Chapter 173
Apart from the red hair and curved horns, there was another feature that quickly caught Ye Bai's attention.
This feature was so striking, so out of place, that even from a not-so-close distance, Ye Bai noticed it immediately.
It was a prominent, unhealed scar located where the figure's collarbone connected to its chest. Instead of flesh and blood, the scar was marked by a strange shade of emerald green.
The myriad realms were not a first-person shooter game; normal NPCs certainly wouldn’t have green blood, let alone in this holographic version of the universe in the interstellar age.
Ye Bai even saw that a branch with green leaves was slanted into that unusual emerald scar.
This scene was already extraordinary, especially since the branch appeared in this ninth layer of space, a place devoid of even molten earth, right next to the core of the purgatory, which was infused with terrifying chaotic flames, yet it hadn’t been reduced to ashes.
The voice of the paper figure echoed from the scroll in Ye Bai's hand: “That’s what I said I was looking for in the purgatory. It’s part of the ‘key’ and a branch of the Tree of Life.”
A branch of the Tree of Life? The treasure of the high elves?
To the high elves, the Tree of Life was as crucial as the core of the purgatory. Compared to the chaotic creatures of the purgatory, the Tree of Life was revered and protected in a symbiotic relationship by the high elves. Breaking off a branch from the Tree of Life was not something an ordinary member of the elven race could do.
Ye Bai was momentarily stunned, and then she felt that the information she had previously gathered was now connecting in her mind.
It made perfect sense that an item of such significance as the Tree of Life could remain intact beneath the purgatory core. Moreover, Ye Bai recalled that the paper figure had mentioned that the purgatory had once invaded the Emerald Forest, the home of the elves. After that, the Emerald Forest was sealed off, and the elves were never seen again; the surface was left desolate, with only a war-torn purgatory portal standing.
The elves, being one of the top races in the divine realm, could not have faced the purgatory invasion without any means of resistance.
Ye Bai gazed at the ‘wound’ on the figure, filled with the power of life. The return of the purgatory after the war was not empty-handed; it had also left behind a counterattack from the elven race.
Thus, the identity of that figure was almost screaming to be revealed—
The king of the purgatory race, the purgatory demon god who had been silent here for an unknown length of time, a true level 100 deity!
However… Ye Bai’s gaze flickered. From the current situation, it seemed that the other party was in some kind of slumber or seal. Should she take the opportunity to remove that branch of the Tree of Life? But would doing so awaken the being?
Just as countless thoughts flashed through Ye Bai's mind, suddenly, the towering high-level demon, estimated to be over two meters tall, began to move.
Amidst the distorted light and shadow caused by the purgatory core, the ancient purgatory demon god lifted its head.
The red hair danced, revealing half of a handsome face, exuding an aura of wicked charm, with eyes that glowed with the same brilliance as the purgatory core behind it.
The purgatory demon god had awakened!
At the same time, a voice in demonic language erupted from its mouth, resonating throughout the space:
“Kedar… a mere serpent demon, dares to devour me? Do you think you’re worthy?”
Uh… Kedar?
Ye Bai, who had felt her heart leap into her throat, suddenly choked at that moment.
Why did it mention Kedar? Wasn’t Kedar already in the Kraken’s belly? No, with the Kraken’s digestive power, to be precise, the serpent demon lord no longer existed.
What was going on with the purgatory demon god? How could it make such a huge mistake? Did this deity have poor eyesight?
Just as this thought crossed her mind, Ye Bai realized the power of the purgatory demon god’s ‘gaze.’
As its eyes fell upon her, Ye Bai felt the Kraken, which had been coiling around her, suddenly tighten its grip, pulling her into even more of its tentacles.
“Hiss…”
In the next moment, Ye Bai heard a faint sound of burning coming from the Kraken’s tentacles beside her.
The Kraken, now also a level 100 deity, was injured? It seemed that even in its wounded state, the purgatory demon god’s gaze attack could inflict terrifying damage, far beyond what Ye Bai could withstand at this moment.
