C1580 Interesting!
On the fringes of the Star River, the Abyssal Leviathan cast aside Lin Zhuyun and the landmass, taking on the form of a cosmic giant beast, a colossal fish against the starry expanse. Its eyes, one a fiery red and the other a gleaming silver, fixed on Lin Zhuyun as it soared through the cosmos at breakneck speed.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Its passage ignited countless energy storms that raged and roiled long after it had gone.
The Leviathan was in a state of urgency.
It had never anticipated that upon its arrival at the Star River's edge, so distant from the Dark Star Domain, the subterranean creature from deep within the Primal Blood Continent would be seeking it out...
For eons, it had endeavored to establish communication with the subterranean creature on the Primal Blood Continent, to no avail.
It knew that its presence wasn't necessary on the Primal Blood Continent; the Root of the Solar Meridian would lock onto it the instant it manifested in the Dark Star Region.
Then, the full might of the Blood Fiend clan would be unleashed to confront it.
This knowledge left the Leviathan feeling helpless, fully aware of the creature lurking deep beneath the Primal Blood Continent's surface, yet unable to do anything about it.
Years prior, it had devised a plan. With its own Sunsorrow Amber, it crafted an Artificial Altar of Rebirth within Yu Yuan's body.
The initial plan was to wait for the opportune moment to possess Yu Yuan and, in human form, venture to the Primal Blood Continent.
But this plan never came to pass.
After the Demon God Grec perished in Ionodios, the Leviathan learned of three potential resurrection sites, one of which lay within the Primal Blood Continent. It covertly took part in the unfolding events.
This involvement inadvertently led Yu Yuan, along with Yu Zhu and Chen Qinghuang, to the Primal Blood Continent via one of these resurrection sites.
Inside Yu Yuan was the Artificial Altar of Rebirth, forged from the Leviathan's Sunsorrow Amber.
The Leviathan had used Yu Yuan to test the waters, to see if the altar imbued with its essence could stir the subterranean creature.
Its intention was to use the Altar of Rebirth within Yu Yuan as a conduit to forge a connection with the creature beneath the earth.
However, the subterranean creature remained undisturbed, while the Solar Meridian was inadvertently alerted...
The blood crystal that Yu Yuan had refined with his Solar Meridian had also been mixed in, seeking to claim a portion of the Secrets of Life that he had once acquired.
To his surprise, Yu Yuan had actually managed to survive his ordeal in the Dark Star.
The means by which Yu Yuan had escaped with the secular bird remained an enigma.
His attempts to use Yu Yuan as a test had backfired spectacularly, akin to lifting a rock only to drop it on his own foot.
It wasn't until Yu Yuan successfully forged the Solar Spirit in the Glimmerdrift Nebula using the Altar of Rebirth, the blood crystal, and all the lifeblood he had gathered...
He later realized that the marks he and the Root of the Solar Meridian had attempted to imprint were completely wiped clean.
Both he and the Root of the Solar Meridian had grossly miscalculated.
Neither gained any advantage from Yu Yuan; instead, Yu Yuan's Solar Spirit Body incorporated the Secrets of Life they had each harvested, which only augmented Yu Yuan's extraordinary abilities.
Unexpectedly, Ann Ziqing had fallen under the sway of the Root of the Solar Meridian and had traversed great distances to the Primal Blood Continent.
Yu Yuan's lifeblood within Ann Ziqing contained such marvels that it stirred to action.
It began to proactively seek out beings of sufficient strength and worth in the Star River.
Subsequently, both he and Yu Yuan were selected.
When the Abyssal Leviathan grasped the unfolding events, it cast aside all concerns, including the rare stone it had refined, and made a beeline for the Dark Star.
Yet, the distance to the Dark Star was immense.
His journey through the cosmos as a giant beast, though injured, might have been uneventful.
But upon nearing inhabited Astral Domains, the need to conceal himself and the threat of attracting the attention of extraterrestrial powers loomed large.
Nevertheless, he pressed on, undeterred.
Many years prior, he had acquired a fragment of the Secrets of Life and had imprinted it onto his heart as a giant beast, seeking integration. He was aware, however, that it was merely a sliver of the whole, and he yearned for more.
Cultivating Lin Zhuyun was a strategic move, as he harbored hopes that one day both the Root of the Solar Meridian and the Blood Fiend might perish, allowing him to ascend to the Primal Blood Continent.
