C1352 The Exciting News
Yu Yuan and the snow bear had finally reunited.
Hovering above the wall, the Dragon Slaying Stage allowed Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit to peer through the thin cold fog and discern a hidden sword's will of "Stardust" within the River of Swords.
This sword's will had been concealed deep within the fog.
Yet, Ji Ningshuang, imprisoned in the Earth-Tethered Cage, had somehow touched upon the "Stardust" sword's will, causing a resonance.
He even witnessed the disappearance of the "Stardust" sword's will from the River of Swords.
"How peculiar..."
Yu Yuan was brimming with puzzlement.
Were not all the Rivers of Swords remnants of Nie Qingtian?
Why then did one contain the "Stardust" sword's will?
Pondering this, he suddenly recalled the myriad sword's wills that lay hidden at the bottom of the sword sheath.
It wasn't just the Nine Celestial Slashes sword spell.
Could it be that within the sword light of the cultivator, there lay hidden the true essence of various sword spells from the Sword Sect?
The mountainous snow bear issued a low growl at that moment.
As they drew nearer, the River of Swords and the stars in the sky began to decelerate.
Not only did they slow, but their paths also started to twist and turn, no longer straight.
Yu Yuan failed to see that the refined River of Swords had vanished into the Earth-Tethered Cage, absorbed by Ji Ningshuang's understanding.
From the expansive vantage point of the Dragon Slaying Stage, he could see numerous Domain stars interspersed between him and the River of Swords.
"Wu! Wu!" the snow bear called out softly, its furry face etched with earnest determination.
Its bloodline aura seemed to communicate and intertwine with the cold fog that enveloped the stars, as thick as the fog that lay beside the River of Swords.
Yu Yuan's expression shifted as he came to a realization.
The flight of the River of Swords was covertly being directed by the cold fog.
It was this fog that enveloped the River of Swords, striving to pull them toward the world of Wintermaw, intent on delivering them to Yu Yuan.
Previously, due to the absence of any vibrant Domain stars in the vicinity, the River of Swords had been advancing in a straight line. As it drew nearer, the worlds inhabited by the Shura stood in its direct path. If the River of Swords continued its linear course, entire stars might have been obliterated.
It was exerting tremendous effort to alter the path of the River of Swords, bending and twisting its trajectory and significantly reducing its speed to avert such a catastrophe. The Glimmerdrift Nebula was its favorite haunt, a place where the Shura revered it as a deity. Naturally, it had no desire to see those who held it in awe and worship perish beneath the swift passage of the River of Swords, nor did it wish to witness the fragmentation of numerous Domain stars.
"Actually, I could make it across," Yu Yuan offered, moved by its struggle to intervene.
He resolutely shook his head, even managing to muster a strained, reassuring smile for Yu Yuan, as if to say he could handle it. His massive paw gestured toward the Frozen World below, where the Wintermaw lay. As he pointed downward, a beam of icy yet gentle light subtly enveloped Yu Yuan's real body.
With his sword sheath resting on his knees, Yu Yuan, seated in meditation atop the snowy peak, instantly grasped the snow bear's intended message as his heaven soul neared complete fusion with the Solar Spirit. The seamless connection between his real body and the Lunar Spirit allowed Yu Yuan on the Dragon Slaying Stage to also achieve immediate enlightenment.
"Are you suggesting that we wait for my Solar Spirit to be fully tempered? That would indeed be the most prudent course of action when encountering the River of Swords," Yu Yuan ventured.
The snow bear nodded emphatically.
"Understood," Yu Yuan acknowledged, choosing not to elaborate further.
From the Dragon Slaying Stage, he surveyed the distant cosmos, his gaze lingering on the dozen or so Domain stars shrouded in cold fog. He began to sense that not only was Xi Quan concealed within the Withered Sword, but Du Yuan and Yue Mu were also discreetly nearing the River of Swords. It appeared they were neither eager to rescue Ji Ningshuang nor to reveal themselves just yet.
