C1845 The Divine Might Spread

The earth was seething with boiling magma as volcanoes erupted, spewing flames into a sky as red as blood.

Xueyin, having reached the Unbound Stage, should not have caught the attention of Dragon Gods like Zhong Chichen and Loong Jie. Moreover, the Colddeath Sect had vanished for quite some time due to Shadow's Keep's oppression and the death of Ann Wen.

Xueyin's sudden reappearance was unusual, and his calm demeanor in the face of Zhong Chichen's displeasure was even more so.

Du Yazi and the others sensed something was off with him and couldn't fathom his peculiar behavior.

Yet, when Xueyin uttered the words "It's me," it was as if the brilliance of the sun and moon had been eclipsed.

Xueyin remained unchanged, save for a subtle shift in his gaze. Supreme beings like Zhong Chichen and Loong Jie instantly grasped the gravity of the situation.

"Baibai, have you not yet emerged from the Earthfire?"

Xueyin spoke again, his voice transformed, sending shivers down Chu Yao's spine, as he recognized the voice of his first mentor, Hong Qi, who had succumbed to darkness at the end of his life.

Memories of a harrowing ordeal with Xu Jingyao and others in the Kuvrepros of the Extraterrestrial Star River clouded Chu Yao's thoughts, casting a shadow over his countenance.

"Mr. Hong, is that you?"

Du Yazi, with his intimidating appearance, shuddered at the sound, as if he had encountered a specter in the light of day.

He knew Xueyin from Colddeath; they had crossed paths in the Sundering Isles. Now, Xueyin, freshly advanced to the Unbound Realm, seemed to have undergone a transformation, yet he was unmistakably the same man Du Yazi knew, leaving him utterly disoriented.

Before arriving, Du Yazi had gleaned some troubling news from the Windspeaker organization within the trade guild.

This information made him as fearful as a mouse before a cat when he confronted Yu Yuan.

"Mr. Mo's divine seat is now established. He is currently acquainting himself with his newfound powers and fortifying his primordial spirit."

Zhong Chichen was quick to respond. Upon noticing the terror in Chu Yao and the three Order of Healing counselors, he couldn't help but chuckle. "It seems, Hong Qi, that you've become quite despised in your later years. Chu Yao, Du Yazi, you both loyally served him once. How were you repaid?"

Du Yazi was quick to bow and nod towards Xueyin, admitting, "It was all my fault!"

Recently, Yu Yuan returned to the Everlands, annihilating the Thunder Sect, driving Wei Zhuo into the extraterrestrial realm, shattering the Nine Palaces Array, and forcing Han Miaoyuan to retreat. These monumental feats cemented Yu Yuan's unique standing in the Everlands.

Despite knowing he hadn't done much wrong in the past, Du Yazi, out of fear for the current Yu Yuan, humbly submitted.

Chu Yao, however, stood firm and defiant, like a little rooster.

"They need to vacate the Fireheart Mountains soon. From now on, this region will be Baibai's territory," Yu Yuan declared, indifferent to past grievances and focusing solely on the issue at hand. "The earthfire is too intense. It will eventually incinerate countless spiritual herbs, making it unsuitable for pill refinement."

"Mm," Zhong Chichen murmured, sweeping his seven-colored sleeve and enveloping Chu Yao and the counselors in a swirl of iridescent clouds.

The four, whisked away on the clouds, found themselves amidst the lofty clouds in a daze. Below, the old lecherous dragon, now a Dragon God, wore a sycophantic grin.

Even Zhong Chichen, revered as a deity by them, seemed diminished in stature when facing that individual again after sending them skyward.

"How can this be?" Chu Yao wondered, perplexed. He couldn't fathom how Yu Yuan, despite being a rising star of the Boulderdawn, could outrank Loong Jie and his master before ascending to the highest echelons of power. They were already among the Everlands' most exalted!

"I've heard a rumor from the Chamber of Commerce, though I can't vouch for its veracity," Du Yazi said, his head hanging low as he sighed. "An archdemon has returned from beyond, claiming that in the Dark Star domain of the Blood Fiend, Yu Yuan vanquished the Blood Fiend's creator and battled the supreme being of Shadow's Keep to a standstill."

Upon hearing this, Chu Yao, Ye Hen, and Tong Rui were visibly taken aback.

