C1182
Chen Qinghuang's blue-green eyes underwent a startling transformation upon hearing Mi Ting's account. A myriad of lights, runes from both humans and evilkind, along with mysterious dark spots, surged from the depths of her eyes, unveiling the infinite marvels of two vast and profound Star Rivers.
The hue of her eyes shifted continuously, with dazzling, interwoven lights emitting an aura that could shake one's spirit to the core.
Rip!
The very fabric of this desolate world seemed to be torn asunder. Hidden creatures, tiny in stature, perished in silence deep within the earth.
Chen Qinghuang, now wielding the might of a demigod, stood in the Otherworld as a figure akin to a deity in Zekrica. Her thoughts and the hidden, formidable waves within her could, in mere moments, reduce this realm to a desolate wasteland.
Confronted with the anomaly before her, Yu Yuan braced himself for the worst. Peering into the depths of Chen Qinghuang's eyes, he discerned that the Songbird Queen had not lost her memory.
Rather, her soul had sustained severe trauma, causing the orderly recollections of the Songbird Empire's Empress to become jumbled, her life's narrative thrown into disarray.
Her memories and life's journey, once like a gently flowing river from source to mouth, now faced turmoil. The lights, runes, and dark spots in her eyes, symbolizing her memories, experiences, and understanding of power, once flowed in an orderly fashion.
But chaos had turned the river treacherous. Without the linkage of past memories and experiences, the insights and awakenings that emerged were like rootless driftwood, unable to find their place.
In this moment, Chen Qinghuang's life memories, experiences, and insights into the cosmic order lay fragmented and disordered. Without reorganizing them in her mind, her thoughts were a tangled mess.
Attempting to forcibly recall a memory without connecting it to its related parts would only deepen her confusion, bring unbearable headaches, and potentially lead to a catastrophic loss of control over her powers due to the disarray of her soul.
The tales of humans, the archdemon, and the Everlands recounted by Mi Ting had stirred some of her profound memories. Yet, these memories remained jumbled and unclear, still awaiting her clarity and adjustment.
Crack!
The desolate landscape nearby, with its stunted mountains and barren trees, suddenly found itself ravaged by a sweep of psionic power.
Trees were reduced to shavings swirling in the air, rocks burst apart, and the desolate earth cracked into a long, deep spiderweb pattern.
The forces of destruction and death clashed with the hidden cosmic order of Zekrica, unleashing a wave of energy capable of extinguishing all life in the vicinity in the blink of an eye.
Indeed, aside from Yu Yuan and Mi Ting, not a single blade of grass remained within a hundred-mile radius, and every insect had perished.
"Shut up!"
Yu Yuan, his heart pounding with fear, snapped coldly.
Mi Ting, paralyzed with terror, began to tremble as she slowly backed away.
She sensed that something was terribly wrong.
Chen Qinghuang's eyes had undergone a strange transformation, causing Mi Ting's heart to race and her blood to feel oppressively thick, nearly choking her. She detected the extreme psionic powers of death and destruction shrouding the sky and earth.
In a flash, she envisioned the horrifying sight of all life forms and plants in Zekrica being eradicated.
The vision was so vivid, it felt as though it could become reality at any moment.
She realized that the architect of this fearsome Otherworld was none other than the Shadowkin girl from beyond their realm.
But when had the Shadowkin's lineage become so malevolently extreme?
Were all their kin from the outside world like this?
The more Mi Ting pondered, the more fear gripped her. She vowed to keep her mouth shut and to distance herself from Yu Yuan and Chen Qinghuang, resolving to avoid any future contact with them.
Puff! Puff!
Two deep lights burst forth from the depths of Chen Qinghuang's eyes, extinguishing the brightness in her eyes as if a lantern had been snuffed out.
Yu Yuan, with a somber expression, rushed over to support the Songbird Queen, who had fainted for the second time, and hoisted her onto his back.
"Please, leave us be!"
With those words, he swiftly departed without a moment's delay.
He feared that the anomaly would draw the attention of the Upper Continent's powerhouses, and that the Silverscale Tribe, Fire Lizard Tribe, and Stoneborn might alert the Starborn siblings.
