C1623 Starry Forbidden Ground
A tiny stone, shimmering like a peculiar silver eye, suddenly materialized.
Within moments, the stone expanded rapidly, and in a mere ten seconds, it transformed into an archipelago within the Ember Waters. Thirty-six Totem Pillars rose majestically from the sea's surface, radiating potent demonic energy.
Lim Zhuyun stood atop the highest Totem Pillar, her feet planted on a platform as smooth as jade. Deep within her eye, the elegant form of a phoenix could be seen.
The Demon Phoenix, from another part of the galaxy, observed the Starry Border through Lim Zhuyun's gaze.
All that met the eye was dust.
Every meteor had disintegrated into dust upon explosion, leaving no debris larger than a fingernail.
After Taishi's departure, his concealed terrestrial Dao Law obliterated everything.
The Demon Phoenix, peering through Lim Zhuyun's eyes, discerned that a recent, albeit not overly fierce, skirmish had occurred between the Chaos Roc and Taishi.
She could not detect any other traces.
Time passed, and her Soul Sound slowly began to echo in Lim Zhuyun's mind...
Lim Zhuyun listened intently, and soon, her slender frame began to quiver with excitement.
"I will set out for the Fallen Realm immediately!" she declared with utmost reverence.
The Sovereign of the Demon Palace had instructed her to discontinue her surveillance of the Chaos Roc and instead rendezvous with the White Divine Tiger in the Fallen Realm.
She was to follow the Sky Tiger's directives and join forces with the Demon Race's army to launch an assault on the Dim Starfield.
The Demon Phoenix had promised that if her extreme cold powers proved effective in the Dim Starfield, the Demon Palace would vie for a divine seat for Jee Ningshuang should her Divine Throne ever shatter.
A Divine Throne was beyond Ningshuang's wildest dreams.
Since her defection from the Vast Expanse alongside the Chaos Roc, she had become an outcast, increasingly alienated from the sects of the Vast Expanse.
No matter how hard she tried to ingratiate herself with the Chaos Roc, the colossal beast lacked the power to secure a Divine Throne from the Vast Expanse on her behalf.
Yet, what the Chaos Roc could not achieve, the Demon Palace Sovereign could.
Having followed the Chaos Roc for an extensive period, she and the Yin Corpse King knew from their former master about the sheer terror of the Demon Palace Sovereign—an entity capable of making even the Chaos Roc flee in desperation.
Once the Demon Palace Sovereign had spoken, she was once again welcomed by the vast expanse as a member of the Demon Palace.
Having cultivated to the Unrestrained Stage through the power of extreme cold, she was attuned to the Ancient Fey Formation, catching the eye of the Demon Palace Sovereign, who saw her as a formidable rival to Jee Ningshuang.
"Dim Starfield, Origin Blood Continent, beneath the surface..."
She pondered while multitasking at the sleek pillar.
First, it was the Chaos Roc, and now the Demon Palace Sovereign. She recognized that to them, her understanding of the extreme cold and the various serendipitous encounters she had experienced made her invaluable.
She surmised that her worth must lie within the Origin Blood Continent!
With this realization, the Demon Palace Sovereign confirmed her suspicions, revealing that deep within the Origin Blood Continent lay an object of the coldest essence in the galaxy, which she could attempt to leverage.
Should she succeed and resonate with it, the Demon Palace Sovereign would consider sacrificing Jee Ningshuang, allowing her to seize the Divine Path.
For the exalted Demon Phoenix, even if the Starfrost Sword had been deified, it would be sacrificed when necessary.
Even if Jee Ningshuang had the backing of the Sword Sect Lord, Lin Daoke.
"Jee... that's the companion of his past life..."
Lim Zhuyun whispered, her eyes brimming with an intense chill that seemed capable of freezing the void.
"I pledge my life in loyalty to you!" she vowed silently to the Demon Phoenix.
The Demon Phoenix responded, clarifying that what was desired was not her unwavering loyalty, but her capability.
"My own ability."
Lim Zhuyun's face glowed as she was struck by a revelation. She saw several ancient Demon Totem Pillars, their inscriptions of Demon Runes and Talismans cascading into her consciousness like rain.
Incredibly, she understood their meanings and knew they were all connected to the workings of extreme cold.
