C1581 The Change in the Heavens
In the Delude Devil Abyss, a High Priest wrapped in a black cloak stood atop a floating island, gazing down at the connection point with the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area. His eyes, glowing with deep purple flames, took on a grave expression.
He sensed that the entrance to the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area was saturated with a dense dark force, spewing forth chilling soul lights and causing the space to rupture and tremble violently. "Devil Lord Tan Xiaotian, and... Youyu?" Reid whispered to himself.
After a silent vigil, he was certain that a fierce battle had broken out within the passageway. He also detected that the Origin Realm Gate, buried deep within, seemed to have burst, igniting something that threw the internal space into utter chaos and disorder.
Concerned, Reid pondered how Yu Yuan would manage to cross if the passageway was compromised. The tasks entrusted to him by Beilstein were not to be taken lightly.
Days later, Reid learned from the Babel Chamber of Commerce that a conflict had erupted in the passageway between Devil Lord Tan Xiaotian, the newly risen Supreme Ghost Youyu, Xuanli, the leader of the Ghost Wizard Sect, and Yan Qiling of the Divine Soul Sect, leading to another collapse of the passageway. This information had come from the Dark Wing Starfield.
Additional reports revealed that Taishi had been gravely wounded by the Demon Phoenix, and Divine Kings Guixu and Tianqi had hastily retreated to the Plover Realm as a precaution against the Demon Phoenix.
Reid, who had been waiting in the Delude Devil Abyss for Yu Yuan's arrival, realized that the Origin Realm God had begun to act against Hao Yu, causing disturbances both within and without. After a long wait with no word from Yu Yuan, he decided to leave the Delude Devil Abyss to seek out the Great Demon God, Beilstein, and report back.
...
In the heavens, there was a star as black as obsidian, eternally still and unspinning. From a distance, it resembled a massive iron clod, exuding a profound heaviness. Occasionally, the edges of the star would fracture with a sharp crack.
At this moment, a majestic golden dragon was coiled above a star.
Its golden scales shimmered as it drew out specks of black metal essence from the star's depths.
The sky was filled with the essence, swirling like billions of dark fireflies, funneling into the dragon's body through the crevices of its scales.
Effortlessly, the dragon assimilated the essence into its flesh and blood.
Standing atop a mountain as sharp as a blade, Zhong Chichen, clad in vibrant attire, squinted and nodded with satisfaction.
He had been the one to forge the spatial pathways, guiding Loong Jie through the expansive starry sea in search of mineral-rich stars with essences of gold, silver, and iron.
The metallic essences were fused into Loong Jie's body, inducing a gradual metamorphosis of his flesh and blood.
By now, Loong Jie's outer scales, horns, and claws, as well as his inner bones, were as cold and hard as divine iron.
Once Loong Jie's internal organs and every drop of his dragon blood were filled and refined by the world's myriad refined golds, he would undergo a fundamental transformation. Then, they would venture into the Dark Domain in search of Asura King Sabonis.
With Sabonis's demise, Loong Jie would reach the pinnacle of his draconic potential.
At that time, Loong Jie would once again reign supreme over the starry cosmos, unafraid of the vast majority of so-called supreme beings.
Once Zhong Chichen ascended to godhood through the power of time and space, he and Loong Jie together would undoubtedly restore the glory of the Nagas.
He eagerly anticipated this day, knowing it would not be long before he returned to the Vast Expanse—welcomed back by the invitations of many.
Hiss!
A strange spatial disturbance suddenly emanated from a dim and icy realm beside the Black Iron Star.
Zhong Chichen's brows flickered with surprise as he cast his gaze in its direction, wondering what fool would dare interrupt him and Loong Jie at such a crucial juncture.
Even within the Outer Star River, there were few with the qualifications and strength to meddle in their affairs.
Figures like Cadorath, Barol, and the Tenth Level High Priest Reid should understand the intentions of the Great Demon God Beilstein and would not dare to thwart Loong Jie's burgeoning power.
The Great Demon God Beilstein urgently required the vast expanse to swiftly address the Origin Realm Gate.
"Who might it be?" Zhong Chichen mused, his brow furrowing.
Out of nowhere, a colossal butterfly shimmering with a kaleidoscope of light burst through the fabric of space.
The butterfly, its wingspan dwarfing the dark iron star upon which he stood, fluttered gently.
Atop one wing perched a Dark Elfkind man who, despite his youthful appearance, had eyes that told of a life rich with experience.
With a subtle smile, he introduced himself, "I am Diggs of the Dark Elfkind."
Having departed the enigmatic Deep Starfield of his people and achieved the rank of a Tenth Level warrior, Diggs had rejuvenated.
On the butterfly's other wing materialized a Golden Chariot, upon which sat a regal Asura.
It was none other than Asura King Sabonis, his shoulders, knees, and elbows adorned with natural golden spurs that glinted with an icy golden radiance.
The sudden arrival of the Void Spirit Succubus, Diggs, and Asura King Sabonis altered Zhong Chichen's demeanor.
