C1219 It Was a Bit Awkward

Yu Yuan's wrist flicked ever so slightly, wielding the Demon Blade with a deft motion.

The seven orbs, crafted from blood souls, transformed into a gaping maw of crimson, seemingly poised to devour Jiang Xingwen, who had only just regained consciousness.

Beams of lucent light burst forth from Jiang Xingwen's Yang God form, only to be shattered in an instant. Within those beams lurked minute specks of blood light that had infiltrated earlier.

The Yang God body, tempered by Jiang Xingwen through the Taiyuan Sect's sacred technique, now bore cracks and imperfections. It was no longer capable of unleashing its full mystical might, nor could it withstand the formidable Demon Blade that sent shivers down the spines of the mightiest across the vast expanses.

"The Pillar of the Heavens!"

Cao Jiaze, previously concealed within another palace, suddenly elevated his stature. With a gaze of detached superiority, he peered over the blood-drenched terrain, his thumbs and little fingers meeting to form an enigmatic seal.

The palace that had sunk earlier now underwent a wondrous transformation at the behest of his hand gestures.

Colossal pillars, wrapped in cascading auroras, plummeted from the palace's foundation, puncturing the eerie, star-like expanse of blood, rendering the seven massive blood souls unable to coalesce.

Jiang Xingwen, her form as pristine as crystal, swiftly extricated herself, plunging a thousand meters through one of the openings, escaping the sanguine pull of the Blood Prison ensnared by the Demon Blade.

The resplendent pillars, adorned with the auroras, withdrew back into the palace.

The palace itself, bathed in an infinite spectrum of light, solidified into a luminous, crystal-clear seal, which Cao Jiaze grasped with a gentle reach. "Yu Yuan, both hailing from the vast expanses, why must you exploit the Asura Clan and the Divine Soul Sect to oppress us?" Cao Jiaze uttered, his voice tinged with resignation.

Enshrouded by a grandiose palace, he stood unscathed, immune to the Galaxy Extraordinary Talent's influence.

Suspended aloft, the two palaces shimmered with dazzling splendor, warding off the encroaching menace of the "Blood Boiling War Drum," shielding all who were gathered from the drum's corrupting powers.

The fourth Heaven Palace Seal, now nestled in his palm, transformed into a blade, ready to be wielded at a moment's notice.

Cao Jiaze, wielding four seals, appeared extraordinary even as he ventured into the Outland Star River for the first time without having revealed all his hidden strengths.

"Traitor!"

Once Jiang Xingwen had escaped the peril, she found herself on the fragmented earth. After swallowing a pellet and taking a moment to recover, she looked up at Yu Yuan beneath the damaged warship, spat disdainfully, and cursed, "All the old friends who once fought alongside you will now regard you with shame!"

Yu Yuan was taken aback, then quickly realized something significant.

Jiang Xingwen's personality might have undergone a drastic change. Her prolonged exposure to the Soul Crossing River in Horror Land had tainted her with the malevolent energies of Mingdu, warping her soul.

Jiang Xingwen, now deeply affected, had absorbed too much of the sinister power from the Soul Crossing River. She might very well have been demonized.

Yet, she was utterly unaware of her own transformation.

"Let it go."

Yu Yuan, initially poised to strike again, reconsidered upon remembering that Jiang Xingwen was a descendant of Jiang Yan'er and the connection to Nie Qingtian. He no longer felt inclined to contend with her in her current state and dismissed her bitter curses.

"There's also one more Frost Well in the Dark Domain."

At that moment, Elena, positioned near the cabin entrance, sensed an icy chill related to her bloodline, which made her visibly more anxious.

"A Frost Well from the Dark Domain!" Yu Yuan exclaimed, visibly shaken.

But in a mere moment, he regained his composure and nodded in acknowledgment.

He understood that Elena's intuition was accurate. The Asura Army, in pursuit of the "Optimus Sword," would indeed need a Frost Well from the Dark Domain to re-imprison the Divine Sword once they located it in the Epitaxial Realm.

"There are several hundred Asura warriors, including Dark Domain Asuras. I think... we should steer clear," Elena implored softly.

"Several hundred?"

Upon hearing this, both Yu Yuan and Cao Jiaze from the Profound Sky Sect were momentarily taken aback.

The myriad cultivators and great demons of the vast ocean were not overly numerous, as strict restrictions were placed on their ranks and levels due to their origins beyond the heavens.

