C1512 Disloyal to the Dao

Yu Yuan shared everything he knew, along with his speculations, without holding back.

Hu Caiyun was completely unaware of these matters.

Once Yu Yuan had finished, Hu Caiyun seemed to lose her spirit, her once lively eyes now frequently cast downward, filled with hatred and ferocity.

Her emotions were in turmoil, the shock of the news causing her to shake uncontrollably.

In her quest for answers, she had developed an inner demon and strayed onto a malevolent path.

From a highly respected potential member of the Profound Sky Sect, she had transformed into the Peach Madam.

Her deep-seated resentment towards her master, Han Miaoyuan of the Profound Sky Sect, had never been resolved.

Now, she finally understood the truth.

She realized why her master, Han Miaoyuan, had sacrificed her beloved partner and why, shortly after her ascension to Primordial Spirit, he had sent him to the Outland Star River, only for him to perish as swiftly as a fleeting blossom.

Hu Caiyun had long suspected that Han Miaoyuan had orchestrated these events deliberately, and now her suspicions seemed to be confirmed.

The current sect master of the Profound Sky Sect had indeed intended to sacrifice her beloved, though there were reasons behind it. Yet, Han Miaoyuan had offered no explanation afterwards.

"I... I need time to process this."

With a soulless demeanor, Hu Caiyun left the edge of the Ghosts Poisoning Array, her figure forlorn as she murmured to herself and headed towards the forbidden area where she had once diligently practiced.

There, a tunnel led underground, from which miasma and smoky clouds drifted.

In the Colorful Lake, Huangyin resided in the Foul World, occasionally glancing up at her and deliberately directing the thick, toxic miasma to nourish the peach tree, smoothing her path of cultivation.

"She really is quite unfortunate."

Yan Qiling expressed his amazement with a tsk, clearly hearing about this for the first time.

"How tragic..."

As Hu Caiyun's figure receded into the distance, seemingly indifferent to him and Yan Qiling, Yu Yuan spoke in a complex tone, "There are a few more things I held back, fearing she couldn't handle them. But I've hinted at them, hoping she'll come to understand on her own."

"What?" Yan Qiling exclaimed in surprise.

"Han Miaoyuan isn't to blame. Everything her master did was for the greater good. After the fact, Han Miaoyuan offered no explanations, letting her fall into darkness, ignoring her actions in the Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea. It's very likely that Han Miaoyuan had foreseen the true nature of events," Yu Yuan analyzed earnestly.

"You actually dared to call that person by their real name?" Yan Qiling was astounded.

"It's fine. I have a feeling they wouldn't bother to look my way just because I used their real name," Yu Yuan reassured with a smile, signaling Yan Qiling to relax. He continued, "Peach Madam and her partner probably just had a fondness for each other initially."

"Just a fondness?" Yan Qiling couldn't help but chuckle in disbelief.

"As I said, it started out that way," Yu Yuan urged him to be patient. "I believe what truly made Hu Caiyun fall head over heels for Huangyin was... Huangyin himself!"

Yan Qiling's jaw dropped in surprise.

"The one she truly loves is likely Huangyin, though she may not realize it. From what I've gathered, it was with Huangyin that she felt her happiest and most passionate. Huangyin seems to have realized this over time. That's why he feigned a sudden epiphany and taught her the secret arts to purify the miasma."

"Moreover, after she stepped into the Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea and became Peach Madam, Huangyin has been silently watching over her, guarding her from the shadows."

"Han Miaoyuan, as the leader of the Profound Sky Sect, must have seen through this long ago. He's aware that his disciple is hopelessly ensnared in Huangyin's web of love, past the point of no return."

"With things as they are, Han Miaoyuan has chosen to step back."

"Therefore, her resentment towards Han Miaoyuan is unwarranted. Since the one she truly loves is Huangyin, and Huangyin is still among the living, why should she harbor any hatred towards Han Miaoyuan?"

Yu Yuan presented his conclusion.

"Spectacular! Absolutely spectacular!"

Ann Wen from the Blood God Cult applauded, descending gracefully from the sky.

Yu Yuan and Yan Qiling looked up at him with displeasure, but Ann Wen just laughed heartily, "I noticed Peach Madam had departed, assuming your discussion was over, so I came down for a closer look. Little did I expect that Peach Madam's deep affection was for the Earth Demon Ancestor, Huangyin. She had been mistaken from the start, never truly understanding her own heart."

"The workings of a woman's mind are indeed the most enigmatic in the world."

Ann Wen shook his head with a knowing look, then abruptly pointed to the Ghosts Poisoning Array and fixed Yu Yuan with a serious gaze. "You need to come up with a solution quickly. Simply restricting her won't address the root of the issue. Yu Yuan, you understand she's my only treasure."

"I understand," Yu Yuan replied with a resigned sigh.

Yan Qiling turned, his gaze falling on the area enveloped by the Ghosts Poisoning Array. With his profound understanding of spatial enigmas, he could distinctly sense the spatial fluctuations within. "Master Ann, has something happened to Miss Ann?"

"Her situation is something only Yu Yuan can resolve," Ann Wen said, his expression growing stern.

Yan Qiling nodded, then after a brief pause, he spoke to Yu Yuan, "The individual currently overseeing the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area has yet to respond definitively to your proposal."

"Which proposal?" inquired Yu Yuan.

