C1172 The Way of Heaven

The crescent blade contracted and shrank before settling into Tan Junshan's palm.

After a moment's hesitation, his Lunar Spirit burst forth from his brow and merged with the crescent.

Like a luminous butterfly, the crescent moon unfurled its wings and ventured into the nearby Dark Nebula.

Amplified by the crescent moon, Tan Junshan's remnant soul reached out, slowly expanding its presence.

His original soul took in a myriad of jumbled thoughts. The devil souls, extinguished in an instant and not yet dissipated, the cascading psionic power, the peculiar blood droplets, and the messages and lingering consciousness they contained—all were known to Tan Junshan.

Yet, he found no sign of Yu Yuan's presence.

Not even the faintest whiff of Yu Yuan's essence could be detected.

"What in the world is happening?"

After some time, Tan Junshan, having come up empty-handed, gazed solemnly at Yu Yiyi, who was still quietly weeping with her head bowed. "You are the cauldron spirit of the Crucible of Evil, psychically linked with him. You must know the truth!"

Yu Yiyi continued to shake her head, her sobs gentle but persistent.

Yu Zhu stood amidst the sparse, toxic fumes, silently calling out through her spiritual connection with Yu Yuan.

No answer came.

Her acute sense of smell and her unique lineage cast a vast, unseen web, extending quietly in all directions, yet she could not catch a hint of Yu Yuan's scent.

Her heart felt hollow, clueless about what had transpired or who might have visited.

"Quealy is dead, and all under Grec's command—the blood bound slaves and the puppets—were annihilated in an instant," Adler, towering like a mountain, stood against the backdrop of the starry sky, his mind brimming with questions. "Could it be that a God-King from Boulderdawn secretly infiltrated and spirited him away?"

Tan Junshan was about to speak, yet he fell into a sudden silence.

He wanted to suggest that Yu Yuan himself might be behind all this, but the idea seemed too far-fetched.

The ninth-level Blood Fiend elder, Quealy, a master of space magic, was notoriously difficult to kill.

Quealy met his end in a blink, and the puppets enslaved by the Blood Fiend, along with the Warpbeasts, were reduced to ash in the same fleeting moment.

Yu Yuan couldn't possibly possess such strength!

"Could it be the Kylin from Shadow's Keep?"

Mitts, a member of the inner demon clan, casually picked up an ancient tome at her feet, and black glyphs emerged.

Running her finger over the glyphs, she remarked, "We've received word that Shadow's Keep, Devil Palace, and numerous cultivators from the five greatest forces will be venturing into the Dark Star Region."

"The Kylin from Shadow's Keep is expected to arrive and lead the charge in this upcoming conflict."

While speaking, Mitts glanced around as books inscribed with ancient glyphs at her feet arranged themselves silently, with a massive tide of magic power swelling forth.

It seemed she was attempting to detect any residual aura of the Dark Deity Kylin to confirm its presence.

Suddenly, a specter emerged once more in the shadowy depths behind Adler and Mitts.

Startled, Adler and Mitts spun around and, with deep respect, greeted, "High Priest!"

Tan Junshan's eyes sparkled, and he too turned his attention, exclaiming, "I nearly forgot you were here, Elder Reid. You must know what's transpired, right?"

As a human cultivator, he was less formal than Adler and Mitts, addressing Reid by name.

"I couldn't penetrate the Chronospatial Lock to witness the truth," the High Priest Reid, of the Star-Spawned Terror race, declared in the flawless tongue of the Everlands. "What I sensed was the power of the long-deceased Chronowyrm. It's as though the tenth-level Dragon God has returned to existence."

"The Chronowyrm?!" Tan Junshan exclaimed in astonishment.

"Yes, the very Chronowyrm known for burrowing everywhere and excelling at evasion," Reid said with a tone laced with loathing. "It was his power that carved out a temporary Domain Channel, through which that young man Yu Yuan and the Songbird Queen vanished."

Upon hearing this, Yu Zhu ceased her efforts to sense further.

If the High Priest Reid of the Star-Spawned Terror race claimed that Yu Yuan and the Songbird Queen had departed through a Domain Channel, then they were no longer in the Dark Star Region, and further searching would be futile.

"High Priest, what is our course of action now?"

Mitts, with her head bowed and arms crossed before her chest, awaited orders with a troubled expression.

"Evacuate from the Dark Star Region immediately," Reid mused before continuing, "Tan Junshan, you should head to the Hellmouth. Thanks to Yan Qiling of the Boulderdawn, the Domain Channel there will soon be restored. The Kylin, along with the elites from Shadow's Keep and the Devil Palace, are about to flood into this Astral Domain."

The High Priest Reid, concealed in the shadows, fell silent thereafter.

Mitts and Adler shared a knowing look before stepping into the dark expanse in Tan Junshan's presence. The darkness gradually contracted to a pinpoint before vanishing abruptly.

Yu Yiyi stood within the Crucible of Evil, lost in a daze, seemingly oblivious to everything around her.

The Blood Fiend, the Frostfiend, and the Warpbeast met their end in an instant. Their residual souls were naturally drawn into the cauldron, yet she remained unmoved, issuing no commands.

She was well aware of the recent events.

Her tears flowed from the grief of possibly losing her new master, whom she truly loved and respected, perhaps never to return.

And the one who had awakened had not taken her along, leaving without her.

She felt a profound sense of loss, as if abandoned by two masters, though in strict terms, they were one and the same. Accustomed to heeding Yu Yuan's commands and guidance, she had always been by his side, dutiful and compliant. But now, with Yu Yuan missing, she, the artifact soul of the Crucible of Evil, found herself directionless, uncertain of her future. The vast emptiness and sorrow nearly overwhelmed her.

"We can no longer head to Kobran Crossing," Tan Junshan declared, regaining his composure quickly. He frowned and added, "Reid doesn't speak idly. If the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep are converging there, they must be targeting Kobran Crossing. I, and the Starmoon Sect I represent, are no longer affiliated with them. It's better that I avoid them."

"I will remain in the Dark Star Region," Yu Zhu interjected suddenly.

Tan Junshan looked at her in surprise. "Why?"

"Have you forgotten? I am a member of Shadow's Keep," Yu Zhu said, her mind flashing back to the harrowing vision of her mother's death at the hands of Shadow's Keep's highest authority.

Yu Yuan was always by her side. She had been his steadfast companion. But now that Yu Yuan had vanished without a trace, she had to devise her own strategies and plans.

"I need time to erode Grec's blood crystal and fully assimilate it," Yu Zhu stated, her tone icy. She didn't glance at Yu Yiyi or Tan Junshan, nor did she engage in further conversation with them. Instead, she continued her flight toward Kobran, the location she had previously learned of.

She was aware that it wouldn't be long before she would encounter the archdemon of Shadow's Keep.

"What about you? Will you leave with me, or do you have another destination in mind?" Tan Junshan asked Yu Yiyi, his gaze filled with resignation. "You stand in for Yu Yuan. In the Dark Star Region, if you run into the formidable beings from Shadow's Keep, Devil Palace, or any of the three upper sects, you're bound to face difficulties."

"Please help me find him," Yu Yiyi implored earnestly.

"The intelligent life forms, the Skyreach Consortium, and the Boulderdawn Sect will scour the world for him," Tan Junshan sighed. "He'd be better off staying hidden, as no one wishes to witness the return of the secular bird. Join me, and we'll seek out the members of the Boulderdawn Sect."

"It seems that's our only option," Yu Yiyi agreed with a nod.

​