A small team consisted of just over a dozen members, while a larger one might have several dozen.

The Yang Gods and Eighth Level demons continued to surge towards the heavens in waves, yet their numbers never saw a significant increase. It appeared they were constrained by the vast cosmic rules.

The extraterrestrial races were a different story. Equipped with Galaxy Warships capable of evading extraplanetary powers, they deployed hundreds, even thousands of warriors without breaking a sweat.

However, those of weaker bloodlines, at the Fifth and Sixth Levels, stood little chance against the mighty Yang Gods and Eighth Level demons—they were essentially cannon fodder.

The presence of five Asura Clan warships, hundreds of Asura warriors, and Asuras from the Dark Domain, including a Ninth Level Platinum Asura, along with the "Blood Boiling War Drum" and the "Frost Well," alerted Cao Jiaze from the Profound Sky Sect that something was amiss.

"What's in the Illusion Starfield?" he pondered, his brow furrowed as he fixed his gaze on Yu Yuan, his eyes flashing with uncertainty. "The Asura Clan and the Star Race bear no animosity towards each other; they wouldn't invade without cause. This Asura legion must be here for another reason. Could it be... because of you? No, it's not you!"

Taking a deep breath, Cao Jiaze concluded, "It's because of the Secular Bird!"

With a cry akin to a lone wolf, he suddenly directed his howl towards the Asura warships. Tapping into the power of the Heaven Palace Seal, he amplified his voice and called out in the Asura language, though not fluently, "The Secular Bird you seek is on that warship. She's still recovering from her injuries—now is your chance!"

His voice, powerful and far-reaching, echoed across millions of miles.

Yu Yuan and Elena's expressions became a spectacle of colors at his outburst.

"This..." The Asura girl was overwhelmed with frustration. She longed to instantly transport herself to Cao Jiaze's hiding place and crush him into a pulp to quell the rage burning within her.

Cao Jiaze, who had only heard tales of the Secular Bird, was unaware of the extent of power that Chen Qinghuang wielded upon her awakening.

She had witnessed Chen Qinghuang's formidable power firsthand, a force capable of obliterating heaven and earth, which only intensified her fear for the Asura Clan's fate.

"Hmm?"

After a roar, the successor to the Profound Sky Sect's leadership found himself in an awkward position.

The five fish-shaped Asura warships, contrary to his expectations, didn't speed up but instead hastily slowed down.

It was as if a ferocious beast lay ahead, an insurmountable presence.

Even the relentless pounding of the "Blood Boiling War Drum" abruptly ceased.

The Ninth Level Platinum Asura, who had been drumming, seemed to recoil in terror and immediately ceased.

This theatrical turn of events left all the visitors from the shattered continent with peculiar expressions.

And they weren't alone.

Thousands of miles away, on a meteorite moving slowly and stealthily, Beru, Gerrat, and Leo also heard Cao Jiaze's wails in the Asura language.

Likewise, they witnessed the five Asura warships, shaped like small fish, halt their charge as abruptly as a horse reined in at the edge of a cliff.

Then, somewhat sheepishly, they remained stationary in the dark, cold expanse of space, uncertain whether to advance or retreat.

"It's not just us who are scared; they're scared too," the youthful Leo mused, stroking his chin where he imagined a beard might someday grow, and chuckled awkwardly. "Great Sage, didn't you say the Asura Clan loves war? As the bravest warriors in the galaxy, they've stopped in their tracks just because of the words 'Secular Bird'?"

Beru shot him a look. "Who was it that told Gerrat to slow down?"

"I admit I'm scared, but why should they be?" Leo retorted, his pride evident.

"Even if the Secular Bird has only regained a fraction of its power, without needing to be at its peak, it's still not an entity the Asura Army can provoke," Beru explained, shaking his head. "A lower-tier Asura warrior, even ensconced within a warship, couldn't withstand a single destructive blast from the Secular Bird."

He paused before adding, "We, too, can only hold out for so long."

"Mm, that's precisely why I dispersed my subordinates and followers, to prevent them from following us," Gerrat agreed, nodding. "I've glimpsed the horror of the Secular Bird in the ancient scrolls of my clan. Without the strongest Tenth Level bloodline, no one can confidently stand before her."

At that moment, beneath the wreckage of the warship, Elena, her face a mask of bewilderment, felt a faint tremor in her bloodline. A secretive aura began to stir within her.

"Uh, they're cautiously reaching out to me."

...