1190: Chapter 1190 Li Mingxuan, Return!

The Aurora Bird—a creature renowned for its speed among the ancient Vicious Beasts.

But at this moment, this ancient Vicious Beast, which should have been fierce and domineering, appeared somewhat... wilted.

Although its feathers still shimmered with electric arcs, their luster had dimmed significantly. Especially near the back, several feathers even showed scorched marks, as if it had experienced an intense battle.

Its breathing was rapid, its chest heaving heavily. Every flap of its wings carried an imperceptible tremor—a sign of long-distance rushing and excessive energy consumption.

Those golden eyes were also filled with exhaustion.

The Aurora Bird hovered in mid-air, its wings flapping slowly. Golden electric arcs flowed around its body, illuminating the surrounding clouds as if they had been gilded with gold leaf.

Its chest heaved violently, and from its throat came a low, weary cry—

That cry pierced through the clamor of the battlefield, reaching the ears of everyone.

Then, it slowly descended, its massive form coming to a halt dozens of zhang above the ground. Its wings spread flat, like a golden bridge spanning between the sky and the earth.

On the bird's back were two figures.

A man and a woman, both very young.

The man stood in front, his posture as straight as a pine tree.

He wore a grey-white long robe, its hem snapping in the high-altitude Astral Wind. His long hair flew in the wind, revealing a face with distinct features and well-defined contours.

His eyes were very bright, like two polished stars, currently gazing down at the devastated land below, watching those blood-soaked, exhausted Human Race experts.

Although there was a slight instability, like a newly forged sword that had not yet been sufficiently polished, it was undoubtedly a genuine Fifth-Tier aura.

The woman stood half a step behind him, a light cyan dress fluttering gently in the wind. Her jet-black hair was held up by a simple jade hairpin, revealing a smooth forehead and a pair of eyes as calm as water.

Her face was elegant, not stunning, but she possessed a temperament that put people at ease, like a deep autumn lake—calm, profound, and unruffled.

Her aura—Fourth-Tier Peak, only one step away from the Fifth-Tier.

Her gaze swept over the battlefield below, over the injured soldiers, the collapsed buildings, and the civilians searching for their loved ones in the ruins—

Her eyelashes trembled slightly, but the expression on her face remained calm.

It was just that beneath that calm, something was burning quietly.

The Aurora Bird let out a low cry, as if complaining about something.

The man looked down at it, reached out to gently pat the feathers on its neck, and said in a gentle voice:

"You've worked hard. I'll reward you properly later."

The Aurora Bird snorted and tilted its head slightly. That look of "I'm very tired but I have backbone" was just like a child throwing a tantrum.

But no one present laughed.

Because everyone's gaze was focused on this young man who had suddenly appeared.

Dragon Xuanyuan struggled to lift his head from the ruins.

His vision was blurry, blood flowing from a wound on his forehead and covering his left eye, but he still clearly saw the figure standing on the back of the Aurora Bird.

That face... the face he thought he would never see again.

"Li Mingxuan..."

Dragon Xuanyuan murmured the name, his voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible, but the light in his eyes was brightening bit by bit.

The young man who had left Blue Star two years ago to train in the Star Sea.

The young man in whom he had placed high hopes, yet whom he could not bear to drag into this war.

The young man... whom he thought had died somewhere in the Star Sea.

He had returned.

The corners of Dragon Xuanyuan's mouth lifted slightly, pulling into a smile stained with blood foam.

"Good... good lad..."

Baili Ziyuan's reaction was even more intense than Dragon Xuanyuan's.

His grey-white long hair was disheveled over his shoulders, and his face was as pale as a corpse.

But the moment his gaze landed on Li Mingxuan, an extremely complex emotion suddenly erupted in his eyes, which had already returned to black—

At that time, Li Mingxuan's eyes were full of yearning and longing, like a fledgling eagle about to spread its wings, unable to wait to see what lay at the end of the sky.

Baili Ziyuan did not stop him, but only gave him a jade plaque engraved with his own Divine Soul imprint.

"Take this. If you encounter trouble you cannot solve in the Star Sea, crush it, and I will be able to sense it."

"Thank you, Senior Dragon Lord."

The young man respectfully took the jade plaque, put it away carefully, then turned and left, never looking back.

Baili Ziyuan thought that the jade plaque would never be crushed.

Or, even if it were crushed, he wouldn't be able to make it in time to save him.

But he did not expect that this young man would not only survive but also return with Fifth-Tier strength.

"That guy should be there too; Blue Star is saved!"

Baili Ziyuan murmured, his voice so weak it was almost inaudible, but his mouth pulled into a smile that was uglier than crying.

Su Wuming's reaction was the calmest.

He stood up from the ruins, brushed the dust off his body, and looked up at the figure standing on the back of the Aurora Bird. A flash of relief crossed his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a deeper gravity.

Fifth-Tier.

Li Mingxuan had indeed broken through to the Fifth-Tier, but the instability of that aura was too obvious—he had just broken through, and his Realm had not yet fully stabilized.

A Fifth-Tier in this state would only be crushed if facing either King Fenyang or Fairy Lingmiao.

Furthermore—

Su Wuming's gaze swept over the three massive fleets in the sky, over the two faces of King Fenyang and Fairy Lingmiao filled with scrutiny and greed, and over the distant, suppressed but still alive Marshal Hei Yan.

There were too many enemies.

A newly broken-through Fifth-Tier could not change anything.

But Su Wuming did not despair, because his gaze remained fixed on Li Mingxuan.

"As long as that guy makes a move, Blue Star will be safe, but will he make a move?"

Duanmu Yan stood beside Su Wuming. Although he didn't speak, the shock in his eyes was equally impossible to hide.

"Boss, Li Mingxuan is already Fifth-Tier, that guy he..."

Su Wuming raised his hand to stop Duanmu Yan's words, just quietly watching the figure in the sky.