C1860

"I really can't make heads or tails of the Boulderdawn Sect's actions!" Norant exclaimed, stamping his foot. His Holy Armor, steeped in the storied history of the Dawnbringers, shimmered with numerous intricate patterns of light. These patterns seemed to transform into divine hands, moving across the armor's surface. The Paladin of Radiance appeared to be suddenly endowed with the strength of many gods, gaining additional power. His entire being shone with an unparalleled brilliance, and the light from the Eiwrone nearby seemed to fuse with his silver armor. In his presence, all but Cardo, the patriarch of the Dawnbringers, seemed to fade into obscurity.

"The Shura and Blood Fiend were the first to defy Lord Bertain's commands and resist his authority," Norant declared, surveying the room. His eyes settled on God-King Taishi's face. "Our alliance with your Boulderdawn Sect was in accordance with Lord Bertain's wishes. It was out of respect for him that we sought to engage with you."

The Paladin of Radiance invoked Bertain's name with a deep reverence. "Lord Bertain has only recently departed for the Abyss, and yet your Boulderdawn Sect has already taken the Blood Fiend under its wing. Do you also intend to rescue the Shura girl?"

Norant was far from the fool Cardo had made him out to be. The discord he openly stirred was under the guise of upholding the edicts of the great Demon God, Bertain, suggesting that the Shura and Blood Fiend's current plight was a direct result of their insubordination.

With Bertain gone, Taixu, Ann Ziqing, and Yu Yuan's blood clone here at the Boulderdawn all seemed to have ties to the Blood Fiend. The Blood Fiend was one aspect, but Elena's expression when she looked at Yu Yuan's blood clone spoke volumes of their familiarity. It was clear that Norant had intentionally brought Elena along to leverage her relationship with Yu Yuan in a bid to confront the Boulderdawn.

"Blood Fiend."

"Shura."

The leaders of the extraterrestrial Otherkin pondered the underlying implications of Norant's words, visibly affected by them. High Priest Reid spoke up, "Norant, you're unaware of the events that have transpired in the Dark Star Domain. Before Yu Yuan's departure, I was with my companions on the Primal Blood Continent. Yu Yuan's current relationship with the Blood Fiend is far from straightforward."

"Norant, stop speculating wildly," Cardo chided.

"Never mind the Blood Fiend for now. What's the Shura's take?" Norant guffawed, pointing at Elena, who was confined in the Earth-Tethered Cage. "After enduring the trials of the Dark Realm, her bloodline has ascended to the ninth level. I bet you didn't know she used to be a pirate in the Star River, preying on many of your clans' warships!"

"Her father is Fernand! Fernand once assisted the Blood King in forging the Frost Well in Ionodios, causing the deaths of many!"

Norant had already uncovered Elena's identity and was using her past as a pirate to stir the pot.

Standing behind Ballo of the Starborn, Denise, who had returned to the Ashlands, stood alongside Beru and Leo. At that moment, the distinguished young lady of the Starborn stepped forward and approached Elena, now reduced to a captive.

"This doesn't concern you."

Her father, Gheirat, looked on with a stern expression. As she passed by him, he firmly grasped her shoulder and said earnestly, "Stop, you're not yet qualified to be involved!"

"Father, Uncle Fernand was once your brother!" Denise pleaded.

Unfazed, Gheirat shook his head. "Let Yu Yuan handle it."

"This is the Ashlands, the forbidden area under Yu Yuan's control," Ballo stated, patting the hand on Denise's shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry so much. Let her be."

Gheirat immediately released her and asked, "But, Patriarch?"

Ballo smiled and reassured, "It's all right."

The Blood Red Phantom before the Earth-Tethered Cage seemed to ignore the Paladin of Radiance's impassioned speech. As Elena bowed her head, he glided into the cage.

The imprisoning force, imbued with the Sunsilver rule, had once left Yu Yuan at a loss in the Glimmerdrift Nebula.

But now, even as merely a blood clone, Yu Yuan effortlessly penetrated the cage's seal.

For this was the Ashlands!

Yu Yuan, the sovereign of the Ashlands, could transcend the fundamental laws of this realm with the mere presence of his lifeblood within the clone.

In the Ashlands, he was the rule maker, the supreme deity!

"Ah!"

The exclamations came from two Shura imprisoned alongside Elena in the Earth-Tethered Cage. They witnessed Yu Yuan's blood clone effortlessly pass through the cage's sunsilver seal, hovering before Elena who was speaking to herself, her head bowed in an attempt not to trouble Yu Yuan.

"Elena!"

An elder of the Shura Clan called out to her with urgency.

Elena, battered and bruised, looked up sharply to see Yu Yuan, a figure without bones or organs, resembling a blood red phantom. "I..."

Overcome with emotion, she tried to rise, but the natural spikes on her knees snapped with a crack.

Sharp strands of gold and silver thread had also pierced her knee bones and spikes, threatening to impale her further with any rash movement.

Boom!

Far from standing, she collapsed, her knees and elbows oozing a platinum-like blood.

