C1698 You Still dare to Stay?
Alas!
The snow bear communicated to Yu Yuan with a low growl that it had perceived a threat from the starry expanse beyond. It appeared that the Blood Fiend was covertly seeking its location.
It also mentioned that the Solar Meridian's power had significantly increased, allowing it to manifest through any member of the Blood Fiend clan.
"Blood Fiend?"
Yu Yuan paused, his thoughts quickly turning to Bertain's departure.
With Bertain no longer in the picture, the Solar Meridian had grown bolder. Ann Ziqing's fusion had endowed the Solar Meridian with a greater understanding of the Secrets of Life, thus strengthening it.
Previously, its influence seemed confined to the Dark Star region it had meticulously cultivated, where it could demonstrate its power through the red moon.
Now, it could directly manifest within the Blood Fiend's clansmen and operate across other astral domains.
This implied that if the snow bear were located by the Blood Fiend, it could be captured through their descent.
"No wonder you're frightened."
Yu Yuan nodded, sensing that the snow bear was becoming increasingly affectionate towards him.
It was as if he emitted a unique aura that the snow bear found comforting and appealing.
It was the essence of the Solar Spirit!
He quickly understood that the ancient snow bear had grown strong through the Arctic Breath beneath the ground before the Solar Meridian reached the Primal Blood Continent.
Deep within the snow bear's lineage, there might be mysteries tied to that profound coldness, which naturally resonated with the Primal Blood it guarded.
His Solar Spirit, having been fashioned by the Primal Blood, possessed a complete life essence.
The Blood Fiend clan, on the other hand, was created by the Root of the Solar Meridian and now faced the formidable threat of the Dark Phoenix.
Was the Blood Fiend's pursuit of the dire bear an attempt by the Solar Meridian to assess whether the ice power within could overcome the cold barrier and access the dormant Primal Blood?
A myriad of thoughts raced through Yu Yuan's mind, and he began to piece together the puzzle.
If his theory held true, then Zhong Chichen and the young creature's decision to lead the snow bear into the Ashlands might indeed have been well-intentioned.
The Great Demon God Grec was likely in the Ashlands at that moment.
Whoosh!
As the thought crossed his mind, Grec suddenly came into view on the Dragon Slaying Stage, allowing him to be seen clearly.
Grec sat in silence on a blood-red stone.
Around him, the ground was marked with blood-drawn patterns of birds, beasts, ancient wood, and rocks.
The Great Demon God of the Blood Fiend clan had the leisure to paint, though the patterns he created with blood were rough, barely more than outlines.
When Yu Yuan gazed upon Grec through the Dragon Slaying Stage, the Blood Fiend's Demon God seemed to sense his presence, even offering a smile into the void.
"What are you looking at?"
Grec, with a gentle demeanor, appeared to know that the one watching him was Yu Yuan, the guardian of the Dragon Slaying Stage.
"What's the matter? Do you want to challenge me because the Origin Deity and the elder have ventured into the Abyss together? Before the elder departed, he spoke with me and wished me well."
As Grec spoke of his well-wishes, a shadow of gloom and frustration crossed his eyes.
Bertain's parting words were, in fact, "When I return from the Abyss, you may no longer be here."
Bertain doubted Grec's longevity!
His doubt extended to the battle between the Dark Phoenix and the Solar Meridian, predicting that both Grec and the Solar Meridian would fall to the combined forces of the Dark Phoenix, the alien beasts, and their armies.
Bertain's predictions had a track record of coming true, which weighed heavily on Grec's mind.
"Hehe."
Yu Yuan let out a soft chuckle. In that moment, he realized that the spatial shift of the Dragon Slaying Stage was no longer hindered by the Ashlands, allowing him to teleport within them.
The Titan Spinosaurus's offspring had slowly assimilated the Voidweaver, increasing its dominion over the Ashlands.
The young beast had granted him partial authority, enabling him not just to observe Eiwrone and Grec from the Dragon Slaying Stage, but also to teleport directly there.
With that, he instructed the snow bear, "Stay here and wait for me."
