C1765 Collapsed Shadow's Keep!

"You..."

When Tan Xiaotian candidly spoke of his agreement with Jihui, Yu Yuan found himself at a loss for words.

Since Jihui and the Demon Lord were plotting against the Dark Phoenix, Yu Yuan naturally had no intention of interfering.

Far from it, he was even eager to lend a hand!

After all, his plans in the Ashlands, the secret tasks he had entrusted to Zhong Chichen, and his decision to have the Lizard and the Abyssal Leviathan remain there, were all part of his strategy to confront the Dark Phoenix.

Shadow's Keep continued to tremble, and as it began to fracture from within, the world watched in astonishment.

It was common knowledge that the statues of the Dark Deities within the Keep were linked by blood to the living Dark Deities, serving as their avatars.

Following the Kylin's demise, both the Dark Phoenix and the Astral Tiger, who were among the living Dark Deities, had their effigies enshrined there.

Once Green Willow ascended to Dark Deity status, he would be entitled to commission his own statue for the hall, a symbol of evilkind's might.

However, Green Willow had chosen the path of the Untamed, not aligning with Shadow's Keep, and thus had no statue within.

The Dark Phoenix and Astral Tiger, from their extraterrestrial vantage, could sense their avatars in Shadow's Keep, avatars that shared their powers and boasted formidable combat strength.

But now, with the Keep cracking from the inside, it indicated that a fearsome entity was wreaking havoc within!

Who could it be? Zhong Chichen?

The Dark Phoenix and Moonfang Tiger, if not for their avatars, would have rushed back to the Everlands immediately.

At this moment, aside from a select few, the powerhouses of the major sects also suspected that the Chronowyrm was seizing the chance to sow chaos and avenge the Nagas' downfall.

Moreover, they speculated that Loong Jie, who had survived Lin Daoke's sword strike, might have also returned.

Were the Nagas poised to reclaim their former glory?

The various factions pondered the unfolding scenario, each considering how their sects should align themselves to maximize their interests.

With the Nagas' mighty dragons departing the Everlands through Wintermaw, it seemed a prelude to the inevitable conflict, a sign that a clash with evilkind was on the horizon.

In the dead of night not long ago, the spatial blades that struck at Shadow's Keep and the current anomalies within it unequivocally pointed to one thing!

Everyone believed it to be the Nagas' counterstrike.

"What are you all talking about?"

Cao Jiaze was utterly bewildered, not quite grasping the deeper meaning in Yu Yuan's and Tan Xiaotian's conversation, yet he could clearly see the transformation within Shadow's Keep.

"The Everlands are about to be turned upside down. Isn't it time for Han to return from the dead?" Tan Xiaotian huffed.

"He's gone to the Wraithlands with Youyu," Yu Yuan interjected suddenly.

"The Wraithlands?"

Tan Xiaotian burst into loud, mocking laughter, nodding as he chuckled, "So they've gone to raid the Lunar Meridian's stronghold! Han is full of tricks, seeking out Youyu beyond our world, and sending the God of Ghosts to the Wraithlands! Oh, Lunar Meridian, you've clung to the Everlands for so many years, never imagining that the God of Ghosts you nurtured would aspire to usurp you!"

Swoosh!

The Demon Lord's voice managed to penetrate the Dragon Slaying Stage and reach the Land of Terror.

The Dragon Slaying Stage, designed to be impenetrable, blocked all external prying, yet it couldn't silence Tan Xiaotian's voice.

That's because his voice carried a hidden spatial art.

This spatial art skillfully bypassed the deep rules of the Dragon Slaying Stage, a place whose intricacies its master had studied for years.

Being intimately familiar with it, he found it relatively easy to project his voice through the Dragon Slaying Stage.

He was none other than Jihui, the God-King!

He intentionally allowed Tan Xiaotian's words to echo in the Land of Terror, alerting the Lunar Meridian, which had been lurking in the Everlands for years, to the presence of Han Miaoyuan and Youyu in the Wraithlands, its birthplace.

Would the Lunar Meridian act out in desperation?

Meanwhile, Zu Ann had reached the Fireheart Mountains and encountered Mo Baichuan, whose demeanor was grave, at the fiery base of the volcano.

"Is there any activity beneath the surface?" Zu Ann inquired.

"President Lyi keeps sinking further down. His unique Sunsilver Body hasn't fully adjusted to the intensity of the Earthfire yet. His relentless descent is beginning to harm his Sunsilver Body with flames he can't withstand," Mo Baichuan said, furrowing his brow in confusion. "I can't fathom why he would do this."

"Perhaps..."

