C2138 Being Scolded
Whoosh!
The radiant Soul Altar suddenly appeared between Yu Yuan's eyebrows, casting light upon the world like a divine beacon.
The principles of the Great Dao, the mysteries of bloodlines, the essence of the soul and life itself—every miracle of creation seemed unable to elude the brilliance emanating from Yu Yuan's brow.
Chen Qinghuang's spirit was seized by a chilling premonition.
"What's the matter?"
Her face, a paragon of beauty, was etched with grave concern and unease.
The glow from Yu Yuan's forehead reached into Chen Qinghuang's mind, revealing the peculiar symbols within her soul.
These symbols were radiating an increasingly potent scent of death.
Yu Yuan's brow furrowed as he gazed upon the deathly symbols within Chen Qinghuang's soul, sensing his own vitality slowly ebbing away.
Unbeknownst to them, Ann Ziqing, Xuanli, and the Chaos Roc were also under Chen Qinghuang's influence.
These mighty beings, robust in flesh and blood, attributed the ominous stirrings of death within to the dire straits of the Origin Realm.
The slaughter of wise creatures, the rampages of the Protoss, Devaputra, and Evil Gods, the Origin Blood, and the emergence of a retreat impulse—all these weighed heavily on their minds.
Ann Ziqing and the others couldn't help but replay the scenes of non-humans being slain, the brutality of death haunting their thoughts, stirring restlessness and even conjuring faint glimpses of their own demise.
These visions of their end filled them with dread, a foreboding omen they misinterpreted as a reflection of the external chaos, oblivious to Chen Qinghuang's influence.
"The death symbol in your mind is problematic."
Yu Yuan spoke candidly, "Those death symbols aren't mere figments of your imagination—they are very real. And the rest of you, keep your distance from her. It's important to maintain space."
He gestured towards Ann Ziqing, Tianqi, the Chaos Roc, and Loong Jie.
The Chaos Roc, feeling a shiver of terror, spoke fearfully, "Your Majesty, you're not on the brink of madness again, are you? Could the deathly visions I've been having be an unconscious release of your power?"
The Chaos Roc was the first to draw back.
Ann Ziqing, Tianqi, Loong Jie, and the small spinosaurus all silently moved away from her.
The tale of the Secular Bird, which had sown death and destruction in a fit of madness a hundred thousand years prior, was known to all in attendance.
In the Still Starfield, a region decimated by Chen Qinghuang, the air was thick with the essence of death.
Chen Qinghuang's eyes widened in surprise. "Have you discovered something?"
"It appears to be a symbol, a mark. And you, it seems, have been marked by an entity unknown to us," Yu Yuan mused, capturing the attention of the astonished onlookers. "I've encountered source spirits of various kinds: lightning, light, darkness, vegetation, earth, extreme cold, and extreme heat."
"It's possible that the Great Dao of Death has given rise to supernatural source spirits as well," Yu Yuan ventured his theory.
"Source Spirit? There's such a thing as a Source Spirit?" the crowd murmured in disbelief. "I've never heard of such a thing!"
The Chaos Roc, the Spinosaurus, and the ground beetle possessed vast knowledge of the Origin Realm within their ancestral memories. As the Spinosaurus and ground beetle matured, they would awaken these inherited memories. Yet, they were unaware of any deathly beings in the Origin Realm, akin to Origin Blood or Origin Soul.
"Death... Source Spirit?" Chen Qinghuang paused, her voice tinged with confusion. "I scoured the entire Origin Realm a hundred thousand years ago and found no trace of such an extraordinary entity. Could it be that you felt some power in the darkness, leading you to suspect it was death?"
Yu Yuan shook his head. "It may not reside in the Origin Realm or the Desolate Realm. We'll discuss this matter later."
Yu Yuan's thoughts were clouded by the shadow that the Great Priest Reid had cast with his words to Yu Yiyi.
Chen Qinghuang had remained in the Cold Domain, never venturing out until now. Yet, she had been targeted by some extraordinary being that had left its mark upon her soul.
Yu Yuan could not confirm whether this entity was a deathly Origin Spirit; his thoughts were merely conjecture.
With a whoosh, Zhong Chichen wielded the Time Book, drifting through the Still Starfield in search of those fortunate enough to have stumbled in.
No sooner had Yu Yuan finished speaking than the Time Book appeared, bearing the unconscious Nine Stars Sage, Denise, and several critically injured Star Race warriors.
