C1313 What Should Come Would Eventually Come!
Three colossal altars, heaped with the severed heads of various races, emerged from the underground of the Spirit World. These ancient altars, overgrown with withered grass, emitted a thick, sinister aura that oppressed the spirit.
As countless heads came into view, the faces of many onlookers in the sky contorted with horror. Beru, Leo, and Denise, in particular, were visibly enraged, unable to turn a blind eye to Diggs' atrocities any longer. Among the heads, it was clear that some belonged to their fellow Starborn, including young men and children...
Yu Yuan's expression grew grave at the sight. He had long been aware of the Uxthar Tree's malevolence, but the sheer number of heads was still a shock to him. He could only imagine the tens of millions of bodies that must be buried beneath the Spirit World. After all, those heads had once been attached to bodies, which were likely concealed below.
In the Spirit World alone, there were three massive altars, each spanning a hundred acres, and they were adorned with a staggering number of heads. According to the rumors Yu Yuan had heard, similar sacrificial rituals had taken place in the Brugeth Astral Domain, not just in the Spirit World. Diggs' loyal followers were conducting the same macabre sacrifices in other Domains as well.
How many lives had been taken in this slaughter? This thought weighed heavily on Yu Yuan, and he looked upon the Uxthar Tree with utter revulsion. It was no wonder that he felt compelled to shatter it with the Dragon Slaying Stage, to obliterate its branches and roots completely. His face set in a grim line, he pondered.
"Is this the cost of the Uxthar Tree's manifestation?"
The young Starchild, Leo, was seething with rage at the sight of the Starborn heads below. "Diggs, seduced by the Origin Deity of the Origin Realm, sought to resurrect their Ancestral Tree. But why did he have to kill our people? Why should our Starborn be his sacrificial lambs?!"
Beru remained silent.
"Great Sage, regardless of your past with him, Diggs must be brought to justice!" Leo declared, his face a portrait of righteous fury. "I don't care what the future holds for the Brugeth; I will not back down! Even if it means meeting my end here, I, Leo, will fight to honor our fallen kin and seek the justice they deserve!"
Beru's face was etched with sorrow, and he found himself without words.
Denise's eyes, gazing upon Leo in that moment, twinkled like the stars themselves.
Truly, Leo is the future of the Starborn, the pride of our entire people!
She praised him silently in her heart.
Brie, rising slowly from his crouch, gripped his wooden scepter tightly and pointed it towards the silent Diggs. "Your kin have already evacuated Brugeth. If you're so intent on sacrifice, why not offer your own children and grandchildren to the Ancestral Tree?"
The words were spoken with a heavy heart by the current chieftain of the Shadowkin, his voice laden with sorrow and fury.
Yu Yuan, meanwhile, cast a peculiar look towards Beru.
Beru had earned Diggs' respect for a critical reason: after Diggs' misfortune, numerous dominant families of the Shadowkin had begun a relentless pursuit of his progeny.
It was likely known to them that among the Shadowkin being sacrificed were their own kin.
Beru, the Great Sage of the Starborn, had covertly sheltered Diggs' descendants, securing them a safe haven within his own Astral Domain, ensuring that Diggs' lineage would not be extinguished.
In gratitude, Diggs had urged Beru to depart before the catastrophe struck, even permitting him to take his kin, Leo and Denise, with him.
"They have merely returned to the Ancestral Tree's embrace. My family and kin have long revered the Ancestral Tree and will continue to serve it faithfully. There's no need for them to hasten their return."
Diggs showed no remorse in the face of Brie's condemnation or the manifestation of the three altars.
He wore an air of entitlement.
His rationale was clear: if all Shadowkin owed their lives to the Ancestral Tree, then it was only natural for them to lay down those lives for its resurgence.
Why should the deaths of other races' clansmen be of any concern?
Deep within Diggs' psyche was the indelible mark of the Uxthar Tree, guiding his every action towards the flourishing of the Ancestral Tree, his own immortality, and the enduring might of the Shadowkin.
To him, Brie, now occupying the seat of the Patriarch, was nothing more than an obstacle to the Ancestral Tree and his own ambitions.
"Enough chatter."
Chen Qinghuang hovered in the void, her eyes cold and untroubled by the squabbling below.
The numerous heads on the altar and the argument between Brie and Diggs seemed meaningless to her; she was focused solely on expediting the battle's progression.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The gray-white lightning that had been sapping Brie's power vanished with her command, and she retracted all her death force.
