C1213 He Was Trapped in a Cocoon

The Yimo, having taken over the Celestial Star Beast, spoke to Yu Yuan with grave seriousness about the nature of the Starry Behemoth. With its ancient knowledge, the Yimo was well aware of the horrors and savagery of the apex predators within the depths of the Outland Star River.

He explained that from their inception, the Starry Behemoths were innately bloodthirsty and greedy. Most were born with intrinsic powers, effortlessly wielding the laws and profound truths of the Great Dao. This was akin to the journey of the Human Clan and the Great Demon Gods, who ascended to become Demon Gods.

Take, for instance, the prodigies of the intelligent race within the first echelon of the Outland Star River, born with the Life Altar. Life Altars with similar attributes could merge, as the Great Demon God Grec had attempted, seeking to absorb the Life Altar within him. However, Life Altars with differing attributes could not blend.

Starry Behemoths were an exception to this rule. Each one born with the Great Dao's intricate truths could, upon defeating another, slowly assimilate those truths into themselves, regardless of attribute differences.

Even the Secular Bird, wielding the antithetical powers of death and rebirth, could integrate them seamlessly. In ancient times, the decline of the Starry Behemoths was due in part to their mutual slaughter, each desiring to strip away the Great Dao's profundities that the others had carried since birth. The Titan Spinosaurus stood as a prime example, a paragon among them.

The Yimo revealed that the Starry Behemoth's feeding instinct was nearly irresistible. The Space-time Dragon and Frost Dragon within Yu Yuan's Dragon Slash Platform exuded essences that the Secular Bird found irresistibly delectable. This primal urge to feed could obliterate her sense of reason, rendering her unable to restrain herself, especially given her current emotional volatility.

Sharing these secrets, the Yimo urged Yu Yuan to distance himself from Chen Qinghuang as swiftly as possible to avoid the peril of being devoured.

After he had finished speaking, Yu Yuan reflected deeply, his mood growing increasingly somber.

Yu Yuan wasn't dwelling on the dragon corpses that had been interred within the Dragon Slash Platform for eons. Instead, when the Mutated Demon spoke of Starry Behemoths slaughtering each other to seize the innate profundities of the Great Dao they carried, Yu Yuan's thoughts immediately turned to the juvenile Titan Spinosaurus that was already showing promise.

This young creature was thriving, bolstered by the dragon blood and breath it absorbed from the carcasses of dragons. Within its heart, Yu Yuan could sense the enigmatic meridians of the Great Dao in the midst of refinement and binding.

These were the ultimate mysteries of destruction, regeneration, and death, once possessed and conquered by the supreme Old Titan Spinosaurus.

Could it be...

A chilling notion took root in Yu Yuan's mind, shattering his composure.

If the Mutated Demon hadn't deceived him, and if the instincts of a Starry Behemoth were as fearsome as described, what other intentions might Chen Qinghuang harbor upon her successful awakening? Which would prevail—her instincts or her intellect?

Suddenly, Yu Yuan remembered the Empress's advice from long ago, instructing him to conceal the Dragon Slash Platform and the Demon Blade, Blood Prison, within the small world he had created, masking their presence to prevent detection and tracking.

Had Chen Qinghuang sensed something back then? Did she harbor a strong covetousness for the Dragon Slash Platform and Demon Blade?

Was her suggestion to hide them a sign that her rational mind was still in control? Perhaps she feared their aura would continuously tempt her, prompting her to make this recommendation while lucid.

Following this train of thought further...

In the Epitaxial Realm, Chen Qinghuang's intermittent awakenings and slumbers—could they also be a method to combat the increasingly uncontrollable yearning of her instincts?

As the Mutated Demon had indicated, the Demon Blade and the dragon corpses within the Dragon Slash Platform were her ultimate delicacies.

But what of the young Titan Spinosaurus?

What significance did the young beast, naturally marked with the profoundness of the Great Dao, hold for the awakening Secular Bird?

Could her rationality truly withstand her instincts?

Yu Yuan's face was a kaleidoscope of emotions, thrown into a state of suspicion and restlessness by the Yimo's words.

Somehow, his subconscious convinced him that the Yimo wasn't deceiving him; indeed, the Starry Behemoths that roamed the Outland Star River possessed such instincts.

"We need to get out of the Illusion Starfield first!"

Yu Yuan, his mind a whirlwind of unease, blurted out his thoughts in a frustrated tone.

"I'll follow your lead."

The Yimo, inhabiting the Celestial Star Beast, let out a disheartened sigh but still nodded in agreement.

Together, the man and the Yimo quickly made their way back to the dilapidated Galaxy Ancient Starship.

"Is everything okay? You've gone quite pale all of a sudden."

Elena, noticing the shift, approached Yu Yuan with concern, observing his somber demeanor.

"It's nothing. We should make haste to leave the Illusion Starfield."

Yu Yuan feigned composure, his eyes drifting to the slumbering Luan Bird Queen. Her ethereal beauty only deepened the sense of sorrow in his heart.

"Do you also struggle to resist? The young beast on the Dragon Slash Platform, the Blood Prison, and even my transforming Life Altar must seem like a tantalizing feast to you, don't they?" he pondered in silence.

...

Time passed.

Three dazzling streaks of starlight descended like shooting stars, landing in a verdant area.

Gheirat, holding the eye of a Celestial Star Beast, grunted, "Show yourself."

From the marsh, another eye, noticeably smaller, shot up, muddy water splashing as it rose into the air.

