C1230 Turning Around to Face It

Fu Xuanwen's towering palace suddenly shook, releasing an uncountable number of tiny characters.

These ancient words, dense and vibrant like multicolored raindrops, showered down upon the area where Pei Yuling stood.

Golden characters transformed into resplendent mountains and rivers, river characters morphed into expansive waterways, ice characters burst into pelting hail, and wood characters grew into a thriving forest.

Fu Xuanwen's materialized spiritual energy filled Pei Yuling's small world, swarming the space that was meant to be her sanctuary. In an instant, it became overcrowded and distorted, creating a bizarre and twisted landscape.

Chu Yao, racing toward Pei Yuling, sensed an imminent threat as the environment underwent its dramatic transformation.

Pei Yuling's figure alternated between swelling and shrinking, unable to maintain its usual form.

With a moment's hesitation, Chu Yao decelerated, realizing that Pei Yuling, now the target of Fu Xuanwen's assault, was in a precarious situation.

Elsewhere, the Great Sage of the Starborn, still in the clutches of a massive hand, continued to suffer as his bones cracked and blood seeped from his orifices. Despite the physical torment, his soul remained untouched by Fu Xuanwen's power.

As long as his soul was intact, he would survive, at least for the time being.

"I, due to a prior agreement, will not directly attack members of the Order of Healing or the Artifact Sect. However, I certainly won't intervene in their conflicts," Fu Xuanwen said with a sinister chuckle, though his eyes betrayed no mirth. His palace stood majestically atop the Star River, looming over Chu Yao.

Looking down with an indifferent gaze, he watched Chu Yao become immobilized by an unseen force of spiritual energy.

Satisfied, Fu Xuanwen nodded and turned his attention to Yu Yuan. "Regardless of who you are now, you were once Hong Qi of the Order of Healing. The name Hong Qi... I'm somewhat familiar with it, particularly your deeds in the years leading up to your failed reincarnation, which I found quite astonishing."

He gestured for Yu Yuan to approach, pointing down at Chu Yao, "I've stopped him for you. You haven't ascended to a Solar Spirit yet, but thanks to your practice of the Terror Claws' body tempering technique, you can withstand the Star River's psionic power and survive on the extraterritorial battlefield. Chu Yao has already achieved the status of a Solar Spirit, having cultivated for over three hundred years more than you. I believe your fight will be a fair one."

"So..."

"Forget the rest. Just have an open and honest fight under my supervision to settle your personal disputes."

"Pei Yuling!"

Fu Xuanwen let out a cold snort, eyeing the expert in space magic and issued a blunt threat: "You held back during Zhu Huan's fight with the two platinum Shura. Therefore, continue to observe from the sidelines. Should you dare to assist Chu Yao again, don't blame me for my lack of courtesy!"

Pei Yuling's expression turned icy. "Sir, are you reneging on our agreement after benefiting from it?"

"If you're trying to play both sides, be prepared. What's past is past, and now is now. The three great upper sects, the Devil Palace, and Shadow's Keep may clash, but fundamentally, we share common ground," Fu Xuanwen said with narrowed eyes and a cold tone. "The Boulderdawn and the Skyreach Consortium, on the other hand, do not."

He left the rest unsaid, but Pei Yuling understood.

Fu Xuanwen's rudeness was not just about stirring up trouble within the Order of Healing; it was also a warning. He was making it clear that if Pei Yuling sought favor with the Boulderdawn or the Skyreach Consortium, he should brace for a future where the leading powers, headed by the five supreme forces, would no longer accommodate him.

Pei Yuling fell silent.

He looked at Chu Yao, who was confined by Fu Xuanwen to a specific area, and then at his own surroundings, filled with various manifestations of spiritual energy. His face showed a mix of emotions, yet he refrained from any further actions that might be misconstrued by Fu Xuanwen.

...

Elena's wrecked warship came to an abrupt halt without warning.

The tense Shura girl channeled her bloodline's power into the groove at the bottom, intending to check if there was an issue with the energy crystals underneath.

But she quickly realized that the problem wasn't with the warship, so she abandoned her next move.

The Songbird Queen, who had been in a deep sleep, had unexpectedly awakened once more. Not only was she awake, but she also stood tall and regal in the exact spot previously occupied by the fiend that had taken over the Starbeast.

