C1564 The Kylin's Apocalypse
The gravity field beneath Ann Wen's feet was identical to that of the Everlands.
He experienced a wave of familiarity, as though he had been transported back to the Everlands in an instant.
But that was impossible!
Each celestial body had its own unique gravity field. Having traveled through numerous worlds recently, Ann Wen was well aware of the significant differences in gravitational forces.
On some stars, taking flight required a substantial amount of vital energy.
On others, a mere stomp could send him soaring skyward, almost oblivious to the pull of gravity.
In the Everlands, he knew precisely how much force was needed to ascend and for how long he could sustain flight.
How could the gravity field of this unnamed Dead Star be an exact match for the Everlands?
Ann Wen's expression turned peculiar.
Then, to his astonishment, he sensed the gravity field beneath him surge!
As he mulled over his thoughts, it had increased tenfold!
To take off now would require an expenditure of vital energy dozens of times greater than before.
Ann Wen was taken aback.
The first image that sprang to mind was that of Gu Xingkui, the Sword of Gaia.
He pondered the Way of Heaven that Xingkui had mastered, questioning whether Xingkui possessed the power to alter the core rules of any extraterrestrial Dead Star, manipulating the gravity field at will.
He instinctively shook his head.
To his knowledge, the Grand Sword Immortal of the Sword Sect did not wield such miraculous capabilities.
Nor had he seen anyone else with the ability to so effortlessly alter the cosmic order.
But not having seen it didn't mean he hadn't heard of such feats...
Ann Wen's crimson eyes began to glow with an unusual brilliance; he harbored a suspicion but could not confirm it.
Off in the distance, a deep green hurricane was rapidly pulling in the frigid winds of the extraterrestrial realm.
Despite the vast expanse of the Star River separating them, Ann Wen could distinctly feel the overwhelming surge of vital energy.
Within the colossal storm, the vague outline of a dark green archdemon loomed, its towering vital energy merging with the ferocious hurricane, hurtling towards him at a velocity only slightly less than that of Bloodwalk.
Ann Wen inwardly lamented, knowing that even if he fled once more, he would inevitably be tracked down.
Once he left the star beneath his feet and ventured elsewhere, perhaps even his last sliver of fantasy would crumble.
At that moment, Ann Wen heard a barely perceptible whisper in his heart.
"The girl is unharmed."
Ann Wen's spirit trembled, and his anxiety instantly dissipated.
Upon learning from the Skyreach Consortium that the Kylin intended to kill him in the extraterrestrial realm, he immediately parted ways with Ann Ziqing.
He was acutely aware that he was the Kylin's primary target.
Before departing, he dared not inquire where his daughter would flee.
His fear was that if the Kylin were to slay him, it could extract this memory from his soul and use it to pursue Ann Ziqing.
Only after hearing that faint heart's whisper did Ann Wen truly find peace, confident in the accuracy of his speculation.
So, he waited on this desolate Dead Star for the Kylin's arrival.
The wait was brief. A deep green cyclone touched down upon the earth at his feet.
Boom!
With the ground shaking, the towering figure of the Kylin, exuding a formidable demonic aura, revealed itself.
A lion's head, elongated antlers, a moose-like demonic body clad in green scales, and hooves as large as hills.
The Dark Deity of the Everlands, the Kylin, resided in Shadow's Keep!
As it landed, the psionic powers swirling in the icy, dark Star River nearby surged toward it.
Woo! Woo! Woo!
The ferocious winds, moving at breakneck speed, sounded like the howls of countless beasts, sending shivers down one's spine.
The thick demon energy emanated from the Kylin's hooves, spreading in all directions, seemingly intent on sealing the entire little world in a flash to prevent Ann Wen from executing another Bloodwalk.
"Why aren't you fleeing?"
The colossal demonic form, claiming nearly a tenth of this Dead Star's realm, with its massive Demonic Eyes like two azure suns, mocked him.
He gazed at Ann Wen, who stood his ground without further struggle, feeling a flicker of puzzlement.
By his estimate, Ann Wen would need to perform the Bloodwalk dozens more times before exhausting the vital energy within him.
Ann Wen clearly still had some fight left in him...
He could have kept running; there was still a glimmer of hope. Yet, Ann Wen abruptly ceased his escape, prematurely resigning himself to death, which I found quite odd.
"I'm done running."
Ann Wen had regained his composure. As the Kylin touched down, he simply sat on the ground, "Death is inevitable, either way, it doesn't matter to me anymore."
"Fine, I'll send you off first, then I'll take care of your daughter," the Kylin said, his eyes brimming with a cold disregard for life. "Once we're back in the Everlands, your Colddeath will be completely wiped out."
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Massive storms materialized out of nowhere in the Dead Star, each spanning millions of acres, voraciously consuming the astral winds of the Star River along with all sorts of impurities.
Then, wrapped in the Kylin's demon energy, the colossal storms began to spin with a ferocity capable of annihilating anything in their path.
The Kylin, master of the storm's might and towering like a majestic mountain, ascended effortlessly into the sky.
Despite his immense size, his flight conveyed an incredible sense of lightness and agility.
Ann Wen watched the Kylin, feeling utterly powerless.
This ancient Storm Dark Deity, favored by the Dark Phoenix, was as swift as the wind and as fearsome as the fiercest storm.
