C1000 Nirvana Realm

Within the vastness of the Everlands, sects led by five major powers have long promoted the concept of vanquishing extraterrestrial entities.

In an age long past, before the human race had reached its zenith, Star-Spawned Terrors and Otherkin champions invaded the annals of the Everlands.

The humans and evilkind within the Everlands bore the great duty of empowering themselves and venturing into the extraterrestrial Star River.

Initially, hordes of giant dragons from the Nagas surged into the Star River, pillaging and returning laden with spoils. Yet, some giant dragons fell victim to ambushes by Otherkin and Sky Fiends, their blood staining the cosmos.

In those tumultuous times, even high-ranking Sky Fiends, Otherkin elites, and cosmic giant beasts breached the wall and penetrated deep into the Everlands.

Subsequently, the Nagas were dethroned, and humanity seized the moment to ascend, establishing dominant sects like Boulderdawn.

From that point forward, humans and evilkind collaborated with unwavering resolve, securing their foothold in the Star River. They advanced cautiously, delving deeper and securing victory in numerous conflicts.

Since those days, the people and evilkind of the Everlands have emerged as a formidable force within the Star River.

It was also during this period that Star-Spawned Terrors and Otherkin experts rarely dared to intrude upon the Everlands. The few that did often met fates akin to Tian Zang's—either eternally imprisoned or relentlessly hunted until death, with no resting place for their remains.

With the rise of Boulderdawn, the Everlands became a no-go zone within the vast Star River, where any non-native human or archdemon who dared enter met with dire consequences.

Later, internal conflict within the Everlands precipitated the decline of Boulderdawn.

The five Supreme Gods, now at the helm, partitioned the Supreme Seats and gave rise to new primordial spirits, thereby supplanting Boulderdawn's stature.

Under the governance of the five Supreme Gods, the alliance between humans and evilkind grew even stronger, enhancing their collective martial prowess.

Consequently, additional Supreme Seats were established.

It was at this juncture that the sects, under the leadership of the five Supreme Gods, began to set forth in droves toward the Star River.

Many Solar Spirit and Unbound Realm experts treated the extraterrestrial realms as hunting grounds, with Sky Fiends and Otherkin experts as their prey.

When the domains of the Otherkin, their heavens and earth, were in the crosshairs of humans and archdemons from the Everlands, a bloody battle was almost certain to ensue.

After such a battle, either the humans and evilkind would be defeated, leaving behind corpses to drift away, or the humans and archdemons would triumph together, resulting in untold suffering for the creatures of the Otherkin's domain. The mighty were slaughtered, and the domain's rare magic items were plundered.

Since it wasn't their homeland, the humans and archdemons from the Everlands were indifferent to whether the Otherkin's domain would collapse or shatter after the battle.

Typically, after their victory and having taken many rare treasures, the domain's world would rapidly decline. The spiritual energy became unbalanced, energy was filled with impurities, and the walls were torn.

The outcome was a realm on the brink of death...

The images Yu Yiyi had intentionally focused on evolved in Yu Yuan's mind, clarifying why the five Otherkin men and women before him bore such intense animosity.

Their grievance was not with him, Yu Yuan, but with the entire human race.

Or to be precise, with everyone from the Everlands, human or archdemon.

In the silence, the elegant woman Benin, after observing the dark yellow sky and piecing together the clan legends with the life story of the High Priest, seemed to have an epiphany. "Nirvana Realm! This place, long abandoned, is the once-glorious Nirvana Realm!"

"Nirvana Realm?"

"Is this the Nirvana Realm?"

"Why have we been brought here? The Nirvana Realm, ten thousand years ago, was a central hub for teleportation among the races!"

"It must be the Nirvana Realm!"

The five Otherkin men and women buzzed with conversation.

Eventually, their excitement subsided.

Benin addressed Yu Yuan, "This has to be the Nirvana Realm! The tomb I explored was once guarded by its master before his death. The valley behind us is the legendary Veilfall Canyon! Ten thousand years ago, this canyon had numerous stable space rifts that connected to various domains!"

The tomb's guardian once stood watch over Veilfall Canyon year-round, ensuring the space rifts remained stable.

