Chương 338: The Primordial Devil
The Primordial Devil looked down at Planet Yushu, in particular the Heavenly Path Province which was hidden behind the Heavenly Rebirth Formation, and he licked his lips. Before making a move however, he first glanced back at the two bloody figures floating behind him…
Ga Shu and the Bloody Totem Tribe Leader were unconscious right now, whilst both were covered in blood. Ga Shu was in a slightly better state, but the Bloody Totem Tribe Leader was now on the verge of death. In fact, both individuals were in truly pitiful states right now, not only bound and tortured by the Primordial Devil using a bizarre red rope that he refined from his own blood using his killing intent, but also severely injured after passing through the karmic river.
The Primordial Devil's will had dragged these two behind him, through the karmic river, and even protected them from the countless chaotic streams of chains by using the his body as their shield. However, even the Primordial Devil had been injured in the river, so it wasn't surprising that these two were now half-dead. The only reason that they were still able to cling to life, despite all that they had been through, was thanks to the various healing medicines fed to them by the Primordial Devil. These medicines allowed him to torture them beyond what their bodies, minds and souls could handle, without instantly killing them.
With a thought, the Primordial Devil flicked his wrist and sent two beams of golden light towards each of the pitiful figures. There was a single droplet of fluid within each beam, which rapidly fused into them, then started to rapidly heal over their wounds.
After a few moments, Ga Shu's eyelids trembled. When he opened his eyes, he looked around in bewilderment. The Bloody Totem Tribe Leader woke up soon after with a similar reaction.
They were floating within the void of space, enduring practically no gravity or Spiritual Pressure from the world. This was something that neither of them had experienced before, since Blood Plane was simply too different from the Qi Plane.
Usually, a Foundation Step cultivator like the Bloody Totem Tribe Leader wouldn't be able to survive for long in the vacuum of space, where there was severely limited Spiritual Energy and Spiritual Pressure. When Spiritual Pressure was too high, it weighed down on a living being's body, soul and cultivation, suppressing their strength. However, when Spiritual Pressure was completely lacking, a Foundation Step cultivator would find that their cultivation could not withstand it and would soon start breaking apart.
However, as a body temperer, she could resist this lack of pressure for longer, but regardless, the Primordial Devil's medicines were forcefully keeping her alive.
After waking the pair up and seeing their shock, the red-haired devil just laughed, causing the space around him to tremble. His laugh caused ripples to spread out across the world, eventually reaching Planet Yushu and causing some minor earthquakes to shake the Northern Hemisphere.
As soon as the Primordial Devil crossed over to the Qi Plane, they all sensed it.
Yaan was on the Spirit Plane, on the 5th Layer of Abyss. Whilst he couldn't see the Primordial Devil like he could with his Dao Clones, he could still feel the passage of his karma across the World Planes.
"What will you do?" The Primordial Sage asked when she saw that Yaan had stopped, clearly having noticed the Primordial Devil's arrival.
"What will you help me to do?" Yaan asked in return.
"I will help you to cross over to the Qi Plane if you wish to do so, but that is all. Like I said, I wish to observe your path, and I will aid you in walking it, no more, and no less."
Yaan felt bitter, but it was about what he had expected. He felt a deep uncertainty, and yet, even now, he refused to show anything on his face.
So, what would he do?
What could he do?
Nothing.
He was powerless. Even if he wanted to help his Dao Clones, even if he wanted to protect Elia, he could not. Yaan wasn't even certain about what he actually wanted - such was the painful side effect of having split dao heart - but after calming himself, he suppressed the pain and bitterness in his heart and continued to build his sub-formations.
It didn't matter what he wanted, because in the end, he was still too weak. He knew that whether it was facing the Primordial Devil directly in combat, or overcoming his karmic fate which bound his life and death to that devil's…regardless, he could not overcome either right now.
The Dao Clone of Qi and the Dao Clone of Soul had been treating the Primordial Devil like a powerful foe, but Yaan knew that he was more than just that. Even without the karma which bound their life and death together, the Primordial Devil was simply too strong.
Way back when, in the early years of the 2nd Origin Era, before the Primordial Devil reached the Divine Step, nobody below the Divine Step had been able to match him in combat. The other Primordial Demons could just about hold their own, but the Primordial Devil was the strongest when it came to direct combat. Perhaps Defiance Sovereign could have stood up to him, but the two hadn't met until they were both divinities, so nobody could say for sure.
The Primordial Devil was one of the four original lifeforms in this world, born with power at the peak of the Immortal Step - he was not the same as other living beings.
Yaan had always been stronger than others at his level, but this ability of his was partially inherited from the Primordial Devil! The Primordial Devil was the original owner of this realm-crossing strength, and Yaan knew that in his current state, he was not the Primordial Devil's match.
