C1803 It Was Necessary!
"Lord Untamed."
Green Willow, a Dark Deity, appeared as a pale green stream, swiftly flying in from the other side. He hovered between Ape and Yu Zhu, his face etched with concern as he inquired, "What's happening here?"
With his vertical pupil, he gazed upon the towering phantom of the Dark Phoenix in the void, and watched as the little spinosaurus, now revealing its fierce demeanor, was being slammed against the Primal Blood Continent's wall by the supreme Dark Phoenix.
The wall erupted with splashes of blood and streaks of lightning, the scales of the little spinosaurus shattering continuously, its head bleeding profusely.
Yet, the Dark Phoenix had once mentioned that the secret to the alien beasts' breakthrough to the tenth level, the key to the Dark Deities' eternal life, was intimately linked to this little spinosaurus.
But now, she seemed intent on dooming the little creature to death!
"Lord Untamed."
A deep, resonant roar echoed from the direction of the Moonfang Tiger. This tiger, which had not taken on a human form and whose massive presence dominated a section of the Star River, seemed to understand that once the Dark Phoenix lost control, she would become irrational and beyond reasoning. Thus, it too sought clarity from Ape about the unfolding events.
Its concern stemmed from the chilling effect the Dark Phoenix's actions had on its Demon Army and the beast kings among the alien beasts.
The Dark Phoenix, who had once pampered the little spinosaurus, allowing it to feast freely, now turned on it with such erratic violence, causing widespread alarm among the beast kings.
These beast kings feared the unpredictable Dark Phoenix, dreading that they too might be abruptly slain without warning.
Moreover, these kings had traveled great distances out of admiration for the Dark Phoenix, lured by her promise of a method to transcend the limitations of their bloodlines. They had willingly submitted to her command.
The Dark Phoenix had explicitly linked their bloodline's advancement to the maturation of the little spinosaurus.
Yet now, she seemed poised to kill this well-growing young beast.
What could be the meaning of this?
"How would I know what she's thinking? I've never been able to decipher her bizarre ideas, not in tens of thousands of years!" Ape retorted, puffing out his cheeks and glaring, clearly baffled himself. After a moment's thought, he declared, "But you're mistaken about one thing. She is the most fiercely protective being in the world! Those archdemons and Dark Deities who truly earn her approval and loyalty, she guards with all her might, never sacrificing them on a whim."
The little spinosaurus might not have ever been taken seriously by her from start to finish.
Initially, she probably planned to raise it before...
Lord Untamed coughed twice and abruptly shifted the conversation: "Consider the old Kylin. Without her constant revitalization, the Kylin would have perished long ago. When Han Miaoyuan intended to sacrifice the old Kylin, what did she do? She approached Yuwen Hao, intending to kill him to extend the Kylin's life."
"Didn't the Kylin face misfortune in the extraterrestrial, and wasn't Taishi severely wounded by her? After falling unconscious, he managed to flee back to Ionodios, right?"
"If she truly values someone, she would never consider sacrificing them."
Despite his usual disagreements with the Dark Phoenix, the Ape still offered an objective assessment. In this regard, the Dark Phoenix and Han Miaoyuan were polar opposites.
For the future and stability of the Everlands, Han Miaoyuan would sacrifice anyone—Yuwen Hao, Ji Tianyu, Gu Xingkui.
Anyone who Han Miaoyuan deemed detrimental to the Everlands' progress would be coldly discarded.
The Dark Phoenix was the antithesis of this.
Even though the old Kylin had long lost its vitality and should have died, she adamantly refused to let go.
There were numerous similar instances. Anyone she valued was untouchable; if anyone dared to sacrifice them, she would wreak havoc on the world, tearing the Everlands asunder, and she would not rest until she had done so.
"After tens of thousands of years, you've finally spoken up for me."
Like a majestic phoenix perched in the Star River, her cold and merciless gaze seemed to have been fixed on the Ape and Yu Zhu all along. Even as she grappled with the little spinosaurus, furiously colliding with the wall, she found a moment to respond.
The assembly of Dark Deities couldn't help but look up.
Whoosh!
From within her massive purple wings, another hand suddenly emerged, like an exquisite chisel, and thrust towards the heart of the upright little spinosaurus.
The violet-gold scales were effortlessly shattered by the hand, the bright purple, blade-like hand piercing through in an instant.
Blades closed around the little spinosaurus's chest and abdomen, then slowly tightened their grip.
Once she transformed back into a massive palm, a vibrant violet-gold heart materialized in its center.
The once haughty and arrogant little spinosaurus didn't even have time to let out a cry before meeting its end.
The still-throbbing violet gold heart, with its numerous delicate bloodline chains interwoven like myriad strands of violet gold Divine Thunder, emitted a blindingly brilliant light.
Every archdemon, beast king, along with Green Willow and Lord Untamed, involuntarily held their breath.
The heart of the Titan Spinosaurus juvenile captivated the gaze of all creatures, causing their own hearts to race and their blood and beast souls to quiver.
