C1578 Millions of Miles away
In the extraterrestrial Dark Star region, Ann Ziqing's face was drawn with fatigue. She had utilized the Skyreach Consortium's Starway to embark on a lengthy journey, finally reaching the sacred Astral Domain governed by the Blood Fiend Clan.
Opting not to travel through Kobran, she transformed into a crimson streak of light, arriving from a different route. Throughout her journey, she faintly perceived cries emanating from the Dark Star.
The Consortium had informed her of her father's death at the hands of the Dark Phoenix. Overwhelmed by sorrow and anger, she cast aside all caution.
Fearing that her appearance would provoke pursuit by an archdemon, she was compelled to circumvent the Starway in Kobran, which was under the control of five powerful factions.
At last, she reached the Astral Domain of the Blood Fiend Clan, recently the site of a fierce battle.
Boom! A towering figure emerged from the ruins of a dark red castle, with numerous vast blood shadows trailing behind. These blood-colored apparitions exuded immense vitality and their presence was astonishing. Some appeared to be swallowing the sun and moon, others manipulating flesh and blood as if to conjure ancient demons and deities, while others cackled about the profound mysteries of blood.
Ann Ziqing's eyes sparkled with recognition.
A venerable Blood Fiend expert gestured to her from above the celestial body, beckoning her to approach. Had her father, Ann Wen, been alive, she might have hesitated, feeling an internal resistance. But now, she flew towards the summoning without a second thought.
"My name is Munch," the elder of the Blood Fiend Clan said, flashing a toothy smile.
Ann Ziqing gasped in surprise, "You..."
Munch was a renowned warrior from a bygone era, predating even the Demon God Grec. Rumored to have lived for over ten thousand years, he was a legend in the Star River. In the Everlands, he was known for having slain numerous cultivators of the Unbound and Solar Spirit realms.
"I have been tasked with guiding you," Munch said, scrutinizing the human who shared a similar essence to his own. "The creator of our clan has conveyed its will to me: to escort you to the Primal Blood Continent."
Ann Ziqing's excitement surged. "It knows I'm coming?"
Munch nodded. "It's been waiting for you for quite some time."
Without hesitation, Ann Ziqing inhaled deeply and requested, "Lead the way, please."
"Are you mentally prepared?" Munch inquired.
"Prepared for what?"
"Entering the Primal Blood Continent means delving deep into the earth. Once you make contact, you'll no longer be human. At the very least, your Solar Spirit will genuinely transform into a Blood Fiend like us. Naturally, your Solar Spirit will ascend to the level of a Demon God, and you'll need to merge with it," Munch explained, his smile enigmatic.
Transforming her Solar Spirit into a Blood Fiend, reaching the ninth level of strength, breaking through her own realm, and advancing the Root of the Solar Meridian to a state of freedom—wasn't this exactly what she desired?
"I have just one question: if I pledge my loyalty to it, is there a chance I could become a great Demon God? And can I defeat the Dark Phoenix in the future?" Ann Ziqing's eyes slowly reddened.
"Of course," Munch affirmed with a nod.
"Then let's go. I'm with you."
...
Beyond the Everlands.
Wei Zhuo, the Sect Master of the Thunder Sect, was navigating the Thunder Pool aimlessly, seeking regions rich in the power of lightning and thunder.
He had progressed from the middle to the late period of the Unbound Stage, but the Thunder Pool was still far from evolving into a Divine Artifact.
The dynamics of the Everlands were rapidly shifting, and he was losing his grasp on them, particularly after witnessing the collapse of Yuwen Hao's divine seat.
Han Miaoyuan had not summoned him beyond the Astral Domain, nor had he spoken to him, indicating that his power was not needed within the Everlands.
Thus, he drifted through the extraterrestrial expanses, searching for his chance.
As he passed a dark brown meteorite, Wei Zhuo had a sudden premonition. With a disdainful snort, he steered the Thunder Pool closer.
Boom!
