C1308 The Ninth Level Alien Beast

After receiving affirmation, Yu Yuan reexamined Qiyan atop the silver-white meteor in the void. The Crypt Clan member possessed by Qiyan was slight in build, his flesh beneath the skin intermingled with Qiyan's seven toxic streams, emitting a decaying, acrid scent. A tendril of consciousness, accompanied by a soul-piercing cry, reached out to Yu Yuan. Within this wave of awareness, memories and peculiar patterns interwove, precisely detailing the enigma of Qiyan, unaffected by the Uxthar Tree.

The empress, disinclined to engage in lengthy discourse, employed an extraordinary method befitting her transcendent nature to impart her message directly into Yu Yuan's mind. She explained that all things have their counterbalances; Qiyan, born of the Rainbow Ocean and merged with an alien soul, had refined a unique liquid life form. Qiyan, in truth, already possessed a body—his seven venomous rivers were his very form.

The Rainbow Ocean, a wondrous and bizarre expanse within the Everlands, was dotted with swamps and draped in a vibrant miasma cloud, resembling a dense fog. Amidst this, many exotic flora thrived on the potent miasma. Qiyan, nurtured there, drew upon the miasma's essence, solidifying into a liquid entity with its own arcane qualities.

The sharpest branches, capable of cleaving gold and shattering stone, were futile against Qiyan's liquid stream form. Neither the Uxthar Tree nor the other grotesque trees could assimilate Qiyan. Attempting to do so would be counterproductive, sullying their inherent powers.

Unkillable and unassimilable, the Uxthar Tree indeed found itself at an impasse with Qiyan. The queen's consciousness also revealed to Yu Yuan that Qiyan's confinement within the Spirit World was due to the constraints imposed by the butterfly, not the Uxthar Tree.

Initially, the Voidweaver was known by two other names: Dream Butterfly and Illusion Butterfly. Its strife with her was not a result of grievous wounds. Currently, the Butterfly was unleashing the secret arcane arts of dreams and illusions it had mastered in its earlier years as the Dream and Illusion Butterfly.

It could only sustain the enchanting powers of dreams and illusions in its current state of semi-consciousness. This state was the very reason why beings from across Brugeth were ensnared by the illusions, drawn inexorably one by one.

Once the butterfly fully awakened, the illusions would fade away.

The empress herself was at a loss as to why the butterfly bound Qiyan, preventing him from leaving the Spirit World or being absorbed by the Uxthar Tree.

A mere flicker of consciousness conveyed it all.

Yu Yuan, too, grasped the entirety of the situation in a mere moment.

He learned from the empress that the peculiar fiend Qiyan was not only immune to the Uxthar Tree's influence but might also prove to be an unexpected ally against it when the time came.

Nonetheless...

After observing Qiyan with a detached air, Yu Yuan ultimately shook his head and said, "There's no need. I don't require your assistance. As you can see, I am not ensnared by the Spirit World, nor am I bound by any constraints. And you, unable to even break free from the Spirit World, what grounds do you have to make such bold claims?"

The green flames burning in the eyes of Qiyan, now inhabiting a member of the Crypt Clan, flickered out abruptly.

His profound disappointment was evident.

With a hiss, Diggs of the Shadowkin pointed at Qiyan, conjuring delicate spatial blades out of thin air.

Pei Yuling called out, "Mirror of the Infinite!" and directed it toward Qiyan's location.

Wherever the Mirror of the Infinite passed, the space seemed to freeze; the air stilled, and all plants, psionic powers, and Soul Power appeared to halt momentarily.

"You cannot kill me."

Qiyan's defiant voice echoed from within the Crypt Clan member. In a flash, his seven toxic streams darted off like bolts of lightning in seven different directions.

The attacks from Diggs and Pei Yuling, consisting of spatial blades and void seals, proved futile against him.

Onlookers above were astonished to see that the seven streams Qiyan had released could merge back into one, regardless of their previous distance or condition.

A dark brown venomous stream, previously immobilized by Pei Yuling's Mirror of the Infinite, was sliced into segments by Diggs's spatial blades. Yet, in the next moment, it reappeared intact among the other five venomous streams.

Qiyan's Soul Power and the toxins within the streams remained undiminished.

Within a certain spatial range, the venomous streams Qiyan had refined were eternally interconnected and could be summoned instantaneously.

"This artifact truly has its own tricks. It's the only one that can strut around the Spirit World, alive and kicking," Yan Qiling squinted, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Why won't you agree to his offer? I think he's even more unique than Peach Madam, whom you've introduced to us."

Peach Madam, also known as Hu Caiyun, was once a notorious cultivator from the evil sects of the Rainbow Ocean. She and Hei Xun had once charged into the extraterrestrial realms together. Recognizing Yu Yuan's exceptional abilities, she wisely chose to follow him and was subsequently recommended to join the Boulderdawn, where she is now a member.

Yan Qiling pondered why, if Hu Caiyun had been recommended and accepted, there was any hesitation in accepting Qiyan, especially considering the current circumstances where Qiyan could serve as a strategic asset against the Uxthar Tree.

"He's not suitable," Yu Yuan stated flatly. Lacking the empress's magical means, he couldn't convey all the unsettling events that had occurred since his encounter with Qiyan in Zekrica to Yan Qiling. He simply explained, "He won't trust any power or person. Given the opportunity, he would betray anyone for his own gain."