And so, he suppressed his heart and focussed on his goal, the only path that could lead towards his survival, and the Primordial Devil's defeat.
"I will continue with my plan." Yaan spoke calmly.
Meanwhile, in the 5th Trial Realm, Devil's eyes became bloodshot and his aura exploded outwards throughout the dark palace hall.
"Let me leave right now!"
"M-Master, I'm unable to-"
"Sage, take me back to Planet Yushu right now! He's here, that bastard is actually already here!"
The Devil Spirit was bewildered, because from his perspective, his master had suddenly lost his mind in rage and was now speaking to himself…
Unseen by the Devil Spirit, the Primordial Sage appeared before Devil and looked at him without any emotion.
"I have already granted you one request. You will receive no further assistance from me."
"Damnit all!" Devil roared out furiously. "The main body, what is the main body doing?! Is he going to join the battle?! Will he not step in and bring me out from this damned place?!"
However, Devil's questions went unanswered, because after the Sage informed him that she would not be providing him with anymore help, she simply vanished. This was the first time that she had hidden from Devil when he was speaking to her, causing his expression to become extremely gloomy.
"So it's like that, just as I predicted! We were truly forsaken by the main body, and as expected, the Primordial Sage is an unreliable, traitorous bitch. God damnit…GOD DAMNIT!"
Devil almost went crazy as he felt the Primordial Devil's presence, yet found himself unable to escape from this place which he had willingly entered. When he realised that he had no other choice, he ground his teeth and once again crushed the crimson heart within his palm, now tackling the 5th trial with a hundred times the ferocity and insanity compared to before.
The karmic chains between Yaan, the Primordial Devil and the Dao Clones could no longer be seen, but everyone could feel the maddening killing desire emanating from Devil right now.
But out of everyone present, the Dao Clone of Qi was feeling by far the most alarmed. The moment the Primordial Devil stepped foot on the Qi Plane, the Dao Clone of Qi felt his overwhelming presence. Thanks to his comprehension over karma, he could immediately sense the Primordial Devil's exact location, just a few million miles away from Planet Yushu.
In the vacuum of space, a few million miles could be travelled extremely quickly by a 9-Star Realm Immortal like the Primordial Devil.
His 10,000 feet tall body lingered in the boundless darkness, not moving for a few minutes. These few minutes sent the Dao Clone of Qi's heart into wild palpitations as he tried to formulate a plan, grasping at straws in order to increase his chances of success, somehow, in any way possible!
He had always known that the Primordial Devil was strong, but it was only after he appeared in such close proximity to him, that the Dao Clone of Qi finally realised that even now, they had underestimated this devil. His memories of the current Primordial Devil were limited to those years that Yaan and the Primordial Devil had spent together on the Blood Plane, but back then, the red-haired giant hardly showed off a fraction of his true strength, and Yaan had been too weak to see through the full extent of his power.
But now, they could all feel it.
The World Plane boundary between the Qi Plane and the Blood Plane was the strongest of all boundaries, so even though they had been able to sense one another through their karma, this sensing ability was limited. Now that the Primordial Devil was on the Qi Plane, his strength became far, far too obvious.
"Sage!" The Dao Clone of Qi flew around the Heavenly Path Province, screaming out the Sage's name with bloodshot eyes.
Moments earlier, he had done exactly as Devil had done - he requested the Primordial Sage's help. However, she said to him exactly what she said to Devil, then vanished without a trace. The Dao Clone of Qi knew that searching for her was a futile effort, but he was at his wits end, going crazy as he thought about the fact that any time now, he would need to battle against the Primordial Devil…alone!
Before, he at least had some degree of confidence in defeating the Primordial Devil, assuming that he and Devil worked side by side. The Dao Clone of Qi had also secretly been holding onto the hope that the main body planned to join this battle, even though they had clearly gone their separate ways. Really, his main worry had always been the powerful shackles of karma between their lives, which would spell their demise even if they did kill the Primordial Devil.
But now, Devil was stuck in the 5th Trial Realm, and Yaan was nowhere to be seen.
Eventually, the Dao Clone of Qi gave up on rushing around the Heavenly Path Province, during which time he almost scared to death every resident under his dominion as his aura chaotically fluctuated with countless frenzied emotions. He quickly returned to Heavenly Path Mountain, where he found Elia waiting for him, just outside of her temple.
The Dao Clone of Qi, whom even now still called himself Yaan, gritted his teeth and showed a pained expression when Elia looked at him worriedly.
"Yaan, what's the matter? I felt some small earthquakes, but I have the feeling that something terrifying was behind them, and now, you're so panicked! Yaan, just what is going on, I've never seen you like this before!"
