C2145 The Scope of Death

In the Serene Starfield, domain of the Devaputra, Yu Yuan was well-acquainted with this swath of the cosmos, having waged war in this realm before. Together with Chen Qinghuang, he had scoured the Serene Starfield for the carcass of a Tenth Level Moon Swallowing Ape. It was here too that the dragon egg, which birthed the Spinosaurus, was discovered.

The Great Demon God Grec had fashioned a land of resurrection here, and both Yu Yuan and Chen Qinghuang had ventured into the Dim Starfield as well. The Ice Concubine's lineage of the Freezing Devaputra also resided within the Serene Starfield.

Before it was sealed and transformed into the Starry Forbidden Ground, the Cold Domain neighbored the Still Starfield, not far from the Serene Starfield, hence the pervasive chill throughout this region.

Yu Yuan's time in the Serene Starfield was marked by an abundance of memories. Yet, upon his return after many years, he was met with the cataclysmic acts of the Secular Bird Queen. The ashen Divine Bird, with its vast wings, stirred the air of the Serene Starfield. The deathly energy emanating from it enveloped the area, turning affected creatures into Yin Corpses.

As the deathly force continued to invade, spread, and engulf, once vibrant stars fell silent and still. Wherever the death storm raged, every creature, plant, mountain, river, and lake seemed to face an apocalypse of demise. Beings perished in an instant, reborn as Yin Corpses loyal to the Secular Bird Queen. Vegetation wilted, landscapes desiccated, and waters vanished into the ether.

Verdant peaks were stripped bare, shrouded in a grim pall of death. At a distance, one could see the somber death storm either permeating the barriers of the Star World, merging with them, or becoming the barriers themselves, encircling entire stars.

Before long, from these silent and somber realms, emerged the lifeless Yin Corpses, their lineages previously capped at the Fifth and Sixth Levels. They were once unable to traverse beyond their domain, for without the World Wall's protection, they would succumb to the corrupting energies of the starry expanse, mutating into grotesque monsters.

Since they had already become Yin Corpses before venturing out, they were immune to the corruption of the Galaxy Extraordinary Talent.

The Yin Corpses, lacking significant combat power, were comprised of numerous Outlander Clansmen and emerged in various locations within the Serene Starfield.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

As the formidable Outland Devaputra drew near to Chen Qinghuang, their Devil Souls detonated, turning to dust before they could reach her.

Rings of ghastly white light waves emanated from the cyan-grey Divine Bird perched above her head. Any Devaputra that came into contact with it perished instantly.

None were spared.

The Galaxy Crossing, situated far from Chen Qinghuang within the Serene Starfield, was in complete disarray.

The guardians from the Divine Soul Sect, along with some Devaputra, were fleeing through the Galaxy Crossing, eager to relay the dire news of the Serene Starfield to the powerhouses of the Gray Domain.

Atop the Dragon Slash Platform, Yu Yuan's God's Eye opened, capturing every minute detail of the vast Starfield.

The frenzied Secular Bird Queen, the proliferation of death energy, the mass emergence of Yin Corpses, the Devaputra's flight...

He watched with a detached demeanor, his mind undisturbed by emotional turbulence.

As his memories gradually returned, the layers of the Soul Altar piled higher, amplifying his rationality, especially during critical moments, far above his emotional responses.

At times, the presence of the Soul Altar made him feel as if he shared the same disregard for life as the transcendent Origin Spirits.

"Shouldn't we intervene?" Zhong Chichen inquired quietly.

"Colorful Patriarch, why should we? Those who perished were Outland Devaputra, and the Yin Corpses are of no concern to us," Loong Jie responded icily.

"Wait."

Yu Yuan spoke calmly.

He was aware that the Devaputra stood no chance against the Secular Bird Queen without the intervention of deities like the Great Demon God Sable, Saka, or the High Priest Reid.

Andrea was likely to be stirred.

The messages conveyed through the Soul Altar from the gateway to the Realm of Nightmares revealed a potential outcome.

— Andrea had incited Beilstein to depart.

It was an excellent opportunity for him to explore the Death Spring in the guise of the Undead Sovereign.

"Let's stay hidden for now, avoid detection."

As he spoke, the Dragon Slash Platform vanished into the void without a trace.

...

"High Priest!"

A Devaputra burst forth from the Heaven Opening Flare Star, hurtling to Reid's side. The Devil Soul, housed within a skeleton, spoke frantically: "In the Serene Starfield, the Secular Bird Queen has lost her mind!"

Reid, fixated on the 'spring', scolded him first, instructing him to keep his distance.

Then he inquired, "Lost her mind? This isn't the first time she's gone mad. What... has the Demon Phoenix arrived?"

