C1345 Destroyer
Hatred and satisfaction were evident in Ciara's eyes, unmasked and raw.
She had encountered the Stardust Blade on her way and suffered injuries at the hands of Ji Ningshuang.
Luckily, she found refuge in the chilling realm below, eluding Ningshuang's pursuit and healing her wounds.
She certainly didn't wish for Ningshuang's well-being!
Moreover, the swordsmanship Ningshuang demonstrated was even more brutal than what the Shura records suggested, which only heightened her unease.
She feared the emergence of another Grand Sword Immortal like Nie Qingtian within the Sword Sect.
Gu Xingkui, the "Sword of Gaia," remained secluded in the Everlands, and his rare extraterrestrial appearances hadn't caused much of a stir, so Ciara wasn't concerned about him.
It was the mythical "Titanblade" that truly terrified her!
The mere presence of the River of Swords revealed to her the extent of Nie Qingtian's formidable power!
In her view, Ji Ningshuang possessed the potential for sky-reaching lethality.
"Earth-Tethered Cage?"
Yu Yuan, perched atop the sword sheath as a phantom spirited body, was visibly shaken upon hearing Ciara mention the artifact.
He had a nagging sense of familiarity with the Earth-Tethered Cage, accompanied by a tinge of unease.
It didn't take long for him to realize that his former self held memories related to the Earth-Tethered Cage!
The fact that he had a clearer recollection of the Earth-Tethered Cage than of the snow bear from his past life indicated the artifact's significance.
Indeed!
With a frosty demeanor, Ciara declared, "This item is incomparable to the Heartthumper Drum. The Earth-Tethered Cage is a genuine holy weapon! In ancient times, the mightiest warriors of our Shura used it to hunt down the Nagas!"
Her expression shifted subtly as she continued, "It shares a curious similarity with your Dragon Slaying Stage. Quite the coincidence."
"Dragon hunting?"
Yu Yuan's heart raced. His Lunar Spirit soared into the cosmos, unable to discern the surroundings of the River of Swords. Therefore, he connected to the Dragon Slaying Stage, leveraging its expansive view.
Even so, he could only discern small stars orbiting the flowing River of Swords.
The Shura experts, the so-called Earth-Tethered Cage, and the glow of the Stardust Blade were nowhere to be seen.
"I can't even see it. How could you possibly see it?"
Ciara scoffed, "Ji Ningshuang's sword light shone briefly before the Great General imprisoned her with the Earth-Tethered Cage. Let me be frank with you. It's not just Ji Ningshuang, but Du Yuan, Yue Mu, and any other Sword Immortal bold enough to enter the Glimmerdrift Nebula will meet their end by the River of Swords!"
"Gu Xingkui attacked the Dire Bear in the deep sea first. Du Yuan and Yue Mu charged into the Glimmerdrift afterward."
"What? You think we're pushovers just because our king is wounded?"
"..."
Ciara said, her anger palpable.
Yu Yuan was about to interject when his expression abruptly shifted.
Still observing from the Dragon Slaying Stage below, he noticed in the Silent Star River, closer to the Frozen Wastes, there were slender, luminous streaks of sword light racing through the void like meteors.
Among those streaks, he recognized the signature of the Rillrender and knew Yue Mu was part of the fray.
Piecing together Ciara's words, he quickly realized that following Ji Ningshuang, the Sword of Destruction and the Rillrender, wielded by Du Yuan and Yue Mu, had led several Solar Spirit Sword Immortals into the Glimmerdrift Nebula.
"This is becoming quite complicated," Yu Yuan muttered, his brow furrowed. He understood that with Alonso, the Shura's Great Commander, present and having deployed the Earth-Tethered Cage against Ji Ningshuang, the Shura would not back down easily.
Gu Xingkui of the Sword Sect had struck first against the snow bear, Ji Ningshuang had wounded Ciara, and Du Yuan, Yue Mu, and others had flouted the rules of the forbidden area by entering one after the other.
Was this not a blatant affront to the Shura?
Alonso was no pushover. With the Blood King Sabonis severely injured and forced into the Dark Realm, he couldn't afford to show weakness. Otherwise, the major powers across the Star River would perceive the Shura as fading.
They must think the Shura have no one of worth left!
Alonso is determined to reclaim honor for the Shura through the Sword Sect and restore their former glory.
"The River of Swords and the Frozen Wastes we're in are steadily converging," Yu Yuan mumbled to himself, intent on quickly completing the forging of the Solar Spirit.
He was indifferent to the fates of Du Yuan and Yue Mu.
His concern was solely for Ji Ningshuang.
In his mind, if the River of Swords and this realm collided, it wouldn't matter if Du Yuan, Yue Mu, and the other Sword Sect cultivators perished.
As long as Ji Ningshuang was unharmed and alive, he would spare no effort to rescue her.
"They're all going to die, every single one! The Grand General has taken action. Not one of the Sword Sect's Sword Immortals will live to tell the tale!" Ciara declared with a sinister grin.
"Would you be so kind as to relay a message to your Grand General? I wish to see the Stardust Blade alive," Yu Yuan suddenly interjected.
"You?"
Ciara gave him a sidelong glance and shook her head, "I'm not sure why the Dire Bear favors you. But with your identity, status, level of cultivation, and combat prowess, you're in no position to make demands."
