Between life and death, different people exhibited different choices.
Not only the several god-level soul masters but also many Limit Douluo had their own ways of dealing with the situation.
The vast majority chose to fight desperately.
At this moment, retreating was absolutely impossible. They couldn't withstand the Abyss's self-destruction either.
In this inevitable death scenario, the only chance for survival was to quickly kill the opposing Abyss Emperor and seize the Emperor's position.
A few Limit Douluo seemed to grasp the reason behind Xu Yuan's promise in that fleeting moment.
Perhaps, only at the instant when the Abyssal Sage King was about to self-destruct did they have a chance to seize the identity of an Abyss Emperor?
After all, in the previous continuous battles, despite countless Abyss Emperors dying, the Federation hadn't managed to take over a single Emperor position.
On the contrary, now, at the moment when the Abyssal Sage King was about to self-destruct, perhaps the control over the Abyss would loosen?
This was their opportunity to seize the position of an Abyss Emperor.
Simultaneously, it was their only hope for survival!
Seize partial control of the Abyss, then resist the Abyssal Sage King's self-destruction!
Limit Douluo who realized this level fought desperately, using every last-resort soul skill they had hidden away for the sake of their lives and the chance to ascend to godhood.
Various soul skills with stringent restrictions were deployed.
If not now, then when?
Xu Yuan glanced at the scene of the battlefield below but didn't pay much attention.
It wasn't part of his arrangement or a pre-planned scheme.
In fact, the Abyssal Sage King's decisive self-destruction surprised him.
He thought Yun Ming would be faster in seizing control.
In reality, it wasn't Yun Ming's fault for being slow; rather, the Abyssal Sage King chose to sacrifice everything once he realized the desperate disparity.
His gaze didn't linger on the battlefields of the Limit Douluo; instead, he searched every corner of the Abyss.
Where is it?
Where is the contingency?
Xu Yuan didn't doubt the Abyssal Sage King's resolve and determination to sacrifice everything in despair at this moment.
But he found it harder to believe that such a greedy person could be so decisive.
His eyes quickly scanned around, finally settling on the Abyssal Sage King.
More accurately, on the Abyssal Sage King's hand.
"The Heavenly Sacred Splitting Abyss Halberd?"
The quality of a super divine artifact made you confident enough to preserve a bit of your power within it to cling to life?
A smirk appeared on Xu Yuan's lips.
"Jue!"
At this moment, the Abyssal Sage King was ready to self-destruct, with no way out. Jue's task of intercepting Yan Long alone had ended.
The Hunyuan Spear in hand, Xu Yuan infused his spiritual energy into it.
The Hunyuan World manifested, encompassing the surrounding space.
Since the Abyssal Sage King was inside, the process of his self-destruction was delayed by at least a few seconds.
Xu Yuan held the spear and thrust forward.
The Abyssal Sage King swung the Heavenly Sacred Splitting Abyss Halberd in his hand.
The impending self-destruction brought him to his peak and filled him with immense confidence.
He originally thought Xu Yuan would temporarily avoid the brunt, but unexpectedly, this guy dared to confront him.
Half-step God King?
I don't believe that, even after detonating the entire Abyss, I still can't match your half-step God King without depth!
The Hunyuan Spear clashed with the Heavenly Sacred Splitting Abyss Halberd.
Holy Attraction!
In the depths of his mind, the Abyssal Sage King had such a thought.
Holy Attraction?
What does it mean?
The Abyssal Sage King didn't understand the meaning of Holy Attraction.
He also didn't know why he had such a thought.
He continued to fight against Xu Yuan.
In just three seconds, they collided more than ten times, each time exerting their full strength.
Every collision between the Hunyuan Spear and the Heavenly Sacred Splitting Abyss Halberd caused space to shatter, leaving the entire Abyss riddled with holes due to their fierce battle.
At this moment, the Abyssal Sage King realized the problem.
Holy Attraction seemed to compel him to only attack Xu Yuan.
Including the forces triggered by the self-destruction!
What kind of ability was this?
Suddenly, the Abyssal Sage King woke up and found that the forces of his self-destruction were dissipating.
He couldn't even harm the Abyss!
He looked at Xu Yuan, filled with shock.
How could this be?
Xu Yuan showed a disdainful expression.
The stronger one is, the more they cherish life.
Xu Yuan satisfied this point.
Before taking action, he naturally considered all possible situations.
The current surprise was merely that the Abyssal Sage King initiated the self-destruction before Yun Ming seized sufficient control, which was also accounted for in Xu Yuan's contingency plan.
The ability of the Holy Attraction Spirit Furnace integrated into the Hunyuan Spear also underwent its fourth evolution. Although the direction of evolution combined with devouring abilities, there was no doubt that the original effect of Holy Attraction was not removed.