The Devaputra in the skeleton shook its head, "Just like the legends from 100,000 years ago, she's wildly spreading the energy of death. Millions in the Serene Starfield have perished because of her!"

"Even more bizarre, the fallen warriors from various races are rising again!"

Whoosh!

Another wave of human cultivators, panicked, emerged from the Heaven Opening Flare Star, recounting the upheaval in the Serene Starfield.

"Death, the energy of death, Yin zombies..."

Reid, still focused on the 'spring', felt a sudden jolt. He gazed at the motionless 'spring' and murmured, "Could it be connected to this spring, permeated with the intent of death?"

Whoosh!

From the Tia Main Planet, Andrea emerged, accompanied by Yuv Qian.

Upon receiving the dire news, Andrea, aware that the Serene Starfield was a Devaputra domain teeming with members of the Devaputra Race and a Divine Soul Sect stronghold, was deeply concerned.

After Tianqi, Taishi, Xuanli, and others had pledged allegiance to Yu Yuan and departed for the Cold Domain, Andrea unhesitatingly assumed leadership of the remaining Divine Soul Sect members. She was the sole Divine King, commanding the sect's cultivators throughout the Outer Star River.

Her authority, however, was limited to those of pure or partial Protoss lineage.

For instance, Lulu, a Protoss-Dark Elfkind hybrid, was taken in by Andrea during a conflict between the Dark Elfkind and the Devaputra, becoming a member of the Divine Soul Sect.

As long as one possessed a trace of the Protoss bloodline, they would be granted her forgiveness and spared from execution.

Previously, those who practiced the Divine Soul Sect's techniques in the bodies of other races were purged due to her distorted ideology, almost completely eradicated.

"Yuv Qian, please summon Lord Saka. We're heading to the Serene Starfield!"

"She's spreading her deathly powers throughout our Devaputra territory with utter disregard for us!"

Andrea issued a series of commands, then turned to Reid, "High Priest, continue to monitor this spring. And keep a closer watch on... my father."

Reid nodded in agreement.

...

Yu Yuan, concealed in the void, encountered the Demon God Lvliu before the Sky Demon reinforcements could arrive.

As Lvliu entered the Serene Starfield from another starfield, his overwhelming blood energy immediately caught Yu Yuan's attention.

Lvliu, in human form, could completely mask his blood energy due to his ability to fully transform, allowing him to traverse the Origin Realm unnoticed.

Neither the Sky Demons nor the Evil Gods could perceive his true Demon God identity, rendering him invisible to them.

Just arriving from a different starfield, Lvliu witnessed the frenzied Secular Bird Queen and thought to himself, "The information must be accurate; the entrance to the Cold Domain is indeed in the Still Starfield."

He had traveled from afar with the intention of passing through the Serene Starfield to reach the Cold Domain.

Not aligning with the King of Desolate Realm, Yuen Bu, nor joining the forces of Demon Phoenix Zhiya, he had avoided the Desolate Realm, instead drifting through various regions of the Origin Realm.

As the Evil God, the Sky Demons, and the Protoss joined forces to massacre the foreign beings, he evaded calamity by adopting a human guise.

But as his unease grew, he resolved to seek out Yu Yuan in the Cold Domain.

"Why have you come?"

Lvliu, unaware of the gravity of the situation, was admiring the greenish-gray Divine Bird when Yu Yuan's voice suddenly reached her ears.

Startled, Lvliu jumped, and upon seeing the Dragon Slash Platform appear with Yu Yuan, Zhong Chichen, and Loong Jie present, she blurted out, "What are you up to, skulking around like that?"

"The Secular Bird has gone mad," Zhong Chichen declared.

"I'm not blind," Lvliu responded icily.

"It's even more deranged than it was a hundred thousand years ago," Zhong Chichen added.

After a brief silence, Lvliu asked, "Is it truly that dire?"

"Without anyone to stop her, her power of death will keep escalating. It's not just the Serene Starfield at risk; nearby starfields teeming with life will also feel her impact. Moreover, this time she'll spawn innumerable Yin Corpses. These Yin Corpses will act on her behalf, spreading corruption to other worlds," Zhong Chichen lamented with a sigh.

Lvliu scrutinized the scene and indeed spotted numerous Yin Corpses emerging from several lifeless stars.

Tens of millions of Yin Corpses, originating from various stars and species with relatively low bloodline statuses, were converging towards the Secular Bird Queen from all directions.

They resembled the vast army of Yin Soldiers that the queen had under her command.

"How does she know the Yin Corpse King's heterodox techniques?" Lvliu asked with a puzzled look.

"That power has always been within her domain," Yu Yuan explained.

​