C1848 It Would Only Bring Trouble!
"Demon Phoenix!"
"Demon Sovereign!"
In the northern reaches of the Land of Quiescence, Shadow's Keep stood majestically. A multitude of ninth and eighth level evilkind, along with human cultivators who practiced the dark arts, paid homage to the manifested phoenix form in varied appellations.
She was the fusion of a demon soul and demon blood.
Transformed into the visage of a human woman previously encountered by Yu Yuan in the Dark Star, she bore a pair of expansive purple wings.
This Dark Phoenix, with her striking features, lacked the enigmatic throne and floated serenely above Shadow's Keep.
Yet her gaze was intently fixed upon the Godsblight Marsh in Aetherius, as if she were concocting some grand scheme.
In a corner of the hall, Xu Zixi, known as the Python Queen, knelt in a reverent bow, her luminous eyes ablaze with fervor.
Through her mastery of the dark arts, she discerned that the Dark Phoenix before her was indeed an avatar of the Shadow's Keep.
This avatar possessed a demon soul, but the demon blood bestowed upon it was scant, rendering the Dark Phoenix's clone autonomous but lacking in combat prowess due to the insufficiency of demon blood.
For this reason, when the Shadow's Keep's Supreme Overlord commanded the alien beasts and archdemons in the Dark Star, and Jihui and Tan Xiaotian united to lay waste to Shadow's Keep, this clone, not infused with an abundance of vital energy, chose to descend with Shadow's Keep, lying dormant in the deep recesses of the hall's foundation.
But now...
Xu Zixi distinctly sensed that from the distant Godsblight Marsh, a ceaseless stream of vital energy was being channeled into the supreme Dark Phoenix!
This signified that the formidable powers the Supreme of Shadow's Keep had kept extraterrestrial were now being mysteriously conveyed to the Everlands!
"Command all archdemons and human cultivators of the dark arts to assemble at Shadow's Keep."
The ethereal Dark Phoenix, gazing dispassionately at her subordinates below, conveyed her decree.
"As you command!"
"We shall heed the edict of the Demon Sovereign!"
The archdemons and human powerhouses below answered in unison.
The Dark Phoenix gracefully unfurled her wings, unleashing a tide of space magic, and then she materialized in the heavens above Godsblight Marsh, having traversed from the north of the Land of Quiescence.
Whoosh!
The dense clouds of smoke and mist above the Marsh sensed danger and naturally attempted to form a barrier.
The Dark Phoenix, shrouded within the mist, gazed coldly toward a location deep within the Marsh and declared, "Your ancestor has neither returned to the Marsh nor ventured to the Astral Domain's border. He has ventured alone into the Ashlands."
"Since he has made his choice, then... all of you shall perish."
With a flap of her wings, the Dark Phoenix wielded the rule governing the blood of all beings in the Everlands, casting it over the Marsh like an invisible net.
Crack! Boom! Boom!
The eternal protection of the Marsh, a magic circle woven by the bloodline of the Untamed, was now torn asunder by the Dark Phoenix's bloodline mysteries, for he was absent.
The once misty white fog was abruptly stained with purple, drifting down like gossamer.
Swoosh!
A silver-backed Yuan of the eighth level suddenly had its crown burst open, releasing a stream of blood and flesh that soared into the sky and merged with the purple, mist-like clouds.
Then came the second, the third, and countless more archdemons!
Lunarphites, Water Serpents, Poison Horn Rhinos, Lightning Sables, Golden Striped Beasts...
All archdemons who had chosen Untamed as their leader, regardless of their bloodline level, met a gruesome end as the Dark Phoenix unleashed her blood profound meaning.
This included all of Untamed's offspring!
In a mere moment, tens of thousands of evilkind and Fellbeasts became nothing more than skeletons clad in skin within the Marsh.
Their flesh, blood, and organs, now mingled with the raging lifeblood, were drawn into the purple clouds, transforming into a formidable force at the Dark Phoenix's command.
Deep within the Marsh, at the site of the Nest of Perdition.
Zhong Chichen, now a Seven-Colored Dragon, was impaled by numerous razor-sharp branches, letting out a harrowing scream.
Despite his transformation, he could not break free from the nest. The branches that ensnared him grew in size, their spear-like ends still embedded in his dragon form.
Clutching the mystical Book of Time in his maw, he had unlocked all its secrets.
Time Flowing Sand spilled from the tome, cascading over his dragon body. Unable to use space rules to escape the nest, his sole desire was to halt time.
Regrettably, the "Nest of Perdition" had been tainted by the Dark Phoenix's power, diminishing the strength of the Time Quicksand.
Time refused to stand still within Zhong Chichen's draconic form.
It merely slowed to a crawl.
This deceleration of time was localized to his dragon body and the "Nest of Perdition," reducing the rate at which the branches drained his blood.
He was unaware of the catastrophic events that had unfolded in the Darkpinion Astral Domain.
