C1794 The Dark Phoenix Clenched Her Fists Lightly
In the Dark Star Region, a new red moon emerged, infused with the majestic vital energy from the Root of the Solar Meridian. It hung in the sky, casting its glow directly above Lin Zhuyun's head.
Atop an ice mountain within the Embers Sea, Lin Zhuyun's gaze was icy. Suddenly, she felt a tightening in her heart, sensing that something was amiss.
Ann Ziqing, repeatedly pierced by ice shards, burst apart with a resounding "bang," shattering into numerous small blood crystals. It was akin to an exquisite porcelain shattering upon impact, scattering fragments of varying sizes across the ground.
Yet within each blood crystal, a potent life force persisted, with clusters of Bloodwraiths swirling inside, indicating that Ann Ziqing was still very much alive. This was undoubtedly a form of mysterious blood magic, where the body, once shattered, allowed the blood crystals to scatter and escape. If even a fraction of these blood crystals managed to flee, it was considered a successful escape.
To Lin Zhuyun, the red moon, born of dense vital energy, resembled a macabre and vibrant secret map. The blood crystals from Ann Ziqing's explosion seemed drawn to the red moon, as if compelled by its sanguine pattern, and moved toward it. Upon contact, they were instantly teleported to another realm, vanishing as streaks of blood-red light.
Lin Zhuyun was convinced that Ann Ziqing was leveraging some power to flee, possibly to an entirely different world. "Such cunning," she mused.
The voice of the supreme Dark Phoenix, laced with mocking authority, echoed from the grand dark purple palace. In no time, the purple Divine Throne, previously adrift, came hurtling through the air.
A graceful phoenix silhouette descended onto the Divine Throne, taking shape rapidly. The purple phoenix, once a mere ethereal avatar, began to coalesce with true vital energy upon the arrival of the Divine Throne.
A real clone formed—a hazy woman with innate purple wings, seated within the Divine Throne. Her expansive wings stretched beyond the throne, hinting at two other enigmatic bloody worlds.
An ineffable divine might manifested as visible tides of demon energy, emanating from her and the Divine Throne. This overwhelming presence nearly suffocated Lin Zhuyun.
With gratitude for her aid, Lin Zhuyun, who had attained the pinnacle of the Unbound Realm, knelt in reverence at the summit of the Embers Sea's ice mountain. She was wary of the power radiating from the throne, fearing that even the slightest touch could be lethal.
"It's rare for something to surprise me, but you've managed to do just that, making it worthwhile that I spared her life."
Enshrouded in an endless divine glow, the supreme Dark Phoenix, seated upon the Divine Throne, glided toward the red moon that hovered between reality and illusion. With a tone of mockery, she declared, "I'm curious to see who in the bloody world you're connected to by vital energy can amplify your power."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The fractured dark red moonstone, crushed by the palace in her wake, disintegrated into cosmic dust within the Star River.
The bloodline particles from the Solar Meridian were utterly obliterated by her.
Not a trace remained.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Suddenly, dozens of scarlet sword lights burst forth from the newly formed red moon, transforming into a vast River of Swords within the Dark Star.
The crystalline sword lights wove through the River of Swords with the speed of lightning, each one etched with the mantras of swordsmanship—time, life, earth, the cycle of seasons, annihilation, illusion, and more.
It was as if a Grand Sword Immortal, long vanished from the annals of history, was masterfully commanding the River of Swords.
The presence was overwhelmingly formidable!
Lin Zhuyun cried out in astonishment, "It's Yu Yuan!"
The phoenix figure, her visage veiled by divine light and demon energy, watched the oncoming River of Swords with serene focus. She lifted her arm and spread her hand before her.
The immense demon energy in her grasp morphed into a colossal purple light shield.
The ancient evilkind from the Everlands had their innate bloodline mysteries inscribed as demon tattoos across the shield's surface, rendering it exquisitely beautiful.
In the next moment, dazzling bursts of light exploded from the shield, intricately adorned with complex demon tattoos.
As the ancient Grand Sword Immortal and the River of Swords they wielded struck the massive light shield, they were instantly scattered by the demon energy within the beautiful patterns.
Dozens of expansive Rivers of Swords, along with their manifold profound meanings of swordsmanship, were effortlessly shattered by her with a mere gesture.
"Nie Qingtian wasn't my equal even in his prime, much less his Nine Celestial Slashes. And as for the profound sword spells of the deceased Grand Sword Immortals, they weren't worthy to battle me even in their lifetime."
The Dark Phoenix, who remained seated upon her Divine Throne, spoke with undisguised scorn. She observed the blood crystals, symbolic of Ann Ziqing, scattering away. Though she possessed the power to halt their flight, she opted instead for detached observation.
With a mere gesture of her demon energy, the majority of the blood crystals in this realm would be reduced to dust.
Yet, she refrained from such action.
It appeared she was aware that should she intervene, Yu Yuan, witnessing the futility of rescue from afar, might cease exerting his strength and refrain from tapping into other forces.
In her eternal existence, few things piqued her interest. Having finally encountered something intriguing, she was in no rush to bring it to a premature conclusion.