On the reverse side of the crystal.

Whoosh!

The warship, originally bound for the Kuvrepros Astral Domain, executed an instantaneous about-face, aligning the meticulously cleaned crystal surface with their departure point.

Elena observed a myriad of fleeting images in the depths of the Songbird Queen's eyes. They passed too swiftly for her to discern any one scene, but she sensed that the legendary secular bird was assimilating memories in this manner. The starry expanse before the crystal seemed to draw closer, as if compressed by the secular bird's power.

"Oh!" Elena exclaimed involuntarily.

She saw clearly now: the chaotic battlefield she had left was joined by several unfamiliar figures. Wei Zhuo from the Thunder Sect, Zhu Huan, Xu Jingyao, and Fu Xuanwen, who had emerged from hiding, were all vividly present. She witnessed Beru of the Starborn, seized by a giant hand radiating with spiritual energy, his blood pouring freely.

Yu Yuan's somber gaze was fixed on Chu Yao, who stood suspended in the void, his face etched with embarrassment. Pei Yuling's eyes sparkled with unspoken thoughts. With Beru out of the fray, Cao Jiaze maneuvered palaces in concert with the Sunlit Order, Ebon Star, Ethereal Void Sect, and cultivators of the Thunder Sect to encircle and attack the Shura warriors of their own kin.

Over a hundred bodies of sixth and seventh level Shura floated lifelessly in space. Despite their clear disadvantage, the remaining Shura warriors showed no intention of fleeing. Instead, they fought with a fearlessness that surpassed death itself, trading life for life in desperate attempts to inflict grievous wounds on the Solar Spirits of the Human Race, hoping to create opportunities for their kin to strike fatal blows.

War was this brutally cruel and blood-soaked.

From across the vast reaches of space, Elena felt a contagion of pride, branded in blood, stir within her. It ignited a desire to charge back into the fray, to stand shoulder to shoulder with her kin, and to meet a shared end with the formidable Solar Spirit adversaries.

She breathed deeply, casting intermittent glances at the Songbird Queen, who stood nearly side by side with her. The Queen's eyes continued to flicker with innumerable images, like lightning in her gaze.

This majestic empress bore an expression devoid of human complexity, her countenance as impassive as a deity's meticulously sculpted idol. It was a visage of perfection, yet it lacked the warmth of worldly life.

She was clearly observing the battle, and the warship had halted because of her, yet she made no move.

Elena watched intently, only to realize that her gaze, her eyes flickering with ever-changing scenes, was solely fixed on Yu Yuan.

Despite the numerous formidable warriors on the brutal battlefield, Yu Yuan was the only one in her eyes.

A sense of unworthiness inexplicably surged in the Shura girl's heart...

She then vigorously shook her head, dismissing the thought as impossible, believing she was overthinking.

"Should we turn back?"

After a long pause, Elena asked in a faint voice.

Chen Qinghuang remained unmoved.

Elena sighed deeply, "My people are being massacred, and I'm powerless to help. I'm also worried about Yu Yuan, fearing something might happen to him. I..." She rambled on to herself.

The Songbird Queen seemed deaf to her words, allowing her to continue unabated.

...

"Chu Yao!"

Yu Yuan voluntarily left the meteorite, paying no mind to the crystal-like stones or the scuffle between Leo and Xu Jingyao. In a blink, he was beside Chu Yao.

It was as if he had stepped into another realm.

His eyes were fixed on Chu Yao, with thousands of golden characters falling around them like an endless golden rain, forming a curtain of otherworldly beauty.

Chu Yao, who had been facing away, afraid to turn around, hesitated for a long time at Yu Yuan's call. Finally, he faced him.

Chu Yao bowed respectfully, his head lowered, and said, "You..."

He began to speak but then halted, unsure of how to continue.

Yu Yuan waited with patience.

"Afterward, it was clear you had descended into a path of darkness," Chu Yao said, lifting his head to look at Yu Yuan for the first time. "Such a version of you instilled fear in the world, and even those in the sect who once supported you trembled with unease at the sight of you."

"Everyone wished for you to depart in peace, not wanting to witness you afflict the Everlands in such a manner again."

"So, I am truly sorry."

...