C1247 Touch

With a resounding crack, Berthold's chest emitted a burst of golden light before several more bones fractured. Elena, still supporting him with her long spear, watched as the Asura warrior, who had barely managed to stay upright, finally succumbed to the relentless damage to his body, his knees buckling beneath him.

Blood, tinged with flecks of golden sand, stained the corner of Berthold's mouth. "Damned Golden Rock Beast!" he cursed through gritted teeth, the slender female Asura clansman seething with anger.

"Another pack of Golden Rock Beasts!" Elena's face paled as she inspected Berthold's chest wound, noting that the ointment applied seemed ineffective, which only deepened her concern.

"Your Highness, I'm not going to die. Please, tell me where you've come from? I've heard that the supply stronghold you and the lord established has been overrun by bandits. But don't fret. Once you return to the Firefly Starfield, you'll still be our esteemed young lady!" Despite his grave injuries, Berthold managed to conjure a strained smile, rallying himself to speak.

"Someone's approaching!" The Asura warrior, who had ceased his horn-blowing, suddenly looked alarmed, his gaze fixed on a distant figure in a black robe. "A human cultivator from the vast expanses, and he... is not a Yang God!"

Upon hearing this, the Asura clansmen's faces fell, their expressions turning to those of utter despair. The Yang God form of a human cultivator, devoid of fleshly essence and composed purely of spiritual energy and soul power, infused with exotic treasures, was something they could easily identify.

If this human Great Cultivator did not possess the Yang God form, it was highly probable that he was of the Unrestrained Stage—a level of power they feared.

Facing an Unrestrained Stage human cultivator at such a critical juncture was tantamount to a death sentence.

"Your Highness, flee! We'll lay down our lives to cover your escape!" Berthold roared with the ferocity of a cornered beast, struggling to summon every last ounce of his bloodline's power. "Form up! Charge and let your sacrifice buy our Highness the chance to survive!"

Upon his command, more than a dozen Asura warriors, of both the Seventh and Eighth Levels, dispersed without a hint of fear. They were poised to launch themselves into battle, ready to trade their lives for the slim hope of Elena's survival.

"Stay put, everyone!"

Elena let out a huff and, despite the astonishment of the Asura Clan warriors, transformed into a streak of blood-colored light and soared toward Yu Yuan in the distance.

Upon her approach, Yu Yuan hesitated, then shook his head at her and gestured to the shattered earth beneath his feet.

With a whoosh, Yu Yuan vanished into thin air.

Elena touched down at the spot where Yu Yuan had stood and immediately noticed several bottles and jars on the hard, black stone, containing a viscous, brightly colored liquid.

She paused, a flicker of realization crossing her face as she grasped Yu Yuan's intent. Picking up the containers, she detected a faint trace of a lingering soul essence.

"Return to your Firefly Starfield."

A look of anxiety washed over Elena's striking features as she scanned the area for any sign of Yu Yuan, to no avail.

"Your Highness?"

"Princess Elena!"

The Asura clansmen and Berthold, concerned for her safety, called out loudly.

Several elder Eighth Level Asuras, disregarding her previous command, had followed in pursuit.

"I'm alright, no need to worry."

Turning, Elena saw Berthold, his mouth bleeding from his frantic calls, collapse from exhaustion.

She immediately dismissed the thought of rushing back to the warship. "The individual who left must have been an impostor posing as an Unrestrained Stage cultivator. Oh, practitioners from the Ancient Desolate Sect can traverse the skies in their true forms even at the Yang God Stage."

She fabricated a tale as she carefully stored away the bottles and jars left by Yu Yuan, then returned to her people.

Selecting the particular jar connected to Yu Yuan's soul consciousness, she poured its thick medicinal contents onto Berthold's chest.

As the liquid hardened and the wound began to scab, she probed further, her anxiety easing. "Uncle Berthold, you're going to be just fine."

"It was a practitioner from the Ancient Desolate Sect, what a fright. Some unique sects excel in physical cultivation, capable of soaring through the heavens in their true forms at the Yang God Stage."