His plan had been to harness Lin Zhuyun's power in the future to peer through the bitter cold and truly glimpse that elusive thing.
But now, that very thing was seeking him and Yu Yuan out. How could he resist the call?
He feared he was already too late.
...
The ruins of Kobran lay before them.
The wall had ruptured, and the desolate landscape was riddled with entrances to subterranean caves.
Once the domain of the Crypt Clan, the Ruby Hand's invasion had decimated their numbers, with the few survivors relocating elsewhere.
Deep within the earth, in a Crypt Clan city, lay a clandestine Starway, constructed by the Ruby Hand.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Yu Yuan and Zhou Cangmin emerged from one of the caves leading to the surface.
"Yu Yuan, you've really put me through the wringer," Zhou Cangmin lamented.
The state preceptor, now in the early stages of the Unbound realm, his white robes immaculate, exuded an extraordinary elegance as he hovered above the surface of Kobran, his face etched with a pained expression.
He had brought Yu Yuan here, knowing full well that Han Miaoyuan and the Dark Phoenix would likely brand him a traitor.
This was particularly true now, with the Dark Phoenix in a frenzy somewhere beyond the stars.
"I understand the predicament you're in. Should you and the Sunfire Emperor vie for the Heavenly Fire Divine Throne in the future, I'll support you with all my might," Yu Yuan assured him gravely.
Zhou Cangmin's offer of assistance was like a lifeline in a snowstorm.
Without Zhou Cangmin's aid, and without the Kobran Crossing under Ruby Hand's control, it would have been impossible for him to arrive so swiftly.
The fact that the Dark Phoenix had been gravely wounded by Taishi was no longer a secret, and Zhou Cangmin was well aware of it.
His decision to help in Kobran came with great risk; exposure would not only enrage the Dark Phoenix but might also provoke Han Miaoyuan to act.
Zhou Cangmin had proven his loyalty by taking such a significant risk to deliver Yu Yuan to Kobran.
He took note of it silently in his heart.
"Yuwen, that scoundrel!"
The High Oracle's face turned grim at the mention of the struggle for the divine seat by Yu Yuan. "The Emperor and I were as close as brothers, yet we're forced to battle to the death over a divine seat. Even in death, Yuwen won't let me live in peace, nor will he allow the Ruby Hand to rest easy."
"Thankfully, Mo Baichuan is stubborn to a fault. He actually chose the path of Earthfire."
Zhou Cangmin sighed heavily.
It was clear from his words that Mo Baichuan's choice was a stroke of luck for the Ruby Hand.
"I'll see this through to the end. Go deep underground and temporarily seal the Kobran Crossing," Yu Yuan said with a cough, a hint of embarrassment in his voice. "Apart from me, I don't want anyone else using the Kobran Crossing."
"Who are you on guard against?" Zhou Cangmin asked, looking him in the eye.
"The Abyssal Leviathan," Yu Yuan replied frankly.
He was sharing something with Zhou Cangmin that he hadn't even disclosed to the Untamed. "Something on the Primal Blood Continent of the Blood Fiend has drawn me in and is attempting to make close contact. That same thing has also signaled the Abyssal Leviathan, which is why it's en route here."
Zhou Cangmin was taken aback. "The Primal Blood Continent?"
Yu Yuan nodded.
After taking a deep breath, Zhou Cangmin continued, "Rest assured, I've been ready since I agreed to help you. The person responsible for the Crossing has been dealt with, and the alternate route you took from Darkpinion is under the watch of my most trusted. His loyalty to me is absolute."
"When I say absolute, I mean that even if Sect Master Qin Luo inquires, he will still cover for me."
"Furthermore, once we both arrive at Kobran, all communication with the outside will be temporarily severed. The official explanation might be that the power of the Origin Deity is so immense that it has altered the space rules beyond our realm."
Zhou Cangmin explained.
"You really do have everything figured out," Yu Yuan praised, then departed from Kobran, heading straight for the Dark Star.
"Yu Yuan!" Zhou Cangmin called out.
"There's no need for you to come with me. Rest assured, I'm only heading to the border of the Dark Star. I won't venture inside. If I did, I'd become a target and the Blood Fiend would hunt me down."
...
