C1063 Dissolving Fortress

Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit, unaware of the danger, exposed itself to the filthy, churning psionic power of the Star River. The energy, a bizarre mix of strange powers, enveloped the clearly visible Lunar Spirit like a viscous swamp. It began to disintegrate with a sizzling noise almost immediately.

An indescribable pain erupted from the depths of his soul, causing Yu Yuan, who was seated on the high platform of the Ashen Hollow, to shudder and involuntarily gasp for air.

Whoosh!

The Lunar Spirit abruptly returned, transforming into an invisible wisp of light as it re-entered his Mindscape. Inside him, the Altar of Rebirth churned, refining the Otherkin's lifeblood and releasing the faint Soul Power within to hastily repair the Lunar Spirit's damage. Alongside this, a pill designed to nurture the soul was ingested to aid in the Lunar Spirit's recovery.

"It's still not enough," Yu Yuan murmured to himself, gazing into the depths of the Star River. He pondered why his meticulously cultivated Lunar Spirit, trained in Wraithbinding, couldn't withstand the infiltration of the extraterrestrial tainted forces when the Star-Spawned Terror could glide through the perilous Star River in its spirited body.

A blast of frigid astral wind swept through, and his Lunar Spirit wavered, barely able to endure the onslaught. Other, more terrifying psionic powers were even harder for the Lunar Spirit to resist.

Nevertheless, he recklessly sent the Lunar Spirit out to the outer Star River time and again. Each time it neared its breaking point, he would swiftly retract it back to the safety of the Ashen Hollow—a process that proved to be an exceptionally effective trial for the Spirit Walk!

The Everlands decreed that without a condensed Solar Spirit, a cultivator could not venture into the extraterrestrial Star River. This meant that practitioners of the Spirit Walk Stage could never wander the Star River as he did. The very concept of the Spirit Walk was to release the Lunar Spirit to traverse the realms beyond the flesh.

Most cultivators at this level would only allow their Lunar Spirit to travel a few thousand miles from their body, seeking out remote and peculiar locales to temper their Lunar Spirit and grasp the subtleties of the Spirit Walk.

Yu Yuan's Spirit Walk, however, had already ventured into the vastness of the Star River beyond the Everlands. Oblivious to the peril, he thrust his Lunar Spirit into the terrifying expanse beyond the Luminescent Barrier.

Despite the excruciating pain each time, the Lunar Spirit was eroded and weakened instantly. Yet, with each recovery of his Lunar Spirit, Yu Yuan could distinctly sense that his mastery of Spirit Walk had far exceeded that of his peers in the Everlands. His fellow cultivators would never have the opportunity to venture into the extraterrestrial realm, let alone dare to expose their Lunar Spirit outside, thus never gaining his experiences! He intuitively knew that his approach to cultivating the Spirit Walk was undoubtedly a rapid shortcut to advancement—as long as he didn't rashly overextend and cause his Lunar Spirit to shatter...

After several near-death experiences while venturing outside the Luminescent Barrier, on this particular day, his Lunar Spirit once again drifted outward and detected an abnormal disturbance. The Lunar Spirit swiftly returned, and he stood up on the elevated platform, meticulously probing his surroundings with his vitality and remnant soul. Within the little world of his vitality, the Altar of Rebirth spun unusually fast, and his heart pounded fiercely.

After a moment's hesitation, he turned to Pattinson and commanded, "Head in that direction!" The gaunt man, still grieving his brother's death, looked up, nodded at the indicated direction, and activated the concealed array that connected the land through their bloodlines.

Here, in the Annihilation Nebula, as the white crane had mentioned, the formidable beings of the five greatest powers dared not tread. Pattinson's chosen course had strayed from the one indicated by the white crane. The Death Crane, fiddling with Calves' peculiar golden trident, sensed the change in direction and looked over in astonishment.

"There's something unusual that way drawing me in," Yu Yuan clarified.

"Suit yourself," the white crane responded nonchalantly.

Ashen Hollow then altered its course and sped towards the target with astonishing velocity.

An hour later, in the cold, desolate expanse of the Star River, a massive, peculiar nest emerged! The colossal nest, resembling an enormous bird's nest, was encircled by layers of sturdy branches. From a distance, the seemingly slender branches were likely as thick as a giant dragon. The nest cradled an upside-down mountain, with its pointed peak below and a smooth, flat surface above. This smooth and flat mountain was securely bound and protected within the heart of the immense bird's nest.

A faint green aura enveloped the flat mountain like a duck eggshell, shielding it. Upon closer inspection, one could see the silhouettes of the Otherkin experts busily erecting a castle.

From a great distance, Yu Yuan concentrated his gaze and discovered that what set his heart racing and stirred the Altar of Rebirth was neither the inverted mountain nor the Otherkin, but rather... the peculiar bird's nest.

The thick, long branches that comprised the nest pulsed with a mystical energy, hinting at the scent of vitality.

This vitality exuded an eternal, undying essence that seemed to disregard all life, triggering a strong resonance within Yu Yuan's own vital energy.

"Hehe! Hehehe!"

