C1199 The Divine Sword's Trajectory!
In a secluded expanse of the vast Star River, three silver Voidfarers shaped like clamshells were docked in the dark, icy cosmos, motionless.
Aboard one of the warships, several Shura warriors with eighth-level bloodlines were using instruments to scan the vicinity while conversing in hushed tones. "The Patriarch believes the Divine Sword's trajectory might be found here," one whispered. "This is just one of the potential locations for the Divine Sword's appearance," another added.
The warriors sighed, their voices low. "The Patriarch was double-crossed by the Skyreach Consortium and Boulderdawn, leaving him gravely wounded. He couldn't pinpoint the Divine Sword's movements precisely. Moreover, he feared that they might also discover its path and stealthily approach."
Time passed unmeasured until a chaotic cluster of asteroids emerged from afar. Though not as swift as the Voidfarers, their approach was steady. The asteroids, dull and varying in size, resembled a school of fish.
As the asteroids neared, the Shura clanspeople looked on with astonishment, employing their souls and vitality to sense the surroundings and bringing out numerous detection devices. "Nothing out of the ordinary," remarked a particularly robust Shura warrior, quickly diverting his attention to a radiant section of stars. "To whom does that territory belong?"
"That's General Gheirat's domain, Leo's most devoted general," someone explained. "Gheirat is a formidable fighter with a ninth-level bloodline. He used to have a close friendship with our Fernand. Such a shame."
"Hold on! There's a presence of sword's will!" The Shura experts suddenly cried out in alarm.
In an instant, the nearby asteroid cluster unleashed streams of crimson sword light. The relentless sword's will poured down like a tempest, slaughtering all the Shura aboard the three Voidfarers. The wreckage of the warships soon littered the frigid vacuum.
The asteroid cluster, after a brief adjustment, set its course for Gheirat's Astral Domain.
...
In the Chaotic Stars Realm, Gheirat, clad in heavy armor, displayed a face as stern as chiseled stone. Grasping a glaive embedded in the rocky earth, he knelt on one knee, watching Beru and Leo emerge from a Voidfarer and descend onto the plaza before the towering hall.
"Gheirat, my respects to Sir Leo and Elder Beru."
The Starborn general, weighed down by grief over his son's death, found it hard to muster any joy.
Around the grand plaza, all the Starborn nobility knelt, their greetings for Leo and Beru swelling like a tidal wave of cheers.
Beru was the wisest and oldest elder among the Starborn.
The current chieftain of the Starborn was said to have risen to power with Beru's endorsement and was even considered a protégé of his, having been taught the intricacies of bloodline mysteries by Beru himself.
Now, Leo, naturally endowed with the Altar of Rebirth, was under Beru's tutelage after the elder had resolved his own longevity issues.
Beru's standing within the Starborn was unparalleled, commanding the utmost respect from all.
"General Gheirat, I deeply regret it. Schwarz and I went into Ionodios together, and I failed to protect him," Leo said, crestfallen. "The chaos was overwhelming. Death was all around, and I was struggling to survive myself."
"Gheirat, you can't blame Leo for this. Many of our clan's youth perished in Ionodios," Beru sighed heavily, a sorrowful note in his voice. "You must have heard, even Kennard, one of the Children of the Forest, didn't make it. And many others, both young and old, whom you knew well, didn't escape either."
"I understand. It was just so abrupt, I'm still struggling to come to terms with it," Gheirat replied somberly.
"At least you have a daughter who makes you proud," Beru remarked, scanning the crowd. "Her name is Denise, isn't it? Where is she?"
"She's in Zekrica. She wasn't aware of your visit, so she hasn't returned," Gheirat explained.
"Oh, that's alright, no worries," Beru responded with a gentle nod, then shifted the conversation. "Zekrica? It's been ages since I've been to this part of the Star River. When did Zekrica come into being? Is it a rechristened realm?"
While speaking, Beru pulled a small booklet from his robe, turned to a specific page, and peered down at it intently.
"If I'm not mistaken, there was no Zekrica before."
He looked at Gheirat with a puzzled gaze, seeking an answer from his expression and demeanor.
"Well..."
Gheirat hemmed and hawed, taking a long time to respond.
Leo and Beru's curiosity intensified due to his odd behavior.
...
Zekrica.
Watching Chen Qinghuang drop a cryptic comment and then descend into the abyss, Yu Yuan was left utterly baffled.
Denise was equally stunned. "What's going on?"
"Uh, let's just wait here for a bit."
Yu Yuan attempted to reach out to the fiend using his Lunar Spirit, but he couldn't make contact or sense its movements.
"Is he going to die?"
Having witnessed Chen Qinghuang's formidable strength, Denise doubted that the imprisoned fiend stood a chance against her and began to worry for the fiend.
"Probably not."
Yu Yuan himself wasn't sure, but he brushed it off with a vague answer and then diverted Denise's attention, "Could you gather some medicinal herbs for me from this forbidden area? I need them."
"Okay," Denise said, sounding unsure. "Aren't you worried I might escape?"
Shaking his head, Yu Yuan replied, "You bear goodwill towards the people of Zekrica and wouldn't want to see them harmed. Just remember, if you cooperate with me, I'll ensure your safety and that of Zekrica. I have a good rapport with Leo and Beru—I'm not deceiving you."
"Alright then." Denise walked away, still somewhat skeptical.
She realized that Yu Yuan was deliberately giving her a reason to stay away from the area.
Resigned, she complied.
Once she was out of sight, Yu Yuan sat down in silence. With a focused thought, the Lunar Spirit from his Mindscape swiftly entered the acupoint in his chest where the Dragon Slaying Stage was securely placed.
Having left the Dark Star, his soul had suffered severe damage. Each time he refined a strand of Soul Power, it was stripped away by the Altar of Rebirth, preventing him from properly examining the changes within the Dragon Slaying Stage.
Now that his Lunar Spirit was restored and the situation in Zekrica was becoming more complex, he decided it was time to prepare.
Inside the Dragon Slaying Stage, within the little world of the Chronowyrm, the Titan Spinosaurus began to form a purple and gold eggshell.
The new eggshell appeared much more delicate and fragile, shimmering with a brilliant spectrum of rainbow hues.
Inside, the young Titan Spinosaurus, which had already shaped its dragon form, was inhaling and absorbing the swirling psionic power, growing at an astonishing rate.
Many of the dragon carcasses at the eighth and ninth levels had vanished.
Even the carcass of the tenth-level Chronowyrm, a Dragon God, had diminished in size as the young Titan Spinosaurus consumed portions of its dragon's breath and draconic power.
A thought suddenly struck Yu Yuan.
This fledgling creature would consume all the dragon remains on the Dragon Slaying Stage for its own development.
It was possible that before the Titan Spinosaurus could fully materialize, it would have already devoured the corpses of the fallen giant dragons, thereby diminishing the might of the Dragon Slaying Stage.
The ferocity of the Dragon Slaying Stage was not only due to its divine composition but also because it was the resting place of numerous dragon remains.
"Could this be nurturing a threat? Could it be a loss beyond recovery, creating an entity more terrifying than the secular bird?"