C2138 Being Scolded

Whoosh!

The radiant Soul Altar suddenly manifested between Yu Yuan's eyebrows, shining like a divine lamp that illuminated all beings in the world.

The Cosmic Order, bloodline mysteries, the soul, and life itself—every miracle of creation seemed unable to escape the brilliance emanating from Yu Yuan's brow.

Chen Qinghuang's spirit was struck with a chilling realization that something was amiss.

"What's wrong?"

Her stunning visage was etched with concern and anxiety.

The light from Yu Yuan's brow reached into Chen Qinghuang's mind, revealing to her the peculiar symbols within her soul.

These symbols were exuding an increasingly potent aura of death.

Yu Yuan's brow furrowed as he observed the death symbols within Chen Qinghuang's soul, sensing his own vitality slowly ebbing away.

Ann Ziqing, Xuanli, and the Abyssal Leviathan were also under Chen Qinghuang's influence, though they were completely unaware.

These mighty beings, robust in flesh and blood, attributed the rising sensations of death within them to the dire straits of the Origin Realm.

Intelligent lifeforms were being massacred, with Gods, Sky Fiends, and Evil Gods laying waste to the land. Primal Blood and the presence of Extreme Coldness stirred thoughts of retreat.

Ann Ziqing and the others couldn't stop dwelling on the brutal deaths of the Otherkin, which left them agitated and even haunted by fleeting glimpses of their own demise.

These visions of their own deaths filled them with dread, as if they were ominous premonitions.

They had wrongly assumed these were due to external circumstances, never suspecting Chen Qinghuang's influence.

"The death symbol in your mind is problematic."

Yu Yuan spoke frankly, "Those death symbols aren't mere illusions; they are very real. And the rest of you, don't stay too close to her. Maintain a safe distance."

He gestured towards Ann Ziqing, Tianqi, the Abyssal Leviathan, and Loong Jie.

The Abyssal Leviathan instantly felt a sense of foreboding and fearfully said, "Your Majesty, you're not about to lose your mind again, are you? Could the deathly visions that have been troubling me be the result of your power spreading without your knowledge?"

The Abyssal Leviathan was the first to draw back.

Ann Ziqing, Tianqi, Loong Jie, and the little spinosaurus also silently moved away from her.

Everyone here has heard the tales of the secular bird that, a hundred thousand years ago, spread legends of death and destruction.

This very place happens to be the Straikepera, the Astral Domain destroyed by Chen Qinghuang.

The Straikepera was already steeped in a dense death force.

Chen Qinghuang was taken aback, "Have you discovered something?"

"It appears to be a type of symbol or mark. And you, it seems, have been marked by an unknown entity." Yu Yuan mused for a moment, then continued under the astonished looks of those around him, "The Primal Anima I've encountered include those of lightning, light, darkness, vegetation, earth, extreme cold, and blazing fire."

"Perhaps the Way of Heaven associated with death has also given rise to a supernatural Primal Anima."

Yu Yuan shared his conjecture.

"Primal Anima?"

"There's such a Primal Anima?"

"I've never heard of it before!"

The bloodline memories of the three giant beasts—the Abyssal Leviathan, the little spinosaurus, and the Starpierced—were vast like an ocean, filled with knowledge of the Origin Realm.

The adult Starpierced and little spinosaurus would inherit the ancestral memories as well.

Yet, they were unaware of any deathly beings in the Origin Realm, akin to Primal Blood or Primal Soul.

"Death... Primal Anima?"

Chen Qinghuang paused, perplexed, "I scoured the entire Origin Realm a hundred thousand years ago and found no such extraordinary beings of spiritual wisdom on that path. Could it be that you felt some power in the darkness, leading you to suspect it was death?"

Yu Yuan shook his head, "It's not in the Origin Realm, and it might not be in the Wasteland either. We'll discuss this later."

Yu Yuan's mind was shadowed by the words Reid had spoken to Yu Yiyi.

Chen Qinghuang had never before left the Frostlands.

Yet, she was brought here by an extraordinary presence that had set its sights on her, leaving a mark on her soul.

Yu Yuan could not confirm whether the entity was a deathly Primal Anima; his thoughts were speculative at best.

Whoosh!

Zhong Chichen, wielding the Book of Time, drifted through the Straikepera, searching for the fortunate souls who had stumbled in.

