C1745 Three Consecutive Questions

In Ji Ningshuang's gaze, there was an icy bloom, as if the coldest of frost flowers were unfurling.

The area was inherently frigid, but after her inquiry, Yu Yuan felt a chill that was even more penetrating, causing his smile to stiffen.

"She only wants to kill me now," Yu Yuan hastened to clarify.

"It's quite surprising she's still alive. I didn't anticipate that Dark Phoenix would take an interest in her," Ji Ningshuang hummed softly, her Divine Sword quivering as she conjured another dazzling sea of starlight. "Why would Dark Phoenix dare to strike at me?"

Behind her stood Lin Daoke and Han Miaoyuan, the pinnacle of human combat power, surpassing even Shadow's Keep in strength.

"According to Han Miaoyuan, Dark Phoenix will ultimately oppose all intelligent life, including our own people in the Everlands," Yu Yuan succinctly relayed the situation to the beautiful woman beside him, explaining that Dark Phoenix sought Primal Blood and needed the power of extreme cold, which led her to Lin Zhuyun.

Lin Zhuyun appeared quite willing to obey Dark Phoenix.

Yet, the icy divine authority of the Everlands was currently in Ji Ningshuang's possession. Dark Phoenix's only option was to eliminate her to aid Lin Zhuyun's ascension to divinity.

For this purpose, Dark Phoenix was willing to provoke Han Miaoyuan and Lin Daoke, unafraid of confronting the human race of the Everlands.

Because, once Dark Phoenix throttled the Solar Meridian and enabled the bloodlines of numerous alien beasts to surge to the tenth level, the power at her disposal would increase dramatically.

With such might, why would she fear the humans of the Everlands?

Additionally, Yu Yuan was uncertain if anyone from Boulderdawn sought to create a new divine seat, such as Taishi or Tianqi.

To prevent any God-Kings with lingering regrets from focusing on Ji Ningshuang, he decisively summoned her to the Ashlands.

Now under Yu Yuan's dominion, the Ashlands were a safe haven for Ji Ningshuang. Any threat to her would be immediately detected by Yu Yuan.

With the Eiwrone and the Dragon Slaying Stage at his disposal, he could offer swift aid.

He could also command Zhong Chichen and Loong Jie within the Ashlands, and potentially enlist the help of the Abyssal Leviathan and the Abyssal Greater Basilisk. With such forces at his command, no one could assail Ji Ningshuang in the Ashlands.

In the Ashlands, there lurks a giant beast known as Starpierced, shrouded in the mysteries of the cosmos.

Yu Yuan slapped his forehead, suddenly recalling, "That's a juvenile beast. You might want to try interacting with it to see if you can grasp a deeper understanding of the stellar intricacies through it."

"Starpierced!" Ji Ningshuang's eyes sparkled with excitement. Having practiced the Stardust Blade, she had come across a description of Starpierced in an ancient scroll purchased from the Skyreach Consortium. The text claimed that this giant beast inherently possessed the ability to commune with the stars.

She had learned from the old texts that the Starpierced had perished in the fierce internal struggles among the giant beasts, and that such an alien beast no longer existed in the world.

Unexpectedly, there was still a youngling of the species, concealed in a secret location within the Ashlands, growing and biding its time to reach maturity.

"Oh, there's more!" Yu Yuan exclaimed. "Deep within the heart of the snow bear, there's a breath of the extreme cold from the Primal Blood Continent. I sense that if it could break through to the tenth level, it would unlock a new and unique Ice Dao cosmic order!"

"Primal Blood, extreme cold," Ji Ningshuang mused. "But it seems alien beasts can't break through to the tenth level. I've never heard of any alien beast evolving to that extent."

"My Solar Spirit is in the Ashlands right now, attempting just that," Yu Yuan declared with confidence.

Ji Ningshuang gazed at him intently and nodded. "You're always full of innovative ideas and have the courage to pioneer new paths. I believe if anyone can achieve this, it's you."

Despite Yu Yuan's rise to one of the supreme beings of the Everlands, in Ji Ningshuang's view, he remained all-powerful. Her faith in Yu Yuan was unwavering.

"There's a girl named Elena," she shifted the conversation, her frosty lips curving into a beautiful smile.

Yu Yuan gave an awkward grin and inquired, "What about her?"

"It's nothing. She could have perished in the Dark Realm, but I rescued her and helped her leave that place." Ji Ningshuang gave him an eye roll and huffed, "The poor girl is terrified of me; she thought I was going to kill her."

"Elena..." Yu Yuan's thoughts were flooded with memories as he remembered his brief encounter with the Shura girl. It was during his early days in the extraterrestrial realms, a time when he was unrestrained and impetuous.

"It's a relief that she's unharmed. The deaths of the Blood King and Alonso should not involve her."

Upon learning that Elena was alive and had been escorted out of the Dark Realm by Ji Ningshuang, Yu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "She and I have no connection."

