C1968 The Troublemaker

In the Desolate Realm, the mention of the Beast God caused a visible shift in the demeanor of all the non-human warriors present. Their gazes landed on Ferris and his companions with newfound suspicion.

The very idea that Ferris could be in league with the Beast Gods of the Desolate Realm was unthinkable. After all, had they not all come together to prevent these very gods from encroaching upon their Starfield? The horrors that had befallen the Silver Starfield and the Mensah Starfield were fresh in their minds—allowing the Beast Gods to flood in spelled disaster for their world.

Moreover, there were still surviving Beast Gods lurking within their midst!

Thus, when Yu Yuan suggested that Ferris might be colluding with these gods, the sympathy that some warriors had felt evaporated, replaced by a hostile edge.

"What proof do you have?" demanded Ferris, the slight Demon Spirit, his voice icy as he confronted Yu Yuan. "Are you trying to pin a crime on us so that everyone will turn against us?"

"Your very existence is proof enough," Yu Yuan retorted, his gaze cutting through the air as if he could see through Ferris's loose gray robe to the heart beneath. "You're far too old, much older than Harry and Pantley. You should have died long ago. The fact that you're still here before me is all the evidence I need!"

A mournful wailing emerged from the gray robe, the cries of ghostly souls that formed a disorienting wave of energy.

These were the alien beasts from the Origin Realm, outside the scope of the Demon Realm, and even Yu Yuan, the Undead Ruler, could not avert his gaze from Ferris's chest.

Ferris, taken aback, smiled. "I see, you're not him after all."

Relief washed over the Demon Spirit, realizing that Yu Yuan's core soul had not yet ascended to the level of the Primordial Spirit—he was not the legendary Dragon Slayer of old.

"You're not nearly as formidable without the power you once had," Ferris observed.

While the others may not have grasped the full meaning of his words, Tianqi, who had been shielding Pantley, understood that Yu Yuan had not achieved the breakthrough to Primordial Spirit.

Yu Yuan's statement had inadvertently revealed that Pantley's "death" was tied to the Demon Phoenix, and his mention of the Desolate Realm confirmed that his time in seclusion had indeed borne fruit.

At least he was beginning to regain his memories.

"Pantley."

On the Star Race's land, Cadorath saw her once-familiar sister transformed into an old crone, devoid of her former grace, and now obstructed by Tianqi. She whispered, "He didn't lie, did he? The one who pursued you, forcing you into hiding all these years, was it the Demon Phoenix from Hao Xing?"

The aged Sea Clan woman, gazing at Yu Yuan through the blood-red barrier, slowly nodded.

"Then... you shouldn't hold it against him," Cadorath remarked justly.

"I've never blamed him. Even if he had truly killed me, I wouldn't hold a grudge."

Pantley, leaning on her staff like a cane, suddenly sparked with a unique vigor in her eyes, fixing her gaze on Yu Yuan. "Don't be fooled by my aged appearance. I can regain my youth. Truly! It won't be long before I'm once again the most beautiful woman in the Starfield!"

She spoke to Yu Yuan as if in a trance.

Yu Yuan's brow furrowed.

Inside Pantley's heart, he sensed an extraordinary vitality, as though it were germinating and taking root, simultaneously sustaining and consuming her life force.

Pantley had aged so much, yet she hadn't died on the spot, seemingly due to this vitality.

Harry from the Fire Lizard Tribe was in a similar state to Pantley, also possessed by this peculiar life force.

"I don't even know what to say about you," Cadorath sighed softly, then in a flash, she was beside Tianqi, pleading, "Lord Tianqi, she and I go way back. May I take her with me?"

Tianqi turned to Yu Yuan, and seeing no objection from him, he shook his head, "Let's wait a moment."

"Don't stir up trouble here. Let's have a word," Cadorath said, extending her hand to take Pantley, intending to lead her away. She assured Tianqi, "I'll bring her to my place, but we won't leave this vicinity."