The white crane, in an instant, moved from the periphery of the Ashen Hollow to the forefront of the landmass, its grayish-white pupils bursting with an intense light that was difficult to meet directly.

It let out a strange laugh, offering no explanation.

"I've spotted members of the Wingkind."

Benin, the Voidweaver, gently rose from below, gazing at the bird's nest from a distance.

The Ashen Hollow they were aboard also came to a gradual halt. Shura General Fernand and Elena stepped out from the square stone building.

Fernand fixed his eyes on the distant object and cried out, "The Dissolving Fortress!"

"The Dissolving Fortress!" echoed Hart.

Like the Ashen Hollow, the Dissolving Fortress, crafted by two Kings of Bandits from the Wingkind, was another Sky Chariot that wandered the fringes of the Star River.

"The Dissolving Fortress, along with the bandits inside, were invited by us," said the white crane with a sly grin, eyeing the distant landmass that resembled an upside-down mountain range. "However, that enormous bird's nest wasn't atop the Dissolving Fortress before."

"This bird's nest... it feels familiar, as if I've heard of it somewhere," Fernand mused, his brow furrowed in thought.

"I'll have a look."

Yu Yuan was decisive. He called forth the Crucible of Evil and leaped into it, swiftly breaking away from the protection of the Luminescent Barrier around the Ashen Hollow and heading directly towards the so-called Dissolving Fortress.

A mischievous smile played on the white crane's lips as its grayish-white eyes shimmered with an astonishing brilliance.

"Do you recognize that nest?" Peach Madam inquired with curiosity.

The white crane merely smiled and nodded, still keeping the details to itself.

"One of the three great nests of the phoenix!"

Fernand of the Shura clan smacked his forehead, a realization dawning on him. He gazed intently at the nearby Dark Nebula and nodded with conviction. "There's no mistake! It must be the legendary nest built by the phoenix!"

"The phoenix?" Peach Madam exclaimed in surprise.

"A hundred thousand years ago, that frenzied phoenix was besieged and slain by the mightiest warriors from various clans within this Astral Domain," Fernand said gravely. "The phoenix was the most ancient cosmic giant beast, wielding the ultimate powers of death, destruction, and rebirth. It's said she could never truly die."

"There's a legend that she could resurrect from any one of her three great nests."

"The three nests she left behind possess all sorts of wondrous powers. One of the nests vanished because she perished in the Annihilation Nebula. The other two nests are believed to be secretly placed in the hidden depths of the cosmos, undiscovered to this day."

"This..."

As Fernand beheld the enormous nest enveloping the Dissolving Fortress and sensed the enigmatic power within, he couldn't help feeling a sense of disquiet.

Legend has it that when the phoenix last appeared a hundred thousand years ago, the horrific death force within her spiraled out of control, endlessly spilling out into the surroundings.

Every living creature in the Astral Domains she traversed had their lives snuffed out.

To prevent her from laying waste to more Astral Domains in her uncontrollable power, the tenth-level Mighty from all the clans converged to hunt and kill her.

At last, the legendary phoenix met her end in this place.

And so, this Astral Domain was renamed the Annihilation Nebula in the wake of her demise.

Whoosh!

As the Crucible of Evil penetrated the Luminescent Barrier and descended upon the Dissolving Fortress, several Otherkin with natural wings glared at him as if bracing for battle.

"Human?"

One of them, as gaunt as a transformed white crane, spoke in human tongue, "We have been invited! Are you a guide from the Skyreach Consortium or a dark disciple of humanity? What business do you have with us, coming from the Ashen Hollow?"

The dozen Wingkind clansmen, along with the outlaws from the Crypt Clan and Stoneborn, all tensed up.

This expanse of land, vastly larger than the Ashen Hollow, with its palaces still under construction, bore the unmistakable architectural style of the human empire, familiar to Yu Yuan. He observed many intricate array patterns that seemed familiar, and on the wall of a stone building, he even spotted an engraved bird motif.

"It feels like I've seen this before..."

With that thought, a crisp bird call echoed from beneath the Dissolving Fortress.

The faces of all the Wingkind members shifted abruptly.

The Wingkind who had been speaking with Yu Yuan paused, seemingly communicating something through a mystique. A look of astonishment crossed his face, and he promptly said, "Someone wishes to meet you."

At the sound of the bird call, Yu Yuan had already formed a suspicion. He nodded subtly, indicating for the other to guide him.

The Wingkind then escorted him into a peculiar cylindrical structure and down a staircase leading underground.

He followed with composure, unworried about the possibility of the Wingkind from the Dissolving Fortress attempting any treachery.

Before long, in a chamber beneath the fortress, he encountered a soul-shaped Songbird with distinct scars on its forehead.

Additionally, there was a mysterious woman adorned in a green robe with a radiant silver phoenix crown atop her head.

The phoenix crown she wore featured a beaded curtain that obscured her face, making it impossible to discern her true appearance.

"Greetings, God of Medicine. Three hundred years ago, your inadvertent rescue paved the way for the rise of the Songbird Queen."

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