"What about the Secular Bird Queen?"

"And Yuan Lianyao?"

"What's the situation with Liu Ying?"

Ji Ningshuang fired off three questions in succession.

"Uh..."

At a loss for words, Yu Yuan avoided the reproachful gaze of the stunning woman beside him and massaged his temples as he explained, "Here's the thing. After my reincarnation, I didn't immediately regain the memories of my past life. I had no idea that I was Hong Qi, and I had forgotten most of what happened three hundred years ago."

"So, by the time I remembered who I was, I had inadvertently made a few close female friends."

"Also, there's nothing between me and Liu Ying. I see her as a little sister, nothing more."

"..."

He nervously concocted a story.

Ji Ningshuang watched him with an amused smile, not interrupting his rambling. She seemed to find this version of him quite entertaining, a stark contrast to the once cold and emotionally guarded Hong Qi. He was now endearingly more open.

...

In the Everlands, within the Sword Sect.

Zu Ann, upon his return from beyond the stars, did not go back to Skyreach Peak but instead made his way here to seek out Du Yuan, who remained deeply respected despite his fall from grace.

"Mr. Zu."

The white-haired Du Yuan bowed to the vibrant Zu Ann. Standing side by side, Du Yuan appeared on the brink of death.

Zu Ann, on the other hand, radiated youth, looking even more youthful and handsome than before, as if he had been transformed.

"Release them," Zu Ann instructed.

"They've been released."

With a bitter expression, Du Yuan gestured towards the honeycomb-like mountains and told Zu Ann, "The Spirit Swords and Divine Swords in the Sword Cave cannot be held captive by us any longer. Once the Forgeroses, Starmoon Sect, and Colddeath's members lifted the restrictions, they departed from the Sword Cave."

"Of course I'm aware of that."

Zu Ann nodded. Thanks to the wonders of the Mirror of Fates, he knew before departing the Everlands that Tan Yuan, Yu Ying, and the other Solar Spirit realm cultivators had been rescued. "I'm referring to Duan Yihong, whom you captured in the extraterrestrial Sword Prison, and Zhongli Dapan, a cultivator at the Unbound Stage."

"This..."

Du Yuan's eyes conveyed his discomfort as he spoke with a look of distress, "Mr. Zu, please forgive me, but I'm unable to help. The new Sword Prison in the extraterrestrial isn't under my watch, and since it's always on the move, I'm not privy to its exact location. All I can assure you is that those imprisoned there are not in any mortal danger."

"Let's wait until our Sect Master in Ionodios gives us new directives, shall we?"

Qin Luo had returned earlier and informed the Sword Sect, along with the Sunlit Order and Ebon Star, that the battle between Han Miaoyuan and Yu Yuan had ended without a victor.

Han Miaoyuan had other matters to attend to and thus left the battlefield; his current whereabouts are unknown.

Qin Luo was deliberately obscure, but Du Yuan, a veteran of the Sword Sect, could surmise that the extraterrestrial battle between Han Miaoyuan and Yu Yuan ended due to Han Miaoyuan's retreat.

The implications of Han Miaoyuan's reluctance to fight to the death were not lost on Du Yuan.

"I am aware of the new Sword Prison's location," Zu Ann declared.

Since he could observe any cultivator or archdemon from the Everlands with the Mirror of Fates, the new Sword Prison, no matter how it moved, could not elude his sight.

"Mr. Zu, please don't put me in a difficult position. I truly lack the capability," Du Yuan implored, bowing slightly.

"Very well, I've notified you nonetheless. If you refuse to intervene, perhaps someone else will shatter the extraterrestrial Sword Prison once again," Zu Ann stated as he drifted away.

After a moment of stunned silence, Du Yuan quickly employed a mystique to convey Zu Ann's message.

...

In Zekrica.

Beru, Leo, and Gheirat, three ninth-level Starborn warriors, escorted Denise back to the entrance of the cave leading underground.

"No."

Leo reached out, capturing the twinkling starlight that flew up from below and settled onto the Altar of Rebirth. "The will of the Lunar Meridian has vanished from the tributaries beneath us."

He turned to Denise and inquired, "Can you still sense it?"

Denise, appearing distant, shook her head dizzily. "It's as if it just disappeared. Even when I reach out with my soul, I can't find any trace of it."

After a brief pause, Denise murmured, "I won't be harmed, will I?"

"You're merely a vessel for conveying messages. What harm could come to you? Consider it a mere enthrallment by the malevolent spirits of the Everlands. Don't overthink it," Beru reassured her, then added, "We had intended to visit Ionodios to properly thank the Boulderdawn. Without Yu Yuan's assistance, we might have all perished in the Ashlands."

"Indeed," Gheirat reflected.

"Well then, perhaps you could do me a small favor."

A velvety, rich voice wafted from the cave as another will infused itself into the subterranean branch of the Lunar Meridian.

"Lord Soul-Capturing!"

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