C1117 Who Wants to Borrow the Sword?

The Songbird Queen stood tall and unyielding within the Deathwing Lair, undaunted by Sabonis's fury and President Lyi's rebukes.

It seemed as though no entity within the vast expanse of the Star River could intimidate her or instill fear in her heart.

Neither the Blood King nor the formidable Demon God Grec could sway her resolve or alter her decisions.

She had returned the Dragon Slaying Stage to Yu Yuan, shattered the Frost Well, and severed the conduit to the Dark Realm with her might, reclaiming the Deathwing Lair as her own.

The Death Blossoms at the lair's edge thrived, their death force rippling outward.

The death force was dissolving the Absolute Darkness, slowly driving it away.

The Songbird Queen's Divine Visage, with three heads and six arms, hovered motionless above the lair.

The energies of death, destruction, and rebirth intertwined around the three aspects of her Divine Visage, leaving even Sabonis, President Lyi, Jun Chen, and the Great Demon God Grec deeply affected.

The Songbird Queen, who had refined and become one with the Deathwing Lair, exuded an aura that demanded respect.

They all sensed that if Chen Qinghuang deemed the situation dire, she could vanish from Ionodios and the Annihilation Nebula in an instant, reappearing within the Nest of Perdition that soared through the Star River.

No one, no force, could prevent her departure.

The barriers of Ionodios posed little challenge to her at this moment.

"You've attained such profound understanding of the three sacred ways left by the secular bird," Sabonis remarked, his Golden Body standing on his chariot, level with Chen Qinghuang's visage of death.

The Blood King, observing the darkness from the Dark Realm being consumed by the death force, grew increasingly agitated.

He was acutely aware that Chen Qinghuang had obliterated the passage linking the Dark Realm and Ionodios.

Her actions had left the Shura army, previously poised for both offense and defense, without a retreat, cutting off the influx of ice energy from the Dark Realm that he had counted on to engulf this world and effortlessly vanquish all adversaries.

If the ice energy of the Dark Realm were to engulf the entirety of Ionodios, even the God-King's descent would not be a cause for fear.

Currently...

Sabonis's brow furrowed slightly as he began to reassess the new strategic landscape, his golden eyes sparking with interwoven currents of electricity.

"Chen Qinghuang, you've sabotaged my grand scheme!"

President Lyi, seated upon the Golden Throne, scowled darkly, holding her accountable.

With the corridor between the Dark Realm and Ionodios shattered, the Titanblade, lost in the Absolute Darkness, could no longer be summoned back through the corridor by Yu Yuan, relying instead on the power of the Dragon Slaying Stage, the Soulforge Pool, and the Crucible of Evil.

Thus, a scheme of the Chamber of Commerce and Boulderdawn had been thwarted.

The Titanblade, ensconced in the enigmatic Dark Realm, was under the constant vigilance of the Blood King, Sabonis. Who could possibly extract the Titanblade from the Dark Realm under Sabonis's watchful eye?

Even Nie Qingtian likely lacked such strength in his day!

It took great effort to coax the Blood King away from the Dark Realm. After meticulous preparation, they allowed the sword spirit to enter the Dark Realm, using numerous intricate methods to guide the Titanblade, enabling its return. Who could have anticipated Chen Qinghuang's interference, upsetting the plans of Boulderdawn and the Chamber of Commerce?

"Not everything has been ruined."

The Songbird Queen faced the Golden Throne and spoke with a detached tone, "Consider this: the Blood King cannot return to the Dark Realm for some time. Meanwhile, the sword spirit has merged with the Divine Sword. Endowed with intelligence and sentience, the sword can free itself from the Dark Realm during the Blood King's absence."

"The Titanblade will ultimately breach the Dark Realm's barrier and re-enter the extraterrestrial Star River."

As she spoke, her gaze, from behind the beaded curtain, seemed to drift towards Yu Yuan and the sword sheath he held.

"The sword spirit recognizes Yu Yuan and can sense the sheath's presence. Once the Divine Sword departs the Dark Realm, it will embark on an extensive journey through the Star River, eventually finding its way to Yu Yuan."

"In that moment, Yu Yuan may truly possess the might to wield this Divine Sword."

"It won't be like the present."

Upon her declaration, President Lyi and Ghost King Tian Zang's expressions turned slightly awkward.

"You?"

Tian Zang licked the corner of his mouth and gazed intently at the Songbird Queen, as if he wanted to speak but held back.

"I'm aware that someone desires to borrow the sword," Chen Qinghuang's voice echoed softly, "They wish to wield the Divine Sword to slaughter widely and quell the turmoil. Yet, that individual is neither the rightful owner nor the heir of the Divine Sword."