Then, Ye Bai heard the familiar sound of crashing waves, a sound that carried the might of a legendary spell—the Tide of Cataclysm.
As this legendary magic descended, it dispelled much of the heat in the space, and Ye Bai could distinctly feel the temperature around her drop.
“The breath of the deep sea, you are… Kraken?!”
The demonic voice from below reverberated through the entire space. The awakened purgatory demon god seemed to recognize the Kraken, its tone filled with shock and surprise.
Upon hearing this second statement from the purgatory demon god, Ye Bai was momentarily taken aback again. Although the purgatory demon god had awakened, its state seemed a bit strange.
For a being of such caliber, there were too many ways to perceive identity; the probability of misidentifying someone was too low. It wasn’t just a matter of poor eyesight; it suggested a general dullness in perception.
At this moment, the Kraken released Ye Bai, enveloping her in a green bubble-like shield, allowing her to float in the air as if she were in water.
Meanwhile, the massive red octopus, with its body appearing both illusory and yet possessing real impact, dove toward the purgatory demon god or rather, the purgatory core behind it.
“Eat fireball!”
The Kraken shouted excitedly, its dozens of tentacles dancing in unison. Ye Bai noticed that she seemed to be quite relaxed at this moment.
Inside the shield, Ye Bai couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows, her expression contemplative. After her battle with Kedar, she had thought that facing the unknown strength of the purgatory demon god would surely lead to a grueling fight. Even before entering this place, the Kraken seemed to share her thoughts.
But everything seemed to have just changed.
After the Kraken had endured one of the purgatory demon god’s ‘gaze’ attacks, it appeared to have lost its fear of the opponent, becoming quite confident and even having the energy to protect Ye Bai.
“Boom!!”
With the overwhelming tide crashing down, the Kraken swiftly approached the purgatory core and ultimately collided with the ‘sun’ that was continuously radiating light and heat.
The space, devoid of any other matter, emitted ripples like waves of water.
Protected by the green shield, Ye Bai was pushed back over ten meters by the shockwave.
“Deep sea!”
Ye Bai heard a call from the Kraken.
This call was ethereal and grand, and besides the Kraken’s youthful, clear voice, it seemed to echo with the voices of countless men and women, young and old.
“Whoosh…”
With this call, Ye Bai sensed that the entire space was undergoing a transformation.
From the first drop of water to the first stream, then the first wave… in the blink of an eye, this space, which had lost all environmental factors, began to fill with vast amounts of seawater, quickly saturating the entire area.
The deep sea had arrived!
Completely submerged in the water within her bubble, Ye Bai could only see the purgatory core across from her, radiating endless light and heat, steaming with the boundless deep sea, forming a standoff between water and fire.
Ye Bai quickly gathered her strength internally, pushing against the outer green bubble shield, ‘swimming’ toward the direction where the Kraken and the purgatory core clashed.
After a while, Ye Bai finally reached the ‘surface’ and saw the current scene clearly.
A blank area formed between the purgatory core and the seawater, where the Kraken had already spread its tentacles, revealing its mouth, devouring the light and heat emitted by the ‘fireball.’
As Ye Bai got closer, she discovered that the purgatory demon god, who should have been the adversary, was wrapped in bands of blue-black magical script, forming solid shackles that completely bound it.
Having learned the ancient dragon language, deep sea language, and demonic language, Ye Bai could even recognize some of the magical words on those bands, automatically translating them in her mind.
Ye Bai strained to discern and identified some phrases.
Symbiosis, binding, rebel…
These bands of light didn’t seem to be a magic circle or a tool; rather, they appeared to be chains formed from a curse.
A magic circle is constructed with magical words, drawing power from an additional source, while a curse binds the cursed object to a source of power to release it.
Seeing this, Ye Bai grasped the scroll and asked the paper figure, “Do you have any impressions?”
After all, wasn’t the paper figure cursed into a two-dimensional existence?
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