C2147 The Arrogant Ancient Sky Fiend

The dominant soul of the Sky Fiend Saca had possessed the remains of a Stoneborn warrior and was now hurtling towards the Secular Bird Queen.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Beneath him lay a vast sea of meteors, composed of billions of meteorites of varying sizes.

With his every move, the expansive meteorite sea responded in kind.

At a glance, it appeared as though Saca had leveraged a dazzling galaxy, wielding its celestial might in battle.

Yu Yuan, who had vanished from sight and masked his presence, watched Saca manipulate the landscape as if he were witnessing the Abyss itself, with layers upon layers of land rising and falling under Saca's command.

Invisible to the naked eye and undetectable by bloodline, numerous lines interlaced between the meteorites as large as continents.

Through the Soul Altar at his brow, Yu Yuan discerned that these lines, akin to the meridians of a body, were imbued with the profound meanings of the rules contemplated by Mother Earth.

"Sky Fiend Saca!" Yu Yuan's brow tightened.

Saca, who had gained an advantage from a prior event, had transformed this meteorite sea into his demonform, using the earth's veins as its meridians to link together the colossal meteorites.

He watched intently and was struck by an eerie sensation.

The meteorites resembled the flesh and organs of Saca's demonform, the hidden earthly veins acting as its meridians, while the fleeting dark devilish clouds mimicked the blood coursing through his form.

The formidable Demon God known as Saca, like all Sky Fiends, was born devoid of a flesh-and-blood body.

In his pure devil soul state, Saca had forged an extraordinary and unconventional physique from the meteorite sea, a body filled with arcane magic and possessing the power to usurp the forces of nature.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The realm of the Secular Bird Queen, now cluttered with meteorites, saw the Divine Bird's expansive wings hindered, its movements constrained, and the brewing Dead Storm quelled.

A deeper shade of dead gray filled the eyes of the Divine Bird.

Beneath the colossal shadow cast by the Divine Bird, Chen Qinghuang's real body had been bowing its head.

However, with the arrival of the Great Demon God Saca and his proclamation, Qinghuang seemed to abruptly awaken from a bizarre trance.

The beaded curtain that had concealed her mesmerizing visage disintegrated into dust, revealing her true face.

Beneath the Divine Bird, within the re-woven Deathwing Lair, she faced the onrushing Demon God Saca and said, "Saca, I remember you."

Saca's arrival, combined with the transformation of the Solar Spirit into the Divine Bird, was disrupted by a meteor formed from a meteorite, briefly restoring her clarity of mind.

The intent of death in her eyes spread, the hissing light intertwining into symbols reeking of desolation.

She gazed intently at Saca.

The death force, indifferent to the void between them, instantly enveloped Sky Fiend Saca, consuming the Stoneborn body he had possessed.

Crack!

The Stoneborn puppet, painstakingly crafted by Saca, suddenly took on the pallor of death, sprouting damp, decaying patches of mold.

Death symbols emerged on the skin of the Stoneborn warrior, eroding any remaining life force within the body.

"Come."

Chen Qinghuang summoned in a soft voice.

The Stoneborn warriors, refined by Saca, broke free from his control and, propelled by the death symbols, flew towards Chen Qinghuang.

Under Chen Qinghuang's piercing gaze, the Stoneborn puppet transformed into a Ghoul under her command.

All connection between Demon God Saca and the Stoneborn puppet was severed in an instant.

Another force, gnawing at his devil soul and compelling him to seek his own demise, emerged from the remains of the Stoneborn warrior, catching Saca off guard.

Whoosh!

Saca's devil soul, making a decisive move, abandoned the puppet body of the Stoneborn warrior and hovered above the sea of meteorites.

This sea, composed of innumerable shattered realms, was Saca's true demonform, where each strand of his devil soul roamed the depths.

"What a shame I didn't claim your corpse back then; a little refinement, and it would have made an excellent demonform," Saca mused, his pure devil soul manifesting over the meteorite sea, his wild laughter unabated.

He felt no loss over the mere Stoneborn puppet.

