C1949 The Pursuer of the Extreme Flame
The Dragon Slash Platform morphed into a curtain of blood-red, floating ethereally behind Yu Yuan like a barrier conjured by gods and demons.
A force field, emanating from the crimson expanse, ensnared Alex, overwhelming the esteemed Beast God with the sensation of being crushed under an immense weight.
Alex gazed in astonishment as the depths of the blood-hued curtain shimmered, revealing the denizens of the Origin Realm.
Starry Behemoths, dragons, alien beasts, Demon Kings, Asuras, and the formidable warriors of the Star Race, along with enigmatic female demons.
These familiar entities of the Origin Realm seemed to inhabit a world within the curtain, observing him with a chilling detachment, as if ready to burst forth and devour his flesh and soul at any moment.
A kaleidoscopic river of sword light, brimming with countless star-like particles, transformed into a net that constricted slowly, as if intent on dismembering him piece by piece.
The torrential blood energy, the peerless Spiritual Energy, and the arcane sword spell coalesced into a domain both complex and mysterious.
This realm was imbued with Yu Yuan's essence, a world forged from his blood and soul.
As the domain solidified, the divine authority of life and death emanated from Yu Yuan, fusing with the river of sword light and the sanguine backdrop.
Outside, the Shrouded Tower's seal proved futile against this power.
Nors's face registered pure astonishment.
He keenly perceived that the Dragon Slash Platform and two enigmatic domains had established a delicate link within the depths of the sword light's net.
An unknown force, defying the Shrouded Tower's seal, had infiltrated this distant land.
"Not bad, truly worthy of being my... esteemed senior brother."
Andrea's light laughter emerged suddenly, as she, inhabiting Qin Yan's form, drifted by Nors like a streak of dawn, without pausing.
As Nors clutched his belt in renewed trepidation, Andrea's spectral form materialized above the celestial net that seemed to encompass the galaxy.
Yu Yuan looked up sharply.
Andrea glanced downward.
Their eyes met briefly before Andrea gestured towards the Mensah Starfield and gave Yu Yuan a conspiratorial wink, signaling her intent to quell the turmoil in another Starfield.
Yu Yuan nodded with understanding and cautioned, "Be careful."
"It's the Beast Gods in the Mensah Starfield who should be careful," came the retort.
Above, Andrea's shadow stretched languidly, her body filled with demonic energy, crackled ominously. She abruptly ceased her movements, seemingly realizing that this wasn't her true form but merely a host she had taken over.
"It's still lacking," she grumbled, clearly dissatisfied with Qin Yan's Yang God Forging, which she deemed insufficient for her demonic energy.
Alex, now in the form of a human male, looked up curiously, his surprise evident as he gazed at her.
"Origin Realm, Devaputra!" exclaimed the Ice and Fire Phoenix, which had previously scorned the Demon Phoenix. Upon learning that Yu Yuan represented Origin Blood, it showed a hint of respect. The sight of the Devil Soul in Andrea's eyes immediately sobered its expression.
As the leader of the Phoenix Tribe, it was privileged to heed the teachings of the King of Desolate Realm. Through the king, it was aware of an impending invasion by a Great Demon God named Beilstein from the Origin Realm, whose very existence made their king deeply cautious.
Beilstein, the Devaputra of the Origin Realm, had dominated the realm since the era of the Starry Behemoths had ended. His presence had elevated him and their king's regard for extraterrestrial devas.
The Nagas of the Vast Ocean and the humans, whose prominence had been on the rise in recent years, had a history too brief to be considered a significant threat by their king.
"You're mistaken. I possess human blood as well; the Devaputra is merely my soul," Andrea corrected. As she soared through the sky, she waved nonchalantly at the Ice Phoenix in human form. With a swift, blade-like gesture of her hand, she declared, "You two have your fun. I'm off to the Mensah Starfield to take care of those Beast Gods."
With that, Andrea drifted away. The boundary of the Galaxy began to stain with thick purple demonic energy in her wake. Upon her arrival at the Mensah Starfield, the Galaxy Extraordinary Talent converged towards her from every direction. Demonic flames and bizarre flowers blossomed on the stars where alien beasts roamed.
