C1939 The Rat Tide

"Are they... retreating?"

Qin Yan, clad in a pink gown and wielding an exquisite short gun, stared blankly as the swarm of rats departed. The retreat of the rats, like a receding tide, made them seem like the vanquished party.

Qin Yan, whose body within the Yang God seemed to be sculpted from jewels, had harbored animosity toward Yu Yuan ever since their clash in Horror Land.

Her cultivation had hit a standstill, and she was only at the Middle Period of the Yang God. Her true form was currently aboard three Galaxy Warships.

This time, she had been compelled to leave due to an impending disaster.

Upon learning that their ultimate destination was the legendary Gray Domain, ruled by Yu Yuan of the Divine Soul Sect, her mood had soured.

She found it difficult to believe that Yu Yuan, who had once clashed with Jin Xiaolie and others under her command in Horror Land, could have ascended so dramatically.

"They've been pursuing us for so long, only to pull back suddenly. It's beyond me."

Qi Lingyu, at the Early Period of the Unrestrained Stage, stowed her trident forged from silver essence and drew an icy water droplet from her sleeve, pressing it to her forehead to draw energy.

The Water Soul Pearl replenished the vast soul power she had expended in prolonged combat.

It also aided her in detecting water-rich locations, allowing her to harness the Water Soul Pearl to collect and condense the water's power for later absorption.

This was a Heaven Level Seventh Grade Spirit Treasure.

"We're fortunate to still be alive and talking."

Yu Ying, exuding a weary yet valiant aura, stood suspended in the void. Having reached the Late Period of the Yang God through the Ancient Desolate Sect's Blood Refining Secret Arts, she was exposed to the cosmos in her corporeal form.

The emerald Astral Shield, no longer needed after the rats' departure, was temporarily retracted.

"This outstanding defensive Spirit Treasure was nearly at its limit."

After consuming a Spirit Origin Pill, Yu Ying's thoughts turned to Yu Yuan. Without the Astral Shield he had entrusted to her, she would not have withstood the relentless onslaught of the rats.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Suddenly, the "Soul Pearl" stirred with the tumultuous energy of a churning ocean.

Qi Lingyu, with the Soul Pearl at her brow, felt her spiritual sense and perception sharply enhanced. It was as though she could see a vast sea materializing out of nowhere in the Silver Starfield.

"That's not right. There was no lake in the starry sky before we left."

Qi Lingyu clutched the Soul Pearl, tuning into its vibrations, murmuring under her breath.

"My pearl can't be mistaken. If there truly is an extraordinary ocean capable of engulfing stars, and it appeared so swiftly, then..."

Names and faces flickered through Qi Lingyu's mind.

"Chaos Roc!"

Her voice rang out, laced with horror.

Zheng Luanjie, Yu Ying, Tan Yuan, and the others turned to her, puzzled. She inhaled deeply and spoke with composed certainty, "The Chaos Roc has emerged in the Silver Starfield. I am absolutely certain!"

"Within the Eon Realm, only the Starry Behemoth, a master of the water element, could draw upon the starry sky's aquatic forces to conjure a sea in such a brief span of time!"

"But shouldn't it be in the Gray Domain?" Tan Yuan wondered aloud.

"It can't be!" Qin Yan expressed her doubt.

"Here's what we'll do: you and the three Galaxy Warships return first. Qin Yan and I will double back to investigate."

Zheng Luanjie paused, then decisively spoke over the group's protests, "It's settled! Yu Ying, Tan Yuan, your Yang Gods are unlike ours. Lingyu, you've reached the Unrestrained Stage, your true essence and physical form are one."

"As for Qin Yan and me, we are merely Yang Gods."

He glanced at one of the Galaxy Warships.

"My physical body remains there, as does Qin Yan's. Even if our Yang Gods perish on the return journey, as long as our bodies survive, the Chamber of Commerce has the means to reforge us. Within a certain range, our Yang Gods and physical bodies can still communicate. We may face death, but there's also a chance to relay what we discover."

"Something extraordinary has occurred in the Silver Starfield. We must uncover the truth!"

Zheng Luanjie declared with an air of irrefutable authority.

Though his current standing was beneath Qi Lingyu's, his former status in the Crack Archipelago lent him an inherent gravitas.

Therefore, after much persistence, everyone finally came around to his way of thinking.

The three Galaxy Warships soon took to the skies once more, their engines roaring as if they were on the verge of falling apart.

"You won't hold this against me, will you?"

Once everyone else had departed, leaving only Zheng Luanjie and Qin Yan, he turned to Qin Yan's Yang God and spoke softly, "I insist on taking you with me into danger, even though it might cost you your life."

Qin Yan gently shook her head, her radiant cheeks blushing with modesty. "It's just a Yang God. I would willingly accompany you even if it meant leaving my true self behind."

Zheng Luanjie flashed a wide smile and nodded emphatically. "Then I shall have no regrets, even in death!"

...

Perish Starfield.

"We've lost contact."

