C1985 A Ghost Was Knocked out

"What's wrong with you?"

As Yuan Lianyao swallowed the pill, she couldn't help but notice Zhou Cangmin's exposed flesh, where a dance of multicolored light and purple lightning crackled, sparking her curiosity.

Zhou Cangmin attempted to speak, but no sound emerged, his face betraying his embarrassment.

"I'm not feeling well," he finally managed to mutter after a moment.

The state preceptor was inwardly cursing up a storm.

A sphere of intense flame energy, brimming with the intricacies of fire magic, had transformed into a fire phoenix and a purple specter, now locked in combat within him.

Both forces had chosen him simultaneously, one after the other, quickly becoming aware of each other's presence.

Disregarding him entirely, they commenced their battle within his body without so much as a greeting.

Devoid of a corporeal body, Zhou Cangmin, now just a Solar Spirit, initially believed he was receiving divine favor as the essence of fire magic surged into him. But before he could revel in his delight, a second devil soul also made its choice, immediately encountering the intense flame energy upon entry.

Zhou Cangmin's own soul consciousness was cornered and overwhelmed by these alien energies, losing dominion over his Fire Crystal-like Solar Spirit.

"Lord Soul-Capturing..."

After quietly scrutinizing the situation within himself, Zhou Cangmin slowly became convinced that the specter was none other than the Soul-Capturing God-King from Boulderdawn, prompting him to inquire, "Why have you possessed me?"

Engaged in a fierce battle within a Fire Crystal World against the Bloodwraith of an Otherworld fire phoenix, Soul-Capturing found a moment to reply.

"The girl next to you has reached the Unbound Realm; possessing her would be more complicated."

"Moreover, she's fused with the Solar Spirit and her corporeal body, which is often linked to the Everlands' core source. I fear that possessing her might alert the entity that lies awake beneath the Everlands at this sensitive time."

"It's quite the coincidence that the fire phoenix from the Wasteland shares my sentiment."

"By chance, we've encountered each other within your body."

Soul-Capturing had no intention of harming Zhou Cangmin. After explaining, she added, "Consider yourself unlucky. I'll do my best to expel her! Damn it, she can harness your Solar Spirit Body and make full use of your refined Cometfire!"

Gradually, Zhou Cangmin could feel the devil soul from the Soul-Capturing growing fainter within him.

Moments later.

The fire phoenix transformed into a radiant figure, enveloping Zhou Cangmin's soul and consciousness in a fiery red glow. "Just stay put. It's an honor for you that I'm borrowing your body."

The fiery red aura was marked with countless tiny flames and sparks, radiating an infinite mystique.

"If you manage to fully understand it, consider it a stroke of luck."

With those words, Zhou Cangmin's connection to his senses was severed. All he could see was the fiery red halo that ensnared him.

"State Preceptor?"

Yuan Lianyao looked up with concern.

Zhou Cangmin opened his eyes and smiled gently, "It's nothing. I was just hit by a wave of nostalgia that threw me off for a moment."

He didn't elaborate further, gazing at the azure expanse of the Everlands, he murmured, "Such a beautiful world."

With that, he strode towards the Everlands.

...

"It's like I've seen a ghost!"

At Boulderdawn's headquarters, Kaiya jolted awake from her slumber.

She spoke to Taixu, "Inform Yu Yuan that the fire phoenix from the Wasteland, in league with the Dark Phoenix, has taken over Zhou Cangmin. She and that girl, Yuan Lianyao, are now bound for the Everlands."

"That fire phoenix is surely aiming to investigate the Earthfire and ascertain the true state of the Everlands."

Kaiya was livid.

"Zhou Cangmin's Solar Spirit Body, whether forged from Heavenfire or tempered with Fire Crystals, allows the fire phoenix to fully display its power!"

As a Soul-Capturing God-King, she was outraged to have been ousted by the fire phoenix.

"I'll just have to pick another one!" she declared defiantly.

Xuanli, Taixu, Tianqi, and the others exchanged perplexed glances. They hadn't anticipated her possession attempt clashing with another extraneous force.

And to make matters worse, she had been bested at Soul-Capturing.

"I'll make contact immediately."

Taixu, momentarily taken aback, quickly set about relaying the message to Yu Yuan through the Altar of Rebirth within his chest, reaching out to the Abyssal Gate.

