C1948 Icefire Phoenix

Soderis's remains drifted silently through the void, his hollow eye sockets sunken and exuding an air of death and defiance. A dense purple flame burst forth from his melting eagle eyes and settled into the palm of Kaiya, who was inhabiting Qin Yan's body, before vanishing into her form. Zheng Luanjie could see the magic power within Qin Yan intensify abruptly, drawing cosmic energy from the surrounding stars.

"There's no better host available, so I'll have to make do with this one a bit longer," Kaiya said, a note of resignation in her voice, given the lack of alternatives. After offering an explanation to Zheng Luanjie, her deep gaze swept the area, as if she had already discerned Yu Yuan's whereabouts, and she promptly departed.

The body of Soderis, now devoid of its beast soul and left with only a sliver of lingering consciousness, lay abandoned in place—a parting gift for the Lizard. Zheng Luanjie, merely a Solar Spirit, watched her fade in and out of visibility, her silhouette receding into the distance, with no clue as to her direction. "Soul-Capturing God-King, Kaiya," he committed her name to memory.

...

At the extraterrestrial base camp of the Boulderdawn Sect, Kaiya, in her true human form, emerged from a state of deep meditation. "I'm fine now," she announced, though the light in her eyes had dimmed slightly. Most of her devil soul had transferred to the Aihoyari, taking residence within Qin Yan.

"The Monsa Nebula, home to the Stoneborn, has fallen beyond salvation," she reported with a somber tone. "The Abyssal Greater Basilisk feigned surrender of the Aihoyari, sparing only a handful of Silverscale Tribe members and one eighth-level descendant. The shattered stars have left few survivors."

Upon mentioning the enchantress, Rebecca, who was also in attendance, grew visibly distressed. "Is the Yellow Moon Galaxy still safe?" she inquired urgently.

"It's alright," Kaiya assured her with a steady demeanor. She succinctly recounted the recent bloodshed in the Aihoyari and the demise of the two Beast Gods. Everyone listened intently and, upon hearing her account, collectively exhaled in relief. Though they were unsure how she could discern such details about the Aihoyari, they trusted Kaiya's word without question.

Her status as a God-King, along with the power she wielded, served as the ultimate testament.

"The Yellow Moon Astral Domain of your enchantress kind has been overlooked due to its distance from your extraterrestrial base camp, which is why no Starway was established there. Let's do this: Rebecca, issue a command to the clan elders to relocate your people from Yellow Moon to the Starway, and do it quickly."

"We're only seeing the first wave of Beast Gods arriving from the Wasteland. There will be many more to come, each more challenging than the last."

Kaiya offered her suggestion.

Rebecca promptly positioned herself at the "Starway," ready to return to the enchantress tribe and make swift preparations.

"The intelligence of the Beast Gods is not to be underestimated. Their next moves may not align with their current invasion path."

Kaiya continued to elaborate.

Those uncertain about the conditions in Aihoyari, as well as the circumstances involving Yu Yuan, Lizard, and the Abyssal Leviathan, found solace in Kaiya's words.

"Ah, how intriguing. I've spotted a peculiar Phoenix."

Kaiya's devil soul could bypass the Dark Tower's seal and maintain communication.

As she shared the Wasteland knowledge acquired from Soderis's beast soul, she also kept a watchful eye on Aihoyari.

With a soft gasp, her expression grew more solemn, "Among the first arrivals, there's a Beast God of significant stature, and Yu Yuan is facing it."

"Really? It even resembles the Dark Phoenix!"

Her remarks captured everyone's curiosity.

...

The Icefire Phoenix, head of the Phoenix clan in the Wasteland!

Tracing back to the origins of the Phoenix in the Everlands, it all began with the first Life Seed from the Root of the Solar Meridian, which underwent countless transformations and advancements.

And the Solar Meridian originated in the Wasteland.

Clearly, the Icefire Phoenix, whom the Rat God Panot referred to as Lord Alex, shared the same lineage as the exalted Dark Phoenix, both representing the pinnacle of the Phoenix clan.