Zhong Chichen stood at the Galaxy Crossing in the Central Continent, his expression bitter under the weight of countless anxious stares. "I've done everything I could."

He shared a subtle connection with the Dragon Slash Platform, where the remains of the seven-colored dragon had been interred for tens of thousands of years.

Once Yu Yuan had left, activating the space array within the Dragon Slash Platform would transform it into a Galaxy Crossing, enabling him to sense its presence.

Now, after undergoing a transformation at the Heaven Opening Flare Star, the Dragon Slash Platform had fully acquired this capability.

Zhong Chichen had been continuously attuned to it, closely monitoring for any sign of a connection, hoping it might emerge at any moment.

Regrettably...

"There were a few instances when I felt a connection, but it was abruptly lost before the Dragon Slash Platform could stabilize."

Confronted with glares sharp enough to kill, the bloodline-diminished seven-colored divine dragon felt a surge of panic.

Those glares belonged to formidable beings like Taishi, Andrea, Reid, and Cadorath from the Bright Clan, against whom even in his prime, he would not have been confident of victory.

"In the Silver Starfield, there seems to be a force that's been subtly affecting the Dragon Slash Platform," Zhong Chichen continued. "Among the Beast Gods that have invaded that Starfield, there are likely those skilled in spatial powers."

"Yu Yuan may have misjudged the situation this time," interjected Reid, the High Priest of the Devaputra Race, his Devil Soul eyes growing solemn. "The Chaos Roc, the Abyss Goanna, and he himself may be up against numerous Beast Gods."

"The Space-time Dragon can traverse time, so why can't you?" Barol of the Star Race demanded.

"My bloodline has degraded," Zhong Chichen offered by way of explanation.

"Enough! Don't fault him," interjected the young Spinosaurus, who had transformed into a fierce-looking youth clad in purple-golden armor. He snorted impatiently and asked, "Where exactly is the Silver Starfield located? I'll give it a shot!"

"You?" Andrea regarded him with a curious gaze.

"When I was in the Gray Domain, I devoured a Void Spirit Succubus. The law of space is already woven into the core of my heart; I simply haven't reached full maturity," the little Spinosaurus stated haughtily.

Without delay, Taixu disclosed the coordinates of the Silver Starfield and presented a star map, saying, "This is etched from the carapace of the ground beetle."

"That's all I need!" The little Spinosaurus glanced at the map before soaring into the sky, transforming into his colossal true form. His purple-golden dragon scales gleamed with an icy sheen.

Strands of spatial energy began to coalesce on his sleek scales, shattering the void as if it were a fractured mirror. His dragon claws, radiating with a divine force capable of ripping through space, swiped through the void, leaving a trail of dazzling light.

With a hiss, a spatial rift materialized. A dark, enigmatic tower briefly emerged within the rift before it sealed shut as quickly as it had opened.

The little Spinosaurus was taken aback. "That artifact isn't associated with my father or those two behemoths. There's an incredibly unique blood energy inside, reminiscent of... the Demon Phoenix!" he realized as the rift vanished. "It must be a treasure from the Beast God of the Desolate Realm, warping the laws of space!"

...

In the Silver Starfield.

"Just a bunch of rats?" Yu Yuan, wielding the Dragon Slash Platform and having already bored seven holes through the wings of the Eagle God Soderis, stroked his chin as he observed a swarm of immense green rats drawing near.

Each of these green rats stood as tall as a hundred feet, resembling a range of mountains thundering towards him.

The luminescent green eyes of the giant rats emitted a terrifying gleam, suggesting they could devour an enormous quantity of flesh at any moment.

As he proceeded, the silver eagles that had perished by his crimson sword light were unceremoniously consumed by the ravenous giant rats.

Wherever the giant rats roamed, they spared no scraps of flesh and blood, indifferent to whether it belonged to friend or foe.

"Soderis, the alien beasts of your Desolate Realm are so..."

Yu Yuan's voice trailed off, his expression turning icy.

He had noticed that among the remains clutched in the giant rats' jaws were not only members of the Silver Scale Clan but also those of the Boundless Human Race.

And among them were fragments of the Yang God.

This indicated that cultivators from both the Ancient Desolate Sect and the Babel Chamber of Commerce had perished.

He was uncertain of their identities.

The thought of Yu Ying, also a member of the Ancient Desolate Sect, being among these people, extinguished his desire to mock Soderis.

"Stay put. I'm going to deal with those rats," he said.

With a step, he traversed thousands of miles, quickly materializing amidst the swarm.

As Yu Yuan descended into the throng, the Eighth Level bloodline giant rats were engulfed by a devastating ripple.

They let out pitiful squeals as their bones shattered and their flesh compressed their organs, rapidly dissolving into puddles of blood.

The Ninth Level giant rats, lagging intentionally behind, scattered in terror.

Before long, Yu Yuan spotted the Beast God, diminutive in comparison to the giant rats, concealed within their ranks.

"Soderis, you truly bring me shame. The honor of the Silver Eagle Clan has been tarnished by your actions!"

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