C1442 The Secret Room's Trace

Duan Yue was feeling unsettled.

As the leader of the Binders of Shadows in the Sundering Isles, her life had been quite comfortable since the sect pledged allegiance to Boulderdawn and the Chamber of Commerce.

Her own cultivation was modest, merely at the Spirit Walk Realm, and the pursuit of advancing to the Solar Spirit Realm consumed her thoughts, leaving little room for distractions.

When Yu Yuan made his presence known in the Sundering Isles, she took note but quickly dismissed it from her mind—her priority was to advance her own cultivation as swiftly as possible.

Duan Yue believed that with the five forces and Boulderdawn at a temporary standstill, dependent sects like the Binders of Shadows would enjoy a period of tranquility.

However, Yu Yuan's unexpected visit caught her off guard. Eager to understand his purpose, she promptly offered her respects, "Binders of Shadows' Duan Yue at your service. May I inquire what brings Mr. Hong here?"

Yu Yuan paused in the sky above Phantom Isle. His smile reassured her as he replied, "Don't worry. I'm just here to look into a few matters."

Feeling more at ease, Duan Yue offered, "Would you like me to show you around the island?"

"There's no need," he declined.

Armed with the Dragon Slaying Stage and the Lunar Spirit within, Yu Yuan's keen observation left no stone unturned on Phantom Isle—from the Ghoul Glyphs etched in the secret chambers below to the subtlest of details.

The island was home to just over twenty disciples, most with limited cultivation.

Yu Yuan had a clear grasp of their interactions, the visible armaments, and the spells they used.

In a brief span, he had thoroughly reviewed all the activities and concealed secrets of Phantom Isle—finding nothing amiss.

Elsewhere, Feng Zhong, privy to the hidden truths, had halted Lin Kai Ming and his group from their vengeful quest, commanding them to return to Shadowisle.

"Do you want to check it out?"

Having found nothing himself, Yu Yuan gestured for Yin Xueqi to descend and conduct her own examination.

Without any reluctance, Yin Xueqi glided down to Phantom Isle, where she scrutinized the palace she suspected might harbor oddities, as well as the formations and areas of special vitality within the forbidden zone.

Then it became clear that the peculiar aura emanating from the forbidden areas within the palace was the handiwork of the current followers of the Binders of Shadows.

"No."

After a moment, she shook her head and informed Yu Yuan that she hadn't noticed anything amiss on Phantom Isle.

Duan Yue had been accompanying them for a bit, and upon realizing that Yu Yuan and his group weren't looking for trouble, she asked with a smile, "Who exactly passed away in the Poison Cult?"

"A man named Cheng Bo," Yu Yuan clarified.

"Cheng Bo..."

Duan Yue's brow furrowed, as if a memory had surfaced, and she appeared hesitant to continue.

"Do you know him?" Yu Yuan inquired, intrigued.

The Binders of Shadows and the Poison Cult had always been adversaries. Cheng Bo had recently ascended to the Spirit Walk Stage, while Duan Yue was also a cultivator at the same level on Phantom Isle.

Given the covert conflict between them, she likely knew more about Cheng Bo than those within the Poison Cult.

"Well, it turns out there's a bit of a connection with you, Mr. Hong," Duan Yue said after a pause. "Mr. Hong, you once visited the Sundering Isles and caused quite a stir. Of course, back then, no one was aware of your true identity, and we were in the dark as well."

She rambled on.

Feng Zhong quickly lost patience, "Get to the point!"

"Oh."

Duan Yue cast a slight, aggrieved glance at Feng Zhong and dutifully answered, "Our Binders of Shadows are aware that Cheng Bo was quite close to your former herb slave."

"Du Jing?" Yu Yuan exclaimed in surprise.

Du Jing's real body had been destroyed in the Godsblight Marsh, and his Lunar Spirit, which had been concealed there, was later eradicated and no longer existed.

"Yes, Du Jing turned to the Poison Cult after the incident involving you, fearing that Zhong Chichen would purge him. But after a short time with the Poison Cult, he was expelled and went into hiding in the Godsblight Marsh. In theory, he shouldn't have had much contact with Cheng Bo after that."

Despite being an adversary, Duan Yue's investigation was remarkably thorough. "Yet curiously, every time Du Jing visited the Sundering Isles, Cheng Bo was the first person he sought out."

"We also discovered that Du Jing and Cheng Bo had once explored the Rainbow Ocean together."

Duan Yue disclosed the facts she knew.

