C1015 Who Didn't Understand the Situation?
The talisman clung to the other side of Benin's face as if it were a barbed steel needle, causing her blood to seep out. Tiny specks of light penetrated her being, gnawing at her soul like a swarm of ants attacking her heart. Benin, fragile in form, initially let out a hysterical scream, but soon she couldn't even muster a loud shriek. She resorted to low, whimpering sobs, a picture of unbearable agony. Her dark green blood, reminiscent of grass juice, trickled down her slender neck to her chest, painting a picture of tragic beauty.
Gou Yungui, hunched over, and Huang Zhenlong, the seemingly young member of the Poison Cult, were engaged in jovial conversation, laughing and speaking expansively. They were unfazed by Benin's torment; it was clear they harbored no sympathy for her plight. They speculated whether Benin would succumb to the pain and resort to blood magic to end her life. They also gossiped that Yu Yuan, being a young man, must have been lusting after Benin's beauty, perhaps even having had his fill of her charms.
They were not alone in their indifference. Zhan Ruonan of the Ruby Hand and the stoic Sun Jun turned a blind eye as well. The dark disciples from the extraterrestrial races had grown accustomed to killing, their senses dulled by the sheer number of lives they'd taken. The five Solar Spirit dark disciples from the Everlands exuded nothing but detachment and cruelty throughout.
Yu Yuan stood silently at the edge of the space rift, observing Benin's pitiful state without a word. In that moment, he came to understand the hostility and revulsion he had encountered from Hart, Benin, Grace, and others upon their first meeting. If the human cultivators and high-level archdemons who ventured from the Everlands behaved like Gou Yungui and Yang Yi, killing and torturing extraterrestrial warriors at whim, it was no surprise that the intelligent life forms of the extraterrestrial realms had banded together to form legions intent on annihilating those from the Everlands.
The animosity between different races, having evolved over countless millennia, was deeply entrenched and not easily dissolved by the actions of a few. President Lyi of the Skyreach Consortium and the Boulderdawn Sect, with their innovative ideas, sought to mitigate the conflicts between the Everlands and the other races. Could their efforts truly make headway? Yu Yuan pondered in silence.
As he stepped out and witnessed the scene before him, he couldn't help but think that if one day, humans and archdemons from the Everlands no longer took pride in hunting Otherkin warriors but instead integrated with the diverse races of the extraterrestrial Star River as guests, not conquerors, entering their domains...
Imagining the human experts and the archdemons being warmly welcomed, he suddenly found himself admiring Boulderdawn.
For the first time, he truly embraced the ideals that President Lyi and Boulderdawn championed.
"Benin is on the brink of death."
Above the thickening Rainbow Ocean, Hart from the Silverscale Tribe gazed desperately at Veilfall Canyon.
Granted permission by Peach Madam, he had soared into the sky, his eyes aglow with silver as he invoked blood magic to discern Benin's condition.
Bloodshot with effort, Hart struggled mightily but was ensnared by the surrounding mists, immobilized.
Like one mired in a quagmire, each attempt to free himself only sank him deeper.
"Do you love her?"
Peach Madam's lips curled into a light smile as she lifted her hand, and Hart rose from the cloud sea to stand beside her. "That girl is of the rare and noble Voidweaver lineage, while your Silverscale Tribe is merely second-tier."
Her smile tinged with scorn, she added, "You're not a match for her."
"I know!"
Hart's teeth clenched audibly, his chest seething with rage and resentment. "All I want is for her to live well! I'll never confess my feelings, burden her with my foolish dreams. I'm content to stand by her side as nothing more than a comrade!"
He gasped for breath and then, with a sudden fervor, swore an ancient oath of his people, "I, Hart, vow here and now that if I survive, I will kill the one who tramples on the talisman! He and those two jesters will pay with their lives, even if it takes all my strength! Should I have the power, I will venture into the Everlands and lay waste to the sects that stand behind them!"
"I, Hart, swear this upon the honor of our ancient ancestors!"
After being provoked, his voice, ancient and low, seemed to resonate with the intricate essence of his bloodline.
His tall frame quivered, the silver scales upon his skin shimmering brilliantly.
Provocation had triggered signs of a breakthrough in his bloodline, presenting him with the opportunity to advance further.
Peach Madam chuckled dismissively, shaking her head at the absurdity.
Hart stood no chance of escaping her grasp, so where would he find the opportunity for revenge?
"Hatred begins like this: ignited, intensified, deepened, and ultimately, it persists until death," Yu Yuan murmured as he stepped out from the space rift.
From his vantage point atop the floating Crucible of Evil, Hart had a clear view and overheard every word of the exchange between Hu Caiyun and Hart.
He gained a firsthand understanding of the tensions between human factions and the animosity between Humans and Otherkin in the extraterrestrial Star River.
"That Voidweaver girl is mine."
Yu Yuan approached Yang Yi with a casual stride, casting a glance at Gou Yungui of the Taintborn Sect and paying particular attention to the large net discarded on the ground.
Dozens of heads lay before him: Shura, Shadowkin, enchantresses, Stoneborn, and some he had never seen before.
The heads appeared to be Gou Yungui's trophies. Upon closer inspection, the hunchbacked Gou Yungui straightened up, his face beaming with pride.
"You two are from the Ruby Hand. I'll extend some courtesy for Zhou Cangmin and Faang Yao's sake," he said, turning his gaze to Zhan Ruonan and Sun Jun. "You two stay out of this and just watch."
Zhou Cangmin had once aided him, and Faang Yao had been Yuan Lianyao's guide, helping her reach the late period of her development.
