C1579 Being Favored
On the fringes of the starry sky lay a strange and desolate land, shrouded in cold silence. Upon this land sat a deep blue sea.
Had Yu Yuan been present, he would have recognized it instantly as the Embers Sea, a place he knew all too well.
The border of the starry sky was rife with chilling currents and a sparse, disordered energy from the Star River.
Traveling across this land, one might spend months without encountering anything but a lifeless star, its surface barren and dotted with rudimentary, crumbling stone temples. It seemed as though eons ago, beings had once dwelled here, only to abandon it as the harsh environment and dwindling psionic power drove them away.
On the land, within the replica of the Embers Sea, Lin Zhuyun sat atop a glacier-like totem-pole, her presence as frosty as her surroundings.
She had ascended to the Unbound Realm and had successfully merged with the Starborne Ritual of Primeval Demons.
As a human who had mastered the Great Dao of Ice, her union with the Way of Heaven was remarkably harmonious, especially when aligning with the evilkind's totem-poles. Her transition to the Unbound Realm was seamless.
The Ghoul King had long secluded himself within an island, his presence unseen for ages.
The thirty-six totem-poles, once carried and consecrated by the Abyssal Leviathan in the extraterrestrial realm, had been partially stripped of their demon energy by Yu Yuan during their battle, inciting the Abyssal Leviathan's fierce wrath.
She dared not defy the Abyssal Leviathan, well aware of its merciless nature, so she opted to merge with the totem-pole as a show of loyalty.
Yet, after her smooth integration with the Starborne Ritual of Primeval Demons, she noticed the Abyssal Leviathan's gaze growing icier.
The sporadic glints of savagery in the Abyssal Leviathan's eyes left her on edge.
Still, she found herself unable to escape the clutches of the Abyssal Leviathan.
She was also aware that the Abyssal Leviathan, having been gravely wounded in the Glimmerdrift Nebula, had not yet recovered.
Concerned about being ambushed and killed by the formidable beings of the cosmos, yet driven by the old man's search for something, she found herself, along with the Ghoul King, in a remote region far from the heart of the Star River.
"I never anticipated that you and the evilkind's totem-pole could merge paths. This has taken me by surprise. However..." The Abyssal Leviathan, now in the guise of a gaunt old man, lay on a beach chair, eyes narrowed, coldly observing the towering totem-pole in the deep sea, resembling a glacier. He gazed at Lin Zhuyun, "Remember, your foundation has always been ice. I saw potential in you and have been nurturing you for this very reason."
Lin Zhuyun nodded slightly, yet remained silent.
"In your Unbound state, you've merged with the evilkind's totem-pole. I will eventually take you to the Dark Realm to grasp the essence of ice magic. With my guidance, you're destined to attain a level of power comparable to the supreme humans."
As the Abyssal Leviathan spoke, flickers of light danced in his eyes, as if his soul was ceaselessly scouring for something.
"One day, I will lead you into the Dark Star Region, to the Primal Blood Continent..." he murmured to himself.
Lin Zhuyun listened, forever uncertain of his true intentions, unclear on why he had chosen to cultivate her specifically. Was it merely because of her innate talent and her initial journey down the path of extreme cold?
What was it about the Primal Blood Continent of the Blood Fiend that captivated him so? What had held his fascination for so many years, a memory he couldn't seem to shake?
Lin Zhuyun harbored many questions, but she wisely chose to remain quiet. She believed that knowing less and speaking less might just prolong her life.
As long as she lived, as long as she grew stronger, hope remained.
And with it, the hope of one day confronting and defeating that person!
In that moment, the Abyssal Leviathan, who had been motionless in the chair for an extended period, abruptly rose to his feet.
The old man's gaze pierced through the vast expanse of stars, as if peering into another world, and it seemed he had seen something astonishing.
"How can this be possible!"
The expression on the face of the Abyssal Leviathan abruptly took on an eerie, shocked appearance, as if he had been taken aback to an extreme degree.