"I understand," Yan Qiling nodded, grasping the situation.

Time passed, and then the Flame Spear, carrying Xu Jingyao, blazed across the sky like a fiery meteor, capturing everyone's attention.

Yu Yuan observed closely as Xu Jingyao's Solar Spirit, engulfed in the downpour of Flame Spears, descended into madness. His spiritual wisdom was lost, seemingly infecting the artifact soul of the Flame Spear itself, causing the soul within the Divine Artifact to mirror his frenzy.

From the Thunder Pool, a massive thunder vortex swirled as Wei Zhuo, with his sword-like eyebrows and icy demeanor, sharply called out, "Xu Jingyao!"

With a thunderous boom, the Thunderhammer burst forth from the vortex, trailed by spheres of green thunder. The eight towering figures at the edge of the Thunder Pool roared deafeningly.

The jolt momentarily sobered the artifact soul within the Flame Spear. Onlookers watched as the fiery meteor abruptly veered, heading straight for Wei Zhuo and the thunder vortex.

With a whoosh, Wei Zhuo suddenly unleashed his Divine Visage, into which eight immense lightning silhouettes merged, enhancing its grandeur. The once colossal Thunder Pool now resembled a belt of interwoven lightning encircling his towering Divine Visage.

Wei Zhuo's Divine Visage extended an arm dense with electric power, seizing a deep red spear. In that moment, the shower of flame meteors vanished without a trace.

Another whoosh sounded as the Flame Spear and Xu Jingyao were violently yanked into the thunder vortex by Wei Zhuo's Divine Visage.

Wei Zhuo then contracted back into his normal human form and extended his hand towards Chu Yao, commanding, "Give it here!"

Chu Yao, not daring to defy him, reluctantly produced a pill resembling a glossy red fruit.

Upon the pill's emergence, those with keen senses detected an unusual scent, soothing and calming to the spirit. Even within the Spirit World, Zhu Huan, who was being relentlessly assailed by the ancient wood's branches, ceased his frantic outcries, seemingly gaining a flicker of spiritual wisdom.

Wei Zhuo hesitated for a brief moment but then resolutely forced the pill into Xu Jingyao's mouth.

The pill, once ingested, unfurled like an octopus extending its tentacles, its mysterious red filaments intertwining with Xu Jingyao's soul threads, gradually drawing him back from his delirious state.

"Thank you, Senior Wei," Xu Jingyao quickly offered his thanks, his face then clouding with concern as he gestured towards the Fire Star in the Spirit World, under siege by the massive branches. "What about Elder Zhu from my sect?"

"He entered this peculiar Spirit World before I did," Wei Zhuo replied, shaking his head with a composed demeanor. "There's a force here potent enough to annihilate me. If I don't descend, I'll share the same fate as Brother Zhu."

Xu Jingyao's complexion drained of color. He held great respect for Zhu Huan and, having experienced it firsthand, he was acutely aware of the Spirit World's extraordinary dangers. With Wei Zhuo's warning, he dared not recklessly plunge into the Spirit World to attempt a rescue.

Looking up, Xu Jingyao's gaze shifted to the other side of the void, where Yu Yuan, Yan Qiling, and Beru were standing. His heart lurched at the sight of Beru.

Ballo hasn't arrived in the Brugeth. If it's just those few, they won't be able to kill us. What we really need to watch out for is Her Majesty the Empress. No one knows to what extent she has recovered," Wei Zhuo said gravely.

Xu Jingyao nodded and asked, "So we're just going to stand by and watch?"

"For now, we watch."

A quarter of an hour later.

A thousand-meter-long Abyssal Winged Lizard, shattering obstructing asteroids into dust, roared into view.

This extraterrestrial alien beast was several times larger than the peculiar ship Yu Yuan had encountered in the Moonfall Sanctuary.

The previous one, only three hundred meters long, had been slain by the Devil Palace and its massive body refined into a luxurious vessel, complete with pavilions for the Devil Palace's elites to relax.

"I didn't eat it. It was lucky to escape, only to be lured here by an illusion," Chen Qinghuang said, licking her lips.

Beru, Yan Qiling, and the others, upon hearing this and observing her actions, felt a shiver run down their spines.

Yan Ziyang silently increased the distance between himself and her.

As a participant, Yan Ziyang was aware of the horrific beast tide triggered by her single drop of green blood.

The Tar-Backed Bull, Yanli, Ogeus, and numerous other alien beasts had been drawn to the scene.

Ogeus had managed to flee thanks to the Voidweaver's intervention, while the Tar-Backed Bull and Yanli perished.

Unexpectedly, this nearly thousand-meter-long, terrifying Abyssal Winged Lizard had also been attracted by her blood. Had it not been for the Voidweaver's meddling, it too would have fallen prey to the Empress.

"It's also one of them?" Yu Yuan exclaimed in surprise.

Legend had it that the Abyssal Winged Lizard carried the lineage of the Abyssal Greater Basilisk. This one, with its body seemingly forged from black iron and eyes gleaming with a savage madness, was far more intimidating than the lifeless ship-beast he had seen in the Moonfall Sanctuary. It was clearly not to be trifled with.

"Yes," Chen Qinghuang confirmed with a nod. "And there's another one on the way."

...