C1561 Strongest Dark Phoenix!

In the Embers Sea, Yu Yuan, the guardian of the Dragon Slaying Stage, and his Solar Spirit were on an unnamed island. Suddenly, he sensed something and turned his gaze toward Aetherius. A spectral blue figure stealthily approached.

Tian Zang, manifesting as a soul without the Tears of the Azurefiend, made an abrupt appearance. Yu Yuan had seldom seen Tian Zang in such a state. Previously, Tian Zang had a demonform and was never without the Tears of the Azurefiend.

"I've got a message for you. I'll leave as soon as I've said my piece."

Having recently dispatched High Priest Reid to the Hellmouth and returned from the Moonfall Sanctuary, Tian Zang eyed the Dragon Slaying Stage in Yu Yuan's grasp and requested, "Use your Solar Spirit to bring my soul inside the Dragon Slaying Stage to talk."

Yu Yuan felt a tremor in his spirit. "Is it that serious?"

Tian Zang had abandoned his refined demonform and the Blood Altar of the Azurefiend. His insistence on speaking inside the Dragon Slaying Stage indicated a matter of great importance.

Clearly, he wanted to ensure that no one else heard his words.

"Yes, it must remain confidential," Tian Zang stated gravely.

"Agreed!"

Yu Yuan was decisive. His Solar Spirit, which remained within the Dragon Slaying Stage, swiftly emerged, enveloping Tian Zang's phantom in his vitality and pulling it inside.

At the frost wyrm's boneyard, situated in the Wintermaw, a hungry male infant awaited nourishment.

Upon arrival, Tian Zang's ghostly blue phantom cast a glance at the peculiar male infant, showing a flicker of surprise, but he refrained from questioning. Instead, he got straight to the point: "Someone has invited you to the Godsblight Marsh. They want you to enter the Nest of Perdition and assist in slaying a powerful being from beyond our world."

Yu Yuan was taken aback.

"Don't ask who has invited you, nor inquire about the target. Simply go to the Godsblight Marsh and stand within the Nest of Perdition," Tian Zang urged, preempting any questions. "Your Lunar Spirit is engaged in a council at Skyreach Peak. Your real body, Solar Spirit, and Lunar Spirit are interconnected. If you learn here who has summoned you and who is marked for death, your Lunar Spirit will be instantly informed."

"To avoid any unnecessary complications, it's best that you remain ignorant of certain matters until your real body has left the Everlands."

"Once your real body and Solar Spirit depart from the Dragon Slaying Stage together, the connection to your Lunar Spirit will naturally sever. At that moment, as your Solar Spirit and real body make their escape from the Everlands, you'll instinctively understand the full story."

Tian Zang's demeanor was gravely serious.

Yu Yuan paused for only a few seconds on the Dragon Slaying Stage before nodding and saying, "I'm on my way!"

The Nest of Perdition was linked to only two other nests, both refined by the Empress. One was the Deathwing Lair located in the Darkpinion, and the other was the Rebirth Nest, which Songbird had taken to the Shadowkin's sacred land.

The Nest of Perdition was situated in the Great Marsh, the Deathwing Lair in the Darkpinion, and the Rebirth Nest within the Shadowkin's holy ground.

This arrangement was designed to forge connections between the Everlands, the Wingkind, and the Shadowkin.

Songbird's removal of the Rebirth Nest from the Everlands was also to aid Brie, whose bloodline had suffered a severe demotion following an injury.

Whether Yu Yuan traveled through the Nest of Perdition to the Deathwing Lair or to the Rebirth Nest now within Shadowkin territory, he was confident that Chen Qinghuang was well-informed.

With that in mind, he had no reason to hesitate.

"May everything go smoothly for you."

Tian Zang was decisive. Once Yu Yuan accepted the task, he gestured for him to depart immediately.

He had come solely to deliver a message and apparently had other pressing matters to attend to.

"It seems significant events are unfolding in the Star River beyond the Everlands," Yu Yuan mused.

"With the supreme powers of the Everlands all engaged in that council, it's a rare chance indeed," Tian Zang remarked with a low chuckle before leaving the Dragon Slaying Stage. "They must seize the opportunity to act while they're outside. Moreover, your departure from the Godsblight Marsh will go unnoticed, as it's protected by the Untamed, and no one will detect it."

"Besides the Untamed, everyone else will assume you're still within the Marsh."

Without another word, Tian Zang's phantom soared from the Dragon Slaying Stage and headed straight for the Moonfall Sanctuary.

Yu Yuan didn't hesitate. Before Tian Zang completely vanished, he harnessed the temporal powers of the Dragon Slaying Stage to pierce through the veil of space and charge into the Godsblight Marsh.

Upon entering the Marsh, he immediately pinpointed the nest radiating the breath of ruin and leaped down.

The moment he stepped into the Nest of Perdition, he was engulfed by space magic and transported to a mysterious location in the outside world.

...

At the mouth of the valley in Skyreach Peak, the Ape, perched on a rock and puffing away at his pipe, suddenly cast a glance at Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit.

Yu Yuan feigned ignorance.

At that moment, his real body and Solar Spirit, carrying the Dragon Slaying Stage, had just exited the Nest of Perdition within the Marsh.

As the de facto ruler of the Marsh, Untamed was privy to every nuance of the little world's happenings.

The Ape was puzzled, unable to fathom why Yu Yuan had hastily departed the Everlands at such a crucial juncture, or where he was headed.

Meanwhile, many others, both human and demon, were still reeling from the profound impact of Zhong Chichen's parting words.

"The Kylin is in its twilight; better to die early!"

Zhong Chichen had demanded two divine thrones and even had a nominee in mind—the Dark Deity of the Shadow's Keep, the Kylin.

