C1617 The Star Boundary
In the Dark Realm, a river valley lay torn asunder.
The frozen bodies of the Shura, now ice sculptures, were strewn about like discarded refuse.
The chilling wind wailed like specters, while nearby, a pristine mountain range was slowly being worn away by streams of silver sword light.
Deep within the mountain, a hidden ice magic of the cosmic order was being pierced and deciphered by the remnant soul within the sword light.
Elena, having advanced to the ninth level and ascended to a platinum Shura, gazed at the white mountain with a mix of emotions.
She had heard tales of the late Great General Alonso of the Glimmerdrift Nebula, who had once meditated there, grasping the mountain's mysterious essence.
Her Shura squad had been decimated days before by a woman's arrival.
She was the sole survivor.
"Stardust Blade, Ji Ningshuang..."
Elena, with her ninth-level lineage, watched the sword light enveloping the white mountains. She tapped into her bloodline to grasp the frigid sword's will hidden within, feeling as though a hailstorm had erupted within her soul.
The massive hail, like icy stars, filled her being.
Her soul and bloodline were awash with terror and despair, making her acutely aware of the vast chasm between her and that other being.
That individual had left behind only the Stardust Blade to consume the remnants of the Dark Realm's ice magic, while the Sage had vanished without a trace.
Now and then, Elena caught glimpses of brilliant starlight bursting forth in the distance.
The sudden starlight, often followed by draconic roars, sent shivers down her spine.
She came to the sobering realization that the poor choices of two Golden Shura had doomed the future of her people.
The arrival of Demon Lord Tan Xiaotian, the emergence of Ji Ningshuang, and the establishment of Wintermaw had transformed the sacred Dark Realm of the Shura into a playground for the powers of the Everlands.
Many ancient Shura, who had never ventured beyond the Dark Realm, now chose to abandon their ancestral homes.
Countless Shura were compelled to relocate, seeking refuge in other Shura territories.
She had not managed to flee...
Because the Stardust Blade, like a watchful eye upon this frigid earth, seemed to be silently observing her.
It was as though she was bound to this place, unable to depart without Ji Ningshuang's consent.
If she dared to force her way out, her fate would be sealed just like her companions, turned into an ice sculpture by the relentless ice power.
"Ji, you've got issues too..."
A mocking voice emerged from nowhere.
The next moment, Elena saw a man dressed in vibrant clothes step out from a freshly opened space rift, a mischievous grin on his face as he stood before her.
The man squinted at her and asked, "You're Elena, right?"
Elena suddenly felt as though this man's gaze had unearthed all her secrets, causing her consciousness to blur.
Deep memories within her mind stirred to life.
At the heart of those memories was Yu Yuan.
Her encounters with Yu Yuan, their time together, their adventures across the realms—all crystalized with vivid clarity.
It was as if she was reliving those moments alongside Yu Yuan once more.
"There was actually an intimate connection between us."
The man, taken aback, stroked his chin and gazed at her, murmuring in surprise.
Elena, who was once fiery and defiant, now appeared somewhat disheartened and timid after the tribulations faced by the Shura and the successive blows she had endured. The man's words brought a flush to her cheeks.
"Since it's happened, she's my junior brother's woman, and I can't let her end up in the hands of that cold girl."
The man chuckled softly to himself, "The Dark Realm will eventually fall to the Nagas. If my junior brother ever learns that one of his women was killed by another in the dragon-conquered world, I'd have a hard time explaining it."
"That guy is bound to wake up eventually, and when he does... his temper is foul. Forget it, I'm scared of him. Better not let any accidents happen."
"So, I'll take this Otherkin woman with me for now."
He grabbed Elena and pulled her toward the still-open space rift, vanishing into it.
After his departure, and once the space rift had sealed, the sword's will upon the snowy mountains seemed to finally sense something amiss.
It was then that it realized Elena, who had been confined, was gone.
...
On the frontier of the extraterrestrial realm.
After an extensive journey through teleportation and the aid of several "Starways," Yu Yuan, Taishi, and the sinister stone statue finally arrived on a massive meteorite, devoid of any walls.
The meteorite drifted in solitude.
No sun, moon, or stars were nearby, nor were there any other domains. The psionic power within the Star River was so sparse it was barely perceptible.
