C1007 Bloody Creation
Hu Caiyun rose abruptly to her feet.
Upon learning that Yu Yuan was in fact Hong Qi, the former Sect Master of the Medicine God Sect, Peach Madam Hu Caiyun became visibly agitated.
The fractured peach tree branch glowed with a divine radiance, resembling a mysterious celestial rainbow condensed into an extraordinary liquid.
Whoosh!
A dense, multicolored mist burst forth from her body.
The mist expanded outward, engulfing the corpse of a foreign being. Yu Yuan could hear the sizzling of the bodies, and as the mist thinned, the corpses dissolved into puddles of blood.
The blood shimmered with a myriad of colors, as if it contained the concentrated essence of deadly poison, making it difficult for Yu Yuan to breathe.
His face paled slightly, and he instinctively stepped back.
The colorful mist, originating from Peach Madam's body, escaped the confines of the cell-like chamber, as if animated with its own will, lunging towards Yu Yuan.
Yet, the mist seemed constrained by proximity, unable to stray too far from Peach Madam. As Yu Yuan retreated, it could not advance further.
Invisible shackles appeared to bind it, preventing it from moving freely.
"This is a most peculiar miasma," Yu Yuan remarked, eyeing the vibrant cloud before him. He could sense a living essence within it; even with his eyes closed, it felt tangible, as though it possessed flesh, soul, and volition.
The miasma cloud, with its independent consciousness, left him profoundly stunned.
It was then that an elder from the Dark Elfkind, who had discerned Yu Yuan's Soul Wandering Stage prowess, silently made his way down the stairs. He stood at the foot of the staircase, eyeing Peach Madam with a mix of fear and caution, as well as the ever-billowing colorful mist, and declared, "Witch, you cannot escape!"
The Dark Elfkind elder's voice rang out clear and articulate in the human tongue.
His eyes bore into Peach Madam with an intense, unforgettable hatred, as if his life's purpose was her demise.
"Hong Qi!" Hu Caiyun called out.
"Now, I am Yu Yuan."
"Very well, Yu Yuan it is," Hu Caiyun conceded, needing his help. She gestured towards the menacing, shape-shifting mist and explained, "These are anomalies I've failed to refine. Inside me, they corrode and cause unbearable pain. Once released, they viciously assault other beings. I have no control over them."
As she spoke, she cast an apologetic glance at the elderly Dark Elfkind man.
"I don't care for the reasons!" the elder from the Dark Elfkind inhaled deeply, his voice laden with resolve. "The Spirit Realm has suffered greatly because of you. Every member of my race who lived there, except for myself, has perished due to the toxic miasma! As long as I, Touzet, draw breath, I will find a way to end your life!"
Closing his eyes, Touzet was haunted by the vision of his Dark Elfkind kin being engulfed by the vibrant miasma, their cries and screams echoing as they met their demise.
The memories of his relatives, juniors, and dear friends succumbing to the poison were indelibly etched in his mind.
"I... I only intended to harness the Spirit Realm's peculiar miasma to practice the Spiritual Spell. I never anticipated it would lead to such a catastrophe in the Spirit Realm," Hu Caiyun offered her explanation, her voice faltering.
Touzet, the Dark Elfkind elder, had no interest in her excuses; his sole desire was to take her life.
Regrettably, despite his deep-seated animosity, he dared not approach her too closely.
Should he draw near, those eerie clouds, seemingly sentient, would claim him just as swiftly as they had the bandit corpses strewn upon the ground.
"Do you recognize Mia?"
Yu Yuan was in no rush to engage with Peach Madam, instead turning his attention to Touzet. He noted that Touzet's demeanor and appearance were unlike those of the Ancient Black Iron Ship's bandits; there was no repugnant aura or habits about him.
"Mia of our Dark Elfkind?" Touzet responded, taken aback.
Yu Yuan gave a slight nod. "I am acquainted with her; you might say we are... half comrades-in-arms. Now, tell me, what has transpired in your Spirit Realm?"
"Comrades-in-arms? You, a human from the Boundless Land, claim to be her comrade?" Touzet was skeptical, yet he began to recount the events.
A portion of the Dark Elfkind resided in the Spirit Realm, where certain areas were shrouded in a deadly miasma akin to the Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea, considered forbidden zones by the locals.
Then, one day, an enormous peach tree descended from the heavens, taking root in one of the Spirit Realm's forbidden zones, flourishing robustly.
Driven by curiosity, members of the Dark Elfkind ventured into the forbidden area, only to meet their demise amidst the pervasive miasma.
Before Touzet could relay the bizarre occurrences within the Spirit Realm, a peach tree in the forbidden zone erupted violently. The previously localized miasma spiraled out of control, flooding into the towns inhabited by the Dark Elfkind.
Consequently, the entire Dark Elfkind population within the Spirit Realm perished.
