C1623 Starry Sky Forbidden Zone
A small stone, resembling a peculiar silver eye, suddenly materialized.
The stone expanded rapidly, and within a mere ten seconds, it had transformed into the Embers Sea, revealing a series of islands.
Thirty-six totem poles of evilkind stood erect above the sea's surface, radiating potent demon energy.
Lin Zhuyun perched atop the highest totem pole, her feet resting on a pillar as smooth as jade. In the depths of her eye, the elegant form of a phoenix emerged.
Across the Star River, the Dark Phoenix was observing the boundary of this star-studded expanse.
All that met the eye was dust.
Every meteor had disintegrated into dust upon explosion, leaving no trace of debris as large as a fingernail.
When Taishi departed, the cosmic order he concealed obliterated everything.
The Dark Phoenix, peering through Lin Zhuyun's eyes, could only discern that a relatively mild skirmish had recently taken place between the Abyssal Leviathan and Taishi.
She could detect no other traces.
After some time, her Soul Voice began to echo faintly in Lin Zhuyun's mind...
Lin Zhuyun listened intently, and soon her slender frame began to quiver with excitement.
"I will set out for the Kobran Realm immediately!" she declared with utmost reverence.
The Supreme Being of Shadow's Keep had instructed her to shift her focus from the Abyssal Leviathan to joining forces with the Moonfang Tiger in Kobran.
She was to heed the Astral Tiger's commands and support the evilkind's army in their assault on the Dark Star.
The Dark Phoenix had promised that if Lin Zhuyun's ice force proved effective in the Dark Star Region, Shadow's Keep would vie for a divine seat for her should Ji Ningshuang's divine position from the Sword Sect ever shatter.
A divine seat was something Lin Zhuyun had never dared to dream of before.
Since her departure from the Everlands with the Abyssal Leviathan, she had been branded a rebel, increasingly alienated from the sects of the Everlands.
No matter how much she endeavored to curry favor with the Abyssal Leviathan, the giant beast lacked the power to secure her a divine seat in the Everlands.
But what the Abyssal Leviathan could not achieve, the Supreme Being of Shadow's Keep could.
Having followed the Abyssal Leviathan for so long, she and the Ghoul King, informed by their former master, were well aware of the Supreme Being's fearsome power—a formidable force capable of dominating the Abyssal Leviathan, compelling it to skulk and hide.
Since the Supreme Elder of Shadow's Keep had spoken, she could now be accepted by the various factions of the Everlands as a member of the order.
Having cultivated to the Unbound state through her mastery of ice power, she was attuned to the Starborne Ritual of Primeval Demons. The Supreme Elder had taken notice of her, making her a formidable rival to Ji Ningshuang.
"Dark Star Region, Primal Blood Continent, underground..."
She pondered while standing at the smooth pillar, her focus divided between controlling the demon energy and her thoughts.
First, it was the Abyssal Leviathan, and now the Supreme Elder of Shadow's Keep. She realized that to them, her understanding of the ice force and her various extraordinary experiences meant she held significant value.
She also surmised that her value... must lie within the Primal Blood Continent!
No sooner had this thought occurred to her than the Supreme Being of Shadow's Keep confirmed it, informing her that beneath the Primal Blood Continent lay an object of extreme cold from the Star River, which she could attempt to leverage.
Should she succeed and trigger a resonance, the Supreme Being would consider allowing Ji Ningshuang to fall, paving the way for her to claim the sacred way.
For the exalted Dark Phoenix, even if the Stardust Blade had been enshrined as divine, she would not hesitate to demand a death when necessary.
This held true even if Ji Ningshuang had the support of Lin Daoke, the Master of the Sword Sect.
"Ji, that person was his partner in a past life..."
Lin Zhuyun whispered to herself, a deep chill in her eyes as if it could freeze the void itself.
"I vow to serve you unto death!" She pledged her allegiance to the Dark Phoenix in her heart.
The Dark Phoenix responded, making it clear to Lin Zhuyun that what she sought was not blind loyalty, but her capability.
"My own capability."
Lin Zhuyun's face glowed with realization. To her amazement, she saw several ancient totem poles of the evilkind, their tops etched with evil scripts and spells, cascading like rain into her consciousness.
She could actually comprehend them, understanding the meanings of the evil scripts and spells, and knew they were all connected to the workings of the ice force.
