Once Shui Meiyin said those words, Yun Che suddenly shot to his feet without any warning. He remained standing there with a wooden expression on his face.

As he slowly turned his head towards her, his neck seemed to become incredibly rigid and his movements grew exceptionally stiff. “Which master are you talking about?”

“Master Xuanyin,” Shui Meiyin answered with a very sincere and serious expression as she stared straight into his eyes.

Yun Che’s eyes trembled violently and he felt as if someone had just swung a sledgehammer into his heart. He pressed his hand against his chest in a futile attempt to suppress his wildly-beating heart as he muttered in an absent-minded voice, “No, it’s not possible… She’s already… already…”

When the “Blue Pole Star” had been destroyed, his one scant comfort was that he had not personally witnessed the deaths of his family, lovers, and friends.

However, Mu Xuanyin had died in his embrace, and he had personally felt the last trace of life escape her body… before he buried her in the Heavenly Netherfrost Lake with his own two hands.

So how could she be...

Shui Meiyin hugged Yun Che’s arm and whispered to him in a very soft voice, “I know just how important Master Xuanyin is to Big Brother Yun Che, so I definitely wouldn’t joke about such a thing.”

“...” Yun Che turned to stare at her dumbly with blank eyes.

“Master Xuanyin’s survival isn’t just a guess of mine and it definitely isn’t just some rumor that i heard…” She paused for a moment and her head dipped a little. “It’s something I have seen with my own two eyes.”

“!!” Yun Che felt as if his heart was about to leap out of his chest as his body became as still as a statue.

“Her appearance and that Ice Phoenix aura that only she has, I wouldn’t mistake her for someone else.” Shui Meiyin said. “Furthermore, her Ice Phoenix profound energy and soul energy have become far stronger than back when she was alive… It practically seems as if she has gone through some sort of wondrous rebirth.”

“Actually, she nearly discovered my presence and I would definitely have been caught if I didn’t have the World Piercer on me.”

“In order to confirm her status, I paid a special visit to the Snow Song Realm to infiltrate the Heavenly Netherfrost Lake. Even though I couldn’t descend into its depths, my divine senses were able to sweep the entire lake and I couldn’t sense the existence of her body.”

“That was definitely your Master Xuanyin. Furthermore, the reason she has remained hidden thus far is probably because she has the same worries that I did, that her presence would distract you from your determination to take revenge.”

Yun Che’s eyes were still dazed. He desperately wanted to believe those words with all of his might and there was no way that Shui Meiyin would lie to him about this, but...

“But, she clearly… she clearly… in my arms… She…” he muttered in a dispirited voice. 

“There are times that the things that you personally see and experience lead you to a false ending.” Shui Meiyin stared at him as her starry eyes trembled. “Just like back when Big Brother Yun Che died in the Star God Realm. All of the Star Gods witnessed your death...but in the end, you still appeared again, hale and whole, as you reentered my life.”

Yun Che’s heart pounded violently as his back stiffened.

Wait a minute!

I only managed to come back to life because of the Nirvana flames that the Phoenix Spirit bestowed upon me back then.

Phoenix… Ice Phoenix 

The Ice Phoenix divine being that had possessed Mu Xuanyin...

Compensation...

Could the Ice Phoenix divine being have the same reincarnation ability as the Phoenix Divine Spirit!?

The Ice Phoenix divine being inside of the Heavenly Netherfrost Lake was no mere soul fragment. She was the true ancient Ice Phoenix of old. Furthermore, the soul she used to possess Mu Xuanyin was naturally her origin spirit.

When he had been at the bottom of the Heavenly Netherfrost Lake with her, the Ice Phoenix divine being had told him the complete truth and he had sensed a deep guilt in her heart… After she bid him farewell, the Ice Phoenix divine being, who still had part of her divine powers left, dissipated into motes of energy even though she could have continued to exist for a long time after that.

If the Ice Phoenix had the same reincarnation ability as the Phoenix...

If the reason for the Ice Phoenix divine being’s dissipation had been because she had bestowed the last of her origin power on Mu Xuanyin as compensation...

Then… Then...

The anxiety, hesitation, and disbelief in his heart quickly morphed into burning flames as Yun Che’s breathing became more and more violent. He suddenly recalled something as he hurriedly took out the Southern Sea Divine Pearl.

“I can’t be wrong… It’s her… It’s her…” Yun Che’s hands tightened over the pearl as his lips started to twitch violently. His eyes quickly misted over as he said, “I should have realized it… I should have realized it…”

That person had thrown the Southern Sea Divine Pearl toward him and instantly vanished from his spiritual senses in spite of the distance… The only person in the universe who could accomplish that feat was Mu Xuanyin!

