C1645 Sea of Hearts

Hermaphroditic, heart stone, heart clam beast.

These terms sprang to mind, and Yu Yuan found them increasingly familiar, as if he had encountered them more than once before.

This mysterious Starry Behemoth evoked a sense of recognition unlike the unfamiliarity he felt when he met the Ash Divine Crocodile, the Raymon Beast, and the Three-legged Golden Crow. Perhaps he truly knew it.

Based on what Taishi had said and his own sensations upon entering the Gray Domain, Yu Yuan surmised that his past self had once visited the Gray Domain.

The Ash Divine Crocodile, Raymon Beast, and Three-legged Golden Crow, being alien beasts, had finite lifespans and might never have encountered his former self.

The Starry Behemoth, however, possessed eternal life, capable of living indefinitely unless it met an unnatural end.

Yu Yuan, with a peculiar look on his face, was lost in thought and refrained from making any immediate statements.

Elsewhere, the Nine Stars Sage Beru and Gheirat stood beside Leo at the Star Race's altar.

The elder Beru and Gheirat, grasping Leo's arm, shook their heads at him in an attempt to urge restraint.

The Great Sage regained his composure quickly after the Chaos Roc's declaration, realizing that the Chaos Roc harbored deep resentment towards the Star Race and sought their complete eradication.

Should they continue their provocations, they would face certain destruction.

Leo, young and impetuous, had flames of anger in his eyes following the deaths of his three fellow warriors. He was poised to unleash his bloodline power and recklessly confront the Chaos Roc.

The three fallen Star Race warriors had been his loyal followers for a long time, seeing him as their future leader.

Their deaths were not only tragic but also gruesome; the merciless Chaos Roc had dismembered them, leaving their remains to be picked apart by fish that consumed their hearts.

Hatred was clouding Leo's judgment.

"We... are no match for him," Beru sighed deeply, his eyes filled with dread as he gazed upon the merman-like form of the Chaos Roc.

While Beru was indeed saddened, his greater concern was that Leo's rash behavior might provoke the Chaos Roc's wrath.

"Yu Yuan..." Beru implored in a plaintive whisper.

With a whoosh, Yu Yuan appeared beside them, stepping off the Dragon Slash Platform, and spoke with a sense of resignation, "The Chaos Roc, a vicious creature like that, isn't under my command. It's quite difficult for me to restrain him. I've only collaborated with him in the Gray Domain for certain reasons."

Upon witnessing the power that the Chaos Roc displayed in this Alien Realm, Yu Yuan was acutely aware that it had been concealing its true combat capabilities.

Should a full-blown battle erupt between him and the Chaos Roc, predicting the victor would be a gamble.

In light of this, Yu Yuan was grateful that the Chaos Roc had extended a courtesy to him by sparing the lives of Leo, Beru, and Gheirat. Considering the Star Race's past leaders, including the current patriarch Barol, had never been amicable toward the Chaos Roc, this was a considerable gesture.

"I get it. Just being able to defend yourself and survive by its side is no small feat," Beru said, his face etched with despair and a sense of defeat. "What I'm saying is, we need to fight together and make it out alive. We've really hit a streak of bad luck...” he recounted their ordeal.

Yu Yuan had anticipated their reasoning; they believed the heart clam beast concealed a vast secret within the star and sought to meld the star into the Leo Star Altar.

But then, they inadvertently roused the heart clam beast.

With the arrival of the Chaos Roc, Beru's outlook darkened. While conversing with Yu Yuan, he sent a covert plea.

"Yu Yuan, I'm asking you, if there's any way, please ensure Leo escapes the Gray Domain alive. I'm aware you have full command of the Dragon Slash Platform, with its residual time-space powers. I implore you to help him survive."

"As for me... I've lived long enough and am well past my prime. I'm prepared to sacrifice myself for Leo's sake."

"And Gheirat... I know you and Denise are close, but for Leo's sake, he... would likely be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice too."

Beru's intent was unmistakable: as long as Leo could make it out alive, he and Gheirat were prepared to lay down their lives if necessary.

"The spatial powers of the Dragon Slash Platform are useless here in the Gray Domain, and even less so in this place," Yu Yuan stated bluntly, dousing Beru's hopes with a dose of harsh reality. Noticing Beru's crestfallen expression, he reassured him, "Relax. From here on out, I won't let any of you three die again."

