C1426 Opening the Heavenly Window and Saying the Truth

Zhou Cangmin and Hong Qi belonged to different eras.

Yet, deeply concerned about Yu Yuan, Zhou Cangmin delved into Hong Qi's past upon discovering that Yu Yuan was his reincarnation.

To his astonishment, he found that the early life of Hong Qi contrasted starkly with his final days; they seemed like two entirely different individuals.

Hong Qi, desperate to extend his dwindling life, committed numerous atrocities that harmed the innocent towards the end.

The sheer number of cultivators and ordinary people who perished from his toxic smoke and poison pills left Zhou Cangmin horrified.

He harbored fears that Yu Yuan, now branded a traitor by the five supreme powers of the Everlands, would be persecuted and might revert to the malevolent nature of Hong Qi's later years.

He dreaded that Yu Yuan, under various pressures, might transform back into the tyrannical Hong Qi.

Just recently, he had concealed his Lunar Spirit, reduced to the size of a grain of rice, within a green fish, avoiding direct observation of Yu Yuan and instead monitoring those connected to him.

He did this to prevent Yu Yuan from detecting his presence, wary of revealing himself too soon.

He witnessed Su Yan, Loong Tianxiao, and Qin Yun each receiving "Great Luck" and generous gifts from Yu Yuan...

Only then did he decide to reveal himself.

"Mr. Zhou!"

Yu Yuan greeted him with a genuine smile, standing at the top of the ladder shaft, his physical form and Lunar Spirit simultaneously harnessing the chilling psionic power. He offered an apology, "I'm sorry, your timing is quite coincidental. I'm unable to step away to greet you properly."

"No worries, this is fine," Zhou Cangmin replied with an easy smile, clearly unfazed. "Congratulations. I imagined you'd be as celebrated in the extraterrestrial realms as you were in the Everlands. But I must admit, I underestimated you. The stir you've caused out there is even more dramatic and fearsome than anything you did in the Everlands."

The High Oracle was visibly moved.

Then, with a solemn expression, he bowed to Yu Yuan, "Faang Yao, I owe you my gratitude for your support. Thanks to you, I've benefited from a solar nucleus and am now close to acquiring all the fire-attribute magic items necessary to advance to the Unbound Stage."

"You and I..." Yu Yuan began, immediately becoming wary. He glanced instinctively toward the four pits.

The souls of the supreme beings from the Devil Palace, Shadow's Keep, Sunlit Order, and Ebon Star might still be eavesdropping...

"Cough!" Zhou Cangmin gave a dry laugh, aware of Yu Yuan's concerns, and spoke with ease, "I got the green light from our Sect Master before coming here. He didn't just agree on a whim. He... sought others' opinions as well."

The leader of the Ruby Hand, a newly ascended primordial spirit, needed to consult others?

Yu Yuan paused, then it dawned on him, "I never imagined that after our reunion, you... would actually become their representative!"

"And aren't you the same?" Zhou Cangmin winked.

He had been concerned that Yu Yuan, after his extraterrestrial experiences and the surge in his combat prowess, not to mention his past as Hong Qi, might prove difficult to interact with.

The head of the Ruby Hand had even warned him to be cautious, mentioning that Yu Yuan now possessed the strength to defeat him!

It was only now that he truly relaxed. Pointing towards the pits, he smiled, "You can sense that they've concealed their presence, no longer monitoring us. Of course, once I report back to my Sect Master, they'll be privy to our conversation."

"It doesn't matter," Yu Yuan said nonchalantly.

Zhou Cangmin was too clever, his actions almost flawless. His presence in the Frozen Hellscape meant he wasn't worried about repercussions.

After a series of consultations, he had transformed, becoming the envoy for the five greatest forces.

He was there to negotiate and communicate with Yu Yuan on their behalf.

Their mutual trust, built over many years, meant they could converse without reservations, making discussions much easier.

"Over there, I hope you can quickly take care of the Wintermaw," Zhou Cangmin said, his eyes shifting to the lengthy stairwell. He paused, then added, "The Shadow's Keep is having trouble with one of the Wintermaw Entrances they oversee. In the Everlands, five out of the seven Wintermaw Entrances must remain open simultaneously. There's already been a hiccup in the Glimmerdrift Nebula, and now another issue has arisen."

Yu Yuan immediately turned his attention to the pit that had earlier caught his eye. "What's the issue? What happened?"