Only her!!

The reincarnation ability he had inherited had been bestowed by a mere soul fragment of the Phoenix. Even though it had resurrected him, it had not been able to revive his powers as well, which resulted in him becoming a cripple.

However, Mu Xuanyin possessed… the Ice Phoenix divine being’s origin soul and origin power! So this resurrection would only have made her stronger!

This was what had happened! This was definitely what had happened!

She wasn’t dead… His master, his Xuanyin was still alive!

She had been watching over him and helping him all this time.

Yun Che gently pressed the Southern Sea Divine Pearl against his chest and held it there for a very long time.

    ————

It seemed as if the Deep Sea Divine Region was being filled with heavenly lightning and magma at every single instant.

Rip! Rip! Riiip!!

On the eastern borders of the battlefield, the Divine Sovereigns of the Northern Divine Region and Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm were activating all sorts of attack-based profound artifacts to aid in the battle. That terrifying sound of space being torn had come from an attack unleashed by the Ten Directions Deep Sea Realm’s Giant Glazed Glass Bow.

Even though the Giant Glazed Glass Bow was far inferior to the Southern Sea God Realm’s Titanic Sea God Cannon, it was still a king realm’s guardian artifact. Its power was naturally extraordinary as well. Every Glazed Glass Bolt released from its string could split space apart and penetrate the body of a Master Dragon at the very least.

The Dragons of Absolute Beginning had carved out a gigantic defensive line in front of them.

However, there were simply too many Master Dragons from the dragon god race, and they were at a higher level of power than the Dragons of Absolute Beginning. Even though a bunch of upper star realms from the Northern Divine Region joined in the fierce defense, it only took fifteen minutes for the Master Dragons to punch several holes in this defensive line.

A large number of Master Dragons surged toward the backlines as their tails and claws left bloody trails of light and miserable wails in their wake.

One prepared darkness profound formation after another was activated as they trapped and wounded dozens of Master Dragons… However, the bodies of the dragon god race were simply far too powerful and most of the Master Dragons escaped those traps in less than a single breath. Even the dreadful-looking wounds on their bodies didn’t do much to sap their draconic might. As they roared out in rage and pain, they proceeded to unleash calamitous destruction on the battlefield.

Divine Sovereigns were too tiny and insignificant in front of the Master Dragons.

The severed arms and heads of the Northern Divine Region’s profound practitioners flew into the sky as the collapsing Deep Sea Divine Region was swiftly dyed with blood that radiated darkness.

“You… bastards!” Tian Guhu roared as his eyes bulged out of his sockets. Among those Divine Sovereigns were the young profound practitioners who were also a part of the Northern Region Heavenly Sovereign Ranking like him. They had been moved and led by him and they were the Northern Divine Region’s future, the most brilliant lights of its youngest generation… However, they were currently falling, one after another, as the cruel claws of these dragons sliced them apart.

“AAAAAAAHHH!”

Unfortunately, he was currently being completely suppressed by two Divine Master Chi Dragons, so he had no way to extricate himself from this fight. The only thing he could do was to let out blood-filled roars of rage as the darkness profound energy circulating around his body and sword grew more and more sinister and frenzied. He hated that he couldn’t simply ram his sword through their hearts as his attacks grew more and more reckless.

Two gigantic dragons were violently clashing in the middle of the battlefield.

Now that he faced off against the Dragon Emperor of Absolute Beginning, the Azure Dragon God had also revealed his true form. However, the superiority of his race and bloodline still wasn’t able to completely bridge the gap between him and the Dragon Emperor of Absolute Beginning.

“Us dragon gods have always regarded your race as ancient kin who lived abroad, and we have never once offended you. So why are you helping these devils in their tyranny?” the Azure Dragon God bellowed.

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!

A Dragon God faced off against a Dragon Emperor, and every collision of their bodies caused the heavens and earth to violently shudder.

“We each have our own destinies to fulfill! There’s no need for any more words!”

ROAAAAAAAR———

A roar of rage shook the heavens and the earth. Under this vast and enormous power that seemed to come from the ancient past, the Azure Dragon God’s draconic energy collapsed as his enormous body crashed into the ground, creating a long and gigantic ravine with his body.

He let out a furious howl as his body instantly rose up from the ground. However… he did not rush towards the Dragon Emperor of Absolute Beginning again. Instead, his enormous tail, which was filled with his Dragon God power, snaked after a Star God aura that he had detected. He sent it crashing down on the Heavenly Jade Star God who was behind him. 

The Heavenly Jade Star God had been battling two mighty Dragon Sovereigns by herself and she had already been pushed dozens of kilometers back. Shock suddenly filled her heart as she sensed the extremely terrifying might bearing down on her from above. She immediately tried her best to break away from the suppression of the two Dragon Sovereigns, but she couldn’t defend against or dodge the Azure Dragon God’s mighty blow.