"A mere trickle of blood dares to flaunt itself before me, attempting to deceive under my very gaze."
Her focus shifted, eyeing the reemerging red moon. A feather from the Divine Throne extended and gave a delicate flutter.
Deep within the red moon, forged by the Root of the Solar Meridian with vital energy, numerous bloodline rules it had mastered began to unravel and fracture unseen.
The moon's radiance abruptly waned, growing faint and ethereal as if on the verge of vanishing.
Simultaneously, in the Dark Star Region, the distant Primal Blood Continent was rocked by an earthquake, as if the very essence of the Solar Meridian itself felt a searing agony.
"Should your power, your bloodline, and the Secrets of Life dare to manifest beyond the Primal Blood Continent, I can trace the connection back to you and inflict harm," the Dark Phoenix mocked, her gaze fixed on the trembling moon with an air of eager anticipation.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Beams of crimson light burst forth from the increasingly insubstantial moon, swiftly coalescing into peculiar crystals.
The emergence of the scarlet red crystals seemed to breathe new life into the red moon, filling the gaps in its Secrets of Life.
This emboldened it to commit even more vital energy to the fray!
With the presence of the scarlet red crystals, the once incomplete Secrets of Life began to mend, lending the red moon a sudden solidity.
Meanwhile, several strands of scarlet light pierced through the moon, infused with the boundless vital energy bestowed by the Solar Meridian.
As the scarlet sword light departed from the red moon, it transformed into slender, elongated crystals, radiating a dazzling and captivating brilliance as they hurtled towards the immense light shield before the Dark Phoenix. These fine crystals, in comparison to the expansive River of Swords, were as thin as strands of hair. Against the colossal light shield, which resembled a starry wall, they were nearly imperceptible to the naked eye, seemingly insignificant.
Yet it was these very crystals that, upon striking the light shield, rendered the ancient bloodline rules—imbued by the Dark Phoenix—utterly ineffective as barriers. They penetrated the shield in a mere instant. The intricate and beautiful ancient patterns, along with over thirty bloodline mysteries, were overpowered by a superior force, which subsequently obliterated them.
The red crystals made a beeline for the Dark Phoenix, who was seated regally upon her Divine Throne. "I knew it," she murmured, having anticipated the Solar Meridian's intent. She raised her hand once more, unfazed. The delicate red crystal pierced her palm—or rather, it was caught by her palm. Her seemingly small hand first gently grasped the crystal, then squeezed it firmly. Crack! The crystal, inscribed with various Secrets of Life, was crushed in her grip, bursting into fragments. As she opened her hand, the crystal pieces remained trapped within her grasp.
Not only were they unable to escape, but she also observed the crimson lightning with keen interest, as if discerning the hidden Secrets of Life and the blood magic of various tribes within the tiny flashes. "These are all things I understand, things I've already mastered. There's nothing novel here," she said, a hint of disappointment in her voice as she clenched her hand once more. With that grip, all the crystal fragments and the attempting-to-flee scarlet lightning were ground into a blood-colored dust.
Her demon energy surged forth, traveling through the blood bond to reach the spellcaster. Yu Yuan, on the receiving end, grunted in pain; the mere act of her tightening grip had inflicted wounds upon his corporeal body in the Ashlands.
"Bring me bloodline mysteries I have yet to grasp, ones I haven't touched—new and life-related rules," she called out. Her purple Divine Throne came to a halt before the red moon. "Don't keep disappointing me. My expectations for you are high. No one is more eager to witness your growth, to see you unveil more of your strength. You must persevere."
Lin Zhuyun gazed at her in awe, utterly captivated. She believed she was looking at the very image of her dreams.
...
Beyond the blood-red barrier.
The Untamed, puffing on his smoke tube, perched atop a meteorite in human form. He suddenly became aware of a significant disturbance in a secluded corner of the world.
The red moon, now greatly diminished, slowly emerged within his Demonic Eyes.
"Uh-oh!"
The Ape set aside his smoke tube, his eyes widening in surprise as he looked toward the red moon. He gestured to Green Willow beside him, calling out, "Come, come see what's happening!"
Green Willow, with his vertical pupil, reluctantly approached, grumbling, "I've taken a hit and need to heal. What's so interesting to see?"
"The Solar Meridian has pulled off a clever trick," The Ape said with a mischievous grin. "It's used Ann Ziqing as bait to provoke Yu Yuan into action."
"Yu Yuan?"
Green Willow, previously disinterested, perked up with intense curiosity. He cast a quick glance at Yu Zhu, who was further away, and asked, "Should we call her over?"
"No, absolutely not! If she sees this, it could ruin everything!"
The Untamed hastily interjected, then whispered with glee, "Let's just watch. Yu Yuan isn't foolish enough to charge into the Dark Star; he's not going to die. But it..."
The Ape looked toward the Primal Blood Continent, still reverberating from the disturbance, "It's enlisting Yu Yuan to fight alongside it. Does it really think that adding Yu Yuan will allow it to contend with the Dark Phoenix? Or perhaps it seeks to gain something from Yu Yuan's involvement in the battle?"
