C1059 Death Crane
The haunting call of the crane echoed from the distant Star River. Every combatant in the fray, whether it was a Human Race cultivator of the Solar Spirit, an Otherkin Blood Warrior, or an archdemon like the Golden Rock Beast, felt a chilling premonition of their own life force slipping away at the sound of the crane's cry.
Even Ogeus, the ninth level Golden Rock Beast, felt a sudden tightness in his chest. "Death Crane!" he exclaimed.
The Golden Rock Beast, as majestic as a mountain, shattered the Starborn's crystalline shield and sent Eleazar's massive star wheel spinning away. The beast's eyes, normally wild with ferocity, now reflected an unexpected clarity and calm.
Ogeus frantically scanned the battlefield for Yue Mu. He soon spotted him, previously at ease amidst the swirling Rainbow Ocean and the dancing dragons of sword's will, now with a focused and serious demeanor.
Their eyes met across the chaos. "Go!" The command rippled through their remnant souls, instantly understood.
An eighth level Golden Rock Beast had snapped the neck of a Starborn elder but resisted the urge to pounce on another warrior. Instead, it transformed into a streak of golden lightning and vanished, landing on a floating meteorite outside the warship.
One by one, the Golden Rock Beasts hunting the Starborn swiftly returned to the meteorite beneath them.
Ogeus, the mightiest among them, drew his massive claws back, morphing them into hoof-like forms. He stood upon the four largest meteorites and bellowed in the ancient tongue of demons, "Return!"
The scattered meteorites, like chess pieces, converged towards him from every direction. In an instant, the rocks coalesced into a single, formidable structure, the Shadow's Keep, renowned for its swiftness.
The assembled rocks formed a resplendent golden sea of light, already charting a course toward a dark and foreboding region.
Almost simultaneously, Yue Mu vanished from the Rainbow Ocean with a flicker and reappeared on the meteorite where Huang Baiqi, Lu Rui, and the Winter's Bite woman stood. Huang Baiqi's sword, a bolt of lightning in its own right, returned to him in a flash.
"Fernand, your survival now hinges on your own prowess," he said, gripping the hilt of Rillrender and sliding it into its sheath. He inclined his head towards Yu Yuan, regret in his voice. "I apologize, but I am unable to repay the favor you granted me three hundred years ago."
The gentle sound of flowing water rose from beneath his feet. Dozens of streams, in shades of dark green, azure, and ghostly green, wove together miraculously, lifting the meteorite as they converged with the cluster where the Golden Rock Beasts resided at an enviable speed.
They were uncertain when the Death Crane would arrive, nor did they know if other cultivators from Boulderdawn or the Skyreach Consortium accompanied it. Yet, they were aware that the Skyreach Consortium and Boulderdawn, daring to choose the Annihilation Nebula and invite champions from all the Otherkin, must have formidable arrangements in place.
Yue Mu and Ogeus were no fools; they understood their mission was merely to scout for information. Should they be ensnared by the Death Crane at the fringes of the Annihilation Nebula, escape would be impossible once the experts from the Skyreach Consortium and Boulderdawn arrived.
"Yue Mu is certainly decisive," remarked Peach Madam, standing under a resplendent peach tree amidst the swirling depths of the Rainbow Ocean, her discontent palpable. She had been ready to unleash her true power in a clash with Yue Mu, but he had left without a word, leaving her feeling like her punch, full of might, had hit nothing but air, her frustration with nowhere to go.
"Big brother..." Pattinson of the Shadowkin finally mustered the courage to leave the Ashen Hollow. He descended onto the meteorite where Rosny had met his end, knelt on one knee, and placed his hands on Rosny's mangled chest, making a futile effort. Rosny's insides had been turned to mush by Huang Baiqi's lightning sword, his soul extinguished by the electric strike. Rosny was undeniably dead, with no chance of revival.
With a thunderous crash, Elena, now an eighth-level Blood Warrior, was no longer bound. She landed forcefully beside Yu Yuan and stood before Fernand. "Old man, are you okay? You can make it through this, right?" Fernand's mouth was frothing with blood, his chest punctured by sword wounds, bleeding incessantly.
Fernand's nerves and heartstrings were taut with tension.
"Benin, we're really lucky," Hart whispered in the corner of the Starborn battleship, his gaze fixed on the three bloodied corpses before him. The harrowing image of the Starborn clansmen being shredded by the Golden Rock Beasts flashed through his mind, causing his lips to quiver.
Despite only possessing a seventh-level bloodline, he had miraculously survived the onslaught of the Everlands Demon Army.
Benin, her face as pale as marble and beaded with sweat, finally exhaled a sigh of relief, nearly losing her balance.
