C1753 The Abuse in the Sky

After Yu Yuan vanished, Cardo's Avatar of Light merged with the City of Light, taking her place in the grand temple's main hall.

Whoosh!

Holding her wand, she appeared at Platinum Square and gestured with her eyes for Chen Liangquan and Canli to join her.

"Ballo, Soul-Capturing has initiated a battle with Lin Daoke. She even made a special trip to the Everlands to seek out the Lunar Meridian. What do you think her intentions are?" Cardo, with the delicate appearance of a doll, inquired.

"It's 'she'," Ballo corrected.

"A woman? Like me?" Cardo was taken aback.

"Ah!"

Both Chen Liangquan and Canli were equally astonished by Ballo's revelation. It was the first time they learned that the enigmatic Soul-Capturing was, in fact, a female God-King.

"I don't get you two," Ballo said with a frown, his gaze drifting between Canli and Cardo. "Both of you are women. Why are you surprised by a female God-King from Boulderdawn? Isn't Rebecca from the enchantress kind a woman? And the Dark Phoenix from the Everlands, oh, never mind, she doesn't count."

At the mention of the Dark Phoenix, everyone's expressions turned peculiar, Cardo's especially.

Long ago, she had encountered the Dark Phoenix of the Everlands. This shapeshifting Dark Phoenix presented herself as a strikingly handsome man in purple, with snow-white skin, prone to fits of temper, and quick to slaughter at the slightest provocation.

However, through conversations with Bertain, Cardo learned that the Dark Phoenix had once assumed the form of a human woman in an earlier era.

The Dark Phoenix would appear as male or female, depending on her whims and disposition.

"I've never met Soul-Capturing, but Lin Daoke... both of us have faced him in the extraterrestrial realm. We're well aware of his formidable strength," Ballo said, his expression grave. By his tone, Lin Daoke seemed an insurmountable peak, the mere thought of whom gave him a headache.

Cardo nodded in agreement, her gaze falling to the ground as she contemplated, "If Lin Daoke were to be the one sealed within the City of Light, I fear the entire city might crumble."

"Yes," Ballo concurred.

In their eyes, Lin Daoke of the Sword Sect was an even more daunting adversary than Tan Xiaotian.

"Scoundrels!"

Tan Xiaotian's curse rang out timely, causing Chen Liangquan and Canli to exchange awkward glances.

"It's just that the dark power I've mastered happens to be suppressed by this City of Light! You clueless hag have no idea how much blood, sweat, and tears the generations of Dawnbringers' peak warriors have poured into this city! This city is the nemesis of all dark creatures!"

"If it weren't for the City of Light, I would have broken free from this world's confines long ago!"

"Think about it, you two. In the Dark Realm of the Shura, aside from yourselves, there was also Sabonis. What could you possibly do to me?"

The Demon Lord's bellow was intentionally magnified a hundredfold, audible not just to Chen Liangquan and Canli, but also to the Dawnbringers' warriors throughout the nearby Astral Domain.

He expended extra energy just to vex Cardo and Ballo, heaping slander upon them.

All he sought was his own satisfaction.

"Keep cursing; you're not getting out anyway," Cardo said, her beautiful face icy.

Ballo couldn't be bothered to engage, seemingly aware that the more attention he gave, the more the Demon Lord thrived.

"Heh, don't be so sure! Just you wait, you dog couple. Once I'm out of the City of Light, I'll see who dares to stop me!"

With those words, the darkness returned to silence.

...

In the Everlands, within the Godsblight Marsh.

Denise, trembling with fear, stood in the nest left by the Secular Bird Queen, realizing that the Soul-Capturing God-King within her had vanished without a trace.

On her journey here, the enigmatic Soul-Capturing entity had occasionally spoken to her, guiding her actions.

But upon reaching the Everlands, the Soul-Capturing presence had completely disappeared, undetectable no matter how she tried.

"Who might you be?"

A guard from the Skyreach Consortium regarded her with surprise, inquiring about her presence.

"I am from the Starborn; my name is Denise. I come from Zekrica. Due to certain events, I wish to travel to the Rainbow Ocean," Denise explained in the human tongue, which she was still mastering.

"The Rainbow Ocean? Starborn, Denise..." The guard paused briefly before responding, "Please hold on for a moment. I will inform our president and see what directives he has."

The Starborn had a cordial relationship with both the Boulderdawn and the Skyreach Consortium. Even the Starfallen Oracle Beru had visited, making the Consortium's people quite amiable towards them.

"Alright." Denise waited patiently.

