C1359 Lunar Spirit Rushes over

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Within the realm stripped of its wall, all the Solar Spirits brought by Yue Mu and Du Yuan shattered in an instant.

Boom!

In the Frozen Wastes, Demian furiously pounded on the Heartthumper Drum.

Du Yuan, wounded by seven streaks of sword light and unable to summon his Divine Visage, suffered from the cumulative toll of relentless battles and the insidious ailments wrought by the Sword of Destruction. The drumbeat of the Heartthumper Drum triggered these hidden afflictions.

Du Yuan's real body was suddenly riddled with numerous long, fine lacerations.

Many were bone-deep!

Yue Mu, wielding Rillrender and facing two adversaries, glanced down, his eyes brimming with sorrow.

He was acutely aware that Du Yuan's Sword of Destruction was a double-edged sword spell, inflicting self-harm even as it slew a thousand foes. He knew of Du Yuan's concealed injuries, which only deepened with each swing of his blade.

What he hadn't anticipated was Demian's Heartthumper Drum exploiting Du Yuan's vulnerabilities.

Nor had he foreseen Alonso's profound understanding of such weaknesses!

The Earth-Tethered Cage held Ji Ningshuang captive, while Xi Quan and Zhou You suffered severe injuries. Yue Mu was besieged by two platinum Shura, and Du Yuan's hidden wounds were inflamed by the drum's cadence. The other Sword Immortals of the Solar Spirit had perished in mere moments.

Alonso orchestrated the battle with his formidable strength and masterful command, deterring all who dared to intrude.

His stern voice echoed across the golden sea of light.

Yu Yuan, at the heart of the Dragon Slaying Stage, observed the snow bear in silence.

The snow bear's gaze was a portrait of indifference.

The moment Zhou You arrived, Alonso's Shattered Star was shrouded in cold fog, clearly not the handiwork of the grand commander.

It was the snow bear's might!

Together with Alonso, it manipulated the Glimmerdrift Nebula, both overtly and covertly.

Using Alonso's silver lance as its instrument, it sought vengeance for Nie Qingtian, aiming to slay Du Yuan, Yue Mu, Xi Quan, and the multitude of swordsmen brave enough to enter.

It was indifferent to the fate of anyone from the Everlands, with the sole exception of Yu Yuan.

"I won't make this hard for you."

Yu Yuan let out a soft sigh. Inside the Dragon Slaying Stage, his thoughts lingered on Alonso and the Shattered Star beneath his feet, as he harnessed the residual psionic power of the Chronowyrm.

Whoosh!

The elongated Dragon Slaying Stage burst forth, radiating a white light as pure as jade.

In a mere moment, it had traversed several frigid stars.

Vivid ripples flickered and vanished within the Star River where the Dragon Slaying Stage shimmered into view.

The Dragon Slaying Stage itself would vanish and reappear intermittently.

Each reappearance saw the enigmatic Heaven Opening Rare Stone spanning another Star River, drawing ever nearer to the Shattered Star where Alonso stood.

After Yu Yuan's departure, the "snow bear" growled restlessly.

It seemed to be addressing the commander of the Shura within the golden sea of light.

While steadfastly guarding the star that housed Yu Yuan's real body and "Wintermaw," its gaze followed the departing Dragon Slaying Stage, shifting continuously.

Each time the Dragon Slaying Stage reemerged, the snow bear's gaze was the first to lock onto it, outpacing Alonso with both speed and precision.

This happened nine times in succession.

The Dragon Slaying Stage, imbued with Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit, finally neared the starry expanse where the River of Swords flowed, positioning itself before the Shattered Star.

An icy energy barrier, brimming with the essence of the "snow bear," obstructed the Dragon Slaying Stage.

Beneath it lay the Shattered Continent.

Yu Yuan could see Ji Ningshuang, ensnared by the Earth-Tethered Cage, and Xi Quan, whose complexion was pallid, looking as though she had lost much of her vital essence.

He also witnessed Zhou You, bloodied from being hurled into a subterranean chasm, struggling to his feet.

With a wry smile, Zhou You cast a glance at the nearby Xi Quan and muttered a few words of complaint.

Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!

The pointed end of the Dragon Slaying Stage concentrated the ice energy, thickening and fortifying the barrier.

So robust was the barrier that the Dragon Slaying Stage, directed by Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit, seemed momentarily unable to breach it.

He understood that the snow bear, distant in another part of the cosmos, was attempting to prevent his descent onto the Shattered Star, reluctant to have him meddle any further.

"Heh!"

Atop the Shattered Star, Alonso gazed up at the gleaming, jade-like Dragon Slaying Stage with a smirk.

