C1396 The End of the Story
A cosmic calamity?
Originating from the Everlands?
Cao Jiaze's statement immediately cast a grave look upon the faces of the three listeners.
Had anyone other than Cao Jiaze made such a claim, Yu Yuan would have dismissed it as alarmist, an overblown assertion.
But he knew Cao Jiaze was not one to spout nonsense. Moreover, Cao Jiaze had made it clear that this was a deduction made by Han Miaoyuan, the sect master of the Ebon Star.
Due to issues with the Rebirth Pill, Yu Yuan harbored suspicions about Han Miaoyuan, leading to a bias against him.
Yet, he still regarded Han Miaoyuan's judgment with seriousness.
This was because Yu Yuan had heard numerous tales of Han Miaoyuan's expertise in the I Ching and his proficiency in the mystical arts of divination, which allowed him to perceive the faint ripples of the future.
If Han Miaoyuan had foreseen a cosmic calamity befalling the Everlands, then it was certainly not without foundation!
"Cao!"
Yue Mu, too, looked alarmed and called out, "Mr. Han, when did you reach this conclusion? He said nothing of the sort before we left the Silver Sands!"
Ji Ningshuang narrowed her eyes in scrutiny.
Perched upon the Emerald Palace, Cao Jiaze glanced at Yue Mu and Ji Ningshuang before turning his gaze to Yu Yuan.
Clearly, he was aware that both Ji Ningshuang and Yue Mu, known as Rillrender, had been close to Yu Yuan in his past life.
After a brief pause, he spoke earnestly, "The Sect Master made some discoveries in the Silver Sands. It seems they pertain to the Maw of Oblivion and the Origin Deity..."
"The Maw of Oblivion? The Origin Deity? What do they have to do with the Everlands?" Yue Mu inquired urgently.
Cao Jiaze shook his head, "Upon your return to the Everlands, you can seek confirmation from him directly. The Sect Master has hastily made his way back to the Everlands, apparently to discuss pressing matters with the Sunlit Order, your Sword Sect, the Devil Palace, and the Shadow's Keep!"
"He's already returned?"
"Yes."
With their questions answered, both men lapsed into a contemplative silence.
Although Ji Ningshuang was taken aback, she refrained from pressing for more details. Upon hearing that Han Miaoyuan had returned to the Everlands and was planning to consult with the Sword Sect, she felt no urgency.
She figured that once she got back, the primordial spirits of the two sects would likely fill her in on the details.
"The Origin Deity..."
Yu Yuan's gaze grew distant as he was suddenly reminded of the Spirit World's annihilation and the Star River's dissolution into the void. He had been taken to that bizarre place, where he encountered numerous enigmas.
He was convinced that the increasingly notorious Origin Deity was bound to be a formidable issue, one that would draw the attention of all intelligent beings.
But could the Origin Deity really influence the Everlands, potentially triggering a major disaster?
"Yu Yuan, I'm entrusting you with the guardianship of the Wintermaw. If possible, hand it over to the Boulderdawn as quickly as you can, so we can get things in order," Cao Jiaze said with gravity.
"You needn't worry," Yu Yuan replied with a smile.
Yu Yuan had always held Cao Jiaze in high regard. Their previous encounter near the Silver Sands had helped him sidestep a host of complications.
Yet, they each served different masters. Conceivably, in the shadows or from afar, figures like Sage Lingxu might be observing them or overhearing their exchange.
Thus, discretion was necessary.
"Leave Senior Du to me."
Inside the palace, Cao Jiaze beckoned to Yue Mu, "I can resolve the chaos within his soul. I'll awaken him so he can begin to recover. As for the other issues plaguing his body, I'm afraid they're beyond my help."
He had noted that Du Yuan's Divine Visage was shattered, and after his descent to the Solar Spirit level, his prospects were dim.
The best he could offer was to help Du Yuan stabilize at the Solar Spirit level and shield him from further erosion by the aura of destruction.
"I'm counting on you," Yue Mu responded decisively. Aware of Cao Jiaze's arsenal of rare treasures and his reliability, Yue Mu flew directly to the palace and deposited Du Yuan inside.
At that moment, atop the Dragon Slaying Stage, Yu Yuan's Solar Spirit stirred, and he abruptly turned his gaze toward the edge of the Star River.
He wasn't alone in his reaction; the Dire Bear let out a wild, hoarse roar, sensing the anomaly as well.