Elia rushed forwards and grabbed both of the his hands into her own. She looked at her longtime friend with earnest concern, but not for herself; her concern was for him.
When the Dao Clone of Qi saw this girl worrying about him, even in this situation which should be leaving her terrified for her own life, his gaze gradually calmed down. His panic and unease rapidly dissipated, and he took a deep breath, forcing himself to relax. After shutting his eyes for a few moments to regather his thoughts, he opened his eyes and looked at Elia with a gentle smile.
"I'm sorry for worrying you, Elia…it's the person I mentioned before. The Primordial Devil is here to fight me, but…I won't let him take one step into our home!"
The Dao Clone of Qi showed her a reassuring smile, then turned his back to the young looking woman who had accompanied him for his entire reborn life. He looked up at the sky, and for the first time in many years, killing intent flooded his heart and mind.
But just as he was about to leave, intending to fly into the sky, out from the Heavenly Rebirth Formation so that he could fight the Primordial Devil on his own terms, Elia hurriedly reached out and grabbed his wrist tightly. Her grip was so tight that anyone below the Immortal Step would feel their bones being crushed, causing him to feel slightly startled.
When the Dao Clone of Qi looked back, he saw that the concern in Elia's sapphire eyes had not diminished, but was now ten-fold stronger than before.
"Yaan, are you really ok? This battle…can you really win? Why- why don't we run away? Please, Yaan…I just…I have a terrible feeling about this. Even compared to your Immortal Ascension, I didn't feel so worried…please, y-you can't…you can't just…"
The Dao Clone of Qi was forced to suppress the pain that tugged at his heart when he was faced with Elia's pleading expression.
Honestly, if it was possible, he would love to take her up on that offer. He only wanted to protect his home…really, he only wanted to protect Elia.
But he couldn't run, he was now the formation spirit of the Heavenly Rebirth Formation. And even if he was able to leave this place with Elia, he would just be chased down to the ends of the earth. Running was not an option, he could only fight.
He had no confidence that he could win this fight, but he needed to try. If he didn't at least try, then he and Elia would both die.
Even so, when he saw her anxious expression, when he saw the love and concern in this girl's gaze, and when he thought about the fact that this might be his last day spent alive under the sun, the Dao Clone of Qi was tempted to just forget about all of this. He was tempted to ignore the Primordial Devil, and to spend his last day alive with Elia, until that red-haired madman broke through the formation and slaughtered them all. At least that way, he could spend one more day in this blissful life…
Suddenly, the Dao Clone of Qi had the thought that he had spent far too much time preparing for this battle, this battle that he knew was practically hopeless, and nowhere near enough time by Elia's side.
The Dao Clone of Qi smiled gently and shook his head.
"If I run now, if I give up now, then it will all have been for nothing. Elia, I will win this battle, and I will return to you. I will protect our home…I will protect you, Elia."
Suddenly, an urge overcame the Dao Clone of Qi. Perhaps it was because he knew the full extent of the despairing situation that he was about to step into, but finally, after all these years, he could no longer care about holding himself back for the sake of their friendship.
Without warning, the Dao Clone who resembled Yaan most closely, stepped forwards, wrapped his arms around Elia's body, and planted his lips upon hers.
Elia was completely caught off guard as she felt his soft mouth interlock with her own. Her eyes were wide and her face turned completely red, causing the Dao Clone of Qi to laugh brightly when he finally pulled away and brushed her hair back, so that he could look at her face properly before leaving.
For a while, the Dao Clone of Qi just looked at her. Elia. His childhood friend. The girl he had fallen in love with. The person who had single-handedly kept alive the only part of Yaan's heart that remained within the light.
"Wait for me, Elia. When I return, I'll pay back that kiss 10,000 times over."
With that, Yaan no longer lingered around here. He knew that if he spent another second in this place, his will to persevere and fight would be broken, overcome by his heartfelt wish to settle down and live a peaceful life, if only for one more day.
He turned, took a step, and vanished, leaving Elia staring after him in a daze. She felt a myriad of conflicting emotions in her heart, and in the end, she bit her lip and clenched her fists whilst staring up into the crimson sky.
"Yaan, please be safe. I'm too weak, I'm too useless compared to you. There is nothing I can do to help you shoulder all of these burdens. But…you once told me that you are empowered by hope. You told me that my hope helped you to overcome your Immortal Ascension! I don't know if there is any truth to this, but if there's even a chance that my hope will make you stronger, then I will hope for your return with all of my heart."
