The God of Sin
The Primordial Devil froze for several minutes on the surface of Planet Yushu. Even though they couldn't see what was happening, nobody made a move to go down and investigate, since Defiance Sovereign had made it clear that he didn't want others to interfere.
In the end, this was a battle between the Primordial Devil and his heart demon, outsiders had no place to get involved.
Suddenly and without warning, the Primordial Devil started trembling. In the next moment, his eyes turned black, and his entire body became covered in the very same abyssal black cracks that could be seen across Yaan's Dao Soul. Before anyone could process what was happening, the cracks had already covered his entire body, turning the Primordial Devil into a giant shadow of a humanoid figure.
There was a flash of black light, hiding the Primordial Devil's bizarre appearance from view. When the world returned to normal, the Primordial Devil could no longer be seen. In his place, was Yaan.
Most of the onlookers were completely bewildered, having no idea what had just happened. Where did the Primordial Devil go? Where did Yaan come from, had he not been devoured just now?
A few individuals, such as Defiance Sovereign and the Primordial Sage, had a vague grasp over the situation, but they still couldn't see through the specifics.
Only Old Thief understood exactly what had happened.
When Yaan's gaze landed on Old Thief, he immediately forgot about everything else around him. Old Thief's expression of enlightenment was already enough to attract his attention, and as his aura grew stronger and stronger with every passing second, others started looking towards him in shock. However, this wasn't what attracted Yan's attention…
'Why is the karma between myself and Old Thief so strong? And why…does this karma feel so similar to the karma between myself and the Primordial Devil?'
Yaan quickly realised that something strange was happening right now. He narrowed his eyes and stared at Old Thief cautiously.
Up until this point, everything had proceeded within the scope of his considerations, meaning that he had formulated plans in advance for each twist and turn throughout. However, from here onwards, he had no firm plans, other than trying to use one of these powerhouses for protection against the others.
Only divinities could deal with other divinities. In fact, not one of the Spirit Plane's divinities had been killed during the Spirit Plane's destruction, showing just how versatile they were.
Old Thief had thrown a wrench into this vague plan of his, and despite everything, he couldn't help but become distracted.
"Little demon!" An enraged female voice suddenly tore through the world, snapping Yaan out from his daze.
He hastily flew backwards, fleeing from the Primordial Spirit, who chased after him as she screamed so loud that the world around her shook. Her aura was usually serene and peaceful, but she was no stranger to bloodshed, and right now, she was overcome by the greatest killing rage that she had ever felt in her life.
"You deplorable creature, you killed him, you killed brother! You destroyed my Spirit Plane, you wiped out my sect, you killed all of my people, you burned down the source of my strength, you destroyed the karmic river, injuring me and almost every other divinity, and now…you actually killed brother! I swear, I will torture you to death today, and I will kill anyone who gets in my way!"
Yaan's expression darkened as the golden aura swept past him, immediately suppressing his strength and almost pushing him back down to Planet Yushu's surface.
Then suddenly, the pressure vanished.
"Will you kill me, sister?"
The Primordial Spirit froze. Her aura immediately dissipated as she stared dazedly at the girl between her and her most hated enemy.
Yaan stopped and looked back. His mind raced and he quickly started to communicate with the Primordial Sage telepathically using his illusory spirit sense.
"Sage, are you siding with me?"
"Yes. I told you before - my intention has always been to observe the battle between you and the Primordial Devil, and then side with the victor."
Yaan didn't understand why the Primordial Sage was doing this. No, really…why would she abandon everything that she had built up over three million years, turning her back on all of her allies in the Primordial Alliance, including the other three Primordial Demons…why would she betray all of them, just to side with him?
He didn't understand it, but right now, he would take any help that he could get, and the Primordial Sage was one of the strongest supporters that he could hope for. She was suspicious and far from trustworthy, but if she could help him to escape from this situation, then he didn't care.
Yaan briefly glanced back at Old Thief, whom, as luck would have it, had attracted a fair bit of attention, drawing much of the pressure away from himself. Yaan was also extremely curious about Old Thief's current state, and about the connection between them, however…he was more interested in surviving.