"Our race, the Voidweavers, is the most adept at mastering space magic in the vast cosmos, and we excel in this domain. The Nirvana Realm was once a significant territory for our people!"

Benin provided this explanation.

Yu Yuan pieced together her words with the knowledge in Yu Yiyi's mind, learning that long ago, the valleys brimmed with space rifts. Hundreds of shimmering rifts dotted the landscape.

Each rift led to different worlds, drawing clans from various Otherkin for transit.

The Nirvana Realm thrived for a time due to this.

"What happened after that? How did this place end up like this?" Yu Yuan inquired.

"The Veilfall Canyon's unique formation of stable space rifts connecting different worlds was due to a rare stone in the valley depths, revered as sacred by us Voidweavers. Our records name this stone the World-Sundering Stone."

"It was the World-Sundering Stone that formed the Veilfall Canyon and gave rise to the Nirvana Realm."

"The World-Sundering Stone was later stolen, causing the stable space rifts of Veilfall Canyon to fade away. In this era, only a sporadic rift or two might appear, unstable and unpredictable, with traversal fraught with immense risk."

Benin, of the Voidweaver lineage, explained with a furrowed brow.

Simultaneously, a whisper from Yu Yiyi's cauldron spirit stirred in Yu Yuan's mind, "Master, I dimly recall my first master mentioning that the original name for the Dragon Slaying Stage was the World-Sundering Stone. He traversed the depths of the Star River to find it, brought it back to the Everlands, and with great wisdom, transformed it into the Dragon Slaying Stage for vanquishing dragons."

"The World-Sundering Stone, the Dragon Slaying Stage!"

Yu Yuan's form trembled as he examined the two grey-white stones in his hands, which seemed to magnetically draw together. Coupling this with the valley's anomalies and the increasing number of space rifts, he came to a sudden realization.

He ventured into the desolate Nirvana Realm for one reason: the two Dragon Slaying Stages in his possession.

The Dragon Slaying Stage was rightfully his!

Yet, the dragon slayer had taken the World-Sundering Stone from Veilfall Canyon to the Everlands. Once forged into the Dragon Slaying Stage, it served to suppress the largest dragon vein in existence.

"Those rifts in the sky?" Yu Yuan instinctively looked up.

"The thief who seized the World-Sundering Stone engaged in battle with my people, and the outcome..." Benin's eyes brimmed with anger, resentment, and a touch of humiliation, "We were defeated. The aftermath of the battle left the wall riddled with cracks, allowing the psionic power from the extraterrestrial Star River to infiltrate. Our race suffered devastating losses and lacked the strength to make repairs."

"By the time we considered repairing it, the Nirvana Realm was already overflowing with extraterrestrial psionic power, and many of our weaker kin had perished. Moreover, the World-Sundering Stone had been taken, and Veilfall Canyon had lost its wonders. For these reasons, our elders deemed the Nirvana Realm worthless."

"Given that the costs outweighed the benefits, we had no choice but to abandon it."

Benin's voice grew somber.

After her words, Yu Yuan was once again enveloped in silence.

Through her and Yu Yiyi, Yu Yuan came to understand that the decline of this realm, tainted by extraterrestrial psionic power and forsaken by the Voidweaver, was all due to the dragon slayer who had stolen the World-Sundering Stone meant for the Voidweaver.

Moreover, within the three Dragon Slaying Stages, he had amassed the residual psionic power using Wraithbinding.

Holding the Dragon Slaying Stage and being the dragon slayer's successor, he was essentially the one who reaped the benefits.

"You should all find a way back."

After some time, Yu Yuan gestured dismissively, indicating that the five Otherkin men and women should make their way back as they had come.

"We wish to return as well, but while arriving here was easy, leaving is another matter entirely..." Hart from the Silverscale Tribe said with a wry smile. "The space rift has vanished, and even if it were to reappear, we wouldn't dare traverse it. Besides, we are too weak. Without a starship, we wouldn't dare to cross the Star River on our own."

The others hung their heads in defeat, gazing at the shattered heavens above with faces etched in helplessness.

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