C1085 Yu Family's Foundation
Time flew by, and before we knew it, seven days had passed.
Jun Chen, Zhou You, and other evil souls loyal to the Boulderdawn Sect had tirelessly searched for the Frost Well to no avail.
With the grand event drawing near, those in the know within the Boulderdawn Sect and the Chamber of Commerce felt a growing sense of unease.
Over the course of these seven days, Yu Ying had traversed the Ionodios, gathering information through overheard conversations and deliberate inquiries. She finally understood the extent of power that the junior member of the Yu family possessed.
During her visit to Zhongli Dapan and Shen Feiqing, she encountered Tan Yuan, who was from the same sect.
She learned that Yu Yuan had not only been acknowledged by the Boulderdawn for his identity as the God of Medicine but had also inherited Nie Qingtian's swordsmanship.
Having wandered the extraterrestrial starry skies, she was well-acquainted with the legends of Nie Qingtian.
As for the Boulderdawn Sect, she had heard so much about them recently that she felt her ears might develop calluses.
It was at that moment that she realized the words Jun Chen had spoken to her about Yu Yuan's status being higher than Zhongli Dapan's within the Boulderdawn Sect and the Chamber of Commerce were not in jest.
When she later discovered that the Yu family's ancestor had become the first-ever Ghost King in the Land of Terror with Yu Yuan's assistance, Yu Ying was even more astounded.
"The Yu family has truly become a force to be reckoned with!"
...
The Chamber of Commerce had thoughtfully provided Yu Yuan with a training room on the second floor of the palace.
Luo Yue gently knocked on the door and upon hearing Ann Ziqing's invitation to enter, she stepped in with a smile.
She presented a bottle of pills, saying, "Miss Ann, these are ten Blood Essence Elixirs. Each one contains the vitality equivalent to half of an eighth-level archdemon."
The bottle, as thick as a forearm, held Blood Essence Elixirs that resembled solidified blood crystals, emitting a soft radiance.
"Yu Yuan sent me to deliver these to you," Luo Yue added.
Ann Ziqing, who had removed her purple divine armor and was now dressed in a simple purple gown, had a water tank before her, from which a rich scent of blood emanated.
Ann Ziqing was practicing Bloodforging, extracting pure energy, when she sensed the immense vitality emanating from the Blood Essence Elixirs through the glaze bottle. "These pills?" she queried, eyes narrowing.
"Here's the situation," Luo Yue began with a smile. "Canli from the Dawnbringers commissioned us to craft a batch of pills beneficial to the soul. In exchange, they've provided a substantial amount of lifeblood from the Otherkin. This particular batch of Blood Essence Elixirs was personally crafted by him. He's given you a bottle, sent another to Yu Ying, and kept some for himself."
"At least he has some semblance of a conscience."
With a hum, Ann accepted the bottle of the coveted Blood Essence Elixirs. She deftly examined the contents, quickly ascertaining that each pill contained at least a drop of lifeblood from both a ninth-level dire beast and a ninth-level Otherkin.
By refining some lower-grade blood and blending it with a variety of herbs that invigorate the blood, she could not only swiftly replenish her depleted vitality but also heal severe injuries to her internal organs and flesh in short order.
Each Blood Essence Elixir was of heavenly pill caliber!
To her, the Forgeroses, the Terror Claws, and other cultivators who prized physical strength, as well as the evilkind, these pills were of extraordinary value. In dire situations, they could even be life-saving.
After a moment's contemplation, Ann decided to store the Blood Essence Elixirs for future enjoyment, especially since Ionodios was currently receiving fresh blood from new dire beasts and Otherkin. She placed the pills into her Cosmos Ring.
"He advised you to take one immediately," Luo Yue added. "You'll need to be at full strength before the grand event begins."
"Is Ionodios not secure?" Ann's expression shifted subtly.
