak and exhausted, he materialized in the surging seawater.
“You are severely injured,” Xiao Lie noted abruptly.
“I won’t die for now, but if we linger, it might truly be uncertain,” Ancestor Long Xi stated with a grim expression, glancing at the corpses of Rabbit and Clark nearby. “Whether Yuan Zu or Shi Yan wins, they will kill the rest of you.”
“Whose side are you actually on?” Jia Ni asked with keen interest.
As for the corpses of Clark and Rabbit, she spared them barely a glance, clearly revealing herself to be just as cold-blooded.
“Whose side?” Ancestor Long Xi’s expression was strange. He looked up at the currently overwhelmingly dominant Shi Yan, and an inexplicable sense of fear and unease arose within him.
He knew that Primordial Life Forms could enhance their power by absorbing Primordial Blood Essence. His own body… still retained the Primordial Blood of 'Xi'. He was uncertain if the Shi Yan, currently engaged in a frenzied slaughter, might lose his reason and exterminate every living being present.
“Forget it, I’m done with all of you; I’m leaving first.”
After a moment of thought, unwilling to take the risk, he felt that the current Shi Yan was somehow abnormal and was unwilling to remain. After exchanging a few words with Napton’s group, he departed alone, covered in blood.
The battle between Shi Yan and the 'Yuan' raged on. The giant and the colossal turtle charged madly through the black ocean. The energy beams erupting from their clash pierced through many nearby Life Stars. This unfamiliar domain, due to their combat, was on the verge of shattering!
Based on Shi Yan’s inherent strength, confronting the 'Yuan' was nearly impossible. However, after obtaining a portion of Huang’s power, his battle with the 'Yuan' managed to maintain a state of equilibrium.
Seeing the two fighting to a stalemate, Napton’s group was unwilling to give up and leave, instead remaining concealed to observe.
“Huh! That giant serpent seems to have gone still?” Napton’s mind moved, and a sudden spark of insight struck him. “This might be our chance!”
The others focused their gaze and saw that the twelve serpentine bodies of the 'Hui' were indeed motionless, even their eyes closed.
…RQ