C1636 The Top Group of Alien Beasts

In a secluded corner of the Ashlands, the towering figure of Demon God Grec, with his dense beard obscuring half his face, sat serenely upon a massive red crystal altar. This altar, sprawling over thousands of acres, was his innate Altar of Rebirth, a repository of infinite mysteries.

Countless strands of red crystal lightning crisscrossed the altar, pulsing with a mysterious blood-hued light that seemed to whisper the arcane secrets of life's essence at all times. This enigmatic Altar of Rebirth could morph into a formidable weapon or a steadfast shield, depending on the need.

Surrounding Grec were numerous jagged rocks and three ninth-level extraterrestrial alien beasts. Among them was the Duskjaw, a crocodile-like alien beast native to the Ashlands, stretching thirty thousand feet in length and sheathed in brown rocky plates. Its massive eyes, flecked with peculiar spots, often left Grec's soul feeling disoriented upon meeting its gaze. This legendary behemoth rarely ventured from the Ashlands, perhaps once every few centuries, making it a creature of myth to most.

The Stormwraith stood nine thousand feet tall, resembling an enormous mole with fur that, upon closer inspection, revealed itself as strands of living lightning. Its verdant eyes shimmered like miniature stars of thunder, harboring the innate laws of lightning within.

Defeating this beast and extracting its eyes would allow a cultivator from the Everlands to delve into an esoteric, almost primal understanding of thunder magic, and even craft artifacts infused with its power. For Wei Zhuo, encountering the Stormwraith would be akin to discovering a priceless treasure, for the thunder magic concealed within its gaze held the unfamiliar mysteries he sought to unravel.

Should Wei Zhuo ever arrive, he would learn that the Stormwraith before him originated from the Stormwracked Wastes, a domain sealed by the Star-Spawned Terror. Formed in that realm, it later roamed the extraterrestrial Star River, seeking deeper insights into thunder magic to transcend the limits of its lineage.

Regrettably, the Stormwraith was merely an extraterrestrial alien beast, not a cosmic giant beast nor a Dark Deity of the Everlands.

The being's spiritual wisdom had not undergone a true metamorphosis, leaving its understanding as its Achilles' heel. Despite amassing an immense force of violent lightning power, it was unable to shatter the constraints of its lineage.

It was perpetually stuck at the ninth level, tantalizingly one step shy of the tenth. That single step was akin to an insurmountable chasm.

A Three-legged Golden Crow stood upon a blazing orb of sunlight, its body shimmering with a golden radiance. With a mere flutter of its resplendent wings, a myriad of sunfire scattered forth.

This enigmatic Golden Crow was held in high esteem by numerous sects within the Everlands' Human Clan.

The Divine Bird was ever the sun's companion, believed to be the first among alien beasts to decipher the subtle intricacies of the sun's fire essence.

Its likeness adorned many murals within the Sunlit Order and the Ruby Hand, and it featured prominently in ancient arrays, atop totem poles, and on the surfaces of sacred cauldrons.

Now, the mightiest Three-legged Golden Crow in the cosmos, alongside the Duskjaw and the Stormwraith, had encircled Grec.

Their intent was not to slay Grec but to ensure their own survival.

They had learned of Grec's rampage through the Ashlands, where he had slain four of their kin, alien beasts also at the ninth level but slightly less formidable.

They could not fathom Grec's frenzy or why he had stormed into the Ashlands to slaughter his own kind.

"You are all quite remarkable, and should you uncover those secrets, you would inevitably become a significant threat to us. Therefore, I must eliminate you now," Grec declared, seated upon the grand Altar of Rebirth. Blood-red eyes seemed to sprout from the back of his head, his forehead, and his neck, giving him a clear view of the three extraterrestrial creatures.

He was there by command of the Root of the Solar Meridian.

The Duskjaw, Stormwraith, and Three-legged Golden Crow were habitual denizens of the Ashlands, hunting the offspring of the Cosmic Giant Beasts in their quest to break through to the tenth level of their bloodlines, which is why they had taken refuge there.

These three had presumably succeeded in their hunt, feasting on the young of the Cosmic Giant Beasts. As a result, they had grown stronger, wiser, and more spiritually attuned than the four alien beasts Grec had previously vanquished.

