C1581 The Change in the Extraterrestrial
Hellmouth.
High Priest Reid, enshrouded in a black cloak, gazed down upon the juncture with the Moonfall Sanctuary from his elevated position. His eyes, glowing with twin orbs of deep purple dark fire, took on a grave expression.
He could sense that the entrance to the Moonfall Sanctuary was brimming with dark energy, spewing forth Frost Spirit light amidst the violent rending and quaking of space.
"Demon Lord Tan Xiaotian, and... Youyu?" Reid murmured to himself.
He waited in silence, certain that a fierce battle was erupting within the Domain Channel.
He also detected that the Origin Gate, concealed deep within, seemed to have burst, igniting something that caused the internal space to descend into utter chaos and disorder.
Reid was concerned. If there were issues with the Domain Channel, how would Yu Yuan manage to cross over?
He took the tasks assigned by Bertain very seriously and dared not treat them with anything less than the utmost caution.
Days later, Reid learned from the Skyreach Consortium that Demon Lord Tan Xiaotian, the newly risen God of Ghosts Youyu, Xuanli, the leader of the Bloodbrawlers, and Yan Qiling, the head of Boulderdawn, had clashed within the Domain Channel, leading to its collapse and obstruction once again.
This information had been gathered from the Darkpinion Astral Domain by the Skyreach Consortium.
Additional reports included that Taishi had been gravely wounded by the Dark Phoenix, and that God-Kings Gui Xu and Tianqi had hurried back to Ionodios to prepare defenses against the Dark Phoenix.
Reid, who had been waiting at the Hellmouth for Yu Yuan's arrival, learned that the Origin Deity had begun to make moves against the Everlands, causing instability both within and without.
After a prolonged wait with no word from Yu Yuan, he decided to depart from the Hellmouth to report back to the Great Demon God Bertain.
...
Out in the extraterrestrial void, there was a star, utterly black and eternally still.
Seen from a distance, this star resembled a massive black iron lump, exuding a profound sense of heaviness.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The periphery of the star occasionally fractured.
At this moment, a golden dragon loomed above the star.
Its golden scales quivered as it drew specks of black iron essence from the star's core.
The sky was filled with black iron essence, swirling like billions of black fireflies, seeping into the dragon's body through the crevices of its scales.
Effortlessly, the dragon assimilated the essence into its flesh and blood.
Atop a mountain sharp as a blade, Zhong Chichen, adorned in vibrant attire, squinted and smiled, nodding in approval.
Recently, he had forged a spatial pathway, guiding Loong Jie through the expansive starry sea in search of mineral-rich stars with essences of gold, silver, and copper.
The essence of these metals was smelted into Loong Jie's being, prompting a gradual metamorphosis of his flesh and blood.
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 organs and every drop of his draconic blood were saturated and transformed by the fine gold of the cosmos, they would venture into the Dark Realm to seek out the Blood King Sabonis.
With Sabonis's demise, Loong Jie would achieve the ultimate form of his dragon lineage.
Then, Loong Jie would ascend to a stature rivaling the ancient golden dragons, fearless before the vast majority of so-called supreme beings within the Star River.
When Zhong Chichen harnessed the power of time and space to ascend to divinity, he and Loong Jie together would undoubtedly restore the glory of the Nagas.
He eagerly anticipated this day, knowing his return to the Everlands was imminent.
He was already receiving invitations from various factions.
Hiss!
Next to the Black Iron Star, a dark and icy domain was suddenly disturbed by an abnormal spatial fluctuation.
Zhong Chichen raised an eyebrow in surprise, wondering what fool would dare interrupt him and Loong Jie at such a moment.
Even among the extraterrestrial realms, only a select few possessed the might to meddle with him and Loong Jie.
Tenth-level powerhouses such as Cardo, Ballo, and High Priest Reid should recognize Demon God Bertain's will and refrain from thwarting Loong Jie's empowerment.
The Demon God Bertain urgently required the Everlands to address the issue of the Origin Gate.
"Who could it be?" Zhong Chichen furrowed his brow.
Out of nowhere, a colossal butterfly shimmering with a kaleidoscope of light tore through the fabric of space and emerged.
The butterfly, with wings that dwarfed the black iron celestial body beneath it, fluttered gently.
Atop one wing stood a seemingly young man whose eyes betrayed a lifetime of experiences.
With a subtle smile, he introduced himself, "I am Diggs of the Shadowkin."
Diggs, having recently advanced to a tenth-level warrior and rejuvenated to his youthful form, had left the Brugeth Astral Domain.
On the opposite wing, a Golden Chariot materialized, bearing a regal Shura.
The Shura's natural golden spikes at the shoulders, knees, and elbows gleamed with an icy golden radiance.
It was none other than the Blood King Sabonis!
The sudden arrival of the Voidweaver, Diggs, and Blood King Sabonis altered Zhong Chichen's demeanor.
