C177 Su Xiangtian
Ann Ziqing, a member of the Blood God Cult, had been covertly living within the Yu family for many years, disguised as a maid.
She had chosen him because his incomplete Heavenly Soul and Earth Soul left him befuddled and lacking in intelligence.
This allowed Ann Ziqing the freedom to move about without the fear of being discovered.
It seemed Ann Ziqing was on a quest for something.
But what was it?
Another follower of the Blood God Cult had long been preparing to harness the power of Darkmoon City to forge a Yin God, a task unrelated to Ann Ziqing.
Her stay didn't need to be prolonged.
Disguised as a purple-clad maid, Ann Ziqing was clearly after something entirely different.
As the world underwent tumultuous changes and various creatures emerged from dormancy, a mass of bloody light was among them.
He was the elder brother of the Blood God Cult's founder and the sect's inaugural elder.
Concealed within the Profound Sky Sect on the Heavenly Source Continent, he had stealthily mastered the Spiritual Spells and secret arts of one of the three upper sects. He even developed his own extraordinary techniques, ensuring that his blood remained intact even after his death.
The Blood God Cult was undoubtedly aware of his extraordinary legacy.
After he was subdued by the Divine Soul Sect and sealed within the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area, the Blood God Cult likely conducted a clandestine search for traces of him.
Somehow, the Blood God Cult had managed to uncover leads to his whereabouts.
They learned that the bloody light, a manifestation of his blood, had fortuitously been removed from the forbidden area and ended up in Darkmoon City, with a high probability of being within the Yu family.
Ann Ziqing was almost certainly searching for him.
If she could locate him and return him to the Blood God Cult on the Quietus Continent, it would be a feat of legendary proportions!
This would far surpass merely assisting in the condensation of the Yin God.
Yu Yuan was convinced that the orb of bloody light before him was precisely what Ann Ziqing was seeking.
Regrettably, despite Ann Ziqing's many years in Darkmoon City, within the Yu household, the anticipated upheaval in the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area never occurred. The concealed bloody light remained undisturbed and did not burst forth.
Otherwise, the Blood God Cult might have already reclaimed the bloody light and enshrined it within their ranks.
"Yu Yuan!"
Yuan Lianyao's heart leapt with joy as she heard his cry once more. She hastened across the red lotus blossoms, eager to reach him and clarify the situation.
"Stop!"
A strikingly handsome, gaunt middle-aged man with streaks of white at his temples raised his hand in restraint. "Don't go over there just yet."
Yuan Lianyao glanced at him and said, "Su Xiangtian, your daughter and your Su family members are all part of the trial group! If Yu Yuan is alive, he's our only hope to understand what's happening!"
"My daughter is very much alive," the composed second-generation leader of the Su family assured her, gazing into the distance. "I can sense the presence of the Celestial Clothing even across a thousand miles."
Su Xiangtian, a lateral member of the Su family, had been preordained as the future head of the family due to his meteoric rise.
Before venturing into the forbidden area, he had advanced to the Middle Period of the Yin God Stage, standing out as the most powerful among his contemporaries and earning the trust of both the Su family patriarch and the Empress.
Rumors abounded that the Empress believed Su Xiangtian was the only one in the empire who could one day follow in the footsteps of Zhou Cangmin.
The Rainier Empire's Imperial Advisor, significantly older than Su Xiangtian and already in the Late Period of the Soul Wandering Stage, was poised to soon undergo a transformation into a Yang God, propelling him to prominence within the Primordial Yang Sect.
Su Xiangtian, a distinguished figure of his generation within the Silvermoon Empire, had reached the Middle Period of the Yin God Stage.
Once Zhou Cangmin left the Profound Sky Continent to take up the mantle of elder within the Primordial Yang Sect, and as Su Xiangtian matured into the Soul Wandering Stage, the tide could turn for the Silvermoon Empire, currently overshadowed by the Rainier Empire.
The Empress's high hopes for Su Xiangtian were well understood by the elders.
For this reason, although not the strongest in rank and power, the Silvermoon Empire's cultivators who were selected for this mission willingly followed Su Xiangtian's lead, encouraged by the Empress's subtle endorsement.
