C1617 Starry Border
In the Dark Domain, a valley lay split open.
The frozen corpses of the Asura Clan, now ice sculptures, were strewn about like discarded refuse.
The chilling wind screamed like tormented spirits. Nearby, a white mountain was slowly being worn away by streams of silver sword light.
Deep within the mountain, a frigid Dao Law lay hidden, now being pierced and deciphered by the soul consciousness within the sword light.
Elena, having ascended to the Ninth Level and become a Platinum Asura, gazed at the white mountain with a complex look in her eyes.
She had heard tales of the Firefly Starfield's late Great General Alonso, who had once sought enlightenment there, unraveling the mountain's enigmatic secrets.
Her Asura squad had been decimated just days before by the arrival of a woman.
She was the sole survivor.
"Starfrost Sword, Jee Ningshuang..."
At the Ninth Level, Elena watched the sword light enveloping the mountain. Through her bloodline, she grasped the icy sword intent hidden within, feeling as if a hailstorm had erupted within her soul.
The massive hail, like frigid stars, filled her being.
Her soul and bloodline were awash with terror and despair, starkly illuminating the vast chasm between her and that formidable presence.
That individual had left behind only the Starfrost Sword to consume the Dark Domain's residual laws within the mountain, while they themselves had vanished without a trace.
Occasionally, Elena caught sight of brilliant starlight bursting forth in the distance.
The sudden glimmers were often followed by draconic roars, sending shivers down her spine.
She came to realize that the misguided decisions of two Golden Asuras had doomed the future of their people.
The arrival of Demon Lord Tan Xiaotian and the emergence of Jee Ningshuang, along with the establishment of the Cold Abyss Entrance, had turned the sacred Dark Domain of the Asura Clan into a playground for the mighty.
Many venerable Asuras, who had never left the Dark Domain, now chose to abandon their ancestral home.
Countless Asuras were compelled to relocate to other territories of their clan.
But she remained unable to leave...
The Starfrost Sword, like a watchful eye upon this frigid earth, seemed to silently observe her.
As if by some unspoken decree of Jee Ningshuang, she was bound to this place.
If she dared to force her way out, she would meet the same end as her companions, turned into an ice sculpture by the merciless force of extreme cold.
"Jee, you're not without your issues either..."
A mocking voice emerged from nowhere.
In an instant, Elena saw a man dressed in vivid attire step through a freshly opened spatial rift, his face alight with mischief, and he stood before her, grinning.
The man narrowed his eyes and asked, "You're Elena, right?"
Elena felt as though this man's gaze had unearthed all her secrets, and her consciousness started to waver.
Memories, deep and stirring, were roused within her mind.
Among those memories, Yu Yuan stood out as the most significant.
Her encounters with Yu Yuan, their time together, and their adventures across various realms all came into sharp focus.
It was as if she was reliving those moments alongside Yu Yuan once more.
"There was actually an intimate connection."
The man, taken aback, stroked his chin and studied her with an air of surprise.
Elena, who was usually fiery and defiant, now seemed subdued and timid after the Asura Clan's tribulations and a series of defeats. Her cheeks flushed slightly at the man's remark.
"Since it's happened, she's my junior brother's woman now, and I can't let her end up in that cold girl's hands."
The man laughed softly to himself, "The Dark Domain will eventually fall to the Nagas. If my junior brother ever learns that one of his women was killed by another in the Dragon Clan's conquest, I'd have a hard time explaining it."
"That guy will wake up eventually, and when he does... he'll be in a foul mood. But never mind that, I'd rather not stir up trouble."
"So, I'll take this foreign woman with me for now."
He grabbed Elena and pulled her toward the still-open spatial rift, and they vanished.
After his departure, the sword intent over the snowy mountains seemed to notice something amiss only after the rift had sealed.
It was then that it realized Elena, who had been confined, was gone.
...
In the outer reaches of space, at the edge of the starry expanse.
Following an extensive journey through space transfer and the aid of several Galaxy Crossings, Yu Yuan, Taishi, and the sinister stone statue finally arrived on a colossal meteorite, devoid of any boundary walls.
The meteorite floated in isolation.