She scoffed and continued, "Should the sword return and first fall into Yu Yuan's hands, I might refrain from interfering. Alas, Yu Yuan has not yet advanced to the Unbound Realm and lacks the strength to fully master the blade."

"So..."

Turning to Yu Yuan, she added, "Let's wait a bit longer. After all, it is destined to be yours. Once it breaks free from the Dark Realm's seal, it may take some time to locate you. But that's preferable to you venturing into the Dark Realm to retrieve the sword yourself. No matter your level, the moment you set foot in the Dark Realm, Sabonis will sense your presence and instantly annihilate you."

With that, she brandished the aspect of death and addressed Sabonis, "Right?"

The Blood King remained noncommittal.

"Someone wishes to borrow the sword..."

As she concluded, Yu Yuan sensed a stirring within. Who could possibly harness the Divine Sword and bring an end to this cataclysmic upheaval?

"Abyssal Leviathan, how much longer will you watch?"

Out of nowhere, the Demon God Grec sneered at the extraterrestrial space, "If you refuse to enter, don't blame me for being merciless and crushing your two pawns."

At his words, Lin Zhuyun, battered and enveloped by darkness, felt a surge of cold dread.

In the Soulforge Pool, Yu Yuan clutched the sword sheath in one hand and the Dragon Slaying Stage in the other. Yet, the Altar of Rebirth within his little world was spinning wildly out of his control due to Grec's influence, making him feel as though his realm of vitality was on the brink of collapse.

His chest flesh bore numerous fine lacerations, a result of his overflowing, turbulent vitality.

Tian Zang, Hei Xun, and the Stormcrowned Emperor, along with the Sky Fiend Indigo Wraith, were powerless to assist. They were at a loss for how to alleviate the strange condition within his body.

With a whoosh, Lin Zhuyun, enshrouded in a bloody mist, slowly levitated into view amidst the darkness. This woman, entangled in a web of deep-seated grudges with Yu Yuan, was in dire straits. The extent of her injuries was unclear, with countless bones fractured and tendons torn. She was barely clinging to life, as though she might perish at any moment.

"It's better they die than I," came a raspy, deep voice from the Star River beyond our realm. It unmistakably belonged to the Abyssal Leviathan, and it resonated clearly for all within to hear.

"I've never encountered a cosmic giant beast as cowardly as you," the Blood King retorted with a cold snort.

"That's precisely why I'm still alive. What about the Titan Spinosaurus, older and mightier than I? Did it not perish long ago, beaten and bruised by its own kind, dying silently?"

"The Voidweaver thought herself unkillable, believing her ability to traverse the void made her invincible. And yet, what became of her?"

"The secular bird boasted of eternal rebirth. Where is she now?"

"Has not the Abyssal Winged Lizard survived to this day by fleeing to the loneliest corners of the Extraterrestrial Star River, where it has lived undisturbed for eons?"

Sarcasm dripped from the hoarse voice of the Abyssal Leviathan.

"Though I've been confined within the Everlands for many years, I've always lived, right at the heart of the Central World. Before you two brutes, I've encountered no less than a dozen Blood Kings and at least seven or eight patriarchs of the Blood Fiend clan. My rapport with some of them was quite favorable, far stronger than any bond I might share with you."

"And what of it?" came the retort.

"Your predecessors, too, ascended to the tenth level of bloodline, only to meet their demise."

"It is only I, only I who remains!"

The voice of the Abyssal Leviathan grew deeper, more ethereal, as if it were receding from Ionodios.

The peak Unbound Realm experts sensed the cosmic giant beast deliberately increasing the distance from Ionodios, as if fearing something.

Outside the realm, the Abyssal Leviathan indeed moved further away from Ionodios. It had also abandoned any intention of engulfing Ionodios in its original cosmic giant beast form. Instead, it rapidly contracted, assuming the guise of a gaunt old man, and vanished from the extraterrestrial star river, reappearing on the meteorite land where the Ghoul King resided.

"Master!"

The Ghoul King stood respectfully behind him, his eyes brimming with genuine reverence.

The Abyssal Leviathan squinted, his brow furrowed, and he let out a deep sigh. "I knew this would happen," he said.

"What?" exclaimed the Ghoul King in astonishment.

"Take another look at the wall," instructed the Abyssal Leviathan.

Focusing his remnant soul and pure Yin spiritual energy into his gaze, the Ghoul King peered intently. He inhaled sharply, his expression turning as bitter as that of the Abyssal Leviathan.

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