C2144 Spread

Whoosh!

The Time Book materialized out of nowhere.

Atop the broad, ancient tome stood Zhong Chichen, Loong Jie, a diminutive spinosaurus, a ground beetle, and the Chaos Roc, now in the guise of a gaunt old man. As Chen Qinghuang's figure receded into the distance, the Chaos Roc's face quivered uncontrollably, as though he were gazing upon his arch-nemesis.

Innately attuned to water, the Chaos Roc's true form was that of a colossal green fish—a symbol of life-giving water.

In the Dim Starfield, he had once received a fragment of the true essence of life from the Origin Blood. That fragment, linked to eternal life, was deemed useless by him and cast aside. Yet, it was proof of the Origin Blood's favor, indicating a connection between his bloodline and life itself.

Life and death are antithetical forces.

Watching the greenish-gray Divine Bird vanish into the Serene Starfield, he remarked, "She is far more formidable and pure now than she was 100,000 years ago."

Yu Yuan glanced at him with a furrowed brow.

The Chaos Roc recoiled, hastily clarifying, "I witnessed that era! Before I was seized by the Demon Phoenix, before my confinement in the Ember Waters, I saw her from a distance. Back then, her powers of death and destruction were in equilibrium, dispersed through her wings."

"But now..."

Drawing a shuddering breath, the Chaos Roc continued, "Both her wings are now suffused with the power of death. Moreover, her Divine Bird form, that of a titanic beast, seems devoid of vitality. She has undergone a drastic transformation since 100,000 years ago, and she appears even more unpredictable."

As the Dragon Slash Platform soared alongside the Time Book, everyone cast wary glances at Chen Qinghuang.

"What's our next move?" inquired Zhong Chichen.

"We'll check out the situation first," Yu Yuan replied, his gaze suddenly drawn to three Galaxy Ancient Starships, now corroded with rust.

"Even these decrepit warships have been reactivated by the Mondnacht Clan and the Rock Clan. Alas, it seems their days under the Devaputra's shadow in the Serene Starfield are far from easy," lamented the Chaos Roc with a sigh.

Yu Yuan remarked, "These three warships were once pristine, radiating a dazzling, unblemished light."

Chaos Roc was taken aback.

"Her power of death has spread, affecting not only flesh and blood but also inanimate objects like warships and stones," Yu Yuan continued.

Upon hearing this, Chaos Roc exclaimed in shock, "She never possessed such power before! The Still Starfield was obliterated by her frenzy a hundred thousand years ago. As you've seen, only living beings perished, while the stars and earth of the Still Starfield were merely blanketed in dust, their energy depleted."

Zhong Chichen added, "It's the same with the Oblivion Starfield."

"She has grown even more powerful!"

Chaos Roc shrieked.

At that moment, a bizarre spectacle unfolded before everyone's eyes.

The deceased members of the Mondnacht Clan and the Rock Clan began to rise sluggishly aboard the Galaxy Warship.

Their pupils were a lifeless gray, hollow and devoid of any spark of life, reminiscent of the Yin Corpses crafted by the Yin Corpse King.

Soulless, they were mere skeletons, their bodies moving in a mechanical fashion.

Slowly, they made their way toward Chen Qinghuang, who was en route to the Serene Starfield.

Subsequently,

The soulless bodies detached themselves from the Galaxy Ancient Starship and, in the frigid expanse of space, howled as they pursued Chen Qinghuang's retreating figure.

As if Chen Qinghuang were their sovereign, the one they were bound to obey, they would follow her eternally.

From within the ship's cabins, more Mondnacht and Rock Clan members emerged, equally devoid of expression and the essence of life, hurtling toward the Galaxy Ancient Starship with an aura of death.

The onlookers from the Time Book felt a chill run down their spines.

"Yin Corpses!"

"These individuals have been instantaneously transformed into Yin Corpses!" Zhong Chichen and Chaos Roc exclaimed in alarm.

Having spent many years in the vast expanses, they were aware of an insidious sect that had mastered the art of creating Yin Corpses.

This fleeting sect was deemed more malevolent than the Blood God Cult and was ultimately eradicated by the Devil Palace.

The Yin Corpse King, one of the few survivors, was confined in the Sword Prison beyond the heavens, later to be selected by Chaos Roc.

For an extended period, the Yin Corpse King and Lim Zhuyun served the Chaos Roc. The Chaos Roc had dabbled in the art of corpse refinement, gaining a rudimentary grasp of the technique.

