C2290 The One Who Broke the Situation
Zhiya's reliance was none other than Yu Zhu.
She entrusted the Phoenix Shrine to Yu Zhu, instructing her to carve out a Void's Maelstrom within it. Zhiya was confident in Yu Zhu's ability to unfurl and seal all the rifts leading to the Void's Maelstrom.
With Yu Zhu present, she could effectively hold the line against any number of foes.
Sizzle, sizzle!
Yu Zhu hung her head, her youthful face etched with determination.
She didn't fully grasp Zhiya's strategy; her sole focus was to assist her mother in safeguarding the hidden place behind her, ensuring no one could enter or cause it to fracture.
Should it break, countless alien beasts would become the target of that dreadful, carnivorous mass.
Astral Tiger, golden deer, Darkgold Beast God, Iron-winged Bird Beast God—this surge of vital energy would immediately draw attention if it emerged within the Stellar Phoenix.
The lethal flesh and blood drifting in other Wasteland Astral Domains would shift here in an instant.
This spelled doom for all living beings.
"Sorry, I can't let you in," Yu Zhu whispered.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The towering Peak of Creation began to emanate a formidable gravitational pull. The surrounding stars and terrain, influenced by the massive mountain, started to shift towards the slender gap.
An immense, profound force triggered a tidal wave of energy from the Star River, and the slim fissure began to widen under the pressure.
"If you're reluctant to act, I can step in," offered the consciousness of Mother Earth, her presence permeating the Peak of Creation as the nearby land thundered. With an undisturbed tone, she stated, "I can shatter that crack, revealing the hidden land veiled within the void to materialize in the Stellar Phoenix."
Even as she elevated Taishi to supreme status, she had reserves to challenge Yu Zhu, her strength seemingly bolstered by the Tree of Life's anchoring in the Abyss.
"Hold on," Yu Yuan interjected, his brow furrowed in concern.
At his words, the Peak of Creation ground to a halt.
Mother Earth's divine form also emerged atop the peak, reassuring, "Rest easy, the girl will survive. I can spare her, exposing all the alien beasts within."
Yu Zhu abruptly looked up, her eyes icy as they met Mother Earth's gaze.
"Little girl, don't glare at me like that. If it weren't for Yu Yuan, I'd have slain you by now."
The Earth Spirit was naturally not intimidated by her. With a dismissive raise of her eyebrows, she declared, "In the Origin Realm, I feared not even the two Primal Animas. You still have a long way to go before you can intimidate me."
"I can observe the movements in the Frostlands. There's no rush," Yu Yuan remarked.
"Can you really see that far?" Mother Earth asked, astonished.
Yu Yuan gave a light snort, "Her attempt to consume the Primal Blood won't be so easy."
...
In the Frostlands, Zhiya was stirring up trouble, attempting to convince Ji Ningshuang to turn against the Extreme Cold and suggesting they share the Primal Blood and jointly refine the two Primal Animas.
She evidently held no reverence for the Primal Anima, who was akin to a deity.
Her words sent shockwaves through the crowd.
God-Kings like Taixu and Tianqi were fearful that Ji Ningshuang might be swayed by her, so they kept a close watch on Ji Ningshuang's actions.
Even Lin Daoke fell silent, gazing blankly at Ji Ningshuang.
Lin Daoke appeared to be waiting for Ji Ningshuang to make her own decision, one he would respect regardless of what it was.
After all, in his heart, Ji Ningshuang was a disciple of the Sword Sect, and her swordsmanship's profound meanings were etched into his primordial spirit sword.
"Are they planning to refine the Creator?"
Elena, a formidable Otherkin, was alarmed by Zhiya's audacity.
"Her proposal seems... rather appealing."
The Abyssal Leviathan, allied with Denise of the Starborn, stroked its chin thoughtfully. "Yu Yuan managed to refine the Primal Blood in the Wasteland, which greatly enhanced his divine power. This feat allowed the Blood Altar to surpass the Soulstone Pedestal at the Soul Altar. Refining a Primal Anima is a wholly different concept from receiving the profound mysteries of the rules granted by a Primal Anima!"
He had learned from Lin Daoke about the Spring of Death in the Creitecesh, which provided access to another world.
In that world, there were many beings as powerful as Kurkova, the Death God, who refined Primal Animas corresponding to their own attributes to gain supreme divine power.