"To encounter you again after a hundred thousand years, Saca, here in the Astral Domain of the Sky Fiend race," Chen Qinghuang said, nodding slightly. Her demeanor turned focused and earnest, her face and eyes growing colder. "It's fitting. You've been hiding in Zionidall all this time, never venturing out. It seems you had no other choice."

The ancient Sky Fiends, Saca and Sable, had always been stationed at the Sky Fiend's stronghold, Zionidall, under Bertain's command.

Chen Qinghuang had been reborn, her combat prowess soaring to its former peak, yet she was still unable to seek vengeance in Zionidall.

Zionidall served as the main fortress of the Star-Spawned Terrors, within Bertain's domain, a place no one in the Origin Realm dared to enter lightly.

"Old Saca, lately..."

Youqian, a fellow Demon God, spoke to Kaiya as they hovered in the Starway. Trailing behind them were numerous ninth-level Demon Gods, who kept their distance due to the disparity in status.

"He's become overly arrogant," Youqian murmured, "acting as if no one else matters."

Kaiya frowned, her voice low, "He's reaped massive rewards at the pinnacle of the Abyss. Those fragments of land that broke away contain earth powers he can harness and refine. And our source, out of respect and humility, Saca has bestowed it all upon him."

"Now, Saca's true power... I might not even be a match for him," Kaiya sighed.

Youqian expressed his shock, "Before your father emerges, isn't Saca the most powerful among us Demon Gods? No wonder he's been so dismissive of me and Reid lately. Even you... seem beneath his notice."

"To him, only my father is the towering peak he must look up to. Lord Reid, you and I are merely his juniors, never truly in his sight," Kaiya said somberly.

As she spoke, Kaiya cast a wary glance around her.

She sensed an unseen gaze fixed upon her since she had stepped through the Starway, scrutinizing her every move.

With her current level of power and insight, such a feeling suggested that someone in Zagreus was indeed watching her.

Who could evade my detection?

Kaiya found it puzzling.

With a whoosh, a colossal stone statue emerged from the Starway, surveying the galaxy with benevolent eyes.

The Evil God Hamm!

Forged in the extraterrestrial Sword Prison, he embodied both malevolence and benevolence. He recognized Yu Yuan as the Lord of the Abyss and had once been united with Taixu.

After scouring the area, Hamm made a beeline for the Demon God Saca.

His benevolent demeanor was all part of an effort to curry favor with Saca.

Once Hamm acquired the black and green essence, the stone statue took on a similar hue. The deep sword scars left by Nie Qingtian now pulsed with green lightning, thanks to the infusion of this essence.

"Lord Saca, I, Hamm, have come to assist you!" he bellowed from a distance.

Youqian and Kaiya exchanged a glance, both sensing something odd.

"The power Hamm is delving into in the Abyss seems to be connected to the earth's power," Youqian murmured after observing. "That's why his soul resides in the statue. He must have realized that Saca is the key to his path, hence his eagerness to ingratiate himself."

"It's no surprise Saca has been so bold lately. There's even an Evil God from the Abyss who's eager to align with him," Kaiya noted.

Midway through his ranting and raving, Hamm came to an abrupt halt.

He sensed a power, deeply concealed!

This was the master he was meant to serve, the master he was compelled to serve.

The stone statue that Hamm had become froze in midair, then began to sway, as if searching for something.

"Master, master, my master..." he whispered under his breath.

In the shadows.

Yu Yuan, perched atop the Dragon Slaying Stage, watched the statue's peculiar movements, his remnant soul spreading out like a spider's web, his expression curious.

Kaiya and Arthurs had only a vague inkling.

Yet Hamm, the Evil God who had spent years within the statue, had detected Yu Yuan's presence in such a short span of time.

And now, he was actively trying to pinpoint his location.

"Yu Yuan is here!"

Youqian and Kaiya declared in unison.

The oddity of Hamm's behavior led them to the sudden conclusion that Yu Yuan was indeed in the Zagreus Astral Domain at that very moment.

"It has to be him!" Youqian asserted with conviction. "The Secular Bird Queen has made her appearance. He... must be close by."

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