C1096 Darkness Spreads!

The towering Shura General stood like a monolith in front of the secluded stone building, his face a mask of cold determination.

Behind him, the stone building where Lin Zhuyun was located was engulfed in an impenetrable darkness.

Inside, the Absolute Cold Psionic Power churned wildly, continuing to spread its reach.

Such profound darkness and cold were rare in this world, beyond the comprehension of most creatures.

Not far from this place, numerous eighth and seventh level Blood Warriors of the Otherkin trembled, their souls quivering in fear.

Their heartbeats, too, were affected, growing sluggish and lethargic.

Scattered around Fernand were bodies strewn haphazardly on the ground—members of the Shadowkin, enchantresses, and several Silverscale Tribe warriors, as well as Sky Fiends that were still in the process of dissolving, not yet completely dead.

These victims had sensed danger and attempted to destroy Lin Zhuyun before the Frost Well within her could be fully constructed.

However, Fernand's presence doomed their hasty actions to failure.

By the time the extreme darkness and cold burst forth from Lin Zhuyun inside the stone building, it was already too late.

"Dark Realm ice energy!"

Starborn Starfallen Oracle Beru, who harbored an altar within himself, along with several other high-ranking Starborn, arrived on the scene, only to let out involuntary shrieks of disbelief.

Fernand stood before the roiling darkness, his eyes as calm as an ancient well, seemingly oblivious to their arrival.

"Aren't you scared?"

Becker, also of the Curtis family, drew a gleaming silver hammer, bracing for combat.

"It's too late," Beru sighed, placing a hand on Becker's arm and shaking his head. "Fernand possesses a ninth level bloodline, and the ice energy from the Dark Realm that spreads behind him only bolsters his combat prowess. Not even I, at full strength, could take him down now."

Leo stepped back, his face etched with gravity, and advised, "Keep your distance."

"Listen to Leo," Beru commanded.

The Starborn clanspeople slowly withdrew, though their gaze remained fixed on the stone building.

With a whoosh, the portly Zhou You materialized, clutching his horsetail whisk. He ignored Fernand and peered intently into the abyss of darkness, probing, "Has the Shura from the Dark Realm made their descent?"

Fernand remained silent.

Zhou You's brow furrowed slightly as he asked, "Do you want Elena to die?"

Fernand's expression shifted dramatically. After a moment's hesitation, he spoke in a hoarse, gruff voice, "He's already en route. My king's presence looms just behind me. I'm sorry, it's too late. There's nothing you can do to stop him."

The darkness that engulfed his back was impenetrable to everyone present, Zhou You included.

Fernand, however, was the exception.

Ancient legends tell of the Shura ancestors being born within the Dark Realm, which forged a mystical bond between the Shura and that shadowy place.

Despite generations passing, many Shura outside the Dark Realm were too frail to enter it. Yet, their bloodline and racial traits made them the most adept at adapting to its conditions.

This was because the earliest Shura left the Dark Realm and flourished elsewhere.

In the Star River, newer generations of Shura found it easier to thrive and multiply.

This proliferation was advantageous for the Shura Clan, allowing a once sparse population to grow in number and strength.

The downside was that those born under the Star River found it challenging to endure the Dark Realm.

Only those with formidable talents, like Elena, could venture back to their ancestral lands in the Dark Realm once their bloodline reached a certain level. After enduring the Dark Realm's trials, they earned the right to be called Dark Realm Shura.

Being a Dark Realm Shura signified greater strength and represented the elite echelon of the Shura Clan.

Although Fernand had once been a general commanding numerous warriors, his early trials in the Dark Realm had ended in failure.

Nonetheless, he was well-acquainted with its severe environment and could discern the scenes within.

He knew that inside the stone building, Lin Zhuyun lay in a pool of her own blood. The "well" she had formed from her vitality and spiritual energy had fully materialized.

Darkness and ice energy continuously erupted from the Frost Well, causing Lin Zhuyun to shiver uncontrollably.

Powerless to intervene, she could only sense the transformation occurring within her training room.

Fernand was acutely aware that the King's power had infiltrated the area. Soon, warriors accustomed to the Dark Realm's conditions would begin to emerge from the Frost Well, one after another.

Their king would also set foot in Ionodios to secure victory in this battle.