Enveloped by a chilling darkness, Alonso and four platinum Shura had traversed a great distance. It seemed they had just left the Glimmerdrift Nebula for another desolate and remote Star River.
At the junction of two Star Rivers, Yu Yuan's Solar Spirit detected the presence of the Soulforge Pool through the Dragon Slaying Stage beneath him.
The current master of the Soulforge Pool was none other than Taishi of the Boulderdawn.
Taishi, the God-King, once deemed the Everlands' greatest sin, was confined within the Moonfall Sanctuary. During his time in the bronze coffin, he had managed to entice Nie Qingtian to defect.
The sudden emanation of his Soulforge Pool's aura—what did it signify?
Using the vantage point of the Dragon Slaying Stage, Yu Yuan observed the Absolute Darkness struggling to break free, attempting to return to the Glimmerdrift Nebula, but to no avail.
The Absolute Darkness, emanating from the crystal ball, swept Alonso and the four platinum Shura toward its opposite end.
They were heading straight for the Soulforge Pool, steered by the Taishi God-King!
In that instant, Yu Yuan realized that his earlier premonition was indeed correct!
Now that Taishi had appeared, Alonso, a tenth-level Golden Shura, would surely not escape his fate, especially after sustaining severe injuries.
The Shura clan, already weakened by Sabonis's grave injury and the death of Alonso, along with the loss of several platinum Shura, would see their status in the extraterrestrial Astral Domain plummet.
"Has something happened to Alonso?"
Yue Mu could barely grasp the situation; he only noticed a patch of darkness that suddenly contorted and quivered before being uncontrollably pulled into something from another Star River.
The darkness seemed coerced, resisting with all its might, yet unable to break free.
Within that darkness was the mightiest force in the Glimmerdrift Nebula, second only to the Abyssal Leviathan.
He was the formidable Shura commander who had given the Everlands a headache, having distinguished himself in several massive extraterrestrial battles.
Was he now dead?
"Sabonis managed to escape because the Blood King could use any Frost Well to flee back to the Dark Realm at any moment. Alonso, however, lacked that capability," Ji Ningshuang said with a hint of frost in her eyes. "Senior Sister Xi, he indeed deserved death for his actions!"
The news of Alonso's passing jolted Cao Jiaze. "Who would have thought that the upheaval in the Glimmerdrift Nebula would come to an end with the death of a Golden Shura!"
The dominion of the Shura extended well beyond the Glimmerdrift Nebula, encompassing over a dozen Astral Domains.
Yet among the Golden Shura, there were only Sabonis and Alonso.
The number of tenth-level Blood Warriors among the various extraterrestrial races was quite limited.
Apart from the formidable Star-Spawned Terrors, who consistently had four to five Demon Gods, other first-level intelligent lifeforms had at most two warriors at the pinnacle of the tenth level.
This was true for both the Dawnbringers and the Shura.
Thus, Alonso's demise was a matter of great consequence.
The destruction of the Glimmerdrift Nebula paled in comparison to the loss inflicted upon the Shura by his death.
Roar!
Out of nowhere, the Dire Bear let out a satisfying roar.
Yu Yuan was startled and, following its gaze, he noticed the rampaging cosmic giant beast plunging into an unnamed Star River, which suddenly blazed with light!
It was as if thousands of stars had transformed into colossal light bulbs, casting a brilliant radiance!
For a brief moment, the Abyssal Leviathan, which had been in a frenzy for so long, seemed to snap back to awareness.
Regrettably, right after regaining consciousness, it left the Glimmerdrift Nebula for another Star River, a wondrous place aglow with innumerable lights.
"The Dawnbringers' Astral Domain!" Cao Jiaze realized, his expression turning peculiar. "The Dawnbringers' Astral Domain, ruled by a mere ninth-level warrior, is hardly esteemed by their own kind. Why then did it suddenly burst forth with such blinding light, as if all the celestial bodies had ignited at once?"
"It's Cardo," Ji Ningshuang stated coolly.
Cardo, the chieftain of the Dawnbringers, ranked as a supreme power just below Bertain in the Infinite Galaxy.
She even surpassed Sabonis, the Blood King, ranking second among the extraterrestrial powerhouses.
Her emergence was undoubtedly due to the Abyssal Leviathan!
"Those old timers really do have patience," Cao Jiaze remarked, his face tense.