C1164 The Escape

A red moon hung suspended in the dark and silent Star River, casting an eerie red glow.

The stars were sparse and dim, each one separated by vast distances, scattered across the Astral Domain.

The Songbird Queen's Divine Visage, with three heads and six arms, embraced the Dragon Slaying Stage, now magnified a millionfold. After shattering the wall of the Primal Blood Continent, she appeared like a streak of grey and white, instantly materializing in the cold and desolate reaches of the extraterrestrial.

Around the slender waist of her Divine Visage, the Deathwing Lair encircled like a wondrous belt. The psionic powers of Death, Destruction, and Rebirth within the lair flowed ceaselessly into the Divine Visage, making the Songbird Queen's mystical embodiment seem boundless, as if it filled the entire expanse of the Astral Domain.

The red moon above her head was no more than a hat to her.

Within her Divine Visage, three Cosmic Orders converged like eternal rivers, sustaining the enigmatic form and endowing her with the might to obliterate the heavens and the earth.

Millions of miles away, the stars, dim under the light of the red moon, trembled in despair as her Divine Visage made its sudden appearance in the Astral Domain.

The creatures of the Domain, subdued by the Blood Fiend and having chosen to align with them, sensed the breath of the apocalypse.

Countless individuals wept and knelt in prayer, calling out to the heavens, invoking the names of legendary deities.

Ferguson, Valentine, Felicio, Grec...

The so-called gods they cried out to were, in fact, the Demon Gods of the Blood Fiend's history, each having broken through to the tenth level.

The Otherkin, forever enslaved by the Blood Fiend, revered these Great Demon Gods born of their oppressors as True Gods, worshipping them for generations.

Now, those with keen spiritual senses, feeling the pervasive death aura, spread their pleas like a plague, seeking divine intervention.

Alas, the gods they yearned for had long been vanquished by the mightiest in the Everlands, erased from the annals of history.

"Chenchen?"

Tan Junshan looked up within the Deathwing Lair, his own power unrevealed, his Divine Visage unsummoned, appearing insignificant beside the Songbird Queen's majestic form.

His heart was still reeling, caught between elation and the relief of surviving a calamity. "Who exactly are you?"

"Her?"

Yu Yiyi and Yu Zhu remained steadfastly by Yu Yuan's side, their minds swirling with immense confusion.

The display of power from Chen Qinghuang was astoundingly shocking. Even Yu Yiyi, who was no stranger to extraordinary feats, couldn't decipher it. She was baffled by how Chen Qinghuang's strength had surged to such heights in mere moments.

She seemed almost equal to a Dark Deity!

"The rest is up to you. I've done all I can."

Chen Qinghuang's voice, surprisingly, emanated from the Deathwing Lair, not the towering Divine Visage that rivaled the sun and moon in grandeur.

Her voice carried a deep weariness and frailty.

Whoosh!

Her Divine Visage began to shrink rapidly, and within a few breaths, her enigmatic Divine Visage had vanished.

The breathtaking figure that captivated all living beings lay quietly in the center of the lair before Yu Yuan, surrounded by countless strands of psionic power, and began to sink slowly.

Her eyelids were so heavy that they seemed unable to open, and she closed them with a sense of helplessness.

The power of destruction, along with most of the psionic powers, were swiftly drained away from the Deathwing Lair through an enigmatic passageway.

Distant stars dimmed as the Otherkin, who had been praying, erupted in cheers and songs of praise for the True God.

For the terrifying presence that had brought death and destruction had vanished without a trace.

"When we were on the Primal Blood Continent, didn't Munch from the Blood Fiend clan mention that the secular bird was resurrecting through her?"

Yu Yiyi set aside the icicle she was holding and watched as it transformed into the Ice Goddess, Frost Queen. "Do you know whether what Munch said was true or false?"

"The secular bird..."

The Frost Queen, her teeth chattering as she spoke those words, gazed upon the Songbird Queen, who was gradually sinking and reverting to her human form, with eyes filled with both hatred and fear. "I'm not sure. But I did sense the purest forms of destruction and death earlier. I doubt Munch would speak falsehoods."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions shifted dramatically.

The legend of the secular bird was inextricably linked with destruction and death. This Death Bird, born from the primordial chaos, was the nightmare of all living beings.

The mere mention of her conjured images of a world where all life had ceased, and everything had withered away.