Yet, the process of corpse refinement employed by the Yin Corpse King was far from straightforward. It involved numerous steps and meticulous procedures. There was no way for the Yin Corpse King to transform a fresh corpse into a Yin Corpse in the blink of an eye.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Zhong Chichen lamented. "The disaster that the Secular Bird Queen is about to unleash could surpass that of a hundred thousand years ago. Back then, she merely led the vibrant Starfields to death and ruin. Once dead, the creatures stayed dead, never to rise again."

"But now..."

The Yin Corpses were in pursuit of the Secular Bird Queen across the cosmos, their inner void of stillness mirroring that of the Secular Bird Queen herself.

"The presence of these Yin Corpses will impact all living beings!" The Chaos Roc declared, its complexion turning a sickly pale. "The remaining life forms of the Origin Realm, the members of the Outland Devaputra, humans, and even the Evil Gods and their kin from the Abyss might contract the aura of the Yin Corpses."

"And as a result, they will become just like the Yin Corpses!"

"It's possible that every creature in the Origin Realm will turn into soulless Yin Corpses, obedient only to Chen Qinghuang." His final words sent shivers down everyone's spine.

"The Serene Starfield is under the dominion of the Outland Devaputra. Within this Starfield, numerous groups once allied with the Devaputra can be found, as well as former members of the Divine Soul Sect and the Galaxy Crossing." Yu Yuan reflected briefly before gesturing to Zhong Chichen and Loong Jie. "You two come with me; the rest will stay at the entrance to the Cold Domain."

"Hmm, it seems I'm not much affected. My dragon form has little vitality left," Loong Jie boasted.

With his "Golden Body of Extreme Deprivation" fully realized, his entire body, save for his dragon heart, had been transmuted into divine gold. His veins coursed with the essence of the five elements' metal, rendering him resistant to the influence of the Yin Corpses.

"Caution is the best approach," Zhong Chichen advised, gesturing towards the three rust-covered Galaxy Ancient Starships.

Loong Jie uttered an "uh" and tempered his bravado.

"We should head back. This is beyond our ability to assist the Secular Bird Queen," Chaos Roc wisely suggested, taking the initiative to depart from the Time Book with the spinosaurus and the ground beetle.

"We'll follow and see for ourselves."

Zhong Chichen stowed the Time Book and, alongside Loong Jie, stood on the Dragon Slash Platform. From high above, they soared past the lifeless bodies below.

Shortly thereafter.

They followed in the wake of Chen Qinghuang's true form, traveling from the Still Starfield to the Serene Starfield.

The debris of destroyed warships littered the expanse, with shattered star fragments creating a field of drifting meteorites in the void.

Bones of the Crypt Clan, Demon Scorpion Clan, Star Race, and Silver Scale Clan members lay strewn about.

These were victims of the Devaputra's slaughter.

They had all heard the news of a glacier in the nearby Still Starfield, a passage to the safety of the Cold Domain, and had come together to seek refuge.

The bloodlines of these Crypt Clan, Demon Scorpion Clan, Star Race, and Silver Scale Clan members were not of high rank, not typically targeted by the Devaputra, Divine Bird, or Evil God.

But fear drove them. They knew that if their bloodlines evolved too far, they would be hunted down.

So they fled.

They were the next wave of refugees after the Mondnacht Clan and the Rock Clan, but tragically, they never made it to the Still Starfield before being exterminated by the Devaputra.

Now.

Their remains exuded a chilling stillness, likely a result of the Secular Bird passing overhead, casting a dense pall of death.

Before long, an eerie spectacle unfolded once more.

The corpses began to rise, sluggishly standing and instinctively seeking out Chen Qinghuang's presence.

Following their search, Yu Yuan gazed into the depths of the Serene Starfield and spotted the immense greenish-gray Divine Bird. Its wings undulated, casting forth storms brimming with the power of death.

The death storm surged toward each bright star in succession.

As the storm descended upon the stars, their protective barriers failed completely, offering no defense.

The stars, afflicted by the lethal miasma, emitted no peculiar sounds from within. It seemed as though all life had perished unknowingly in their sleep.

All was eerily quiet.

In contrast, beyond the reach of the death storm, in the regions spared its wrath, there were piercing screams.

These were the cries of the Devaputra!

The entire Serene Starfield was shrouded in death, a consequence of the Secular Bird Queen's arrival and the transformation of her Yang God into the Divine Bird.

...