"The one concerning the Ghost Wizard Sect and Youyu."

As he spoke, Yan Qiling involuntarily cast a glance toward Horror Land, a subtle shade of concern lurking in the depths of his eyes.

Yu Yuan's expression chilled. "And what of Guixu?"

"The Ruins Divine King, upon arriving in Haoxuan, seems to be searching for something. I haven't seen him," Yan Qiling said, careful not to reveal too much in Ann Wen's presence. "Now, I must visit the Merchant Union headquarters."

With that, he vanished in an instant.

"I have an idea regarding Miss Ann."

Yu Yuan cleared his throat, and the Yang God, concealed within his vital energy microcosm, soared out once again, plunging into the Ghosts Poisoning Array.

Within the array, the Yang God transformed, taking on the flesh and blood form of his true self.

Ann Ziqing, seemingly lost in a maelstrom of time and space, her eyes a fierce crimson, was overwhelmed by a destructive obsession that had stripped away all her reason. Upon spotting Yu Yuan, she lunged at him with ferocity.

Blood-red spears and soul-piercing purple lightning wove into a deadly trap.

The Yang God, capable of countless transformations, assumed a convincingly human form, allowing the blood-red spears to penetrate his body and the purple lightning to shatter his soul sea.

Yu Yuan was riddled with wounds and exploded into a shower of flesh and blood.

Clusters of souls scattered like wisps of smoke.

Outside the array.

His shattered flesh and the remnants of souls that had vanished like smoke, reassembled from beneath the ground and the miasma clouds right before Ann Wen's eyes.

"Yes, I'm dead."

After the Yang God settled back into his original form, Yu Yuan shrugged.

"Is that even possible?"

Ann Wen was completely taken aback.

His daughter's two inner demons were clear to him: they were set on either completely possessing Yu Yuan or utterly destroying him.

Yu Yuan, by using the Yang God to assume his true form, had allowed his daughter to unleash her fury within the array, appeasing her destructive inner demon.

But it was all an illusion...

"I'm aware this is merely a stopgap measure. But for now, it's the best I can come up with. And it seems she has indeed come back to her senses."

While speaking, Yu Yuan, through the view from the Dragon Slash Platform, saw Ann Ziqing standing bewildered in front of the hut.

The spark of intelligence in Ann Ziqing's eyes began to rekindle following "his" death.

Shortly after, Ann Ziqing, realizing much of her fair skin was exposed, quickly adjusted her clothing and began to shout with fury.

"Yu Yuan, where have you gone off to?"

Once she regained her senses, she knew that someone of Yu Yuan's caliber wouldn't be so easily defeated.

Deep within, her destructive inner demon began to stir anew.

Yet, Yu Yuan's feigned demise had provided an outlet for her once uncontrollable inner demon, now subdued enough to be restrained by her intellect.

Until the new inner demon grew too powerful, she would remain in control.

"Let's have a word."

Without acknowledging Ann Ziqing's outbursts, Yu Yuan pondered for a moment before speaking, "Elder Ann, I have a proposal, or rather, a path to guide you on."

"Speak," Ann Wen urged, all ears.

"Take her with you to the Outland Star River, in search of the Chaos Roc. The Yang Meridian's true longing is for that part of its life essence once stripped away by the Chaos Roc. If you and Ann Ziqing can find the Chaos Roc and restore that fragment of life essence, I believe..."

"Your daughter could become another Grec! She wouldn't need to depend on the vast fortunes of the cosmos for her transformation. With it, your daughter could ascend to the status of a Great Demon God!"

"If you're willing, all humans practicing the ways of the Blood God Cult can fundamentally alter their life essence. They can become like Grec, members of the Blood Devil Clan, and completely free themselves from the constraints of the divine balance in the Vast Ocean."

Yu Yuan paused.

Ann Wen was utterly stunned.

"Let's face it, the Vast Ocean has far too few divine thrones. Currently, Loong Jie, my senior brother Zhong Chichen, President Lyi, and the wielder of the Starfrost Sword have a clearer advantage over you in the competition for these thrones. There's no right or wrong when it comes to the Great Path and the Ultimate Journey. Give it some serious thought," Yu Yuan earnestly advised.

His proposal was nothing short of heretical, even contradicting the policies of the Vast Ocean.

He was tempting Ann Wen and Ann Ziqing to undergo a transformation into Blood Devils, to completely escape the limitations imposed by the divine thrones.

"I..."

Ann Wen stared at him as if he were a ghastly apparition, words caught in his throat, unable to be spoken.

Yu Yuan's radical ideas and philosophy had utterly astounded him, leaving him speechless in awe.

Ann Wen believed that Yu Yuan was the true wellspring of malevolence, the embodiment of sin itself.

He was actually suggesting that Ann Wen willingly draw close to the source of the Yang meridian and seek a path to the divine throne through the Founder of the Blood Devil Clan.

Wouldn't that be a betrayal of the entire Vast Expanse?

How could this young man conceive such a thought, let alone dare to voice it?

"Things are just as they were before; you really haven't changed. You're still you."

A voice so secretive that it was unheard by others emanated from within Yu Yuan, "I will support you."

"Who?!" Yu Yuan exclaimed, alarmed.

"Kid, what's got you so jumpy?" Ann Wen inquired, puzzled.

Yu Yuan, momentarily taken aback, quickly regained his composure. With a smile, he replied, "It's nothing."

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