C1979 Blood Transformation

The Dark Phoenix had mastered the vital energy of all living beings in the Everlands, firmly dominating the sacred way. She was akin to a second Bloody River suspended in the vast expanse of the Everlands.

Excluding the Nagas, she could still faintly sense the presence of beings like the Ape and Green Willow, whose vital energy was potent enough, even from the distant Star River. However, once the Ape acquired the Life Keychain, granting him eternal life, she lost the ability to sense him. Similarly, Green Willow had ascended to a Dark Deity using the method of the white boa, leaving the Dark Phoenix powerless.

Yet, Yu Yuan, the individual she monitored most closely, had a real body originating from the Everlands. Despite the cost, she could sense him. She refrained from doing so, however, to avoid alerting his Solar Spirit.

But recently, she experienced an unsettling sensation. This anomaly made her fear losing her grip over the blood of the Everlands' living creatures, rendering her unable to pinpoint those with formidable vital energy.

She had a delicate link with beings like Zhongli Dapan, whose vital energy field was immense. The sudden risk of losing control over the blood's power indicated only one possibility.

Yu Yuan's real body, with its dominant soul shrouded in mystery and marked by a force linked to the Will of the Deep and the Primal Soul of the Everlands, was profoundly unique. As the finest embodiment of the subterranean will, Yu Yuan's dominant soul could echo the fundamental rules of the Everlands and potentially sway its core principles.

Now, the Dark Phoenix felt an increasing inability to control the blood of the Everlands' creatures, likely due to some transformation within Yu Yuan's real body. The first thing that came to mind as the cause of such a shift, one that could alter the blood magic of the Everlands, was the life dew of the Lord of Ruin.

While Yu Yuan's Solar Spirit could not decipher it, his heart could assimilate it. Given Yu Yuan's unique nature, his integration with the life dew might very well result in the transfer of the blood authority the Dark Phoenix once held.

The Lord of Ruin might effortlessly ascend above the living creatures of the Everlands with the power of life dew.

How could she not be filled with urgency?

"Has that man lost his mind?"

The fire phoenix quickly grasped the situation and exclaimed in alarm, "His real body is merely that of a cultivator at the Unbound Stage, not yet ascended to the supreme level."

"How can his heart withstand the life dew of the King? It will surely consume him to the bone!"

The fire phoenix shuddered, expressing her concern, "I fear that the Wasteland might be drawn here prematurely because of this!"

"I'm losing my grip on the blood of the Everlands."

Without further delay, the Dark Phoenix vanished from the Frozen World and emerged into the boundless void.

Whoosh!

Her form transformed into the grand and towering shape of a phoenix.

Fine purple lightning, with the power to rip through the void, illuminated the somber Star River with countless void cracks, from which unknown lights from extraterrestrial realms burst forth.

With a slight squint of her eyes, she searched for an appropriate channel within the ruptured void cracks.

"Dark Phoenix!"

"My heavens!"

The mighty beings from Zagreus and the Demon Gods of the Sky Fiend gasped in awe upon witnessing her phoenix form and the intricate void cracks nearby.

Yet, none dared to come close!

"Head back to Darkpinion first. I'll handle this."

With those words, the graceful purple phoenix dove into one of the void cracks.

This void crack wouldn't take her directly to the Stellar Oblivion; she would need to make several transfers to arrive at her destination.

Her urgency was palpable.

...

The Glimmerdrift Nebula, now forsaken.

Following Alonso's demise and the vanishing of the River of Swords, the combined assault of several powerhouses on the Abyssal Leviathan had left the Astral Domain riddled with exploded stars and now lay barren.

The majority of the Shura had evacuated as well.

A Dark Tower from the Wasteland stood alone in this desolate realm.

The Ape, brimming with vitality, suddenly became aware of something. He lowered his gaze to his heart, attuned to the stirrings of the Life Keychain.

"Another presence, from its life dew, appears to be taking root."

Untamed voiced his astonishment.

Currently, only he, the white boa, and Green Willow were present atop the Dark Tower.

The woman, who had transformed from the white boa, hesitated briefly before speaking, "That's impossible. The intelligence we've gathered indicates that the operation against Cardo was a failure, and the box containing the King's life dew ended up in Cardo's possession. Could it be?"

A spark of realization lit up the white boa's eyes as she gasped, "Could it be that Cardo secretly consumed the life dew?"

