C1452 The Turmoil of the Terra Fiend

In the Forgotten Ruins, on a mid-lake island, the significance of the Shadowflame Blight Array had diminished. Yu Zhu's bloodline had ascended to the ninth level, crowning her the true Monster Lord, the Spider Queen. On this island, she was without rival unless a supreme being were to arrive.

The toxic fumes and miasma cloud of the Shadowflame Blight Array now merely served as a veil, obscuring her true form from the archdemons, the novices of Shadow's Keep, and any humans passing by the Lost Lands.

Yu Zhu's form had elongated gracefully on the modest island. Despite her skin retaining a slight darkness, her features were far from unattractive.

Her eyes snapped open, casting a frigid gaze upon the demonic shadow emerging from the colorful miasma cloud. It was a gray fox.

Dressed in human garb, the gray fox resembled a wandering warlock, yet his pupils blazed with dark fire.

He respectfully bowed to Yu Zhu, his demeanor one of deference. "I am called Shadowfox, hailing from the Defiled World below. This Fox King of Shadow's Keep is a demonform I've crafted. My birthplace is the Rainbow Ocean," he explained.

"We share a connection," he added.

Shadowfox, the Terra Fiend, forced a smile. "I've come to reveal the truth about your mother's demise."

The dark fire in Shadowfox's eyes flickered intensely as he involuntarily glanced skyward, as if in fear of something.

Yu Zhu's hands, once resting on her knees, now intertwined as she continued to regard the Terra Fiend with a detached air. "Even the supreme beings of the Everlands need my permission to peer into this realm. Your presence here is by my allowance."

"I am grateful for your mercy," Shadowfox quickly responded.

"Go on," Yu Zhu prompted.

Shadowfox hesitated, then began, "The death of your mother—"

"Speak only of what you can offer me," Yu Zhu cut in, her patience waning.

"Very well!" Shadowfox conceded, nodding earnestly. "What Shadow's Keep cannot provide, we Terra Fiends can. Besides your evilkind lineage, you also carry the essence of the Terra Fiends. Surely, you sense it too—the awakening of a place deep within the Everlands?"

Yu Zhu fell silent for a moment before nodding. "Beneath the earth, something seems to be calling out to me."

Shadowfox's excitement surged. "You belong there! In that place, you can ascend and be purified! Only beings like us, only the Terra Fiends, are a perfect fit for the Everlands! We need you, and you need us! Only we can help you achieve everything!"

"The Defiled World..." Yu Zhu murmured under her breath.

She had sensed for some time that the underground world of the Everlands had been restless of late.

Now and then, she could detect the scent of several extraordinary beings, their auras seeping out and catching her attention.

Her soul and demonform were enticed, intuiting that delving deeper underground would grant her greater power.

She had been contemplating what was happening, and then Shadowfox appeared.

"You belong there! Truly, you must believe me! There, you will be far more powerful than in the Forgotten Ruins! You could become one of the mightiest there, eventually standing on par with the highest powers of the Everlands, or even defeating them!" Shadowfox proclaimed with the fervor of a zealot.

"Defeat... the highest powers?" Yu Zhu's eyes sparkled, and she drew in a breath before responding, "I'll consider it."

The unseen might of the Way of Heaven, coupled with the pressure from her exalted soul, suddenly bore down on Shadowfox, causing its form to waver and gradually descend.

Shadowfox's cries continued to resonate around the mid-lake island, "Believe me, you will be a deity there! If you doubt me, just venture below, and you'll see I'm right!"

"A deity?"

As Shadowfox vanished below, Yu Zhu scoffed, "In the Forgotten Ruins, I am already a deity, and no one dares to trespass lightly. Even if..." Her gaze drifted toward the Shadow's Keep.

Having returned from the extraterrestrial Star River and refined a blood crystal from the Demon God Grec, she had become an anomaly within the Shadow's Keep. The soul mark of her Terra Fiend heritage glowed with an unusual brilliance, propelling her strength forward dramatically and inflating her confidence.

She was convinced that aside from the enigmatic Dark Phoenix, she had nothing to fear from the Astral Tiger and the Kylin should they venture into the Forgotten Ruins.

The Shadowfox had mentioned that the underground Defiled World had been calling out to her, as if something within it was beckoning her to explore.

Yet, she was still undecided and preferred to observe a while longer.

...

On Celestial Isle.

"My Lunar Spirit and White Bone will jointly venture into the Defiled World. Senior Qi, please find a way to reach Feng Zhong and tell him to stop searching for Luo Yue," Yu Yuan instructed the group before him, following the reintegration of his real body with the Solar Spirit.

The lecherous dragon, Loong Jie, was also present on the island. He was taken aback by the news of White Bone descending into the Defiled World. "Why is he going down there? Is something about to change?"

"Lord White Bone is entering the underground?!" Taruer cried out in surprise.

Qi Lingyu's face turned serious, and she nodded in agreement. "I'll communicate with Feng Zhong," she affirmed.

"Luo Yue is trapped, and my Crucible of Evil has been pulled into that tainted realm. Furthermore, remnants of the Bloodbrawlers were once involved in tormenting White Bone," Yu Yuan clarified.

From his discussion with White Bone, he surmised that the Bloodbrawlers' remnants might have deceived Yun Hao.

The fall of the Evil King, Yu Xi, likely had the silent consent of other supreme beings in the Everlands.

Yu Yuan was unsure of their identities, but he sensed that White Bone had an inkling. For now, White Bone was biding his time, waiting for the right moment to settle scores.

"With your Lunar Spirit and the Dragon Slaying Stage, along with White Bone, there shouldn't be any issues," Loong Jie reassured.

He was aware of the Defiled World's origins and knew that the supreme beings of the Everlands were reluctant to meddle, fearing entanglement in serious trouble.

However, if it was White Bone, the emissary of the Root of the Lunar Meridian, Loong Jie believed it was feasible.

He hadn't considered it before because White Bone had only recently ascended and was a unique God of Ghosts, so it hadn't crossed his mind.

"Please make the arrangements. I need to travel to the Order of Healing with my real body," Yu Yuan requested of Zheng Luanjie. "I apologize for the inconvenience. Could you use the teleportation circle on Celestial Isle to transport me to the nearest location to the Order of Healing?"

"You, come with me," he said, turning to Loong Jie.

"It would be my utmost pleasure!" the lecherous dragon said with a mischievous grin. "It's been many years since my last visit to the Order of Healing. I'm looking forward to this trip and hope to have a chance to see more. And if I could obtain a few pills, that would be splendid, as I've been feeling somewhat weary lately."

Yu Yuan gave the old dragon an odd look. "You're already at the peak of your strength."

The old dragon burst into raucous laughter. "Indeed, I am at my peak! But I believe I can become even stronger!"

"Please proceed with the arrangements," Yu Yuan requested once more.

If it were just him, he could instantly teleport to the Dragon Slaying Stage and then make his way to the Order of Healing from there. However, since Loong Jie couldn't accompany him in that manner, they had to rely on the larger formation.

"No trouble at all," Zheng Luanjie replied with a smile.

"I'd like to go as well!" Yin Xueqi chimed in.

"You were always meant to join us," Yu Yuan acknowledged with a nod.

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