For their sake, as long as the two from the Ruby Hand didn't provoke him or commit any unforgivable acts, he would be lenient and not lump them in with the other three.
Zhan Ruonan was taken aback.
Sun Jun narrowed his eyes and scratched his head, seemingly finding Yu Yuan's confidence somewhat presumptuous.
Despite the purple orb in his hand confirming Yu Yuan's formidable combat prowess, they had five Solar Spirits among them, with Zhan Ruonan in the late period of that stage. Where did this young man get the audacity to believe he could overcome the combined might of the five of them?
"Haha! Hahahaha!"
The elder from the Binders of Shadows, perched atop a massive spell, pointed at Yu Yuan and laughed uproariously, nearly toppling from his floating glyph. "Since leaving the Everlands, I've yet to hear such a hilarious joke! From Asvetaesi, are you? Claiming to have received the true teachings of the God of Medicine, Hong Qi?"
Yang Yi shook his head incessantly, looking at Yu Yuan as if he were a mad fool.
"So you've received the God of Medicine's true inheritance and practice Venomcraft—what of it? Who do you think you are? A mere Spirit Walk cultivator who's stumbled into this realm should be kneeling and begging for mercy upon meeting us, shouldn't he?"
"If you were Mo Yan, Zhu Zhenlin's own son, we might afford you some respect, but you're not him!"
Both Gou Yungui and Huang Zhenlong from the Poison Cult wore expressions of mixed amusement and disbelief, clearly convinced that this young man named Yu Yuan had no grasp of the reality he faced.
The Star River is immeasurable, and some human powerhouses never return once they've ventured forth, choosing instead to roam freely.
Even Mo Yan of the Devil Palace, encountering the five of us in this desolate domain, wouldn't dare to be so insolent and would maintain an appropriate humility.
Otherwise, he might inexplicably perish in the extraterrestrial realms, with even Zhu Zhenlin left in the dark as to the cause.
If Mo Yan would act with such caution, what makes you think you, a mere young master from the Yu family of Asvetaesi, could do otherwise?
Whoosh!
The Frost Queen, as cold as a glacier, once again emerged from the Crucible of Evil. Her towering form abruptly contracted, assuming the stature of an ordinary person.
A ghostly green flame ignited beneath her half-scorpion body, exuding a chill that threatened to shatter the souls of all beings.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Veilfall Canyon and the surrounding lands for miles began to succumb to a creeping frost.
Yang Yi's smile vanished as he spoke solemnly, "He's actually recovered."
Unaware that the Frost Queen had never been wounded, he attributed her resurgence to the mysterious powers of the Crucible of Evil, which he believed had allowed her to quickly reassemble the Bane and replenish her strength.
A graceful silhouette perched on the rim of the dark cauldron, her pale, delicate legs swinging gently. Yu Yiyi slowly lifted her left hand, pointing directly at Huang Zhenlong of the Poison Cult.
One after another, the Banes emerged from the cauldron, some with soft laughter, others with low growls. The four formidable Banes—Chebus, Grimlantern, Armor Crusher, and Silver Chain—had undergone a fierce transformation within the Moonfall Sanctuary. Their combat prowess had surged, nearing the power needed to ascend to the next tier.
Currently situated at the cauldron's eighth level, their strength hovered between that of the Spirit Walk and the Solar Spirit. United, the four Banes stood a significant chance of overpowering a Solar Spirit-level cultivator.
With a formation in place...
Yu Yiyi emitted a piercing yet melodious whistle, and in an instant, thousands of Banes densely materialized, forming ranks behind the cauldron.
Huang Zhenlong, the target of her gesture, felt his soul vibrate and his face twitch as if bracing for a formidable adversary. The physical forms of the Banes, particularly the four led by Chebus, were not mere spectral souls, which unsettled him further. Coupled with the additional, albeit weaker, Banes, Huang Zhenlong realized he might have hit an insurmountable wall.
Yu Yuan was far from the pushover they had presumed him to be.
Zhan Ruonan, the most powerful of the five, had maintained her composure until now, but her demeanor abruptly shifted. The sight before her was daunting; she had not anticipated that the reputedly damaged Crucible of Evil could amass such an army of Banes in so brief a time.
"Wu!" Peach Madam, perched above the Rainbow Ocean, let out a soft gasp, clearly taken aback.
Even she, who had ascended to the Unbound realm, was astounded by this show of force. Relief washed over her as she realized her fortune in having chosen to yield rather than clash with Yu Yuan when the odds turned against her.
"He, he..." Hart from the Silverscale Tribe stuttered, struggling to complete his thought.
He desperately wanted to point out that Yu Yuan wasn't from the Everlands, that he was supposed to be on good terms with the Ruby Hand. Why then, had Yu Yuan adopted such an aggressive stance after only a few words?
"You've been adrift in the outside world for far too long, and your news is outdated. It's no wonder you've run into misfortune," Yu Yuan said, his sword sheath now ominously pointing at Gou Yungui of the Taintborn sect. "You'll be the first to fall by my hand."
The Frost Queen engaged in a solitary battle with Yang Yi, while the four Banes positioned themselves in a strategic formation, setting their sights on Huang Zhenlong from the Poison Cult.
With a flourish, Yu Yuan unleashed his sword, sending thousands of crimson sword lights cascading towards Gou Yungui, enveloping him from every angle like a multitude of rainbows.
*Rip!*
The sky above Veilfall Canyon suddenly split open, revealing even more luminous fissures.
The arcane energy of the Nine Celestial Slashes seemed to resonate with the peculiarities within the valley, causing a space rift to violently tear open near the stooped figure of Gou Yungui, sending shivers down his spine in an instant.
