C948 Like a Dream Waking up

Atop the First Peak of the Everlands, Skyreach Peak, a Divine Visage a thousand zhang tall sat suspended in the air, a long sword resting upon its back. Thousands of strands of sword's will encircled him, weaving a tapestry of annihilation and the demise of all beings. In the background, one could glimpse the lightning of the Cosmic Order crisscrossing, creating a bizarre and otherworldly scene.

Zu Ann, holding the Mirror of Fates, stood at the summit of Skyreach Peak. Clad in white, his visage bore a timeless simplicity, and atop his head sat a crest, marking him as a cultivator from an era long past. His form was enshrouded in a spiritual mist, exuding an aura of ancient wisdom.

"Sword of Destruction, Du Yuan," Zu Ann murmured, his brow furrowing slightly. With a subtle movement of his lips, his thoughts traversed a thousand miles, reaching beyond the bounds of Skyreach Peak.

"Mr. Zu, I am here by the command of our Sect Master," the towering Divine Visage spoke, bowing respectfully in the void, his fists clasped. His tone was earnest, yet a deep-seated madness lurked within his eyes, reminiscent of Qi Yunhong's own wildness. However, Qi Yunhong wore his madness openly, unashamedly, while Du Yuan's was profoundly concealed, only revealed to those few who knew him well and had witnessed it firsthand in battle or against worthy adversaries.

In the vast expanse of the Everlands, few could stand as his equal. Du Yuan, the Grand Sword Immortal ranked third within the Sword Sect, stood at the zenith of the Unbound Stage's late period, his prowess surpassed only by the two Primordial Spirit Stage Grand Sword Immortals of his order.

Zu Ann's presence brought with it an unwelcome tension. The thought of departing from Skyreach Peak had crossed his mind, but now it was forcibly dismissed. As the Everlands' most venerable Unbound Realm cultivator, who had merged with the essence of Skyreach Peak, he was a force to be reckoned with. Should he remain within the Skyreach Mountain Range, not even Du Yuan or the Sword Sect's mightiest could impose their will upon him.

He was acutely aware that Du Yuan would never dare to set foot on Skyreach Peak and engage in combat on his turf.

Even beyond the bounds of Skyreach Peak, he was confident in his ability to best Du Yuan, yet...

Du Yuan was the type to recklessly exchange life for life during the heat of battle, utterly indifferent to his own survival. If he sensed no hope for victory, he would resort to a desperate, self-destructive tactic.

Zu Ann understood that if he were to leave Skyreach Peak, he might indeed slay Du Yuan, but he would certainly sustain grave injuries in the process.

That outcome was not what he desired. Moreover, he harbored concerns that, aside from Du Yuan, a Lord of the Sunlit Order might be conspiring with him in the shadows.

"By remaining on Skyreach Peak, I can keep you in check, Du Yuan. Should another join you, I will have contributed as much." Zu Ann huffed.

"With your qualifications and power, it's only fitting that I alone am not enough to detain you," Du Yuan said with a slight smile, indirectly acknowledging that he wasn't the only cultivator from the Unbound Realm present.

With that, Zu Ann simply closed his eyes and let his consciousness drift through the Mirror of Fates, opting to observe from the sidelines.

...

The Forgotten Ruins, adjacent to the mid-lake island near Thylethlume.

Python Queen Xu Zixi, acting on orders from Shadow's Keep, had just finished imparting some directives to Yu Zhu when she felt a sudden jolt in her psyche.

A blood-red ribbon of light appeared above the mid-lake island shrouded in the Shadowflame Blight Array. It floated in the sky like a crimson river, casting her alluring face in a ghastly scarlet hue.

Xu Zixi sensed the aura of the blood-red stream and coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood.

The reflection of the stream left her face tinged with an unnatural pallor, making her look even more eerie.

"The leader of Colddeath!"

Xu Zixi was profoundly shaken and instinctively sought assistance. She attempted to reach out to Shadow's Keep and contact the nearest archdemon.

But she discovered that the space for dozens of miles around the mid-lake island was engulfed in the blood-red hue. She felt as though she was adrift in a thick, blood-red ocean, utterly unable to escape.

Not to mention sending out a warning message.

Below, a blood-red sea swallowed everything, and her consciousness began to blur.

At the heart of the island.