Inside the Thunder Pool, it was as if thousands of thunderclaps erupted, casting forth thousands of brilliant lightning bolts that streaked towards the meteorite.
"Giggle!"
From within the meteorite came a delightful sound. Almost instantly, not just that meteorite but also the surrounding colossal meteorites transformed into a series of thick, ornate tomes.
A towering woman, draped in resplendent garments, materialized with a beguiling smile.
Surrounding her, hundreds of books orbited in a mesmerizing dance. Her sleeves billowed as if each word she uttered could awaken the myriad demons lurking within the human soul.
Within these tomes, millions of little devils sensed the fearsome aura emanating from the Thunder Pool and cowered within the pages, too terrified to emerge.
"Inner demon, Mitts."
Wei Zhuo let out a cold snort. Recognizing her as merely a Demon God of the inner demon, his icy visage betrayed an undisguised murderous intent. "Had it been any other intelligent life, I might have exerted some effort. But if it's you, Sky Fiends..."
"I've come specifically to seek you out, not to trouble you. Otherwise, I would be leading the charge, alongside several ninth-level warriors from the Starborn and the Silverscale Tribe," Mitts said with a coy smile, her tone calm and collected. "I am here under the orders of my tribe's High Priest to escort you to a certain place."
She paused, her gaze fixed on the Thunder Pool, feeling its heart-stopping power. With a grave expression, she continued, "This place is a sacred forbidden area of our Sky Fiend Tribe, filled with boundless lightning. Only we are privy to its location! I am tasked with guiding you there so that you may refine the Thunder Pool at your feet."
Wei Zhuo was taken aback. "You're being generous? Isn't the High Priest, Reid, afraid that a supreme expert versed in thunder magic might arise within the Everlands?"
"The High Priest is indeed fearful, but..." Mitts replied with reverence, "Our tribe's venerable elder does not fear the birth of another thunder sovereign in the vast Everlands. Hehe, as the leader of the Thunder Sect, surely you've heard how those in the Everlands who mastered thunder magic and ascended to godhood ultimately met their demise?"
Wei Zhuo's spirits sank. "I'm aware."
True, those who mastered thunder magic were the nemesis of the Star-Spawned Terror and all manner of spectral beings.
Yet, this did not include the formidable Demon God Bertain.
The Everlands had once cultivated a Lightning Most High who arrogantly believed he could subdue Demon God Bertain, only to be systematically vanquished.
The majesty of the Demon God brooked no challenge.
"I've brought you here to cleanse the Thunder Pool, granting you the qualifications to ascend to godhood. This was also the wish of our elder patriarch," Mitts said earnestly, looking at him. "Our Sky Fiend Clan doesn't expect anything in return from you. Should you be fortunate enough to secure a Divine Throne and ascend to godhood, all we ask is that you deliver the Thunder Pool to the Origin Realm."
"Origin Realm!" Wei Zhuo exclaimed, taken aback.
"The Origin Deity masters both spatial and Soul Power, yet only the soul can traverse the Origin Realm. Once you ascend and the Thunder Pool becomes a Divine Artifact, casting it into the Origin Realm would be akin to unleashing the most formidable weapon," Mitts explained.
Wei Zhuo quickly realized that the recent unruly behavior of the Origin Deity had provoked the ire of the Great Demon God Bertain. Hence, Bertain had sent Mitts to assist him in purifying the Thunder Pool, potentially elevating him to the highest echelon. It seemed that Bertain was confident in facing a deity empowered by thunder magic, having encountered such beings numerous times. The Origin Deity, likely unfamiliar with such entities, was using him as a test.
"This opportunity hasn't arisen in a millennium. What's there to consider?" Mitts huffed impatiently.
"Lead on!" commanded Wei Zhuo.
...
In the Marsh, Yu Yuan's Solar Spirit departed from the Dragon Slaying Stage, instantly merging with his real body as he returned to his personal domain of vitality. Holding the Dragon Slaying Stage, he informed the Untamed of his intention to return to the Moonfall Sanctuary, pending his approval.
