C1713 The Restless Ones in the Starry Sky Forbidden Zone
The Crucible of Evil had always resided in the Everlands, situated within the domain of the Terror Claws and seamlessly integrated with the Myriad Demons Circle.
After Yu Yuan's departure, Yu Yiyi, the cauldron spirit, took control, harnessing the Myriad Demons Circle to refine numerous ghosts and spirits, propelling its advancement.
As Yu Yiyi's laughter echoed, Yu Yuan glimpsed the little world inside the cauldron, where the Bane on each tier seemed to be jubilantly ready to soar out.
The emotions of the Myriad Demons and the shifts in Yu Yiyi's mood appeared to resonate with one another.
"Master! The cauldron has reclaimed its status as a Divine Artifact!"
Yu Yiyi's thoughts reached Yu Yuan without hindrance, and he perceived them with clarity.
He also realized that due to his return, Yu Yiyi had left the cauldron and seemed poised to use the Skyreach Consortium's Circle of Aetheric Bending to meet him in the forbidden area.
"There's no need! Remain with the Terror Claws for now; I'll visit the Land of Quiescence soon," Yu Yuan declared.
His Lunar Spirit Body, housed within Youqian's arm, spoke: "My primary form is in the Ashlands, still unraveling the mysteries left by the Old Titan Spinosaurus. And my Solar Spirit, should it leave the Ashlands, might alert the Dark Phoenix. Thus, I can only visit the Everlands through my Lunar Spirit."
"The Uxthar Tree?"
His thoughts shifted as he suddenly took note of the towering tree that pierced the clouds, feeling a surge of plant essence emanating from the roots of the colossal tree, whose consciousness had been dispersed, flowing towards the Serpent Spine Mountains.
"Given the sparse vegetation here at Moonfall Sanctuary, Lord Taishi has directed the plant essence harvested from the Blightwood to the Serpent Spine Mountains," Youqian promptly clarified, smiling. "Now, the Serpent Spine Mountains have become the Everlands' prime location for cultivating spiritual herbs! The Skyreach Consortium, the Yu family, and the Sacred Hands have all reaped substantial benefits. Numerous alchemists from the Order of Healing, upon hearing of the miraculous transformation, have also relocated to the Serpent Spine Mountains."
"You're aware that the Fireheart Mountains are really only suited for alchemy, not for cultivating medicinal herbs," Youqian mused before sharing that Yin Tiehua and Taixu had returned from their extraterrestrial journey, causing quite a stir within the Artifact Sect and becoming well-known figures.
Many reclusive forgers within the Artifact Sect emerged from seclusion due to Yin Tiehua's arrival. Previously neutral, the Artifact Sect, after extending an invitation to Yin Tiehua and Yin Xueqi to the extraterrestrial, began to show a clear inclination towards an alliance with Boulderdawn and the Skyreach Consortium. It became evident that the Artifact Sect was not content with the five dominant forces. They had simply lacked a powerful ally to challenge them, which had kept them from openly rebelling.
"How was President Lyi's threat addressed?" Yu Yuan inquired.
"It's unresolved," Youqian replied, shaking his head with a look of concern. "No one can reach where President Lyi is now. Even Lin Daoke from the Sword Sect is powerless against it. That extreme blaze can incinerate any physical matter, and Lin Daoke, being flesh and blood, with his Solar Spirit, is no exception."
"There's only one such anomaly like President Lyi in the world."
Lin Daoke, no matter how formidable, cannot penetrate the heart of the earth or pass through those flames, leaving him unable to confront President Lyi.
The menace posed by President Lyi, as described by Taishi, unsettled even Youqian, a Sky Fiend. President Lyi's ascent to the pinnacle would not only involve the vast array of artifacts from the Everlands but also the holy weapons of all the races in the extraterrestrial realms. Without an artifact soul, these would be even more susceptible to President Lyi's control.
Should President Lyi unleash a torrent of Sunsilver in the Star River, Youqian feared that the Sky Fiend might also fall victim to the chaos.
"Take comfort in knowing that Yin Tiehua from the Artifact Sect mentioned before his return that for President Lyi to undergo a true metamorphosis, it would require a lengthy period of accumulation. By that time, I might have ascended to a supreme level myself."
Yu Yuan was unfazed. In comparison to the Dark Phoenix, the Solar Meridian, and the multitude of Evil Gods from the Origin Realm, he hardly considered President Lyi a threat. "Once I've unraveled the mysteries of the Ashlands and ascended to godhood, President Lyi will be the least of my worries!"
Remember the golden dragon of old? Impervious to all Divine Weapons, it stood like an unbreachable fortress, yet its soul was ultimately shattered.
"Heh, you make a good point!"
Youqian, aware of his true identity, felt a sense of relief upon hearing his words.
"I'd rather not reveal my presence, so I'll stay within you for now. Take me to the Land of Quiescence; I need to meet with Mo Baichuan in the Fireheart Mountains," Yu Yuan instructed.
"Understood," Youqian responded.
