Donghai Longzi shut his eyes against his will as the golden light erupted from the Sacred Fire Grotto and filled his vision. He could feel something deep inside of him, yearning for the golden light and sutras in his ears. The battle lust, which he had hidden during his time in the Divine Beast Pseudo System, burst out and almost overtook all reasoning.
He stamped down on the impulse urging him to become a berserker and opened his eyes once more. With his vision restored, Donghai Longzi caught a glimpse of a golden streak far away before it simply vanished in the Vast Void.
Knowing that it would be futile to chase the fleeing Yujiao, he focused his attention on the Sacred Fire Grotto. From the outside, it looked nothing more than a sphere a hundred thousand kilometers wide. That did not mean the space inside was only a hundred thousand kilometers, though. In reality, it was far larger.
His gaze couldn’t pierce through the dimensional boundary of the realm artifact, but that didn’t stop him from sending a message, asking Demon Empress Bluefeather if she needed any aid. Honglin had already retreated because of her weaker strength. They would meet up again after he and Demon Empress Bluefeather threw off any possible pursuer.
When Demon Empress Bluefeather replied, Donghai Longzi could only shake his head. She only said two words, “Don’t interfere!”
The sheer amount of anger behind her demon sense was enough to scald, if not burn. Not that he couldn’t understand. In normal circumstances, Donghia Longzi would not care for the targets the demon empress vented her frustration on, even if they were from the Immortal Court, but Ba Shifang was different.
As fellow clones, even if one was no longer under Tianyi’s absolute control, they could be said to be closer than brothers. Needless to say, Donghai Longzi was not willing to see Ba Shifang die.
Just like in the Vast Void, an immortal could not regain their qi inside a realm artifact, or a realm controlled by a realmlord. A realmlord controlled almost every aspect of the realm under his control, while a realm artifact did not have the same amount of power as a realm, but the artifact’s owner had absolute control over it.
If she did not want her prey to restore his qi, then she would just prevent him from absorbing the qi of the realm artifact. Not only that, but anyone trapped in a realm artifact would face a perfect domain that constantly suppressed them. Any technique they used or unleashed would become severely inhibited, unable to achieve a hundred percent efficiency.
Ba Shifang’s greatest hope was to escape the Sacred Fire Grotto’s dimensional boundary and flee before Demon Empress Bluefeather could trap him within. Of course, that was easier said than done. Someone like Tianyi definitely could, but Donghai Longzi didn’t believe Ba Shifang could escape a realm artifact even if he could contend against an immortal emperor.
Being able to contend with an immortal emperor ultimately did not mean you were an immortal emperor, after all.
“You already know the situation, right? What are you going to do about it?” Donghai Longzi asked in a low whisper, seemingly talking to no one. But he was clear that someone was always watching and paying attention to the situation.
Upon hearing no response, Donghai Longzi didn’t ask again. Instead, he stared at the Sacred Fire Grotto. Those star-like eyes gazed into the fiery boundary, as if wanting to pierce them. The colossal serpentine body floated in the void, not moving even a millimeter, but the power building beneath those scales could destroy continents.
If Tianyi did not take action and would let Ba Shifang die, then he would save him.
In the worst-case scenario, he would destroy his cover as a spy.
The more time passed, the more power Donghai Longzi accumulated, ready to burst. Then, he caught a glimmer out of the corner of his eyes. ‘Did Yujiao come back?’
However, a familiarity and connection—one that Donghai Longzi hadn’t felt for thousands of years—appeared once more. He looked up to see a shooting star, one far more radiant and dazzling that Meng Tingfeng could ever form, coming toward him. No, it wasn’t a shooting star, but a soaring nova. One that made his eyes, which resemble twin suns, pale in comparison.
“I’m going to attack you and then break into the Sacred Fire Grotto.” The sudden transmission didn’t surprise him, but the content did.
However, Donghai Longzi soon realized the intention behind his main body’s message. The two were on opposite sides, and he couldn’t watch as Tianyi entered the Sacred Fire Grotto without doing anything. According to logic, he should attempt to block Tianyi’s path. After all, like Ba Shifang, he was also able to contend against experts in a realm higher than his own.
