C311 Demonic Power!
Zhao Yafu lifted the green cast-iron sign, etched with the image of the Moonfang Tiger, her smile blooming like a flower.
The Nimbuswing, hailing from the Silvermoon Empire, had once been overlooked.
Yet, with the revelation of the cyan cast-iron sign she produced, the Nimbuswing—ordinarily soaring high without sturdy defenses or offensive arrays—suddenly emanated a palpable aura of menace.
In the pristine night sky, thunderclouds roiled and crackled with energy.
Abruptly, the clouds coalesced into a robust elder nearly two meters tall.
This elder of the Thunder Sect, a practitioner of the Spirit Walk, bore his muscular arms openly, donning only a sleeveless gray shirt. His exposed arms were entwined with delicate strands of lightning, each arc shimmering with a spectrum of colors.
Around his waist hung a jade belt, from which dangled brightly glowing iron balls.
Each sphere brimmed with the ferocious power of thunder, as if harnessing the celestial might of extraterrestrial storms, distilled into their very essence.
An orb, mingled with shards of ice, shrank to the size of a grain of rice before abruptly swelling in size.
Once it expanded, it revealed an elder clad in white from Winter's Bite.
His visage was gaunt, his frame emaciated, his eyes sunken, and his nose pronounced, resembling an aged eagle. His gaze was icy and unyielding, exuding an air of haughty aloofness.
His garments were loose-fitting, the sleeves billowing in the breeze, concealing a tempestuous ice storm within.
A peek inside would reveal two frigid little worlds hidden within his sleeves, filled with an endless array of ice sculptures and crystalline wonders.
"Winter's Bite, Zou Jin."
"Thunder Sect, Jiang Moyan."
Upon the appearance of the green cast-iron sign, the two cultivators of the Spirit Walk state disclosed their identities, introducing themselves to the sign.
Before the sign, symbolizing the Moonfang Tiger, had emerged, the two had perceived an unusual presence within Zhao Yafu but had not exhibited such caution.
Moreover, they had consented even before Bai Shuang had articulated her request.
Bai Shuang of Dragon Lake had agreed to apprehend Zhao Yafu to confirm her suspicions.
When Zhao Yafu actually pulled out the cyan cast-iron sign and lifted it for all to see, there was no feigning ignorance or looking away.
The formidable presence of the Moonfang Tiger was not to be taken lightly!
The chilling, desolate aura emanating from the cast-iron sign informed the two Spirit Walk cultivators that this was the very expanse of stars the Dark Deity guarded beyond the Everlands.
As the only new Dark Deity in a millennium, the Moonfang Tiger commanded respect from even the so-called orthodox cultivators of Euwrea.
Zou Jin and Jiang Moyan, in their arrogance, had concealed their identities while cornering Shen Feiqing and Bai Shuang.
They believed that their status and rank exempted them from revealing their true selves to the assembled crowd.
Yet, upon seeing the cast-iron sign bearing the image of the Moonfang Tiger, they immediately dispelled their masking spells and presented their true faces to the sign—out of reverence.
They understood the staggering power possessed by a tenth-level Dark Deity.
Despite the vast distance of the starry sea, the Moonfang Tiger could peer through the cyan cast-iron sign held by Zhao Yafu and discern their slightest movements.
Surely, a drop of its lifeblood resided within the sign.
With the Dark Deity's lifeblood inside, the cyan cast-iron sign transformed into its Demon Eye, allowing its perception and sight to transcend spatial boundaries.
A single drop of demonic blood, a common divine ability among Dark Deities, allowed for the observation of the cosmos.
Around Dragon Lake, the cultivators were struck dumb with awe.
All eyes were fixed on the cyan cast-iron sign that Zhao Yafu brandished within the Nimbuswing.
The appearance of the two Spirit Walk cultivators from Thunder Sect and Winter's Bite, addressing the cast-iron sign, gradually enlightened those who had been in the dark.
Aboard the Golden Ship, Wei Wujiang, the Sunblessed Empire's hand-chosen disciple of the Thunder Sect's Sect Master, looked on with a grim expression.
Jiang Moyan, upon introducing himself, cast a sidelong glance at Wei Wujiang.
Wei Wujiang, grasping the situation with resignation, gestured downward with his hand.
The Golden Ship groaned as it sank significantly, cutting the Nimbuswing in half.
The green cast-iron sign symbolized the presence of the Astral Tiger. To behold the sign was akin to witnessing the Dark Deity in the flesh!
The Golden Ship, in the presence of the cast-iron sign, could not presume to remain above the Nimbuswing.
With a rueful smile, Wei Wujiang's gaze flickered uncertainly as he covertly observed Wei Feng.
Anxiety gnawed at him; he feared that the Moonfang Tiger might discover the Dark Phoenix blood coursing through his sister's veins.