"Do you have a means of escape? I could bring you to the Sage Plane, but I have no confidence that you will survive in your current state. Alternatively, we could flee elsewhere on the Qi Plane. Unfortunately, there are too many divinities surrounding us, the chances of success are extremely low, and if it our escape seems futile, I will abandon you." The Primordial Sage's voice entered his mind once again.
As expected, the Sage was far from reliable…
Yaan turned away from her, looking towards the treasure that he had noticed in the distance. There were no divinities directly between himself and that treasure, but it was quite far away…
Regardless, this was his greatest hope.
"I can escape if you can hold back any pursuers for a few minutes." Yaan replied quickly.
"Then go now. Sister is distracted by my betrayal, but her hatred towards you runs too deep, I am unable to hold her back for long."
Yaan didn't need to be told twice, he turned his back on the chaos behind him and made a break for that treasure in the distance…
It wasn't long before the other divinities noticed his plan
"The heart demon is trying to flee to the Ruthless Inheritance!"
"The Ruthless Inheritance, it's my first time seeing it in person…with the destruction of the Spirit Plane, all of the Divine True Inheritances and Primordial Treasures that were collected by the Primordial Spirit over the past three million years have suddenly appeared in this place…"
"The heart demon's efforts are futile. Does this immortal truly think that he can succeed where so many divinities have failed? Ruthless Empyrean's inheritance is notorious for being completely impossible to overcome. Once you step onto that staircase, you are fated to either die, or sustain severe damage to your dao."
"Right. And even if he somehow did succeed, so what? Will obtaining a single inheritance be enough to escape? This is just a desperate attempt to cling to survival for a few moments longer."
Yaan vaguely heard the thunderous voices that were being casually projected throughout space. Now that the battle between the Primordial Devil and his heart demon was over, Defiance Sovereign had taken a step back, smiling lightly as he watched both Yaan and Old Thief, whilst clearly having no intention of interfering. Seeing this, the other divinities relaxed slightly, no longer feeling the need to hold their tongues.
'Defiance Sovereign truly has a great influence over the world of divinities. It seems that he never had any intention of siding with me, but nor does he consider me an enemy. He really just wanted to watch the fight…' Yaan sighed in his mind.
He continued to flee towards the grand black staircase in the distance. At first, he could see the entirety of the staircase, but the closer he approached, the larger it seemed to become, until eventually, he could no longer see its end.
"Sister…why? Why would you help him, even after he killed brother? Why would you turn your back on us after so many years?" Behind Yaan, the Primordial Spirit looked the Primordial Sage in the eyes as she bit her lip, struggling to control her chaotic heart.
"It was never my intention to betray the two of you. All I wanted, was to observe the battle between brother and Yaan, that is all. If possible, I would prefer for us to remain allies." The Primordial Sage replied as she glanced at the Primordial Asura, who had silently appeared by the Primordial Spirit's side.
"How can you say that?" The Primordial Spirit shook her head with a pained expression. When she saw the Primordial Sage remaining silent, with that unchanging expression and those emotionless eyes, she laughed brokenly. "Sister, you have never been expressive, I have never seen you display even a single trace of emotion, but I always believed that beneath it all, you truly cared for us at heart. Now, I finally understand. Since the beginning, you never felt the love that I feel towards you. You only ever saw me as a competent ally, another pawn that you could use in your games. For all these years…I have been such a fool…"
The Primordial Spirit sighed deeply, then closed her eyes for a few moments. When her eyes reopened, her previous sadness and melancholy was nowhere to be seen, replaced entirely by her hatred and rage towards Yaan.
"If you truly want us to continue working together, then get out of my way. I will kill that demon today no matter what, and I will kill anyone who stands in my way…even if it is you, Sage."
The Primordial Sage stared into the Primordial Spirit's eyes silently for a few moments.
The two of them had been allies, sisters, for so long, yet now, that alliance, that relationship, had come crashing down. All it took was a single choice, and the Primordial Sage trampled over all the connections that she had built up over the years…
Her gaze remained unchanged…just this was not enough to shake her heart.