"After the Brugeth Astral Domain vanished, a massive uprising erupted in the Frostfell, which is under the watch of the Shadow's Keep. I'm not privy to the specifics. All I know is that the turmoil in that star domain is due to their worship of the Origin Deity," Zhou Cangmin explained.

He wasn't the Sect Master of the Ruby Hand. Had he not been instructed to come here and negotiate with Yu Yuan, he wouldn't even be privy to the secrets of the Wintermaw.

The information he was sharing with Yu Yuan was something he had only recently learned himself.

Like Yu Yuan, he too was in a state of profound shock.

He was astounded to discover that at the bottom of the Frozen Hellscape, there were seven portals leading to extraterrestrial realms, each corresponding to a frigid starry sky.

The Wintermaw continuously drew ice energy from the depths of the Frostfell, never ceasing.

"The Origin Deity!"

Yu Yuan's face darkened as he suddenly surmised that due to Pei Yuling's complete defection, the Origin Deity must have learned the secrets of the Everlands.

Or perhaps, the Origin Deity had always known but previously lacked the power to reach into the Everlands.

With the voidification of the Brugeth, the emergence of the Blightwood, the resurgence of the Voidweaver, and Diggs on the verge of becoming a tenth-level Blood Warrior, the Origin Deity's power grew ever stronger.

Only then did he begin to stretch his malevolent reach towards the Everlands, aiming to disrupt the grand design from the extraterrestrial Star River.

Suddenly, Yu Yuan recalled the words Cao Jiaze had spoken before his departure from the Glimmerdrift Nebula.

Han Miaoyuan of the Ebon Star had summoned the highest echelons to discuss urgent matters, secretly inviting even the Boulderdawn and the Chamber of Commerce to deliberate on the Abyss's peril.

Could it be that the Shadow's Keep, too, had experienced an unforeseen event?

"What else do they require? No! What else do they request?"

Yu Yuan smiled wryly, realigning his stance. "Times have changed. It seems these factions now depend on me to solve their problems. I almost forgot, I've long since parted ways with them and joined the Boulderdawn. They have no right to demand anything from me; they can only make requests."

"I just hope you can settle the Wintermaw issue as quickly as possible, and..." Zhou Cangmin paused, observing the peculiar changes above the pit. He watched the colorful auroras spilling from the Dragon Slaying Stage and the lines of space magic forming at the base of the Wintermaw, slowly revealing their mysteries.

"Perhaps, when the other Wintermaw is located and returned to the Everlands, we'll still need to rely on your Dragon Slaying Stage."

He had come to understand that repairing a damaged Wintermaw required more than just a few holes. The Dragon Slaying Stage, firmly in Yu Yuan's grip, was crucial.

"We'll discuss it later, depending on their sincerity!" Yu Yuan chuckled.

Zhou Cangmin remained unfazed, not offering further persuasion, partly because he believed that even without the five supreme forces exerting pressure, Boulderdawn and the Chamber of Commerce would compel Yu Yuan to do what was necessary.

"That's all the business we had. Now, let's just chat casually."

The High Oracle glided around the other pits with his Lunar Spirit, touching the chilling strange power flowing toward the Wintermaw with his soul. "It's nourishing for any ghost. If my real body were here, capturing a portion of it would be immensely beneficial." He couldn't help feeling envious.

The two then shifted to lighter topics, discussing curious happenings in the extraterrestrial realms and recent significant changes in the Everlands.

Zhou Cangmin subtly steered the conversation toward the Nagas' bloodline transformation, clearly intrigued by the subject. Yu Yuan, growing weary of the probing, finally spoke candidly, "The Dragon Slaying Stage has advanced, giving rise to new phenomena, thus breaking the seal on the Nagas."

"Understood," Zhou Cangmin replied, not missing a beat. With his curiosity satisfied, he dropped the subject of the Nagas.

Half an hour later, Yu Yuan, stationed at the Wintermaw, furrowed his brow and suddenly asked, "Mo Yan, was it Zhu Zhenlin's influence that led you to sabotage Qin Yun's path to advancing his Solar Spirit?"

"Mo Yan?" Zhou Cangmin expressed surprise. "Why bring him up now? It's been a long time since we've heard anything about him, especially after you destroyed his Solar Spirit in the extraterrestrial realm."

"Because he arrived."

...