C1793 It Was Forced to Participate in the Battle!
In the desolate reaches of the Dim Starfield, a deep crimson moon lay shattered in a secluded corner of the galaxy, its fragments casting a forlorn glow.
Atop the dark red moonstone ruins, the deep purple palace of the Supreme Demon Phoenix loomed. A towering, immense demon shadow perched on the palace's apex, seemingly fixated on a Dead Silence Star.
The colossal demon shadow was in constant flux, never settling into a single form. It was a manifestation of the ancient Demon Phoenixes from the Vast Ocean, with their myriad mystical bloodline laws materializing through the shadow's transformations.
Far off in the distance, ferocious alien beasts gazed upon the shifting demon shadow with a mix of reverence and zealous devotion, as if beholding a divine beastly deity from their dreams.
Deep beneath the surface, in the void near the Dead Silence Stars connected to the Tia Main Planet, Ann Ziqing, now a Yang God and Great Demon God, was being relentlessly impaled by icy spires.
Recently ascended, Ann Ziqing, gravely wounded, found herself devoid of the strength to retaliate.
Each time an ice shard pierced her, she let out a heart-wrenching cry.
Yet, because she was within the Dim Starfield, where the Yang Meridian could infuse her with vital blood energy, even in her near-unconscious state, the gaping wounds wrought by the ice would swiftly mend, fueled by the external influx of blood energy.
"I never intended to kill you," came a voice.
Atop a frigid mountain peak within the rare stone replica of the Ember Waters, Lim Zhuyun, her face devoid of emotion, gestured towards the encroaching glacier.
More razor-sharp ice lances, hundreds of feet in length and straight as spears, hurtled forth.
Thud!
Ann Ziqing, suspended in midair, now bore an even larger gash in her torso, yet not a drop of blood spilled forth.
Her Yang God form, having attained the stature of a Great Demon God, was shrouded in the extreme cold Lim Zhuyun had mastered, freezing every droplet of blood solid.
Only the blood energy channeled into her Yang Meridian from the outside world could defy Lim Zhuyun's frigid edicts, aiding in the healing of Ann Ziqing's injuries.
"Coward."
Lim Zhuyun, backed by the might of the Supreme Demon Phoenix, cast a disdainful glance toward the blood-red star nestled deep within the galaxy.
She was aware that the outer domain powerhouses, led by the Great Demon God Grec and Reid, were gradually withdrawing to the Origin Blood Continent. They recognized that the Yang Meridian intended to make its last stand in the realm it knew best.
Hence, neither the Yang Meridian nor titans like Grec and Reid would dare to make a rash move.
Anyone who did would share the fate of Ann Ziqing.
The fragmented dark red moon was a tentative clash between the Yang Meridian's source and the Demon Phoenix in the external world.
The Yang Meridian suffered a crushing defeat.
Despite being fortified with the Yang Meridian's blood energy and even drawing upon the carefully nurtured powers of the Dim Starfield, the secret strengths of the Dead Silence Stars, and the blood forces of various races, the moon was cleaved apart by the purple phoenix's wings as soon as the deep purple palace settled and the shadow of the purple phoenix emerged.
At the moment the moon shattered, the Yang Meridian's forces were completely retracted, resulting in the instantaneous deaths of countless members of the Crypt Clan, Fire Lizard Tribe, and Shadow Clan.
The second-tier tribes residing in the Dim Starfield, who prided themselves as vassals of the Blood Devil Clan, were the first to be forsaken by the Yang Meridian.
They became the sacrificial shields for the Yang Meridian, absorbing the brunt of the Supreme Demon Phoenix's assault. After leaving behind tens of thousands of corpses, the Yang Meridian successfully transferred its blood energy back to its essence.
Now, the Yang Meridian remained hidden within the Origin Blood Continent, too fearful to emerge, while the Demon Army and the alien beasts surged forth, forming a tightening siege.
"Do you believe you can ascend to the Supreme Divine Throne if you possess the Origin?"
An imposing voice emanated from the purple palace atop the shattered moonstone.
Lim Zhuyun's figure quivered with excitement as she gazed at the palace that symbolized the Supreme Demon Phoenix, whispering, "The Starfrost Sword must fall, and she must vacate the path of extreme cold before I stand a chance. As long as she lives, occupying that divine path, I cannot craft the Divine Throne, even with the Origin."
"She is currently in the Gray Domain and intends to venture into the Dim Starfield. Should she dare to show herself in this corner of the galaxy, I will slay her and secure the critical components you need for divinity." The ever-shifting Demon Shadow solidified into an elegant purple phoenix, her solemn and deadly gaze as clear as amethysts, seemingly illuminating Lim Zhuyun's very soul.
Lim Zhuyun dared not meet the gaze of the Supreme Demon Phoenix and promptly bowed her head in submission.
"I have only one question for you. Do you have confidence?" the Demon Phoenix inquired once more.
"Yes!"
Lim Zhuyun was overcome with joy, as if a pie had fallen from the sky. She nodded vigorously and knelt toward the palace, touching her forehead to the ground in gratitude. "Thank you for your great favor."
"I value those who are intelligent and obedient," the Demon Phoenix remarked, her tone detached.
"I will be."
Ann Ziqing, her soul bound by the Demon Phoenix's power and her body impaled by controlled ice shards, found a moment of lucidity amidst the torment.
She overheard Lim Zhuyun's exchange with the Demon Phoenix and felt the Yang Meridian's anxiety and urgency. Yet, she was powerless to act.
