C1201 A Secret That Had Been Sealed

Nie Qingtian, a cultivator of the Moon Slayer technique, once cherished a deep love. During his battles in the extraterrestrial realms, he ascended to become a Solar Spirit. His beloved, a woman surnamed Jiang, was the ancestor of Jiang Xingwen from the Abyssal Dawn.

As a newly minted Solar Spirit, Jiang was expected to hone her skills in the extraterrestrial Star River, in accordance with Everlands tradition. She did venture forth, but tragically, she perished shortly after her departure. This event sowed the seeds of Nie Qingtian's eventual renunciation of the Everlands.

In the Land of Terror, Yu Yuan encountered Dhoreus, and it was through a series of clues provided by the sword spirit that he uncovered this hidden tale. Yu Yuan could scarcely have imagined that the enigmatic realm of Zekrica was actually crafted by Nie Qingtian, the Moon Slayer cultivator. Could it have been an attempt to resurrect his beloved?

"Explain everything!" Yu Yuan demanded.

"The Skyborn Empire was established by Nie Qingtian's family," the fiend, inhabiting the Starbeast, began to recount. "The name 'Skyborn' was chosen to wield his reputation as a deterrent to other empires across the Aetherius Continent, and to signal to the sects of Euwrea and the Land of Quiescence the connection between the Nie family and Nie Qingtian himself."

Yu Yuan listened with rapt attention as the fiend from the Land of Terror revealed that Nie Qingtian's lover was named Jiang Yuan'er. Following the catastrophic explosion of the Solar Spirit in the extraterrestrial, Jiang Yuan'er's real body, left behind in the Everlands, succumbed to madness. She failed to overcome her inner demon, resulting in the simultaneous destruction of her dominant soul and Lunar Spirit. Fortunately, a devoted servant of Nie Qingtian managed to preserve her residual soul mark with a Phantom Orb, preventing it from dissipating according to the cosmic order of the Everlands, and instead, integrating it into the subterranean Lunar Meridian and its source.

Upon receiving the devastating news, Nie Qingtian returned from the extraterrestrial with the Phantom Orb and took it to the Star River. Despite the Phantom Orb's containment of Jiang Yuan'er's residual soul mark, it lacked the power to fully reconstitute her spirit.

Legends say that only the Root of the Lunar Meridian in the Land of Terror possesses such power.

Yet Nie Qingtian, the most formidable weapon of the upper sects, was always in conflict with the Land of Terror. The land itself was nearly impenetrable, and the Root of the Lunar Meridian was even more elusive.

Nie Qingtian safeguarded the Phantom Orb on his person, awaiting the right moment.

Until...

Dhoreus, the Ghost King, could not come to terms with the fact that he would never ascend to the God of Ghosts realm within the Land of Terror. In his defiance, Dhoreus took the River of Souls into the Star River, seeking his chance and thus shattering the longstanding truce between the Everlands' five greatest powers and the Land of Terror.

Nie Qingtian was tasked with executing Dhoreus.

Having failed to achieve the God of Ghosts status and exiled from the Land of Terror, Dhoreus was inevitably doomed when Nie Qingtian located him in the extraterrestrial Star River.

Consequently, Dhoreus met his end.

From Dhoreus's body, Nie Qingtian extracted a Lunar Meridian that had been refined by Dhoreus himself.

He also learned of an arcane technique from Dhoreus, capable of nurturing the soul, allowing the residual soul and inner demons to coalesce within the Lunar Meridian.

The Lunar Meridian, hailing from the mysterious Root of the Lunar Meridian, harbored the profound mysteries of soul reincarnation.

However, to cultivate the Lunar Meridian, one needed a microcosm, as well as living beings to undergo the natural cycles of life and death above it. Thus, Nie Qingtian cleaved two continents to construct Zekrica, bringing mortals, lightning sables, Lunarphites, and a plethora of flora and fauna into this fabricated realm.

Through this endeavor, Nie Qingtian recreated a microcosm akin to the Everlands, fostering the evolution of mortals and the activity of Fellbeasts and insects.

In doing so, he harnessed the natural cycle of life and death to enrich the Lunar Meridian, enabling it to emanate its inherent vitality and wonders.

The residual soul and memories of Jiang Yuan'er, sealed within the Phantom Orb, were introduced into the Lunar Meridian, where she awaited the lengthy process of healing her residual soul and shattered soul marks over centuries, or perhaps even longer. Eventually, within the Lunar Meridian, her soul would be reforged anew.

The very essence of Zekrica's existence, encompassing the Upper and Lower Continents, mortals, Fellbeasts, herbs, and insects, was brought into being by Nie Qingtian. Yu Zhu's father, a fiend from the Rainbow Ocean who bore a grudge against the Thunderzenith Sect, was imprisoned and ultimately taken by Nie Qingtian, along with the land he inhabited. This fiend was initially the source from which Soul Power was drawn, the original Lunar Meridian.

Before the Lunar Meridian could function properly, it required a continuous drain of soul nutrients to sustain itself temporarily. Once Jiang Yuan'er truly reconstructed her true soul and assimilated the Lunar Meridian, she would obliterate the fiend, rapidly augmenting her own strength.

Had Nie Qingtian lived and Zekrica continued to operate as usual, Jiang Yuan'er might have one day returned to the light. Unfortunately, after Nie Qingtian's death, Zekrica was inexplicably transported from its original location in the Astral Domain to an Otherworld inhabited by the Starborn.

