C1263 Demon Tide

Without any surprises, a mindless Eighth Level Golden Rock Beast was effortlessly slain by the Demon Blade. The entirety of the beast's flesh, blood, and even its Demon Soul were consumed by the Demon Blade.

Yu Yuan's spiritual awareness penetrated the blade and clearly observed the peculiar bloody world within. A new, larger orb of blood-colored light had appeared, but it paled in comparison to the seven other blood souls. Those seven were once masters of the Blood Prison, either Ninth Level Demon Kings or equally formidable beings of other races.

The larger orb of blood-colored light within the Demon Blade was sliced and ground down by the crisscrossing blood lights. At that moment, refined and pure blood energy began to flow from the hilt Yu Yuan grasped, carrying a soothing warmth as it willingly entered his palm. It then traveled through the veins in his palm, coursing towards his organs, bones, and muscles.

Yu Yuan's eyebrows quirked in response. He silently reflected and realized that the Life Altar, undergoing a transformation within his circulatory microcosm, had no intention of partaking in this bounty. His Heavenly Soul, deeply integrated with the altar, and the self-reliant Yang God no longer sought external aid. Yet, the complete unification of the Heavenly Soul and the altar would seemingly require more time.

"Evil Body Refining Skill!" With a slight shrug of his shoulders, the blood energy essence that had entered his body zipped away like golden spectral lightning, vanishing deep within his organs as the Devil Spell was activated. His heart throbbed powerfully, and his spleen, like parched earth, eagerly absorbed the golden lightning.

Moments later, he wore a look of lingering yearning. "There's ample room to further temper and fortify my body; I need more pure blood energy. It appears that hunting the great demons within the Demon Palace is hardly an arduous task for me."

"That is, as long as I can maintain my winning streak." With a bright smile, he tightened his grip on the Demon Blade. Glancing to his left, he soon spotted an Eighth Level blood-patterned beast charging blindly towards him.

Yu Yuan brandished his Demon Blade and advanced.

...

"Princess Elena, we should return to the Firefly Starfield. That is your true home," Berthold of the Asura Clan earnestly advised, hoping that the exceptionally talented young lady would cease her wanderings in the Deep Starfield. "Your combat prowess and the advancement of your bloodline should be focused in the Firefly Starfield. Your Highness, I believe you should even start preparing for the trials of the Dark Domain!"

The other Asura Clan warriors perched on the meteorite nodded in agreement.

Lately, they had all witnessed Elena's innate divine strength. Watching her wield her hammer and harness her bloodline's power, they understood the sheer destructive force she could unleash.

They were convinced that once Elena endured the Dark Domain's trials and became a distinguished Asura, she would undoubtedly surpass Lord Fernand and transform the Firefly Starfield into a sacred site for the Asura Clan.

"What's the rush? The Deep Starfield is bustling with excitement these days. Why not stay a bit longer and enjoy it?" Elena said, her voice exuding calm. She sat on the edge of the meteorite, propping her chin in her hands, gazing into the distance.

"I'm curious about the outcome in the Illusion Starfield. I wonder if Ciara and the others will enter the Outer Battlefield as well. I have a premonition that this place is becoming increasingly perilous, yet it's also brimming with opportunities."

Berthold spoke gravely, "Have you considered that the prodigies from the Primordial Yang Sect and the Profound Sky Sect might also flee to this location?"

"What's there to fear? The leader of the Star Race is in the Illusion Starfield, isn't he?" Elena replied nonchalantly.

"Our king's decisions have led us to diverge from the philosophies of many other clans," Berthold said cautiously, choosing his words with care. "The Star Race doesn't look kindly upon us."

Elena was about to mention that with Gheirat in the Illusion Starfield, the Star Race wouldn't dare to trouble her, but suddenly, her bloodline began to pulse intensely.

She fell silent at once, concentrating on the fluctuations within her bloodline. She could faintly discern specks of golden light converging toward a specific location.

"The Golden Rock Beasts are converging, rapidly moving toward one spot!" Elena exclaimed in surprise. As she spoke, she pulled a silver plate etched with intricate patterns from her chest and pointed to the Demon Blood of the Golden Rock Beast within it. "I can only track the Golden Rock Beasts' movements within a certain range."

