C1007 Bloody Creation
Hu Caiyun sprang to her feet in shock.
Upon learning that Yu Yuan, standing before her, was none other than Hong Qi, the former Sect Master of the Order of Healing, Peach Madam Hu Caiyun was overcome with emotion.
The broken peach tree branch shimmered with a crystalline divine light, resembling the mysterious aurora of a refined Star River, solidifying into an extraordinary liquid.
Whoosh!
A dense, multicolored mist burst forth from within her.
The mist expanded outward, engulfing the corpse of an Otherkin. Yu Yuan listened as the bodies sizzled, and as the mist thinned, the corpses dissolved into pools of blood.
The blood was a kaleidoscope of colors, as if it contained the toxic essence of the miasma cloud, making Yu Yuan's breathing labored.
His face paled slightly as he instinctively stepped back.
The rainbow mist, emanating from Peach Madam's body, escaped the room that was like a prison, as if it had a life and consciousness of its own, clawing at the air in an attempt to lunge at Yu Yuan.
Yet, the mist seemed constrained by distance, unable to stray too far from Peach Madam. As Yu Yuan retreated, it could not advance further.
It was as if invisible shackles bound it, restricting its movements.
"This miasma cloud is quite peculiar."
Yu Yuan observed the vibrant mist close at hand, sensing the breath of life within it. Even with his eyes closed, he could sense that the mist had substance, a soul, and a will of its own.
The miasma cloud, possessing an independent consciousness, left him profoundly shaken.
At that moment, the Shadowkin elder who had discerned Yu Yuan's Spirit Walk level of cultivation descended the stairs silently. The elder stood at the foot of the stairs, eyeing Peach Madam with a mix of fear and caution, as well as the ever-swirling colorful mist. "Witch, you cannot escape!"
The Shadowkin elder exclaimed in the articulate language of humans!
His gaze towards Peach Madam was laden with deep-seated hatred, as if his life's purpose was to end hers.
"Hong Qi!"
Hu Caiyun called out.
"I am Yu Yuan now."
"Very well, Yu Yuan it is!" Hu Caiyun, needing assistance, gestured towards the unnerving mist that seemed poised to strike, and explained, "These are foreign entities I have failed to refine. Inside me, they erode my being, causing me immense pain. Once they are released, they violently assault other creatures. I am unable to control them."
As she spoke, she cast an apologetic glance toward the Shadowkin elder.
"I don't care for the reasons!" the Shadowkin elder, Touzet, inhaled deeply, "Yogreron has suffered greatly because of you. All my kin who lived there, except for myself, have perished from the miasma! As long as I, Touzet, draw breath, I will find a way to end your life!"
Closing his eyes, he was haunted by the vision of his people, the Shadowkin of Yogreron, engulfed in the vibrant miasma, their cries and screams echoing as they succumbed to death.
The images of his relatives, juniors, and dear friends dying from the poison were etched into his memory, never to be forgotten.
"I... I only wanted to practice the spell using Yogreron's unique miasma. I never imagined it would lead to such a catastrophe," Hu Caiyun explained, her voice faltering.
Touzet, the Shadowkin elder, had no interest in her excuses; his sole desire was to kill her.
Regrettably, no matter how much Touzet loathed her, he dared not come too close.
If he did, those sentient miasma clouds would strike at Hu Caiyun first, leaving him as lifeless as the bodies of the would-be assailants strewn on the ground.
"Do you recognize Mia?"
Yu Yuan wasn't eager to engage with Peach Madam; instead, he turned his attention to Touzet. He observed that Touzet's demeanor and appearance were unlike those of a bandit from a black iron warship, lacking any repulsive aura or habits.
"Our Shadowkin, Mia?" Touzet was taken aback.
Yu Yuan nodded gently, "I'm acquainted with her. We could be called... half comrades. Now, what has transpired in your Yogreron?"
"Comrades? You, a human from the Everlands, claim to be her comrade?" Touzet was skeptical, yet he began to recount the events.
A portion of the Shadowkin resided in Yogreron, a realm with areas shrouded in toxic miasma akin to the Rainbow Ocean, which the local Shadowkin deemed off-limits.
Then one day, a colossal peach tree descended from the heavens, taking root in one of Yogreron's forbidden zones, and thrived.
The curious members of the Shadowkin ventured into the forbidden area to explore, only to perish one by one, succumbing to the pervasive miasma.
Before Touzet could report the odd occurrences in Yogreron, the peach tree in the forbidden area exploded. The miasma, previously contained within a specific region, spiraled out of control, flooding into the towns where the Shadowkin resided.
Consequently, all the Shadowkin inhabitants of Yogreron met their demise.
In a rush, Touzet boarded a small vessel and fled Yogreron, only to be captured by the raiders aboard a black iron warship. He informed the raiders about Yogreron's anomalies and persuaded them to venture back.