"Furthermore..." Du Yazi, with a look of awe upon his face, glanced again at the Fireheart Mountains and whispered, "I've also heard that recently, Yu Yuan and Lin Daoke from the Sword Sect had a confrontation in the Annihilation Nebula."

"The outcome was inconclusive."

Ye Hen and Tong Rui shared a knowing look, suddenly realizing why Loong Jie and Zhong Chichen, the esteemed figures they were, treated Yu Yuan with such regard.

Chu Yao slowly bowed his head, his eyes dim with despair, lamenting the absence of justice.

...

"Actually, there's no need to involve Baibai in the journey to Darkpinion."

After the group had departed, leaving the Fireheart Mountains deserted, Yu Yuan, present in spirit, spoke up: "The Secular Bird Queen, Jihui, Tan Xiaotian, along with the extra preparations, should suffice to handle the Dark Phoenix."

Jihui remained silent about the trap he had set at the Abyssal Gate.

Yu Yuan had come in spirit to suggest that Zhong Chichen and Loong Jie need not go to great lengths. These two tenth-level Dragon Gods, along with Mo Baichuan, who had mastered the essence of earthfire, would likely intimidate the Dark Phoenix should they appear in Darkpinion.

In that case, Jihui's arrangements for the Abyssal Gate would go unused.

He was eager to witness the expression on the Dark Phoenix's face when, after a grueling chase, it encountered his Solar Spirit, the Abyssal Leviathan, the Abyssal Greater Basilisk, and the young creature at the Abyssal Gate.

"That is the dream of my lifetime!"

Mo Baichuan's resonant voice suddenly emerged from the quaking Fireheart Mountains, exuding an air of unwavering resolve.

Yu Yuan paused, then nodded in agreement before addressing Zhong Chichen, "The nest left by the Empress within the Godsblight Marsh, before being called to Darkpinion, should still possess the power to transport. If you convey your intentions through a message there, she might just grant permission."

Zhong Chichen responded with a cheerful smile, "That's exactly what I was thinking."

...

"Brother Cao, your mentor, Han Qi, has ascended to the rank of God of Ghosts in the Wraithlands."

Outside of the Ebon Star, Lin Yue of the Colddeath Sect stood tall and addressed Cao Jiaze, who wore a look of confusion. "Han Miaoyuan and Youyu have ventured into the Wraithlands together. Their intention is to restrain Youyu, enabling your master, Han Qi, to return to the Everlands and harness the residual power of the Lunar Meridian."

"Lin Yue... Yu Yuan!" Cao Jiaze was profoundly shaken.

The Chamber of Commerce had discreetly instructed him to meet someone here. Upon discovering it was Lin Yue from the Colddeath Sect, he was perplexed about their motives.

Cao Jiaze's mood soured as Lin Yue, adopting another's voice and demeanor, relayed the news. "You've managed to project your will onto the followers of Colddeath from afar?" Cao Jiaze quickly grasped the situation, though he was not overly astonished.

"Indeed," Yu Yuan acknowledged openly.

"I'm aware of my master, Han Qi, becoming a God of Ghosts. As for the Sect Master's deeds... I'm not privy to the reasons, nor is it my place to comment. Yu Yuan, I'm grateful for your leniency towards me back at the Ebon Star, but one is my master, and the other is the leader of my sect."

Cao Jiaze hung his head, evidently troubled by the issue for some time, always evading and reluctant to confront it.

"You've known all along. Then... have you considered that Han Miaoyuan might one day manifest within your soul as he did in Lin Yue, using the Mind Magic he taught you? To put it bluntly, he could potentially assimilate your divine status and primordial spirit to gain access to the Heart of the Everlands and reach the Primal Soul!"

"Remember, it was he who granted you the art of divinity," Yu Yuan proclaimed emphatically.

"I refuse to entertain the thought, nor do I dare to delve too deeply," Cao Jiaze murmured.

"To think you'd be so intractably obstinate," Yu Yuan expressed his disappointment, withdrawing his will from Lin Yue's form.

Regaining consciousness, Lin Yue offered a fist-and-palm salute to Cao Jiaze before gracefully departing.

In the Darkpinion Astral Domain, the other Yu Yuan, whose body was now inhabited by Tschick, mulled over his next move for quite some time before he began to draw near to the tumultuous battlefield in the stars. He intended to seize the chance to investigate the Phoenix Shrine and check on Yu Zhu's current condition—especially while the Dark Phoenix was locked in fierce combat with three top-tier adversaries.

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