C365 The Wail of the Emperor

Yu Zhu's disappearance sent shockwaves through everyone.

Tong Laoqian, piloting the Jade Tower, excitedly made his way toward the floating island.

A string of copper coins shone with a resplendent golden glow, forming a bridge-like path extending to the floating island.

The Jade Tower was Tong Laoqian's masterpiece, forged over nearly a century from remnants of palaces and buildings of great dynasties, along with copper coins, jade seals, and vessels of exquisite and unique design—all meticulously refined.

Yet, the capabilities and stature of the Jade Tower still fell short of his satisfaction.

If it were otherwise, the Jade Tower would have withstood Shen Feiqing's distant punch without crumbling its internal structures.

This indicated that the defensive strength of the Jade Tower had not yet met his lofty expectations.

Moreover, the floating island was a marvel, originally composed of a hundred types of fine gold from the Forgotten Ruins, amalgamated with dragon blood, bones, and corpses, all bound and fortified by dragon tendons.

The floating island also seemed to be subtly linked to the destiny of the world below.

Should he manage to assimilate it into the Jade Tower, serving as its foundation, it would undoubtedly elevate the tower's rank, propelling it to greater heights.

And with the girl who presided over the floating island missing, wasn't this the perfect opportunity for Tong Laoqian?

"Heh!"

Out of nowhere, Golden Fiend, who knew all the secrets, perched on his gourd and let out a sinister laugh.

"What's so funny?" Tong Laoqian inquired.

Golden Fiend wagged a finger at him and said, "Your greed knows no bounds. You dare to covet everything and hatch such grand schemes."

"I've given up on the Mysterious Realm," Tong Laoqian retorted angrily, "but why shouldn't I claim this floating island? I've traveled a great distance; I can't just leave empty-handed, can I?"

"Suit yourself," Golden Fiend replied, his smile tinged with mockery.

Tong Laoqian paused, taken aback.

He turned to Yan Qiling, noticing the enigmatic figure hovering above Yu Yuan, and received a sly grin in return. "Go ahead, try to claim and refine the floating island if you wish. Rest assured, I won't interfere. But be prepared—you wouldn't want to risk the Jade Tower without successfully refining the island first."

Tong Laoqian's expression soured as he glanced toward Qi Hongyi.

Qi Hongyi remained impassive. "I'm clueless."

In that instant, Tong Laoqian involuntarily cast his gaze skyward once more.

The Fallen Star Eyes had descended to a visible height. He could make out the figures of Liu Ying, Qin Yun, Yuan Lianyao, and the rest.

"Idiot."

Liu Ying's lips parted slightly, her eyebrows arching as she muttered, "Claiming to be a demon from another realm, yet unable to sense it. Are you unaware that this world has undergone a change?"

Zhan Tianxiang and the others looked on, equally astonished.

"Oh, I nearly forgot. Only the Fallen Star Eyes and I can communicate telepathically." Liu Ying smacked her forehead as if the realization had just struck her, and with a beaming smile, she gestured toward the floating island, explaining, "This island can now be considered the foundational root of the Way of Heaven within the Forgotten Ruins. You might find it hard to believe, but the spiritual energy throughout the entire Forgotten Ruins is silently reviving."

"Reviving?" Yuan Lianyao gasped.

"That's right. The once sparse spiritual energy of the Lost Lands is mysteriously becoming more concentrated." Liu Ying laughed softly, adding, "My theory is that there's been a significant transformation within that eyeball down there."

"To what extent will the spiritual energy in the Lost Lands revive?" Yuan Lianyao pressed.

"I'm uncertain," Liu Ying admitted, her tone earnest. "The Forgotten Ruins have been overlooked by powerful sects due to the scarcity of spiritual energy. Moreover, the abundance of miasma and toxic fumes makes it inhospitable for mortals. As a result, this forsaken region has been neglected over time, slowly turning into a haven for demons."

"It appears things are changing now."

Liu Ying gazed intently at Yu Yuan, tuning into her perceptions, her eyes growing increasingly luminous.

She had taken quite a liking to Yu Zhu.

Since Yu Zhu had been invited into the realm within the brown eyeball, Liu Ying had been attentively sensing the changes.

She noticed that the divine force within the Forgotten Ruins was subtly growing richer.

Initially puzzled, she continued to probe with the Fallen Star Eyes and discovered that the spiritual energy of this Lost Lands was indeed reviving.

A subtle shift appeared to originate from the floating island.

She quickly realized that the once plain girl who had valiantly defended Yu Yuan must have stumbled upon a significant opportunity, which she then bestowed upon the floating island, causing the change to ripple through the entire Forgotten Ruins.