Upon their return, they discovered that the rampant miasma had settled, and they found Hu Caiyun, gravely wounded, at the site of the shattered peach tree.
Touzet became convinced that it was Hu Caiyun's arrival that had triggered the calamity in Yogreron.
The raiders, realizing Hu Caiyun was human and severely injured, attempted to seize her. After several of them lost their lives in the process, they recognized that Hu Caiyun was not to be trifled with, even in her unconscious state. They resorted to other tactics to maintain their distance, confining her to an underground cell.
Before Hu Caiyun regained consciousness, some audacious raiders, lured by her beauty, sought to exploit her vulnerability.
They were ultimately slain by the bizarre miasma.
The black iron warship's raiders were at an impasse with her for the time being, harboring plans to sell her to a more formidable power, so they kept her captive.
Meanwhile, Touzet, intent on making Hu Caiyun atone, begrudgingly aligned himself with the raiders for the time being.
As Touzet recounted the events, Hu Caiyun remained silent, offering no defense. Instead, she scrutinized Hong Qi, the God of Medicine in this lifetime, with newfound seriousness.
Was this the benefit of reincarnation?
Hu Caiyun was filled with profound astonishment.
After Yu Yuan introduced himself, she reflected carefully and realized she had heard of his exploits from Hei Xun, the Guardian of Devil Palace. She knew that Yu Yuan had taken part in the trials at the Embers Sea.
The trials at the Embers Sea imposed a restriction on one's cultivation level, indicating that Yu Yuan's cultivation was quite modest back then.
How many years had passed?
Yu Yuan, now standing before her, was a cultivator in the Spirit Walk realm with an exceptionally strong vitality. He had even burst forth from the Everlands.
Peach Madam concluded that Yu Yuan's alarming advancement was due to his reincarnation, believing his past life's achievements enabled such progress.
"Don't bother with his rambling. The issues in Yogreron indeed stem from me, but what of it?" Hu Caiyun, growing irritated, gave Touzet of the Shadowkin a cold glance and spoke dismissively, "Yu Yuan, every cultivator who emerges from the Everlands, alongside the Five Supreme Gods, has blood on their hands. They join forces to hunt Sky Fiends and the mighty Otherkin, to expand their domains and increase the number of Supreme God seats in the Everlands."
"Any Unbound realm cultivator has caused more tragedies in the extraterrestrial Star River than I have—far more deaths are on their hands!"
"All I did was encounter a setback in my cultivation, suffering a backlash from the miasma cloud, resulting in some Shadowkin deaths in Yogreron. Is that really such a grave matter?"
Clearly, she didn't regard the lives of the Shadowkin as significant.
The majority of Everlands' cultivators and archdemons shared her dismissive attitude towards the Otherkin.
Touzet was seething with anger, wishing he could exact vengeance, yet she remained unmoved.
A harrowing scream suddenly pierced the air from outside the black iron warship. Yu Yuan instantly knew that a Warpbeast had successfully advanced its bloodline and was on the prowl once more.
This Warpbeast was the Shura warrior who, after a brutal slaughter, had seen a surge in power. Aware of his own existence, he now boldly hunted nearby.
"Outside? What's happening outside?" Touzet exclaimed, startled.
"Warpbeasts roam the Nirvana Realm with formidable combat strength, and those who step off the black iron warship become their prey," Yu Yuan explained, his brow furrowing slightly. "Go wait above; I need to have a word with her alone."
His treatment of Touzet mirrored his interactions with Benin and Hart.
"If you refuse to go, you'll die."
Noticing Touzet's blank expression, he elaborated.
Seconds later, Touzet silently made his way back to the cabin, then bellowed, "Warpbeasts are lurking outside. It's safer inside the warship!"
"Truly worthy of the title, God of Medicine, Hong Qi," Hu Caiyun remarked, her gaze intense. "Unless I'm mistaken, you slaughtered more people than I did three hundred years ago. The Shadowkin population in Yogreron barely exceeded a thousand. Does that even compare to the number of Undead your poison pill created?"
"Besides, the Shadowkin are Otherkin, not our kinfolk!"
Peach Madam stated with composure.
"The one who departed with you back then, the Pale Reaper, has returned to the Everlands only to perish in the Land of Terror," Yu Yuan mused before inquiring, "And Hei Xun, the rebel of the Devil Palace, where might he be now?"
Hei Xun was likely aligned with Boulderdawn. Yu Yuan sought to understand Boulderdawn's power structure through Hei Xun's current location.
"Are you looking for Hei Xun?"
Hu Caiyun's lips curled into a knowing smile, sensing leverage. "If you rid me of this peculiar miasma, I'll share all the details with you. Not only about Hei Xun but also the whereabouts of the white crane's master."