Bloodbrawlers.

Xuanli, the cultivator of Voodoo Beetles, suddenly received a directive from the Lunar Meridian to travel to the Godsblight Marsh and retrieve a Starborn lady named Denise.

And he was instructed to go in person!

"What a hassle. This sort of minor task could easily be handled by Lianjing; there's no need for me to go out of my way."

Despite his grumbling, Xuanli would never dare to defy the command of the Root of the Lunar Meridian. After making arrangements for his valley affairs, he promptly made his way to the nearest teleportation circle.

...

In the Ashlands, at Eiwrone.

The Dragon Slaying Stage emerged from a deep cavern. Yu Yuan didn't spot the Abyssal Leviathan or the Abyssal Greater Basilisk, but through his bond with the remnant soul and the Dragon Slaying Stage, he knew they had ventured elsewhere within the Ashlands.

Currently, only Ji Ningshuang was there, sitting serenely. She gave a slight nod upon seeing him return with Liu Ying.

"Stardust Blade! Ms. Ji!"

Liu Ying, upon realizing her presence, exclaimed in surprise, her demeanor quickly turning awkward.

Lee Sha had been slain by Lin Daoke in a bid for a divine seat for the Starmoon Sect, a feat ultimately accomplished by Ji Ningshuang.

Moreover, this Grand Sword Immortal, renowned beyond the stars, was well-versed in the mysteries of the cosmos.

Her own prospects seemed dim in the shadow of Ji Ningshuang's presence.

"I'll take you both to meet the Starpierced," Yu Yuan said, gesturing for Ji Ningshuang to join them. Turning to Liu Ying, he reassured her, "I've met with Mr. Tan, and I've agreed to what I promised him. You have my word, your master will be safe. A young Starpierced, naturally imbued with the essence of the stars, awaits us. Let's go."

"Starpierced? I think I've heard of it," Liu Ying said, her eyes shimmering with curiosity, yet her expression remained composed. "Is it meant for Ms. Ji?"

"Senior..." Ji Ningshuang's brow furrowed slightly, detecting the intentional slight in the young woman's tone.

She was implying she was old!

"It's for you," Yu Yuan stated.

Liu Ying's excitement was palpable. "For me? You want me to kill it? Starpierced is an alien beast, isn't it? What rank does it hold? I remember my master mentioning it, but I was dozing off at the time and didn't pay much attention."

"It's a juvenile cosmic giant beast!" Yu Yuan shot her a look, puzzled by her enthusiasm. "And no, you're not to kill it! It's part of the Ashlands. See if you can gain its favor and tame it, so it might choose to befriend you voluntarily."

"If it doesn't obey, I'll just kill it," Liu Ying quipped with a pout.

Before Yu Yuan could respond, Ji Ningshuang's mouth twisted into a mocking smile. "You naive girl, with your Solar Spirit cultivation and frail Solar Spirit body, you think you can hunt a cosmic giant beast?"

"Isn't Yu here to help?" Liu Ying retorted defiantly.

"Where is your true form? I just remembered, you'd have a sliver of hope if your true form were here," Yu Yuan inquired.

"Of course, my true form is in the Everlands, not at the Starmoon Sect, but with the Consortium," Liu Ying explained as if it were obvious. "I haven't reached the Unbound Stage yet. The cosmic energy here in the Ashlands is quite oppressive. I fear my true form wouldn't adjust well."

A cultivator at the Unbound Stage from the human race would face restrictions throughout the Ashlands, so what chance did she have as a mere Solar Spirit?

Upon reaching Eiwrone, her Solar Spirit Body had already felt the brunt of the cosmic energy, causing her spiritual energy and Soul Power to flow erratically.

She was self-aware, understanding that her insufficiently robust physical form would only encounter greater hardships in the Ashlands.

"I'm not foolish," Ji Ningshuang stated with an icy tone.

"Heh, my master once said that if you hadn't harnessed the power of stars to ascend first, it would have been me, Liu Ying, standing at the end of the sacred way!"

"Your master is quite the deceiver," Ji Ningshuang chuckled softly, shaking her head dismissively. "The elders are well aware of this. Jun Chen possesses even greater talent. He was the one truly destined to reach the pinnacle as a Stellar Most High. Unfortunately, your Starmoon Sect simply lacks the depth and resources to compete with our Sword Sect."

At the mention of the sect's profound foundation, Liu Ying deflated, unable to muster a counterargument. It was an undeniable truth that the Starmoon Sect fell several levels behind the Sword Sect in peak combat prowess.

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