Once Untamed consented, Yu Yuan prepared to break through the void and return. However, as he was about to depart, a slight tremor passed through him. His Solar Spirit, which had assimilated the Kylin Heart, manifested anew in the form of the Altar of Rebirth, seemingly detecting something elusive, originating from a distant extraterrestrial realm.
With a swift motion, the Dragon Slaying Stage descended from the Shenque acupoint to the vitality-filled domain, hovering gently as the Solar Spirit, now the Altar of Rebirth, materialized.
At that moment, the Dragon Slaying Stage served as an odd sort of scaffold.
It was as though Tian Zang's Spawn of Chaos was cradling his Blood Altar.
The presence of the Dragon Slaying Stage amplified his Solar Spirit's perceptive abilities a thousandfold!
A faint blood spot, linked to him, slowly came into focus.
Then, it dawned on him that he seemed to be seeing Ann Ziqing...
Ann Ziqing was descending into a bizarre cavern that led deep into the bowels of the earth.
The cave walls were smeared with a deep red, as though coated in blood, creating a scene both terrifying and macabre.
He had once revived Ann Ziqing from a blood cocoon using his own life force. At times, he felt as though Ann Ziqing had become his blood bound slave, his puppet, his very own eye.
Yet, Ann Ziqing was certainly extraterrestrial, and the fact that he could sense her from such a vast distance was perplexing.
Even more bizarre was that...
Ann Ziqing seemed to merely be a conduit between him and something else!
In the world where Ann Ziqing currently resided, a mysterious entity appeared to have detected him through the bond they shared.
To be precise, it had detected his Solar Spirit Body!
"Solar Meridian, Root of the Solar Meridian..." Ann Ziqing whispered to herself.
Boom!
Her myriad experiences, her odyssey across the Star River in the extraterrestrial realm, her encounter with Munch upon reaching the Dark Star, and her current endeavors all merged into a sea of memories that Yu Yuan's Altar of Rebirth, in the form of the Solar Spirit, accessed.
"Primal Blood Continent, the Root of the Solar Meridian deep beneath the earth!"
Yu Yuan instantly realized that Ann Ziqing had indeed reached the Primal Blood Continent, the hiding place of the Root of the Solar Meridian, the creator of the Blood Fiend!
He also understood why Ann Ziqing was there and what she sought.
Subsequently, Yu Yuan truly felt the entity that had sensed him through Ann Ziqing deep within the Primal Blood Continent.
And it was not the Root of the Solar Meridian!
The Root of the Solar Meridian was merely beneath the Primal Blood Continent, much like the Root of the Lunar Meridian lay beneath the Everlands. However, this entity was nestled even deeper, at the very heart of the Primal Blood Continent.
Yu Yuan was astounded to discover that the object appeared to be enveloped in the most intense coldness imaginable, as if the starry sky itself had crystallized around it.
Deep within the heart of the Primal Blood Continent, where the cold was so severe it could shatter souls, a massive crystal had formed.
The Blood Crystal!
Puff!
A tiny fragment of memory, deeply sealed within Yu Yuan's dominant soul and known only to him, suddenly burst forth.
Extreme fire encased the soul.
Extreme ice encased the blood.
Fire would ignite the blood, while coldness would shatter the soul, thus the reverse was also true.
Hence, the subterranean structures of the Primal Blood Continent and the Everlands were similar, yet the entities they encased were starkly different.
The sole exception was the Titan Spinosaurus, which had made its way to the Everlands—or more accurately, it had reached the Everlands first.
Its intended destination had been the Primal Blood Continent, but its untimely death in the Everlands led to the wonders and the current golden age of this realm.
The Root of the Lunar Meridian schemed to claim the subterranean creature of the Everlands but was thwarted by the Earthfire.
The Root of the Solar Meridian sought the subterranean creature of the Primal Blood Continent, yet it was defeated by the sheer cold.
They were left with no choice but to stand guard, waiting for an opportunity and devising ways to delve deeper.
To this day, they have yet to succeed.