There were no celestial bodies in sight, no other realms nearby, and the Galaxy Extraordinary Talent was so faint it was barely perceptible.
On the massive meteorite lay the ruins of collapsed palaces, their grand scale suggesting the craftsmanship of the Djinn Clan.
A sense of desolation and abandonment washed over the area, as if all life had vanished.
"Not long ago, the Chaos Roc made an appearance in a nearby galaxy," someone remarked.
Upon reaching the meteorite, the Ruins Divine King's soul shadow gracefully emerged from a stone statue, indicating his familiarity with the place.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two more soul shadows, fainter but resembling him, emerged from different regions of the meteorite and merged into his soul.
A myriad of memories flickered within the Ruins Divine King's soul shadow, intertwining and rebranding themselves into a cohesive whole.
It was as if two other versions of himself were integrating into the primary soul, conveying years of captured memories in such a manner.
"So, this is the Starry Border," he mused.
With a mere thought, Yu Yuan ascended from the meteorite, calling forth the Dragon Slash Platform and grasping it gently.
His sensory abilities amplified exponentially.
Within tens of thousands of miles, he detected nothing but scattered meteorites, no complete landmasses, and no traces of life or souls.
The sparse energy of the starry sky was incapable of sustaining powerful beings or even the fluttering of insects and birds.
A profound silence reigned.
Yu Yuan, along with Taishi and Guixu, had come to assist Guixu in crafting a new corporeal form. Yet now, he felt nothing...
Crack!
The earth split open near the evil statue, revealing a staircase descending into the depths.
From his vantage point in the sky, Yu Yuan noticed a concealed palace within the meteorite, radiating a rich spiritual aura.
The underground palace was illuminated by Spirit Stones, their glow unmistakable.
"You needn't go down," Taishi advised, noticing Yu Yuan's intent to explore the subterranean palace. He smiled and shook his head, "I'll bring up what's needed."
As his words faded, a desiccated corpse, caked in dust, soared up from the staircase entrance.
It was a peculiar being, devoid of any blood.
"Blood Devil!"
Yu Yuan gasped, his face growing somber.
An ancient elder of the Blood Devil Clan had been entombed within the meteorite at the Starry Border for untold years, concealed beneath by a meticulous array.
The body of the deceased Blood Devil was devoid of blood, yet his heart remained, shriveled and lifeless.
It resembled a withered walnut, devoid of any vitality.
"Is this the body you desire?"
Yu Yuan gazed skeptically at the Ruins Divine King's indistinct soul wraith. "A dead Blood Devil, drained of every drop of blood—can it truly be brought back to life?"
"But aren't you here?" Guixu whispered.
His voice brimmed with zealous conviction, as though Yu Yuan's presence assured the rebirth of a body for his own use.
"Allow me to clarify. This individual is Andre. The blood that Taishi refined long ago was infused drop by drop into his heart. Despite his death, his heart continued to consume Taishi's blood, and eventually... he became akin to Taishi."
In private, Taishi addressed him directly, foregoing the title Guixu.
Taishi, contemplating the spirit before him, remarked, "Taishi perished in the Vast Ocean, but a fragment of his soul coalesced within Andre's heart. Yet, once Taishi's soul departed, his heart began to wither."
"We lack comprehension of life's deeper mysteries. Though we've infused the heart with the Chaos Roc's blood, we've failed to rekindle its life force, unable to restore the heart's original vitality."
Taishi's demeanor brightened, his eyes sparkling with anticipation as he smiled at Yu Yuan.
"Now, with your arrival, we have a glimmer of hope to reawaken that life force."
"Andre was created by the Yang Meridian, the inaugural Great Demon God of the Blood Devil Clan! We vanquished him, obliterating his Devil Soul and all traces, preserving only his body and heart."
"We retained him as a contingency for Taixu, as a means to facilitate his resurrection."
"You're aware, of course, that the Great Demon God Grec could resurrect himself through any one of the three resurrection rituals. For us, you represent the wellspring of the Yang Meridian. Your blood energy may be temporarily diminished, but you possess the full essence of life!"
"Therefore, you are undoubtedly capable of reviving him!"