Donghai Longzi didn’t immediately take action. Tianyi was too far right now, and the only reason he sensed the latter was because of the connection between clone and main body. The later he “sensed” Tianyi and reported, the less time Demon Empress Bluefeather would have to react after he reported.
So, he looked down. Currently, the glimmering star was still far away. Even with his bestial perception, Donghai Longzi could not make out any details except for the star being bright. Although unordinary, stars going supernova was not a rare occurrence in the Vast Void.
He continued to gaze at the Sacred Fire Grotto, pretending to not have noticed Tianyi. Only a few minutes passed until Donghai Longzi noticed the icy void becoming a bit warmer. ‘Is it another intruder? There’s no way Main Body could affect the temperature from so far away, right?’
Donghai Longzi turned around and his pupils shrunk into needlepoints. Before he knew it, Tianyi had already appeared within a million kilometers of him, and the star-like shroud covering Tianyi formed a dwarf star with a diameter of a hundred thousand kilometers.
‘How did I miss it? Was it because I purposely avoided it?’ Donghai Longzi thought, before immediately revoking his thought. ‘Impossible. Even if I was trying to avoid noticing it, there was no way I would not sense such a presence.’
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He stared at the star soaring closer to him. Then he noticed the spatial fluctuations around the star, distorting and hiding its very presence. Unless you stared directly at it, it would be practically invisible. Tianyi had used the Law of Spacetime to hide his track, but Donghai Longzi didn’t have time to appreciate Tianyi’s skill.
‘Fast!’
Before Donghai Longzi knew it, Tianyi had already shortened the distance between them in half. He hurriedly contacted Demon Empress Bluefeather. The panic in his voice was not false. He was afraid that the demon empress would suspect him as a spy because of how late he noticed Tianyi.
And that was the only thing he could do before Tianyi arrived.
First came the blinding light. Donghai Longzi felt as if he had unknowingly entered a realm of pure white. Then came the unbearable heat. Even with a body more powerful than dragons of the same realm, he could feel his scales sizzle and scorch the flesh underneath. Maybe it was his imagination, but Donghai Longzi had the illusion that his scales were melting and melding together.
He couldn’t care for anything else at this moment. He knew that he had to escape before it was too late. So, regardless of anything, Donghai Longzi flew away. Although the heat continued to injure him, it did not restrict him much. After a few seconds that seemed like an eternity, Donghai Longzi finally escaped the fiery hell.
Steam wafted off his scales. It was not his illusion. The heat had really melted his scales. Donghai Longzi felt uncomfortable even as the excess heat dissipated. It was as if he had worn a new set of clothes one size too small.
However, Donghai Longzi did not have time to care as he turned around and finally saw what exactly Tianyi had done. He had rammed straight into the Sacred Fire Grotto. From the outside, it appeared as if two suns had collided into one another: a white nova crashing into a red sun.
At this point, it was no longer his battlefield. Even if Donghai Longzi wanted to help, he wouldn’t be able to contribute much. A sense of frustration arose within him. Not because of his injury and Tianyi’s might. No, it was at the ease at which Tianyi injured him.
Tianyi’s target hadn’t even been him, at least not directly. The result of him crashing into the realm artifact had the potential to seriously injure him had he stayed in the range. Didn’t that mean that Tianyi wouldn’t need to spare much effort to defeat or kill him?
Donghai Longzi felt as if Tianyi had widened the distance again. He had always known that Tianyi held an unreasonable advantage because of his inner universe, but knowing it and experiencing it were two different things. His eyes became firm as he made a choice. He would break through to the Demon Emperor Realm at the earliest convenience.
He contacted Demon Empress Bluefeather, explaining what had happened. Donghai Longzi originally wanted to enter and help, but to his surprise, she told him to flee like Honglin. With Tianyi’s appearance, it was no longer possible to kill the immortals present before fleeing, but now, it was unlikely to succeed.
Rather than kill the immortals and let Tianyi chase after him, it was better to flee now. Donghai Longzi didn’t argue against the order either. True, he wanted to fight Tianyi, but he knew it was meaningless at this time. The difference in power was just too vast.
So, he turned around and fled the scene, just like Honglin. He never expected that he would repeat her actions so soon.