"Sister, I actually came here to help you."

Pantley's eyes shone with delight, and she eagerly reached out her hand in response.

At that moment, both the Demon Spirit Ferris and Harry from the Fire Lizard Tribe fixed their gazes on Pantley's outstretched hand, their eyes filled with anticipation.

Cadorath, unsuspecting, was about to take Pantley's hand to lead her away.

*Crack!*

A dazzling streak of purple-gold lightning struck, severing Pantley's withered claw-like hand, which then fell to the ground.

As her hand hit the ground, Pantley suddenly realized what had happened. She flailed her arm, now ending in a stump that did not bleed, and screamed, "Who is it? Who did this?"

She felt no pain; her screams and cries were born of frustration at being thwarted at the last moment.

"It was me."

Yu Yuan brandished the Dragon Slash Platform, now transformed into a spiky weapon.

Cadorath, delicate as a porcelain doll, looked down at the severed hand, listened to Pantley's piercing screams, and then turned her gaze to Yu Yuan.

"Brilliant Shield!"

A shield as thin as a cicada's wing, glowing bright yellow, materialized as Cadorath waved her staff, enveloping her petite form in its protective embrace.

She stepped back and crouched down, using her staff to prod Pantley's fallen hand through the shield.

Her cautious demeanor and actions drew astonished looks from all the otherworldly experts.

Surprise and a hint of anger began to surface on Cadorath's porcelain-like face.

Everyone sensed that something was amiss.

"Truly worthy of being the Bright Clan's chieftain."

Yu Yuan, with a stern face, stepped past Tianqi and approached the now seemingly pitiable Pantley, saying impatiently, "Enough with the act. Whatever you were planning, it's never going to happen now."

"Why?"

Cadorath suddenly looked up.

Her staff, still in motion, hissed as it neutralized numerous unknown toxins with its radiant light.

Cadorath could even discern the specific functions of the toxins: consuming vitality, stripping away blood energy, and corrupting the bloodline.

Meanwhile, the severed hand on the ground writhed like a massive worm, desperately trying to breach the "Brilliant Shield," only to be relentlessly scorched by the piercing divine light.

This eerie spectacle sent chills down everyone's spine and jolted them to awareness.

Had Yu Yuan not used the Dragon Slash Platform to sever Pantley's hand, what might have transpired between her and Cadorath?

What exactly could Pantley's sinister hand have done to Cadorath?

"Why?" Cadorath gazed at her once sister, at Pantley, who had vanished for tens of thousands of years only to reappear abruptly. "Why have you treated me this way?"

"It was with the best of intentions. I wanted to... help you achieve eternal life," Pantley insisted earnestly.

"Eternal life? Like the life you lead?"

Cadorath's expression turned icy.

"Yes, I want my sister to live forever."

The once most beautiful woman in the starry sky spoke with a grave sincerity, "We have unraveled the power of immortality. I wish for you to have eternal life as well, so that we, as sisters, can be together forever."

Elsewhere.

"Do you desire immortality?"

Ferris, the Demon Spirit, had arrived in the Banshee Clan's domain. He addressed Rebecca and the other clan members, "Isn't eternal life with us what you seek? Rebecca, I can show you the way, lead you on the path to everlasting life."

Harry from the Fire Lizard Tribe sat in silence upon a meteorite.

"Sir?"

Tianqi, trailing behind Yu Yuan, was bewildered by the unexpected turn of events. He scratched his head, puzzled, and inquired, "What's our course of action?"

"Set up defenses, then eliminate them all. Leave no one alive."

Yu Yuan gave the command with revulsion, "They have already encountered the Beast God in the Desolate Realm and have acquired certain items."

After a brief pause, he continued.

"Senior Cadorath, had you shaken hands with her just now, she might have regained some of her youth. As for you, I fear you may not be able to maintain your current appearance," Yu Yuan added.

At that, Cadorath hastily backed away.

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