...
The Everlands, the Marsh.
Yu Yuan, who had intended to harness the power of the Dragon Slaying Stage to travel directly to the Moonfall Sanctuary and merge with the Dao, suddenly came to a halt.
Tian Zang and the Ape watched him as he furrowed his brow in deep thought. They could sense unusual waves of vital energy emanating from the acupoints within his middle elixir field.
"Primal Blood Continent..."
Yu Yuan whispered to himself, his Solar Spirit allowing him to clearly perceive Ann Ziqing.
He also detected something deep within the Primal Blood Continent, shrouded in bitter, piercing cold, that had caught his scent from Ann Ziqing's presence.
He had visited the Primal Blood Continent before and had experienced the Root of the Solar Meridian. He could distinguish the signature of the Root of the Solar Meridian.
Yet now, through Ann Ziqing, he was sensing something distinctly different, clearly not the Root of the Solar Meridian.
Yu Yuan pondered with a cool head. He recalled that during his last visit to the Primal Blood Continent, his Solar Spirit had not yet fully coalesced.
His Altar of Rebirth had not fully integrated the blood crystal of the Demon God Grec, and it had not undergone a fundamental metamorphosis, seemingly not reaching a high enough level of life.
Now, with the Solar Spirit fully realized and after a prolonged period of accumulating and refining countless blood-related oddities, and with the incorporation of the Kylin Heart, his Solar Spirit had grown much stronger, ascending to an entirely new level.
It seemed he had finally become significant enough to be noticed by that entity...
Just as Ann Ziqing arrived at the Primal Blood Continent and began her descent into the depths, in her little world of vitality, the seven Blood Pools contained the lifeblood he had infused...
Deep underground, wrapped in severe cold, that entity sensed him through the Primal Blood and appeared to be searching...
It was using Ann Ziqing to seek him out!
For some unknown reason, Yu Yuan felt a surge of excitement.
At that very moment, he sensed yet another familiar presence emanating from Ann Ziqing's little world of vitality.
The Abyssal Leviathan!
The Abyssal Leviathan, its whereabouts unknown, seemed to have been stirred by its own presence. It had sensed something through Ann Ziqing, just as the Abyssal Leviathan had!
A portion of the essence within the lifeblood Yu Yuan had infused into Ann Ziqing's Blood Pool originated from the Abyssal Leviathan, leaving traces of its existence. These traces allowed the subterranean creatures of the Primal Blood Continent to sense the Abyssal Leviathan as well!
Surprisingly, another entity, marked within Ann Ziqing, was deliberately overlooked.
This entity was currently on the Primal Blood Continent!
The blood crystal of the Demon God Grec, derived from the Root of the Solar Meridian, contained the life mysteries of the Root when he transformed it into the Solar Spirit.
It was because of this that Ann Ziqing was favored by the Root of the Solar Meridian, leading her to the Dark Star and its depths.
Yet, the Root of the Solar Meridian on the Primal Blood Continent, despite its proximity, was not favored and was intentionally avoided.
It seemed to have an aversion to the Root of the Solar Meridian.
It was through Ann Ziqing, through the lifeblood within her, that it reached out, sensing both Yu Yuan and the Abyssal Leviathan.
At this moment, it was as if it was selecting candidates that met its criteria.
One was Yu Yuan, and the other, the Abyssal Leviathan.
Should he respond?
After a brief hesitation, Yu Yuan decided. He turned to Tian Zang with resolve and instructed, "You, personally seek out Zhou Cangmin of the Ruby Hand! Tell him that I, Yu Yuan, request his assistance. I need to reach the Starway controlled by the Ruby Hand in Kobran, and I need to do it as quickly as possible!"
"Kobran?" Tian Zang was taken aback. "That desolate place? It's only close to the Dark Star domain of the Blood Fiend Clan. There's nothing else there."