The eternal yellow sun that shone upon the Upper Continent was excessively scorching, proving unbearable for the Fellbeasts Nie Qingtian had placed on the opposite end. This unbearable heat drove creatures like the Lunarphite and the Lightning Sable to the Lower Continent in desperation.

The Lower Continent was once the realm of mortals. Mortals and Fellbeasts were kept apart by Nie Qingtian's sword force. However, with his demise, the sword force vanished, and the Fellbeasts, unable to withstand the yellow sun, invaded the Lower Continent, leading to the swift extinction of its mortal inhabitants.

Years later, Denise's father discovered Zekrica and set out to vanquish the more formidable Fellbeasts. Gradually, the world transformed into its current state: the mortals were no more, and most Fellbeasts were slain, leaving only a few newborns like the Lunarphite and the Lightning Sable, devoid of spiritual wisdom. Disoriented and confined by the cosmic energy wall, they were unable to breach the barrier, perpetuating their lineage within this forbidden area, generation after generation.

With the demise of the mortals, the Way of Heaven in Zekrica grew increasingly fragmented, making it ever more challenging to sustain the Lunar Meridian.

As the Starborn migrated and alien beasts took root, planting Otherworld herbs and abandoning Starbeasts, the original rules of Zekrica were increasingly shattered.

The Lunar Meridian, like a riverbed, dried up and withered due to the absence of new flow.

Yu Yuan took a long time to regain his composure after hearing the fiend's account. The wondrous existence of Zekrica and Nie Qingtian's aspirations filled him with both admiration and regret.

—What a shame he didn't succeed.

Upon reflection, he realized there must have been a profound reason for his first self to have journeyed to Zekrica.

Did he know that Nie Qingtian was the architect of this place?

What marvels could the Zekrica he crafted hold for me? What help could it offer, and what mission might I have?

In the Land of Terror, everyone thought they were dead, yet they managed to conceal a wisp of spirit in the River of Souls and resurrected there, unbeknownst to all. Was it because Nie Qingtian had been merciful?

Had Nie Qingtian already harbored thoughts of rebellion?

Because Dhoreus revealed the secrets of the Lunar Meridian, which could aid in Jiang Yuan'er's resurrection, did he turn a blind eye, allowing a spirit to linger in the River of Souls?

Otherwise, with Nie Qingtian's formidable power and fearsome combat prowess, how could a mere Ghost King like Dhoreus survive in the Extraterrestrial?

Yu Yuan's thoughts were a whirlwind of speculation.

After some time, he turned to the fiend and asked, "What about you and the Spider Queen?"

The eight-legged spider was revered as the Spider Queen in Shadow's Keep, and their acquaintance dated back three hundred years.

At that time, the Spider Queen had only just conceived her demonform.

Considering the age of Zekrica, it must be at least a millennium old. How did the fiend and the Spider Queen come to know each other, and how did Yu Zhu come into being?

"She visited here."

The one who had transformed the Starbeast into a demonform suddenly appeared melancholic. "Zekrica was not originally located in this Astral Domain, but in the desolate and uninhabited Annihilation Nebula."

"The Annihilation Nebula?" Yu Yuan was at a loss for words.

"Yes, because of the Annihilation Nebula..."

The fiend cautiously glanced at Chen Qinghuang, as if piecing together a revelation.

He deftly steered the conversation elsewhere. "The Annihilation Nebula, devoid of Otherkin battleships and experts, was overlooked by both the people and demons of the Everlands. As for her, after a fierce battle with the Otherkin that left her grievously wounded, she sought refuge in the Annihilation Nebula. It was there, by chance, that she came upon Zekrica and encountered me."

"I was trapped, unable to leave, and she was badly injured. I offered her assistance... and in doing so, she preserved the purest essence of her life within her body. Later, Nie Qingtian arrived. At that time, he had not yet severed ties with the Shadow's Keep or the Devil Palace, and since she was the Spider Queen, he ensured her safe departure."

"And here I remain. I long to leave, but Nie Qingtian forbids it! I've been confined for far too long, unable to escape."

"She once vowed to seek me out upon ascending to Dark Deity status, to rescue me from this torment. I've waited centuries, yet she never returned. Instead, I received news of her demise."

With that, the fiend fell into a somber silence, his head bowed in remembrance of bygone days. A profound sorrow emanated from him, slowly enveloping the entire forbidden area.

He never spoke of how love had blossomed between him and the Spider Queen, but her willingness to conceive a Dark Phoenix for him spoke volumes of the deep bond shared between these two extraordinary beings.

Now, having finally broken free from his subterranean prison, he was left to face the eternal absence of the Spider Queen.

Gazing skyward, the fiend contemplated the twinkling stars and the luminous moon. His intent to avenge solidified, intensifying with each passing moment.

He vowed that his life's purpose would be to spare no effort in ensuring the Dark Phoenix's anguish.

Yu Yuan, meanwhile, appeared dazed, struggling to grasp the reality before him, incredulous at the notion.

For a ninth-level archdemon like the Spider Queen to bear offspring was exceedingly rare, and the fiend before him was no ordinary creature. It seemed implausible that they could have produced Yu Zhu.

The Spider Queen must have employed an alternative method to significantly delay the release of the fiend's essence that was sealed within her.

Yu Zhu was the progeny of the Spider Queen and the fiend. It's likely that the Spider Queen was aware that she had been marked for death by the Shadow's Keep. Thus, before making another dash towards the Star River, she gave birth to Yu Zhu and entrusted her to herself.

Yu Yuan mulled over various speculations in his mind, choosing to remain silent as he quietly processed the information.

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