"I cannot allow you to kill him." The Sage responded plainly, causing the Primordial Spirit's expression to darken. Before she could respond however, the Primordial Asura stepped forwards and stared at the Sage deeply.
"I can't begin to comprehend why you are helping him, but it's safe to assume that you have found some benefit in keeping him alive. You and I both know far too well what he is capable of…he's too dangerous. He has already made an enemy of not just us, but of the entire world. Sage. If you stand in our way, the world will also turn against you."
At this point, the attention of the divinities was split between Old Thief, Yaan's escaping figure, and the confrontation between the three surviving Primordial Demons. The matter of the Primordial Sage's betrayal was a shocking matter, the likes of which nobody could possibly ignore. Even Defiance Sovereign was paying close attention to their conflict.
"It no longer matters if the world becomes my enemy." The Primordial Sage relied as she stared her old sister in the eyes. "The 2nd Origin Era has already reached the beginning of its end. In less than 30,000 years, everything you have ever known will be destroyed – you will also fall victim to the world's destruction if you fail to comprehend this fact. If every living being in this world becomes my enemy…then so be it."
She spoke these words out loud, but she then spoke telepathically to her two old sisters.
"We are not enemies. One day, before the end of this Era, you will both understand."
More divinities gathered behind and beside the Primordial Spirit and Primordial Asura, showing their stance that they too wished to see Yaan's downfall. In fact, eventually, even Law Empyrean suddenly appeared by their side!
This immediately caused everything to change.
"Just this once, the Divine Court will temporarily join forces with you two Primordial Demons. That child has committed an atrocity the likes of which has never been seen before in this world. For the sake of the people of this world, and for the sake of righteousness and law, we must push our misgivings aside and fight as one."
Law Empyrean's declaration shook the world.
With Law Empyrean's declaration, the other members of the Divine Court who were present immediately flew over to join them.
There were many members of the Divine Court present, as well as some members of the Primordial Alliance. Given that the key powerhouses on both sides had now joined forces, they no longer felt reluctant to join the fray.
The Primordial Alliance and Divine Court had worked together before - the former cycle of rebirth was the greatest example of this. However, for the key figures in these two groups to join forces in order to fight against a common foe…this was the first time in history that such a thing had happened!
Before long, the Primordial Sage found herself facing 12 divinities, none of whom were to be taken lightly. She had already absorbed most of her present bodies to strengthen her might, but she knew that even holding this group back for a brief period of time would be near enough impossible.
Yaan didn't even glance back, but just the pressure of having so many divinities locking onto him was nearly enough to suppress him to the point of immobility. As numerous divine auras exploded out, shrouding the world in many different colours of light, the vacuum of space became a world of colours, a world that slowed Yaan down until he was basically crawling desperately towards his goal.
'The Primordial Sage can't hold them back…will I really die like this…?' Yaan thought bitterly.
He didn't fear death, but he couldn't accept dying here, not when he was so close to reaching his goal. He couldn't accept dying at this point, after all he had done to get here. If he died here, then all the pain and suffering which he had inflicted upon himself and the world would become meaningless…he refused to accept this…
He didn't want to accept it, but under the rising pressure of the many divine auras directed towards him, he finally became completely unable to move. The crowd of divinities, consisting of those from both the Divine Court and the Primordial Alliance, pressured the Primordial Sage and forced her to retreat quickly. Her expression remained as serene as ever, but her sharp gaze showed that she was clearly on guard.
It became clear that the Primordial Sage alone would not be enough.
Just as Yaan started to wonder if this would truly be the end, everything stopped.
Yaan, the Primordial Sage, and every single divinity chasing after them…
The many divinities, Transcendents and immortals who had chosen to stay back and watch from afar…
Even the flames which covered Planet Yushu.
Everything froze. The world fell silent for a few moments, but this only made the following voice, which caused space itself to tremble and distort, sound all the more imposing.
"In the end, my pride could not live up to its own expectations…"
Old Thief's voice echoed across the world. Unknowingly, every living being in the vicinity had turned towards him, frozen in place, unable to move, speak, or even look away. It was as if Old Thief had become the centre of the universe, glowing with an incandescent light that distorted the fabric of reality around him. Every single other aura was suppressed beneath this light, but strangely, the aura released by Old Thief in this moment contained no trace of danger whatsoever.