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Tianyi sensed Donghai Longzi’s departure, and he didn’t plan on hiding that he knew. “It’s a pity. I thought the aftermath of the collision would kill that dragon, but it seems I should have killed him before breaking into this realm artifact.”
Instantly, the surrounding space tightened, and the temperature surged, but he acted as if he couldn’t feel it. And that might as well be the truth. With the endless amount of energy from the Nine Heavens Universe and his unique constitution, the Sacred Fire Grotto couldn’t hamper his physical ability at all.
Demon Empress Bluefeather snorted. “Rather than thinking about killing Donghai Longzi, you should worry about how to save your companions!”
Without another word, the demon empress unfurled her wings and charged toward one of the immortal monarchs closest to her. In her eyes, so what if Tianyi broke into the Sacred Fire Grotto? She could at least kill a third of the immortals present before he reached them. Maybe half if she was lucky.
Against her expectations, Tianyi didn’t chase after her. Instead, light radiated off of his body and formed hundreds of incarnations. Those stellar incarnations charged in all directions. A few of them shot toward Demon Empress Bluefeather, which she dodged easily. However, those few stellar incarnations weren’t aiming at her, but the realm itself.
Once they made contact or neared the ground, they exploded. At first, Demon Empress Bluefeather didn’t care much, but soon, her expression changed. She realized that the qi they emitted was incredibly similar to the golden pill Ba Shifang used.
Still, she still pursued the immortal monarchs of the Immortal Court and Numinous Sword Sect. She didn’t believe Tianyi had enough qi to pollute the entire Sacred Fire Grotto. Comparing the qi reservoir of an immortal emperor to a realm was like comparing a lake to the ocean. It was simply an impossibility.
However, she did not know that Tianyi was not a lake, but the entire starry sky. Comparing the ocean to the universe was even more daunting than comparing a lake to the ocean.
Tianyi’s actions didn’t end. The stellar incarnations never stopped, and simultaneously, he stretched his hand. With the palm facing downward, an enormous amount of qi condensed below his palm until it formed a miniature star.
Upon sensing the sheer amount and density of the energy, Demon Empress Bluefeather discovered the origin of the golden pill Ba Shifang used. She hesitated whether or not to stop Tianyi, but he didn’t wait for her to decide as the miniature star fell.
Like the golden pill before, the miniature star expanded once it left the hand. An overwhelming dread filled Demon Empress Bluefeather. She acted immediately to suppress the miniature star, but she witnessed something that made her want to shout, “cheater!”
As soon as the first one left, another miniature star started to materialize in Tianyi’s palm.
Now, she was in a dilemma. Either she could focus on stopping Tianyi or continue to hunt down the immortal monarchs.
If she didn’t stop Tianyi, then it would harm her realm artifact to the point that it would need a large amount of time and resources to recover. Honestly, killing a few immortal monarchs was not worth the damage to the realm artifact. Furthermore, the realm artifact was something she inherited from the previous Vermillion Bird. Once she found a successor and passed the mantle, she would bestow the Sacred Fire Grotto to the new generation, too.
On the other hand, the humans could not discover the Divine Beast Pseudo System’s location after eons. She would have more than enough time to heal the Sacred Fire Grotto. At least, that was before Yujiao turned out to be a traitor. Now, there was a very high risk of a battle between the Demon Clan and the humans. Weakening the Sacred Fire Grotto would not be conducive to that.
Still, Demon Empress Bluefeather was unwilling to flee without having killed one immortal monarch. At the very least, the humans must pay that price.
Tianyi’s eyes grew cold when he saw the demon empress ignore him. After the second Stellar Silence fell, nine miniature stars started to form in his palm. Once that happened, not even Demon Empress Bluefeather could ignore it.
She stared at Tianyi, or rather, the terrifying technique he was powering up to unleash. A split second later, an unwilling shriek penetrated the entire Sacred Fire Grotto. Then, the burning sky vanished, and Demon Empress Bluefeather transformed into a fiery meteor that shot away.
Tianyi didn’t give chase. Instead, he gazed at an immortal monarch. More specifically, one sword monarch: Meng Tingfeng.
He turned toward Ba Shifang, “Explain.”