The Starfield, previously overrun by alien beasts, was plunged into turmoil with Andrea's arrival.
Countless alien beasts met their end in agonizing screams.
"Lord Alex! I, I..."
Nors stood at the heart of the black jade altar, gazing into the distant cosmos. He watched in alarm as a purple-tainted region expanded at an astonishing rate.
It wouldn't be long before the entire Mensah Starfield was engulfed by Andrea's magical energy, leaving no escape for the alien beasts.
The Shrouded Tower at his feet, along with its counterpart in the Mensah Starfield, had lost their connection.
Andrea's rampant magic had transformed the Mensah Starfield of the Rock Clan into a desolate no-man's-land.
With the Rock Clan gone, the Mensah Starfield, now a haven for the alien beasts, bore witness to Andrea's unleashed power as she relentlessly slaughtered them.
The roar of the Beast God echoed uncontrollably, reverberating through the cosmos.
But gradually, all sounds and the tumult of battle were smothered by the suffocating purple magic.
The Mensah Starfield fell into eerie silence.
Nors was utterly bewildered. The Mensah Starfield, adjacent to the Silver Starfield, seemed as if it had been carved out from the Origin Realm itself.
It vanished from his sight, imperceptible to the Shrouded Tower, and beyond the reach of his blood energy.
It had disappeared as if into a void.
"Is this the might of the Great Demon God of the Origin Realm?"
Alex, too, was momentarily stunned, repeatedly casting his gaze toward the Mensah Starfield, trying to discern Andrea's movements.
Yu Yuan, ensnared within the "Heavenly Network," felt the cataclysmic upheaval of the Mensah Starfield, his emotions tinged with complexity.
Andrea appeared to have grown even more formidable.
Unleashing her wrath, Andrea had filled the vast Mensah Starfield with her horrific demonic energy, transforming all starry powers into her own.
It seemed she had even included the instantly slain alien beasts.
Andrea, with a murderous intent, had become far more powerful than during her battles in the Oblivion Starfield, surpassing her previous encounters in the devastated Origin Realm and the deepest reaches of the Oblivion Starfield.
Yu Yuan couldn't shake the feeling that he would never truly grasp the extent of her power.
"Who is she, really? How can a Great Demon God among the Devaputras be so formidable?!"
Alex let out an astonished cry, his human form dissolving in his shock to reveal his true nature as a Beast God, a majestic fire phoenix taking flight.
Andrea had stirred something within him.
He couldn't believe that any Great Demon God from the Origin Realm could match Andrea's might, daring to single-handedly challenge several Beast Gods like himself!
If all the Great Demon Gods of the Origin Realm were as powerful, he would have to summon their king immediately!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Infinite flames burst forth from his fiery wings and phoenix form, soaring towards the celestial web woven by the crisscrossing sword light.
Thousands of fiery orbs evolved, revealing endless truths of fire.
The flames transformed, becoming erupting volcanoes, molten lava pools, and fire spirits unknown to Yu Yuan, even turning into fierce torrents within this cosmos he had created.
Some flames magically coalesced into stars, spreading the veins of the earth's fire, while others, sprite-like, breathed life into the meridians.
The enigmatic wonders of the flames dazzled onlookers, methodically consuming the crystalline particles within the sword light.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In the broad rivers of sword light, Yu Yuan's refined sword beams collided with the surging flames, shattering the newly formed starry river.
Rip! Sizzle!
The spatial seal of the Shrouded Tower over the Silver Starfield seemed to fracture at the first clash between Alex and Yu Yuan.
Nors, quaking with fear, maneuvered the Shrouded Tower away from the battlefield, then knelt and whispered incessantly.
Newly formed spatial rifts were mended by the silver lightning spilling from the Shrouded Tower, preventing temporal chaos and the arrival of even more formidable beings from beyond.
Amidst the countless flames, Yu Yuan sensed a multitude of distinct fire laws.