Old Thief's body gradually changed. He became partially illusory, as if he was both in this world, and not. At the same time, a stream of power flooded into him, causing his appearance to rapidly transform from an old man, to a man in his late twenties…
Once his age regression finally ended, everyone could only stare with wide eyes.
He was…so handsome!
His hair was long, black and luscious, his skin without a single blemish, his gaze was sharp and piercing, yet also calm and filled with understanding. Honestly speaking, compared to the man before their eyes, all other men in this world looked like trash…
Many of the women present, even the divinities, involuntarily blushed.
Everyone was feeling stunned by this development, but Yaan's mind was trembling furiously. He was shocked, because the stream of power that Old Thief had absorbed, causing his age regress…came from Yaan!
'The karma between us! He just devoured something that existed within the karma between us…and it is without a doubt connected to the Primordial Devil!'
"So it was you…you sure hid yourself well, God of Sin…" Defiance Sovereign broke the silence and spoke slowly.
Everyone was frozen, Defiance Sovereign included, but he managed to overcome the suppression by enough to at least speak. This was something that nobody else could do right now.
However, when Defiance Sovereign uttered the title 'God of Sin', several individuals present felt shocked to the core.
"And you are as brazen as ever, God of Defiance." The handsome man glanced at Defiance Sovereign briefly as he replied.
Defiance Sovereign smiled, but he did not respond. Instead, he simply stared at this man, formerly known to everyone as 'Old Thief', with rapt attention.
Slowly, the man turned to look at Yaan. Yaan stared back at him intently, causing the man to smile lightly.
With a single step, he appeared several feet in front of Yaan.
"Yaan…since you helped me to refine my dao, I feel like I at least owe you an explanation."
Yaan remained silent – he couldn't speak right now even if he wanted to.
"As you have probably realised, I am an 'outsider' to this 2nd Origin Era. I was born in the 1st Origin Era, and amongst the Origin Gods, I am known as the God of Sin. However, even after undergoing my 1st Origin Ascension and stepping out into the vast expanse of Chaos, I realised that my pride was too fragile - I knew that eventually, it would become my downfall. I entered the 2nd Origin Era in order to test and refine my pride…I did this by splitting my Dao Soul into two, becoming Old Thief…and the Primordial Devil. Old Thief retained most of my memories and knew of my identity, but the Primordial Devil did not…"
The God of Sin paused briefly, sighing and shaking his head. He looked up, staring into the distance as his body gradually started to fade away…
"In the end, the Primordial Devil showed that I was correct…my pride could not withstand the tribulations of this world. You have my gratitude for helping me reach this understanding. However, Old Thief made me realise something else – sin without pride is simply degeneracy. My pride was too fragile, but pride itself is not the problem. I understand now, finally…"
The God of Sin smiled serenely, dazing Yaan for a moment. He was able to see through the emotions of all things in this world, and whilst the current God of Sin could likely hide his emotions from Yaan if he wanted to, he was clearly choosing not to do so. Because of this, Yaan could see the honest serenity in his heart, a serenity that he had never seen before in any powerful being.
The handsome man continued to stare at Yaan, until eventually, his gaze became extremely deep.
"I see, I recognise you now…I finally understand why you made that choice…let me give you a warning, Yaan - I am not the only god who split their Dao Soul to create multiple incarnations in this Era."
The God of Sin finally turned away from Yaan and flew out into the middle of the crowd. Eventually, he slowly turned and looked at the group that had been chasing after the Primordial Sage and Yaan until moments ago. He slowly raised his finger, just as his body started trembling, looking like he would fade away at any moment.
"Everyone, I will no doubt see many of you again in the next Era. For now, I will leave you with this - Law Empyrean…he is the core Origin Incarnation of the Evil God!"
Law Empyrean's gaze trembled as his eyes met with the God of Sin's. The God of Sin smiled at him, then finally, he faded away in obscurity.
Just like that, Old Thief vanished from this world, as the God of Sin ascended once again.