"You can fight now, without any reservations."
Impatient, she urged Brie to cut the unnecessary talk.
"I've realized something. You will never destroy the Star River Domain of the Shadowkin. Your earlier threats were just that—empty threats."
Brie looked up, his weathered yet handsome face breaking into an enigmatic smile.
"The Astral Domains of the Shadowkin and the Wingkind have always been adjacent. The Wingkind dwell in lush forests, building homes high in the towering trees, while the Shadowkin draw plant essence from the flora to fortify their bloodlines."
Brie's soft laughter trailed off, leaving his statement intentionally incomplete.
Yet those who heard him pondered the curious relationship between the Shadowkin and the Wingkind, sensing the truth in his words.
Yu Yuan's gaze drifted to Chen Qinghuang.
The empress, a vision of beauty, remained stoic, yet a slight twitch of her mouth betrayed her thoughts. "The wisdom passed down from your ancestors suggests the Shadowkin were protectors of the Wingkind. The elders made you believe the Wingkind were dependents, thriving only by clinging to your kind."
"Is that not the case?" Brie asked, taken aback.
Beru, Diggs, Moore, Wei Zhuo, and the others were equally astonished by Chen Qinghuang's revelation.
In the current extraterrestrial Star River, the Shadowkin are regarded as the pinnacle of intelligent life, the first level.
The Wingkind, in contrast, cannot measure up to the second-level Stoneborn, Silverscale Tribe, or enchantresses.
At best, they are considered third-level intelligent life in the extraterrestrial realm.
The Wingkind have been seen as a vassal group to the Shadowkin, surviving with their aid and fending off invasions from other races.
"A hundred thousand years ago, it was the other way around," Chen Qinghuang stated icily.
A single stone caused a thousand ripples!
The secular bird had perished a hundred thousand years ago, beaten to death in the Annihilation Nebula.
According to her, before her death, it was the Wingkind who were the vassals, dependent on the Shadowkin for their very survival!
"You're aware that the Wingkind live atop towering ancient trees, constructing their homes there. You, on the other hand, have always lived beneath the trees. Even if roles have reversed now, the ingrained traditions and habits remain unchanged." Her Majesty's eyes brimmed with scorn.
The greylag beneath her raised its head high, crowing with pride.
The greylag's pride and her own haughtiness were strikingly similar.
The Shadowkin lived below the trees, while the Wingkind have always made their homes above, unchanged!
The greylag's cries conveyed just that message.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The massive snow bear of the Frostlands pounded its chest as broad as a mountain, sending snow scattering in all directions.
It seemed to be echoing the greylag's call, mocking Brie, Diggs, and all the Shadowkin, as well as the increasingly majestic Uxthar Tree.
It was mocking their presumptuousness!
Diggs, standing beneath the divine tree, looked up blankly at the towering Uxthar Tree, wondering: Could it really be as the secular bird claimed, that the Shadowkin of a hundred thousand years ago were reliant on the now insignificant Wingkind for existence?
The bloodline balance had shackled the supreme bloodlines of all the Shadowkin; none could live for a hundred thousand years.
The truth had long since been obliterated by time. Apart from the Ancestral Tree before him, who could reveal the facts?
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Perhaps provoked by Chen Qinghuang, the sharp branches of the Uxthar Tree launched a frenzied assault following the Ancestral Tree's surge in growth.
Indeed, the empress did not have to wait long.
Branches, etched with rules, lunged at Brie, while others surged towards the snow bear as if intent on delivering a harsh punishment.
Amidst the colorful ripples, it was as if thousands upon thousands of butterflies were dancing, converging from all directions.
The half-awake Voidweaver finally ventured beyond the Spirit World to coordinate with the Uxthar Tree's initiative, exerting pressure on the Frostlands' snow bear.
Moments later, the ninth-level giant snow bear saw its fluffy, snow-white fur teeming with colorful butterflies. It gazed at Yu Yuan with eyes full of pleading and an eagerness to please.
It was then that the Red Demon Bell, carrying Yuan Lianyao and Faang Yao of the Ruby Hand, came hurtling through the air with a sudden roar.
The wild flames in the eyes of both Yuan Lianyao and Faang Yao mirrored the same frenzied fire that had previously been kindled within the lured Otherkin and Zhu Huan.