Even as a ninth-level platinum Shura, honed in the Dark Realm, she had not been able to evade Norant's clutches, meeting this grim fate.

"Yu Yuan! You've entered the Earth-Tethered Cage without my consent!"

Norant, his voice rising and falling dramatically, suddenly realized that Yu Yuan wasn't paying attention. He spun around, berating him, "You, a mere junior from Boulderdawn, have no authority over the Shura! What does it matter if you have a connection with this woman? The Shura, having defied Lord Bertain, should have foreseen this day!"

"He's quite bothersome."

Tianqi, the God-King, whose stature was immense, casually closed his hand, and from the crevices of his massive fist, lightning infused with spiritual and vital energy burst forth.

The lightning's immense power could pulverize the heavens and crush a giant beast's skull.

Upon recognizing Yu Yuan, the new era's God-King Tianqi revered him as a divine being, the focus of his fervent devotion. He would not tolerate repeated provocations from the likes of Norant.

"Rest now. Your wounds are not severe; you're merely confined by the Earth-Tethered Cage."

Inside a cage woven from gold and silver threads, Yu Yuan's blood clone reached out and touched the wound on Elena's shoulder. A strand of blood light penetrated the injury, instantly revealing the extent of her wounds.

With a whoosh, the clone burst forth from the Earth-Tethered Cage, shattering its confining power with a crackle of invisible lightning. The golden and silver threads that had pierced the flesh of Elena and the two Shura clansmen vanished as a result.

It was merely a clone, seemingly exerting no effort, yet the Earth-Tethered Cage's restraints were effortlessly nullified.

"A mere clone, and yet it has..." Norant's face took on a grave expression.

"Lord Cardo."

After emerging from the Earth-Tethered Cage, Yu Yuan's dark red clone appeared before the Dawnbringers' chieftain.

Ann Ziqing, along with the God-Kings Tianqi and Taixu, naturally positioned themselves behind his clone.

"The title of 'lord' is too grand for me," Cardo responded, her bright eyes and radiant smile complementing her delicate features, as pristine as the finest porcelain. A soft, sacred light emanated from her as she stowed her jewel-encrusted wand and continued with a smile, "Norant is our race's general, known for his willful and untamed nature. At times, he even disregards my commands."

"In his heart, he has always idolized the Demon God Bertain."

As Ballo was about to interject, Cardo turned and gave him a look, signaling him to remain silent. He promptly closed his mouth.

"Yu Yuan!" Denise called out, her voice tinged with a plea, her dreamlike gaze conveying her request.

Yu Yuan gave a slight nod and then asked abruptly, "Canli, where is Chen Liangquan?"

"He didn't come with us," Cardo replied with a smile.

"Chen Liangquan? The otherworldling with our bloodline and half-human lineage?" Norant scoffed, glaring at Cardo from the direction of the Earth-Tethered Cage. "Patriarch, forgive my frankness, but our Dawnbringers' pure bloodline should not be sullied by such an individual!"

"I can't fathom why you would welcome someone like him. And, I must admit, I cannot accept it either!"

As one of the Dawnbringers' mightiest, the commander of the Sunward Legion openly confronted Cardo in the presence of the gathered crowd.

Cardo, seemingly harmless and perpetually wearing a sweet smile, was second only to Bertain in strength within the Extraterrestrial Star River, yet she did not show a hint of anger.

She continued to smile, patiently explaining, "In alignment with Boulderdawn's philosophy, we envision a grand future where all races coexist and integrate."

"I disagree!" Norant declared emphatically.

"Bertain supports this initiative and is actively advancing it," Cardo said with an adorable blink.

Norant's expression tensed.

"You're quite the trickster."

Yu Yuan, having swiftly approached Cardo, wasn't addressing Norant but rather Cardo. "Alright, I've got your message."

Cardo kept her smile intact. "I have no idea what you're referring to."

Boom!

The Earth-Tethered Cage burst open, with strands of gold and silver thread clustering together and floating like a bird's nest above Elena's head.

In this world, the invisible Cosmic Order materialized as lightning, infusing the golden and silver threads.

The luminous glow within, originating from Norant's divine power, was meticulously extracted.

Whoosh!

Yu Yuan's blood clone hovered over the bird's nest-like Earth-Tethered Cage, addressing the irate Norant, "My goal is to rescue these three Shuras, and to prevent you from entering the Dark Realm!"

"Do you even have the authority?" Norant retorted with fury.

He then turned to Taishi.

Taishi nodded, his smile unwavering, "Boulderdawn's longstanding rule is to heed the strongest among us, and he is currently our mightiest."

Norant sneered, "Has Boulderdawn really sunk so low?"

Tianqi's expression darkened. Seeing that Cardo made no move to intervene, he swiftly positioned himself before Norant, clenched his fist, and struck a pose, "Allow me to test the mettle of the Paladin of Radiance!"

"I'm also up for the challenge," Taixu said, his gaze icy.

"I want to battle him!" Norant pointed at Yu Yuan, "If Taishi has declared him the strongest in Boulderdawn, then I shall face him in combat!"

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