C1382 The Response of the Dire Bear!
The Abyssal Leviathan's unusual state had captured everyone's attention!
Its massive form streaked through the frigid expanse of space at incredible speeds, impossible to ignore.
Despite suffering continuous assaults from the Heaven-Opening Sword Array and the Nine Celestial Slashes, which left its body riddled with bloody wounds and gaping cavities, the Leviathan's frenzied state allowed it to shatter several small celestial bodies. After a bout of plundering and absorption, its injuries astonishingly began to heal significantly.
The cracked scales not only regenerated but also darkened to a black, resilient sheen, exuding a cold, metallic hardness that made the Leviathan appear even more domineering.
Exposed wounds and the thick, robust sinews, resembling ferocious pythons, coiled atop its flesh and bones, brimming with explosive power.
Who could remain unshaken by such a cosmic giant beast with such a fearsome capacity for self-healing?
With a whoosh, it surged like a dark deluge, traversing billions of miles in a blink. As it passed, meteorites shattered by stellar explosions silently disintegrated into dust.
Shura below the eighth level burst into clouds of blood mist at its approach.
In its frenzy, the Abyssal Leviathan became the ultimate calamity of the Star River; stars, worlds, and all life forms would either be obliterated or meet instant death in its proximity.
One eye blazed crimson, the other shimmered silver-white, both bleeding ceaselessly.
The sun and moon, assimilated within, burst forth from the pupils, transforming into vast blood-red lakes within its eye sockets.
Wherever its gaze fell, whether upon stars or Shura activity, everything from the cosmic order to the bloodline chains within the Shura's bodies, even the flow of blood, came under its influence.
In this moment, the Abyssal Leviathan was the epitome of a ferocious and ruthless cosmic giant beast, the most fearsome of hunters.
"What does he intend to do?"
Even the white crane, an archdemon itself, escaped the Leviathan's notice, yet the demon blood coursing through its veins felt the impact, slowing its flow.
Were it not for the essence of "death" within its bloodline, the crane sensed that its own vital energy might have been drawn out by the Leviathan.
The life-originating Abyssal Leviathan, in its frenzied state, seemed instinctively capable of coalescing the surrounding vital energy, incorporating it into its own being.
The white crane sensed a deep, intrinsic balance within its bloodline, causing it to feel somewhat uneasy.
"Why do I have the feeling that..."
Tian Zang, standing atop the Blood Altar, peered intently in the direction the Abyssal Leviathan had flown off to. His face suddenly took on a grave expression. "The Domain it's charging toward appears to be of the highest level in this Astral Domain!"
At his words, Jun Chen and Zhou You immediately turned their attention to Yu Yuan.
Yu Yuan inhaled sharply, his gaze shifting to the Dire Bear with a mix of shock and awe.
The bear, once docile in appearance, now bared its fangs, and a savage, bloodthirsty aura burst forth from the depths of its eyes and chest.
After its disappointment with the Glimmerdrift Nebula and the Shura, the bear had made a choice.
A choice steeped in bloody vengeance!
The suddenly illuminated star was the homeland of the Shura's ruler, Fernand, as well as the birthplace of Elena. It was the nexus of the Shura civilization within the Glimmerdrift Nebula.
This was akin to the exalted status of the Spirit World in the Brugeth.
Yu Yuan, having just traversed the Dragon Slaying Stage, had not only seen Alonso and the four Platinum Shura but also the intricate web of rule light beams in the depths below, the extensive gold and silver veins, and the endless deposits of refined iron beneath towering mountains and valleys.
In the depths of the lakes, shrouded in dense cold fog, lay bright ice stones brimming with potent ice energy.
He also saw several Shura Kingdoms, with hundreds of thousands of Shura clanspeople living contentedly across various lands.
Some of them he had encountered previously in the unaltered Brugeth.
These were the Shura warriors saved by Elena, loyal to both Fernand and Elena.
They were the indigenous Shura of the Glimmerdrift Nebula!
The Abyssal Leviathan had targeted that star because the energy concealed within it was the pinnacle of the Glimmerdrift Nebula!
Moreover, the natural laws at the base of the star were interconnected with numerous Shura worlds within the Astral Domain. Should the star fall to the Abyssal Leviathan's onslaught, becoming refined and swallowed by it...
The Glimmerdrift Nebula would truly descend into silence.