"Yu Yuan is crucial to our Darkmoon City, to our entire empire!" Yuan Lianyao proclaimed.
She was aware that Su Yin of the Su family had seized the chance to exert pressure on the Yu family, ceasing their purchases of spiritual herbs and causing a rift between the Yu and Su families.
Su Xiangtian typically wouldn't bother with such petty issues, yet Su Yin's underhanded tactics had already led to the Yu family's discontent with the Su family. Su Xiangtian was somewhat privy to the murmurs of dissatisfaction.
Could this discord influence Su Xiangtian's perception and treatment of Yu Yuan?
"The Yu family shares a connection with my Lim family. We must do everything in our power to ensure Yu Yuan's safety," Lim Fengyan of the Lim family declared with a grave expression to Su Xiangtian, "Brother Su, we must not neglect him simply because his cultivation level is modest."
Lim Fengyan, the elder brother to Lim Hanyu and the senior uncle to Lim Zhuyun, was known for his steady nature. He was a tier above Su Xiangtian, with his cultivation at the early phase of the Yin God Stage.
His younger brother, Lim Hanyu, was at the late phase of the Profound Break Stage and had yet to step into the Penetrating Stage.
Given this, Lim Fengyan's ascension to the Yin God Stage was a testament to his exceptional talent.
In the Empire, the Yin God was a revered cultivation level and realm.
Yet, when compared to Su Xiangtian, the current head of the Lim family, he fell short by a considerable margin.
In the Silvermoon Empire, Su Xiangtian stood unrivaled among his peers.
"Rest assured, Brother Lim. The Empress herself instructed me before my departure that regardless of one's cultivation level or status, if they belong to the Empire, we are to return them home alive with the utmost effort," Su Xiangtian assured him earnestly, then turned to Yuan Lianyao and added, "I'll assess the situation first."
"Understood," Yuan Lianyao replied with a nod.
A subtle soul awareness emerged from within Su Xiangtian.
All at once, Su Yan's Celestial Clothing fluttered in the distance, its wings stirring without a breeze.
Each pristine white feather shone like exquisite jade, casting a radiant and sacred glow.
"My father has arrived!" exclaimed Su Yan, her excitement palpable.
"Su Xiangtian is here?" Lee Yuchan's icy gaze sparkled with sudden intensity upon hearing her. "Is it truly him?"
Su Yan gave a slight nod. "Plus, my father has advanced to the middle stage of the Yin God realm."
Hearing of Su Xiangtian's latest breakthrough, the Empire's younger generation let out exclamations of surprise.
While Yu Feifei, Zhao Yafu, and others from Darkmoon City weren't deeply familiar with Su Xiangtian, those like Yan Lu, Lee Yu, and Zhan Tianxiang, who were well-versed in the Empire's affairs, were utterly astonished.
Su Xiangtian's ascent to the middle stage of the Yin God realm signified that among his peers, there was no longer anyone who could overshadow him.
The Su family's elder patriarch had made it clear that once Su Xiangtian progressed even further, he would willingly step down in favor of the younger man.
As a member of the Su family's collateral line, to become the helmsman of the family's influence while still so young, Su Xiangtian was undoubtedly going to make history.
If Zhou Cangmin of the Rainier Empire was the idol of that Empire's youth, then Su Xiangtian was the hero to every young person in the Silvermoon Empire!
Even Lee Yuchan, known for her ruthless and bloodthirsty nature, with a heart as cold as ice, showed a flicker of light in her icy gaze upon hearing of Su Xiangtian's breakthrough. It was clear that deep down, the Empire's notorious female butcher held a considerable amount of respect for Su Xiangtian.
"Su Xiangtian of the Su family..."
Inside the Soul Transformation Pool, Yu Yuan overheard the outside conversation. He watched the green-robed boy, Xiqian, with a smile, showing no fear whatsoever. His brow furrowed in concern, wondering if the practitioners from the Silvermoon Empire who had come could truly withstand what was to come.
"Yu Yuan!"
Suddenly, Su Xiangtian inhaled sharply, his eyes gleaming as he called out, "Darkmoon City has produced someone quite remarkable!" He was speaking to Yuan Lianyao.