"Yu Yuan!" Denise's voice broke as she saw him, tears streaming down her face.
"My father has passed away, and Old Beru... he's not going to make it much longer. Patriarch Barol has gone to confront the Evil Gods; I can only wonder if he will survive."
She ran towards Yu Yuan, crying uncontrollably, like a drowning person desperately trying to cling to something for survival.
Clutching at Yu Yuan's clothes, she looked up at him with tear-filled eyes and murmured, "So many from the Star Race have perished. The Starfield is littered with the corpses of our people! In our homeland, those of us with bloodlines at the Seventh Level have been slaughtered by the Evil Gods, the Devaputras, and your kind... the Protoss."
Her tears and snot smeared across her once beautiful face as she wept, burying her head in Yu Yuan's chest.
Yu Yuan remained silent.
On the magnified Time Book, the surviving Star Race warriors were barely clinging to life.
Beru, someone Yu Yuan knew well, seemed to be kept alive by the pellet Yu Yuan had once given him; he hadn't succumbed to death yet.
The young Star Race lady had broken meridians, likely from pushing her bloodline powers beyond their limits.
The ring on her finger had formed a stunning protective barrier around all the wounded Star Warriors, drawing in the starlight from the Starfield to aid their healing.
However, once she had rushed over, the ring ceased to shine and no longer attracted the starlight.
"I didn't find Barol."
Zhong Chichen explained to Yu Yuan, shaking his head, "I've sent messages throughout the nearby galaxies, leaving word that there's a passage to the Cold Domain in the Still Starfield, inviting powerful beings from all races to seek refuge."
"I feel more secure here. But once I leave the Still Starfield, escaping becomes a challenge."
Zhong Chichen implied that he would use the Time Book and his mastery of spatial power to guide those who could enter this Starfield.
He was uncertain about the conditions in the distant galaxies and was unwilling to venture into the unknown.
He refused to risk entering the treacherous Broken Star Sea where Barol was ensnared.
If Barol couldn't escape the Broken Star Sea by his own strength, he would likely meet his end there.
"Denise, get away from him immediately!"
"Can you still trust him, trust these contemptible people? The Cold Domain, ha, it might just turn into another Gray Domain!"
"Back then, we trusted them too, and that's how we ended up being deceived into the Gray Domain!"
"..."
As the Star Race warriors regained consciousness, they were stunned to see Denise sobbing into Yu Yuan's chest, their eyes nearly bulging with shock.
They pointed accusingly at Yu Yuan, Zhong Chichen, Loong Jie, Ann Ziqing, and Tianqi, berating them fiercely.
The accused remained silent, none attempting to offer a defense.
Even Zhong Chichen, known for his lack of shame, felt his face grow hot with embarrassment.
"Don't worry, as long as they're still breathing, they won't die. Elena is currently in the Cold Domain; you'll be able to meet her there," Yu Yuan reassured Jee Ningshuang with a nod.
The barrier of the glistening ice mountain yielded to Jee Ningshuang's icy powers, opening wide like a door.
Yu Yuan then gestured to Zhong Chichen.
Reluctantly, Zhong Chichen pulled Denise aside and said, "Let's go and tend to their wounds first, or they won't survive."
Denise had more to say, but seeing the dire condition of Old Beru and the other Star Race warriors, and fearing for their safety outside, she entered the Time Book with Zhong Chichen.
The outraged Star Race warriors continued to yell and protest on the book, adamantly refusing to enter.
Sadly, they were too weak to break free from the Time Book and were forcibly sent inside by Zhong Chichen.
"The Banshee Clan's Rebecca has died. She fell in the Perish Starfield, right where our Divine Soul Sect used to be headquartered."
After Denise and the other Star Race members had entered, Yu Yuan spoke with a detached tone from above the Dragon Slash Platform.
He didn't harbor strong feelings for the Banshee Clan's leader, but her death still left him feeling somewhat guilty.
He had, after all, been the one to propose the new Hao Xu plan, which was then advanced by the Great Demon God Beilstein and the Divine Soul Sect, bringing together the major races of the Starfield.
Yet, it had all led to this outcome.
He certainly bore an inescapable responsibility.
"What did you see earlier? How did you understand the profound meaning of those symbols? How did you know they weren't just my hallucinations?"
Chen Qinghuang asked urgently, her anxiety palpable.
Deep within her soul, the enigmatic symbols continued to draw from her soul power and the power of death, growing increasingly profound and distinct. They were also rapidly gaining strength.