Fernand suddenly gazed skyward, his eyes ablaze with fervor, and declared, "We're too late."

Leo's face paled. "The wall of the Ionodios is undergoing bizarre changes."

Everyone looked up, fixated on the heavens. Ninth-level Blood Warriors and Unbound cultivators could sense the Ionodios' wall, thin as a cicada's wing, absorbing ice energy like a sponge.

The wall was drawing in the frigid currents from both the internal and extraterrestrial Star Rivers.

From the perspective of the Star River outside, one could witness the Ionodios' wall rapidly freezing over, turning to solid ice, as if the entire realm was being encased in frost.

"Quick, look!"

On the starship of the Coleman family, those who lacked the credentials to enter Ionodios pointed at the transforming realm, screaming in terror.

They could distinctly see the Ionodios' wall freezing over at an alarming rate.

Wilson, momentarily dumbfounded, finally cried out in horror, "Go! Evacuate the Annihilation Nebula with utmost speed!"

Eleazar, of the Starborn lineage, also bellowed commands to leave without a moment's hesitation.

Boom!

A gaunt old man plummeted onto the Coleman family's Voidfarer like a meteorite from space.

As he landed, most of the Coleman family members were instantly reduced to a mist of blood, with no time to even utter a scream.

The massive warship could not bear the impact of his descent; the force unleashed caused it to shatter in an instant.

He smirked at Wilson, wordlessly.

Wilson, shielded by a peculiar suit of armor, did not perish on the spot but instead wailed in agony as he dissolved into a puddle of blood.

"You, you!"

Eleazar pointed at the old man, stammering and retreating in utter despair.

"Merely ants."

The gaunt old man shook his head and commenced a ruthless slaughter.

Following the Coleman family's Voidfarer, the other clan warships moored nearby met the same fate, each being obliterated in turn.

One by one, the colossal warships disintegrated, plummeting amidst billowing smoke and flames.

...

On the distant dark red continent.

Yu Yuan's strands of vital energy traveled along the handle of the Baneblade, entering the Bloodhell for the fifth time.

The Baneblade, with its hilt as the starting point, was covered in blood-colored lines that spanned two-thirds of the blade. These dense lines seemed to shimmer with a blood-colored light invisible to the naked eye.

The Songbird Queen occasionally exchanged words with the Peacock Queen, yet her focus remained steadfastly on Yu Yuan and the Baneblade, never straying for long.

Suddenly, her form quivered slightly, and her brows knit together in concern.

"Is there trouble in Ionodios?" the Peacock Queen inquired.

Yu Yuan, who had been diligently channeling his vital energy into the Altar of Rebirth to refine the Baneblade, managed to multitask and glanced over. "You mentioned a great upheaval was coming to Ionodios, didn't you?"

"That seems to be the case," Chen Qinghuang confirmed with a slight nod. After a moment of careful sensing, she spoke with certainty, "The Deathwing Lair that's linked to me has been penetrated by ice energy and can no longer serve as a Starway."

Yu Yuan looked puzzled. "What does that mean?"

"It means that the people from the Skyreach Consortium and the Boulderdawn Sect can't immediately transport others and goods through the Starway to Ionodios. Likewise, those in Ionodios can't use the Deathwing Lair to teleport away instantly," Chen Qinghuang explained earnestly.

"However..." She paused, her demeanor calm as she continued, "This doesn't affect me. If I choose to, I can still take you and return to Ionodios in a single breath."

Yu Yuan, now visibly anxious, pressed, "Has something happened in Ionodios?" His heart was heavy with concern for Luo Yue, Wen Lu, Tong Laoqian, and Elena, all of whom were there.

"Sooner or later, it was bound to happen; I just didn't expect it so soon," the Songbird Queen admitted openly. "The Consortium and Boulderdawn Sect have their strategies, as does the Abyssal Leviathan. Besides them, the Shura and other hidden forces are all scheming in the shadows."

She fixed her gaze on Yu Yuan, questioning, "Are you certain you still wish to return?"

"I'd advise against going back," the Peacock Queen interjected from outside the vibrant curtain of demon energy, visibly shaken by the conversation.

"I also believe it's best not to return. It's far safer here," Chen Qinghuang kindly suggested.

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