When constrained by the force of Holy Attraction, one could only attack the target of Holy Attraction.
Of course, the self-destruction of the Abyss wouldn't be completely blocked by Holy Attraction. But combined with Xu Yuan isolating with the Hunyuan World and wreaking havoc on the surrounding space, it finally achieved this effect with difficulty.
At this moment, the Abyssal Sage King truly felt despair.
Because he could no longer sense the Abyss.
When the Abyssal Sage King lost contact with the Abyss, it meant he had lost this plane.
Self-destruction was not his means of mutual destruction, but the final node in Xu Yuan's plan to push him towards annihilation.
When you choose self-destruction, the entire Abyss will no longer be related to you.
It's you who abandoned the Abyss, not us who took it away.
Yun Ming didn't hesitate because of the Abyssal Sage King's self-destruction; instead, he intensified his efforts to fully conquer the heaven and earth of the entire Abyss.
At that instant, he felt unprecedented ease.
Balance reached.
When both Douluo and the Abyss were under his control and balanced, a wondrous sensation arose in his heart.
The essences of the two planes simultaneously appeared before him.
The essences intertwined, with the Heaven-Bearing Divine Spear as the junction point, completing a miraculous fusion.
Of course, the two essences didn't fully merge; only a part of them interwove, with the junction point being the Netherworld.
And Yun Ming had 100% control over the Netherworld. Using this fused essence, Yun Ming easily began expanding his control simultaneously in Douluo and the Abyss.
In the blink of an eye, this progress was already more than halfway complete.
At this point, he basically had absolute advantage.
With the connection between the Abyssal Sage King and the Abyss disappearing, it could be said that the current ruler of the Abyss plane was no longer the Abyssal Sage King but Yun Ming.
---
On the other side.
Chen Xinjie mobilized the ocean domain for full defense but waited in vain for the Abyss to truly explode. Realizing he had missed a critical opportunity, he immediately made amends, focusing all his efforts on attacking an Emperor ranked thirty-fifth.
Finally, he managed to seize the tail end of the opportunity, killing the opponent and preserving the Emperor's essence.
However, he had ultimately missed too much.
Other god-level soul masters gained the essences of at least three Emperors, all of whom were among the top ten Emperors.
Cao Dezhi obtained the essences of layers three, fifteen, and sixty-three. Ah Ruheng obtained the essences of layers five, eleven, seventeen, and forty-five.
Mu Ye was the fiercest, directly eliminating seven Emperors, including two from the top ten—Demon Emperor ranked fourth and Black Emperor ranked ninth. Additionally, he defeated five more Emperors, all ranked within the top thirty-six.
In comparison, if Chen Xinjie hadn't retreated at that moment but instead used his strength to fight desperately, he might have had the chance to kill the Spirit Emperor and possibly another one, resulting in gains far greater than what he currently had.
Apart from the god-level soul masters, there were also the Limit Douluo.
Thirteen Limit Douluo successfully killed their enemies and on-site fused with the opponents' essences.
Their instantaneous assumption was correct.
At the moment when the Abyss was about to self-destruct, even the mechanism for essence recovery failed. This was their best chance to claim the Emperors' essences.
The feeling of becoming an Emperor was genuinely exhilarating.
The seemingly endless power made them swell with pride, feeling as if they could punch and kick god-level venerables.
"Ridiculous, just one year, from Main God level to half-step God King."
The Abyssal Sage King felt like a clown at this moment.
Why hadn't he been decisive enough to kill Xu Yuan back then?
Upon careful reflection, there were several instances where, with a certain cost, it was definitely achievable.
What a pity.
Too greedy.
The Abyssal Sage King gave a bitter smile.
No chance left.
Can't struggle anymore.
He sensed that Yun Ming had arrived to join the battle from the other side.
And Yun Ming's aura had also reached the half-step God King level.
The Abyssal Sage King had controlled the Abyss for so many years, possessing this vast energy yet remaining stuck at the Main God level.
At this moment, Yun Ming hadn't fully controlled the Abyss, only grasping half of it. Adding half of Douluo Planet's energy, there shouldn't have been an obvious gap in energy quantity, yet Yun Ming achieved the half-step God King level.
This was the most despair-inducing aspect for him.
Ten years, how could it come to this?
Xu Yuan remained silent, merely thrusting his spear. The Hunyuan Spear pierced through the Abyssal Sage King's body, and the devouring force erupted.
Two opposing black and white energies surged from the Hunyuan Spear, forming a vortex that engulfed the Abyssal Sage King.