Why had the "Nest of Perdition," supposedly under the tight grip of the Secular Bird Queen, been penetrated by the Dark Phoenix's vital energy? How had it bridged two realms, channeling the Dark Phoenix's power back to the Everlands?
How had the Dark Phoenix come to wield such intricate space magic?
These were questions Zhong Chichen could not answer.
"Ancestor!"
Loong Jie, with a roar, suspended himself midair, his "Ultimate Golden Body" shining. His claws, like molten gold, tore relentlessly at the branches, breaking them apart.
Yet, the moment the splintered branches left his grasp, they swiftly rejoined.
Loong Jie labored tirelessly, smashing the lethal branches, but Zhong Chichen's cries of agony persisted, growing fainter with each passing moment.
Mo Baichuan, having called forth the "Serpentflame" furnace, watched the two beleaguered Dragon Gods, unsure of how to intervene, especially since the Dark Phoenix had yet to reveal itself beyond its piercing cry.
Members of the Chamber of Commerce, stationed around the teleportation circle, witnessed Evilkinds, transformed into humans, perishing in explosions.
The reverted Evilkinds were reduced to mere skin and bones, their innards merging with the heavens.
The Chamber's onlookers gazed skyward in bewilderment.
They observed a graceful silhouette, emerging from the pale purple haze, descending leisurely from the north of the Land of Quiescence.
"Do you, who have sealed divinity with earthfire, seek vengeance for Yuwen Hao?"
The Dark Phoenix, finally making her presence known, materialized within the thickening purple blood fog. She peered down at Mo Baichuan with a sneer, her lush lips curled in scorn.
Whoosh!
The Dragon Slaying Stage appeared as if by magic, with Yu Yuan standing upon its luminescent surface in his true form.
Beside him, Mo Baichuan also gazed at the newly revealed Dark Phoenix and inquired, "How much power do you wield?"
"Why do I find you wherever I go?"
His absence would have been preferable, for with his arrival, the Dark Phoenix seemed to descend further into madness and abandon all reason.
Boom!
A vast, demonic Blood Rune emerged within the deep purple mist, filling the skies above the Marsh and exerting a gravitational pull on countless creatures.
From the Land of Quiescence to the Heavenly Source Continent, across the boundless seas.
Insects and flies were the first to succumb to the Dark Phoenix's influence, perishing in an instant and drawn toward the colossal Blood Rune above the Marsh.
"Mo Baichuan, Loong Jie, Zhong Chichen, and you!"
She sneered, "I will harvest the vital energy of all living beings in the Everlands to confront your challenge. First, those devils loyal to the Ape in the marsh, followed by all mindless mosquitoes and insects. Next, it will be the scattered archdemons and evilkind who do not pledge allegiance to the Shadow's Keep!"
"This will continue until I target the weak mortals!"
"I will strip the vital energy from the common folk of every great empire, transforming it into my strength for battle."
"Everlands..." Her gaze was chilling, "I am ready to forsake it."
Her declaration became a sonic tidal wave, spreading from the Marsh and echoing across the skies of all continents, causing every emperor of the human realms to pale.
The Sword Sect, Ebon Star, Ruby Hand, Devil Palace, and Skyreach Consortium...
All cultivator factions of the human race, regardless of their previous allegiances, felt a chill upon hearing the Dark Phoenix's proclamation and realizing the extent of her power.
Was the Dark Phoenix intent on bringing about the apocalypse?
Zu Ann and Qin Luo, two of the highest beings, could no longer remain composed and hastened toward the Marsh with utmost urgency.
Du Yuan of the Sword Sect was incensed, commanding his subordinates to urgently relay messages to Lin Daoke and to seek out Ji Ningshuang.
The dark adepts of the Devil Palace were using their mystique to communicate with Tan Xiaotian, urging the Demon Lord to return at once.
Cao Jiaze of the Ebon Star, along with several Unbound-level cultivators, racked their brains for a way to reach out to Han Miaoyuan, hoping he could help restore order amidst the chaos.
The world was in turmoil, and hearts, both human and demonic, were filled with unceasing dread.
To the mightiest among them, the Dark Phoenix had always been a formidable force in the Everlands. Yet now, her indifference to the fate of its inhabitants sent waves of panic across the realm.
Few were privy to the events that had transpired in the Dark Star.
Even fewer knew that the Dark Phoenix's real body, along with the Phoenix Shrine, was in the Darkpinion Astral Domain, invoking a Beast God from an extraterrestrial world, still contending with the Secular Bird Queen, Jihui, and Tan Xiaotian.
But it was common knowledge that the Dark Phoenix was enraged, her fury reaching levels beyond reason.
"Yu Yuan, perhaps... you should leave the Everlands, avoid her presence altogether?" Zu Ann approached, clutching the Mirror of Fates, his expression etched with concern. He implored Yu Yuan, who had come to salvage the dire situation, "I have this nagging feeling that your presence only makes things worse. If you were to leave, perhaps she might find her calm."
