C1252 Fear

The Freezing Devaputra, also known as the Ice Devil or Scorpion Tail Devil, is a branch of the Outland Devaputra. At the height of their power, they boasted a Tenth Level Great Demon God among their ranks. However, the current Freezing Devaputra Race has long since faded from its former glory, having not seen the birth of a Great Demon God in ages.

While the Freezing Devaputra Race is faring much better than the nearly extinct Moon Demon Clan, it still pales in comparison to the thriving Blood Devil Clan. In fact, they are even less influential than the Polar Devaputra Race, which has aligned itself with the Blood Devil Clan.

Among the Freezing Devaputra, a Ninth Level Demon God is a figure of considerable stature. Yet, surprisingly, one such individual has taken refuge in this chilly and eerie cave. After dispersing his Devil Soul, he merged it with the cave walls, the icy veins, the crevices, and the very earth beneath, which caught Yu Yuan off guard.

One would expect a Demon God to return to his people and lead the Freezing Devaputra Race back to prominence.

"I'm gravely injured, and what's left of my Devil Soul is far too weak..." Chen Qinghuang, her delicate fingers resembling white jade as they clutched the cold crystal, gazed upon the Devil Soul within. Her eyes, a pale green, seemed to brim with boundless vitality.

Her demeanor was calm, yet her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she examined the Devil Soul encased in the crystal.

Yu Yuan, acquainted with the Ice Concubine from the Evil Cauldron through his dealings with the Cold Yin Sect, reflected for a moment before speaking. "This meteorite, infused with a cold vein, must be this Freezing Devaputra's sanctuary for healing. And you..." He turned his gaze to Yan Ziyang, whose expression was rigid, "have been unwittingly swayed by his demonic influence. Your actions in slaying the practitioners from the Cold Yin Sect and the Primordial Yang Sect have inadvertently aided him. Those who perished here, their Yang Gods shattered, their souls scattered across this frigid sanctum."

"You're aware, of course, that the souls of human cultivators are a delicacy to the Devaputra."

"Their deaths here, their essence absorbed by this icy realm, have been covertly consumed by the Devaputra to mend his wounds. It's likely he even assisted you discreetly during your battles."

Yu Yuan spoke deliberately, his words unfolding slowly.

Yan Ziyang felt a chill that wasn't from the cold.

Upon reflection, he began to grasp that Yu Yuan's inference was likely very close to the truth.

Since discovering this frigid treasure trove, his resentment toward the Primordial Yang Sect had grown stronger each day, until he finally took action.

During his skirmishes with practitioners from the Primordial Yang Sect and the Cold Yin Sect, their souls would inexplicably spiral out of control at critical moments, as if invaded by malevolent, icy thoughts, causing their consciousness to freeze.

Thus, even those of equal cultivation level could be swiftly slain by him.

He had previously believed his victories were due to a harmonious connection with this icy domain, manipulating the local severe cold to influence his opponents' consciousness.

Now, it appeared that the Freezing Devaputra had been covertly assisting him, securing his ultimate triumph.

The defeated foes' souls would scatter throughout the cavern, where the Freezing Devaputra would consume them, regaining its strength.

An image formed in Yan Ziyang's mind.

Eventually, with his aid, the Freezing Devaputra might regain its full power, infiltrate the depths of his consciousness, and either devour his soul or take over his body.

"Who is this?"

Inhaling deeply, Yan Ziyang turned to Chen Qinghuang, his face etched with unease.

His eyes were filled with a multitude of questions.

A gravely wounded Ninth Level Demon God had been lurking in this cave for untold years, and he had been oblivious.

How could the exquisite woman carried by Yu Yuan perceive this?

Moreover, how could she so effortlessly gather the dispersed Devil Intent of the Freezing Devaputra and crystallize it for containment?

"She's my younger sister," Yu Yuan said with a smile.

Chen Qinghuang shot him a look, then flicked the cold crystal in her hand. A streak of icy brilliance flew toward Yan Ziyang.

Bewildered, Yan Ziyang saw the cold crystal coming his way and hastily arranged a secret array.

Soul power and Frost Energy surged from his hands, creating an enigmatic space over his chest.

Within this misty realm, his soul thoughts coalesced into clusters of cold souls.

"Ghost Spirit Sect, you've got some tricks up your sleeve," Yu Yuan remarked lightly.

Yan Ziyang's Spiritual Spell and secret arts carried a hint of commanding spirits and ghosts, and naturally, his soul thoughts were the most abundant within the clusters of chilling souls.

