C1236 The Taboo Name
Upon the mention of Chen Qinghuang, the countenances of the assembled powerhouses shifted noticeably.
Her name seemed to carry the weight of a forbidden taboo.
The two ninth-level platinum Shura who had been fiercely attacking Zhu Huan suddenly remembered the legends that Yu Yuan and the secular bird were supposed to have vanished from the Dark Star Region together.
Could it be that they also made an appearance in the Kuvrepros Astral Domain simultaneously?
Zhu Huan, Pei Yuling with the Mirror of the Infinite above his head, and Wei Zhuo, who was locked in fierce combat with Gheirat, all tensed at Jin Haolong's statement.
Eyes flickered in the shadows, searching for any sign of the secular bird.
"She's already left."
Hidden within the sixth Mark of the Celestials, Fu Xuanwen, who had previously remained concealed, huffed and clarified for everyone, "Don't be overly concerned. She likely hasn't fully awakened yet. Even though she is the secular bird, with supreme combat abilities, there's no guarantee she has maintained all her strength after a hundred thousand years!"
In contrast to the cultivators from extraterrestrial realms, those within the Everlands were convinced that Chen Qinghuang was indeed the secular bird.
"Hmm..."
Yu Yuan, with his keen senses, detected that the gaze which had been fixed on him seemed to shift away momentarily after Fu Xuanwen's comment.
His mind was flooded with various thoughts.
He pondered why, after awakening once more and observing from a distance for so long, she had refrained from taking action.
A hundred thousand years ago...
Yu Yuan's thoughts drifted back to when the peak warriors from the extraterrestrial races had banded together to annihilate the secular bird.
Upon regaining her memories and truly awakening, it would be natural for her animosity to be directed towards the Otherkin.
Not the people of the Everlands.
Following this train of thought...
The secular bird's choice to be reborn in the Everlands, even assuming a human form, could there be a hidden significance?
Fu Xuanwen, Zhu Huan, and the other human powerhouses had been battling the Shura in the Kuvrepros Astral Domain and contending with Leo and Beru of the Starborn. Surely, she would take pleasure in their demise?
After all, they were the progeny of her ancient foes.
Could it be that only his own life and death were of concern to her?
As long as he remained unharmed, and as long as Fu Xuanwen and the rest lacked the power to slay him, she would likely continue to watch. Watch as the Shura were eradicated, as Leo, Beru, and Gheirat of the Starborn each met their end.
"Mr. Pei, I need you to hold down the fort. Don't let that kid get away too easily."
Fu Xuanwen of the Ebon Star approached Pei Yuling with a newfound respect, his words laced with courtesy. "Rest assured, our Ebon Star won't shortchange you! Yu Yuan has close ties with the Otherkin. He's a traitor to the Everlands, and his death would be no great loss."
Hearing Beru's gentle whispers about Yu Yuan, Fu Xuanwen had an epiphany.
He believed.
He believed that Pei Yuling shared their desire not to see Yu Yuan alive, to prevent a cultivator capable of reaching the primordial spirit from emerging within the Boulderdawn or the Skyreach Consortium.
"I can promise you access to the Dragon Slaying Stage for some time," Fu Xuanwen added.
Pei Yuling's mystical Divine Visage showed a hint of difficulty, but he gently nodded in agreement.
He had silently accepted Fu Xuanwen's proposal.
"Yu, Yu Yuan?"
Xie Bin, who had been brought along, overheard the exchange between Fu Xuanwen and Pei Yuling and summoned the Glacial Storm Seal.
Rong Xun, Han Dan, and Jin Haolong hesitated briefly before joining Xie Bin, readying their weapons in anticipation of the confrontation.
"You all?"
Fu Xuanwen scoffed, hurling the brick-shaped Mark of the Celestials at the group.
In an instant, the Mark transformed into an ocean of golden script, effortlessly ensnaring the four Solar Spirit-level cultivators.
"Stand aside for now. Once I've dealt with Yu Yuan, you four are next for questioning!"
Fu Xuanwen's face was etched with contempt as his towering Divine Visage took on a formidable air, and the sound of clear, resonant reading emanated from within.
It was as if a multitude of children were reciting poetry and prose within a schoolroom inside him.
His Divine Visage reached out a hand, making a grab for Yu Yuan.
