C1643 Mirage of the Mind!
Powered by the giant beast's force, the brilliant star tugged at the sea of stars, enveloping Leo, Beru, and their companions in its wake.
As the star broke free, Yu Yuan and the Abyssal Leviathan were the first to react, darting out like bolts of lightning.
The Duskjaw, Stormwraith, and Three-legged Golden Crow, realizing they were pursuing an adult cosmic giant beast, were instantly intimidated. Thus, they kept their distance, too cautious to draw near.
Whoosh!
Just as the radiant star seemed within reach, it vanished right before their eyes.
Yu Yuan, standing on the Dragon Slaying Stage, halted abruptly and exclaimed in astonishment, "Where did the giant beast go?"
The Abyssal Leviathan reflected for a moment before replying calmly, "Neither it nor the star could have just disappeared. There must be another explanation."
"There's no trace of space magic!"
With the Dragon Slaying Stage beneath him, Yu Yuan was certain that no space magic had erupted in the region from which the star had fled. This meant that the vanished star, along with Leo and the others, hadn't teleported through space.
This indicated that the previously luminous star had been concealed by some unknown means.
In fact, the star was likely still nearby, just ahead of them.
Hua! Hua! Hua!
Suddenly, Yu Yuan thought he heard the roar of ocean waves. He paused, then saw a cerulean star materialize out of thin air.
It was the Everlands!
Yu Yuan, who had once gazed upon the Everlands with a mesmerized look from beyond the wall, recognized the sudden appearance of the azure star as his homeland.
Impossible!
Yu Yuan instinctively shook his head, unwilling to believe that the Everlands, situated at the other end of the Star River, could be dragged to the Ashlands by the cosmic giant beast.
No creature in all the realms possessed the staggering power to shift the Everlands billions of miles.
Not even the Great Demon God Bertain had such might!
"It's an illusion!"
The Abyssal Leviathan scoffed, its eyes narrowing at the sight of the azure star that had once brought it shame. A memory sparked, and it said, "Yu Yuan, I believe I know the identity of our hidden adversary within that brilliant star."
"What is it?" Yu Yuan inquired.
"We'll discuss her name later. For now, just remember one thing: she can effortlessly conjure illusions. Keep your mind clear and don't fall prey to her deception," the Abyssal Leviathan advised, its lips twisting into a sinister grin.
"No wonder you ran faster than a rabbit upon hearing my name. It must have been your ancestor who spoke of me. So, realizing who you've encountered, you feel quite unlucky, don't you?"
As he spoke, the Abyssal Leviathan, who had appeared as a gaunt old man, transformed into a small, flat, green fish.
This time, Yu Yuan didn't proceed first. The little green fish flicked its tail, stirring unseen currents, and suddenly materialized beside the deep blue star.
It had entered the Everlands!
Yu Yuan looked closely and was astonished to find the Abyssal Leviathan, now in the form of a small green fish, within the star-studded expanse of the Embers Sea.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
Totem poles of the evilkind burst forth from the ocean depths, quickly assembling into the Starborne Ritual of Primeval Demons, unleashing power that suppressed the bloodline of the giant beast and encircled the small fish that the Abyssal Leviathan had become.
With a splash, the fish that was the Abyssal Leviathan hit the water.
"She can extract your memories and project the images within them. Be on your guard. Remember, she can unearth every moment of humiliation and powerlessness from your life and deliberately alter the outcomes. The foes you've struggled to defeat might prove even stronger within the illusion."
Even as the Abyssal Leviathan was cast into the Embers Sea, its voice still carried to Yu Yuan, revealing the capabilities of the giant beast.
One of the Abyssal Leviathan's most shameful moments was being pinned under the Starborne Ritual of Primeval Demons by the Dark Phoenix, trapped in the Embers Sea for many years.
"Memories..."
Yu Yuan's face was a mask of confusion.
In a daze, he found himself suddenly amidst the Fireheart Mountains, face to face with his senior brother, Zhong Chichen.
Next, he realized he was inside a massive, radiantly colorful pill, interwoven with lightning and divine brilliance, with nine strands of flame threading through it.
The Reincarnation Pill!
"This time, you won't survive."
Zhong Chichen looked at him with an icy demeanor and a gaze that spelled certain doom. "The Reincarnation Pill won't send you on the Path of Reincarnation; it will only sever any hope of your soul's return."
