C1257 Demon Tide
Yu Yuan ultimately refrained from any impulsive actions. His hesitation stemmed from uncertainty regarding the Abyssal Leviathan's presence in Brugeth and whether the cosmic giant beast could appear instantaneously. While Lin Zhuyun and the Ghoul King didn't intimidate him much, the Abyssal Leviathan was a different story. Thus, he opted for a calm approach, heeding Yan Ziyang's advice, and refrained from any unnecessary movements.
His patience was soon rewarded.
"He's left," Yan Ziyang announced, his demeanor composed, betraying no knowledge of the underlying situation. "The Ghoul is merely an extension of the controller's remnant soul. Rest assured, as long as we're cautious, he won't detect anything. My ability to conceal my aura is precisely why I've managed to survive in Brugeth all these years."
Yu Yuan offered his praise with a smile.
Within the confines of the Dragon Slaying Stage, a remnant soul materialized in a separate realm. This soul was not a Lunar Spirit; it lacked the capability to engage in spirited conversation with the ancient Frostfiend, to fight, or to execute any Spirit Magic. Its only function was to observe the situation inside.
The Ice Shard shattered, and the residual power of the empress was obliterated, much to the delight of the Sky Fiend. At that moment, the Sky Fiend was covertly harnessing fragments of the Ice Shard, collecting a portion of the extreme cold dragon power from the ninth and eighth level frost wyrms, and refining it into his demonform.
In this miniature world, there was more than one frost wyrm. Besides the tenth level Dragon God, there were its progeny. The Demon God level Sky Fiend, hampered by his injuries, could only siphon power from the ninth and eighth level frost wyrms.
As for the frost wyrm at the Dragon God level, he could do nothing but gaze longingly, powerless to act. The Sky Fiend continued to mutter to himself in amazement, clearly recognizing that he was within an extraordinary artifact as he whispered "Dragon Slaying Stage." Despite his initial hesitation, he continued to collect ice energy. It seemed he had discerned Yu Yuan's lack of malice, which emboldened him to act more freely.
Yu Yuan subtly nodded in agreement.
...
Hovering above the massive meteorite, Chu Yao, known as the Divine Healer, was deep in thought, contemplating the herbal composition of a pill. He hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings.
Suddenly, he detected an unusual disturbance.
"Silverscale Tribe!"
An Otherkin warrior, clad in gleaming scales yet shrouded in a thick death aura, descended upon the giant meteorite where Pei Yuling had vanished.
Chu Yao looked down, his face instantly registering shock.
The withered trees that blanketed the meteorite seemed, through Chu Yao's eyes, to be pulsating with an eerie glow, as if brimming with an insane vitality.
As the Silverscale Tribe warrior touched down, the withered branches impaled him.
The ashen branches, sharp as spears, effortlessly pierced the Ghoul's once-sturdy scales.
The branches then became supple and strong, entwining around the Ghoul like vines.
Before Chu Yao's very eyes, the Ghoul of the Silverscale Tribe was drained of its last vestiges of strength. As the branches constricted, the body quickly reduced to mere bones.
Not a trace of flesh remained.
This macabre spectacle sent shivers down Chu Yao's spine, and his thoughts turned to Pei Yuling.
"Mr. Pei, I hope he's safe."
With this thought, Chu Yao's gaze returned to the meteorite below, sensing from it an unnatural and frenzied vitality.
All the withered wood and bones appeared to be undergoing a bizarre transformation, as if a mysterious force from the earth's core had enveloped them.
Fixated on the meteorite, an uncontrollable yearning and impulse welled up within him.
The meteorite seemed to be beckoning him intensely, calling for him to descend...
The pull of the meteorite grew from a whisper to a roar, escalating steadily.
Chu Yao, whose willpower was faltering, soon felt lightheaded, his spiritual wisdom on the brink of collapse. He was tempted to succumb to the meteorite's allure and leap onto it.
Swoosh!
A Fire Lizard, driven by madness, leapt before Chu Yao, plummeting toward the meteorite.
But before the Fire Lizard could land, the withered branches, like sinister serpents, lunged forward and skewered the creature.
The clansman of the Fire Lizard tribe, a seventh-level being, was impaled and suspended in midair by a bizarre tree branch.
The branch resembled a narrow, steel spear—sharp, straight, and unyielding.
The Fire Lizard clansman, still aloft, rapidly lost all flesh and blood, his skin dissolving like wax until the branch had absorbed every last bit.
What remained was a bloodless skeleton, dangling from several segments of the branch, hollow and empty.
Chu Yao was jolted awake and called out from above the meteorite, "Mr. Pei? Mr. Pei, are you still there?"
After a prolonged silence with no response from Pei Yuling, Chu Yao hesitated only briefly before bowing deeply toward the meteorite below, his face etched with sorrow. "I apologize. I will inform the cultivators of the Everlands about the cause and location of your demise."
Realizing the meteorite's pull on him had intensified, he dared not delay any longer.
With a grit of his teeth, Chu Yao took flight, not daring to glance back even once.
...
"A Ghoul has been reduced to bones."
The Ghoul King, his presence reminiscent of the condensed Embers Sea, furrowed his brow and peered intently in a particular direction. "There, I sense a power that is out of the ordinary."
Unaffected by his surroundings, Lin Zhuyun continued to etch into the rock face of the opposite island, using Soul Power as her chisel.
A robust and towering man took shape before her, his features nearly complete when the image on the rock wall suddenly burst apart.
Lin Zhuyun, seemingly oblivious to the Ghoul King's words, refocused and resumed her drawing with a cold, concentrated gaze.
"I surmise that our Master would take an interest in that place."
The Ghoul King huffed lightly, no longer seeking Lin Zhuyun's counsel, and abruptly altered his course.
The now-diminished land navigated through a multitude of meteorites, making its way toward the intended destination.
...
Yu Yuan was startled awake.
The Dragon Slaying Stage, concealed within the small universe of his acupoints, trembled faintly, causing a slight throbbing pain that roused him from slumber.
With a swift motion, he summoned the elongated Dragon Slaying Stage and grasped it firmly in both hands.
His Lunar Spirit attempted to connect with the juvenile Titan Spinosaurus within the Dragon Slaying Stage, seeking to understand any unforeseen calamity that had befallen the young creature.
Soon, he received a definitive response.
Deep within the Brugeth, a meteor had begun to emit an eerie spatial disturbance!
This disturbance was connected to the Voidweaver!
The Dragon Slaying Stage was originally the World-Sundering Stone of the Voidweaver clan, the cocoon shed by their creator. As such, it was sensitive to the unique ripples associated with the Voidweaver.
The young beast also mentioned that the disturbance was luring the Dragon Slaying Stage toward it.
The young beast's advice was... to keep our distance.
"The renowned extraterritorial battlefield seems to be fraught with hidden dangers."
Yu Yuan pondered for a moment and decided to heed the young beast's advice, opting not to venture into that realm to avoid unnecessary complications.
But soon, the situation spiraled out of control.
...
A meteorite formed from a fragment of the sun.
Elena, Berthold, and a group of robust Shura warriors encircled the small meteorite.
"There are cultivators from the Ruby Hand inside, gathering solar flames to temper their Solar Spirit Bodies."
Berthold grunted, "Just after their transformation into Solar Spirits, cultivators from the Ruby Hand and the Sunlit Order seek out such meteorites created by the sun's explosion upon entering the Brugeth."
"Ruby Hand."
With a raised eyebrow, Elena leaped down.
"Come out!"
...
