C1419
"How dare he?"
Aboard the Fire Fan, Chi Nandou's face was clouded with gloom as he watched Yu Yuan unleash a massacre on the gilding treasure ship.
Lee Tihai was nominally still a member of the Fiend Sect. Yu Yuan's resolute action in executing him made Chi Nandou feel that Yu Yuan had no regard for the Fiend Sect whatsoever.
After all, the Fiend Sect had been his home since childhood.
"Shouldn't you be more shocked by how powerful Yu Yuan has become?"
Hou Tianzhao's eyes were wide with disbelief, his own heart pounding with the revelation. He had learned from Faang Yao and Yuan Lianyao that Yu Yuan's combat strength now far exceeded his actual level of cultivation.
What truly astonished him was Yu Yuan's choice to strike first!
Without any hesitation!
It was one thing to kill solitary cultivators, but Lee Tihai had been accepted into the Fiend Sect, becoming one of its members. Why then would Yu Yuan dare to strike him down?
Didn't he fear that the five greatest powers would retaliate against the Divine Soul Sect and the Chamber of Commerce, accusing them of breaking the truce first?
Moreover, with Yu Yuan initiating hostilities, the mighty ones from the five powers now had a legitimate reason to hunt him down in these waters!
Zhu Zhenxiong of the Devil Palace, especially after Mo Yan's Yang God was shattered, would likely be eager to take action!
Hou Tianzhao looked up anxiously at the sky, feeling as if eyes from the vast expanse of forbidden lands and holy sites were converging upon this stretch of sea...
His instincts were sharp; indeed, several exalted individuals were quietly observing the situation from afar.
...
In a secluded area of the Profound Sky Sect.
Cao Jiaze stood before a grand palace, in front of a towering peristele, through which he could clearly see Yu Yuan encircling Lee Tihai with the Demon Blade.
Trapped within the blood-red glow of the Demon Blade, Lee Tihai had no chance of escape.
Within the translucent pillar, a faint shadow stood, her figure graceful, as she too watched the scene unfold within the pillar, observing Yu Yuan as he wielded the Demon Blade.
"Elder Ancestor Ji, aren't you going to intervene?"
Cao Jiaze, filled with righteous indignation, yelled at the ethereal figure within the towering peristele, "This is outrageous, utterly irresponsible! We've just established rules with the Divine Soul Sect and the Chamber of Commerce! He's barely back, and he's already wreaking havoc! If the Divine Soul Sect won't act, shouldn't we at least make our stance clear?"
The figure in the pillar was none other than the soul shadow of Ji Tianyu, another Primordial Spirit from the Profound Sky Sect.
"Enough with the charade."
Her soul shadow responded coolly from within the pillar.
She continued, "The critical well is located within his Dragon Slash Platform. His clear intent is to investigate the Nether Abyss. If he kills a few inconsequential individuals along the way, so be it."
"Turn a blind eye?" Cao Jiaze asked, puzzled.
"Given that he secured the well from the Asura and Chaos Roc in the Firefly Starfield and brought back the vast ocean, I'm inclined not to quibble with him over this," Ji Tianyu stated.
"And what of the Nagas? The upheaval of the world is also a result of his return!" Cao Jiaze probed deliberately.
"That's a matter for later discussion!"
Ji Tianyu huffed.
Her soul shadow within the pillar then quietly vanished.
Similar discussions were unfolding at the Devil Palace, the Demon Palace, and the Sword Sect.
After departing from Dragon Island, Yu Yuan mercilessly eliminated Lee Tihai and the independent cultivators near the Nether Abyss. All the supreme beings had witnessed his actions.
Yet, curiously, they all maintained their silence, feigning ignorance.
For in the eyes of these supreme beings, Lee Tihai and the independent cultivators were as insignificant as ants.
...
"Too weak, and quite dull."
Perched atop the gilding treasure ship, Yu Yuan observed as the blood-red light screen slowly contracted, consuming Lee Tihai's flesh, bones, Yin God, and Yang God. There was no trace of triumph on his face.
He hadn't deployed the Dragon Slash Platform, summoned the Evil Cauldron, or marshaled an excessive amount of Yang God power. With just the Demon Blade Blood Prison, he had effortlessly dispatched Lee Tihai.
Despite Lee Tihai being in the middle period of the Yang God Stage and resorting to all his techniques, he was effortlessly obliterated.
In that moment, Yu Yuan acutely sensed that although he had just entered the Yang God Stage, his actual power had long since surpassed that level.
"Lin Tianming..."
Yu Yuan called out sharply.
"Present! I'm here!"
Standing nervously at the corner of the gilded treasure ship, Lin Tianming clutched the grey clay jar, his gaze fixed on the remains of Lee Tihai, now reduced to a pool of blood. His speech faltered as he addressed the elder, "Elder Hong, what instructions do you have for me?"
"Do you know why you're still alive?" Yu Yuan inquired.
Lin Tianming furrowed his brow, pondered for a moment, and then ventured, "Is it because I once... helped Senior Sister Luo?"