As Yu Yuan's words fell, the Book of Time brought forth Denise of the Starborn, the unconscious Starfallen Oracle Beru, and several gravely wounded Starborn warriors.

"Yu Yuan!"

Denise's tears flowed uncontrollably upon seeing him.

"My father has passed away, and Beru... he's on the brink of death. Clan Leader Ballo went to confront the Evil Gods, and I'm not sure if he'll make it out alive."

She rushed toward Yu Yuan, sobbing, like someone drowning grasping for anything to hold onto.

Clutching Yu Yuan's clothes, she looked up at him and whispered, "So many of our Starborn have perished in the Sea of Fallen Stars. It's filled with the bodies of our people! In our home, those with bloodlines reaching the seventh level have been slaughtered by the Evil Gods, the Sky Fiends, and your people... the Gods."

Her tears and snot marred her once beautiful face as she buried her head in Yu Yuan's chest.

Yu Yuan remained silent.

On the magnified Book of Time, the remaining Starborn warriors were barely clinging to life.

Yu Yuan recognized Beru, whose vitality seemed to be sustained by the pill he had once given him.

The young Starborn lady's body showed signs of severe strain, likely from pushing her bloodline beyond its limits.

The ring on her finger had formed a radiant shield around the injured Starborn, drawing in the starlight of the Astral Domain to aid their healing. But after her desperate approach, the ring dimmed and ceased to attract the starlight.

"I didn't see Ballo," Zhong Chichen explained to Yu Yuan, shaking his head. "I've spread the word through the nearby Star River and left a message that there's a way to the Frostlands through Straikepera, offering sanctuary to Otherkin warriors."

"I feel confident here. But once I leave Straikepera, escaping becomes a challenge."

Zhong Chichen implied that he would use the Book of Time and his mastery of space magic to help those who could enter this domain. As for the distant Star River World, he was uncertain of its state and unwilling to venture there, preferring not to risk a journey to the perilous Sea of Fallen Stars where Ballo was ensnared.

If Ballo couldn't muster the strength to escape the Sea of Fallen Stars on his own, he would likely perish there.

"Denise, get away from him now!"

"You still trust him, trust these vile people! The Frostlands, ha, the Frostlands could turn into another Ashlands!"

"We trusted them once before and ended up deceived in the Ashlands!"

"..."

Upon awakening, the Starborn warrior's eyes nearly burst when he saw Denise weeping on Yu Yuan's chest.

They pointed fingers at Yu Yuan, Zhong Chichen, Loong Jie, Ann Ziqing, and Tianqi, vehemently berating them.

Those being accused maintained their silence, with not a single one offering 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 breathing, they won't die. Elena, Ji Ningshuang is currently in the Frostlands; you'll be able to meet her there," Yu Yuan reassured, nodding at Ji Ningshuang.

The ice crystal mountain barrier, infused with Ji Ningshuang's ice energy, swung open like a door.

Yu Yuan then gestured to Zhong Chichen.

With reluctance, Zhong Chichen pulled Denise aside, saying, "We need to tend to their wounds now, or they won't make it."

Denise, with much left unsaid and seeing Beru and the Starborn warriors in such dire straits, feared for their safety outside and followed Zhong Chichen into the Book of Time.

The enraged Starborn warriors continued to yell and protest on the book, adamantly refusing to enter.

Sadly, their strength was insufficient to break free from the Book of Time, and Zhong Chichen had no choice but to send them in.

"The enchantress Rebecca of the evilkind is dead. She fell in the Stellar Oblivion, right before our former headquarters," Yu Yuan stated dispassionately from atop the Dragon Slaying Stage.

He had no particular fondness or disdain for the enchantress leader, but her death at the hands of the evilkind weighed on him with a tinge of guilt.

After all, it was he who had initiated Project New Everlands, which was then propelled by the combined efforts of the Demon God Bertain and Boulderdawn, bringing together the various races of the Star River.

It all turned out this way in the end.

He certainly bears an inescapable responsibility.

"What did you witness before? How could you understand the profound meaning of those symbols? How did you know they weren't just my hallucinations?"

Chen Qinghuang's expression was one of urgency, her anxiety palpable.

Deep within her soul, those enigmatic symbols continued to siphon her Soul Power and death force, growing increasingly intricate and vivid. They were still gaining strength at an alarming rate.

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