Yu Zhu, despite her luxurious attire and a long gown creased with folds, appeared frail and diminutive. Yet, her emerald eyes shone with an extraordinary luster, casting a bewitching glow that the average person would not dare to meet.

She stood on the island, her gaze piercing through the miasma and poison smoke to lock eyes with Ann Wen.

Her face showed no fear.

Ann Wen, amidst the blood-colored river, gazed at her with eyes like two crimson suns, silently exchanging countless messages in a single breath.

After a moment, Ann Wen smiled softly within the blood-red stream.

Boom!

A massive, eight-legged green spider's carcass burst forth from Ann Wen's blood-red river and was hurled toward the mid-lake island. "She did not fall by my hand," he clarified as the spider descended.

The blood-colored river then roared away.

Yu Zhu on the island watched as the eight-legged green spider emerged, her demonic blood surging, every cell rejoicing and yearning for the bloodline legacy left within the spider's body.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Beams of green bloodlight soared into the sky, infusing the spider's carcass, which shrank dramatically, becoming as small as a hill.

Eventually, the spider contracted to nearly a tenth of its size, breaking through the Shadowflame Blight Array and settling before Yu Zhu.

The mid-lake island trembled, and the placid waters of the lake churned into towering waves.

...

In the forbidden area, atop the Dragon Slaying Stage.

Yu Yuan slowly came to, as if emerging from a profound dream filled with bizarre and enigmatic scenes. Yet, upon opening his eyes, he immediately forgot them all.

His pupils reflected sheer bewilderment.

Undoubtedly, he had smoothly advanced to the Spirit Walk realm. With a mere thought, his Lunar Spirit could burst forth from the Mindscape, unimpeded, to explore the world beyond.

Yet, his memory halted at the moment he had drawn upon the Wraithbinding technique to extract slender golden dragons from the corpse of the golden dragon.

He had no memory of how his Lunar Spirit and real body had merged, how he had consumed the formidable Otherkin, or of absorbing the ninth-level lifeblood.

The moment he woke up, he was immediately aware of what had transpired through his soul connection with Yu Yiyi. The Lunar Spirit had returned to its rightful place, stabilizing its realm. Drawing upon his lifeblood and the power of alien blood within the Spawn of Chaos, he had opened his acupoints, amassing an immense vitality.

"Cough."

With a soft cough, he noticed the Otherkin experts gazing at him as though he were some kind of demon or specter. "The next onslaught from the three upper sects, the Devil Palace, and Shadow's Keep is bound to be much more vicious. This formation will struggle to withstand the relentless assaults of the Unbound and the ninth level archdemons."

"Oh!"

He cut himself off with a sharp intake of breath.

For some inexplicable reason, a wave of unheralded confidence flooded his heart. It was as if an inner voice assured him that the ancient and formidable Soulforge Matrix, if it could tap into its true potential, would be impervious to any primordial spirit expert, unless they came en masse.

"I retract my previous statement!" he declared, his words taking on a new conviction. "This formation may yet undergo further transformations. Unless those five paramount forces dispatch their primordial spirit experts, breaching this formation will be far from simple!"

With that, he rose abruptly to his feet. Without exerting any force or aiming to intimidate, the Soulforge Pool drifted towards him as he stood. Concurrently, a thunderous rumble emanated from deep beneath the ground where he stood.

Aoao!

Outside the dusky barrier, led by Loong Jie, the giant dragons were howling in a frenzy.

"Golden Elephant God, Grey Wolf King, Peacock Queen, and Mo Yan!"

Yu Yuan's gaze fell upon the dragons, and spotting Mo Yan from the Devil Palace among them, he felt both astonishment and irony. "Fate truly has a way of bringing enemies together."

Whoosh!

He swiftly descended onto the Crucible of Evil. As Yu Yiyi withdrew into the cauldron's little world, the dark vessel soared towards the shadowy barrier, mere steps from the ancient trial's entrance.

Subsequently, he exited the Crucible of Evil, venturing alone into the barrier.

Beyond the barrier lay the trial's entrance.

The visitors from the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep, along with the cultivators from the Land of Quiescence, who had previously been shrouded in darkness, suddenly caught sight of Yu Yuan's figure deep within the swirling, dark magic power.

"Yu Yuan!"

...