As long as Yu Yuan knew, both the Yu Yuan in close seclusion and the Yu Yuan still in the Wraithlands would be aware of the situation.

...

At Ebon Star,

Cao Jiaze, who had ascended to the supreme level and gained a mysterious Soul Pillar in his mind, was discussing soul insights with his master, Han Qi.

Suddenly, Cao Jiaze envisioned a scene as if in a dream.

An ethereal fire phoenix danced gracefully. As Yuan Lianyao and Zhou Cangmin lingered on the aerolite, the fire phoenix stealthily entered Zhou Cangmin's crown.

Unaware, Zhou Cangmin, along with Yuan Lianyao, made some adjustments before setting off for the Everlands.

Cao Jiaze felt an urgency; he couldn't let Zhou Cangmin fall into danger. He needed to expel the fire phoenix and also protect Yuan Lianyao from the threat posed by the phoenix that had possessed Zhou Cangmin.

"What's gotten into you?"

Han Qi, who had been conversing with him, noticed his sudden trance and lack of response, prompting him to ask.

"It's nothing."

Cao Jiaze shook his head, "Let's call it a day, shall we? I've only recently become a primordial spirit, and there are many mysteries of the Soul Pillar I've yet to fully grasp."

"Sure."

Han Qi understood the importance of patience. "I'll head to the Land of Terror. Even without the Root of the Lunar Meridian, the Yin Qi there remains thick."

...

In the Ashlands,

The Phoenix Ashes and the Uxthar Tree stood on a lush star, shrouded by a wall as delicate as cicada wings. The cosmic energy from the outer space, once purified, transformed into the purest plant essence.

This wall, crafted by the Starpierced Armor, had been inscribed with new bloodline rules by the Secular Bird Queen, resulting in its current state.

She named this star the Undying World.

Parts of the Shadowkin and Wingkind had already moved here, constructing homes in this fresh world, aiming to establish it as the stronghold for their kind in the Ashlands.

"I have recovered," declared the queen, adorned with an imperial crown, as she manifested in her human form and reclined against the Uxthar Tree.

Lifting her gaze, she beheld a portion of the Uxthar Tree's branches piercing through the wall, stretching into the extraterrestrial realm, and drawing the nutrients it required from the cosmos. The Undying World, distant from Tyria, lay beyond the thirty-six energy vortexes. Therefore, the power amassed by the Uxthar Tree fell within the permissible bounds of Boulderdawn.

"Are you planning to leave?" The Uxthar Tree's voice, crisp with concern, questioned, "Is it not satisfactory here? The world beyond is in turmoil, with the Dark Phoenix wreaking havoc. We've already suffered losses. Why not weave our nests first and, once we're certain of safety, venture out to assess the situation?" The divine tree was genuinely frightened.

"The new era is upon us. If we do not engage and claim our share, we will ultimately be cast aside by the tide of change," Chen Qinghuang mused, her eyes narrowing. Her gaze traversed the wall and the Uxthar Tree's limbs, settling on a distant pale gold star as she sighed, "We have no choice but to act."

"In truth, you do have a choice," interjected a stranger from the Shadowkin, approaching with a nonchalant demeanor. To convey respect and sincerity, he refrained from flying or cutting through the grass that stood in his path, patiently making his way to stand before Chen Qinghuang.

"In the last era, aside from the Titan Spinosaurus, you were the most exceptional being born of Primal Blood in this realm," he stated.

"Yet, to my eyes, you surpass all intelligent life in beauty, incomparable to the Dark Phoenix of the Everlands." Mentioning the revered and feared sovereign of Shadow's Keep, his tone remained unaffected, devoid of any apprehension. "I have traversed numerous Astral Domains, but none have captivated me as you have."

With a respectful bow, he lowered his head. Upon looking up again, his eyes gleamed like two radiant Hex Stones, and with a smile, he offered, "I can assist you in vanquishing the Dark Phoenix, transferring all that it possesses to you."

"Believe me, I possess the power to make such outrageous claims."

The stranger before him, in appearance, vitality, and soul, was unmistakably a member of the Shadowkin, without a single flaw to be found.

Yet the composure he exhibited, the casual way he spoke of the Dark Phoenix, was beyond any Shadowkin. Not even Brie would dare to make such grandiose statements.

"Who are you?!"

The Uxthar Tree exclaimed in astonishment.

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