"Chronowyrm, I never imagined you'd end up like this."
The vibrant Voidweaver spoke in the pure tongue of the Nagas, her eyes like hex stones fixed on Zhong Chichen, causing the space around the black iron star to solidify.
Empowered by the Origin Deity and the gifts of the Blightwood, she had regained her apex strength.
Facing Zhong Chichen, who had yet to ascend to divinity, she was assured of her dominance.
"A golden dragon on the cusp of its pinnacle."
Blood King Sabonis rose from the Golden Chariot and took his place above the butterfly's wings against the starry sky.
With a hint of resignation, Sabonis lamented, "Knowing he would seek me out in the Dark Realm once he amassed enough power, I had to strike first."
Diggs offered a reassuring smile, "Blood King, pledging allegiance to our master is your sole path to survival. Not only have we been tasked to aid you in eradicating the Nagas, but our master has also promised to extend your life upon success. You've grown old, and I understand your desire to live on—the Uxthar Tree could be your salvation."
Sabonis nodded in agreement; he truly had no alternative.
He harbored no fear of Tan Xiaotian's antics in the Dark Realm, nor of the other supreme beings of the Everlands.
Yet, the prospect of Loong Jie's divine ascension left him without hope for victory.
He was acutely aware that the golden dragon of the Everlands represented the pinnacle of the cosmic order.
The legacy of the Blood King, his predecessor, had made that abundantly clear.
Years ago, the Nagas' golden dragon could freely devastate any Shura territory.
To the golden dragon, all Shuras, irrespective of rank or combat prowess, were mere prey to be culled.
When Sabonis recognized that the ascension of Loong Jie and the subsequent rise of the Chronowyrm might have been sanctioned by the Demon God Bertain...
For his own sake and for the Shura as a whole, he proactively sought out the Origin Deity.
...
Yu Yuan came to an abrupt halt.
Far off in the dim, silent expanse of the Star River, a deep red speck emitted a faint glow, distant from his position.
Having visited the Dark Star before, he instantly recognized the red moon that had always been visible whenever he looked up.
The red moon, suspended over the Dark Star, harbored the power of the Root of the Solar Meridian, serving as the Solar Meridian's eye.
In the past, when Chen Qinghuang unleashed her formidable power and broke through the Primal Blood Continent despite severe injuries, she, along with Tan Junshan and herself in an unconscious state, were pursued by the Blood Fiend due to the red moon's illumination.
Wherever the red moon's light reached, the Solar Meridian could see, and the Blood Fiend's elites would swiftly converge.
Years later, the Demon God Grec would undoubtedly have regained his peak form, and the ranks of the ninth-level Blood Fiends had swelled.
If he were to press on and truly reach the Dark Star from this frontier, his unique essence would be easily detected by both the Solar Meridian and Grec.
Thus, with a cool head, he ceased his advance and reached out to Ann Ziqing through their blood bond.
Moreover, he sought the objects connected to both him and the Abyssal Leviathan through Ann Ziqing.
He swiftly realized that leaving the Everlands and traveling through the Starway from Kobran had been a judicious choice.
The once vague sensation had grown exponentially clearer as the distance closed.
He could sense that Ann Ziqing had found her footing beneath the surface of the Primal Blood Continent.
Meanwhile, Ann Ziqing's Solar Spirit had flown from her real body, seemingly heading toward a dense blood river.
Clearly, this rich blood river was the well-concealed Solar Meridian beneath the Primal Blood Continent, the very force that gave rise to the Blood Fiend.
At this moment, Ann Ziqing's real body was seated on a deep red rocky terrain, observing her detached Solar Spirit.
Within Ann Ziqing's little world of vitality, seven Blood Pools remained, still harboring Yu Yuan's lifeblood, thus ensuring the blood bond between them was maintained.
The Solar Spirit that Ann Ziqing had assimilated also contained his vitality, allowing him to sense it with precision.
However, as Ann Ziqing's Solar Spirit finally reached its destination, plunging into the dense blood river...
Suddenly, Yu Yuan lost all connection to Ann Ziqing's Solar Spirit. The life essence he had imparted was abruptly seized by the Root of the Solar Meridian.
Ann Ziqing's Solar Spirit contained only a minuscule amount of life essence, yet it was precisely what the Root of the Solar Meridian yearned for.
At that moment, Yu Yuan understood that the Root of the Solar Meridian had chosen Ann Ziqing because she harbored something it coveted – something he had given her.
The next instant, Ann Ziqing's real body began to shudder intensely.
Within her middle elixir field, the seven amethyst Blood Pools were suddenly encased in ice, the droplets of blood frozen solid, transforming into purple crystalline structures.
She found herself immobilized, unable to harness the power within her little world of vitality.
Moreover, she detected Yu Yuan's presence.
Yu Yuan appeared to be engaging in a dialogue with another mysterious entity, using her little world of vitality as the conduit.