On the massive meteorite lay the ruins of palaces, their grand scale suggesting they were crafted by the Titans.
A desolate, lifeless aura washed over the area.
"Not long ago, the Abyssal Leviathan surfaced in a Star River not too far from here."
Upon reaching this colossal meteorite, Gui Xu, the God-King, watched as his phantom gracefully emerged from within a stone statue, indicating his familiarity with the location.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two more phantoms, fainter but similar to his own, flew out from different regions of the meteorite and merged into his soul.
A multitude of memories intertwined within Gui Xu's phantom, rebranding and fusing together.
It was as if two other versions of himself were integrating with the dominant soul, conveying years of accumulated memories in such a manner.
"Is this the edge of the cosmos?"
With a mere thought, Yu Yuan ascended from the meteorite and called forth the Dragon Slaying Stage, his grip gentle yet firm.
His senses amplified exponentially in an instant.
Within tens of thousands of miles, he detected nothing but scattered meteorites, no complete landmass, and no trace of life or souls.
The sparse cosmic energy here was incapable of sustaining powerful beings or even the fluttering of insects and birds.
An eerie silence pervaded the area.
Yu Yuan, along with Taishi and Gui Xu, had come to assist Gui Xu in forging a new flesh-and-blood body, but now he felt nothing...
Crack!
The earth split open at the site of the Evil Statue, revealing a staircase descending into the depths.
From his vantage point in the sky, Yu Yuan noticed what appeared to be another concealed palace within the meteorite, radiating a rich spiritual energy.
The underground palace was illuminated by the glow of soulstones, their light clear and steady.
"There's no need for you to go down," Taishi said, noticing Yu Yuan's intent to descend and investigate the underground palace. He smiled and shook his head, adding, "I'll bring what we need up here."
No sooner had he spoken than a desiccated, dust-covered corpse flew up from the staircase.
It was a Blood Fiend, devoid of any blood...
Yu Yuan caught sight of it and involuntarily whispered the name, his face immediately turning somber.
An ancient Blood Fiend elder, dead for untold years, had been secretly buried within a meteorite on the fringe of the starry sky, concealed beneath by a rune circle.
The deceased Blood Fiend had not a single drop of blood remaining in his body, yet his heart, shriveled and withered, persisted.
It resembled a crumpled walnut, devoid of any sign of life.
"Is this the vessel you desire?"
Yu Yuan gazed skeptically at the indistinct phantom of the God-King Gui Xu. "A dead Blood Fiend, completely drained of blood—can it really be revitalized?"
"Don't we have you?" Gui Xu murmured.
His voice brimmed with fervent conviction, as if he was utterly convinced that Yu Yuan's presence would surely enable the use of this elder from the Blood Fiend race to provide him with a body of his own.
"Allow me to clarify. This individual is Andre. The lifeblood that Taixu once refined was infused into his heart drop by drop. Despite his death, his heart continued to consume Taixu's lifeblood, and eventually... he became just like Taixu."
In private, Taishi would drop the formalities and refer to Gui Xu directly as Taixu.
Taishi observed the spectral form before him and said, "Taixu perished in the Everlands, but a fragment of his soul coalesced within Andre's heart. Yet, once Taixu's soul departed, his heart began to wither as well."
"We lack an understanding of the Secrets of Life. Even though we've channeled the lifeblood of the Abyssal Leviathan into this heart, we've been unable to reignite its vitality or restore its original life functions."
Taishi's demeanor brightened, his eyes sparkling with anticipation as he smiled at Yu Yuan.
"Now, with your arrival, we have a chance to reawaken that vitality."
"Andre was the first Demon God of the Blood Fiend race, forged by the Solar Meridian. We vanquished him, erasing his devil soul and all traces of his existence, yet preserved his body and heart."
"We kept him as a contingency for Taixu, as a means to facilitate his resurrection."
"As you are well aware, the Great Demon God Grec can be resurrected through any one of the resurrection ceremonies. For us, you now represent the Root of the Solar Meridian. Your vital energy may be somewhat diminished, but you possess the full essence of the Secrets of Life!"
"Therefore, you are undoubtedly capable of resurrecting him!"