Yu Yuan detected no anomalies when the Lunar Spirit traveled from the Ashlands to manifest in the forbidden area.
The Dark Phoenix doesn't excel in soul-based abilities. Even with a clone left behind in Shadow's Keep, his return via a Lunar Spirit, devoid of any blood essence leakage, wouldn't alarm the Dark Phoenix.
The Root of the Lunar Meridian deep within the earth might catch a whiff of something, but that's about it.
Then, Yu Yuan's thoughts drifted to Zu Ann at Skyreach Peak. He considered that Zu Ann, the keeper of the Mirror of Fates, might notice something if he kept an eye on the happenings within the Moonfall Sanctuary.
With a slight shudder, Yu Yuan, concealed within Youqian's arm, inquired, "What's the current status of Cao Jiaze from Ebon Star?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary. He's simply advanced to the Unbound Realm and has merged with the Mark of the Celestials."
Youqian remained stoic. The emergence of young cultivators like Cao Jiaze breaking through realms had become commonplace, no longer a rarity.
He casually mentioned, "Xu Jingyao from the Sunlit Order, Yuan Lianyao from the Ruby Hand, Zhan Tianxiang, and the rest you're familiar with are all either on the verge of a breakthrough or have already achieved it!"
"Yuan Lianyao..."
A wave of nostalgia washed over Yu Yuan as he realized it had been quite some time since he last saw the "blazing red lotus." Their differing allegiances meant there were many considerations to weigh.
The demise of numerous Solar Spirits, Unbound beings, and Primordial Spirits in the Everlands has paved the way for the new generation to seize immense opportunities and blessings. The emerging powerhouses are sprouting up rapidly, poised to take over from their predecessors.
Youqian couldn't help but feel moved. "Given these events, it's not surprising that Cao Jiaze has achieved a breakthrough to the Unbound realm. But why did you intervene so early?"
"He's different, he holds a special significance to me," Yu Yuan whispered to himself, his voice barely audible.
In Cao Jiaze, Yu Yuan sensed a soul aura akin to that of Hua Xin, yet even more pure. The Mind Magic that Hua Xin practiced originated from the Spirit Magic inscribed by Taixu, which was the legacy of the Way of Heaven from his past life.
Cao Jiaze, a prodigy of the Ebon Star and the most esteemed junior of Han Miaoyuan, was practicing the core Spirit Magic that had originated from Yu Yuan himself. Could the old fox Han Miaoyuan really be unaware of this? Impossible!
Yu Yuan had an epiphany. He realized that after Han Miaoyuan, the cunning old fox, had conspired with the Dark Phoenix to topple Boulderdawn, he had also secretly uncovered the Spirit Magic that Yu Yuan had left behind. He then combined this Spirit Magic with the mystique of the Bloodbrawlers, refining and improving it before passing it on to Cao Jiaze for his clandestine cultivation.
What exactly was the old fox planning?
After a moment of contemplation, Yu Yuan's understanding crystallized. He recognized that Han Miaoyuan was aware that his own path of spiritual energy would never reach the Primal Soul at the planet's core, hence the creation of Cao Jiaze. The old fox aspired for Cao Jiaze, an extraordinary being with a compatible soul, to align with the Path of the Soul and draw nearer to the Primal Soul.
"So, you acknowledge the worth of my Spirit Magic arts!"
...
In the Thunder Sect, located in a canyon where lightning strikes and thunder echoes, Wei Zhuo stood with his torso bare, submerged in a pond solidified from lightning. Beneath his translucent skin, his veins roared like primordial thunder dragons.
The pond was the Thunder Pool he had refined, now ascended to the status of a Divine Artifact. Wei Zhuo had risen to become one of the supreme beings of the Everlands.
Wei Zhuo, with his typically cold and stern demeanor, felt a sudden stirring in his heart. He turned his gaze to a corner of the pond.
A diminutive lightning talisman appeared to open a fissure to another world, from which a familiar thought reached out to him.
"Bertain has departed. You expect me to release you? And who did you say has come back?"
Having purged both the Obsidian Thunder Sect and Tempest's Edge, thus elevating the Thunder Sect to an upper sect, Wei Zhuo peered at the seam that had briefly opened before sealing once more, his expression grave as he furrowed his brow.
"Yu Yuan? Why should it concern me whether he returns to the Everlands or not?"
After a moment of talking to himself, Wei Zhuo, somewhat reluctantly, stepped out of the pond crackling with lightning and draped a broad cloak over his shoulders.
The next instant, he emerged atop the highest palace of the Thunder Sect, his gaze cast toward the distant Terror Claws.
"Why use a cleaver to slaughter a chicken? Why should I personally intervene to extinguish the insignificant Terror Claws?"
With a slight chill in his expression, Wei Zhuo reflected that since the external threat had been eliminated and he had ascended to godhood with Han Miaoyuan's assistance, and since the forbidden area had its own agenda, it was time to summon the lieutenants of the Thunder Sect.