Among these was the essence of the Frost Dragon, a legacy she had once grasped.
The Demon Palace Sovereign had somehow acquired it, and although unable to etch that segment of extreme cold law onto a Demon Totem Pillar to trigger an anomaly, she had nonetheless preserved it in secret.
At that moment, she handed everything over to Lim Zhuyun.
She clearly had high hopes for Lim Zhuyun.
...
At the entrance to the Gray Domain within the Starry Forbidden Ground.
A massive deceased iron-wing bird, its expansive wings fused with a dark brown meteorite, spanned several thousand acres.
A towering Rock Clan warrior looked on uneasily at the Chaos Roc, now in human form, as he led two strangers forward and whispered, "Master, are these also your servants?"
The Chaos Roc, whose eyes usually glowed with scarlet and white, now appeared as an ordinary human cultivator.
Upon hearing the Rock Clan servant's question, his face twitched, and he dismissed him with an impatient wave, "Step back for now."
"Understood."
The Rock Clan warrior, not daring to disobey, bowed and retreated from beneath the iron-wing bird's wings.
"You're certain about not confronting him?"
Once Taishi and the Rock Clan warrior had vanished, he gazed into the distant, fog-enshrouded starry sky. "He claims to understand the Gray Domain, a fact unbeknownst to me. He's full of schemes, always plotting. I'm genuinely concerned about you accompanying him there. I'm currently unable to leave the Plover Realm, and regarding Tai Xu..."
The Primordial Divine King was deeply troubled.
Driven by the Demon Phoenix, Lim Zhuyun had arrived, and the two, along with the massive beast, had swiftly concluded their battle. Before departing from the Starry Border, Yu Yuan had brought up the Gray Domain.
Subsequently, the Chaos Roc volunteered to guide Yu Yuan there.
He mentioned that the Gray Domain was intricate, harboring a peculiar galactic energy capable of eluding the Demon Phoenix's detection, making it an excellent hiding spot for him.
Yet, the Gray Domain was not without significant risks. Having previously sustained injuries, he had not initially considered it his top choice while evading the Demon Phoenix.
His preference had been the Starry Border, believing it would conceal him from the Demon Phoenix's search. Unexpectedly, even the Ancient Fey Formation proved unreliable.
The Gray Domain, which should have been his fourth or fifth option, became his primary choice due to Yu Yuan's interest in exploring it. After successfully leading Yu Yuan and Taishi there with the spatial coordinates from his servant, he persistently urged Yu Yuan to abandon Taishi's intent to kill.
Yu Yuan indeed provided him with a lifeline.
"Do you think you're better than me?" the Chaos Roc asked icily.
Taishi smiled. "Are you truly seeking death?"
The Chaos Roc fell silent again.
"There's no need to harm him," Yu Yuan said with a nod. "If the Demon Phoenix truly can't detect us in the Gray Domain, she'll be oblivious to the presence of both the Chaos Roc and me. Once we emerge, she'll likely be preoccupied with the Dim Starfield, too busy with her battle against the Yang Pulse to bother with us."
"I'm just worried he might betray you," Taishi admitted, still uneasy.
"I'm not like you; I don't need to cover all bases. I'm willing to take some risks," Yu Yuan replied with a smile, casually lifting the Dragon Slash Platform. "Besides, he'll be back soon enough in his Taixu identity. He's well-acquainted with the Gray Domain. Once he's awake, what's there to fear if we're together?"
Casting a glance at the Chaos Roc, Yu Yuan added, "Even now, without Taishi here, there's really no need for concern."
Yu Yuan's words dissuaded Taishi from his intent to eliminate the Chaos Roc.
"How many servants like that Rock Clan warrior have you covertly acquired?" Yu Yuan asked the Chaos Roc, now visibly relieved. "He holds a significant rank within the Rock Clan. A young warrior with an Eighth Level bloodline has a bright future ahead. Yet you managed to persuade him to heed your command and create a passage just for you."
"Without some tricks up my sleeve, I would've been slaughtered long ago," the Chaos Roc retorted.
After a brief pause, he gazed into the nebulous star-filled expanse ahead and mused, "I remember that some descendants of the Starry Behemoth fled to the Gray Domain. Years have passed; I wonder if any have survived and what level they've reached by now."