Among them was the spirit of a Frost Wyrm that had once mastered the profound meaning of extreme cold.
The Supreme of Shadow's Keep somehow acquired it, yet she failed to inscribe the ice magic onto an evilkind totem-pole. Despite this, she secretly preserved it.
Now, she had given everything to Lin Zhuyun.
Her expectations for Lin Zhuyun were evidently high.
...
At the entrance to the Starry Sky Forbidden Zone, within the Ashlands.
The carcass of a colossal Iron-winged Bird, its expansive wings fused with dark brown meteorite, spanned several thousand acres.
A towering Stoneborn warrior watched the Abyssal Leviathan, now in human form, leading two strangers. He asked in a hushed tone, "Master, are these also your servants?"
The Abyssal Leviathan's eyes, once ablaze with scarlet and white, now appeared indistinguishable from those of an ordinary human cultivator.
Annoyed by the Stoneborn slave's question, his face twitched as he dismissively gestured, "You may leave now."
"Very well."
The Stoneborn warrior, not daring to defy, bowed and retreated from the Iron-winged Bird's wingspan.
"Are you truly not going to intervene?"
Taishi waited until the Stoneborn warrior had vanished. Gazing into the distant, mist-enshrouded cosmos, he expressed his concerns, "He claims to understand the Ashlands, yet I've never heard of it. He's full of schemes, always plotting. I'm genuinely uneasy about you accompanying him to the Ashlands. I'm currently unable to leave Ionodios, and as for Taixu..."
God-King Taishi was deeply troubled.
Driven by the Dark Phoenix, Lin Zhuyun and her companions hastily concluded their battle. Before departing from the Astral Domain's edge, Yu Yuan mentioned the Ashlands.
Subsequently, the Abyssal Leviathan offered to guide Yu Yuan there.
He mentioned that the Ashlands were complex, harboring peculiar Star River energies capable of eluding the Dark Phoenix's detection, making it an ideal hiding spot.
Yet, the Ashlands were fraught with peril. Having previously sustained injuries, he had not initially considered it the prime refuge from the Dark Phoenix.
He had chosen the edge of the starry sky, thinking the Dark Phoenix wouldn't be able to find him there. However, he hadn't anticipated that even the Starborne Ritual of Primeval Demons would be problematic.
The Ashlands, which were initially his fourth or fifth choice, suddenly became his top pick when Yu Yuan expressed interest in exploring them. After successfully guiding Yu Yuan and Taishi there with the spatial coordinates his servant provided, he spent his time persuading Yu Yuan to abandon his desire to kill Taishi.
And Yu Yuan did indeed offer him a lifeline.
"Do you think you're any better than me?" the Abyssal Leviathan asked icily.
Taishi just smiled. "Are you seeking death?"
The Abyssal Leviathan fell silent.
"There's no need to harm him," Yu Yuan said with a nod. "If the Dark Phoenix truly can't detect us in the Ashlands, she won't know that both the Abyssal Leviathan and I are here. By the time we emerge, she may be so preoccupied with the conflict in the Dark Star Region that she won't have the time to bother with us."
"I'm just worried he might betray you," Taishi admitted, still feeling uneasy.
"I'm not like you. I don't need to cover all my bases; I'm willing to take some risks," Yu Yuan replied with a smile, casually lifting the Dragon Slaying Stage. "Besides, he'll be back soon as Taixu. He knows the Ashlands well, too. Once he's awake, what's there to fear if we're together?"
Casting a glance at the Abyssal Leviathan, he added, "Even now, without Taixu, there's no need for concern."
Taishi was convinced by Yu Yuan's argument and dropped the idea of killing the Abyssal Leviathan.
"How many servants like that warrior from the Stoneborn Tribe have you covertly acquired?" Yu Yuan asked the Abyssal Leviathan with genuine curiosity, seeing the relief on his face. "That one holds a significant position within the Stoneborn Tribe. With such a youthful eighth-level bloodline, he has a promising future. Yet you managed to persuade him to obey you and create a passage just for you."
"If I didn't have some tricks up my sleeve, I would've been slaughtered long ago," the Abyssal Leviathan retorted.
After a moment's pause, he gazed at the misty Star River ahead and mused, "I know that some descendants of the cosmic giant beasts fled to the Ashlands. After all these years, I wonder if any have survived and at what level they've reached."
...
