C1204 This and That

The bowels of the wrecked warship were cluttered, shrouded in darkness and dampness. Upon discovering the truth, Pattinson of the Shadowkin, a man of tall stature and striking features, nearly collapsed in a heap.

"Yu Yuan? The Songbird Queen?!" His mouth hung agape, wide enough to swallow an ostrich egg.

Elena, with practiced ease, pulled out a series of rusty black iron chains and began securing them around metal boxes, muttering to herself, "It's a good thing we Shura warriors are innately valiant and skilled in combat. We're accustomed to replenishing our strength with the flesh and blood of alien beasts. Without that, we'd have no reserves."

The hefty metal boxes contained Ice Shards, preserving the massive chunks of alien beast meat, bones and all. There were pieces from seventh, eighth, and even a few ninth-level creatures. These had all been stored by Fernand in the cache of their old stronghold, reserved for himself, Elena, and the other Shura warriors to feast on after fierce battles.

With Fernand's demise in Ionodios, his stash of high-level alien beast meat naturally became Elena's property. She diligently wrapped the black iron chains around a dozen metal boxes, double-checking that they were tightly secured.

"Are you even listening to me?"

Pattinson, his slender left hand pressed against the rusting hull of the warship, activated a concealed array to ensure Denise couldn't overhear. His face twisted in frustration, he said, "Little miss, Yu Yuan is one thing, but that woman, Chen Qinghuang, is likely to transform into a secular bird!"

"The High Priest of the Star-Spawned Terror, Reid, has alerted all intelligent life to be vigilant of Chen Qinghuang."

"Reid has declared that the secular bird, an emblem of death and ruin, is likely reborn from Chen Qinghuang. He also mentioned that the secular bird's power hasn't fully returned. If we act swiftly, we might be able to eliminate it once more. But if we wait until its power is fully restored, killing her will be far from easy."

As a rogue, Pattinson kept a close watch on the events unfolding across the Astral Domains. He was well aware of the origins of the turmoil in the Dark Star domain. If Reid, the High Priest of the Star-Spawned Terror from the Primal Demon Clan, had made such a claim, Pattinson believed there had to be truth to it.

The secular bird had either already been resurrected within Chen Qinghuang or was on the verge of doing so.

In any case, Chen Qinghuang had become a prime target for all beings from the extraterrestrial realms, presenting a significant problem.

After all, those who hunted the secular bird a hundred thousand years ago were the pinnacle of their respective races' warriors.

Sky Fiend, Shura, Starborn, and the intelligent life of the first level all played a part.

"She is her, and Yu Yuan is Yu Yuan. Enough with the chatter," Elena huffed, clearly showing her impatience. "Just act like you're clueless, alright?"

"I'm just worried that Zekrica and the entire Astral Domain might be destroyed because of her," Pattinson said with a wry smile.

He thought to himself that if he had known he would face the reborn secular bird in Zekrica, he would have preferred to remain a fugitive, matching wits and courage with other outlaws.

"I can't be bothered with you."

Elena, her arms entwined with black iron chains, effortlessly dragged more than a dozen giant iron boxes out of the wrecked warship.

"Screech!"

The iron boxes scraped across the stone ground, emitting a grating noise.

Outside, Denise, clutching her elegant wand, stared at the towering iron boxes that dwarfed Elena. Observing the deep grooves they left in the ground, her eyes widened in astonishment.

"Elena, what's your bloodline level?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Oh, I forgot to mention," Elena replied with a casual air, her spirits lifting. To her, the massive iron boxes were as light as mud pellets, "Before I entered Ionodios, I had already advanced to the eighth level bloodline. So dragging these isn't surprising at all."

While talking, she had reached the cosmic energy wall.

"Denise, I'm heading in first."

Entering the wall posed no issue; it was only upon exiting that one would face resistance.

With that, she strolled in effortlessly.

"Where did you meet the Shadowkin siblings, Hart and Benin?"

As Elena and the iron boxes vanished into the forbidden area, Denise didn't rush to follow. Instead, she turned her attention to Pattinson, who emerged from the warship looking bewildered, and inquired, "What's the deal with Elena and Hart? They seem to be at odds."

Pattinson managed a strained smile, pushing down the fear welling up inside him. "Well, Elena's rapid advancement to the eighth bloodline level was due to him. You know he's skilled in concocting potions and is shrouded in mystery."

It was impossible for Pattinson to refer to Yu Yuan as Hart since they were entirely different individuals. He had no choice but to use the pronoun "him."

Thankfully, Denise had no trouble grasping the situation.

Her eyes sparkled with excitement at his words, and her grip on her wand tightened noticeably. "Are you saying that the potion Hart crafted has extraordinary effects on bloodline breakthroughs?"

Denise's body quivered with excitement.

Reflecting on the past, Pattinson remembered the intimate moments shared between Yu Yuan and Elena. Shortly after those encounters, Elena's bloodline had advanced. When he learned that Yu Yuan was the Everlands' God of Medicine, he suspected that some wondrous pill had played a significant role in Elena's progress.

"Yes, that must be it!" he affirmed confidently.

"It's astounding! Absolutely incredible!" Denise exclaimed.