"It seems this woman couldn't resist the temptation," Green Willow remarked with a sneer, her lips curling in disdain. "I despise women who are not as they appear. She posed with such dignity at the Boulderdawn's extraterrestrial base camp and even passed the Patriarch's title to Canli. Yet, after leaving with the box, she still chose to merge with it."

"Who could withstand such a lure?" the white boa mused, glancing at the astonished Ape before shooting Green Willow a stern look. "Let me remind you, if Cardo truly merges with the life dew, she will become one of us."

Green Willow huffed but remained silent.

"No, something's not right here!" Untamed exclaimed, shaking his head in alarm as he addressed the white boa, "Sanha, is it possible that the life dew it refined was dissolved by Yu Yuan's Solar Spirit?"

"Impossible!" Sanha, the white boa, declared emphatically.

"Then why do I detect Yu Yuan's scent?" the Ape inquired.

Sanha rose from the Onyx Altar beneath the Dark Tower, smiling with ease. "That must be Yu Yuan's real body attempting the merge, which is a fatal mistake! Only those like you and Cardo, with incredibly strong flesh and blood and who have attained the tenth level, can withstand the King's life dew and create a Life Keychain."

"Yu Yuan's real body is merely that of a human from the Everlands. The human race's flesh and blood are insufficient, especially since he's only reached the Unbound Realm."

Sanha concluded with certainty, "His real body will be utterly consumed by the King's life dew, leaving nothing behind, not even bones or flesh!"

The Ape responded with a nonchalant air, "One of his real bodies is no longer of much consequence to him now."

Green Willow added, "He's eternal. If his Solar Spirit can refine the life dew, why would he need to merge with it?"

The white boa and the Ape both shook their heads.

...

The Everlands.

"How odd."

Zu Ann suddenly experienced a sense of relief, as if shackles had been lifted from within him.

Lin Daoke also opened his eyes, his perception sharper. He accurately stated, "The Dark Phoenix's grip on the blood of Everlands' inhabitants is weakening."

"Have you all felt it?"

Han Miaoyuan arrived in haste, his face beaming with undisguised delight. "The Dark Phoenix may no longer be able to use her blood power to coerce the beings of the Everlands."

He had resolved to relocate all mortals from the Everlands, largely due to his fear of the Dark Phoenix's capabilities.

Should the Dark Phoenix return to the Everlands, intent on obliterating the human race's foundation, those humans who remained would face utter devastation.

With the mortals concentrated in the Everlands, it would be easy for her to strike upon her return.

But if the mortals from various nations within the Everlands were scattered across different stars in the extraterrestrial realms, the vast distances would hinder the Dark Phoenix's abilities.

She would need to personally traverse the worlds and nations where the Everlands' mortals resided to carry out her plans.

Given her power to destroy worlds, any person she set her sights on would inevitably be unable to escape.

Now, with mortals spread across numerous worlds within the vast Astral Domains, finding and exterminating them one by one would be no simple task for her.

Moreover, many individuals were destined to be relocated to the Ashlands.

Even if the Dark Phoenix desired to strike with severity in the Ashlands, she likely lacked the capacity to do so.

Thus, moving the mortals was not only a precaution against the potential extinction following the Everlands' destruction but also a measure taken in fear of the Dark Phoenix's powers.

The Dark Phoenix had always loomed like a vast, oppressive cloud over the inhabitants of the Everlands.

Yet now, that once oppressive cloud seemed to be thinning, as if on the verge of dissipating.

A collective sigh of relief was felt by all.

...

"Dark Phoenix!"

"The Dark Phoenix of the Everlands!"

Witnessing a graceful purple phoenix tear through the fabric of space and suddenly emerge in the Stellar Oblivion, the formidable beings stationed at Boulderdawn's extraterrestrial base camp were instantly alerted.

No one could fathom why the Dark Phoenix, having claimed the domain of the secular bird in the Darkpinion Astral Domain, would make such a sudden appearance.

"Head to the Ashlands and notify Taishi immediately!"

Reid, the High Priest of the Sky Fiend Race, commanded Zhao Lan, the guardian of the Starway. "Simply inform Taishi that the Dark Phoenix has arrived!"

"Understood!"

Without a moment's delay, Zhao Lan was already positioned within the Starway as Reid's words came to an end.

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