With a single step, the Dao Clone of Qi left the Heavenly Path Province, passing through the Heavenly Rebirth Formation without any resistance. However, as he phased through the formation walls, an enormous amount of power was drawn into his formation spirit body, causing a spiral of upwards flowing light to shroud the entire province, circulating around the formation and pouring into the Dao Clone of Qi's spiritual form.
He was prepared to spend some time gathering as much power as possible, but after stepping outside the confines of the Heavenly Path Province, the Dao Clone of Qi froze. He froze, because at the exact same moment that he took a step, leaving the province below…the Primordial Devil took his own step, forcibly bending the spatial dao all around him using the sheer power of his will alone.
The 10,000 feet tall devil arrived on Planet Yushu's surface, directly before the stunned looking Dao Clone of Qi. For a moment, the world became silent as they both stood above the Heavenly Path Province with just several miles separating them.
Clearly, the Primordial Devil hadn't expected the Dao Clone of Qi to arrive at this exact moment either. He blinked in surprise, but then grinned, and without a word, he waved his hand.
The Dao Clone of Qi was on guard, but after realising that the Primordial Devil wasn't attacking him, but was instead drawing something behind him forwards, he relaxed slightly and continued to absorb as much power as possible from the Heavenly Rebirth Formation. This was all he could do to prepare himself and better his chances in the coming battle.
However, when the Primordial Devil brought forth the surprise hiding behind his back, the Dao Clone of Qi froze, staring at the two bound and bloodied individuals blankly.
"Bloody Totem Tribe Leader…Ga Shu…?!" The Dao Clone of Qi was completely caught off guard by this.
Who would expect someone to capture their enemy's acquaintances from a time long gone by, then drag them across World Planes, just to inflict more pain upon their enemy's psyche?!
However, the Primordial Devil didn't bring these two along for the Dao Clone of Qi, even though he knew that the Dao Clone of Qi was born from Yaan's sentiment and mortal emotions. No, he brought these two along, because he wanted to drag out the real Yaan, the main body on the Spirit Plane!
The two Dao Clones were just appetisers in the Primordial Devil's mind, only Yaan himself could be considered the main course.
"Little abomination of the dao, I know that you are able to see the world through the eyes of your trifling 'Dao Clones'! I know that you can see this right now…Yaan, will you sit back and watch whilst I slaughter two of the only living beings in this world whom still hold a place in your damnable heart?!"
The Primordial Devil spoke with a roaring voice, causing waves to stir up across the oceans below, and earthquakes to rip apart the lands. Planet Yushu was immediately thrust into turmoil, and yet, all he had done was speak!
"You…why do you need to bring others into our feud?!" The Dao Clone of Qi growled out, looking at the barely conscious pair as he swallowed. He was forced to suppress the unexpected explosion of nostalgic emotion which suddenly arose within him.
"Senior Red…it's good to see you again…" The Bloody Totem Tribe Leader's past spirit and will were nowhere to be seen. She was bound by crimson ropes that were clearly inflicting torment upon her body, mind and soul with every passing moment. She smiled at him through the dried blood plastered across her face, causing the Dao Clone of Qi's heart to tremble when he saw clearly…that she had completely given up all hope.
"My Lord…I am glad to see that you are well…I feel blessed to die knowing that you are still alive…and that I was finally able to learn your true name…Yaan." Ga Shu also smiled, looking at the Dao Clone of Qi without a hint of anger or regret on his face.
He was ready to die; he always had been, ever since his wife passed on back then. He only continued living for his lord's sake, but it seemed that now, his lord had far surpassed him, and he was no longer needed.
Ga Shu closed his eyes with a peaceful smile.
'Freya, I'm finally coming.'
The Bloody Totem Tribe Leader let out a light laugh when she saw the Dao Clone of Qi's ferocious expression, but she also closed her eyes, finally feeling a sense of relief.
Ever since her tribe had been wiped out, she had lost her will to go on, a fact that only further tormented her as the Primordial Devil forced her to live in suffering.
Finally, she no longer needed to suffer.
The Primordial Devil looked around casually a few times, but it became clear that Yaan would not be coming to save them.
"Well whatever. Even if you don't show yourself, I know that watching these two die will make you suffer, hahaha!"
And with that, the Primordial Devil reached out with his giant hand, moving so quickly that the Dao Clone of Qi's pupils shrank. It was too fast, he was completely unable to react!
The giant hand clasped around the much smaller two figures, then with a simple motion, the hand squeezed shut. There was no sound, no explosion, nothing. The hand dwarfed the two within so immensely, that when they were killed, the explosions of their remnant life bursting out were simply absorbed into his flesh, without a single trace escaping.
The Dao Clone of Qi was only able to stare forwards with a dazed expression.
Just like that, whilst he was watching, helpless to change their fates, the Bloody Totem Tribe Leader and Ga Shu were both killed.
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