Zhiya was well aware of her goal, which is why she allowed the Frostlands to taint her, aiming to refine the Primal Blood of this realm.
However, the Primal Anima she sought wasn't necessary for her.
If she could successfully persuade Ji Ningshuang and the Primal Anima without a fight, she could easily penetrate the Primal Blood and assimilate the coveted Primal Anima, significantly enhancing her own power.
But her interlocutor was none other than Ji Ningshuang, the wielder of the Stardust Blade.
Upon hearing the proposal, Ji Ningshuang didn't waver or ponder; she proactively retreated and pressed her back against a prismatic ice crystal.
She willingly embraced the bitter cold!
Whoosh!
A surge of icy spiritual sense flowed unimpeded into her body, merging consciousness and flesh.
"I am proud of you," the voice of the extreme cold echoed in Ji Ningshuang's mind. It didn't confine her primordial spirit but instead chose to unite with Ji Ningshuang in a novel manner.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
New, glacial spiritual energy burst forth from the prismatic ice crystal, coursing into Ji Ningshuang's body.
This spiritual sense transformed into a profound ice magic, permeating Ji Ningshuang's meridians and limbs, etching into her bones, and melding with her soul.
"Your steadfast commitment has earned my willingness to share with you my greater strength."
His power blended with Ji Ningshuang's divine might, and instantly, a sword light infused with ice fragments and Ice Shards cleaved through the monstrous entity in the violet sea.
The sword light resembled a frigid Star River, composed of numerous ice crystal stars and landmass-like ice blocks.
As the icy Star River descended upon the violet sea, the demon energy solidified with a hiss.
"You fail to recognize your own fortune," Zhiya scoffed. The firebird-shaped violet sea transformed into an immense carcass adorned with numerous large orbs of light on its wings.
These carcasses stood like mountains and towering pillars.
The ancient and vast corpses, belonging to beings from the Otherworld that Ji Ningshuang had never encountered, had been lifeless for eons. Yet their bodies remained undecayed, seemingly intertwined with the cosmos itself.
The skeletal remains erected in the violet sea were invigorated by Zhiya's demonic energy, unleashing a roar at Ji Ningshuang.
A tremendous force erupted within the skeletons, shattering Ji Ningshuang's sword light and starlight into oblivion.
Whoosh!
Enveloped in a dense fog of blood, a rusted copper coffin burst forth from the jaws of a corpse, hurtling toward the prismatic ice shard that symbolized extreme cold.
With a swift strike of her sword, Ji Ningshuang shattered the copper coffin to pieces.
In an instant, swarms of insects and flies emerged from the broken coffin, their wings as sheer as a cicada's, eagerly swarming the prismatic ice shard.
Crack crack!
The insects gnawed at the ice shard, frenziedly tearing into the true "flesh" of the extreme cold.
"What on earth are these things?"
The little spinosaurus shrieked, eyeing the bizarre insects with an innate sense of dread.
Roar!
The formidable beast within the violet sea let out another bellow.
Inside the prismatic ice shard, the roar caused the blood-colored lightning to twist and turn chaotically, sending bursts of uncontrollable blood-colored light scattering outward.
The dense insects feasted on the blood-colored light as it filtered through the ice shard.
The once fist-sized insects and flies, upon ingesting the blood-colored light, underwent a grotesque transformation, swelling in size and taking on the forms of the massive corpses within the violet sea.
"These are intelligent beings born from the Abyss of Truth."
Lin Daoke, his expression stoic, had witnessed the Abyss of Truth and listened to Yu Yuan's accounts. He now floated before Ji Ningshuang.
Whoosh!
The Solar Spirit Sword, arriving from afar, was deftly caught in his free hand.
The next moment saw the unleashing of countless strands of spiritual energy, each one a pure sword light, slashing at the malformed creature.
The creature, still in the midst of transformation and having gorged on the blood-colored light, was eradicated by the swathes of sword light.
The insects that clung to the ice shard, deprived of the blood-colored light, were extinguished by his sword's will.
"The Frostlands have crumbled; it's no longer a haven within the starry expanse, nor does it possess any defenses. There's no need for you to remain here."
Lin Daoke cast a glance at Ji Ningshuang and spoke, "Allow the Primal Blood within this crystal to guide you to a new sanctuary."
With those words, he lifted his sword and plunged into the purple depths, vanishing in an instant.
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