Decisive Seizure

Meanwhile, to pick up the other thread... While countless Mighty Ones across the myriad realms were going mad, Yu Xian also caught wind of the news. "Such a coincidence?" "Whoever masters the Calamity Origin has a shot at becoming an Origin Returner?" When Yu Xian heard the news, he was completely stunned, because there happened to be a portion of the Calamity Origin right inside the Calamity Demonic Dragon. The timing was so uncanny that he even wondered whether some Transcender was pulling his strings—or if this was a novel and the author had set it all up. Truth be told, though, he was sorely tempted. After all, his son, Little Salty Fish, had been born a Unity Returner. When the time came, he couldn't still be just some small-fry Mighty One. How embarrassing would that be? If things really came to that, where would he put his face in the future? Whenever anyone brought him up, they would probably say, "That man is Yu Xiaoxian's father, the father of a Unity Returner! Whatever you do, never cross him." No way! That was way too humiliating. Yu Xian glanced in the direction of the Calamity Demonic Dragon. He had to seize this chance! Originally, he had planned to wait until Luo Wei and the others finished subjugating the dragon before stepping in to recover the puzzle-piece spiritual spark. Now, however, he felt he couldn't wait any longer. After all, if word had reached him, countless Mighty Ones across the myriad realms definitely knew about it too. In the past, although the Calamity Origin was precious, not many people actually paid it much mind. Among origins, it was the sort that was formidable yet burdened with too many drawbacks. It was powerful because in any world with living beings, natural and man-made disasters never ceased. Mastering the Calamity Origin was tantamount to having an inexhaustible reservoir of power—power tied to war, catastrophe, and ruin. The trouble was that if it wasn't handled properly, the power could easily backfire on its wielder. The Calamity Demonic Dragon was a prime example. Completely incapable of controlling the power, it continually brought disaster to this world. Even now, with a gentler fragment acting as the dominant personality, calamity still lingered. Even Mighty Ones were not omnipotent. When the amount of Calamity Origin a Mighty One held exceeded what they could bear, the power risked leaking out, truly harming others as well as themselves. For that reason, though Mighty Ones found the Calamity Origin intriguing, they would never actively seek or collect it unless it dropped right into their laps. Now, however, the situation had changed. Once the news spread, countless Mighty Ones proficient in divination began casting their deductions. Without a target, divination was naturally difficult. But with the target already identified and the direction chosen for them, the deductions became simple. Many grew convinced that the Calamity Origin was the admission ticket to becoming an Origin Returner. Though plenty remained on the sidelines hoping to play the oriole stalking the mantis, countless Mighty Ones across the myriad realms truly fixed their sights on anyone in possession of the Calamity Origin. In this world, the Calamity Demonic Dragon wasn't particularly strong. If Yu Xian didn't act quickly, other Mighty Ones would come knocking sooner or later. Therefore, he had to strike first and secure the Calamity Origin as soon as possible. One second! The Calamity Demonic Dragon, still fast asleep, was struck down in an instant by Yu Xian. Yu Xian then transferred its corpse into the Zhen Realm, using the realm's power to confine the spiritual spark. He could study it thoroughly later and extract the Calamity Origin while he was at it. This was an admission ticket to becoming an Origin Returner, after all—far too precious to leave behind. Still, there was one more thing he needed to do: leave a boss for Luo Wei so that when the party reached this place, they wouldn't find their final enemy missing. The Hero Party was, in the end, the mighty force meant to protect this world. Once Yu Xian departed, the peace and justice of this world would rest entirely on Luo Wei and his companions. "First, sculpt a dragon head." "The Calamity Demonic Dragon was way too ugly. I'll make it a bit cuter." Yu Xian took out a handful of Living Soil and set to work sculpting a new Calamity Demonic Dragon. Owing to his limited craftsmanship and questionable aesthetics, the dragon that should have looked imposing and majestic warped beneath his hands. Its fierce eyes gradually turned blank, even a little goofy. Because Yu Xian accidentally shaped its tongue too long, even with its mouth closed, a little section poked out, completely unable to retract. Cross-eyed, tongue sticking out, and a distinctly derpy face... Yu Xian stared at the Calamity Demonic Dragon he had sculpted and fell silent. Wasn't this a little too obviously fake? The trouble was that he had already done his best. If he kept tweaking it, he worried it would only turn out dumber and look even less like the real thing. "Or should I just alter everyone's perception instead?" Yu Xian stroked his chin, muttering to himself. Since he couldn't change the fact that the dragon looked like a fool, he would simply change how this world perceived it. Besides, the memories of the Demonic Dragon minions needed a proper touch-up so they would remember the dragon looking exactly like this. Having come up with a workaround, Yu Xian grinned, thinking himself an absolute genius. If you can't solve the problem, then just solve the people who might notice it! First were the Four Heavenly Kings serving under the dragon. With a single thought from Yu Xian, the image of the dragon in their minds was cut and pasted over, completely overwriting the original. Next came the memories of the demon generals, and finally the lowly minions who had seen the Demonic Dragon's true face. Once he was certain everything was seamless, Yu Xian brushed off his clothes and took his leave, abandoning the palace with a dragon that, despite its massive bulk, was cross-eyed and sticking out its tongue, looking utterly ridiculous from every angle. Hopefully, after braving countless hardships to reach the palace, Luo Wei and the others wouldn't be too disappointed when they laid eyes on it. *** The Zhen Realm. Yu Xian's little black room. As the name implied, the little black room was a space known only to Yu Xian. It was an area beyond the monitoring of any other administrator; only Yu Xian could enter, and only Yu Xian could inspect it. Inside the room, the corpse of the Calamity Demonic Dragon hovered in midair, completely separated from the spiritual spark. Anywhere else in the Tree Universe, once a spiritual spark parted from a physical body, it would be invisible to the naked eye. In this space, however, it stood out with striking clarity. Yu Xian approached the spiritual spark and gently waved his hand. The spark parted slowly, revealing the core fragment nestled at its center. "What staggering hatred!" Yu Xian's eyes widened as he observed the other fragments, muttering under his breath. It turned out these sparks had not gathered together by chance. Even after losing everything—their sense of self, their memories—they still harbored intense hatred toward the black fragment. They weren't protecting it. They wanted nothing more than to tear it to shreds. That was why they clustered so tightly, like villagers surrounding a dog thief. If not for having no hands, they would have beaten this black spiritual spark fragment to dust long ago. Yu Xian couldn't help but wonder what sort of monstrous atrocities this black fragment had committed in life to arouse such widespread fury. None of that mattered right now, however. Extracting the Calamity Origin from the black fragment was what mattered most. Securing the ticket to becoming an Origin Returner took priority; everything else could wait. Yu Xian reached out and pinched the black fragment. His ability activated in an instant, and strands of ominous power were slowly drawn out from within. Had this not been the Zhen Realm, but rather any ordinary world among the myriad realms... ...these faint wisps of power alone would have been enough to unleash catastrophic devastation. Even without leaking in the slightest, their mere presence would have been sufficient.