At those words, both Gheirat and Beru looked at him with a mix of surprise and renewed hope.

Yu Yuan's subsequent assurance was brimming with confidence, as if ensuring their survival was well within his means.

But this kid...

The Great General Gheirat's frame shook slightly as he contemplated the situation. "You're about to confront a mysterious beast that has never revealed itself to the outside world, and you have the Chaos Roc by your side. Where do you draw the confidence from to ensure our safety?"

Unrestrained Stage? Still, that's hardly sufficient!

Gheirat, realizing that the individual had attained the Unrestrained Stage, felt a brief flicker of surprise before swiftly regaining his composure.

He was no stranger to the rapid advancements of the human race, so this development didn't particularly impress him.

"What do you want?"

Just then, the heart clam beast's voice, alternating between feminine and masculine tones, echoed from every direction.

Far away, the expansive landscape underwent a dramatic transformation.

Valleys collapsed, rivers were filled in, and a boundless sea rapidly submerged the territories of the Profound Sky Continent and the empire, washing over them like a crumbling sandcastle.

The grand vistas he and the Chaos Roc remembered were as if a deity had toppled and rebuilt them.

Magnificent palaces of an unusual design instantly rose from the remaining land, clearly the handiwork of the Star Race.

The heart clam beast had drawn forth the memories of the Star Race and, using the existing foundation, altered the vast land to resemble a world of the Star Race.

"What do I want?"

The Chaos Roc, now in the guise of a merman, gazed down at the deep sea from the island where it stood.

Below, the school of fish, born from his blood and scales, had devoured three Ninth Level Star Race warriors. Now, they swarmed in search of the heart clam beast's lair.

"I haven't quite figured it out myself. But considering you're rooted in the deep sea, I sense you might have a great need for me."

He continued to look down, his gaze fixed on the sea before him. "You've spent many years growing up in the Gray Domain and have your own aquatic territory. Is there any way you can help me recover? As you know, I've been injured, and my current state is far from ideal."

His search for the heart clam beast persisted.

"You're mistaken. The sea where I've taken root is not as you imagine. I've heard tales of your exploits from my ancestors. I know that long ago, you sought to hunt him and acquire the esoteric knowledge tied to the heart. He is dead, and since my youth, I've survived the hardest of times."

"I have evolved within the Gray Domain! Now, I'll show you the true nature of the sea where I've taken root!"

The heart clam beast spoke with a serene tone.

Boom!

Every creature that had fallen onto this star and was engulfed by the "Dark Dust Mist" was instantly pulled into another mysterious world, provided they possessed a soul.

In Yu Yuan's hands, the Dragon Slash Platform was no more. He had become a spectral spirit.

Beside him, Beru, Leo, and Gheirat, also without their crystal-like altars, had transformed into ethereal spirits just like him.

Beneath them, the Ash Divine Crocodile, Three-legged Golden Crow, and Raymon Beast existed only as phantom consciousnesses, devoid of their corporeal forms.

The Chaos Roc, now in the guise of a merfolk, had also become a spirit. It morphed into a massive green fish, its eyes no longer a mix of red and white but a uniform shade of blue.

Huala! Huala!

Yu Yuan heard the sound of water churning, sensing a distant force propelling the currents towards their realm.

A moment later.

Grec, who had vanished long before, materialized as a swath of crimson, forced in by some unseen power.

It seemed as though Grec himself had been drawn by something, releasing a portion of his Devil Soul to scout ahead.

Upon entry, Grec quickly solidified his presence, becoming a deep red Devil Soul.

President Lyi, also missing until now, suddenly appeared as a consciousness shimmering with gold, silver, bronze, and iron light.

Beyond them, more formidable beings, who should have been far across the Gray Domain, were dreamlike as they were guided and drawn by the heart clam beast, materializing in forms of spirit or consciousness.

"The Sea of Hearts is where my roots truly lie."

The voice of the heart clam beast resonated in this world she had woven, a realm she called the Sea of Hearts, linking the minds and thoughts of all nearby beings.

Regardless of the location of their physical forms, their souls, consciousness, and intellect had all been transported here.

To the Sea of Hearts.

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