The Dragon Slaying Stage shimmered with a spectrum of light, whisking him away from the Phoenix Ashes to materialize directly before Grec. "Why haven't you returned to the Dark Star Region to join the fray? What purpose does lingering here serve?"
Whoosh!
Mid-sentence, a streak of crimson sword light hurtled towards Grec.
Grasping the Titanblade and standing upon the Dragon Slaying Stage, he was reminded of his past frustrations in the Everlands and the Primal Blood Continent, prompting him to launch an attack as soon as he laid eyes on Grec.
The sword light, rather than detonating in the fashion of the Heaven-Opening Sword Array, transformed into a relentless flow of energy.
Grec chuckled wryly as the blood-stained rock beneath him, painted with his own blood, sprang to life, morphing into a Stoneborn warrior.
This Stoneborn warrior, with its own body, intercepted the casual slash of sword light from Yu Yuan.
Crack crack!
The Stoneborn's form shattered, and the blood that had been concealed within spilled out, only to coalesce once more, rising as a new warrior to fend off the subsequent waves of sword light.
Grec rose to his feet languidly, expressing his resignation, "It seems I'm at a loss on how to deal with you now."
His combat prowess had significantly improved since his demise at the hands of Taishi in Ionodios.
Yet, even with the Titanblade in hand and Yu Yuan's mastery of the Unbound Realm, Grec felt he couldn't possibly defeat him.
Yu Yuan's newfound strength, coupled with the complete Secrets of Life within him and the Dragon Slaying Stage at his feet, made him untouchable.
The instant Yu Yuan could materialize, Grec understood that the Ashlands' laws no longer bound the Dragon Slaying Stage, granting Yu Yuan unimpeded passage.
Such freedom made Yu Yuan a formidable presence in the Ashlands.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Warpbeasts burst from the earth, assembling into a barricade before Grec, shielding him from Yu Yuan's continued assault of sword light.
"Oh, by the way, Miss Ann, whom you know well, might soon ascend to become a Great Demon God. She's garnered favor with a certain individual and longs for you. Would you be interested in joining the conflict in the Dark Star Region? Though I haven't returned, I've managed to maintain my connection with him. It seems Yu Zhu has also been persuaded by the Dark Phoenix."
"How interesting," Greco said, his smile beaming.
"Can that entity descend directly through you?" Yu Yuan suddenly inquired.
Greco shook his head. "Not in the Ashlands. But once I leave this place, it gains the ability to descend through me. It can also grant me stronger vital energy, giving me an inexhaustible strength."
The Ashlands, forged by the supreme Titan Spinosaurus, are governed by powerful rules that even the Solar Meridian cannot overcome. Otherwise, the Solar Meridian would have long intervened in the Ashlands' turmoil, using Greco to display its power and slay the three alien beasts and the Mirage of the Mind.
Within the Ashlands, Greco could only maintain communication with the Solar Meridian, unable to receive the full extent of its power.
"And you still dare to stay?" Yu Yuan asked with a wide grin, understanding that Zhong Chichen and the young creature had sent the snow bear with the best of intentions. Here, the Solar Meridian's power couldn't manifest through the Blood Fiend's infiltration, ensuring the snow bear's safety, even with Greco present.
"I have nothing to fear," Greco replied.
The patterns beneath his feet sprang to life, transforming into towering blood shadows and fiends that stood against the backdrop of the starry sky. With a dismissive laugh, he gazed at the Titanblade and added, "You are not Nie Qingtian reincarnate."
At his peak, Nie Qingtian, wielding the Divine Sword, would have sent Greco fleeing in terror. But Yu Yuan had not yet ascended to the highest echelons, and Greco did not believe Yu Yuan had the power to kill him now.
"What I can achieve, even Nie might not have accomplished. Today, you'll witness it firsthand."
With a swift motion, Yu Yuan's sword unleashed a scarlet River of Swords that crystallized into red crystals mid-flight, then shattered explosively. The fragments interlocked to form the spherical Heaven-Opening Sword Array.
