C228 Upper Position

The moment Yu Yuan stepped into Gloomhollow, the entity within the miasmic clouds became crystal clear to him. He was aware that as he observed it, it scrutinized him in return. Yu Yuan even suspected that due to its life form having evolved to such a formidable level, it might subtly perceive his thoughts and feelings.

He was its creator. Despite three centuries passing, the marks he had left on it in his previous life remained indelible. Consequently, its emotions towards him were quite complex. In a way, he was its creator, akin to a parent, given its extraordinary nature. Those lingering marks served as a reminder of their intricate bond.

Yet, as it matured and its life form ascended, it began to realize that his reasons for creating it were not purely altruistic. It had spent long years confined within the swamp, yearning for the day when Yu Yuan, reborn and transformed, would come to release it and restore it to the world above. That long-awaited day, however, never arrived.

Eventually, it grew in strength and managed to leave the swamp on its own. To it, Yu Yuan, the one who gave it life, seemed to have either forgotten or forsaken it. Moreover, after three hundred years, it had honed its innate abilities to such an extent that it had become immensely powerful, while Yu Yuan, its creator, appeared frail in comparison.

As Yu Yuan contemplated their relationship, it too was assessing and judging how they should interact. With furrowed brows, he made his way deeper into Gloomhollow, his heaven soul constantly aware of its watchful presence through the miasma.

No matter his current form or state, Yu Yuan remained its creator, and it knew this better than anyone. It would never allow someone like Chou Wan to harm him. This understanding emboldened Yu Yuan to face Chou Wan without a trace of fear, boldly confronting her.

Yu Yuan was certain that within Gloomhollow, it would not permit anyone to harm him. If his end were to come, it would be by its hand, not another's. In this regard, it proved to be more dependable than Loong Tianxiao.

In his past life, Yu Yuan didn't trust anyone. Instead, he poured his heart and soul into creating it, driven by such considerations.

He would rather place his faith in an oddity like that than in any human.

"Hu!"

Deep within Gloomhollow, the earth had been hollowed out, and colorful, dense smoke billowed from the caves carved into the mountainside.

He glanced at them and made his way toward the largest one—a cavernous pit that seemed to have no bottom.

The cave was spacious enough to fit three to five people. Peering down, Yu Yuan could feel the smoky tendrils emanating a chill that seemed to freeze the bones.

He knew this cave led to the depths below.

Beneath Gloomhollow lay the prison cells that once held many Poison Masters of Sacred Hands' history.

"I wonder if any of those Poison Masters are still alive."

He merely murmured to himself, with no intention of delving into the depths to find out.

Bypassing the other caves, he approached a hole in the rock face.

The wall was pocked with numerous caverns, resembling a honeycomb.

Most exhaled plumes of smoke laden with lethal toxins, feeding into the Shadowflame Blight Array and the second layer of the poisonous miasma.

But there was one cave, just large enough for a single person, from which no smoke escaped.

This cave stood out as an anomaly among the rest.

Yu Yuan's eyes fixed on it, and he inhaled deeply.

"Puff!"

Behind him, another segment of luminescent bone jutted out from the miasma cloud like a piercing blade.

Two more bodies were impaled by the crescent-shaped bone, dragged into the cloud to be consumed and dissolved.

In the valley, both Loong Tianxiao and Guan Xianyun wore somber expressions.

The mysterious woman in black, adorned with numerous small bells, furrowed her brow as she surveyed the sky and then the group. She suddenly spoke up, "Everyone, perhaps it's time we come up with a plan."

Guan Xianyun quickly concurred, "The corpses are piling up. The next wave of attacks won't take long."

Loong Tianxiao added, "We've tried to confront it before, but those who made a move were the first to die."

Their conversation carried clearly through the air, and Yu Yuan, entering the valley, could hear every word distinctly.

"The first to make a move against it will surely die; we've seen that much," said the woman in black as she emerged from the shadows. "However, being kept as its food and waiting for it to grow hungry before it turns on us isn't a solution either. I've pondered this for a long time and concluded that breaking through the miasma clouds to pose a threat to it from the sky might be exceedingly difficult."