Alex, with his tenth-level bloodline, was undoubtedly among the most formidable of the Beast Gods in the Wasteland.

Barring any unforeseen events, this Icefire Phoenix would be the mightiest combatant among the Beast God contingents invading both the Aihoyari and the Monsa Nebula.

"Do you know her?"

Alex's expression was icy, his dissatisfaction with the Dark Phoenix palpable. The chill around him intensified at the mention of her.

"Of course," Yu Yuan replied, his gaze fixed beyond Alex, towards the bordering edge of the Monsa Nebula. He could sense the fiery explosions and the ravaging ice storms.

His face took on a somber cast as he attempted to amplify his Divine Sense with the Dragon Slaying Stage, sending it sprawling towards the Monsa Nebula.

Following Alex's arrival, the Dark Tower's seal on the void seemed to weaken ever so slightly.

Yu Yuan's Divine Sense rippled outwards, swiftly reaching the periphery of the Monsa Nebula, peering into its depths.

Alex watched him intently, his expression unyielding, not rushing to press for more information.

Yu Yuan's brow furrowed.

He observed that within the alien Monsa Nebula, numerous stars were either engulfed by a sea of fire or transformed into colossal ice spheres by the power of ice.

Another group of alien beasts from the Wasteland flitted across these stars, gathering the spoils of war, securing the refined iron and crystals mined by the Stoneborn for generations.

The Stoneborn's skeletal remains and flesh were heaped into mounds, resembling crude sacrificial altars.

Before long, these bone mountains were positioned beneath another Dark Tower, vanishing along with the countless refined iron and crystals.

The Stoneborn's years of harvested treasures were transported through the Dark Tower to an unknown destination.

It seemed that murder and looting were also part of the alien beasts' directive.

Yu Yuan's remnant soul also sensed the presence of formidable beast souls, aware that other Beast Gods like Panot lurked in these parts.

Since he was probing with his remnant soul rather than vital energy, and because he remained within Aihoyari, he couldn't discern the Beast Gods' whereabouts.

What he did know was that the Stoneborn inhabitants of the Monsa Nebula had met their demise.

The Stoneborn of the Monsa Nebula, lacking a bloodline progenitor like the Abyssal Greater Basilisk and without his and the Abyssal Leviathan's timely intervention, saw their vast Astral Domain and its many stars turn into a terrestrial inferno.

The fate of the Stoneborn was sealed.

Their warriors had been decimated, and even if he were to abandon the two Beast Gods before him to rush to their aid, it would be to no avail.

He let out an involuntary sigh.

The Stoneborn, allies of the Boulderdawn, were also scouting for suitable stars in the Ashlands, hoping to claim their share through the grand scheme of the Boulderdawn.

"Is there anything else you'd like to see?"

Alex, in his ice phoenix form, watched Yu Yuan with a frosty gaze. Sensing an anomaly in Yu Yuan's Divine Sense, he seemed to intentionally lift the Dark Tower's blockade on the cosmos.

It was he who flung open the gates, allowing Yu Yuan to survey the state of the Monsa Nebula with his Divine Sense.

"A completely desolate Astral Domain, the extinction of a race—these are merely trivial matters."

Alex's expression was one of apathy, discussing matters of life and death as if they were inconsequential.

"The Monsa Nebula, Aihoyari, and next, the Yellow Moon. Many of your world's Astral Domains will become lifeless voids, just like the Monsa Nebula."

"We've done this so many times that we've become desensitized to it."

"If there's anyone to blame, it's you for your abundant resources and the fertile ground capable of nurturing more Beast Gods. And then there's..."

A cold, blade-like glint appeared on Alex's thin lips. "She even dares to try and protect this realm! Laughable, truly laughable. She doesn't even understand her own purpose!"

The 'she' Alex referred to was, of course, the exalted Dark Phoenix of the Everlands.

"She even thought to recruit me, to have me swear fealty to her!"

