C1310 Empress Was Furious!
Brie was cloaked in a dark green robe, which fluttered in the wind. The psionic power within it, brimming with the vitality of flora, scattered in all directions like a swarm of green fireflies. The colorful ripples, imbued with the Voidweaver's power of illusion, were scattered by these "fireflies" and could no longer coalesce.
Vast swathes of void were swiftly cleared by the dispersing "fireflies." Clearly, for a Mighty like Brie, the Voidweaver's petty illusions and dream seductions were ineffective.
With a handsome yet world-weary face, Brie stood upon his giant scepter, surveying the scene with an icy gaze. Beneath him, the greylag emitted a heart-wrenching cry. Its massive grey wings, broad as the land itself, no longer unleashed the flame of destruction. It seemed resigned to its fate, aware of the futility of struggle against Brie's divine power. The more it thrashed, the tighter the withered vines around its neck constricted. In stillness, the vines ceased their tightening, granting it a sliver of survival.
Through the colorful ripples, the greylag caught sight of a familiar, flawless silhouette above the Spirit World. A mysterious light ignited within its sorrowful, elongated eyes. The greylag ceased its cries, gazing at Qinghuang with a homesick fixation, silent as if it had finally glimpsed its long-lost homeland.
Yet, to any onlooker, it was evident that the greylag's renewed hope sparked from Chen Qinghuang's presence. It pinned all its aspirations and wistful dreams upon the empress.
"You're letting that tree thrive! You could have stopped the Abyssal Winged Lizard, kept those beings from marching to their demise in the Spirit World, but you chose not to," Brie spoke, his voice deep and weary, conveying a sense of utter exhaustion.
He appeared drained, perhaps from the relentless travel, but those familiar with him understood this was his usual demeanor.
"Ugh!" Yu Yuan, floating alongside Qinghuang, glanced down at the Spirit World. Upon seeing the Uxthar Tree that eclipsed the heavens, he instantly grasped the depth of Brie's implication.
The chieftain of the Shadowkin was not keen on seeing the Uxthar Tree thrive. His discontent stemmed from Chen Qinghuang's inaction.
He was well aware that Chen Qinghuang, who had arrived ahead of the rest, possessed the power to shatter the illusions cast by the Voidweaver, thereby freeing all beings within the Shattered Star from its enchanting deceptions.
Should Chen Qinghuang choose to intervene, the Mighty of various races, along with the Abyssal Winged Lizard, would not fall prey to the illusions and would avoid a futile demise in the Spirit World.
"What concern is the Shadowkin's internal strife to me?"
Across the expanse, the Empress arched her brows, and a cataclysmic flame of destruction, accompanied by waves of death, materialized near Brie.
The once-luminous space was now consumed by dark flames of destruction, which promptly incinerated Brie's fireflies.
The gray-white waves, brimming with the law of mortality, surged towards Brie with relentless force.
"If you slay him, once I regain my full strength, I will begin my dance in your Shadowkin's Astral Domain. You, a mere youth, will be branded as the Shadowkin's traitor, as one after another, your star seas will succumb to an eternal death, with the flames of destruction burning without end."
Chen Qinghuang's eyes, one pitch-black and the other a ghostly gray, conveyed her chilling message in a sing-song cadence. It painted a vivid picture for all listeners, one where the Shadowkin's Domain was engulfed in death and destruction, with all life extinguished and vegetation withered.
Within the Thunder Pool, Wei Zhuo's piercing gaze betrayed his alarm.
Xu Jingyao, Chu Yao, and the others were left in silent awe.
Beneath the Crucible of Evil, Leo and Denise, two young members of the Starborn, shuddered at the nightmare unfolding before them, their very bloodlines quaking in fear.
Even Diggs, positioned beneath the Uxthar Tree in the Spirit World, grew solemn at the Empress's ruthless words, not daring to take them lightly.
"Brie, that fool, has never encountered a secular bird before and has no clue how to interact with it!" Diggs inwardly raged.
He had collaborated with the Voidweaver and was privy to the teachings of the Uxthar Tree. As such, he understood the chilling indifference that the extraordinary beings born at the dawn of time held towards the creatures of this era.
There were numerous races that had been wiped out by the secular bird.
If the greylag indeed perished, and Qinghuang survived her departure from Brugeth, only to soon after regain her full strength and revert to her complete secular bird form...
The thought alone sent shivers down Diggs' spine.
Even if he were to slay Brie, gain immortality through the divine tree, and assume Brie's role as the leader of the Shadowkin, what would it matter if the secular bird razed all the Astral Domains where the Shadowkin resided? What meaning would his existence hold then?
Diggs was growing increasingly agitated.
"Ah..."
Beru, the Starfallen Oracle of the Starborn, sighed softly before ascending into the sky.
After seeking and receiving a nod of consent from Yu Yuan, Beru descended into the Crucible of Evil. Standing at the edge, he gazed across the expanse and greeted, "Brie, it's been a while."
