C700 Clansmen Fighting Each Other

"By tradition, a Human Emperor's realm must not exceed that of a Solar Spirit."

Zu Ann, holding the Mirror of Fates, addressed the Songbird Queen with a steady gaze and even tone, "A cultivator at the Unbound Stage is unfit to rule an empire. Having ascended to the Unbound Stage yourself, it is time for you to abdicate and pass the throne of the Songbird Empire to another of your choosing."

"Rules?"

The Songbird Queen scoffed.

"Who established these rules? Honorable Zu Ann, your arrival with a host of malevolent beings to exert pressure on my Afnetalos—does it reflect the will of the three upper sects? Or did the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep command you to coerce me into compliance?"

"I am unaware if the upper sects, Devil Palace, or Shadow's Keep would sanction your manipulation of the Star-Spawned Terror, the various archdemons who have forsaken the Everlands, and those who have turned against the Shadow's Keep."

While the Songbird Queen spoke, the Divine Bird soaring in the heavens continued to grow more formidable.

Countless divine rays surged from within the city, merging into its very essence.

Beneath the stars and moon, the ascendant Divine Bird displayed a captivating grace, its outstretched wings like icy blades, casting a light that sent shivers down one's spine.

The Divine Bird ceased its cries, yet its piercing gaze seemed to decree death upon any it beheld.

Even Green Willow, a ninth-level archdemon, sensed that with the Divine Bird's escalating power, it would soon become an even more formidable adversary.

"A creature that has shed its corporeal body, with a demon soul merged into the grand array, still possesses such formidable might," Green Willow remarked, visibly impressed. His gaze moved from the Divine Bird to the teleportation circle in the north of the city and then to the Songbird Queen conversing with Zu Ann, expressing his astonishment, "In my absence from the Everlands, it seems a new prodigy has emerged."

Green Willow's words were gentle and melodious.

Every listener, whether they were cultivators within the city or the archdemons and alien soul Sky Fiends lurking in the depths of the Ashen Shadowmist, heard him loud and clear, hanging on his every word.

Including Yu Yuan.

He had a sudden realization that the Divine Bird ascending to the heavens was actually merged with the Phoenix Skybreak Array through its demon soul. The Divine Bird was the artifact soul of this extraordinary grand array.

The Divine Bird owed its formidable power and form to the Phoenix Skybreak Array, and by extension, to the Songbird Queen.

"Cough! Cough! Cough!"

A luminous crescent moon, accompanied by a fit of violent coughing, materialized in the southern sky above the city.

Beneath the bright moonlight, another crescent emerged with a figure seated upon it, legs dangling and gently swaying.

As he rocked back and forth, he coughed and said, "Green Willow, you've been confined in the Sword Prison for far too long. So long, in fact, that you've lost touch with the affairs of the extraterrestrial realm."

"Tan Junshan!"

"Master Tan!"

Upon witnessing the crescent moon and the silhouette perched atop it, the city's inhabitants gasped in awe.

The most elated among them were Liu Ying and the remaining members of the Starmoon Sect.

There were also many who had braved the encirclement of Sky Fiends and Otherkin, managing to break through and return alive thanks to Tan Junshan's protection. As his figure appeared, they bowed reverently and voiced their gratitude.

Among them was Weixian of Winter's Bite.

With his late-stage Spirit Walk prowess, Weixian, who had ruthlessly slaughtered Lin Hanyu in the Forgotten Ruins, was utterly respectful and sincerely grateful to Tan Junshan.

Weixian was acutely aware that without Tan Junshan's earlier intervention, he and Ditdite would have met untimely deaths.

"Tan Junshan, I was already renowned in the Everlands before you were even born," Green Willow retorted with a snort. "While I commanded the forces of evilkind in the extraterrestrial Star River, you, Tan Junshan, had not even embarked on the path of cultivation. You think I'm out of touch with extraterrestrial affairs? Do you truly believe that the Upper Sects, Devil Palace, and Shadow's Keep can maintain their grip on the situation as they once did?"

At these words, Tan Junshan furrowed his brow and remained silent.

He was well aware that both the extraterrestrial realm and the Everlands had spiraled out of control.

The moment the long-vanished Boulderdawn Sect reemerged from the distant Star River and approached the Everlands, Tan Junshan realized that they had come prepared.

He had not anticipated that the remnants of the Boulderdawn Sect, having fled the Everlands, would have grown so powerful after years of lying low and building their strength. They had become a force that not even the Upper Sects, Devil Palace, or Shadow's Keep could suppress.