The pill blazed with the ferocity of Earthfire, its vibrant colors belied the searing pain that threatened to reduce his soul to ashes.
"It seems she's only managed to steal my memories, along with Hong Qi's. Heh, clearly that's insufficient."
Inside the pill, Yu Yuan chuckled wryly. Astonishingly, he could still hear the Titan Spinosaurus's heartbeat from within the Dragon Slaying Stage.
His Lunar Spirit remained inside the Dragon Slaying Stage, close to Taixu.
Perhaps because he hadn't confronted the mysterious cosmic giant beast like the Abyssal Leviathan had, the illusions had less effect on him, leaving his mind unscathed.
A burst of rainbow light suddenly emanated from the Dragon Slaying Stage, wrapping Yu Yuan in a cocoon of dense gray mist, shielding him from the giant beast's memory-scanning abilities.
With a snap, the first illusion shattered.
Just as the second illusion was about to take shape, Yu Yuan heard the Abyssal Leviathan's menacing laugh.
With the sound of that laugh, the distant totem-poles exploded into oblivion.
Deep within the Embers Sea, a colossal creature resembling a gargantuan clam revealed just a fraction of itself, like the tip of an iceberg.
Its shell was adorned with countless twinkling stars, enhancing its magnificent beauty.
The Abyssal Leviathan, in its true form as a massive green fish, lunged at the beautiful clam, its shell etched with a myriad of stars.
"A behemoth of the deep..."
Since the second illusion failed to materialize, Yu Yuan witnessed the Everlands before him disintegrate rapidly, the walls tearing asunder into clouds of mist and fragments.
The entire area, once clear, was now shrouded in sea mist, obscuring all from view.
He recalled encountering the Ashen Shadowmist in the Songbird Empire, which now seemed to be released by the clam-like giant beast, enveloping the once-luminous star cluster completely.
Not a single ray of light escaped.
The Everlands had collapsed, and the stars remained hidden, swallowed by the Ashen Shadowmist, still in a state of flight and disappearance.
The giant beast lurking in the shadows had merely used her expertise in illusion to momentarily bewilder Yu Yuan.
Her primary attention was on the Abyssal Leviathan, suggesting she had no immediate desire to engage in battle with Yu Yuan.
While Yu Yuan was lost in thought, the Stormwraith approached, gazing at the stars obscured by the Ashen Shadowmist, and let out a couple of low whimpers.
It seemed that the Abyssal Leviathan had the power to restrain the cosmic giant beast, so Yu Yuan didn't need to be overly concerned.
Even without the creature's warning, as soon as Yu Yuan laid eyes on the cosmic giant beast, which resembled a massive clam skilled in creating layers of illusions, he was confident the Abyssal Leviathan could prevail.
The bivalve-shaped beast, seemingly rooted in the deep sea, would likely be at a disadvantage against the master of the Water Domain, right? Yu Yuan mused.
Boom! The sound of crashing waves filled the air!
A dazzling sea of stars burst forth from the Ashen Shadowmist, revealing the scene within the Dragon Slaying Stage to Yu Yuan.
Leo, Beru, and other Starborn powerhouses were actually besieging the Abyssal Leviathan!
The Starborn warriors, having fully unleashed their bloodline talents due to the giant beast, seemed to have been instantly drawn into an illusion, forgetting who their original foes were.
Leo and the others each found themselves trapped in separate illusions.
In their minds, they were up against the most formidable adversaries of their lives, not daring to hold back their power and even going so far as to overdraw their vital energy.
Gheirat, along with the three other Starborn warriors, had all tapped into their lifeblood.
Leo's cloak once again transformed into a sea of stars. His Altar of Rebirth, once a means of escape, became a Divine Weapon, morphing into a grand palace of stars as it began to collide with the Abyssal Leviathan.
The Starborn saw the Abyssal Leviathan as a bitter enemy upon its descent.
While the Abyssal Leviathan was immune to the illusion, they had all fallen victim to it.
And then...
When Yu Yuan noticed the Stormwraith had fallen silent, he turned to see the Stormwraith, Duskjaw, and the Three-legged Golden Crow also furiously diving towards the stars within the Ashen Shadowmist.
In their eyes, the Abyssal Leviathan appeared to be Grec, the one who had slain their kin and now sought to end them.
"Mirage of the Mind!"
