C1202 Darkly Investigate the Lunar Meridian!
The world was engulfed in a haze of smoke and charred earth, a scene reminiscent of the apocalypse. The sky's wall had been breached by a sharp blade, the tear widening as a torrent of chaotic psionic power cascaded down like a waterfall.
Starborn tribespeople wailed and screamed, overwhelmed by the murky currents and the congestion in their bloodlines, until their cries eventually faded into silence. A once-common Starborn warship lay in ruins, shattered into a heap of wreckage.
Within the towering black stone palace, a Starbeast, once used for sending messages, had its massive head split open, its luminous eyes now just scattered shards of crystal.
Atop the plaza's elevated platform stood Xu Jingyao, his braid exuding a rebellious air, adorned with the striking Cosmos Ring. He felt the Flame Spear's restlessness and longing, squinting at the increasingly vivid yellow sun, made clearer by the rift in the wall, and grinned, "That sun is just what I need to forge my Solar Spirit Body."
Lu Rui, Huang Baiqi, and Wan Jing—the stern-faced woman from Winter's Bite—along with other cultivators from the Sunlit Order, Thunder Sect, Winter's Bite, and Ethereal Void Sect, scattered in various directions, all showed him due reverence.
Having just stepped into the realm of the Solar Spirit, Xu Jingyao had already won the Flame Spear's favor, becoming the Divine Artifact's latest master. Unlike Cao Jiaze, he was a true prodigy, a cultivator born and bred on the soil of Euwrea.
His parents were both formidable figures within the Sunlit Order. From birth, he was spotted by the sect master and taken as a hand-chosen disciple, his progress swift and his breakthroughs lightning-fast.
Much younger than Cao Jiaze, he had already cultivated his Solar Spirit, earning his passage to the extraterrestrial realms. His standing within the Sunlit Order far surpassed that of Tang Cen, marking him as the foremost of the new generation.
While Yu Yuan made a name for himself in the Everlands, battling across the north and south, honing his skills, Xu Jingyao was in seclusion, refining his Solar Spirit. Now, having successfully purified it, he was ready to follow the traditions of the Everlands and seek out trials beyond the stars.
Following Lee Tianxin's passing, the unclaimed Flame Spear, possessing an artifact soul, autonomously selected its new master.
Without any surprise, the Flame Spear chose Xu Jingyao, willingly allowing itself to be refined by him. Together, they would return to the extraterrestrial realm to restore the glory of both the Sunlit Order and the Divine Artifact.
The Flame Spear had shattered the wall of this little world. A rain of fire fell, and most of the Starborn warriors who caught Xu Jingyao's eye were incinerated.
With no Voidfarer to escape on and infused with psionic power, the Starborn with inferior bloodline levels had no choice but to confront their doom.
They would either perish or succumb to corruption, mutating into fiends.
There was no third option.
"Little Master, Rong Xun, Xie Bin, and others are in this Astral Domain," Lu Rui reported with a bow, his head lowered. "We pursued them for a time and wounded them, but they slipped away."
Huang Baiqi of Thunder Sect and Wan Jing of Winter's Bite Sect displayed looks of embarrassment.
Xu Jingyao's gaze shifted from the yellow sun, and after a moment's contemplation, he inquired, "Can you sense their approximate location?"
Huang Baiqi nodded affirmatively, "I can."
"Obsidian Thunder Sect and Starmoon Sect, having sided with Boulderdawn Sect, are now our adversaries," Xu Jingyao stated with a hint of regret. "It's a pity about Liu Ying. I've always been fond of her, yet now I'm compelled to eliminate her, along with those in the Starmoon Sect who would inevitably heed her command."
"I've heard that she's on the verge of breaking through the Everlands," Wan Jing of Winter's Bite Sect murmured softly.
"Yes, she from the Starmoon Sect, Chen Qingyan from the Sword Sect, and a few others blessed by the heavens have found favor amidst the turmoil of the Everlands," Xu Jingyao scoffed. "The old guard is gone, allowing the new generation to advance more swiftly, which is quite fitting."
"Little Master, the ruler of this Star Domain is General Gheirat of the Starborn, who boasts a ninth-level bloodline and pledges allegiance to Leo," Lu Rui cautioned earnestly. "Besides him, there are at least two other Starborn Mighty of ninth-level bloodline, either present in this Astral Domain or in the Dark Star Domain."
The Kylin of Shadow's Keep had made a personal appearance, and with the Devil Palace rallying in response, cultivators from the Ruby Hand, Skyblight Cult, and Poison Cult of the Land of Quiescence, as well as disciples from the Sword Sect and Ebon Star, all set out for the Astral Domain. This turned the Dark Star Domain, dominated by the Blood Fiend, into the most fearsome battleground in the cosmos.
Knowing that the Astral Domain had drawn the gaze of all these powers, the Sunlit Order strictly prohibited Xu Jingyao, who had only recently taken up the Flame Spear and refined his Solar Spirit, from venturing into the Dark Star Domain. This was a precaution taken for his safety.
This restriction inadvertently led Xu Jingyao to the Astral Domain of Gheirat. "With the Flame Spear in my grasp, even the vaunted Gheirat of the Starborn can't defeat me," Xu Jingyao declared with unbridled arrogance, addressing the cultivators from various sects. "Rest assured, this Astral Domain is so secluded that it's impossible for the Starborn's mightiest warriors to appear out of thin air."
"That makes sense."
"Indeed, there's no need for concern."
"Let's search for Rong Xun and the others!"
...
In Zekrica, after a thorough inquiry with the fiend, Yu Yuan, who harbored deep-seated secrets, spent considerable time assimilating and gradually unraveling the origins of this realm.
He came to the realization that his presence in Zekrica was laden with significance.