Each of Denise's bloodline chains seemed to thrum with excitement. She inhaled deeply, her gaze brimming with anticipation and resolve. She spoke hesitantly, "I'm a few years older than Elena, and my bloodline level has been stagnant for quite some time. Maybe, if I follow his guidance, I too could break through my current bloodline constraints!"

Pattinson, overhearing her musings, wore an expression of bemused curiosity.

...

Days went by.

Yu Yuan, seated beside the deep cave, suddenly opened his eyes, jolted from his meditation.

Scattered at his feet were thick, long bones.

These bones, stripped of meat, had been discarded from empty metal boxes that once held the flesh of seventh, eighth, and ninth level alien beasts.

Upon opening his eyes, Yu Yuan's consciousness drifted into his little world of vitality.

His Heaven Soul, integrated with the Altar of Rebirth, had unexpectedly slipped into a dormant state, severing its connection with both the dominant soul and the Lunar Spirit.

At that moment, as the connection between the Lunar Spirit and the dominant soul in his sea of consciousness was severed, the Altar of Rebirth in his little world of vitality ceased its relentless demand for vital energy.

In that instant, Yu Yuan realized the Altar of Rebirth had reached saturation.

No further Soul Power or vital energy was required; the transforming Altar of Rebirth was fully charged. The Heaven Soul appeared dormant, and the Altar of Rebirth, now refined into a prone human shape, was entering its final phase.

It would lie in wait, undergo a complete metamorphosis, and then awaken.

Once the "he" within the vitality's little world arose, he would embody a fully refined Solar Spirit, with the Altar of Rebirth as its core, carrying his Heaven Soul and rich vital energy.

Before the Solar Spirit's awakening, the Altar of Rebirth remained inactive, the Heaven Soul oblivious to all occurrences.

Upon awakening, it would reestablish connections with the Lunar Spirit and the dominant soul, instantly grasping all that had transpired.

A pleased smile graced Yu Yuan's lips.

From then on, the Soul Power he refined and the vital energy he drew in were entirely his, no longer at the mercy of the evolving Altar of Rebirth.

His combat prowess would begin to fully recover from that moment.

"There are a few boxes left to use. I truly owe Elena for this journey. Without her, I would have faced a much longer struggle." Yu Yuan's eyes narrowed as his remnant soul wafted forward like unseen mist.

Thanks to the crafting and ingestion of the Soul Amplifier, his Lunar Spirit's Soul Power had significantly solidified.

Shortly after, his expression turned peculiar.

"Elena, we're as close as sisters. I didn't abandon you when you fell on hard times, did I?"

In the midst of a thicket of menacing spirit herbs, beside a small pond with dark green water gently rippling, Denise bundled the herbs and pleaded as she shook the Shura girl's arm, "Can you help me out? Hart said I could assist him in any way. He's free to harvest and slay all the magic plants and alien beasts in Zekrica. All I ask is for his help in advancing my bloodline!"

"Hey, what's with that look?"

"Pattinson himself said that your rapid bloodline advancement was thanks to the potion he concocted! Shadowkin, such an impressive apothecary, and you didn't think to introduce him to me. But it's fine, I know you've only just met him, so I won't hold it against you."

"But if you don't help me this time, it's like you don't care about me at all. You're not treating me like a sister!"

The Starborn heiress pleaded as she shook Elena's arm pitifully.

Elena, dragged here without a clue, now wore a petulant expression, tearless and frustrated. She wished she could return to the warship and strangle Pattinson for his loose lips.

How was she supposed to help?

Elena was full of grievances she couldn't voice.

If she refused to help, Denise would be upset. They would need Denise's support in Zekrica in the future. Offending her could make many things difficult.

Should she flee once more and continue to wander aimlessly?

And if she agreed to help... would she have to hand over Yu Yuan and even play matchmaker for them?

The thought of Yu Yuan and Denise doing the things she and Yu Yuan had done made Elena feel as uncomfortable as if she had swallowed a bug.

"I might be able to give it a try."

Yu Yuan's languid voice drifted unexpectedly from the depths of the cave.

Denise's eyes sparkled. "Ah?!"

"No! I don't agree!" Elena protested vehemently.

Denise, momentarily taken aback and then infuriated, retorted, "What do you mean by that? I've been so good to you, thinking of you as a sister! Elena, I can't believe you'd be so ungrateful!"

"No, you've got it all wrong!" Elena was frantic.

"Elena, it's not what you're thinking. I can assist her with her bloodline breakthrough using a concoction. You know I have that capability," Yu Yuan's chuckle echoed once more.

"A concoction?" Elena was taken aback.

"If Denise cooperates with my work in Zekrica, I can indeed lend a hand with her bloodline breakthrough," Yu Yuan explained, not revealing everything. "I'm fairly confident, but I can't make any absolute promises."

"It's not like that between us?" Elena sought confirmation.

"It's not!" Yu Yuan affirmed emphatically.

Elena breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, as long as it's not that, I can accept it."

Denise, of the Starborn, completely baffled by their cryptic exchange, asked, "What are you two talking about?"

"Nothing!"

They both declared simultaneously.

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