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Denise absolutely cannot die!

If she perishes, Docter within the Galaxy Ancient Starship and the concealed wonders deep within the castle will surely sense it, triggering the spread of earth-shattering news.

Her father would undoubtedly react with extreme fervor!

Even if Chen Qinghuang could manage to eliminate Denise's father and exterminate the foreign beings of the Epitaxial Realm, the secrets of the Starfield would be laid bare.

Chen Qinghuang embodies the Secular Bird, a malevolent entity known to disseminate death and destruction in the eyes of all beings from the outer domains.

It's only a matter of time before the Tenth Level masters of the first echelon, along with numerous Ninth Level Bloodline Warriors, swarm into the Starfield, determined to obliterate Chen Qinghuang.

And I, too, might be caught in the crossfire.

Yu Yuan could almost visualize the dire repercussions, which is why he immediately cautioned Chen Qinghuang against any impulsive actions.

As for minor figures like Melissa and Darke, their deaths would be inconsequential.

Denise could effortlessly concoct an excuse to cover it up, suggesting perhaps that Melissa and Darke recklessly hunted alien beasts in the forbidden lands and met their demise as a result.

Yu Yuan pondered in silence.

The pampered noblewoman of the Star Race, who fancied herself capable of manipulating all situations in the Epitaxial Realm, was utterly panic-stricken by his contemplation.

For a moment, Denise's mind was a jumbled mess, to the point where she even forgot her own identity.

The sight of Melissa and Darke collapsing lifelessly at the mere utterance of Chen Qinghuang's words profoundly shook her, sending a chill through her limbs and heart.

The circulation of her blood seemed to stall, evoking a terrifying sense of suffocation.

"Who are they? What bloodline rank does that woman possess? What mysteries of the bloodline has she unraveled?"

Questions darted through Denise's mind like piercing bolts of lightning.

Her once paralyzed, delicate body gradually regained sensation through Yu Yuan's persistent reassurances.

In time.

Denise, now regaining her composure, slumped down like a deflated balloon.

Yet, upon noticing the two bodies lying perilously close to her, she sprang up like a startled cat and swiftly distanced herself.

She appeared to dread the possibility of the deceased Darke and Melissa exuding a lethal contagion.

Shortly after, she caught Yu Yuan's gaze, his eyes alight with an amused smile.

Denise felt a chill run down her spine, her heart plummeting as she faced Yu Yuan, who now seemed to her like a demon emerging from purgatory. "What do you intend to do?" she exclaimed in terror.

With a single statement from Chen Qinghuang, Melissa, a Sixth Level Bloodline warrior, was dead. Her combat prowess was even more astonishing than that of her own father.

Denise was no fool. In an instant, she recognized that the odd and seemingly simple-minded Dark Elfkind girl before her possessed a terrifying strength!

Given Chen Qinghuang's capabilities, what about Yu Yuan, who had remained alert?

"I haven't wronged either of you, have I?" Denise slowly sank into a half-kneel, turning towards Yu Yuan and Chen Qinghuang with a resigned bow of her head, not daring to meet their eyes. "I've ventured beyond the Epitaxial Realm before. I've encountered exceptional individuals like Leo and heard tales of the mightiest across the Starfield. Whatever you wish to do in the Epitaxial Realm, I will comply willingly."

"All I ask is..."

"Please refrain from unnecessary slaughter. Don't let the beings of the Epitaxial Realm perish in a moment of your wrath. I implore you, I am ready to cooperate and follow your lead."

Denise reasoned that with Yu Yuan and Chen Qinghuang's comparable levels of combat strength, their alliance could spell disaster not just for her domain in the Epitaxial Realm, but potentially for all life within the Starfield.

Thus, she humbly conceded, hoping that as members of the Dark Elfkind and not fiends from the five supreme powers of the vast cosmos, they would not wreak havoc in response to her submissive posture.

Her display of humility left Yu Yuan at a loss for words.

Yu Yuan hadn't anticipated that the Star Race's young noblewoman would be so perceptive. Upon witnessing Chen Qinghuang's awakening and assessing her combat strength, Denise had cast aside her own dignified status as a ruler, even willing to kneel to demonstrate her compliance and earnestness to both Chen Qinghuang and himself.

"The Epitaxial Realm is blessed to have a ruler like you," Yu Yuan silently acknowledged, his esteem for the Star Race's noblewoman growing. "Don't bother trying to reach out to the Galaxy Ancient Starship or your father, because it will be futile. As I've said, we won't be staying in the Epitaxial Realm for long, nor will we interfere with your affairs."

At that moment, he slapped his forehead and let out a carefree laugh. "Leo and your esteemed sage, Beru, once invited me to visit the Star Race's domain. This time, I shall consider myself a guest among your people."

"You know Leo? And Lord Beru?" Denise's eyes sparkled with excitement, as if she had stumbled upon a new world. Previously, she would have doubted Yu Yuan's claim of knowing Leo and the revered Nine Stars Sage, Beru, and might have even reprimanded him for it.

But now things were different.

In Denise's mind, Yu Yuan and Chen Qinghuang were on par with Leo and Beru, perhaps even towering a half step above. When Yu Yuan mentioned his acquaintance with them, she readily accepted it.

"Not only do I know them, but we are also quite close," Yu Yuan said with a slight smile. "To put it simply, we've fought side by side as comrades. Out of respect for Beru, I have no intention of wreaking havoc in the Star Race's world or causing needless deaths among your people."

Denise regarded him with deep respect, quickly bowing in a more submissive manner. "Senior, may I inquire as to how I should address you?"

Changing one's appearance was a trivial task once a certain bloodline level was achieved.