If the Death Bird truly sought to resurrect within Chen Qinghuang and manifest once more in the Infinite Galaxy, wouldn't the various clans that exhausted their strength to slay it a hundred thousand years ago be aghast?

Yu Yuan watched the Songbird Queen in silence, aware that her use of the Dragon Slaying Stage to shatter the Primal Blood Continent's wall must have depleted all her known and unknown powers. She was so weakened that she fell into a profound slumber.

"Stop speculating wildly," Yu Yuan chided with a frown, admonishing the cauldron spirit and Yu Yiyi. "Without her, we would have perished on the Primal Blood Continent. Regardless of whether the secular bird revives within her or not, we must ensure her survival."

"Master, you've misunderstood. My hope is that she won't be supplanted by the secular bird," Yu Yiyi clarified hastily.

"The Blood Fiend clansmen will not cease their pursuit," Tan Junshan stated with composed certainty. "Given the Great Demon God Grec's methods, he'll undoubtedly be aware of her current extreme vulnerability. It won't be long before the Blood Fiend's mightiest converge upon us."

Yu Yiyi gave a slight nod, adding, "We must make haste to depart this Astral Domain!"

"Let's set aside other concerns for now. Mr. Tan, as you're most acquainted with the extraterrestrial, I would appreciate your guidance," Yu Yuan requested respectfully.

With a mere thought, the Dragon Slaying Stage, previously expanded a millionfold, transformed into a slender, gray-white stone and settled into his palm. The Dragon Slaying Stage, in its full glory, was far too conspicuous, easily drawing the Blood Fiend's attention, necessitating its swift reduction to a normal state.

Turning back, he glanced at the blood-hued continent, gauging the distance.

"Chen Qinghuang's Divine Visage wielded the Dragon Slaying Stage's hidden psionic power. After breaching the Primal Blood Continent's wall, it propelled us even further," Tan Junshan mused, squinting as he attuned his senses. Shortly, he arrived at a conclusion, "The Primal Blood Continent remains a considerable distance from our current position. Assuming no surprises, the Blood Fiend Clan is likely already in pursuit and searching for signs of our presence."

Yu Yuan and his companions awaited his decision. Tan Junshan, having wandered the extraterrestrial Star River for years and lived among various Otherkin worlds, possessed extraordinary experiences and vast knowledge. Yu Yuan chose to trust him.

A visible blood-red light streaked toward them from the direction of the Primal Blood Continent. "It's coming," Tan Junshan said, his brow furrowed, unsurprised.

After a brief hesitation, he shared, "I know of a secluded Starway not too far from the Primal Blood Continent. It's rarely visited because the area is swarming with Star-Spawned Terrors, all fiercely loyal to the Demon God Grec. It's quite dangerous."

"Starway Crossing?" Yu Yiyi gasped, then pondered, "Could it be Kobran Crossing?"

"You're aware of it?" Tan Junshan asked, astonished.

"Kobran Crossing has been under the Ruby Hand's control since its inception. The three great upper sects, along with the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep, occasionally use it," Yu Yiyi explained, her concern evident. "If we head to Kobran Crossing, we might run into individuals from the five supreme powers."

"The Old Elephant is gone, the King of Wraiths is gone, and many from the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep remain. We... cannot disentangle ourselves from this."

She harbored deep animosity toward the five supreme forces of the Everlands, knowing that the previous master had been destroyed by the three great upper sects with the implied consent of the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep. Her ancient memories had awakened, revealing her past as part of Boulderdawn, intensifying her disdain for those factions.

Kobran Crossing, being under the Ruby Hand, was frequently used by the powers of Shadow's Keep and the Devil Palace. Venturing there seemed like a death wish.

"Let's follow Mr. Tan's lead," Yu Yuan declared.

No sooner had he spoken than the Deathwing Lair, where everyone was assembled, transformed into streams of gray light that converged and slowly vanished.

The Songbird Queen's acupoint disappeared, and the regal figure reemerged, suspended motionless in the void.

After a moment's thought, Yu Yuan released the Dragon Slaying Stage he was holding and supported the faint and exquisitely frail form of Chen Qinghuang. "Let's head to that Kobran Crossing!"

"Follow me."

Tan Junshan, standing atop a red moon, gestured invitingly, transporting the few who were trapped in the Deathwing Lair into his possession. "Stay sharp. This won't be easy. Now that we've been spotted, all the Otherkin in the Astral Domain allied with the Blood Fiend clan will try to block and attack us."

"Grec, Munch, and the other elders are rapidly approaching as well."

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