"You're not as foolish as you look." Yu Yuan's mouth twisted into a half-smile as she gestured dismissively, "Get lost! And stay out of my sight!"
Luo Yue had once perished, but her Yin God survived, trained in Horror Land, and eventually became the Luohou Ghost King. Lin Tianming had secretly played a part in her survival.
Luo Yue had been kind to him before, which is why he knew the secrets of cultivating the Witch Bug.
During the conflict between Luo Yue and her junior brother, Luo Yue was nearly destroyed, but she managed to preserve a sliver of her Yin God and escape, thanks in part to Lin Tianming's intervention.
So, despite Lin Tianming's treacherous nature and his quick betrayal of Yun Hao when the tide turned, not caring for Lee Tihai's fate, Yu Yuan still showed him leniency.
In fact, upon discovering the Witch Bug active within Chiu Muge's body, Yu Yuan had suspected Lin Tianming.
After news of the Voodoo Cult's leader and the exposure of Horror Land, this man had promptly fled to the Outland Starry Sky.
He feared the repercussions, worried that the Voodoo Cult's leader would hold him accountable, so he disappeared.
His return now suggested he had found new protection and was no longer afraid.
"Send my regards to Senior Sister Luo!"
With an ambiguous smile, Lin Tianming bowed slightly, then, taking his two disciples with him, he swiftly departed, leaving everything else behind.
"That smile..."
Yu Yuan paused, a realization dawning on him that Lin Tianming might harbor feelings for Luo Yue. Yet, because Luo Yue held a high position as the Voodoo Cult's leader, he never dared to express his affection.
But even after Luo Yue's misfortune, Lin Tianming couldn't overcome his emotions and ultimately allowed her to escape with her Yin God intact.
Consequently, she ascended to the title of the current Luohou Ghost King.
"My poor disciple, always so unlucky. Both Lin Tianming and Feng Zhong were unsightly and sleazy," Yu Yuan chuckled, shaking his head in amusement.
Feng Zhong, from the Babel Chamber of Commerce, sported a goatee that made him resemble an old charlatan, much like Lin Tianming's own demeanor.
Feng Zhong's love for Luo Yue ran deep, nearly driving him to forsake the Chamber of Commerce for her.
Luckily, the Chamber of Commerce remained steadfast. The current and former presidents were always aligned.
"What about us?"
The remaining independent cultivators and the two evil cultivators from the Fiend Sect, seeing that Yu Yuan remained silent, dared not move an inch, looking at him with forlorn eyes.
Without sparing them a glance, Yu Yuan vanished in an instant, reappearing on the unnamed island.
"You killed Lee Tihai?!" Lyu Geng's voice rose, a mix of excitement and anxiety. "With him dead, how could Sect Master Yun and the others from the sect just let this go? You've been too impulsive; there was no need for such actions!"
"Lee Tihai is inconsequential, and even if Yun Hao himself were to confront me, what could he possibly do?" Yu Yuan replied with a smile.
In the Outland Star River, he had encountered countless formidable adversaries: Zhu Huan of the Primordial Yang Sect, Fu Xuanwen of the Profound Sky Sect, Wei Zhuo of the Thunder Sect, the Mighty Spirit King, the Golden Elephant Ancient God, Yue Mu, Du Yuan, and even the Demon God from the Blood Devil Clan.
Zhu Huan and Fu Xuanwen had perished, as had the Golden Elephant Ancient God and the Mighty Spirit King. Du Yuan had suffered grave injuries...
Yet, he remained unscathed and thriving.
Among the other races, Brie, the Void Spirit Succubus, the Fallen Divine Tree, Mia, Reid the High Priest of the Elemental Devil Clan, Grec, and the Demon Gods of the Blood Devil Clan had all fallen.
Having encountered and clashed with so many, his reverence for someone like Yun Hao at the Unrestrained Stage had long since dissipated.
The Fiend Sect was hardly a sect to be feared, with only a few at the Unrestrained Stage. There was no reason for him to be concerned.
"The five supreme beings have just forged a secret pact with the Divine Soul Sect and the Babel Chamber of Commerce."
Chiu Muge managed to speak, though his voice remained faint. "Aren't you concerned about the Fiend Sect? Don't you fear that those factions will use your confrontation with Lee Tihai as a pretext to target you?"
Yu Yuan offered a nonchalant smile. "I'm not concerned."
While speaking, he glanced skyward, his eyes catching an odd glint.
From the moment he had arrived in these waters, he sensed the supreme beings of the vast expanse keeping tabs on him, both overtly and covertly.
He was well aware that the Dao Law he had employed to check the Nagas had become ineffective, drawing the notice of the Primordial Spirits and Demon Gods.
Yet, he was also convinced that in this new era, the number of supreme seats was finite. Even with the Nagas' constraints lifted, finding a path to ascend as a Dragon God was not going to be straightforward.
As for himself, dispatching a few independent practitioners like Lee Tihai was trivial. Given their temperament, they were unlikely to get involved.
After all, he held the Cold Abyss Entrance, and his purpose was to delve into the mysteries of the Cold Abyss.
"I trust you," Chiu Muge affirmed, nodding slowly.
