C1098 Such a Desperate Situation!

Upon hearing the Blood King's voice, a wave of terror washed over everyone present.

The current leader of the Shura, a king with a tenth-level bloodline, ranked among the top three most fearsome entities in the vast Star River beyond the Everlands.

Merely the sound of his voice was enough to accelerate the spread of the chilling darkness.

The darkness was visibly seeping outward, compelling everyone to start retreating.

No one, not a single expert, dared to venture into the depths of the darkness at that moment to confront the Blood King.

Fernand, once reduced to a mere bandit, was instantly swallowed by the thick, intense Absolute Darkness.

Then, a series of thunderous vibrations, reminiscent of a dire beast's hammer striking the ground, emanated from the stone building.

Zhongli Dapan cracked a smile and chuckled, "A Shura from the Dark Realm has arrived." He then cast a glance towards the heavens.

Cultivators of the Unbound rank, ninth-level archdemons, and Otherkin experts all sharply detected that the ice energy leaking towards the wall had intensified more than tenfold at the sound of the Blood King's voice.

The wall, already freezing, was swiftly and completely sealed by the ice energy.

"Damn it!"

The Starfallen Oracle, Beru, silently assessed the situation, his brow furrowed with concern. "The wall has become much harder to penetrate. For those below ninth-level bloodline, breaking through the frozen wall to escape Ionodios is nearly impossible now."

His words weighed heavily on everyone's spirits.

"There's some bad news I need to share with you."

In the depths of the Absolute Darkness, Fernand's gruff voice slowly broke the silence, "The Deathwing Lair of the secular bird can no longer serve as a Starway. That means, don't count on using the Deathwing Lair to instantly flee Ionodios."

"Ah!"

"The Deathwing Lair is out of commission?"

"We're doomed!"

Many of those with lower cultivation and insufficient bloodline levels turned pale with despair.

Canli, Mia, Noeyr, and other formidable members of the Shadowkin were also deeply troubled.

They hadn't come alone; they were accompanied by their followers and kin, many of whom possessed only an eighth-level bloodline, or even less.

They had hoped to use the Deathwing Lair, a makeshift Starway, to evacuate their vulnerable kin. Now, even that faint hope had been dashed.

"Furthermore..."

Fernand's voice persisted, "The Voidfarers beyond the realm have all been destroyed. A multitude of Warpbeasts is gradually filling the starry sky outside of Ionodios."

"Even if we venture out, there are no Voidfarers to use, and we'll still have to confront those man-eating Warpbeasts."

"..."

Fernand laid out the dire situation, ensuring that both the Everlands' humans and the extraterrestrial domain's powerhouses understood the gravity of the circumstances.

Without the "Starway," escape from Ionodios is impossible.

The wall is sealed, preventing the weak from breaking through to the extraterrestrial.

And even if one could, they would still have to face the swarms of Warpbeasts beyond the Star River.

Many Otherkin who had traveled great distances were now pale with shock, unable to fathom how such a magnificent celebration could devolve into catastrophe.

"Non-essentials, retreat to the Deathwing Lair. Those at the Unbound level, join me in keeping a vigilant eye on this darkness."

President Lyi ascended slowly into the sky, gazing at the encroaching darkness, his golden eyes beginning to spark with fierce electricity. "Remember this: the grand assembly of Ionodios is a joint effort between us and the Boulderdawn Sect. You may doubt our company's combat prowess, but you must trust in the Boulderdawn Sect's ability to resolve the thorny issues at hand."

"Boulderdawn!"

Many drew a sharp breath, their spirits lifted by the name.

"Let's heed President Lyi's advice!"

"Now is the time for unity, for facing this challenge together!"

"Fall back to the secular bird's Deathwing Lair!"

The ninth-level chieftains of various races quickly directed those with them, especially those of lower bloodline levels, to follow the guild's guidance to the Deathwing Lair.

The Absolute Darkness continued its relentless spread.

The Blood King's authoritative and profound voice began to eclipse Fernand's, echoing throughout Ionodios and even into the starry sea beyond.

"I am the Blood King! The Shura have always been the elite force within the allied armies. For tens of thousands of years, our people, along with the Everlands' humans and archdemons, have endured countless bloody battles! Our deep-seated enmity cannot be resolved or forgotten!"

"Comrades, you too have fought alongside us in a life-or-death struggle against the Everlands' humans."

"When did your perspectives and attitudes shift? Can mere words from Boulderdawn and the Chamber of Commerce truly dissolve the enmity that has been nurtured over countless generations?"

"I urge you to reflect deeply. Will you honor the ancestral oath to exterminate the humans of Everlands, or will you consort with the Otherkin?"

"…"

The Blood King's voice, heavy with boundless loathing, thundered across Ionodios and resonated through the Star River.

All the surviving Otherkin heard his proclamation and pondered his words with furrowed brows.

"Those willing to wield their blades against the humans of Everlands, the archdemons, remain our allies! Otherwise, they are our sworn enemies!"

Ultimately, the Blood King presented them with this ultimatum.

...

Yu Yuan lay in his own blood on the rugged, dark red earth.

Whoosh!

The crimson Altar of Rebirth finally detached from the Baneblade and hovered over his chest.

"All my pill reserves and the lifeblood of the Otherkin have been depleted," Yu Yuan said weakly, struggling to sit up. With a mere thought, the congealed blood was absorbed by his Altar of Rebirth. "If either of you has something rich in lifeblood, I would be grateful for your assistance."

The Baneblade, Bloodhell, rested upon his thighs, its blood-red patterns fading.

Chen Qinghuang understood that he had infused the intricate lines within the Baneblade with his own vital energy, mastering its mechanisms and effectively making it his own.

Yet, when wielding the Baneblade in combat, he still required an abundance of vitality to empower it.

In battle, the Baneblade would instantly consume the flesh and bones of the fallen, bolstering the seven Bloodwraith orbs and the myriad flickering blood-lights.

Once this power grew sufficiently strong, it would turn and ravage Yu Yuan without mercy.

The blade's seven former masters had all been devoured by it after exhausting themselves in bloody combat, the Baneblade growing ever more formidable before seizing the moment to consume its wielder.

"Take this."

A dark-brown heart tumbled out from beneath the Peacock Queen's outspread wings.

It soared directly into the Altar of Rebirth.

The heart burst like a dark sun, its thousands of black, blood-like rays honed and purified by the spinning Altar of Rebirth into a pure force.

A thick black fog wafted from the Altar, carrying with it a potent scent of blood.

"The heart of a ninth-level warrior from the Nightscale Tribe!"

Yu Yuan's expression shifted as he recognized the familiar essence emanating from the heart. "Peacock Queen, I'll remember this. I owe you a favor."

"Yu Yuan, a Frost Well has formed in the Everlands, originating from your fiancée's body..."

Chen Qinghuang's eyes snapped open, her understanding of the Ionodios situation seemingly clarified through the Deathwing Lair. "Many Shura from the Dark Realm have already used the well to step into Ionodios. I must ask you once more, are you certain you wish to return to Ionodios?"

"Lin Zhuyun!" Yu Yuan was taken aback, finally realizing the origin of the elusive "Frost Well." "Once I have fully healed, I will return to Ionodios. I refuse to believe that Boulderdawn can be so easily coerced by the Blood King!"

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