Yu Yuan's face grew somber. With a mere thought, he peered through the Dragon Slaying Stage's vantage point and saw the contingency he had left for himself on the unnamed island. His form shuddered subtly.

The hidden chamber deep underground, originally used to store Serpentflame, along with numerous pills and magic items, was in disarray. The shelves that once held jars and bottles had been knocked over.

Someone had been there!

He hadn't returned to the Sundering Isles since he had removed the items from that chamber.

He distinctly remembered that after he had taken the pills and magic items, the shelves were neatly arranged, not one out of place.

With a whoosh, his Lunar Spirit departed from the Dragon Slaying Stage and vanished before the eyes of the onlookers.

"Ms. Shen..."

His Lunar Spirit entered the Isle of Desolation and found the petite Goddess of War in a grand Sunsilver hall, "I seek your counsel."

Shen Feiqing emerged from her contemplation, her demeanor unchanged, "Go ahead."

"How did you come to know Du Jing, and what's his story?" Yu Yuan inquired.

"Du Jing was pursued by the Poison Cult, hiding in the Godsblight Marsh. He taught Wei Feng the Poison Cult's arcane to strip the demon blood from her body. This was also sanctioned by the Untamed. The Untamed was curious whether the purple phoenix mark on Wei Feng's body truly originated from that exalted lifeblood."

"As for me, I sought to refine that lifeblood to fortify my bones and bloodlines."

"I never cared for Du Jing and had little interaction with him. He's dead, and his Lunar Spirit extinguished. Why mention him?"

Shen Feiqing then elaborated on the initial scheme she had devised with Du Jing and the Silvermoon Queen.

They were aware that their actions would not be sanctioned by the five supreme forces and were akin to an impromptu alliance.

Yet Du Jing was not endorsed by our small coalition; we merely exploited his methods to refine the demon blood within Wei Feng's body.

"Thank you."

Yu Yuan, in his spirited body form, bowed in gratitude and instantly returned to the Dragon Slaying Stage.

"Any discoveries?"

Feng Zhong and Yin Xueqi looked on with anticipation.

"Let's disperse for now and reconvene at Celestial Isle," Yu Yuan suggested.

Duan Yue looked on expectantly, along with several members of the Binders of Shadows, all of whom were focused on the situation. Yu Yuan deftly deflected their attention for the time being.

Once back at Celestial Isle, Yu Yuan shared with Feng Zhong and Yin Xueqi that his former herb slave might have caught the interest of the Bloodbrawlers after being cast out by the Poison Cult.

He was certain that Du Jing, who was pitifully weak at the time, could not have been the one to secretly harm him.

"Could the deceased Du Jing have practiced the mystique of the Bloodbrawlers? And Cheng Bo, was it because of Du Jing that he managed to acquire the Spectre Binding Scroll in the Rainbow Ocean?" Yin Xueqi asked, astonished.

Yu Yuan nodded. "That's what I'm thinking."

Feng Zhong suspected that more members of the Poison Cult might still be lurking in the Sundering Isles, possibly nearby, and advised everyone to remain vigilant and wait.

Two days later, a cultivator from the Taintborn Sect and another from the Skyblight Cult met the same mysterious fate as Lian Hu and Cheng Bo, dying suddenly without explanation.

By the time Yu Yuan sensed something was amiss and arrived, there were no remnant souls left in their minds, and no unusual symbols or patterns from the Bloodbrawlers were found on or near their bodies.

Then, a rumor began to circulate from an unknown source.

Yu Yuan was labeled a harbinger of pestilence, blamed for bringing calamity and death wherever he went.

Many in the Sundering Isles met unexplained deaths—some from Qi deviation, others from suicide—and all fingers pointed to Yu Yuan as the cause.

The situation escalated when individuals approached the Chamber of Commerce, demanding they expel Yu Yuan from the isles.

They warned that if Yu Yuan remained, and if more unexplained deaths occurred, the Chamber of Commerce would be held accountable, and the resident cultivators would abandon the area.

Even unaffiliated cultivators, fearing a catastrophe on the Sundering Isles, began to evacuate.

Amidst this tense climate, Tong Laoqian arrived at Celestial Isle, escorted by Taruer from the Frozen Hellscape.

Tong Laoqian, with his soul wounded, cried out upon seeing Yu Yuan, "Damn, guess who I ran into? You'll never guess!"

"Du Jing?" Yu Yuan guessed, his brow furrowing.

Tong Laoqian stood there, dumbfounded, "How did you manage to guess that!"

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