As a platinum Shura in possession of the Frost Well, Ciara had little regard for Yu Yuan.
Her understanding of him was also lacking.
Given Yu Yuan's close ties with the Boulderdawn, and considering that Sabonis had been gravely wounded by them, not to mention Yu Yuan's mastery of the Nine Celestial Slashes, her discontent grew.
Back in the Kuvrepros, they had been forced to ally temporarily due to overwhelming pressure from Cao Jiaze and his peers.
In her heart, she still treated him as an adversary.
She couldn't fathom the stroke of luck that had earned Yu Yuan the Dire Bear's favor. Did he really think he could strut around the Glimmerdrift Nebula with impunity?
And now he expected her to convey a message to the Grand General? What made Yu Yuan think he had that privilege?
Ciara scoffed internally, her expression one of mockery.
"Very well..."
Yu Yuan, standing atop the Lunar Spirit above the sword sheath, gave a slight nod.
For some unknown reason, Ciara sensed a whiff of danger. She scanned her surroundings but saw nothing amiss. With a hint of mockery, she said, "If you were a God-King from Boulderdawn or a Dark Deity from Shadow's Keep, I'd relay a message for you. Sadly, you're nothing of the sort. You haven't even managed to refine a Solar Spirit."
Whoosh!
The Dragon Slaying Stage, glowing with a pristine luminescence, shot up from the Frozen Wastes below and materialized abruptly before Ciara.
She was taken aback.
In the next instant, to her amazement, she discovered that Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit had slipped into the Dragon Slaying Stage, while the sword sheath, swirling with fierce sword's will, descended toward the stars beneath.
As she grappled with her bewilderment, the elongated Dragon Slaying Stage burst forth with a blinding brilliance that left her dazzled!
And in a mere breath, it zipped away from under her watchful gaze, heading for the nearest Domain shrouded in cold fog, relative to the shifting star.
That Domain, eternally static, was home to the Shura.
What is this kid up to?
Ciara's brow furrowed, a sense of disquiet creeping over her. She hastily harnessed the Frost Well and pursued to uncover the truth.
In the Otherworld, where snowflakes drifted, stood majestic mountains thousands of meters high, and atop the ice field, a Shura city was nestled, surrounded by towns and villages.
Many Shura, with bloodline levels of merely fifth or fourth level, and some even lower, lived here, content and undisturbed.
Out of nowhere, a rare stone capable of rending heaven and earth pierced through the fragile wall barrier!
As soon as the rare stone emerged, it headed for the uninhabited snowy mountains.
Boom! Boom!
The mountains crumbled and collapsed in the wake of the rare stone's passage.
Every Shura clansman residing in this Domain felt the earth quake and the mountains shatter, sending them into a panic.
Since the Glimmerdrift Nebula had been declared a forbidden area by the Everlands, for millennia, neither humans nor archdemons had set foot here.
For this reason, the Shura here had largely been spared from the incursions of the Everlands.
They could never have fathomed that their Domain would one day face such a calamity.
Had it not been for the keen-eyed Shura who spotted the massive rare stone, they might have mistaken the event for a natural disaster rather than human intervention.
Whoosh!
Yu Yuan, wielding the Lunar Spirit to maneuver the Dragon Slaying Stage, effortlessly pierced through an ice peak before his thoughts shifted, bringing the platform to an abrupt halt.
From his position on the Dragon Slaying Stage, he gazed back at the mountain range now pockmarked with gaping holes.
In an instant, over a dozen snowy mountains and ice peaks had been demolished, sending a deluge of rocks and ice boulders crashing down, pitting the earth with craters.
The devastation left in his wake momentarily dazed him...
He considered how fortunate it was that the wall of the Everlands had remained unbreachable for millennia!
Had the formidable Otherkin been able to breach it, the picturesque landscapes and human realms of the Everlands would have been obliterated in a flash.
He had, in truth, shown considerable restraint.
In this frigid Domain, there were three city-states no larger than the City of Silvermoon, with the mightiest Shura possessing only a sixth-level bloodline.
Had he chosen to unleash the full force of the Dragon Slaying Stage without restraint, those three Shura Kingdoms would have been wiped out in a snap.
It wouldn't take long for him to ravage the entire modest world, its glaciers, and wastelands.
His restraint was largely due to the fact that all the Shura of the Glimmerdrift Nebula had once heeded Fernand's commands and would henceforth pledge allegiance to Elena.
"Yu Yuan! How dare you!"
Ciara's enraged howl echoed from the starry expanse beyond the wall.
Through the Dragon Slaying Stage's vision, Yu Yuan could clearly see the platinum Shura unleashing the full might of the Frost Well, its force resembling an icy gale.
"You refuse the offered wine, only to be forced to drink the bitter cup."
Yu Yuan, with the Dragon Slaying Stage at his command, stood resolute in the void, silently awaiting Ciara's approach.
"Fool! Do you realize what you're doing?"
Moments later, Ciara, wielding the Frost Well, shattered the wall and set foot within the Domain.
"Platinum Shura!"
"A Shura on par with Lord Fernand himself!"
"Oh my god!"
The keen-eyed Shura caught sight of Ciara's spines, shimmering like crafted platinum, and instantly surmised her elevated status. Overcome with excitement, she let out an ecstatic shriek.