In a frantic escape from the Spirit Realm, Touzet boarded a small vessel, only to be taken prisoner by the marauders aboard the Ancient Black Iron Ship. He informed the marauders about the Spirit Realm's anomalies and persuaded them to venture back.
Upon their return, they discovered that the miasma had settled, and a critically wounded Hu Caiyun was found where the peach tree once stood.
Touzet became convinced that it was Hu Caiyun's arrival that had precipitated the disaster in the Spirit Realm.
The marauders, realizing Hu Caiyun was a human and gravely injured, attempted to capture her. After several casualties, they recognized that Hu Caiyun was not to be trifled with, even in her unconscious state. They resorted to other means to maintain their distance, confining her to an underground cell.
Before Hu Caiyun regained consciousness, some audacious marauders, lured by her beauty, sought to exploit her vulnerability.
They were each fatally poisoned by the malignant miasma.
The marauders of the Ancient Black Iron Ship, unable to deal with her directly, entertained thoughts of trading her to a more formidable power, thus keeping her captive.
Meanwhile, Touzet, intent on making Hu Caiyun atone for her actions, begrudgingly allied himself with the marauders.
As Yu Yuan listened to Touzet's account, Hu Caiyun remained silent, offering no defense. Instead, she scrutinized Hong Qi, the Medicine God of this era, with newfound seriousness.
Was this the benefit of reincarnation?
Hu Caiyun was filled with profound astonishment.
Upon learning Yu Yuan's name, she reflected carefully and confirmed that she had heard of his exploits from Heixun, the guardian of the Devil Palace. She was aware that Yu Yuan had taken part in the trials at the Ember Waters.
Given that the Ember Waters' trials imposed a cultivation level cap, it was clear that Yu Yuan's cultivation had been quite modest at the time.
How many years had it been?
The Yu Yuan before her had become a cultivator at the Soul Wandering Stage, with an exceptionally strong Qi and blood coursing through his body, having even made his way out of the Boundless Land.
Peach Madam concluded that Yu Yuan's rapid advancement was due to his reincarnation, believing his past life's achievements enabled such progress.
"Don't bother with his endless chatter. The situation in the Spirit Realm was indeed triggered by me, but what of it?" Hu Caiyun, fed up with the rambling, gave Touzet from the Dark Elfkind a cold glance and spoke dismissively, "Every human cultivator and great cultivator emerging from the Boundless Land is steeped in bloodshed. Those allied with the five supreme forces hunt Devaputras and foreign powerhouses, expanding territories to increase the number of supreme seats within the Boundless Land."
"Any Unrestrained Stage cultivator has caused far more tragedies and deaths in the Outland Star River than I ever have!"
"All I did was encounter a setback in my cultivation, suffered from the miasma's backlash, and some Dark Elfkind perished in the Spirit Realm. Is it really such a grave matter?"
Clearly, she didn't consider the lives of the Dark Elfkind significant.
Most human cultivators and demons from the Boundless Land shared her dismissive attitude towards the alien races.
Touzet was seething with indignation, yet she remained unmoved.
A blood-curdling howl erupted from outside the Ancient Black Iron Ship. Yu Yuan, sensing the commotion, knew that one of the mutated monsters, a warrior from the Asura Clan, had successfully evolved and was now hunting nearby.
"Outside, outside?" Touzet exclaimed, startled.
"Mutated monsters roam the Nirvana Realm with formidable combat strength, preying on the outlaws who venture from the Ancient Black Iron Ship," Yu Yuan explained with a furrowed brow. "Go upstairs and wait. I need to have a word with her alone."
He treated Touzet with the same detachment as he did Benin and Hart.
"If you don't go, you'll die."
Seeing Touzet's blank expression, Yu Yuan elaborated.
Seconds later, Touzet silently descended the stairs and returned to the cabin, then bellowed, "Mutated monsters are lurking outside. It's safer inside the warship!"
"Truly worthy of being Medicine God Hong Qi," Hu Caiyun said, gazing intently at him. "Unless I'm mistaken, you killed far more people than I did three hundred years ago. The Dark Elfkind in the Spirit Realm numbered just over a thousand. How does that compare to the number of spirits claimed by one of your poison pill mishaps?"
"Besides, the Dark Elfkind are not our kin," Peach Madam interjected smoothly.
"The White Coat Mercurial, who departed with you back then, has returned to the Boundless Land and perished in Horror Land," Yu Yuan mused. "What has become of Heixun, the turncoat from the Devil Palace?"
It was likely that Heixun had aligned with the Divine Soul Sect. Yu Yuan sought to deduce the Divine Soul Sect's influence by tracking Heixun's whereabouts.
"Are you looking for Heixun?" Hu Caiyun's lips curled into a knowing smile, sensing leverage. "If you rid me of this peculiar miasma, I'll share everything I know. Not just about Heixun, but also the whereabouts of the white crane and its master."