Back in the day, within the vastness of the Everlands, Boulderdawn was not an entity any single power could contend with on its own.

Years later, after flourishing beyond the stars, Boulderdawn had grown into a formidable force capable of shaking the Star River, instilling fear across numerous races.

The difference now was that Boulderdawn had more internal factions and had broken with tradition by beginning to accept Otherkin.

Some branches of Boulderdawn were entirely composed of extraterrestrial beings or those of mixed heritage.

Having mastered Boulderdawn's arcane spells, they rapidly advanced in both realm and strength, becoming the bane of the three upper sects, Devil Palace, and Shadow's Keep.

Believing the time was right, Boulderdawn sought to reclaim its rightful place in the Everlands and take back everything that belonged to them.

All the sects that had once opposed Boulderdawn, including Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep, had no choice but to face the challenge.

"The throne of the Songbird Empire is yours to relinquish. You may choose to retreat to the extraterrestrial Star River and remain uninvolved. Since you did not align with the three great upper sects, the past incidents do not concern you. All that is required of you is to stay neutral," Zu Ann stated earnestly, his expression unchanging. "The Chen family and the Songbird Empire remain the most powerful family and empire on the Aetherius Continent. The members of the Chen family will survive."

"Is that your proposal?" inquired the Songbird Queen.

Zu Ann nodded affirmatively. "Indeed."

"On what grounds does The Hon. Zu Ann believe you can coerce me?" The Songbird Queen's silver crown shifted as her gaze, hidden behind a curtain of beads, bore into Zu Ann. "Senior, having merged with Skyreach Peak, you must realize that victory is not guaranteed in a battle against me within Afnetalos."

It was widely acknowledged that cultivators of the Unbound realm experienced a significant boost in power when merging paths.

Untamed was nearly invincible in the Marsh.

At Skyreach Peak and throughout the entire Skyreach Mountain Range, no cultivator of the Unbound realm at Zu Ann's level could match him.

The Songbird Queen's domain of power was none other than the city of Afnetalos, which lay behind her. Within its walls, and for a radius of five hundred miles around, she could effortlessly command the city's might. She had the capability to unleash the formidable terror of the Phoenix Skybreak Array. Even Zu Ann, who was of a higher Unbound level, might not be able to best her.

Zu Ann was supported by Green Willow and Tan Junshan, but the Songbird Queen was not intimidated by him. Eighth-level archdemons, demon kings, and Otherkin from the extraterrestrial realms were not of sufficient rank to be considered threats in her eyes.

Moreover, they were in the Everlands, where reinforcements from the upper sects, the Devil Palace, and Shadow's Keep would continue to arrive.

What did she have to fear?

"Then I'll show you the source of my confidence," Zu Ann declared with a light whistle.

Suddenly, the Divine Bird soaring in the sky gathered an incalculable number of lightning bolts and funneled them into Afnetalos like cascading waterfalls. The power that rightfully belonged to the city was reclaimed, vanishing into the walls and towering structures of the inner city. The aura radiating from the Divine Bird plummeted several fold.

Even the Songbird Queen's form, standing before Zu Ann, became momentarily indistinct, as if an unseen force was rapidly draining from her.

"When you were slaying Sky Fiends in the starry expanse with your Solar Spirit Body, another from the Chen family took over the city's construction," Zu Ann said, his voice steady. "He infused his will into the city, making a part of Afnetalos his own."

"Liangquan!" the Songbird Queen called out softly.

"I am present," came the serene reply from Chen Liangquan, deep beneath the ground. "Your Majesty, in these times, we must align with the right faction. Our choice now will determine the fate of both the Chen family and the Songbird Empire. Your Majesty, my allegiance this time lies in opposition, not with the upper sects, the Devil Palace, or Shadow's Keep."

At these words, every cultivator remaining in the city was visibly shaken.

Chen Langzhi of the Chen family was, unexpectedly, the most anguished among them.

In the absence of Her Majesty, he had followed Chen Liangquan's orders, fully aware that Chen Liangquan carried the heavy expectations of the Songbird Queen. Yet, his true allegiance lay with the Queen herself.

He struggled to comprehend that Chen Liangquan, whom he had obeyed these past days, had already chosen a different path.

Then it dawned on him: the emergence of the Soul-Igniting Mist within the city walls must have been under Chen Liangquan's covert supervision.

Above Cloud Lake, the illusory Soul-Igniting Mist materialized. Chen Liangquan was not only aware of it but likely a direct participant.

The prospect of a family feud was the very thing he most dreaded and found utterly intolerable.

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