Without a divine title to his name, Ann Wen knew he stood no chance against the Kylin with his current level of strength.
Boom!
The Kylin, still drawing energy from the extraterrestrial Star River, plummeted to the ground once more.
This time, however, it was the gravitational pull that brought him down!
The gravitational field beneath him surged hundreds of times in an instant, as if a colossal magnet had suddenly emerged deep within the earth, frantically drawing all matter toward it.
The Kylin sensed that something was amiss...
Within the storms he influenced, a bird's nest made of withered vines and branches appeared, exuding an aura of destruction, death, and rebirth.
A look of terror crossed the Kylin's vast eyes as he exclaimed, "Secular bird!"
Having hunted cosmic giant beasts alongside the Dark Phoenix, he was all too aware of what the secular bird signified, as well as the deep-seated enmity between the Dark Phoenix and the secular bird.
Not long ago, the Peacock Queen, who had defected from Shadow's Keep, chose to remain loyal to the secular bird and was subsequently slain by the Dark Phoenix.
Years later, the secular bird has risen from the ashes and returned to the world, naturally seeking vengeance.
And who better for the secular bird to target for revenge than him?
The moment he laid eyes on the bird's nest, the Kylin instantly realized that things were amiss. He knew that his long pursuit of Ann Wen and his continuous exposure had finally drawn the secular bird to him.
He wondered just how much power the secular bird had regained. Did it possess enough strength to slay him in the Star River beyond our world?
"Hehe."
A robust laugh echoed from deep within the earth.
At the sound of the laughter, the Kylin's scalp tingled, and without a moment's hesitation, he shot into the sky, desperate to break free from the earth's hold.
"Taishi!"
The Kylin bellowed, instantly aware that he had been ensnared in a trap and realizing the peril he faced on the altered terrain by Taishi.
He wasn't afraid of the secular bird at that moment, but he dreaded Taishi, who had restored the cosmic order!
Taishi of Boulderdawn was the Kylin's nemesis, his fated scourge!
His vaunted agility, his enhanced speed, his mastery of the storm rule—all would be significantly diminished before Taishi, who nearly comprehended the entirety of the cosmic order.
This was particularly true now that Taishi had successfully integrated his cosmic order into another celestial body...
The star beneath his feet had subtly become Taishi's divine domain. Feeling its oppressive weight, he knew that his massive demon form, every drop of his demon blood, and his bones, heavy as mountains yet buoyant with the essence of wind, were all being ensnared by the earth's magnetic pull, becoming increasingly difficult to control.
Boom!
With a force hundreds of times greater than normal, he surged toward the Star River above.
Despite his demon blood boiling and energy wildly escaping, causing his mountainous body to fissure, he seemed oblivious to the pain, focused solely on escaping the earth's grasp as swiftly as possible.
After enduring the excruciating pain of his skin splitting and flesh tearing, he finally soared into the air once more, as if he were shouldering a myriad of colossal mountains.
He bellowed in fury, eager to break free from this place and venture into the boundless Star River.
His plan was to never again touch down on any celestial body within the Star River, to withdraw at maximum speed and avoid being ensnared in a trap.
Suddenly, above the silent expanse of the Dead Star, a golden barrier materialized, completely shrouding the land sealed by Taishi.
From above, it resembled an immense golden eggshell.
"The heavens are blocked as well."
Beneath the golden barrier, Yu Yuan's silhouette emerged.
He bowed his head, gazing upon the massive Kylin and sensing the overwhelming vital energy, nearly as potent as that of the Abyssal Leviathan, prompting a radiant smile from Yu Yuan.
The golden barrier, a creation of the Dragon Slaying Stage, was a fusion of the frost wyrm's icy resilience and the Chronowyrm's binding power.
Yet, the most formidable defense originated from the golden dragon. Within the barrier, Yu Yuan felt the essence of true fortitude.
Impervious to blade and flame, resistant to water and fire, it was nearly immune to all forms of physical assault.
Boom!
The Kylin, vast as a verdant mountain, failed to shatter the golden barrier with the ferocious might of the Dark Deity, only to plummet once again.
Taishi had sealed the land, and Yu Yuan, with the Dragon Slaying Stage, had sealed the skies; both above and below were as impregnable as a fortress of gold.
In that moment, an image flickered through Yu Yuan's mind...
In ancient times, the leader of the Nagas—the golden dragon—possessed a body as indestructible as divine metal.
The golden dragon, which had assimilated Sunsilver Essence from the Everlands and beyond, was impervious to all visible material attacks.
Be it sword, spear, or the elemental forces of fire and ice, any attack wielded by spiritual energy and vital energy was futile against its golden form.
The golden dragon's demise came not from the destruction of its body, but from the extinguishing of its Dragon Soul.
In that age, a soul of such magnitude could only be vanquished by him, in his primeval incarnation.
As the image of the golden dragon flickered in Yu Yuan's mind, he found himself lost in contemplation.
If Loong Jie were to ascend to godhood, having refined countless Sunsilver Essence from beyond the stars, his dragon form would be nearly entirely transmuted into that of a golden dragon. Manifesting in the Everlands at the pinnacle of his combat prowess, could Lin Daoke, Tan Xiaotian, Han Miaoyuan, or even the Dark Phoenix truly slay him?