She wasn't naive. Luo Yue's hint was enough for her to surmise a potential threat. With the presence of Skyreach Consortium experts, esteemed cultivators from Boulderdawn, and distinguished guests from various races, Yu Yuan's insistence on her swift recovery implied an underlying risk.
Luo Yue nodded and slipped away quietly.
After her departure, Ann Ziqing hesitated briefly before taking out a Blood Essence Elixir and swallowing it reverently, focusing intently on assimilating the pill's potent power.
...
On the eighth day, in Ionodios.
Following a tumultuous spatial disturbance in the deep pit where the Deathwing Lair was located, five disheveled cultivators with dark red hair emerged.
They were all humans, a mix of men and women, all of advanced age, wearing long robes adorned with patterns of red lightning.
"We haven't arrived too late, have we?"
The group's leader, a cultivator in the Unbound Realm, wore a necklace of agates, each one sparking with red lightning that merged into his skin.
"There are still two days left. Perfect timing," Zhou You said with a welcoming smile.
He recognized immediately that these five were formerly from the Thunderzenith Sect, each an expert in the arcane arts of lightning and thunder. After venturing into the Star River, they founded their own sect and, using a peculiar lightning pool, they crafted the Soulsear Bolt, becoming formidable adversaries to the Star-Spawned Terror and various ghosts.
Qi Yunhong was their previously chosen successor in the Everlands, to whom they had granted the Soulsear Bolt.
"That Qi family lad is definitely in Ionodios. I can detect the scent of lightning," remarked an old woman with a gap-toothed grin. "I've taken a liking to that boy. He'll join us sooner or later! A few years back, I had someone deliver some Soulsear Bolt to him, and he's successfully advanced to the Solar Spirit level."
She, too, was a cultivator in the Unbound Realm and a leader of another Thunder Sect in the extraterrestrial realms.
"Old crone, are you hoping he'll take up your legacy?" the old man with the agate necklace sneered playfully. "His temperament does resemble yours; no wonder you've taken an interest in him."
Before the granny could reply, her empty sleeve began to bulge as if something within was struggling to break free. However, with a slight change in her expression, she managed to contain it with a thunder ball, preventing its escape.
The other four cultivators, noticing the odd movement in her sleeve, subtly furrowed their brows.
"It seems we were correct."
The toothless old woman inhaled deeply, glancing at her sleeve. "That object is connected to the Crucible of Evil, likely the anomaly you mentioned."
"You're Zhou You, right? Where can we find Yu Yuan? We need to speak with him," she stated with gravity.
"Friends, are you seeking Yu Yuan for friendly reasons, or are you looking to cause trouble?" Zhou You was aware that the quintet before him had been wreaking havoc across the extraterrestrial Star River for years, with enemies far and wide. They were known for their unruly behavior. "I should make it clear, Yu Yuan isn't just closely affiliated with our Skyreach Consortium; he's also the individual named by the bronze coffin as someone we're to look after."
"Does Taishi hold him in high regard?"
"After emerging from the Moonfall Sanctuary, would the Taishi God-King really bother with that young man?"
"Could it be because the young man played a role in Taishi's emergence?"
The independent dark disciples from the Thunder Sect marveled at the thought.
Zhou You shook his head. "That, I do not know."
"Enough speculation. We bear no grudge against the lad. Moreover, I'm aware that Qi Yunhong managed to reform his Solar Spirit Body," the granny cackled, lifting her sleeve. "The item within might originate from the Crucible of Evil. I stumbled upon it and sought Yu Yuan for verification."
"What exactly is it?" Zhou You's curiosity was piqued.
"It's likely one of the original Twelve Bane," the old woman revealed, no longer concealing the truth, "or at least a part of it. It was quite feeble when I found it. I nurtured it with a ghost spirit, and it gradually grew stronger. Still, I'm not its true master, and it tends to be disobedient."
"And you?" Zhou You was taken aback.
"I plan to find that young Yu Yuan and trade it for some pills, if that's alright?" the old woman huffed.
"Ha, now I get it."