After a moment of serious thought, Zu Ann suggested, "Perhaps his soul has been tainted by some external malevolence, and President Lyi is no longer in control of himself. To the one influencing him, President Lyi is merely a suit of armor safeguarding his soul. Whether President Lyi's pursuit of the ultimate Way of Heaven succeeds is of no concern to him."

"He simply intends to use President Lyi to traverse those ultimate flames and uncover the secrets hidden deep within the Everlands."

"Whether President Lyi survives this ordeal or if the Sunsilver Body suffers damage or corrosion is irrelevant to him."

Zu Ann shared his speculation, considering the possibility that the Origin Deity's soul felt threatened by Jihui's arrival and the Soul-Capturing assault on the Lunar Meridian.

The extraterrestrial Soul-Capturing God-King, along with Jihui's return from the Abyss, has pushed the Origin Deity into a desperate gambit.

Regardless of President Lyi's fate, he must cross the Earthfire quickly, before the Lunar Meridian vanishes and before Jihui and the Soul-Capturing make their move.

Otherwise, his opportunity will be lost forever.

"I'll inform Yu Yuan right away!"

For Zu Ann, relaying messages throughout the Devil Palace, Shadow's Keep, Fireheart Mountains, and the Land of Terror—all located within the Land of Quiescence—was as effortless as breathing.

No sooner had he sent his thoughts than Yu Yuan became aware of them.

Thus, Yu Yuan addressed the Demon Lord, "Since you've come here, not to aid the Lunar Meridian nor to take advantage of Youyu's absence by causing a massacre, perhaps it's time we consider a different course of action?"

"Has he taken action already?" Tan Xiaotian chuckled.

At that, Yu Yuan instantly realized that the Demon Lord must have learned of the Origin Deity's soul's existence through Jihui.

"I've been held captive in the Ashlands for far too long. If he wishes to return to the Abyss, he should do so thoroughly and not leave any loose ends behind."

Tan Xiaotian truly had insight into the truth. Gazing at the teetering Shadow's Keep, the Demon Lord's gaze was profound. "The Dark Phoenix, residing far in the extraterrestrial, has always sought to traverse the Earthfire. She has devised numerous methods and achieved some success. The one who ventured to Shadow's Keep sought something, intending to delve deep beneath the earth."

"I only want to know one thing," Yu Yuan demanded.

"What?" The Demon Lord blinked in surprise.

"Is it to save, or to destroy?" Yu Yuan pressed.

Both had aligned interests regarding the Dark Phoenix, but what of the Origin Deity?

Jihui had become the Evil God of the Abyss, and it was clear that Tan Xiaotian also had ambitions to venture into the Abyss to rule over the dark creatures there.

Yu Yuan needed to know whether their intentions were to save or destroy the Origin Deity concealed within President Lyi's body.

Tan Xiaotian burst into hearty laughter, pointing at himself and then at Yu Yuan, he proclaimed, "I hail from the Everlands, and he once belonged to the Everlands too! Do you think we would allow an outsider to unearth the deepest secrets of our realm?"

"The treasures of the Everlands are ours to keep! Does an extraterrestrial guest think they can come into my domain and plunder? Does he take me, Tan Xiaotian, for a dead man?"

"I can't make heads or tails of you two," Yu Yuan grumbled.

"The most enigmatic one here is you!"

Tan Xiaotian's mouth quirked into a smirk. With a flourish of his sleeves, the surrounding ghosts and spirits vanished into the ordinary darkness.

He gestured dismissively at Yu Yuan and then, to the shock of all present, soared toward the Shadow's Keep.

With a thunderous crash, like a swath of dark firmament, he and his prayer mat descended upon the Shadow's Keep. The already fractured sanctuary crumbled instantly, as if the Dragon Slaying Stage itself were bearing down upon the mountains and palaces of the Thunder Sect.

The Shadow's Keep, a symbol of the evilkind's supreme authority and the Dark Phoenix's ultimate glory, had stood proudly in the north of the Land of Quiescence since its inception, a sacred site in the hearts of the evilkind.

Regardless of the ferocity of the wars that once raged in the Everlands, or the relentless assaults by the three upper sects, Shadow's Keep stood unyielding and invincible!

Yet today, it had crumbled.

"I will only destroy Shadow's Keep!"

From the thick darkness, Tan Xiaotian's eerie laughter echoed, "All those who are unrelated, go about your business! And especially those who practice the dark arts in human form, make yourselves scarce!"

Archdemons scattered in the vicinity, along with individuals like Xu Zixi and Zhan Tianxiang, stared blankly into the abyss.

They felt as though the heavens themselves had come crashing down.

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