"Space-time Dragon, to think you'd end up like this," the Void Spirit Succubus remarked in the Dragons' pure tongue. Her eyes, reminiscent of colorful Divine Stones, locked onto Zhong Chichen, causing the space around the black star to solidify.
Empowered by the Origin Realm God and the boon of the Fallen Divine Tree, she had regained her pinnacle strength and was ready to wield the full might of the Starry Behemoth. Against Zhong Chichen, who had not yet ascended to divinity, she was supremely confident.
"A Golden Dragon on the cusp of its zenith," mused Asura King Sabonis as he rose from the Golden Chariot, standing against the backdrop of the celestial expanse above the butterfly's wings.
With a touch of resignation, Sabonis lamented, "I knew he would come seeking me in the Dark Domain once he amassed sufficient power. I had to strike first."
Diggs offered a reassuring smile. "Asura King, allying with our master is your sole path to survival. Not only have we been tasked to assist you in eradicating the Nagas, but our master has also vowed to prolong your life upon success. You've aged; I know you yearn to live on, and the Hannya Divine Tree could be the key to your longevity."
Sabonis nodded; indeed, he had no other choice.
He wasn't concerned about Tan Xiaotian causing trouble in the Dark Domain, nor was he intimidated by other supreme beings. However, the prospect of Loong Jie's deification left him without any hope of victory.
He was acutely aware that the Golden Dragon represented the pinnacle of the Great Dao of Law. The records left by the previous Asura King made that abundantly clear.
Years ago, the Golden Dragon of the Nagas could freely devastate any Asura territory.
To all Asuras, irrespective of rank or combat prowess, the Golden Dragon was an unstoppable force of nature.
When Sabonis realized that Loong Jie's rise to godhood—and possibly the Space-time Dragon's as well—might have been sanctioned by the Great Demon God Beilstein, he knew he had to act.
For his own sake and for the future of the Asura Clan, he sought out the Origin Realm God.
...
Yu Yuan came to an abrupt halt.
Far off in the desolate expanse of the Outer Star River, a deep red speck emitted a faint glow, distant and elusive.
Having once visited the Dim Starfield, he recognized the speck instantly as the deep red moon that had always been visible overhead.
The deep red moon, suspended in the Dim Starfield, harbored the power of the Yang Meridian's source and served as its vigilant eye.
In the past, after Chen Qinghuang had unleashed her formidable power and torn open the Origin Blood Continent, he, along with Tan Junshan and the unconscious Chen Qinghuang, had been relentlessly pursued by the Blood Devil Clan, all because of that same deep red moon.
Wherever the moon's light touched, the Yang Meridian could peer through, and the Blood Devil Clan's warriors would swiftly converge.
Years had passed, and the Great Demon God Grec was likely at his zenith once more, with numerous Ninth Level Blood Devils at his command.
If he were to press on and truly reach the Dim Starfield, his unique essence would be easily detected by both Grec and the Yang Meridian.
So, with a cool head, he stopped in his tracks and reached out to Ann Ziqing through the blood bond they shared.
Additionally, he was searching for the Chaos Roc with the help of Ann Ziqing.
He quickly realized that leaving the vast expanse of the oceanic world and journeying to this place via the Galaxy Crossing of the Fallen Realm was indeed a wise decision.
The once vague sensation had become much stronger as he neared her.
He could feel that Ann Ziqing had found her place deep within the Origin Blood Continent.
Her Yang God had left her true body, apparently flying towards a dense blood river.
Clearly, this dense blood river was the hidden Yang Meridian of the Blood Devil Clan beneath the Origin Blood Continent.
At that moment, Ann Ziqing's true body was seated on a dark red stone, observing her detached Yang God.
Within Ann Ziqing's small world of Qi and blood, seven blood pools still contained Yu Yuan's life source blood, allowing their connection to remain intact.
The Yang God that Ann Ziqing had assimilated also held his Qi and blood, enabling him to sense it precisely.
But as Ann Ziqing's Yang God finally reached its destination and descended into the dense blood river...
Yu Yuan suddenly lost all sensation of Ann Ziqing's Yang God. The life essence he had imparted was directly stripped away by the Yang Meridian's source.
Only a tiny fraction of the life essence remained in Ann Ziqing's Yang God, coincidentally the very essence the Yang Meridian yearned for.
It was then that Yu Yuan understood that the Yang Meridian's source had chosen Ann Ziqing because she harbored something it desperately wanted—something not innate to her, but bestowed by him.
The next moment, Ann Ziqing's physical form began to shudder violently.
Inside her dantian, the seven purple crystal blood pools, with their droplets of blood, were suddenly frozen by an intense cold force, solidifying instantaneously.
The blood and the purple crystal blood pools transformed into purple crystal chunks.
She then realized she was immobilized, unable to harness the power from her own small world of Qi and blood.
Moreover, she detected Yu Yuan's presence.
Yu Yuan seemed to be engaging in a dialogue with another peculiar entity through her small world of blood and Qi.