The sun's fiery rays, the scorching heat of magma, the plummeting force of flame meteors.
The explosive might of fire attribute crystals, the diverse flames of alien beasts, and the fiery veins of the intelligent races, even the burning passion of souls and hearts, all seemed to be comprehended by the ice and fire phoenix.
Alex, the phoenix, appeared to have amalgamated all the fire sources of the Desolate Realm into one!
Naturally, the most supreme Geocentric Fire was not among them.
The Fire Phoenix showcased a myriad of fire forms, each with its own unique ignition and extinguishing characteristics.
It was as if, through eons of observation and enlightenment, it had become one with the flames, achieving a profound mastery.
This knowledge had become deeply ingrained in its very bloodline.
To Yu Yuan, it felt akin to Tan Xiaotian's pursuit of enveloping all sources of darkness within himself.
Crack! Boom!
The river of sword light that Yu Yuan had effortlessly crafted, along with the intricate sword spells and beams, were shattered by Alex's myriad of fireballs, causing his constructed domain to vanish instantly.
The only thing remaining was the blood-red curtain that fluttered behind Yu Yuan, like a vast, blood-colored cape.
"You're a human from Hao Ran, I've heard..."
Alex, in the guise of a Fire Phoenix, briefly glanced at the Mensah Starfield that Andrea had entered before speaking, "She once told me that if I chose to follow her, she would take me to Hao Ran. She claimed that deep within Hao Ran's core lies something I've longed for."
"That thing could elevate me to a stature equal to that of our king."
The longing in Alex's eyes was unmistakable.
He was speaking of the Extreme Flame!
Alex had exhausted the collection of all flames, fire seeds, and fire veins from the Desolate Realm, and the secrets of the fire laws he possessed could no longer be advanced in his world.
The Desolate Realm simply did not possess anything on the level of the Extreme Flame.
Its eagerness to venture here was driven by a desire to reach Hao Ran, the origin of the Demon Phoenix in this world.
It aimed to delve into the core's depths to seize the supreme flame spoken of by the Demon Phoenix!
What it sought was not mere recognition from the Extreme Flame, like Mo Baichuan had achieved.
It intended to assimilate the Extreme Flame itself!
"I've also heard..."
With a shift in conversation, its form transformed once more, now embodying the Ice Phoenix.
A chilling fog enveloped the area, and a storm of icy rock formed around it.
The storm's ice blades, ice daggers, and ice spires, mixed with blizzards, radiated from its center, transforming the surrounding ten thousand miles of the starry river into a harsh, icy realm.
Alex was demonstrating another facet of its formidable abilities.
Since you've gained the favor of the Origin Blood, you must be aware that the entity protecting your realm's Origin Blood is a sentient force of extreme natural cold!"
"I'm well aware of that!"
Alex exclaimed.
Within the massive ice storm, its Bloodline Crystal Chain had become innumerable shards of glittering ice lightning, capable of freezing the void and encasing all things in a deathly stillness.
A significant amount of the icy power from the Desolate Realm had been assimilated and understood by it.
However...
Yu Yuan keenly sensed that the Bloodline Crystal Chains within the ice storm were nowhere near achieving a grand fusion. It seemed that the currents and laws of cold within the Desolate Realm were severely lacking compared to those of fire.
The unique climate of the Desolate Realm was supposed to be relatively hot, with few cold regions.
This meant that if Alex were to rely on unleashing ice powers, he would be considerably weaker.
He had not managed to merge with a substantial amount of the Ice Dao Law.
It's no surprise, then, that he had always presented himself in the form of an Ice Phoenix, with a male physique.
In that form, he was actually at a disadvantage.
When breaking free from the constraints of this world and tearing through the rivers of sword light, he transformed into a Fire Phoenix without hesitation, revealing a wildly ferocious demeanor of blazing flames.
The Fire Phoenix stance was superior to that of the Ice Phoenix.
His most powerful state would be the Ice-Fire Phoenix, constantly shifting between the two, merging the powers of ice and fire, and transitioning between male and female forms.
