C1010 Reverse Effect
Peach Madam, along with the eerie miasma cloud spawned from her inner demon, gracefully emerged and set out to hunt down the Warpbeast.
A Shura Warrior, transformed into a fiend, witnessed one of his own kind effortlessly consumed by her. Fearing for his life, he fled at breakneck speed.
One fled, the other pursued, and before long, both had vanished from sight.
Meanwhile, the skittish bandits, along with Benin and Hart, were embroiled in a heated debate within the cabin.
Benin and Hart proposed that the bandits seize the chance to pilot the black iron warship, break through the void wall, and make their way back to the Star River in the extraterrestrial realm.
Touzet and the other bandits countered, pointing out the dangers lurking outside.
Several Human Race cultivators at the Solar Spirit Realm were on the prowl outside the Nirvana Realm, vigilantly watching for the black iron warship. Should they return to the Star River now, discovery was almost certain.
Benin realized that the Nirvana Realm was momentarily concealed by the peculiar influence of the Lost Star, making them less likely to be noticed.
After further discussion with Hart and Touzet of the Shadowkin, they agreed to delay their departure.
They would wait until the Solar Spirit experts, having searched in vain for the ancient warship and moved on from the Astral Domain, before steering the vessel toward the extraterrestrial domain.
The one variable they couldn't predict was the actions of Yu Yuan and Peach Madam, who was still pursuing the Warpbeast.
Suddenly, amidst their debate, the Crucible of Evil plummeted from the heavens. Yu Yuan stepped into the cauldron and called out to the black iron warship, "Voidweaver girl, make your way obediently to Veilfall Canyon later on."
Yu Yuan, overhearing the conversation between Hart, Touzet, and the others, felt at ease knowing they were aware of the Human Race's Solar Spirit cultivator outside and were too cautious to make a move.
What truly concerned him was the status of the Dragon Slaying Stage in Veilfall Canyon and the potential emergence of stable space rifts.
As for Peach Madam, Yu Yuan was confident that regardless of whether she could handle the Warpbeast, she would eventually cross paths with him again.
He mounted the cauldron and set off once again for Veilfall Canyon.
"Does he know there are others of his kind outside?"
After Yu Yuan departed, Touzet of the Shadowkin sought confirmation from Benin with an odd look on his face.
"The Arcane of the Lost Star originated from him; he might be aware of others out there," Benin mused before adding, "Perhaps, you should join us on our journey to Veilfall Canyon."
Once Touzet disclosed his origins, Benin and Hart recognized that he was not merely a marauder from the black iron warship, and their demeanor towards him noticeably changed.
Touzet, too, had heard of the peculiarities of Veilfall Canyon from them and began to entertain different ideas.
"We'd like to see for ourselves as well!"
Several formidable bandits voiced their interest.
"Suit yourselves," Hart said with a nonchalant shrug.
...
Meanwhile,
A party of five cultivators from the northern sects of the Land of Quiescence was dispersed across the starry sky near the vanishing Nirvana Realm.
An old man from the Taintborn Sect flicked his fishing net, and heads tumbled out, rolling towards a distant, shadowy region.
He had slain these Otherkin, and their heads, slightly refined, became his eyes and expendable troops, aiding him in scouting for dangers in unknown realms to provide early warnings.
"Odd..."
The stooped elder massaged his eyes, scanning his surroundings with a puzzled frown. "The psionic power in this region seems off, as if concealing some peril. Yet, when I employed arcane methods to probe it, I came up empty."
The rolling heads, imbued with power, could detect many minute sensations invisible to both the eye and the remnant soul.
But despite his sense of unease, as the heads rolled out, they revealed no anomalies.
"The black iron warships of those bandits seem to have vanished into thin air, and I find it suspicious," remarked a cultivator from the Binders of Shadows, standing on a flying carpet with a pair of icy, skeptical eyes. "Moreover, I cast a spell long ago to survey this domain and caught a glimpse of a landmass. But it was so distant and small that I didn't give it much thought."
"The land should be close by."
The others joined in the discussion, each contributing their thoughts.
They all sensed something amiss and conducted their own covert investigations, yet nothing turned up.
"Let's not rush to leave. We should search the surrounding area more thoroughly."
The stately woman from the Ruby Hand sect finally suggested.
...
Deep within the Star River, far from the Nirvana Realm, a massive brown meteor hurtled through space.
At one end of the elongated meteorite lay an ancient sacrificial altar, constructed from the bones of numerous dire beasts. The altar's surface was rusted and exuded an air of decay.
Above the altar, two luminous space rifts intersected, forming a cross.
Yan Qiling, who had vanished from the Moonfall Sanctuary, stood above the altar, clutching a black token inscribed with the word "ultimate." He squinted, lost in thought as he gazed at the intersecting space rifts.
These rifts had only recently formed and were rumored to connect to the realm of the Voidweavers.
"The Nirvana Realm has become a desolate place. Even if there is a connection, it holds little value," Yan Qiling mused, feeling the rifts gradually stabilize. He was torn between doubt and anticipation.
The brown meteorite beneath his feet was a fragment of a shattered moon.
A Great Cultivator had carved the Moon Soul from the moon, transforming it into a whetstone for swords, which later became the Sword Prison. The once radiant moon had slowly crumbled into fragments.
The piece beneath Yan Qiling's feet was one of the larger Moon Shards, and the ancient altar had once belonged to the Moonlit Wanderers.
...
Deep within the secluded Veilfall Canyon.
Yu Yuan watched the Dragon Slaying Stage in silence, covertly exchanging thoughts with the cauldron spirit Yu Yiyi. He learned that in half a month's time, the two halves of the Dragon Slaying Stage would merge into one.
When that happened, more space rifts might emerge, some perhaps stabilizing for good.
Once the Dragon Slaying Stage was whole, whether by using a stable space rift or breaking free into the extraterrestrial, he would choose to depart from the Nirvana Realm.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Amidst the swirling miasma cloud, the elegant Peach Madam floated, her smile suggesting she had thoroughly vanquished her inner demon. She approached with a look of delight, "God of Medicine, oh God of Medicine, your renown is well-deserved. I knew that encountering you would resolve the troubles that plagued me."
Within the colorful miasma, two Warpbeasts appeared to be imprisoned, their psionic powers being devoured by the noxious vapors.
The eyes of the two Warpbeasts, captured by her, momentarily gleamed with clarity amidst the bizarre smoke.
Yu Yuan was taken aback, wondering to himself, "Could the inner demon within Peach Madam's body actually purify the Warpbeasts, restoring them to their original forms?"
"Be careful!"
Out of nowhere, cauldron spirit Yu Yiyi issued a warning.
In that instant, the clusters of toxic miasma shrouding Peach Madam lashed out at him like slick tentacles.
A kaleidoscope of light burst forth from Peach Madam's eyes, turning the little world around Yu Yuan into a dazzling spectacle.
"She's been utterly subjugated by the inner demon!"