"Should we try again to break the rune circle that shrouds Gloomhollow and find a way out of the valley?" someone suggested.

Guan Xianyun replied, "It's difficult."

"If we can't shatter the rune circle, then... perhaps we should consider going underground?" The woman's gaze sharpened as she peered into the depths of the valley. "That young man, Yu Yuan, has ventured deep into the valley. We're all aware of the rumors about Gloomhollow, that it's a prison for many Poison Masters."

"Ever since we arrived, we've been ensnared, helplessly led around by that entity."

"Do you all remember our original purpose for coming to Gloomhollow? Should we follow Yu Yuan's lead and delve into the valley's depths to find the Poison Masters' prison? I have a hunch that the Poison Masters are located somewhere beneath us!"

"If there's a passage underground, perhaps we could escape through it without the obstruction of the rune circle!"

At these words, a spark of hope flickered in everyone's eyes.

Loong Tianxiao dampened their spirits, "That eerie wind capable of shattering souls originates from deep within the valley."

"I'm aware," the woman in black acknowledged with a nod. "The wind slowly wounds the soul; it doesn't scatter us to the winds immediately upon contact. Perhaps we can locate the underground cells before our souls are extinguished and seize the chance to break free."

Before anyone could voice their opinion, she inhaled deeply and declared, "Yu Yuan, the youth from Asvetaesi, has already shown us a path to survival. He's taken action; are we to remain here in the valley, resigned to our fate?"

With that, she was the first to take action, following in Yu Yuan's footsteps toward the heart of the valley.

As she moved deeper, she pondered Yu Yuan's intentions.

She believed that Yu Yuan, like her, intended to find an underground route to escape the clutches of Gloomhollow.

"Such a smart, decisive young man, finding a way to survive in the most perilous of places," she mused with quiet admiration.

Yu Yuan stood at the base of the many caves, turning to look over his shoulder. He had overheard the exchange between the woman in black, Loong Tianxiao, and Guan Xianyun. Now, facing the woman in black, Yu Yuan's expression turned icy as he abruptly warned, "Don't come here seeking your own demise!"

The woman in black's face chilled at his words. She halted at a considerable distance, silently regarding Yu Yuan.

A sudden, piercing pain shot through Yu Yuan's brow as he felt the invasive force of a sharp remnant soul attempting to penetrate his defenses.

"Chi!"

A slender line of blood appeared between his eyebrows.

"Brat, what do you think you are, speaking to me in such a manner?" The woman in black's otherwise unremarkable face twisted with rage. "Don't think for a moment that killing Chou Wan gives you any right to speak here! I recognized your intelligence and considered offering you my support, but you clearly can't see when you're well off!"

"Afford me some respect," Loong Tianxiao demanded.

The woman in black turned away, casting a cold glance at Loong Tianxiao, her voice dripping with disdain. "You, a half-breed of the Nagas, stripped even of your draconic form, have no respect to claim."

While speaking, her gaze swept over the survivors, her eyes conveying a sense of lofty superiority, the look of one who stands above addressing those below.

Behind her, shrouded in her black garb, was a palace suspended amidst the clouds, ethereal and elusive.

"Ebon Star!"

"They are cultivators from the Ebon Star!"

"Euwrea, home to one of the three great upper sects of the Ebon Star!"

Those who caught sight of the hovering palace gasped in shock and awe.

Guan Xianyun, Loong Tianxiao, and all the survivors in the valley cast heavy looks at the majestic palace emblazoned on the back of her clothing, surrounded by billowing white clouds.

The Binders of Shadows, within the Land of Quiescence, were less formidable than the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep, and even lagged slightly behind the Ruby Hand and Colddeath.

Their foundation and strength were, of course, far inferior to that of the Ebon Star.

Regardless of his Naga heritage or his connection to Dragon Lake, Loong Tianxiao simply could not measure up to the might of the Ebon Star.

She actually hailed from the Ebon Star, one of the three great upper sects. It's no surprise that she was so domineering and aggressive.

After all, in the eyes of the upper sects of Euwrea, they considered themselves the sovereigns of this world.

...