Tong Laoqian, initially intent on claiming the floating island, took a moment to observe his surroundings, and with growing unease, he eventually calmed down. He called out to Yan Qiling, "We've fought together, and I've sheltered you from the Silvermoon Queen's Soul Chart. Give it to me straight—can I claim this floating island?"

After a brief reflection, Yan Qiling advised, "Absolutely not!"

"Why not?"

"Just keep watching, and you'll understand soon enough."

...

Within the little world inside the Shura Eye in the Dark Realm, the crimson sword lights ceased their relentless pursuit of the Ice Shards and the eradication of the Shura's residual souls and spiritual wisdom. Instead, they began to dissipate.

The sword lights spread out to the edges and the dome of the world, working to stabilize the space and prevent a catastrophic collapse.

Originally, the sword spirit, controlling the crimson sword lights, was intent on obliterating the Shura's residual souls in the Dark Realm without concern for the stability of the little world.

The sword spirit was fixated on the Shura as the ultimate foe, determined to eradicate any trace of its existence.

However, the sword spirit had a change of heart, shifting its focus from hunting the Shura's residual souls to preventing a desperate last stand that could result in mutual destruction.

This change was prompted by Yu Yuan's heaven soul, which had transformed into an immense soul spirit at the center of the little world.

At present, she was executing intricate Spirit Magic, with countless strands of Soul Power forming a bizarre hand that soared through the skies and traversed the earth, capturing fragments of Ice Shards.

Each fragment, a Soul Crystal of the Dark Realm Shura, was forcibly embedded into Yu Zhu's mind.

The Shura's self-awareness was erased, leaving only millennia of insight into the Way of Heaven, the Shura's mystical powers, and an understanding of the myriad oddities within the Star River.

The residual soul of the Shura from the Dark Realm felt its consciousness blur and become indistinct.

He was aware that he was on the brink of death, soon to be refined by this gaunt young girl with the aid of the colossal soul.

All his marks would vanish, sacrificed to empower and craft this slight "demoness."

And the Mysterious Realm he had cultivated for eons was about to have a new master.

Faced with certain demise and devoid of any hope for survival, why not obliterate everything in a final act of defiance?

As he contemplated this, he noticed that the world around him was overwhelmed by a multitude of crimson sword lights, severing the ties to his residual soul one by one.

Yu Zhu, meanwhile, was enveloped in a spectrum of divine light, her slender form entwined with purple lightning.

The purple lightning vanished into her, merging with her heart, becoming the wellspring of her demon energy, aiding in the thorough tempering of her demon form, and culminating in her own ascension.

The demonic blood, once belonging to Wei Feng and Shen Feiqing, was now coalesced and infused within her.

The Shura's residual souls from the Dark Realm wreaked havoc, attempting to annihilate all in their path.

Initially, the commotion was immense, as if the world itself might shatter.

But when the sword spirit exerted its might, more Ice Shards were stripped from the great soul, erasing the Shura's remaining spiritual wisdom. He was tormented as if flayed by a thousand blades, gradually eroded from minor to grievous wounds, until he teetered on the brink of death.

And then, death claimed him...

At last, his final Soul Crystal was extracted by the soul and shattered above Yu Zhu's head, snuffing out his last vestige of self-awareness.

Soul Power cascaded like radiant light, descending upon Yu Zhu's crown.

Wei Feng's demon blood served as the key, while the demon soul consumed and refined the Shura's formidable Soul Power, along with its vast knowledge and insights into the world beyond.

"A new star has risen among the evilkind, its splendor illuminating the vastness of the Everlands."

"Her radiance will eventually reach into the depths of the Star River. Perhaps one day, she will join the ranks of the Dark Phoenix and the Moonfang Tiger, ascending to the Shadow's Keep to be revered by legions of evilkind."

"Is the flourishing of the Everlands truly unstoppable?"

Yue Fei's remnant soul whispered from the center of Lee Yupan's forehead.

As she watched Yu Zhu's transformation, the crimson sword light that enveloped the heavens, and the formidable giant soul, the Silvermoon Queen was overwhelmed by a sense of profound despair.

Yue Fei could only communicate with her Lunar Spirit, unaware that her real body was enduring a similarly tragic fate.

She had believed that even if her Lunar Spirit perished in this realm, her true body in the external world could still recover and ascend to its former glory, as the dominant soul and heaven soul remained intact.

As long as her corporeal form and her dominant and heaven souls existed, there would be no fundamental harm.

But now, she suddenly realized that her real body's chances of survival, after encountering the High Oracle who had forged a Solar Spirit, seemed slimmer than those of the Lunar Spirit within the gaze of the Shura Eye.

"Life is truly arduous," the empress lamented internally, feeling as though every person and creature in this world harbored ill will against her.

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