C1922 Perish Starfield
At the threshold of the Demon Area, a pitch-black cloud, as dark as ink, carried away by Yu Yuan with the Dragon Slash Platform in his grasp, drifted swiftly into the distance.
The cloud moved with an eerie intelligence, speeding away, covering thousands of miles in a mere moment.
It devoured all light in its path, and only long after the cloud had departed did light from other sources begin to illuminate the area once more.
From a distance, the once dark gray starry river left in the cloud's wake had become a world shrouded in darkness.
"It's Tan Xiaotian."
Andrea's eyebrows arched, and a cold, mocking smile played at the corners of her mouth. "This Demon Lord Hao Ran has stealthily placed an eye here. What exactly does he intend to do?"
As the Soul Divine King of the Divine Soul Sect and daughter of Beilstein, she regarded the Demon Lord, a figure others revered as divine, with utter indifference.
Yu Yuan narrowed his eyes, a kaleidoscope of light converging within them, piercing through the dark laws that enshrouded the cloud.
He spotted the Soul Summoning Flag.
The very flag that Tan Xiaotian was supposed to safeguard at the Abyss Gate, on behalf of Shehun, was nestled within that shroud of darkness.
Knowledge of this portal into the Demon Area was scarce, and Tan Xiaotian's presence here with the Soul Summoning Flag suggested he was privy to Shehun's scheme, aware that Shehun might be planning to traverse from the Origin Realm to the Demon Area via the Sea of Hearts.
The true Soul Summoning Flag was meant to be delivered to the Demon Area, into the hands of Shehun.
Yet now, the orb of darkness summoned by the Demon Lord had chosen to retreat immediately upon the arrival of Yu Yuan and Andrea. What could this signify?
"If it had been Han Qi who emerged instead of us," Yu Yuan pondered aloud, stroking his chin, "then Tan Xiaotian and the Soul Summoning Flag would likely have proceeded into the Demon Area. With the flag in his possession, should Han Qi succeed in conquering the Demon Area, and if I were to assist... the realm would be transformed."
Such a Demon Area would inevitably fall under the control of Shehun, Tan Xiaotian, and Han Qi.
"I saw it," Andrea interjected abruptly, her gaze turning icy as a mischievous grin played at the corners of her mouth.
...
Tens of thousands of miles away, an ordinary meteorite was violently cleaved by a series of blade-like demonic thoughts, tearing it apart with a cacophony of cracks.
The demonic thoughts, sharp as divine weapons, made the space of this starfield hiss and sizzle, forcing a Demon God hidden within the meteorite to bare its fangs and screech in agony.
Roar!
A colossal ape, towering over ten thousand feet tall, burst forth from the split meteorite. Its savage demonic energy unfurled, grinding the meteorite fragments into dust.
Despite the vast distance, the blood-red Demonic Eye of the brutal, bloodthirsty giant ape revealed two deep, dark wells.
In the instant those wells materialized, the ape's violent demonic energy engulfed Andrea's demonic thoughts as effortlessly as a great beast swallowing its prey.
"Stop wasting your energy. It's neither Han Qi nor Ji Ningshuang who has emerged."
Nearby, on the Dark Cushion, sat Tan Xiaotian, his long black hair falling naturally, his handsome face etched with resignation.
He landed softly on the giant ape's shoulder, giving it a reassuring pat, and spoke in a soothing tone, "Time to go."
The words calmed the recently frenzied giant ape, which then silently followed him, though it kept looking back, grumbling discontentedly as if it hadn't had its fill of fun.
Within moments, the man and the ape vanished from the Starfield.
...
"Ji Ningshuang, Yu Yuan, those born of the Vast Expanse yet unable to escape its grasp should now join forces."
Yu Yuan, witnessing the giant ape, felt no stir within him. The truths he had gleaned from the abyss had prepared him for this inevitable day.
He had even contemplated scenarios far grimmer.
Whoosh!
Ji Ningshuang, who had yet to show herself in the Demon Domain and remained at the Dragon Slash Platform, seemed to detect the natural essence of the outer starry sky and took to the air of her own accord.
Clad in an ice-blue robe devoid of any embellishment, her elegance was understated yet striking, her skin luminous as a polished gem.
Her exposed forearm, as enigmatic as the coldest jade set against the night sky, radiated a chill that scattered brilliant, starry light through her veins.
Having lost her original essence, she plummeted from the pinnacle of divinity in the Supreme God Stage to the Soul Wandering Stage, only to regain her footing at the Unrestrained Stage.