Regrettably, they were not Cosmic Giant Beasts. They lacked the ability to directly infuse the bloodlines of the slain young with the heart of a giant beast, nor could they shatter the constraints of their bloodlines to uncover the secret of ascending to the tenth level.

Their strength lay in their potent flesh and blood power, which granted their bloodlines a substantial enhancement.

This also afforded them a lifespan far surpassing that of ordinary alien beasts.

For the time being, that was the extent of their capabilities.

However, were they to venture beyond the Ashlands and learn that the Dark Phoenix of the Everlands had formally welcomed the extraterrestrial alien beast clans, sharing with them the coveted secret of breaking through to the tenth level, and perhaps even the enigma of eternal life, what choice would they make?

They would undoubtedly become the Dark Phoenix's most trusted lieutenants!

Given their power and the caliber of their vital energy, these three elite alien beasts hidden within the Ashlands could soon rival the likes of the Moonfang Tiger and Green Willow, becoming formidable entities in their own right.

At that juncture, it would be a hundredfold more challenging for Grec and the Root of the Solar Meridian to eliminate them with ease.

The Dark Phoenix had rallied all the alien beasts from the extraterrestrial realms, clearly signaling an impending invasion of the Dark Star Domain.

As the sovereign of that Astral Domain, the Root of the Solar Meridian was far from idle, leveraging its power to diminish the combat effectiveness of the most potent alien beasts.

The Duskjaw, Stormwraith, and Three-legged Golden Crow were identified by the Solar Meridian as the most potentially threatening.

This led to Grec's clandestine incursion into the Ashlands, preemptively eliminating any threat by denying the alien beasts any opportunity to ally with the Dark Phoenix.

With a resounding crack, thousands of thick, dark green lightning bolts erupted from beneath Grec in the dusky starry sky as the Stormwraith let out a low growl, hurtling towards the Altar of Rebirth.

The Three-legged Golden Crow beat its expansive golden wings, transforming sunfire into a multitude of miniature suns. These fiery orbs, materializing into reality, thunderously bombarded the altar crafted from red crystal.

The Duskjaw, the most massive and formidable in combat, did not rush to engage.

Its eyes, marked with peculiar spots, fixated on Grec, then gradually receded, transforming into two vast chasms.

Gazing into the abyssal pit in the eyes of the beast, it was as if one were witnessing the primordial chaos, where the first layer of the heavens had been torn asunder.

This enigmatic chasm possessed a potent force that could warp the cosmic order and the souls of all creatures.

Although the Blood Fiend was a Star-Spawned Terror, its proficiency in matters of the soul was inferior to that of other Star-Spawned Terrors, as it had prioritized the enhancement of its physical form.

Thus, when the Duskjaw employed its arcane technique, Grec was drawn to it involuntarily. A mere glance seemed to pull at his vital energy and soul, threatening to drag them into the abyss.

The myriad bolts of lightning from the Stormwraith and the endless sunfire orbs from the Three-legged Golden Crow were all thwarted by the Altar of Rebirth, leaving Grec unscathed.

However, the twin ocular craters of the Duskjaw induced a dizzying vertigo in Grec.

Far away, spanning thousands of miles, the Dragon Slaying Stage floated serenely. Yu Yuan harnessed its enigmatic energies to pinpoint Grec's location.

As Grec unleashed his power and activated the Altar of Rebirth, he shone like a beacon in Yu Yuan's perception.

Centered on Grec, the Dragon Slaying Stage illuminated the entire vicinity, revealing all that surrounded him.

"Duskjaw, Stormwraith, Three-legged Golden Crow," the Abyssal Leviathan remarked with a mere glance, recognizing the origins of the three extraterrestrial alien beasts. "Yu Yuan, they share the same tier as the Dire Bear, each possessing the pinnacle of ninth-level combat prowess. They have not ascended like the Kylin and the Moonfang Tiger simply because they have yet to discover a method suited to them."

"This method, I believe the Dark Phoenix has already mastered and is no longer keeping it secret."

"Grec has made his presence known here because he does not wish for them to leave the Ashlands alive. He does not want them to learn that the Dark Phoenix has shifted its stance, now willing to embrace them and divulge the secrets of the blood."

In the eyes of the Abyssal Leviathan, a fierce and covetous glint emerged. "These three possess a vital energy second only to that of the cosmic giant beasts! I must consume them!"

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