C1191 Who Are You?
Yu Yuan discerned from the reverence emanating from Denise that Mia was a prominent figure within the Dark Elfkind—a fact well-known to all.
"Your family is actually in service to Elder Mia. My apologies," Denise said with a smile. "Elder Mia is among the top five influential individuals in the Dark Elfkind. She's not only exceptionally powerful but also known for her gentle nature and her ability to forge strong relationships with many wise beings."
She paused briefly before adding, "That includes us as well."
Subsequently, their conversation flowed freely.
Yu Yuan inquired about the current state of the Dim Starfield, which was under the control of the Blood Devil Clan.
He quickly learned that in his absence, practitioners from the Demon Palace, led by the Qilin, had flooded into the realm through the "Swift Ferry," cleansing many domains previously under the Blood Devil Clan's influence. This purge had repercussions for numerous other races.
The massacre in the Dim Starfield by the forces representing the five supreme powers had set off a wave of turmoil, sending shockwaves across the cosmos.
In addition to the Blood Devil Clan, numerous branches of the Devaputra had also hastened to the Dim Starfield to offer assistance.
Moreover, radicals from the Bright Clan, Star Race, Dark Elfkind, and Asura Clan had heeded the call of the Great Demon God Grec, converging on the Dim Starfield from their respective galaxies.
The longstanding animosity between the intelligent beings of the outer domain and the humans and demons of the Boundless Land was not something that could be easily quelled.
Especially since those active in the Dim Starfield were led by the five supreme powers, not the Divine Soul Sect or the Babel Chamber of Commerce.
With the disappearance of the Divine Soul Sect, the outer domain's races had been resisting these human and demon forces for tens of thousands of years, fostering a hatred as deep as the ocean.
The foreign experts who joined the battle in the Dim Starfield did so not to aid the Great Demon God Grec but to exact vengeance on the human and demon forces led by the five supreme powers.
Following Yu Yuan and Chen Qinghuang's departure, the Starfield had become the most intensely watched battlefield in the vast galaxy, with many warriors meeting their end in the Dim Starfield.
After a thorough exchange, Denise rose gracefully. "Regarding the Earth Demon below, I need to have another talk with my father before we decide on our next steps. Feel free to stay here a bit longer; there's no rush to leave. Oh, and about the Moon Swallowing Apes and Lightning Ferrets, you may hunt some if necessary, but I ask that you spare the Celestial Star Beasts."
Denise's demeanor had warmed considerably upon learning of Yu Yuan's family's deep connection to Mia.
"Is it because you raised them?" Yu Yuan asked with a chuckle.
"You could say that," Denise replied, massaging her temples as she pondered. "However, we shouldn't kill too many Lightning Ferrets. They play a role in channeling stray lightning into this sanctuary and then into the lightning vortex. The Lightning Ferrets grow stronger through the vortex, and their presence also attracts lightning. They have a symbiotic relationship."
Yu Yuan nodded in understanding.
He was contemplating the possibility that if the Boundless Great World was indeed related to the Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea, the lack of innate intelligence in the Moon Swallowing Apes at birth could be attributed to the fragmentation of the Great Dao and its rules.
With the Boundless Great World having separated, the laws and principles were, of course, incomplete. Consequently, a newly born Moon Swallowing Ape wouldn't possess remarkable intelligence from the start and wouldn't be categorized as a demon.
"I must return to the castle, as that's the only place I can get in touch with my father."
Denise glanced at the warship overhead, her lips moving as if she were issuing a silent command. Then, she abruptly asked, "Do you want me to keep the situation with you and your sister confidential? If I inform my father, he might tell Mia, and the Dark Elfkind could arrange to bring you both in."
"No, there's no need for now. Please keep it a secret for a little while longer," Yu Yuan responded.
"Understood. The Epitaxial Realm is quite safe, except for that Earth Demon," Denise remarked before preparing to soar into the sky and board the warship.
"Wait..." Yu Yuan hesitated, as if struggling to find the right words.
"What is it?" Denise paused.
"Your brother likely met his end in the Plover Realm. My condolences," Yu Yuan finally said. "I've heard some things in the Serene Starfield and met many people. If someone ventured into the Plover Realm of the Oblivion Starfield and hasn't reemerged after a long time, they're probably gone."
"I understand. I've had similar suspicions, but I just don't want to discuss them with my father."
Denise still seemed somewhat melancholic as she sighed quietly. Then, transforming into a pillar of starlight, she shot into the Galaxy Ancient Starship.
Whoosh!
Shortly thereafter, Mia, enveloped in starlight, reappeared in the forbidden area.
In her hand, Mia clutched a crystal token. Noticing Yu Yuan's puzzled gaze, she hurriedly explained, "His Highness has instructed me to follow your commands. This token allows us to leave the forbidden area. It's the key to the star energy barrier!"
Yu Yuan nodded, offering no further comment.