Tens of millions of miles away, the aged man with the greylag's neck entwined by withered vines from the giant scepter, expressed his surprise, "Elder Beru."
Brie was momentarily taken aback by the empress's words, his emotions surging like a tempest.
He had only ever heard legends of the secular bird and had never before encountered one. He certainly hadn't anticipated that it would use the entire Domain of the Shadowkin as leverage against him.
He felt trapped, as if he were riding a tiger with no way to dismount.
His initial plan was to control the greylag to shatter the Voidweaver's vast illusions, allowing the ensnared beings to escape the Spirit World.
Then, to halt the growth and manifestation of the Uxthar Tree.
But...
The secular bird was impervious to threats!
Beyond the sky-consuming flame of destruction that continued to ravage the released plant spirits, the potent death force undulated towards him like relentless waves, showing no signs of abating.
Overwhelmed, Brie turned his gaze to the greylag, whose cries had ceased.
The greylag, with its ninth-level bloodline, was a master of numerous arcane arts and frequently roamed the territory of the Wingkind. Rumors suggested it had murky ties with a band of outlaws who ruled over the Dissolving Fortress.
Moreover, the greylag had been spotted in the Shadowkin's Domain, leaving traces throughout various forests.
Brie was convinced that members of the Shadowkin had perished at the hands of this greylag. Thus, he had intentionally captured the creature, leveraging it as leverage while the secular bird had yet to reach its pinnacle state.
"Brie, heed my counsel. Do me this honor and release the greylag," Beru called out.
"But I..." Brie's face twisted with conflict. He held great respect for Beru, admiring his conduct and vast knowledge.
Yet, the greylag had slain Shadowkin members, and the secular bird seemed intent on witnessing the Uxthar Tree's growth. These were his justifications.
"You are the leader of your people! You must consider the greater good. Do you wish to keep the entire Shadowkin in perpetual dread?" Beru's voice boomed.
"Brie!" Diggs, from within the Spirit World, also let out a timely, furious roar.
His roar, along with Beru's commanding shout, surged towards Brie's location.
The Shadowkin patriarch's frame jolted as he watched the relentless advance of the death force, seemingly indifferent to the greylag's fate...
"I relent!" Brie, conceding as if in defeat, called out to Chen Qinghuang, and along with the giant scepter, he released his hold on the greylag.
The serpentine vines coiled around the greylag's neck also unraveled and flew away.
The greylag responded with a triumphant cry, confident that the secular bird, on its path to renewal, would surely come to its rescue. Worst case, even if it perished, the return of that individual's power would grant it rebirth!
"Why provoke her?" Beru reprimanded Brie with a glare, silently conveying his thoughts, "You truly don't grasp the extent of her terror. Her leniency towards the tree's growth doesn't necessarily make her an enemy."
Brie, perched atop the giant scepter, remained silent, his mind awash with turbulent thoughts.
At that moment, he finally noticed that Beru was standing atop a massive black cauldron. Recalling the legends of the secular bird and Yu Yuan, he instantly realized that the individual within the cauldron must be the human youth rumored to be deeply entwined with the Boulderdawn sect.
His thoughts then turned to his son, Kennard, and the circulating rumors.
"It's unrelated to Yu Yuan. The act was committed by a Shura from the Dark Realm. If you're seeking vengeance, Sabonis is the one you're after," Beru intuited his thoughts and offered a well-meaning tip, "I witnessed it firsthand. You can trust me."
Brie nodded, then demanded with rising fury, "And what are you planning to do now?"
The ashen wave of death that was advancing toward him showed no signs of abating, even after he had released the greylag. It continued its relentless approach!
Whoosh!
A vibrant green light burst forth from Chen Qinghuang, traversing thousands of miles in a mere moment!
Yu Yuan and Beru, who were nearest to her, could distinctly sense the cataclysmic surge of vitality.
"Is it the Solar Spirit? Or her true form?"
In that instant, even the Starfallen Oracle, Beru, was perplexed, unable to discern the nature of the tender green apparition.
He was uncertain about the current state of the secular bird—whether it was a human or a cosmic giant beast still in the midst of its metamorphosis.
"It appears to be the Solar Spirit. That's my sense," Yu Yuan marveled, equally baffled, yet he detected an immense and seemingly inexhaustible vital energy emanating from the departing green light.
This entity was likely a unique form of Solar Spirit, a fusion of soul and blood, akin to the ancient archdemons of the Everlands.
An eerie cry followed.
The destructive flames and overwhelming waves of death encroaching upon Brie intensified, as the empress's silhouette seemed to materialize in mere moments.
In a flash, she spanned the vast expanse of tens of thousands of miles.
Yan Qiling was awestruck, "Is this the natural divine power of a cosmic giant beast? To traverse an entire Astral Domain in the blink of an eye?"