As a Yang God of Great Demon God stature, she couldn't be sure if her true self had traversed the Realm passageway to reach the Gray Domain.
Nor did she know if she would encounter Yu Yuan.
"I hope I have."
Her heart heavy with sorrow, she prayed, fearing she was on the verge of being forsaken by the Yang Meridian, her end imminent.
Suddenly, the blood in her Yang God form began to circulate abnormally.
From afar, atop the palace, the grand shadow of the phoenix shifted its gaze from Lim Zhuyun to Ann Ziqing, a hint of curiosity flickering in its jewel-like eyes.
Elsewhere in the Gray Domain, Zhong Chichen led the Abyss Goanna, Chaos Roc, and Loong Jie toward the Heaven Opening Flare Star, eager to observe the clash between Shehun and Lin Daoke in the Oblivion Starfield.
This battle held exceptional meaning, and those of significant power sought to witness it up close.
Having ingested the pellets, Ann Ziqing's body, now rejuvenated, suddenly straightened.
Yu Yuan, feeling an unexpected connection, narrowed his eyes and saw a new blood pool forming within her microcosm of Qi and blood.
This new blood pool shimmered not with the hue of amethyst but with a deep, crimson red—like the moon traversing the Dim Starfield.
"My, my... the strength of my Yang God is returning!"
Ann Ziqing stood up involuntarily, her gaze sweeping her surroundings, searching for the source. "It's coming from somewhere peculiar within the Gray Domain!"
Jee Ningshuang sat in quiet astonishment, watching Ann Ziqing. Nearby, the Violent Bear and the three remaining alien beasts looked around, bewildered by the unfolding events.
Yu Yuan bellowed, "What a move, Grec! What a Yang God!"
As the ruler of this realm, he had pinpointed the source of the disturbance in an instant.
It was a dark red, blood-like floating rock in the Gray Domain.
Grec, the Great Demon God, had once perched upon that rock, etching various patterns with his blood: birds, beasts, ancient trees, mountains, rivers, and the layout of the stars.
These odd, unrefined patterns seemed to be Grec's interpretation of his bloodline. They were not particularly profound, so Yu Yuan hadn't given them much thought.
Now, the rock that Grec had abandoned was transformed by a surge of blood energy.
It became like a deep red moon carved into the rock's surface.
The original patterns were wiped away, leaving only the deep red moon, as if it were trying to emerge from the rock and manifest itself in the Gray Domain.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Constrained by the fundamental laws of the Gray Domain, the deep red moon struggled to materialize fully. Yet, from within it, bursts of blood-colored shadows shot forth, only to vanish as quickly as they appeared.
Simultaneously, in Ann Ziqing's personal domain of blood and Qi, corresponding shadows solidified in the blink of an eye into blood-colored crystals.
These enigmatic crystals were fragments of the Yang God, miraculously transported from the Dim Starfield.
"Yu, Yu Yuan!"
Ann Ziqing, glimpsing a newfound hope, unconsciously gestured with her hands at her chest and exclaimed, "It has sent the pieces of my Great Demon God form to the Dim Starfield in a way I can't comprehend! I believe, I believe I can reassemble and restore the Yang God here!"
"Is that even possible?" Jee Ningshuang expressed her amazement.
"It's beyond my expectations as well," Yu Yuan admitted.
He turned his gaze and could now see the floating rock enveloped in a shroud of deep red bloodlight.
Blood-colored shadows burst forth from the floating stone incessantly.
The image of a deep red moon within the stone seemed to sneer at Yu Yuan, radiating a sense of pride. It was as if the stone was gloating over its own masterful creation. Yu Yuan could easily shatter the stone with his sword if he chose to, but doing so would sever the transfer of blood energy from Ann Ziqing's Yang God, who was far away in the Dim Starfield. To prevent Ann Ziqing from losing her Yang God, he had to safeguard the floating stone and the deep red moon within it.
The Yang Meridian had exploited his friendship with Ann Ziqing and his guilt towards the Blood God Cult and Ann Wen to coerce him into involvement. The Yang Meridian was indifferent to Ann Ziqing's fate, using her merely as a pawn and a token in its strategic game.
"I..." Ann Ziqing looked at him earnestly, her lips quivering, her bright eyes shimmering with surprise and hope. "I'll do everything in my power to help you."
Yu Yuan hoisted her onto the Dragon Slash Platform, and in an instant, they were standing on the blood-red floating stone, gazing at the dark red moon embedded within it. Soon after, Yu Yuan noticed dark purple ink beginning to taint the crimson moon.
The Demon Phoenix had taken action. The Supreme Demon Phoenix had discerned the Yang Meridian's machinations, realizing its intent to split Ann Ziqing and transport her to a secret location in league with the Yang Meridian. She intervened, determined not only to thwart Ann Ziqing's fragmentation and escape but also to deliver another blow to the conniving Yang Meridian.
Sizzle, sizzle! Streaks of blood light from Yu Yuan, along with the scarlet glow of his Optimus Sword, streaked towards the dark red moon in the floating stone, making contact with the Supreme Demon Phoenix in the Dim Starfield. In effect, he was reluctantly allied with the Yang Meridian, united against the formidable opponent from the Demon Palace.
This was not his intention, but rather the outcome of the Yang Meridian's devious plotting, using Ann Ziqing's Yang God to coerce him. "I finally understand why the Abyss Goanna, Chaos Roc, Zhong Chichen, Loong Jie, and the rest have grown to dislike you. You truly are a contemptible and dishonorable character."