Yet, a portion of the soul thoughts within did not belong to him.

Yan Ziyang seemed to have trapped foreign souls within his Yang God body, refining them for his use. In battle, these souls could merge with his strength, becoming a weapon against his enemies.

"I won't lie to you, knowing you hail from the Evil Sect made me feel a natural affinity towards you."

As Yan Ziyang spoke, he placed the crystal containing a Freezing Devaputra into the array of dense white mist within his chest, his face breaking into an ingratiating smile. "The Ghost Spirit Sect fell after the Evil Sect, and I'm well aware that before the Evil Sect vanished, our Ghost Spirit Sect..."

"Er, was a vassal to the Evil Sect."

Hiss!

Within the depths of the frosty mist, clusters of souls surged, their icy spikes visibly arranged in the void.

Surprise flickered in Yu Yuan's eyes.

The area of cold mist around Yan Ziyang's chest, created with his frost energy and intermingled with cold souls, faintly shared the same essence as the Soul Split formation, typically used by the Evil Sect.

"Our Ghost Spirit Sect also understands the art of commanding souls and ghosts..." Yan Ziyang mused aloud.

Yu Yuan appeared contemplative.

Had it been solely based on Yan Ziyang's words, he might have suspected that Yan Ziyang was merely trying to ingratiate himself by drawing a connection between the Ghost Spirit Sect and the Evil Sect.

However, the aura emanating from the cold mist and the arrangement of the cold souls in Yan Ziyang's chest suggested that Yan Ziyang wasn't just making empty claims.

The Ghost Spirit Sect, eradicated by the Primordial Yang Sect, likely had profound ties with the Evil Sect!

This revelation made Yu Yuan view Yan Ziyang more favorably.

"Focus on that crystal for now. If you can't handle the Freezing Devaputra inside, I'll find a way to assist you. Also, try to get that meteorite enveloped in cold energy moving towards the Starfield of the Winged Race," Yu Yuan instructed.

"The Starfield of the Winged Race?" Yan Ziyang's brow furrowed. "Yu Yuan, this meteorite is stationary. If I silence the strange howls, it'll go unnoticed. But once it starts moving, it'll attract immediate attention. Outsiders and cultivators roaming the Deep Starfield might set their sights on it."

"It's fine," Yu Yuan said calmly.

"Alright then," Yan Ziyang replied, steeling himself.

Yu Yuan had moved on from Yan Ziyang and was now standing shoulder to shoulder with Chen Qinghuang. "How much do you remember?" he asked her.

The empress before him appeared much younger than when he first met her, seemingly around eighteen or nineteen, radiating with the essence of youth. Yet to Yu Yuan, she seemed almost ethereal.

Her soul, vitality, and spiritual energy were completely undetectable.

The empress stood before him, yet she emitted no aura that a living being should possess. She was akin to a feather, a stone, or even the void of air itself.

Yu Yuan was convinced that even if Unrestrained Stage cultivators or Ninth Level bloodline members of other races from the outside world were to extend their senses, they would only detect him and Yan Ziyang, completely unaware of the empress's presence.

In the perception of the outside world's experts, the empress was a void, a blank space.

"I remember some things," Chen Qinghuang said, her voice as steady as a still pond.

She seemed to Yu Yuan to be growing ever more unfathomable.

"Shall I take you to the Winged Race's Starfield?" Yu Yuan ventured.

Chen Qinghuang gave a slight nod but remained silent.

Yu Yuan noticed her gaze and attention were fixed on the cold vein within the river, as she pondered over some obscure and complex issue.

With her showing no inclination to converse, Yu Yuan resigned himself to share in her silence.

Time passed until she abruptly spoke, "The Lim family's girl is also in this shattered galaxy."

"Lim Zhuyun?!" Yu Yuan was taken aback.

Chen Qinghuang nodded once more.

A sudden tension gripped Yu Yuan's heart.

His alarm wasn't due to his nominal fiancée, who had often been bested by him, but rather the thought of the Chaos Roc.

If Lim Zhuyun was in the Deep Starfield, then it was possible that the Chaos Roc was there as well. In the vast expanse of the starry river, what Yu Yuan feared the most was the Starry Behemoth that had once been suppressed in the Ember Waters.

The thought of that savage and brutal individual entering the Outer Battlefield filled him with unease; everything seemed amiss.

"Could they be targeting you?" Yu Yuan asked abruptly.

"..."