Berthold and his companions quickly gathered to inspect the item before them. The blood of the Golden Rock Beast contained within the silver plate was their previous trophy, which they had entrusted to Elena. She had marked it onto the clan's vessels to track the movements of the Golden Rock Beasts. Their intention wasn't to hunt these creatures but to safely avoid them, as they were well aware that the Golden Rock Beasts in the galaxy hunted in packs and were rumored to be awaiting the arrival of Jin Lih.

With numerous Eighth Level Golden Rock Beasts and the Demon King Jin Lih himself, Berthold and the others knew they were outmatched. To slay even one could provoke the rest and bring about a deadly encirclement, a risk far too great to take.

"Has Jin Lih arrived?" Berthold pondered with a grave expression. "We're all aware that the vast Human Race has hidden crossings within the Outer Battlefield, the Galaxy Crossings that shift unpredictably. It's possible that Jin Lih used one of these to arrive and immediately issued a call to his kind."

This meant that all the dispersed Golden Rock Beasts would converge to greet him at once. Berthold's insight weighed heavily on the hearts of the Asura Clan warriors present.

"Let's move on. We won't take any chances. We'll find a new location first, then consider returning home," Elena advised with caution. Her words brought a collective sigh of relief from the Asura warriors.

Suddenly, a streak of black lightning, dark as ink, shot through a distant meteorite and vanished in the blink of an eye. Within the lightning, a formidable, naked male figure with a towering demonic aura could be faintly seen.

Berthold's blood ran cold at the sight, "A Ninth Level Great Demon!"

"He must have seen us, yet he didn't engage!" exclaimed an Asura warrior.

"Something's not right, very not right," Berthold murmured to himself.

...

On the frigid surface of the meteorite, Yu Yuan stood with the Demon Blade in hand, a chilling smile on his face as he regarded the unexpected visitor. The towering figure before him, dark as night with a curved horn atop his head, bore natural demonic patterns across the majority of his exposed skin. Here stood a Demon King in human form.

Unlike the Golden Rock Beasts and Blood Stripe Beasts that were easily slain, the dark-skinned giant before him still had a spark of intelligence in his brutal, bloodthirsty eyes. Clearly, his wits remained intact, not destroyed by the drop of blood from Chen Qinghuang.

"Blood Prison!"

As the dark giant landed, his eyes fell upon the Demon Blade, and he was visibly shocked.

"You recognize it?"

Yu Yuan brandished the Demon Blade, his wrist flicking to produce a series of bloody light rings, then pointed it at the Demon King, his battle spirit escalating steadily.

Within him, the Dragon Slash Platform, an Artifact-level power, was capable of binding and imprisoning foreign creatures, then methodically refining and obliterating them. He also possessed the sheath of the Optimus Sword, so sharp it could pierce through any barrier, utterly indestructible.

Armed with the tamed Demon Blade, Blood Prison, and his body, forged through relentless tempering, Yu Yuan felt no fear facing a Ninth Level Demon King, even without the full formation of his Yang God. And if all else failed, the Secular Bird slumbered beneath his feet—what was there to fear?

"Recognize it? Of course, I do. The blade's first master was once my leader," the burly man said with a wide grin, not rushing forward but instead scanning his surroundings. It was clear he had deduced Yu Yuan's origins. "I heard you vanished from the Dim Starfield with her. That drop of blood... it came from her, didn't it?"

Licking his lips with avarice, the burly man's body underwent a miraculous transformation as his Demon Marks morphed into cold, black scale armor, shielding his vital organs.

"Is she gravely injured?"

The hunger in the Demon King's eyes flared like hellfire at the thought of the legendary Secular Bird, possibly lying in a pool of its own blood within the meteorite below, as if he were glimpsing the very ladder to ascend to Demon God.

"Yes, she's gravely injured, on the brink of death," Yu Yuan exhaled.

In the cave, Yan Ziyang stole a glance at the peacefully slumbering Queen, his heart pounding in his chest.

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