C1179 The Void

A group of about ten otherkin from the Lower Continent gradually emerged from the forest behind them. Pellet, the eldest of the Moonlit Wanderers, was in a sorry state, his clothes tattered and resembling a beggar's, with blood steadily dripping from a wound on his back. He had suffered a severe injury at the hands of the Silverscale Tribe's warriors, and his wounds were still untreated.

The strikingly handsome Voidweaver used his blood magic to skillfully mask everyone's scent and the bloodstains on the ground.

"Why do we have such terrible luck?" lamented the endearing Guoli, looking back with a heavy heart. "Sister Mi Ting got separated from us. I'm worried she might be captured."

"She's quite clever; she'll likely be alright," Darke, a member of the Voidweaver Tribe, reassured her, though he too felt the weight of their situation. "We from the Lower Continent must stick together as much as possible, or our predicament will only worsen." They continued their conversation as they moved on.

Before long, they spotted a small, lushly vegetated hill ahead. Under the dim, yellow sky, the modest hill was covered with dense vines and concealed several deep caves within the trees.

"Grandpa Pellet, we need to tend to your injuries right away," Darke urged, eyeing the cave openings thoughtfully. "Mi Ting has drawn the pursuers away, so we should be safe for now."

He gestured towards the cave entrance on the verdant hill, suggesting, "Let's find a cave to rest and recuperate. If we can avoid detection by any other pursuers, we'll be in good shape."

Pellet managed a wry smile. "Our luck is indeed quite dreadful."

This wasn't his first visit to the Upper Continent. Previously, he only had to contend with alien beasts, and even occasional encounters with the inhabitants of the Upper Continent—the Silverscale Tribe, the Stoneborn, and the Fire Lizard Tribe—rarely led to such fierce conflicts.

He had always stayed out of the way during any serious conflicts between the Upper and Lower Continents. This time, Pellet had made sure there was no imminent war before leading his people to the Upper Continent in search of rare medicinal herbs and minerals scarcely found on the Lower Continent.

Who could have predicted stumbling upon such trouble?

"Grandfather, we should take a moment to rest first!" Guoli suggested.

"Let's head for that cave entrance," Darke called out.

Whoosh!

All of a sudden, a figure burst out from the cave, carrying another person on his back. He swiftly exited one of the cave mouths and disappeared into the distance.

The group was startled and tension immediately set in.

"It's two of the Shadowkin!"

"They must have been pursued by forces from the Upper Continent and sought refuge in the caves!"

"Hey! Shadowkin kid, stop running! You're in danger out here. Hunters from the Fire Lizard Tribe are nearby!"

Guoli, Pellet, and several Moonlit Wanderers raised their voices in warning.

Yu Yuan ignored them and sped away.

Baffled by the situation, the group decided not to get involved. After Yu Yuan's departure, they approached the caves, snapped vines and branches, and camouflaged the entrances.

"Grandpa, Darke, come see the cave he used!"

A Moonlit Wanderer, armed with a finely crafted bow, let out a sharp cry, drawing Pellet, Darke, and Guoli to his side.

He gestured to the charred grass and the deep red, heart-shaped leaves on the ground, "This is the Sunfire Bloom! The Fire Lizard Clan, under orders from the Upper Continent's ruler, deliberately cultivated it!"

"Sunfire Bloom!" Guoli gasped, her hand over her mouth.

Pellet's face grew stern. Despite severe back pain, he conducted a thorough inspection of the cave, finding more burnt stems of the Sunfire Bloom.

"It must have been his doing," Pellet concluded with a sigh.

"The scoundrel!"

Darke slammed his fist against the stone wall, causing it to shimmer with golden light. He fumed, "Because of his thoughtless actions, how many from the Lower Continent have suffered needlessly? Some barely made it out, only to be captured and imprisoned by the Upper Continent's enforcers. Those who resisted met immediate death!"

"Three of our tribe have died," Guoli said through gritted teeth. "All because of him!"

They were all refugees from the Lower Continent, led by the Moonlit Wanderers, and accompanied by members of the Voidweaver and enchantress communities. They were filled with righteous indignation, cursing Yu Yuan for his reckless behavior that brought calamity upon them all.

"Grandpa Pellet, from which village does that Shadowkin youngster hail?" Darke asked, his face clouded with concern. "I need to uncover his origins and reveal the true facts to those enraged folks on the Upper Continent!"

"I'm not sure myself," Pellet replied with a wry smile.

...

Yu Yuan, preferring solitude over the company of many, carried Chen Qinghuang on his back and drifted away.

Upon ingesting a bottle of Essence Brew, his Soul Power rapidly condensed. For a brief moment, he was able to slightly activate his Lunar Spirit to sense the movements of nearby souls.

Naturally, this could only last for a short time.

As the Altar of Rebirth detected the resurgence of his Soul Power and began to draw from it, it wouldn't be long before he was reduced to his former state.

Yet, even in that brief interval, he could accomplish much and preemptively evade peril.

He detected and skillfully avoided the three search teams from the Fire Lizard Tribe during that fleeting moment.

Venturing into another dense forest, he furrowed his brow in hesitation.

He surmised that there must be other medicinal herb gardens in the woods and marshes bordering the lands of the Silverscale, Stoneborn, and Fire Lizard Tribes.

But those areas had become treacherous, frequented by various Otherkin teams.

An encounter would inevitably lead to a vicious fight, making concealment nearly impossible for him.

Retreating from the herb-rich regions into the truly barren areas would be far safer.

However, this would also make it challenging for him to gather more medicinal herbs needed to concoct Essence Brew, leaving him torn between choices.

Suddenly, his expression turned vacant.

From the pouch at his side, a previously refined bottle of Essence Brew had vanished. Chen Qinghuang, who had been lying unconscious on him, clutched the empty bottle, a faint green liquid trickling from the corner of her mouth.

After a long moment of shock, Yu Yuan exclaimed with joy, "You're awake?"

"Who are you? And who am I?"

Chen Qinghuang climbed down from his back with reluctance, her emerald eyes sparkling like jewels.

She examined Yu Yuan curiously, then turned her gaze to her own hands, touching her earlobes and cheeks as if rediscovering herself, her face awash with bewilderment.

Yu Yuan was taken aback, his eyes brimming with an uncanny light.

Before him stood Chen Qinghuang, who, to his keen observation, was unmistakably a member of the Shadowkin!

Her demeanor, the pulse of her blood magic, her appearance, every minute detail had been transformed.

The traits of humanity had vanished without a trace.

Yu Yuan got the impression that he could only assume the flawless form of a Shadowkin, like Chen Qinghuang, after the Altar of Rebirth evolved into the Solar Spirit and the heaven soul was fully absorbed.

But why was this happening?

Wasn't the awakened Chen Qinghuang supposed to embody the forces of death, destruction, and rebirth, ascending directly into the ranks of the highest deities?

Why then did she appear as a newborn, a blank slate?

"You are Chen Qinghuang, the creator of the Songbird Empire, the First Female Emperor of All Ages in the Everlands."

Yu Yuan recounted her legacy, hoping to spark her latent memories or awaken her temporarily sealed consciousness and sense of self.

"Oh, I am Chen Qinghuang. I understand," she said, nodding earnestly.

​