Xi Quan, Ji Ningshuang, and the occupants of the Earth-Tethered Cage craned their necks to follow his gaze, yet they saw nothing out of the ordinary, unaware of any anomalies.

They sensed, however, that someone else had arrived just beyond the confines of their sealed space.

Regrettably, a peculiar cold fog obscured their view and muddled their perception, preventing them from seeing the Dragon Slaying Stage.

"Sorry, there's someone inside that I must protect."

Inside the Dragon Slaying Stage, Yu Yuan pressed the sharp tip against the crystalline barrier, transmitting his remnant soul and will, "I need to get in!"

He attempted to harness the dragon's breath from both the frost wyrm and the Chronowyrm of their respective worlds.

But before he could fully muster his strength...

A small fissure appeared in the icy wall before the Dragon Slaying Stage, allowing the Lunar Spirit-controlled platform to slip inside.

"The Dragon Slaying Stage!"

Xi Quan and Zhou Quan cried out in unison.

Woven with gold and silver threads, the Earth-Tethered Cage, marked by Alonso's mystical bloodline, suddenly burst forth with the unique radiance of a holy weapon.

Those were Ji Ningshuang's eyes shining brilliantly!

The Stardust Blade, long confined within the Earth-Tethered Cage, stirred into action upon the arrival of the Dragon Slaying Stage and the sight of the figure she had yearned for over three centuries.

Clasping the slender and sharp Stardust Blade in her left hand, a keen sword's will surged within its edge.

Tiny frost crystals, each no larger than a fingernail and crafted from her own blood, coalesced into a vast constellation before her chest.

The crystals, like vivid, blood-red stars, numbered in the dozens.

With the Stardust Blade in hand, she gently stirred the crimson constellation.

Stirring the stars...

"Stop!"

Yu Yuan, having traversed the ice energy barrier with the Lunar Spirit and the Dragon Slaying Stage, needed only one look at the "blood-red star sea" to sense that something was amiss.

Ji Ningshuang had visibly withered as the blood-red star sea took shape!

Alonso burst into laughter, clapping his hands in admiration, "Remarkable, truly remarkable! After your ventures in the Glimmerdrift Nebula, you've etched a scaled-down star map in your heart! What astonishes me even more is your ability to forge ice crystals with your own blood, emulating the celestial array!"

"Aren't you the Grand Sword Immortal of the Sword Sect? How did you manage to integrate the Starborn or Starmoon Sect's mystique into your sword spell?"

"The ancestors of the Sword Sect who forged the Stardust Blade didn't possess such insight or such a majestic presence!"

"..."

The Grand Marshal of the Shura couldn't stop laughing as he expressed his admiration.

"Yu Yuan, don't worry. I promised you I would ensure her safety, and I always keep my promises!"

Alonso looked up at the anxious Yu Yuan on the Dragon Slaying Stage and said, “What’s the matter? Don’t you trust me? There was no need for you to come all this way. If you were familiar with my reputation, you'd know I'm a man of my word.”

He paused abruptly.

His gaze intensively fixed on Ji Ningshuang, Alonso's attention was riveted on the silver lance in his hand and the crystal ball, both of which he had activated with his power.

He watched the Earth-Tethered Cage with the vigilance of facing a formidable opponent, as the blood-red sea of stars at its center began to shine more brilliantly.

"Draw your sword! I've been waiting for this moment for a long time!"

His face, the glint in his eyes, and the slight tremble of his body, along with the holy radiance pulsing from his silver lance, all conveyed his intense excitement.

He was visibly thrilled!

All eyes were now on the Earth-Tethered Cage, watching Ji Ningshuang as she fervently gathered sword force, ready to unleash her mightiest strike.

The blood-red sea of stars on her chest mirrored the various worlds within the Glimmerdrift Nebula.

Her understanding of the sword's will had surpassed that of the Stardust Blade's creator and all swordsmen in her lineage!

In the art of the Stardust Blade, she was now the strongest there had ever been!

And she could become even stronger!

Everyone sensed she was on the brink of achieving the primordial spirit, possibly becoming another legendary figure to shake the extraterrestrial races and be etched into history, much like Nie Qingtian.

Yet...

At this moment, she cast a look of slight regret towards Yu Yuan.

She harbored a deep yearning for the pinnacle of swordsmanship in the world.

"I..."

Her lips quivered gently as she gazed at the figure that had haunted her dreams so often, whispering in a voice only she could hear, "I don't want anything to happen to you."

The holy weapon, known as the Stardust Blade, was the embodiment of the sword's will. The Grand Sword Immortal, a title earned through mastery of mystique, was a legend among the Starmoon Sect and the Starborn of the Moon Sect. The sword force was a testament to their swordsmanship, a skill that reached beyond the extraterrestrial.