She already considered Yu Yuan and Chen Qinghuang to be distinguished figures within the Dark Elfkind, hence their familiarity with Beru and their shared history of battling alongside one another.

"Hehe, some questions are better left unasked," Yu Yuan said with a light chuckle.

"Right, right, of course. My apologies for the indiscretion," Denise quickly acknowledged her mistake.

What followed was much simpler.

Yu Yuan produced three branches charged with natural lightning and cast them into the cave, summoning swirling vortices of lightning to discipline Yu Zhu's father.

"Senior, with your formidable power, you could easily eliminate him. Why go through such effort?" Denise wondered aloud.

Given Chen Qinghuang's demonstrated might, the Vast Ocean Mutated Demon lurking beneath the earth stood no chance unless it was a Demon God or a Primordial Spirit. Yu Yuan's choice to use the branches against the subterranean creature made Denise suspect it was a form of dark amusement for him, a deliberate act of torment.

"I might as well have some fun with him since there's nothing else to do," Yu Yuan remarked offhandedly.

Indeed...

Denise was convinced she had guessed correctly. Yu Yuan was simply toying with the Earth Demon below, deliberately tormenting it for his own purposes.

Thus, another day came and went.

At the bottom of the cave, Yu Zhu's biological father, barely clinging to life, pleaded weakly, "Please, please stop dropping the Heavenly Thunder Wood. A few more times and my demonic form will burst apart. I admit my mistakes and acknowledge your strength. Please, weaken me no further."

"Are we ready to have a proper conversation now?" Yu Yuan communicated secretly.

"Yes! Yes, we can talk properly now!"

The Earth Demon, having endured a succession of painful blows and realizing Yu Yuan's capability to terrify even his subterranean self into submission, finally acquiesced.

Previously, he hadn't seen Yu Yuan as a threat.

He had intentionally angered Yu Yuan, hoping that in his uncontrollable rage, Yu Yuan would barge in, playing right into his hands.

If that had happened, he would have gained full control over Yu Yuan's body, mind, and soul, ensuring Yu Yuan's compliance and learning all the secrets Yu Yuan held about Yu Zhu and the eight-legged spider.

Now he recognized his miscalculation.

Yu Yuan was not so easily duped. With the Heavenly Thunder Wood available in the Epitaxial Realm, Yu Yuan could obliterate him.

And that's exactly what Yu Yuan had done.

Unable to succeed through force, he had no choice but to soften his approach and look for another opportunity.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Four dazzling columns of light burst through the barrier of the Lower Continent, cascading down like a waterfall.

Within the columns, the silhouettes of four Yang Gods could be faintly discerned.

"Hao Yue, the Yang God of the Human Race!"

Denise's beautiful face turned pale in an instant at the forbidden cave site.

The sight of the Human Race's Yang Gods arriving so suddenly made the noblewoman feel as though she had seen demons emerge from the depths of hell, leaving her trembling and weak at the knees.

The Epitaxial Realm lacked formidable warriors, and Docter, the only Eighth Level Bloodline warrior, stood no chance against four Yang Gods from the Boundless Great World.

What should she do?

A wave of panic washed over her, but then she caught sight of Yu Yuan and Chen Qinghuang standing nearby. Their presence immediately bolstered Denise's courage and confidence. "Seniors?!"

She instinctively pinned her hopes on Yu Yuan and Chen Qinghuang.

"The people of the Boundless Great World have arrived!"

"Yang God warriors of the Human Race!"

"Oh no! The Epitaxial Realm is doomed, just like our previous domains, about to be ravaged by the Human Race!"

The Dark Elfkind, Mondnacht Clan, and Banshee Clan inhabitants of the Lower Continent noticed the arrival of four beams of light, and despair spread like wildfire through their villages. The end seemed nigh.

To these outsiders, nothing was more terrifying than the sudden appearance of the Human Race from the Boundless Great World and their formidable demons.

It likely signaled the demise of their small sanctuary.

Their original homes had been destroyed in similar invasions. They had barely settled in the Epitaxial Realm, and now, fate had cruelly thrown them into the path of the Human Race's might once again.

They screamed and prayed desperately.

Yu Yuan, fortified by the power of the Yin God and secluded in the forbidden area, could hear the lamentations of the Mondnacht Clan members from nearby villages.

A peculiar emotion stirred within him as he concentrated on the unfolding scene.

A smile then broke across his face, and he turned to the alarmed Denise, instructing her, "I grant you permission to send a message to Docter on the Galaxy Warship. Tell him there's no need for concern. Inform him that the four arrivals are actually guests invited by you."

"Guests?" Denise looked perplexed.

"Just do as I say!" Yu Yuan commanded firmly.

"Okay, okay."

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The thunderous whirlpools in the cave and those floating further away began to churn, seemingly drawn by some unseen force.

Squeak! Squeak!

Numerous Lightning Ferrets craned their necks expectantly towards the sky, gazing at the four columns of light.

Within two of these columns, Clouds Sect's Rong Xun and Xie Binn sensed the origin of the thunder and lightning, their spirits lifted. "It's over there!"

The four Yang God-level cultivators pinpointed the direction and swiftly made their way toward the forbidden area where Yu Yuan and Denise awaited.

"They're heading our way!"

Denise's anxiety intensified.

"Relax. With us here, you have nothing to fear," Yu Yuan assured her with unparalleled composure.

Narrowing his eyes, he observed the four beams of light altering their course toward them. He couldn't help but marvel at the serendipity of it all. How had Rong Xun and Xie Binn from the Little Clouds Sect stumbled upon this place?

…