No one expected the Dark Phoenix to act with such merciless ferocity, dealing a deadly blow to the little spinosaurus she had once doted on without a second thought.
Her actions were decisively unforgiving!
As she wielded the little spinosaurus's serpentine body, stretching for thousands of miles, transforming it into a spear to pierce the wall of the Primal Blood Continent, she simultaneously extracted its heart.
To slay the dragon was one thing, but to also extract its heart was another level of brutality.
This gruesome and bloody spectacle not only stunned the alien beasts and archdemons of the Star River but also left the Sky Fiends within the wall in shock.
The reason behind Dark Phoenix's mercilessness was unknown to all.
Yet, they suddenly realized that over the recent millennia, the mantle of the Star River's preeminent giant beast hunter had shifted from the Demon God Bertain to the supreme Dark Phoenix of the Everlands.
She had the fully matured and prime Abyssal Leviathan at her mercy, immobilized in the vast waters of the Everlands.
Other known cosmic giant beasts had met their fate at her hands, sliced and devoured.
For the young little spinosaurus, still immature and lacking the complete life sequence, her decision to kill was executed with ease, akin to slicing through vegetables.
At that moment, everyone naturally assumed that after extracting the heart of the little spinosaurus, she would consume it to augment her own bloodline mysteries.
They watched her intently, coveting the violet gold dragon heart, yet no one dared to make a move, overawed by her formidable combat prowess.
However...
The pulsating Heart of the Titan, which stirred the blood of all archdemons and beast kings but remained beyond their wildest dreams, was not consumed by her.
Without a moment's hesitation, she handed the still-beating heart to Yu Zhu.
"This is for you. I intended to give it to you from the start. Consider it a congratulatory gift for your ascension to divinity."
Her hand, with the violet-gold heart cradled within, halted before Yu Zhu's eyes.
As she spoke, her voice betrayed a nervousness and unease, as if she feared Yu Zhu would refuse, as if she dreaded the thought of Yu Zhu not acknowledging her gesture, of not reciprocating her profound affection.
The hundreds of thousands of archdemons and beast kings, along with a few Dark Deities, the Demon Gods within the wall, Ji Ningshuang on the ice rock's surface, and Yu Yuan—all were dumbfounded.
No one had anticipated such selflessness from her, that she would so readily relinquish one of the rarest treasures in existence.
Her anxiety and unease seemed out of character, almost inconceivable.
She was the mightiest in this realm, the unchallenged sovereign of Shadow's Keep! The Dark Phoenix who had a hand in the downfall of the Nagas and ousted Boulderdawn from the Everlands!
What had Yu Zhu done to deserve such favor and love?
Even the venerable Kylin had never been shown such regard!
"I had hoped, once she came of age, that all the bloodline chains would unveil their most profound secrets. But she proved too weak, a disappointment. Thus, the dragon heart is not in its finest state. No matter, there's still another living little spinosaurus." The Dark Phoenix rambled on like a garrulous old woman.
Yet those listening discerned the deeper significance in her words.
She planned to nurture the little spinosaurus until it reached maturity, to unveil the full extent of the bloodline mysteries within the dragon heart, and then to extract that heart and bestow it upon Yu Zhu.
Her indulgence of the little spinosaurus, allowing it to freely consume blood meals, was not for her own benefit but a ploy to one day present the matured dragon heart to Yu Zhu.
Such was her affection for that unassuming girl!
"I..."
Yu Zhu, taken aback by the honor, fidgeted with the fabric of her skirt, her hands twisting it unconsciously as she gazed in awe at the pulsating violet-gold heart nestled within the colossal hand.
She sensed that the heart of the young Titan Spinosaurus would undoubtedly aid in the evolution of her bloodline and enhance her combat prowess!
Yet, the windfall seemed too incredible to be true.
Its arrival was equally baffling.
She hesitated, continuously wringing her hands, yet she couldn't bring herself to accept it.
She feared harm from the Dark Phoenix.
"What a foolish girl."
Despite Dark Phoenix's apparent annoyance, her words were laced with affection—a stark contrast to her treatment of the little spinosaurus.
"What I give you, you will take!"
Boom!
A grand purple palace soared across the Star River from the far end of the Primal Blood Continent, descending towards Yu Zhu. "Devour it inside," she commanded.
Ape's face showed a hint of concern as he wisely stepped aside.
Green Willow had already fled.
The purple palace descended, enveloping both Yu Zhu and her hand clutching the violet-gold dragon heart. "Don't come out until you've finished it!"
Whoosh!
Her hand retracted and pressed against the rigid body of the little spinosaurus, seizing its tail.
Grasping the dragon's neck with one hand and its tail with the other, she infused it with boundless demon energy, transforming the creature into a lethal weapon in an instant.
With the silhouette of a human and a pair of massive purple wings, she gripped a violet-golden spear and thrust once more at the Primal Blood Continent's wall.
Crack! Puff!
The ice rock shattered repeatedly, and the wall, resembling a curtain of blood, was punctured with gaping wounds.
The once impenetrable barrier yielded to her, thanks to her altered form and the bizarre metamorphosis of the little spinosaurus.