"I feared we had encountered an Unrestrained Stage cultivator."

"Thankfully, that was not the case."

The Asura Clan warriors murmured among themselves, their eyes on Berthold with relief.

Berthold's face was flushed with color, indicating that the latent power of the Golden Rock Beast within his chest had finally been exhausted after several bursts.

They were reassured when they detected an exceptionally rich vitality that wasn't Berthold's emanating in the area.

"Your Highness?" one of them ventured.

"Stay here. I've got something to handle. Wait for me!" Elena, now at ease, hurried off without pressing for details about the Golden Rock Beast.

Shortly thereafter.

She reached the docking site of the damaged warship only to discover it deserted. Not only were Rong Xun and the others missing, but the Luan Bird Queen, who should have been in a deep slumber, was also absent from the cabin.

"You've left me behind once more!"

Elena's demeanor turned somber as she crouched despondently at the cabin entrance, her hands bracing against her knees. With her blood energy and faint soul sense, she reached out into the neighboring star systems.

But her search was fruitless.

Elena was well aware that even in a dormant state, the Luan Bird Queen was not someone others could easily approach.

Rong Xun and his group wouldn't dare, and strangers or those from other races wouldn't even think of it; they'd likely be swept away by her aura of death and destruction upon just entering the cabin.

Only Yu Yuan could approach her, lift her, and take her away from this vessel.

"Sending me back to the Firefly Starfield, was it for my own good? Just like before, did you think you and she would put me at risk? But you never sought my consent. You didn't ask if I was willing! Cursed fellow, this is the second time! Alright, if you won't let me follow, once I'm back in the Firefly Starfield, I'll head straight for the world of the Winged Race!"

After a long while, Elena, fists clenched, had made her decision.

She hadn't immediately given chase or scoured the area because she truly was concerned for Berthold and the others. She wanted to ensure her people were escorted safely, hoping they would come to no harm.

Those people had no idea how perilous the Illusion Starfield was at the moment. If they charged in recklessly, their fate could be even grimmer than what they faced in the Deep Starfield.

"This warship, once dismantled, could be used to repair the shattered chariots."

Elena's mind was abuzz with plans.

Before long, the battered warship roared to life and set a course for Berthold and the rest.

As Elena had predicted, Yu Yuan was accustomed to carrying the slumbering Luan Bird Queen on his back, gliding through the vast meteor sea. He would occasionally pause to rest and reorient himself.

The queen's spiritual power, vitality, and soul strength were all hidden, with no apparent anomalies. To Yu Yuan, the queen's combat prowess was even more enigmatic and inscrutable than in the Epitaxial Realm; her thoughts and condition were beyond his grasp.

Upon landing on a sizable meteor, Yu Yuan was taken aback by its scorching heat. He hesitated briefly but chose not to set Chen Qinghuang down. Instead, he invoked the "Glorious Heavenly Wheel" spiritual spell and detected intense flames of energy emanating from the dark red meteor, flowing vigorously into his lower dantian.

A realization struck him, "This is a fragment of a shattered sun!"

The Deep Starfield, like the Illusion Starfield, once had its own celestial bodies. However, a millennia-long racial war led to the destruction of its sun and moon, with the stars bursting apart to form the renowned Outer Battlefield.

"Let's stay here and absorb the sun's essence to recuperate."

He gently lowered Chen Qinghuang to the ground, keeping a watchful eye on her expression. Should she show the slightest discomfort, he was ready to halt his actions.

True to form, the face of the powerful empress remained serene and undisturbed.

Gazing upon her visage, one that seemed to belong only in the most beautiful of dreams, Yu Yuan was spellbound. He couldn't resist caressing the empress's cheek, marveling at the exquisite, jade-like softness.

Suddenly, her long eyelashes quivered.

Feeling as though he had been caught red-handed, Yu Yuan jerked back and swiftly turned away. He settled himself in meditation, focusing inward as he began to circulate the "Glorious Heavenly Wheel."

Meanwhile, the corners of the sleeping empress's mouth lifted into a graceful arc, as if she were silently scoffing at something with contempt.

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