He suddenly felt something was off.
Out of nowhere, a point of white brilliance burst forth beside him in the starry sky, accompanied by a distinctly powerful spatial fluctuation.
The snow bear's eyes flashed with a savage and ferocious light as its massive paw lunged towards the white brilliance, intent on crushing it before a stable passage could form.
It was also determined to annihilate anyone attempting to traverse from the other side.
"Yu, Yu Yuan!"
The voice of the Skyreach Consortium intermittently emerged from the white light.
Yu Yuan, taken aback, quickly realized what was happening and urgently exclaimed, "Stop!"
The snow bear halted its assault, looking puzzled.
"He's a friend! My friend, someone I trust!"
Yu Yuan quickly clarified to prevent any misinterpretation that it might be Pei Yuling or a Mighty from the Voidweaver, seizing the chance to reach into the Glimmerdrift Nebula.
It was evident that the snow bear loathed the Voidweaver and despised the entire race born from it.
Feeling the spatial tremors, it had assumed it was the butterfly causing mischief.
Given its strength and its bond with the Glimmerdrift Nebula, crushing an unformed spatial channel was as effortless for it as crushing a stone.
Zhou You might have perished before even arriving at the Dragon Slaying Stage.
"That scared me to death."
The light, initially the size of a fingertip, swelled to the size of a fist and then elongated.
Zhou You, with his bulky frame, seemed to almost burst the space channel as he finally materialized beside the Dragon Slaying Stage.
He clutched his chest, ranting for a moment, then, flicking his horsetail whisk, he squinted and chuckled, "Qiao Yuling was right; you really are in the Glimmerdrift Nebula."
Yu Yuan burst into laughter. "Mr. Zhou, it's been too long. I was hoping you'd make it to Brugeth; you let me down!"
Yan Qiling had mentioned that he had covertly signaled Zhou You, suggesting he would arrive.
Regrettably, the awaited reinforcements never came.
"Good thing I didn't go. Who knows what my fate would have been," Zhou You said with a look of alarm, shaking his head. "The Voidweaver, the corrupted divine tree, and Diggs, oh my!"
"Why are you here?" Yu Yuan inquired.
Zhou You gave the snow bear a brief look and his brow furrowed slightly.
Clearly, he was skeptical of the snow bear, hence his hesitation to speak.
"It's alright. This one is part of my crew; it has come to my rescue multiple times in the Glimmerdrift Nebula," Yu Yuan affirmed.
"Saved you?"
Zhou You's expression turned peculiar as he coughed a few times before speaking, "This Dire Bear is one of the most notorious alien beasts in the vast Star River. Our Skyreach Consortium's secret book contains some descriptions and records of it. Tsk tsk, to think you've been in its company and not only survived without being devoured but were actually saved by it—I really can't fathom it."
He was a well-connected individual. Before his confinement in the Sword Prison, he was a notorious demon roaming the extraterrestrial realms.
He knew far more about the many formidable demons and monsters of the extraterrestrial than Yan Qiling did.
Yan Qiling had been detained in the Moonfall Sanctuary for an extended period and had never had the opportunity to venture into the starry sky before, so he was unfamiliar with the "Dire Bear" and unaware of its formidable nature.
"Let's not dwell on this. All you need to know is that I trust it completely," Yu Yuan stated earnestly.
"Alright." Although Zhou You still found it difficult to come to terms with, seeing Yu Yuan's serious stance, he didn't press further and instead shared with excitement, "After Chen Qinghuang returned to the Darkpinion Nebula, she accomplished something truly uplifting!"
"What did she do?" Yu Yuan asked, intrigued.
"That Deathwing Lair she had taken from Ionodios has been relocated to a new world within the Darkpinion Nebula," Zhou You explained, taking a deep breath. "The Darkpinion and the Everlands have now established a connection!"
"From this moment forward, the mighty experts and archdemons allied with us will have direct access to the Darkpinion Nebula!"