Within this eye lay a vivid, toxic river and a fragment of his Devil Soul, one seventh of its entirety.

"Great Sage, this is the Outsider who has been imprisoned for many years beneath the Epitaxial Realm," Gheirat explained with reverence. "When I first discovered the realm, I overlooked him and allowed numerous Celestial Star Beasts to be corralled there. The mightiest among them fell prey to his deceit, descending into the depths where he consumed its flesh and assimilated its form."

Beru nodded slowly, acknowledging the gravity of the situation.

As a Nine Stars Sage of the Star Race, he was well aware that the eye Gheirat held belonged to a rare Ninth Level Celestial Star Beast.

A Ninth Level Celestial Star Beast is already known as a Beast King, given that no Tenth Level Celestial Star Beast has ever emerged within their clan. Gheirat transformed the eye of the Beast King into a relic. With it, he could detect Celestial Star Beasts not only within the Illusion Starfield but also across other Starfields and Realms. Even in death, as long as one possessed and refined the eye of a Celestial Star Beast, it would retain its mysterious sensing abilities.

The Demon God hiding here had no intention of concealing itself, making it all the more susceptible to discovery. "I've been waiting for you to arrive." The Demon God, with only a seventh of its Devil Soul infused into the eyeball, emitted a low, eerie chuckle. "You're quite fortunate to still be alive. Gheirat, I'm relieved it's you who has come, not Xu Jingyao, wielder of the Fire God Spear."

The Demon God had painstakingly left behind a fraction of its Devil Soul here because it couldn't bear being under Yu Yuan's control. It feared Yu Yuan and was even more terrified of the Secular Bird's potential rampage. Since Yu Yuan forbade its departure, the Demon God resorted to this desperate strategy.

Its plan was to collaborate with whomever arrived first, offering to betray Yu Yuan in exchange for a chance to cooperate. If Xu Jingyao and his group were the ones to come, the Demon God would inform them that Yu Yuan had slain a prominent cultivator from the Primordial Yang Sect. By revealing the secret plans against Leo and detailing the peculiar relationship between the Secular Bird and Yu Yuan, it would coerce them into making certain promises.

However, with Gheirat's arrival, the Demon God shifted its narrative to unveil Xu Jingyao's plot. "The Fire God Spear, Xu Jingyao?" Gheirat was perplexed.

"After Lee Tianxin of the Primordial Yang Sect passed away, the Fire God Spear found a new master—a young successor who has not yet ventured into the Outland Star River," explained Beru, who had traveled to the Boundless Great World and collected much valuable information. "Xu Jingyao is formidable. His standing within the Primordial Yang Sect is on par with Leo's."

Gheirat's expression darkened subtly.

"He's arrived?" Beru inquired.

"Well, it goes like this..."

The Yimo, residing within the Celestial Star Beast's eye, succinctly laid out Xu Jingyao's schemes and initial intentions.

Beru and Gheirat, having heard the explanation, were drenched in a cold sweat.

They pondered whether, without the intervention of the Secular Bird, they might have already been in the Epitaxial Realm at this very moment.

Would that not mean they had unwittingly walked right into Xu Jingyao's snare, only to be ambushed and slain by the human cultivators who had stealthily entered the realm?

Both men glanced at Leo, the name 'Xu Jingyao' leaving a chill in their gaze.

"I'm aware of the young man named Yu Yuan and the Secular Bird's precise location," the Yimo sneered from within its ocular prison. "After all, another part of me is still allied with them! The Secular Bird hasn't fully recovered, so you have a chance to kill her. But you're short on manpower."

"I need you to eliminate Yu Yuan for me. I desire the Demon Blade he wields!"

"I lack the power to control anything else, and I won't covet more."

The Yimo boasted grandly.

Beru and Leo listened, their faces twisting into peculiar expressions. They exchanged looks, remaining silent for an extended period.

A shared glance was enough to confirm that this Yimo, long confined, likely had no clue of their multiple past interactions with Yu Yuan.

Nor was it aware that Yu Yuan had solved the very issue of longevity that had plagued Beru for years.

"Indeed, the Earth Demons of the Boundless Great World are both deceitful and thankless creatures," Gheirat scoffed contemptuously. "I'd wager you managed to escape the Epitaxial Realm with Yu Yuan's assistance. Shouldn't you be thankful for being set free?"

"Silence! He is Nie Qingtian's direct disciple. I was first imprisoned by Thunder Sect, then Nie Qingtian severed the continent, banishing me to the Outland Starry Sky to endure further confinement. My hatred for Nie Qingtian knows no bounds!" the Yimo bellowed.

"Nie Qingtian!"

"The Epitaxial Realm has ties to Nie Qingtian!"

The revelation left the three Star Race powerhouses utterly astounded.

"Gheirat, lock him up again. He's already accustomed to it."

Beru glanced at the Alien Demon with disdain and snorted, "We don't need your guidance. Based on your current whereabouts, I've already inferred the trajectory of the Celestial Star Beast and the Secular Bird."

Beru paused before adding, "Since it's headed toward the active Starfield of the Winged Race, it's clearly a sign of goodwill from Yu Yuan."

Gheirat nodded, "Great Sage, I've found a way to get in touch with Yu Yuan."

"Is there another eye within the Celestial Star Beast that he's taken over?" Beru asked, coming to a realization.

Gheirat let out a sly chuckle, "Exactly."

"Well, then we owe him our thanks."

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