With a look of scorn, Alex derided, "Upon her first foray into the Wasteland, she encroached upon our Phoenix territory, seeking to persuade me, Alex, to lead all the Phoenix Clans of the Wasteland to acknowledge her as our leader."

"Ridiculous!"

The ice phoenix, emanating a chilling presence, spoke harshly, "Though she carries our esteemed phoenix lineage, she was born in the Otherworld, the Everlands, living amongst the sordid humans! Her bloodline is impure, tainted with a myriad of chaotic essences. The aura she emits is nothing like ours!"

Disgust was etched across Alex's face.

In his eyes and heart, the supreme Dark Phoenix was an aberration to the noble and sacred Phoenix Clan, an entity he deeply loathed.

The Dark Phoenix's recruitment efforts had the opposite of the intended effect.

"Lord Alex, he, he..."

Rat God Panot, standing within the restored Onyx Altar, observed the Icefire Phoenix refraining from immediately executing Yu Yuan, instead continuing to berate the Dark Phoenix. He felt compelled to interject, "He represents the Primal Blood in this realm. His status here is equivalent to that of our king."

"Yet, it seems he has only recently gained the Primal Blood's favor."

The dark hound has perished, and Soderis is nearly gone.

With both the Starbeast God and Galehound God ensnared, the dire circumstances in Aihoyari left no room for Alex's prolonged discourse. Panot feared he underestimated the gravity of their situation.

"Those two cosmic giant beasts were stronger than we anticipated. Our losses are substantial. It wasn't just a failure; it was a rout!"

"And there's more!"

Panot relayed Kaiya's emergence and her slaughter of Soderis's beast soul, prompting Alex to cease his tirade against the Dark Phoenix and attend to the pressing issue at hand.

Alex, a fellow member of the Phoenix, finally ceased his relentless mockery of the Dark Phoenix.

"The realm's Primal Blood representative?"

Alex's gaze, mirroring the Dark Phoenix's slender phoenix eyes, focused on Yu Yuan's chest. Strands of icy electricity flickered into existence, resembling silver lightning snakes, eager to delve into Yu Yuan's heart for a closer look.

"Haha!"

The Icefire Phoenix erupted into a bizarre laugh, "She actually failed! She didn't win the Primal Blood's favor in this world, despite her ambitions to establish a superior order of alien beasts here!"

Despite being kin, the depth of his resentment towards the Dark Phoenix was profound; he seized every opportunity to scoff.

"It's not in his heart!"

Panot urgently corrected, "The blood-colored stone stage he's holding! I'm not entirely sure of the details, but the power that emanated from that blood-colored stone stage he wields, that's the scent of this world's Primal Blood!"

"I've only ever sensed such an aura from our King!"

Puff! Puff! Puff!

The icy electric tendrils struck the crimson Dragon Slaying Stage, where the essence of ice and fire intertwined like twisted ropes, achieving a strange and wondrous harmony.

The Dragon Slaying Stage, once a deep crimson, abruptly morphed into a slab of violet-gold divine metal, thwarting the delicate bolts of lightning.

With each assault from Alex, the innate bloodline mysteries of the Icefire Phoenix allowed him to freely transform and meld every ounce of his strength.

This relentless metamorphosis and amalgamation led to an exponential increase in power, amplifying the destructive force.

Yu Yuan found himself mildly astonished.

Indeed, this was the individual who had the audacity to spurn the supreme Dark Phoenix, to mock her relentlessly, and yet, he still lived.

The chieftain of the Phoenix clan in the Wasteland had earned a newfound respect from Yu Yuan, whose demeanor shifted to one of solemnity.

Clearly, not all Beast Gods were as feeble as the dark hound and Soderis.

There were formidable ones among them!

"Let's have a little game," Yu Yuan declared.

A dazzling River of Swords, born from Yu Yuan's words, abruptly transformed into a celestial net that ensnared the gods, encasing Alex, who bore the male form of an ice phoenix.

With empty hands, Yu Yuan advanced step by step towards Alex, ensnared within the net.

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