C2134 The Shura Returned

"The Frostlands might not be able to withstand his onslaught."

After Yu Yuan and Chen Qinghuang had distanced themselves from the others, he spoke gravely, "In the past, the Abyss never birthed an eleventh-level supreme being. Once the Primal Soul entered the Everlands, the Dark Anima failed to find a suitable vessel."

"But now, things have changed."

"If the Demon God Bertain becomes his host, he would likely possess the power to breach the wall."

Despite the crystalline wall of the Frostlands surpassing its previous strength, and with the arrival of Primal Blood and the extreme cold, Yu Yuan still felt uneasy.

Merely holding our ground might not ensure survival.

After communicating with the Primal Blood, he realized it was considering retreat.

The Primal Blood contemplated abandoning this realm, along with the intelligent life it had spawned and the Primal Blood Continent. It planned to lead a select few of the strongest beings to shatter the barriers between the Origin Realm and the Wasteland, seeking to reestablish roots in the Wasteland.

It seems the Primal Blood from the Wasteland and our own had been in secret communication.

With the Primal Soul of the Abyss growing increasingly formidable, the two Primal Bloods, along with the Primal Vitality, conceived a united front against it.

Yet...

Venturing into the Wasteland, a domain ruled for eons, presented another risk.

It could face assimilation by its Wasteland counterpart, much like Mother Earth, with the aid of Phoenix Ashes, refined and absorbed a lesser Earth Spirit.

It placed its hopes on itself.

The inscrutable depths of the Soul Altar suggested boundless potential, which is why it sought to venture into the Wasteland alongside me.

Yu Yuan admitted his contemplation was due to the Primal Blood's desire to depart. If so, the Frostlands were no longer the Origin Realm's final sanctuary.

This place was merely a provisional refuge.

Whoosh!

Ji Ningshuang wielded the Stardust Blade, soaring away while trailing a long, icy glow, drawing upon the energy of the Frostlands.

The Stardust Blade pointed toward the barrier that had once shielded the Primal Blood Continent upon its arrival.

"What is she trying to accomplish?" Chen Qinghuang asked, taken aback.

"It's not her; it's the extreme cold. The extreme cold requires her power to forge a gateway to the Origin Realm, connecting with the Star River there. The heavens are in turmoil, and the Frostlands have become a bastion of relative safety. The pursued elites of various races, hunted by the Gods, Sky Fiend, and Evil God, need a sanctuary."

Yu Yuan clarified.

He left unsaid that the pursuers of the intelligent lifeforms from beyond included beings like himself... members of the Gods.

Chen Qinghuang remained quiet.

After a moment, she spoke up, "Perhaps I should depart from the Frostlands. For some reason, my thoughts are in disarray. The death force I've attuned to is starting to overpower the other ultimate truths of the Great Dao within me, creating a desire to be the sole force. Death seems intent on obliterating the paths of destruction, rebirth, and poison."

Her eyelashes quivered, and her lips, as lustrous as polished white jade, shimmered flawlessly.

Yet, her mental state was evidently disturbed.

"Perhaps this is because, in the Darkland, I transformed all my power into death, severing all vitality. You infused me with life essence when you inhabited my Primal Blood consciousness. I've refined it into my physique, but it has done little to enhance my regenerative powers."

"And there's more..."

The cryptic symbols deep within her soul appeared to shine brighter once again.

Like a sapling rooted in her spirit, they seemed to be growing stronger.

As the symbols brightened, her mental state grew increasingly unstable, and her Soul Power and death force began to seep toward them.

The symbols were indeed siphoning her soul and death force; it was no illusion.

Each time her death force waned, she instinctively converted other forms of vitality within her, channeling her stored energy into a transformation toward death force.

This caused the sense of death within her to intensify.

Chen Qinghuang experienced a foreboding sense of déjà vu, reminiscent of a descent into madness a hundred thousand years prior. She feared that her very existence might unleash a catastrophe upon the Frostlands.

"You're definitely not quite right."

Yu Yuan's expression was grave, his eyes like blood-colored stars, shimmering as he gazed at her.

Not far off, his real body stood at the barrier leading into the darkness. Yu Yuan, who was still pondering and conversing with Zhong Chichen, Tan Xiaotian, and the Abyssal Leviathan, suddenly felt a jolt.

Swoosh!

The third eye, formed by the Soul Altar at the center of his forehead, abruptly turned towards Chen Qinghuang, who was speaking with the Solar Spirit.

He saw unknown symbols, laden with a death aura, taking root deep within Chen Qinghuang's soul.