"In Zekrica, you may hunt poisonous insects and gather toxic herbs to bolster your strength. But remember, without my express permission, you are not to leave stealthily. And be cautious—keep your distance from those two from the Obsidian Thunder Sect," Yu Yuan instructed, dismissing the fiend with a flick of his hand.
"Understood!"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Streams of dark green, deep brown, and dark cyan poisonous liquid burst forth from the refined Starbeast, swirling through the air before drifting off. Seven venomous rivulets, each infused with the fiend's Soul Power, emerged.
Yu Yuan was initially taken aback, but he quickly realized that the Starbeast's body must have been expressly prepared for the thunder vortex. Fearing that it would be struck down by the thunder vortex upon leaving the cave, the fiend had selected the skeleton of a formidable Starbeast and clandestinely tempered it.
To prepare for the day when the thunder vortex would strike, it was necessary to have a defense that could withstand its force for as long as possible.
However, with the thunder vortex now dissipated and both Rong Xun and Xie Bin absent, the demonform that the Starbeast had assumed turned into a cumbersome burden.
By abandoning this form, his agility increased dramatically. He became swift as lightning, able to hunt poisonous insects and various toxic spiritual herbs with utmost efficiency, rapidly amassing strength.
Before long, the faint buzzing of the insects ceased to reach Yu Yuan's ears.
Using his Lunar Spirit to sense his surroundings, he discovered that the fiend had devoured all the naturally poisonous insects within the forbidden area.
The fiend, transformed into seven streams of venom, stealthily bypassed Rong Xun and Xie Bin, making its way to other regions of the Lower Continent.
"Out of consideration for your blood connection with Yu Zhu, I'll spare you this time," he muttered, frowning slightly before turning his gaze to Chen Qinghuang. The First Female Emperor of All Ages from the Everlands had eyes of a serene green, pure and unblemished.
The Songbird Queen's soul, vitality, and spiritual energy were all expertly concealed.
Yu Yuan, having just replenished his Soul Power, could not detect any extraordinary force emanating from her, nor could he discern her current state.
"I'm fine," Chen Qinghuang stated coolly, as though she could read Yu Yuan's thoughts.
"That's good to hear," Yu Yuan replied with a slight nod, choosing not to probe further. Instead, he released his Lunar Spirit and descended deeper into the cavern.
He was eager to closely examine the Lunar Meridian that had been stripped from the body of Dhoreus.
Freed from the constraints of a physical form, the Lunar Spirit was exceedingly swift, reaching the bottom of the cave in an instant.
There, the spirited body of the Lunar Spirit observed an array of densely packed lightning runes, a Stormclap Circle designed to suppress souls, and numerous copper coins and knife coins flickering with faint electrical sparks.
He had only just noticed the Stormclap Circle, which actually stretched from the cave's base to its entrance.
Upon reflection, he realized that the cave, designed to imprison the fiend, was lined with formations from top to bottom.
Moreover, it could draw upon the power of thunder from the nearby thunder vortex to sustain the operation of the Stormclap Circle and its enchantments.
Yu Yuan had gleaned some information from the previous conversation between Rong Xun and Xie Bin. They had mentioned that in many regions of the forbidden area, alien beasts and Fellbeasts dared not linger. These places concealed items of refined iron, etched with lightning runes and spell symbols. This indicated that the arrays and the caves were interconnected.
However, with the arrival of Rong Xun and Xie Bin, thunder vortexes had already been summoned before they even reached the forbidden area, rendering the secret magic circle ineffective. Consequently, the fiend was able to escape with ease.
Yu Yuan, having infiltrated the depths as a Lunar Spirit, spread his remnant soul within the array-less cave. He permeated the solid rock, reaching further down. Before long, he faintly detected a vein resembling a smoky cloud.
This smoky cloud-like vein, winding through the upper and lower lands of Zekrica, was part of the Lunar Meridian filled with a somber and desolate aura. It was akin to a once vibrant snake, now drained of blood and flesh, reduced to a mere husk of skin wrapped around its elongated bones.
A revelation struck Yu Yuan's soul: when mortals, Fellbeasts, and insects of Zekrica perished, their residual souls, memories, and thoughts would flow into the Lunar Meridian. There, the souls would be absorbed and reconstituted, bestowing new life upon mortals, Fellbeasts, and insects with souls and spiritual wisdom. In this cycle, the Lunar Meridian was nourished and empowered.
This was similar to how humans breathe, drawing in air rich with spiritual energy into their lungs, holding it briefly before exhaling. This process of breathing sustains and nourishes both the physical body and the soul, and it is also a means of cultivation.
The Lunar Meridian, by absorbing the remnant souls and recombining them, nourished new life in a manner akin to breathing. Both processes were fundamentally the same.
Under the meticulous perception of his Lunar Spirit, Yu Yuan realized that the Lunar Meridian had become severely depleted, shriveled to its utmost limit. For the Otherkin of Zekrica, such as the Starbeasts, who did not partake in the cycle of the Lunar Meridian, it held no significance.
"Only species born in the vast Everlands can aid in the restoration of the Lunar Meridian."
With this thought, Yu Yuan cautiously probed once more, yet he detected no intact soul clusters that Jiang Yuan'er might have formed.
He speculated that perhaps Jiang Yuan'er's remnant soul consciousness had either dissipated over time or had become exceedingly faint.
As he was about to delve deeper, his real body on the surface noticed Denise's frantic return. He also observed a dilapidated small Voidfarer piercing through the wall and entering the Lower Continent.
The Lunar Spirit swiftly resumed its rightful place.
"My, my dear friend, she's come looking for me out of the blue," Denise said with urgency, stamping her foot in frustration. "I was supposed to meet her, but I got held up with things here. She probably waited too long and decided to come find me herself."