As Hart expressed his relief, an exhausted look washed over Benin's face. Unbeknownst to Hart, their safety was no accident. It was Benin's recently awakened bloodline talent that had kept them hidden in the blind spots, unnoticed by the Golden Rock Beasts and the cultivators from the Land of Quiescence. They had become inconspicuous, easily overlooked – a unique gift of the Voidweaver lineage.
"Many of our clansmen have perished," Wilson, clad in heavy armor and wielding a massive glaive, remarked grimly. After stabbing a fallen Golden Rock Beast several times, he looked up at Benin with a mix of anger and regret. "It could have been avoided if we hadn't pursued the Ashen Hollow."
Benin hung her head, weighed down by guilt.
"Out of the twelve Starfire Cannons, seven have been destroyed. The battleship's defenses are critically compromised. We've lost fifteen clansmen, including three of the eighth level," lamented Eleazar, as he placed a massive, rotating star wheel on the battleship's custom stone platform.
In that moment, Eleazar was convinced that Benin's sudden visit boded ill.
Without Benin's influence, Wilson might not have rashly pursued the enigmatic Ashen Hollow, nor would he have encountered the vast hunters of the Everlands.
"When we reach the Annihilation Nebula and meet your teacher, I expect a reasonable explanation," Wilson said icily.
Benin remained silent, her head bowed.
Then, to the astonishment and anger of Wilson and Eleazar, she suddenly seized the bewildered Hart and, like a dazzling pair of wings, returned to the Ashen Hollow.
Wilson's face turned a shade of iron. "That woman has the audacity to disrespect me like this!"
In an attempt to impress Benin and demonstrate his power, he had ordered a pursuit into the Ashen Hollow, nearly falling victim to the formidable hunters of the Everlands.
Having already paid such a steep price and considering Noeyr's role as Benin's teacher, he had managed to restrain himself from immediate retaliation.
Yet Benin, ungrateful for his forbearance, had taken Hart and left as soon as the crisis was averted. It was as if she had slapped him across the face, leaving him with a stinging humiliation.
"That girl is truly disagreeable," Eleazar thought resentfully.
It was clear that Benin had been using them, exploiting their willingness to aid the outlaws of the Ashen Hollow, or perhaps... someone else?
After everything had ended, she left without a word of explanation. Did she think the Coleman family were fools?
Clang!
Wilson, in a fit of rage, tossed his massive glaive to the ground and stormed out of the battered Voidfarer, pursuing Benin and Hart.
"Repair the warship, tend to the injured, and take care of the archdemon's remains," Eleazar instructed hastily, concerned that the cunning hunters of the Everlands might have a trick up their sleeve to ambush Wilson. He hurriedly followed suit.
As a key figure in the Coleman family's future and an elder, Wilson knew he had to prioritize what mattered most.
"That person..."
Becker, at the prow of the ship, gazed into the distance at Yu Yuan, his eyes shimmering with starlight.
Hailing from the most powerful Curtis family within the Starborn, he had access to information far beyond what the waning Coleman family could obtain. He had previously overlooked Peach Madam and Yu Yuan, missing out on many details.
Not long ago, Yu Yuan made his move against Lu Rui, unleashing the Crucible of Evil upon a woman from Winter's Bite...
Becker couldn't help but recall the name that his family had warned him to be wary of—a name that resonated with the vastness of the Everlands—Yu Yuan.
"It must be him."
Taking a deep breath, Becker followed Wilson and Eleazar in leaving the damaged warship.
"How's it going?"
Hu Caiyun, having absorbed the Rainbow Ocean into herself, approached Yu Yuan from behind, casting a glance at the extremely tense Fernand and the focused Yu Yuan. "I've heard some rumors about the sword net Yue Mu left behind. It can't be forcefully broken; any attempt to do so without finding the right approach will only have the opposite effect."
"Your well-intentioned rescue might only hasten his death," Peach Madam kindly warned.
If Fernand's eyes could talk, they would surely be pleading: Yes, that's right, listen to her, don't do anything rash!
"Old man, you seem quite frightened, don't you?" Elena remarked with curiosity.
Fernand was on the verge of tears.
With a whoosh, Benin, accompanied by Hart of the Silverscale Tribe, descended upon the Ashen Hollow, yet they did not land where Yu Yuan and the others were.
Hart's bloodline was too low; leaving the protection of the Ashen Hollow would expose him to the psionic power of the Star River.
"Benin!"
Wilson from the Coleman family, unable to contain his anger, pursued the stationary Starborn warship to the Ashen Hollow and demanded, "I've changed my mind. You owe me an explanation now! Are you aiding outlaws, or are you helping those two damned individuals?"
"It's none of your concern," Benin replied coldly.
"Haha! None of my concern? I've lost so many of my kin, several Starfire Cannons have been destroyed, and the battleship is damaged! And you say it's none of my concern?" Wilson's face twisted with rage.