The mere thought of the repercussions sent a chill down Wei Wujiang's spine, leaving him deeply unsettled.
Yu Yuan, who had been intent on slaying Wang Jinlin, had been forewarned by Python Queen Xu Zixi and was assured of Zhao Yafu's safety. Yet, the sight of the green cast-iron sign left him utterly astonished.
Returning from the Moonfall Sanctuary and witnessing Zhao Dongsheng on the verge of shattering his Veil Breaking bottleneck with a surge of demon energy, Yu Yuan speculated about the Zhao family's mysterious benefactor.
He had assumed that their new patron might be a solitary archdemon from the northern reaches of the Land of Quiescence.
Within the Land of Quiescence, Shadow's Keep stood as a dominant force among the multitude of evilkind factions, the epitome of power and legitimacy.
Yet beyond the Keep, there were archdemons who valued their independence, roaming freely, unbound by any authority.
Yu Yuan had believed that the Zhao family had garnered the favor of such a free-spirited archdemon.
What he hadn't anticipated was that the one enchanted by Zhao Yafu's potential was none other than the newly ascended Dark Deity within Shadow's Keep—the Moonfang Tiger!
In his past life, Yu Yuan had many dealings with Shadow's Keep but had never personally encountered the legendary Astral Tiger.
Nonetheless, he was well-versed in the tales of the Astral Tiger's fearsome prowess in battle, having established its theater of war even among the extraterrestrial realms.
The Sky Fiends and Otherkin magnates who had perished at the claws of the Astral Tiger were innumerable.
Moreover, the Moonfang Tiger had taken up residence in a perilous expanse of the starry sky, tasked with defending against extraterrestrial foes.
Both the Thunder Sect and Winter's Bite were likely aware of the Moonfang Tiger's role in safeguarding the Everlands from the incursion of outsiders.
Yu Yuan fixed his gaze on Zou Jin and Jiang Moyan.
The pair examined the green cast-iron sign, introduced themselves, and after a brief wait, their expressions eased.
These two Spirit Walk cultivators seemed to have received some assurance, confident that the Moonfang Tiger had no interest in their actions within the Forgotten Ruins.
Jiang Moyan's attention shifted from the cast-iron sign as she advised Bai Shuang, "There's no need for you to visit Asvetaesi."
The face of the seventh-level Silverfrost Dragon was concealed behind silver scales, rendering her features invisible.
She nodded slightly and murmured an affirmative "Mhm."
In truth, Jiang Moyan's warning was unnecessary. Once the affiliation of the green cast-iron sign with the Moonfang Tiger was confirmed, Dragon Lake would certainly not venture to Asvetaesi to pursue the Zhao family's vendetta.
Times had changed; the once-glorious Nagas could no longer dare to antagonize Shadow's Keep.
Bai Shuang's primary concern was whether Wei Feng, with her Dark Phoenix lineage, had attracted the Moonfang Tiger's attention or had been revealed.
She still harbored hopes for Wei Feng.
Moreover, the enmity between the Nagas and the Dark Phoenix far surpassed that of the recently risen Moonfang Tiger. To eradicate the Dark Phoenix's progeny, the Nagas might indeed be willing to brave the dangers.
After all, the Moonfang Tiger had not been directly involved in the betrayal against the Nagas.
It was the Dark Phoenix and a few ancient archdemons who were truly responsible for toppling the Nagas from their celestial throne!
Zhao Yafu's smile was sweet as she suddenly tucked the iron sign, engraved with the Moonfang Tiger, into her garment.
For reasons unknown, all the cultivators present, each with their potent triad of souls, felt a lightening of their spirits, as if a weighty burden had been lifted from their Mindscape.
Yu Yuan, too, felt a subtle quiver in his spirit.
His practice of Soul Forging through Enlightenment had honed his heaven soul to a keen edge. He was acutely aware of a mysterious connection to the small space at the bottom of the Soulforge Pool, and he could distinctly sense something quietly fading from within his very flesh.
A tenth-level archdemon, separated by the vastness of Endless Space and the Star River, uses the green cast-iron sign to peer into the cosmos!
Yu Yuan inhaled deeply, a newfound respect welling up within him as he contemplated the sheer terror of the mightiest beings in the Everlands. He marveled at the unfathomable methods and the astonishing divine powers they must wield.
Nestled among the stones at the bottom of the lake lay an inconspicuous pebble.
Yan Qiling, Yu Zhu, and the High Oracle each instinctively cast a glance at Xu Zixi.
"Why are you all staring at me?" Xu Zixi touched his nose and remarked, "What's so unusual about this little world being spotted by the Astral Tiger? What's there to worry about? If I'm with you, he'll act as if he saw nothing."
The moment Zhao Yafu revealed the cast-iron sign, the High Oracle realized their hidden sanctuary had been compromised.