Besides Jue, the four soul spirits appeared. The Five Elements Grand Array continued operating, united as one, utilizing Jue's devouring force from the Hunyuan Spear to rapidly absorb the Abyssal Sage King's power.
Their cultivation levels also rapidly increased.
Continuous heavenly tribulations gathered, striking down simultaneously.
The four soul spirits dispersed, beginning their tribulation.
Relying on their own abilities, the four soul spirits qualified to undergo tribulation independently.
Yao Yao mastered dream space, Shan He mastered scroll worlds—they naturally needed no further explanation.
Huan Xing could integrate into the starry sky, controlling a space and mastering the five elements, ensuring survival without question.
As for Xing Jun, he condensed an evil eye, fusing Xu Yuan's absorbed and nurtured evil eye back together, making it his current main body cultivation. It surpassed most divine artifacts. Coupled with destructive and stellar forces, he had the capital to rely on his own to undergo tribulation.
Of course, the four soul spirits had a crucial reliance—the power of the Hunyuan Spear.
Leaving the Hunyuan Spear to continue devouring the Abyssal Sage King's power, the five soul spirits underwent tribulation. Xu Yuan turned around, stepped into a vortex, and emerged from the vortex in front of Yan Long.
Chain after chain completely sealed Yan Long.
Gu Yue didn't act alongside the human soul masters but approached from another direction.
She didn't hunt too many Emperors, only securing suitable Emperor essences for Di Tian, Xiong Jun, Bi Ji, Wan Yao Wang, Zi Ji, and other ferocious beasts.
After helping the subordinate ferocious beasts fuse with the essences, she assisted the five beasts in integrating corresponding powers.
Looking up at the scene of Xu Yuan's four soul spirits undergoing tribulation, she fully believed the simplest and most straightforward path Xu Yuan mentioned.
As long as one's strength was sufficient, forcefully enduring heavenly tribulation was feasible.
Turning her head, she saw the longing in Di Tian's eyes.
Watching the four soul spirits undergo tribulation, Di Tian also desired to give it a try at this moment.
"You're too far behind them. They have Xu Yuan's foundation and a super divine artifact backing them to withstand heavenly tribulation. You can't," Gu Yue dissuaded Di Tian.
Di Tian sighed regretfully.
Just absorbing the Abyssal Sage King's power triggered a million-year heavenly tribulation for the four soul spirits.
Yet, their foundation was still lacking. Therefore, while undergoing tribulation, they simultaneously began devouring Yan Long's power.
Time passed.
Dozens of Emperors remained in the Abyss, but none dared to resist. They were all waiting for Xu Yuan's soul spirits to undergo tribulation.
Yun Ming silently expanded his domain, continuing to broaden his control over Douluo and the Abyss based on balance.
Suddenly, as if a string was connected, Yun Ming felt that his control over the two planes became much smoother.
After careful sensing, Yun Ming laughed aloud.
This was the spatial channel Xu Yuan left behind.
Upon discovering the several covert channels opened by the Abyss, Xu Yuan didn't destroy them but further modified them. Now, these eight channels linked with the Netherworld became the key for Yun Ming to connect the forces of the two planes.
Near the channels, Yun Ming sensed special soul beast auras.
"Are these the soul beasts influenced by the rules of the two planes that Xiao Yuan mentioned?"
Yun Ming manipulated the connected channel, swallowing these soul beasts and transferring them to the Abyss side.
Entering the Abyss, these sea soul beasts swiftly completed subsequent mutations, evolving and becoming significantly stronger.
Moreover, Yun Ming transferred some Abyss creatures suitable for living in the sea to Douluo Planet's deep sea.
The interaction and mutation of creatures from the two planes accelerated the fusion between the planes.
Naturally, it also expedited his control progress.
After the first channel, he swiftly opened the second and third.
Like practicing martial arts and opening the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, the penetration of each channel represented a stage advancement, significantly boosting Yun Ming's control over the two planes.
Boom!
The entire Douluo Planet underwent a metamorphosis.
Although the opening of the Netherworld allowed soul masters a path to godhood, in reality, only within the Netherworld could soul masters break through because the true Douluo Planet hadn't crossed that threshold yet.
Now, after Yun Ming completed the connection of nine channels and nearly controlled all areas of the two planes, the two planes became intertwined, inseparable.
The Abyss's energy belonged to Douluo, and Douluo's level equaled the Abyss's.
They complemented each other, providing the conditions each required, and underwent a qualitative change.
Within Douluo Planet, centered around the changes in the Golden Ancient Tree, the entire natural world experienced a second spring.
Massive amounts of Abyss energy poured into Douluo Planet, transforming into primordial energy and integrating into every corner of Douluo Planet, supporting its evolution.
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