A mass of golden text followed the arm of his Divine Visage, surging towards Yu Yuan like a gleaming, golden-scaled serpent.
Yu Yuan, once again gripping the Dragon Slaying Stage, prepared to channel strength from the young beast.
Suddenly, the Mirror of the Infinite soared into view.
In a fleeting moment, the Mirror of the Infinite materialized above his head, its reflective surface facing downward, capturing both his form and the Dragon Slaying Stage in its luminescence.
He and the Dragon Slaying Stage were suddenly immobilized, unable to move a muscle. It was as if his soul had become disconnected from his body.
His remnant soul was unable to penetrate the Dragon Slaying Stage, leaving him incapable of communicating with the young beast within.
His thoughts remained untransmitted.
Simultaneously, numerous space rifts burst open near the meteor where he stood, slashing towards Leo and Beru with the brilliance of glowing blades.
The two Starborn members quickly grabbed his arms, one on each side, and hastily pulled him backward.
Boom! Boom!
A pair of immense forces erupted from Yu Yuan's arms, flinging Leo and Beru, who had been holding onto him, through the air with the shockwave.
As they tumbled through the sky, Leo and Beru witnessed a cascade of rainbow light enveloping Yu Yuan completely.
The young beast inside the Dragon Slaying Stage had fully awakened the power of the Chronowyrm, now engaging in a spectacular collision with the radiance of the Mirror of the Infinite.
Chi! Chi!
An increasing number of slender space rifts, seemingly spawned by the Dragon Slaying Stage, intertwined with the rifts opened by Pei Yuling, unleashing a pulse of energy that set hearts racing.
In that instant, the space around Yu Yuan descended into utter chaos and disorder.
Space itself seemed to collapse toward Yu Yuan as time twisted and folded upon itself.
Onlookers were astonished to see multiple versions of Yu Yuan, each bearing a different visage. At times, it was the menacing Hong Qi, at others, the dauntless Yu Yuan, and sometimes, the image of Hong Qi instructing his apprentice in the art of alchemy, or the intrepid Yu Yuan adventuring through the Embers Sea.
Time fluctuated wildly between the past and the present.
Fu Xuanwen's Divine Visage reached out a hand, but as it neared Yu Yuan, it would inexplicably withdraw, as if affected by a strange temporal current.
Those watching Yu Yuan's location were overcome with an intense feeling of discomfort, as if something was profoundly amiss.
Whoosh!
Out of nowhere, a puff of grayish-white smoke appeared, obstructing the path of Fu Xuanwen's hand as it reached for Yu Yuan.
Fu Xuanwen let out a piercing scream as the hand engulfed by the smoke seemed to be submerged in a river of death, its flesh, spiritual energy, and Soul Power instantly assailed.
Amidst the gray-white smoke, more fireworks burst forth, falling into the gaping space rift.
Pei Yuling inhaled sharply, shuddering as his Divine Visage could no longer be maintained and exploded into nothingness.
Having reverted to his ordinary human form, he suddenly materialized beside the Mirror of the Infinite, seizing it with one hand before plunging into the space rift, darting unpredictably within.
Fu Xuanwen's Divine Visage collapsed soon after. The entire left hand and arm of the Ebon Star cultivator had vanished, leaving only a chilling expanse of white bone.
The stark white of the bone was unsettling, its eeriness beyond words. Yet, the bone continued to change, slowly turning a ghastly gray.
The death aura spread unchecked, creeping along the bone towards Fu Xuanwen's neck, prompting him to cry out in horror, "Mark of the Celestials!"
Without waiting for Cao Jiaze to respond, all but one of the Mark of the Celestials, which safeguarded his real body, took flight.
The five Marks of the Celestials, now reduced to the size of fingertips, bore down on the gray-white arm bone. With infinite brilliance and psionic power, they repeatedly scoured the bone, purging the death aura.
"Secular bird!"
"Songbird Queen!"
Both Otherkin powerhouses and human cultivators exclaimed in unison.
Yu Yuan, gripping the Dragon Slaying Stage, snapped out of his Spirit Walk upon hearing the term 'secular bird', reconnecting with his soul and body.
He involuntarily turned his gaze towards the departing wrecked warship in the Star Ocean Region.
Then, he once again sensed the Songbird Queen's favor.