His animosity toward evilkind was evident. By deliberately invoking the Kylin and stating that the humans had sacrificed enough, he was clearly inciting discord between the humans and evilkind.

Yet, after the human dignitaries at the valley's entrance vanished, their significant glances involuntarily shifted to the Tiger, the emblem of the Shadow's Keep.

Lee Tianxin was dead, Zhu Zhenlin had been slain by Youyu, and Gu Xingkui had recently perished.

Ji Tianyu of the Ebon Star, following Han Miaoyuan's guidance, was prepared to relinquish her divine seat.

As Zhong Chichen had pointed out, the humans had already paid a heavy toll, while the Shadow's Keep had remained relatively unscathed.

At the Shadow's Keep, Yu Zhu, along with others of evilkind lineage, had ascended to godhood.

Clearly, she had garnered the backing of the Dark Phoenix.

The assembled peak powers were well aware that the more robust and potent the vital energy in those with evilkind blood, the greater the Dark Phoenix's gains.

In essence, Yu Zhu's rise to divinity also amplified the Dark Phoenix's might!

The Shadow's Keep and the ancient evilkind that the Dark Phoenix represents not only remained unscathed, but they also reaped substantial benefits amidst the crisis in the Everlands!

Now, with the Everlands in dire need of two new divine thrones, Ji Tianyu has already offered one. It seems only fair and reasonable for the Shadow's Keep to provide the other. It's hardly asking too much.

Besides, Zhong Chichen spoke nothing but the truth—the Kylin is certainly long in the tooth...

The Kylin is neither the Dark Phoenix nor the extraterrestrial snow bear, nor is he an exception like Taishi. The Kylin's time will come to an end.

Since death is inevitable, and not far off, then let it come!

"To be frank, aside from his unwavering loyalty, that old fellow really doesn't have much else to offer," said the Ape, puffing on his pipe with a grotesque smirk. As a Dark Deity of the evilkind, he was fanning the flames at this critical juncture. "That one has absolute trust in the old Kylin and has indeed treated him well. But having held his position for so many years, he's accomplished little of late."

Untamed's mouth twisted into a fierce grin. "Clinging to his seat, he fears death, unwilling to risk his life against the pinnacle warriors of the Otherkin. Better to vacate the divine seat for Loong Jie or the Chronowyrm."

"From my perspective, these two dragons ascending to Dragon Gods might cause us future headaches. But the extraterrestrial warriors of the Otherkin are likely to suffer even more."

He, who has always been at odds with the Shadow's Keep and the Dark Phoenix, surprisingly declared his position ahead of the humans.

He endorsed the demise of the Kylin!

"Cough, cough..."

From within the Banner of Duality, Han Miaoyuan first cast an approving glance at Untamed, agreeing that his words were logical and echoed his own sentiments.

He looked at the Ape, the old occupant of the Marsh, with increasing favor. "You're quite right. I won't judge the Kylin on other matters, but there's one thing that's undeniable—he's truly aged and lacks vitality."

The Moonfang Tiger, representing Shadow's Keep, noticed that all the formidable figures present were fixated on him and began to speak, "I..."

He abruptly halted mid-sentence, seemingly having received a telepathic message from the Dark Phoenix.

Struggling with debates, he continued with a rigid expression, "She has sent the Kylin to the Star River beyond our world, and it won't return for quite some time."

"She also said..."

The Astral Tiger paused briefly, then added, "She also made it clear to the Kylin before its departure that it should ignore any summons to return, including her own and even those from Shadow's Keep."

His words sent a shockwave through the crowd.

No one had anticipated such a move from the Dark Phoenix! She had dispatched the Kylin to the extraterrestrial realms with explicit instructions not to heed any call to return, not even hers.

What did this imply?

She likely had an inkling of the potential upheavals that could arise during this council.

You wish for the Kylin's demise, so I will ensure the Kylin never returns, heedless of any command.

This was an outright defiance!

For Shadow's Keep, the Astral Tiger had earned his stripes with countless acts of valor in the Everlands. In the prime of his life, he was not only capable of fighting and killing, but he also had the courage to do so, making him an irreplaceable warrior for the Everlands.

Nobody would wish for the Astral Tiger's fall, and with the Kylin absent, what of her?

That was beyond anyone's consideration.

"Her arrangements are quite improper," Han Miaoyuan grumbled, his anger barely contained within the Banner of Duality. "I will resolve one divine seat on my end. If she doesn't want the Everlands to fall into ruin, she must assume responsibility for another!"

The eyes of those gathered remained on the Moonfang Tiger, as though attempting to discern the Dark Phoenix's thoughts and intentions through him.

Regrettably, no one could fathom what the Dark Phoenix truly intended or what her next move would be.

"She said..."

When the Astral Tiger spoke again, there was a slight tremble in its usually fierce voice that everyone noticed. The crowd was deeply shaken, their faces growing somber as they realized the gravity of what was to come. The tiger's tone alone was a harbinger of earth-shattering news that could potentially alter the entire landscape of the Everlands.

"She said that the Kylin is indeed nearing its end, but within your Human Race, there is one who has held a divine position for years with little to show for it. The Kylin's death is inevitable, be it sooner or later. Yet, the Human Race, with its boundless life, clings to existence greedily. They lack the courage to risk their lives against the Otherkin from beyond our world, making their continued existence in the Everlands pointless."

"Perhaps it would be better for them to meet their end sooner rather than later."

No sooner had these words fallen than a jarring cry of a phoenix pierced the air, emanating from within the Sunlit Order.

Faces all around turned pale with shock, and even Lin Daoke's eyes snapped open in an instant.

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