Before Yu Yuan could respond, Tian Zang added, "Shouldn't you be rushing to the Moonfall Sanctuary instead?"
At that time, Taishi was still gravely wounded. The Moonfall Sanctuary was leaderless and in dire need of Yu Yuan's presence to take command.
"Go and do it immediately!" Yu Yuan commanded.
Tian Zang paused for a moment, then suddenly recalling his past life's identity, he nodded and swiftly made his way toward the teleportation circle, intent on contacting Zhou Cangmin to ascertain his whereabouts.
"Where might you be headed?" The Ape inquired with curiosity.
Yu Yuan was at a critical point in his merge, and he had previously resolved to return to the Moonfall Sanctuary without delay. Yet, he had abruptly overturned all plans, now urgently seeking Zhou Cangmin's assistance from the Ruby Hand and making haste to Kobran. It was exceedingly peculiar.
"There are some things I'm not entirely clear on myself, so I'm unable to explain," Yu Yuan said with a wry smile.
"When it comes to the Dark Star Region, it's nearest to the Obscure Star Region. The most enigmatic place within the Dark Star Region is the Primal Blood Continent. There must be some secret there, which is why Dark Phoenix has mentioned it more than once," Untamed remarked.
"Dark Phoenix!"
Yu Yuan felt a jolt. According to Untamed, Dark Phoenix's status in the Everlands was akin to that of the Root of the Solar Meridian.
When Ann Wen resolved to defect from the Everlands, Dark Phoenix first dispatched the Kylin to eliminate him. After the Kylin's failure, she personally took action to put an end to Ann Wen.
It appeared she was determined to prevent Ann Wen from reaching the Primal Blood Continent.
What did Dark Phoenix know about the Primal Blood Continent? Was she aware of the Root of the Solar Meridian or even more profound secrets? And where had Dark Phoenix obtained such knowledge?
Abyssal Leviathan!
The creature that Dark Phoenix had pinned to the seafloor of the Embers Sea, restraining it with the Starborne Ritual of Primeval Demons, yet curiously choosing not to slay the Abyssal Leviathan!
Could Dark Phoenix's mastery over the suppression of the blood of the Everlands' living beings and her deep understanding of vital energy... could it be that some of it was derived from the Abyssal Leviathan?
She clearly had the power to annihilate the Abyssal Leviathan, yet she went to great lengths to keep it sealed. What was she hoping to gain from the Abyssal Leviathan?
The entity deep beneath the Primal Blood Continent, repelling the Root of the Solar Meridian, had reached out not only to her but also to the Abyssal Leviathan, extending an olive branch and emitting a beckoning signal.
Could it be that the Abyssal Leviathan had already been favored by the Root of the Solar Meridian before? Unfortunately, due to the existence of the Root of the Solar Meridian, the Abyssal Leviathan could never truly make contact with it. The Solar Meridian, along with the Blood Fiend it created, staunchly protected the Primal Blood Continent, forbidding anyone from coming into contact with it.
"The Dark Phoenix is also quite cautious regarding the Primal Blood Continent. She's reluctant to visit it herself. Typically, she delegates the task to the Kylin or the Astral Tiger," the Ape explained.
"Was the Dark Phoenix always this powerful, or did she grow stronger after the Abyssal Leviathan was confined in the Everlands?" Yu Yuan inquired further.
"She has always been incredibly strong, to an extent that I find unbelievable. Of course, after the Abyssal Leviathan was cast down into the Embers Sea, she seemed to gain even more strength, which was quite apparent to me. But even after the fall of the Abyssal Leviathan, she continued to grow stronger without ever appearing to go through a phase of weakness," the Ape lamented with a sigh.
Four hours later, Tian Zang returned and announced, "Zhou Cangmin has agreed to assist. He's provided a set of spatial coordinates. You can travel to these coordinates from the Darkpinion, then make your way to Kobran from there."
"Understood, I'll set out immediately."