Denise's decision to send Mia down likely meant she was keeping an eye on him.
He wasn't concerned about that.
Over the next few days, Yu Yuan processed the alien beasts and Demonic Beasts he had slain, offering them to the transforming Life Altar within him. He also harvested herbs to concoct more soul liquid.
He consumed some of the soul liquid himself, while the rest he administered to the still-unconscious Chen Qinghuang.
His plan was simple: if Chen Qinghuang awoke, he could leave in peace, even if Denise's father arrived in person.
Since Denise, a member of the Star Race, hadn't discerned his true human identity and assumed he and Chen Qinghuang were from the Dark Elfkind, even if she informed her father of certain matters, they would be safe for the time being.
Yu Yuan's concerns lay further in the future.
Several days later, he had gathered all the medicinal herbs and plants in the vicinity of the forbidden area that could be turned into soul liquid.
What remained were the toxic ones, suitable only for crafting into poison.
After careful consideration, he hunted Moon Swallowing Apes and a few Lightning Ferrets, collecting the toxic herbs as he went.
On that day.
Having ingested a bottle of soul liquid and transformed it into soul power, he sensed silently for a good while.
He discovered that a mere two-thirds of his refined soul power had been ruthlessly claimed by the Life Altar.
After a lengthy wait, with the Life Altar still dormant, Yu Yuan's eyes sparkled, and a radiant smile spread across his face.
Patience had revealed the moon's brilliance!
He was aware that the Life Altar, transformed into the Yang God, no longer required the absorption of additional soul power!
From this point forward, every strand of soul power he refined could be used to fortify his Yin God. His once languid soul was on the verge of a complete turnaround!
Two days later, his Yin God had significantly recovered, bolstering his bravery substantially.
The deep cavern, now devoid of emerging evil spirits and Earth Demons, had been long abandoned.
Yu Yuan approached the brink, peering down for quite some time before tossing three glass bottles brimming with poison into the abyss.
He waited with patience, yet no sound of shattering glass reached his ears, nor did he detect any unusual disturbances.
"Hehe," he chuckled under his breath, content to sit in stillness, eyes narrowed, not a hint of urgency about him.
Eventually, a cacophony of roars erupted from the cave's depths, far more tumultuous than before, signaling the enhanced might of the Earth Demon!
This revelation invigorated the Earth Demon, and in turn, Yu Yuan was stirred by the creature's excitement.
"Ghosting Arts!" he whispered, invoking the Divine Soul Sect's arcane technique without needing to descend into the chasm.
His reasoning was simple: he had provided the desired venom, so surely it was time for some form of reciprocation?
Each Earth Demon, capable of manifesting a form, possessed intelligence rivaling any creature. Yu Yuan trusted that the Earth Demon would make its own assessment of his actions.
He even suspected that the Earth Demon might have overheard his exchange with Denise.
Fully aware that his actions were driven by the quest for poison, which he had now supplied, Yu Yuan wondered, why the silence?
Anticipation swelled within him.
"Who are you? From whence do you come?" After some time, a chilling, ethereal thought emerged from the midst of the evil spirits, its origins elusive and unpredictable.
Yet Yu Yuan, now replete with restored soul power, instantly grasped it.
With caution, he maintained his silence, choosing not to respond immediately.
"The first time you descended into the cave, your Yin God conjured an eight-legged, humanoid apparition within your soul's sea, designed to hunt the malevolent thoughts and vicious souls spawned by my presence. Have you encountered such an entity before?"
"I know you hail from the Boundless Land. You're a human practitioner because you possess a Yin God!"
"What's your name? Which sect do you belong to, and why have you come here?"
Flurries of thoughts flickered from the malevolent spirits. Yu Yuan sensed them for a brief moment before they vanished as though they had never been there.
Yu Yuan stayed quiet, continuing to feel the chilling and sinister consciousness, pondering in silence.
"Have you seen her?"
The entity sending the thoughts, unable to contain itself any longer, suddenly unleashed a dark spell.
In the thick of the murky mist, a giant eight-legged spider revealed itself, its form exuding elegance.
The spider had been deliberately adorned, its legs shimmering with a rainbow's radiance, stunningly beautiful as if it were a Demon God enveloped in celestial light.
Upon witnessing the spectral giant spider, Yu Yuan was jolted. A torrent of images surged uncontrollably through his mind.
In his past life as Hong Qi, he had struck a deal with the eight-legged spider, rescuing Yu Zhu from the Absence Relic and settling her in the swamps of the Jade Peak.
Years later, reborn, he revisited that swamp and encountered Yu Zhu once more.
The vivid and immediate recollections of Yu Zhu and the eight-legged spider continued to unfold in his mind, as if these events had just recently occurred.
This included the harrowing moment when the eight-legged spider was slain by the purple phoenix, as revealed through Yu Zhu.
Subsequently, every being across the Upper and Lower Continents of the Epitaxial Realm felt the entire world tremble.