Within her newly acquired form resided a unique Yang God, visible solely to Yu Yuan.
This Yang God, forged from the same substance as the ice pillars of her divine seat, was adorned with intricate and mystical spirit patterns that traced her crystalline form—each one a testament to her mastery of the laws of extreme cold.
Her attire was simple, her demeanor as chilling as rock ice, and her gaze piercingly clear.
"In the Realm of Demons, my presence is hardly welcome. The extreme cold I've harnessed..." She cast a sidelong glance at Andrea and left her sentence hanging.
"Indeed, the biting cold from the Origin Blood Continent is even unsettling to me," Andrea remarked with a hint of gravity, a seriousness she had not shown even in her clash with the Desolate God.
She was confident that no matter the Desolate God's might, even at his zenith, the bloodline mysteries he wielded could never truly touch her.
Jee Ningshuang was a different story.
Her affinity with the extreme cold, naturally allied with the Origin Blood, had even her father, Beilstein, wary. Having shed her vast origin, Jee Ningshuang had curiously garnered the extreme cold's favor.
Should Jee Ningshuang continue to amass strength, the extreme cold she refined would undoubtedly pose a future threat to Andrea.
"You've longed to visit the main stronghold of the Divine Soul Sect, harboring many questions. I believe the time has come," Andrea mused thoughtfully before adding with a nod of approval, "Your decisions in the Origin Realm, your steadfastness even after tumbling into the abyss, have earned my trust."
"I'll give you the approximate coordinates. Use the Dragon Slash Platform to locate us, and then lead us there."
It was only now that the Soul Divine King, the Divine Soul Sect's mightiest, seemed to truly recognize Yu Yuan.
Despite being cast into the abyss and dispatched to the Demon Realm by Shehun, Yu Yuan had resolutely chosen to return to the Origin Realm to guide them back, rather than align with Shehun and turn his blade against her.
"I've been eagerly anticipating this day for quite some time."
His primary presence resided in the Outer Star River, where he could effortlessly commune with the Ghost Gods and Yang Gods stationed at the Abyss Gate. This connection allowed them to exchange the freshest intelligence with ease.
With this advantage, he was well-informed about significant occurrences throughout the vast starry skies and the broader cosmos, bolstering his confidence considerably.
Andrea suddenly exclaimed, "The Perish Starfield, at the very northern edge of the cosmos."
"The Perish Starfield?" Jee Ningshuang was taken aback.
In her recollection, the Perish Starfield was devoid of all things; no creatures stirred, and its connection to the cosmic forces had nearly vanished. It seemed to be a starfield that had withered away due to an internal conflict among alien races.
"Indeed, the Perish Starfield," Andrea affirmed.
"Perish signifies endless expanse. This starfield... it does ring a bell," Yu Yuan murmured to himself.
Andrea, statuesque with a commanding figure, draped in a vibrant red cloak, her captivating eyes shone with an extraordinary brilliance. "You should remember it. Isn't the Perish Starfield the very place you selected as a sanctuary for the Divine Soul Sect?"
Yu Yuan paused, momentarily taken aback.
In the following instant, his Ghost God form, still within the demon realm, stirred with the recollection of the Perish Starfield, awakening a long-forgotten path of the dead within him.
In this age, the Perish Starfield and its path of the dead were unknown and unheeded by any. Yet, there it was, a forsaken path of the dead, long ignored by the demon realm.
Nevertheless, its existence meant it could resonate with Yu Yuan's Ghost God form!
"I may have just found our way back."
Yu Yuan gestured for Andrea and Jee Ningshuang to join him as they descended from the Dragon Slash Platform.
Andrea, surprised, asked, "How did you manage so quickly?"
"Let's give it a shot."
Yu Yuan nodded with a smile. Once they were settled on the Dragon Slash Platform, he connected with the path of the dead in the Perish Starfield through his Ghost God form in the demon realm.
"Let's go!"
Light and shadow contorted as a burst of rainbow brilliance erupted. The Dragon Slash Platform vanished in an instant.
...
Once the Dragon Slash Platform had ceased to exist and some time had passed, Zhong Chichen quietly arrived. Holding the Time Book, he whispered, "Time Recall."
Yu Yuan, Andrea, and Jee Ningshuang reappeared in the area where the Dragon Slash Platform had once stood.
Their conversation began to echo faintly as Zhong Chichen used the Time Book to attune to their words.
"The main base of the Divine Soul Sect is actually in the Perish Starfield," he murmured to himself.