Chen Qinghuang's actions had caused a tremendous uproar; not even Shadowkin of the seventh or eighth level could create such a desolate phenomenon across a hundred miles in an instant.
"Damn it, he's passed out again!"
Yu Yuan was clearly agitated.
...
Whoosh!
A sleek, dark green ancient warship adorned with dazzling starlight gracefully descended onto a rocky plateau of the Upper Continent.
Pellet from the Moonlit Wanderers, Darke of the Voidweavers, Guoli, and numerous other Shadowkin, enchantresses, and Otherkin were scattered excitedly around the Voidfarer. Some clutched their hands to their chests, others knelt, and some raised their hands high as they paid homage to the woman emerging at a leisurely pace.
Denise, holding up her blue gown, stepped off the Voidfarer and positioned herself at the center of the gathering.
"Greetings, Miss."
All the Otherkin present promptly bowed and offered their soft salutations.
Darke, a member of the Voidweavers, stepped forward eagerly, his eyes alight with fervor, and greeted the true ruler of the Lower Continent with a sycophantic grin.
Denise's expression remained cool as she spoke in a detached tone, "I haven't returned to Zekrica for some time, and my good-for-nothing brother has been away recently. According to our agreement, there should be no large-scale war between the Upper and Lower Continents for three years. So, tell me, what exactly has happened?"
She had been passing through Zekrica when she learned that the two continents, long at peace, were once again engulfed in conflict.
Initially reluctant to intervene, and even though her primary concern was the Lower Continent, the sight of many of its servants trapped on the Upper Continent and pursued by those loyal to her brother prompted her to change her plans. She commanded her personal Voidfarer to make port on the Upper Continent.
"This is what happened!"
Darke moved closer and recounted to Denise every detail he had uncovered or surmised.
"Pellet, you seem familiar to me. Tell me, is there any truth to Darke's words?" Denise, of the noble Starborn lineage, glanced at the elder of the Moonlit Wanderers within the crowd. "You were the first to encounter those two young Shadowkin, weren't you?"
Pellet nodded in affirmation. "Yes, they were quite young but possessed formidable combat abilities. I'm unable to ascertain their bloodline level. They are the ones who plundered the medicinal herbs of the Upper Continent, provoking the ire of the Silverscale Tribe's guardians."
"They really know how to stir up trouble for me," Denise muttered under her breath. "The youth of the Lower Continent usually don't stand out much. But now, two rabble-rousers have burst onto the scene, causing quite the commotion. I must admit, my curiosity is piqued. I think I'll stick around a bit longer and take a closer look at what's going on."
...
At the brink of the Upper Continent.
Yu Yuan stood on the edge of a cliff, gazing into the yellow expanse before him, where tiny sparks of light twinkled amidst the void. He sensed them and recognized them as stars.
The ever-present glow of the yellow sun obscured the stars, making them hard to discern.
He was aware that on the flip side of the world, where the Moonlit Wanderers, Shadowkin, and enchantresses resided, the starry sky would be far more resplendent.
The moon's light, unable to outshine everything, allowed the stars their chance to dazzle.
Setting down the Songbird Queen from his back, Yu Yuan observed her furrowed brow and closed eyes. After a moment of contemplation, he reached a decision.
Once Chen Qinghuang awoke, he would persuade her to call forth the Deathwing Lair.
The three lairs of the secular bird were interconnected; the "Deathwing Lair" lay within her, while the "Nest of Perdition" should have reached the Everlands by now.
If he could bring the Deathwing Lair back, he was prepared to risk it all to see if he could harness the Dragon Slaying Stage, using the Deathwing Lair to escape Zekrica and make the perilous journey back to the Everlands.
Suddenly, his expression grew grave.
A deep green Voidfarer, sprinkled with stardust, materialized in the void of Zekrica and began to drift nearby.
The instant he laid eyes on the Voidfarer, he knew it belonged to the rulers of Zekrica – one of the siblings had returned and was now searching for him.
"Could it be the sister or the brother?"
Yu Yuan's gaze turned icy as he watched over the slumbering Songbird Queen, his mind racing with strategies to extricate themselves from their predicament.
…
