C1223 The Bloodthirsty Shura
Boom!
On the shattered ground, another grand palace emerged, seemingly constructed from Hex Stones of every hue, radiating a blinding brilliance as it floated aloft.
The fifth Mark of the Celestials!
In a flash, Cao Jiaze's silhouette entered this even more spectacular palace.
He had tossed the fourth Mark of the Celestials from his palm, transforming it into another palace that rose from a corner of the fragmented earth.
A myriad of luminous feathers, beams of emerald glow, spells, and ancient script burst forth from the five palaces.
A once unremarkable patch of the Kuvrepros Astral Domain had, in a mere moment, conjured an enigmatic wall.
An array of oddities, which had no business appearing in this realm, materialized within the resplendent wall, as divine radiance swiftly enveloped the Shattered Continent.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
As Demian pounded on the Heartthumper Drum, indentations formed atop the wall.
This platinum Shura, born of the Dark Realm, unleashed his immense vital energy through arcane techniques upon the drum, each strike resonating as if it were against the wall conjured by the five palaces, causing it to buckle and dent under the force.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A host of eighth-level Shura warriors charged fiercely, colliding with the resplendent wall.
The wall's shimmer, along with the willow branches, spells, and ancient characters, seemed to possess a sentient quality, seizing the opportunity to infiltrate their flesh and blood.
Some of the eighth-level Shura warriors found their bloodline chains sealed by curses, while others felt their hearts momentarily cease to beat.
Others still, found their minds filled with visions of venerable cultivators, clad in ancient garb, their presence as vast as the ocean.
Any who touched the peculiar wall, driven by the roar of the Heartthumper Drum, exhibited a range of bizarre symptoms, freezing in mid-flight.
Despite the Heartthumper Drum's continued emanation of strange power that stirred the blood, the Shura warriors were rendered incapable of harnessing their own bloodlines and strength, unable to mount a fresh assault.
They howled in frustration.
The newly arrived quartet of warships, carrying more Shura warriors, unleashed roars akin to tsunamis. Yet, they were still en route to the battlefield.
"Five Marks of the Celestials!"
Beru, Demian, and Ciara stood shoulder to shoulder. He, who had not joined the fray, and Ciara, bearer of the Frost Well, both wore looks of astonishment. Clearly, neither had anticipated that Cao Jiaze would possess five of Ebon Star's world-renowned rare treasures.
Did Ebon Star take no precautions within the Everlands?
Shortly after, Beru regained his composure, thinking, "Of course, that's it." The five supreme forces and Boulderdawn likely had an unspoken pact to avoid conflict in the Everlands, their home. With Boulderdawn posing a threat, Ebon Star, once a rival to Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep, didn't have to fret about their forces making a move once the Marks of the Celestials were out.
Their main concern was the resurging Boulderdawn. With internal security assured, all Marks of the Celestials could be taken out. Besides, as the future Sect Master, it made sense for Jiaze to carry extra Marks of the Celestials for protection on his first venture into the extraterrestrial Star River.
"It won't break!"
Demian, relentlessly striking the Heartthumper Drum, had his fists, large as sledgehammers, split and bleeding. His face twisted into a grotesque snarl, he resembled an enraged, bloodthirsty dire beast, his breath heavy with the scent of blood.
Ciara, understanding him well, realized that the platinum Shura from the Dark Realm must have ruptured his internal blood vessels.
"He's losing control."
Ciara's brow furrowed as she glanced down at the colossal Heartthumper Drum, now smeared with blood. With each of Demian's strikes, droplets of lifeblood scattered across the drum's surface, splattering like blossoming flowers of blood.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Demian's bellow reverberated through the Star River for millions of miles. Amplified by the drum, the eyes of all the Shura warriors who had arrived were slowly stained with crimson.
The Shura warriors were in a frenzy, oblivious to pain and fearless in the face of death.
Amidst thunderous roars, silhouettes burst forth from four other warships—eighth level, seventh level, and even sixth level warriors.
These sixth level Shura seemed to have forgotten the psionic powers in the Star River that would consume their flesh and souls, leaving them to endure torment once they regained their senses.
All the Shura warriors, except for Ciara, were in a state of madness, including Demian, who was pounding on the Heartthumper Drum!
Demian, lost in a trance, mechanically and numbly struck the drum, yet streams of vital energy laden with boundless malice shot from his chest. This energy merged into the bodies of several of the most frenzied eighth level Shura, instantly amplifying their strength.
Shura who were merely at the eighth level surged to the ninth level in strength with the boost from Demian's vital energy.
"Shura!"
"True to the Shura reputation!"
On the meteorite, Leo and Gheirat from the Starborn took a deep breath.
Yu Yuan, equally astounded, had witnessed many Shura warriors in the Ionodios, engaging in fierce battles with the elite and nobility of various races. Yet those Shura had remained lucid and rational, unlike the bloodthirsty state induced by the Quasi-sacred Weapon and Demian.
He could sense that the Shura now assaulting the wall were even mightier than those who had invaded Ionodios.
"Shura in such a state are overexerting themselves. Post-battle, they will be weakened for a time, and some will suffer permanent side effects, leading to mental instability," Gheirat remarked, his face grave.
As a general of the Starborn, he had fought alongside Fernand for many years and was intimately familiar with the Shura's traits.
He was acutely aware that Demian, who had yet to shatter the dazzling wall, would unleash a fearsome power once he lost his sanity.
This was merely the beginning.
"Farewell, until we meet again!"
The fiend Qiyan hovered in the void, observing the fractured earth that Cao Jiaze was fiercely defending against the relentless assault of the Shura army. Out of nowhere, he dropped a cryptic remark.
Swiftly, he chose a path leading to the edge of the Astral Domain and made his escape.
His initial linger was motivated by the desire to capitalize on any opportunity. He was hoping to witness a deadlock between the forces, allowing him to stealthily consume some souls to bolster his strength. The souls of cultivators and those from the higher bloodlines of the Otherkin were far richer than the lesser beings of Zekrica.
Upon realizing that Cao Jiaze, despite invoking the power of five celestial palaces, was merely holding out with no chance of reversing the situation, Qiyan decisively withdrew.
As he fled, his gaze lingered on Yu Yuan, Gheirat, and Leo.
Gheirat suddenly turned to Yu Yuan. "Let him go."
Yu Yuan understood the Starborn General's intent. He shook his head, signaling that there was no need to concern themselves with the fiend.
Gheirat remained still.
Moments later, Cao Jiaze, now concealed within a palace as vibrant as Hex Stones, issued a forlorn cry of despair. Amplified by the majestic structures, it seemed to resonate across the entirety of Kuvrepros.
"He's calling for help," Gheirat noted, his face a mask of indifference, a chilling smile playing at his lips. His heavy armor began to shimmer with the brilliance of the stars.
"I'll stoke the flames," he declared.
With arms outstretched, a nebula burst forth from his chest, containing hundreds of clear crystals.
Guided by the flow of his blood, the crystals ascended, swiftly configuring into a three-dimensional Star River that appeared almost tangible.
Within this cosmic river, a miniature yellow sun shone, casting a bright lunar glow.
"Kuvrepros!" Yu Yuan marveled inwardly, thoroughly intrigued by the display. He watched the nebula intently.
Then he saw the sovereign of Kuvrepros reach into the nebula, taking hold of a small, inconspicuous crystal marred with fissures. With a gradual increase of pressure, the ground beneath Cao Jiaze and the Solar Spirit elites began to eerily disintegrate.