Boom!

The Azure Dragon God’s tail smashed the Heavenly Jade Star God right in the back, causing her body to instantly bend around it as an arrow of blood erupted from her mouth and flew several hundred meters. Her eyes instantly grew glassy and blank after that dreadful strike.

The claws of the two mighty Dragon Sovereigns swept down at this moment, aimed straight for her back.

“Sis!!”

The Heavenly Demon Star God cried out in shock as he swiftly backpedaled.

Bang!

A dragon claw landed heavily on his back, gouging out bloody furrows in his flesh. His face went white, but he borrowed the power of the strike to rush toward the falling Heavenly Jade Star God… As his pupils shrank to pinpoints, his speed far exceeded anything he had ever achieved before. 

Finally, at the last possible moment, he fell in front of the Heavenly Jade Star God’s back and desperately used all of his power to shield her.

BOOOOM————

The dreadfully powerful strikes of the two mighty Dragon Sovereigns slammed into his back. The cruel sound of bone breaking reverberated in the air as his spine was snapped in two.

Blood gushed out of the Heavenly Demon Star God’s mouth… However, the two Dragon Sovereigns he had been tangled up with caught up with him at that moment, and the power of two more level eight Divine Masters bore down on his broken and tattered back with enormous force...

Dispelling the last bits of light from his eyes.

ROOOOAAAAAAARRR!!

The Dragon Emperor of Absolute Beginning gave a furious roar as he arrived on the scene and blasted all four Dragon Sovereigns away with a violent storm. It was also at this moment that the Azure Dragon rushed toward him ferociously as both gigantic dragons once again became embroiled in a calamitous battle of earth-shaking proportions.

The Heavenly Jade Star God swiftly regained consciousness and she hurriedly flipped around to hug the Heavenly Demon Star God tightly… In an instant, her hands became dyed red in fresh blood and his aura, which was already faint and swiftly fading away, caused her fingers to tremble crazily.

“Sis…”

The Heavenly Demon Star God opened his mouth to utter the last word he would ever say in his life. After that, he took one last look at his beloved sister before he peacefully closed his eyes.

Being able to die in his sister’s embrace was perhaps the greatest comfort to the Heavenly Demon Star God.

Drip, drip… Thick droplets of blood continued to drip from his body as it stained the Heavenly Jade Star God’s clothes and watered the broken ground.

“Ro… se…” the Heavenly Jade Star God muttered. She raised her head to look at the sky, two streaks of blood slowly running down the corners of her eyes while she stared blankly into space.

Whooooosh!

A storm howled around her, causing her blood-stained hair to dance in the wind. Those four great Dragon Sovereigns had returned to finish the job.

“Rose,” she softly whispered, “I will still be your big sister in the next life… but next time… it’ll be my turn… to protect you.”

As she hugged the body of the Heavenly Demon Star God tightly, she closed her eyes and rose to her feet. Her body hunched over slightly and she exploded toward those four Dragon Sovereigns, a dazzling white starlight suddenly erupting from her body. Her speed started to dramatically increase as that starlight grew denser and denser.

From the distance, it looked as if a brilliant star was dying as it streaked towards the earth.

The Heavenly Sun Star God, Heavenly Flame Star God, Heavenly Soul Star God, and Heavenly Charm Star God immediately sensed this sudden change. All of them twisted around and let out the same heart-rending cry. “Aster… Don’t do it!!” 

“...!!” Caizhi also turned around at this moment and she gritted her teeth violently when she witnessed what was happening.

That was… the Star Ashes ability.

PFFFBOOOOM——

A star fell and boundless starlight erupted from it, enough to dye the sky a lustrous white.

Four miserable cries rang out from the center of that starlight. Three Dragon Sovereigns were sent flying, blood spraying wildly from their bodies. As for the Dragon Sovereign that had been directly hit by that starlight… That incredibly strong and sturdy dragon body was currently missing both its head and its chest as it startled to tumble to the ground.

Meanwhile, Aster and Rose’s Star God bodies began to disperse into fragments of light, melting into the starlight that filled the sky.

This fierce battle had finally caused the death of a Star God.

Caizhi fists tightened even further and the malice and hatred in her eyes started to rage violently.

Besides her big sister, the people she had been closest to within the Twelve Star Gods had been Aster and Rose.

In fact, one of the reasons why she had appeared to stop the other six Star Gods from reinforcing the Eternal Heaven God Realm was because of these siblings. 

Now, the Twelve Star Gods, whose brilliant light had once awed the world, had dwindled to only five.