These were not the soul threads left by the Abyss. Yu Yuan had no recollection of such symbols, suggesting he might have never encountered them before.

Yet, Yu Yuan instinctively sensed something amiss with these death symbols, as if they were influencing Chen Qinghuang's physical form.

"Why are there strange symbols deep within your soul?" Yu Yuan couldn't help but inquire, his tone laced with curiosity, "When you returned from the World of Darkness, you didn't have any such symbols."

"They just appeared out of nowhere recently; I'm not sure what's going on," Chen Qinghuang responded candidly, sharing the truth with him.

Yu Yuan was taken aback and fell into deep contemplation.

Meanwhile, in the Frostlands, a faint tremor emanated from an obscure, dim star.

Boom!

The tremor was felt by many powerful beings in the vicinity.

"A Frost Well has connected to the Frozen World, and Shura have entered," Zhong Chichen, adept in space magic, said in astonishment. After exchanging a few words with Yu Yuan, he vanished in an instant.

The Frostlands, once known as the Dark Realm, was a sealed Starry Sky Forbidden Zone, cut off from the true Star River like the Ashlands and the Wraithlands.

The formidable warriors of the Shura Clan had to use the Frost Wells to traverse in and out, connecting to the outside world.

Subsequently, many Frost Wells began to break apart.

Following the deaths of the Blood King and Alonso, outstanding figures like Ji Ningshuang and Tan Xiaotian, along with the golden dragons, promptly settled in the Frostlands to delve into the extreme cold and the power of frost and ice concealed there.

With the Shura Clan's devastating defeat, the Frost Wells were either lost or severely damaged.

After such a long time, it was unexpected to see Shura warriors once again stepping into the Frostlands through a Frost Well.

Everyone was intrigued.

"Elena has ascended to a tenth level Golden Shura, becoming the new Blood King," Zhong Chichen relayed swiftly.

At the other end of the Star River, Yu Yuan harnessed his power to observe. He saw Elena, now more vigorous and commanding, leading a host of Shura warriors forth.

These warriors, once known as the Dark Realm Shura, had been formidable inhabitants of this place.

Driven by the arrivals of Loong Jie, the havoc wrought by Tan Xiaotian, and Ji Ningshuang's settlement, these Shura had departed one by one, seeking survival in the vast reaches of the Origin Realm.

Now, the Origin Realm was rife with carnage. The Gods, Sky Fiend, and Evil God were united in their persecution of all high-bloodline-level Otherkin.

With the once-broken Frost Well in Elena's possession, they had located the Ice Shard within the Glimmerdrift Nebula. Having restored the Frost Well, they returned from the extraterrestrial realms.

"The Dark Realm has undergone a transformation!"

The ninth level platinum Shura, standing on an icy sea scattered with floes, cried out in astonishment.

The Dark Realm was no longer drowned in shadow.

A crescent moon cast its glow, stars shone brightly, and most striking of all was the Primal Blood Continent, radiating a deep crimson light.

Darkness, it seemed, had been permanently banished from the Dark Realm.

"This place is now known as the Frostlands. You're fortunate to have the chance to return," Zhong Chichen said with a casual smile.

"Mr. Zhong," Elena addressed him, bowing respectfully in the manner of a junior. "The outside world is in turmoil, the Astral Domains stained with blood. We have no other options left."

Zhong Chichen nodded in acknowledgment. "Congratulations on your bloodline breakthrough to become a tenth level Golden Shura. With you at their helm, the Shura have a chance to avoid sinking into oblivion. There is still hope."

"Hope?" Elena shook her head, her alluring face etched with an indelible melancholy. "Mr. Zhong, you jest. Without your presence in the Dark Realm, or rather, the Frostlands now, if you were to venture to the star rivers beyond, you'd realize that we, along with other intelligent species, are likely devoid of any hope."

Zhong Chichen was taken aback.

He then noticed the Shura warriors who had accompanied Elena were eyeing him with hostility.

And beneath that, a deep-seated hatred.

The death of Blood King Sabonis, aiding that tenth-level golden dragon, marked the beginning of the Shura's decline.

He and Loong Jie had joined the Boulderdawn because of Yu Yuan. The Boulderdawn, along with the Sky Fiend, had orchestrated the relocation of various races to the Ashlands.

And the outcome?

Those who failed to flee in time were slaughtered by the Sky Fiend and the Evil God in the Ashlands, with the Gods playing their part.

On their return to the Frostlands, they encountered numerous cultivators of the Gods. In the broader reaches of the Star River, even more Shura fell victim to attacks by the Boulderdawn.

How could they not harbor resentment?

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