In its sorrow and rage from the harm inflicted by the Shura, the Dire Bear had made its choice.
The fate of the Glimmerdrift Nebula, the fate of all beings within this realm, and whether the Everlands could continue to siphon ice energy through the "Wintermaw" from our world, it no longer cared.
Overcome with sorrow, it had abandoned this place.
"Commander!"
Ciara, Demian, and the two platinum Shura knelt on one knee, eyes nearly bursting with intensity as they gazed upon Alonso in this critical moment.
They had already departed from the ice cave and emerged onto a vast ice field, the crystalline wall that once arched overhead now vanished.
From the extraterrestrial realm, psionic powers brimming with tainted, chaotic energy rained down upon them.
Despite the inherent strength of the Shura, those whose bloodlines had not ascended to the seventh level found themselves vulnerable without the wall's protection; their blood would be tainted, transforming them into Warpbeasts.
Ciara and Demian's pleas were desperate, for they knew only Alonso had the power to reconstruct the wall!
They were acutely aware of the significance of this world to the Glimmerdrift Nebula, understanding that its destruction would spell doom for their home.
"You guys..."
Alonso's voice emerged, hoarse and strained, mirroring the turmoil within him.
"The disappearance of the wall was the Dire Bear's doing. It was our provocation that elicited its wrath."
Alonso sighed deeply, his ears filled with the cries from the Shura Kingdom nearby. Numerous high-bloodline Shura sensed the wall's collapse and were now wailing, praying fervently.
They invoked the name of Sabonis, pleading for aid, hoping their calls would reach the ears of the Blood King.
With the wall gone, ninety-nine percent of the lesser Shura faced death or a fate as Warpbeasts.
In moments, the empire crumbled, signaling the end of a civilization...
"How could it do this?" Ciara murmured, her voice hollow with shock.
"We were the first to harm it. Perhaps we've forgotten its reputation for brutality among other races. It treated us so well that we overlooked its merciless nature and forgot its true essence," Demian said, lifting his gaze to the cold expanse of the stars. His pupils contracted as if his soul were shattering, and he cried out, "The Abyssal Leviathan! The Abyssal Leviathan has come!"
The three platinum Shura turned their gaze towards the heavens at the sound of his cry. They had previously missed the Abyssal Leviathan due to its distance. Now, as it drew nearer, they too could see the frenzied creature just as Alonso had.
"You?" The four of them refocused on Alonso.
"When the Abyssal Leviathan isn't in a frenzy, I'm no match for it, let alone now," Alonso said, shaking his head with a resigned sigh. "I've been wounded by the Divine Sword, my spear's tip has shattered, and the Frost Well has burst. I'm unable to connect with the Dark Realm. Against the Abyssal Leviathan in its frenzied state, I stand no chance."
With a whoosh, he clutched the crystal ball, floating high above the celestial bodies, his gaze fixed on the Dragon Slaying Stage. He was watching the Dire Bear, bowing deeply in the cosmos, his thoughts and consciousness flowing through the crystal ball.
He knew the Dire Bear could hear him, could understand his plea for forgiveness. His demeanor did not go unnoticed by Yu Yuan, Jun Chen, and the others, who quickly grasped the Shura commander's intentions.
Alonso was imploring the Dire Bear to maintain its grace towards the Shura, to remember their past bond and draw the Abyssal Leviathan away.
"Yu Yuan!" Du Yuan called out, standing in the crystalline depths of the ice sea.
Mo Baichuan, Yue Mu, and Ji Ningshuang, too, fixed their eyes on Yu Yuan, their gazes laden with hope. They seemed to be silently urging Yu Yuan to speak to the Dire Bear, to sway the tide of events.
They all shared the same hope: that the pivotal star of the Glimmerdrift Nebula could evade the brink of annihilation. They sensed that if this star fell to the Abyssal Leviathan, it would trigger a domino effect, plunging the entire Glimmerdrift Nebula into desolation.
Without the Glimmerdrift Nebula, the ice energy that saturated the region would dissipate into the void. And in such a scenario, what purpose would the Wintermaw serve, even if it remained?
The Everlands would be forever deprived of a stable "Wintermaw" because of this!
They would have to select a new celestial canvas upon which to construct another "Wintermaw."
Jun Chen, Zhou You, and the rest turned their gaze in eager anticipation.
Yet, Yu Yuan gently shook his head.
