C237 Three Hundred Years of Waiting
In Gloomhollow, there was a dungeon that held the Poison Masters of the Sacred Hands captive.
They were spared from death because, prior to their foray into the art of poison pills, these Poison Masters were renowned herbalists who had made significant contributions to the sect.
Even when they later turned to study the art of poisons for various reasons, the Sacred Hands were reluctant to resort to extermination.
Imprisoning them was a way to ensure they could spend their twilight years in peace, a gesture of gratitude from the Sacred Hands for their past services.
The presence of the Shadowflame Blight Array, coupled with the Sacred Hands declaring it a forbidden area, meant that Gloomhollow was strictly off-limits to outsiders.
Even within the sect, few were privy to the secrets of Gloomhollow, unaware that it once housed a Poison Master who had enraged the entire continent of Aetherius.
While others remained in the dark, Yu Yuan, who had been the leader of the Order of Healing in his past life, was well aware of the truth.
During his visits to the Serpent Spine Mountains, he had deliberately sought out Gloomhollow on several occasions. The Shadowflame Blight Array was covertly constructed under his direction, harnessing the combined might of both the Sacred Hands and the Order of Healing.
It was also by his doing that the Nightstorm was brought forth.
Thus, when it came to familiarity with Gloomhollow, he surpassed even Shi Yuxuan, the current sect master of the Sacred Hands.
Standing at the cave's entrance, he peered down intently, employing his heaven soul to enhance his perception.
Whether it was the influence of the Soul Forging through Enlightenment or a mysterious link with the Soulforge Pool, his senses seemed to heighten within Gloomhollow.
This led him to the grim realization that there were no survivors in the underground cells.
The Poison Masters who had been confined below had all withered into mummified remains, their vitality completely drained.
A subtle scent of blood wafted up from the depths, stirring a sense of déjà vu within him.
He abruptly turned to face Mei Qiurong, who clutched a yellow gourd amidst a swirling vortex of lightning that kept even the Nightstorm at bay. "You hail from the Ebon Star Sect, wielding the Mark of the Celestials, and now you've surfaced in the Serpent Spine Mountains..."
After muttering to himself, he once again lowered his gaze to the hole in the ground.
"Clang!"
From the depths of the miasmic clouds, a dazzling white light burst forth, as brilliant as a rainbow.
The majestic and solemn palace, transformed from the Mark of the Celestials, crashed to the earth with a thunderous boom.
The solid ground shattered, sending rocks flying in all directions. The palace, meant to float in the void, lay in ruins. Mei Qiurong's lips split, and blood sprayed forth.
"Go!"
She directed the yellow gourd in her hand toward the approaching Lunar Spirit.
"Crack!"
Streaks of emerald glow lightning morphed into blades of divine light, severing the unseen threads of emotion that entwined Mei Qiurong.
The melancholy that had clung to Mei Qiurong's Lunar Spirit, like a gossamer veil, was stripped away.
At last, Mei Qiurong's Lunar Spirit settled smoothly into her real body.
As the Lunar Spirit took residence, Mei Qiurong's demeanor steadied. She produced a dark red pill and swallowed it, declaring, "The Sacred Hands Sect breeds malevolent creatures within Gloomhollow. Moreover, they conceal the Nightstorm there. It seems this sect has enjoyed too many good days on the Aetherius Continent and has now begun to engage in nefarious deeds!"
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Suddenly, the miasma swirling in midair began to coalesce.
All eyes, including Yu Yuan's, were fixed upon the sky.
The first thing to materialize above Gloomhollow was a segment of crystalline bone.
These bones, sculpted from multicolored jade, shone with a lustrous and transparent light, exuding an otherworldly beauty.
The rainbow-hued bones fanned out, reminiscent of a peacock's splendid display.
The mesmerizing divine radiance emanated from the seven-colored, crystal-clear bones.
The vibrant miasma was drawn into these bones, revealing a truth to all: within the bones' exquisite beauty lay a fearsome, unparalleled poison.
The most beautiful were also the deadliest.
Amidst the fan of bones, a small, gaunt girl with a flat nose and pointed face appeared, as if by magic.
The girl, dark and diminutive, had piercing green eyes that emitted a chilling glow.
She looked to be only about ten years old, her torso encased in a carapace as clear as crystal.
In comparison to the resplendent, peacock-like crystalline bones, she appeared somewhat ugly, as if she didn't quite belong alongside the fan-shaped array of exquisite jade bones behind her.
Suspended in midair, her emerald eyes were the epitome of indifference.
She gazed down upon the human cultivators in the valley below, including Loong Tianxiao, Guan Xianyun, and Mei Qiurong.
Each one of them grew uncomfortable under her piercing gaze.
Mei Qiurong, who had just been brimming with confidence while clutching the yellow gourd, now felt awkward and her assurance wavered under that stare.
With a huff, Mei Qiurong reached into the void with her free hand.
The palace that had settled on the ground shrank rapidly, transforming back into the Mark of the Celestials, and willingly flew into her palm.
"I didn't come to Gloomhollow because of you," Mei Qiurong stated, her eyes cold as she regarded the short and homely girl. "I have a duty to the sect. My journey to the Serpent Spine Mountains was to seek something else. By chance, he had come to Gloomhollow, lurking in the subterranean cells."
The little girl remained silent, hesitating for a long while before finally turning her gaze to Yu Yuan.
Her green, detached eyes suddenly flickered, giving rise to a myriad of bizarre emotions.
Those emerald orbs seemed to brim with boundless sorrow, anger, longing, and a multitude of resentments...
In just one look, a torrent of complex feelings was laid bare.
Yet, when her gaze met the others, it was filled with nothing but coldness.
Yu Yuan, caught in her gaze, was overwhelmed with a sense of bitter helplessness. The emotions he deciphered from her eyes filled him with profound guilt.
She had been waiting for him all along.
She had seen him as a nurturer, as a father figure.
But the wait had stretched over three hundred years, with no word from him.
She felt abandoned...
For over three hundred years, she had been confined by the rune circle deep within the marsh, never seeing the light of day, yearning just to glimpse the sky.
She yearned for his arrival, for him to rescue her, to lift her from the depths of the swamp and take her away.
Yet time and again, she was met with nothing but disappointment and regret.
For centuries, whenever a creature passed by this place, she would brim with hope, thinking it was finally her time. But the outcome was always the same...
At last, she stopped expecting, longing, and dreaming of relying on others for help.
She stopped waiting.
Leveraging her unique bloodline, she began to seek liberation beneath the swamp in her own way. She was determined to find an answer.
Why was she created, confined to the swamp, promised something, yet left waiting indefinitely?
Resentment began to brew in her heart.
With just one look into her eyes, Yu Yuan understood her thoughts and could faintly perceive the complex shifts in her mood over the last three hundred years.
A tide of regret and helplessness welled up in Yu Yuan. He desperately wanted to explain.
It wasn't that he didn't want to come; a mistake in his reincarnation had caused a delay.
Bitterness tinged the corners of Yu Yuan's mouth as he suddenly realized that this gaunt, diminutive figure had grown in an unexpectedly remarkable way.
He had evolved into a high-level being, beyond even Yu Yuan's belief.
"Chi!"
Out of nowhere, the blood from the deceased Zanas and the Chief Elder of the Thunder Temple, who had been slain by Mei Qiurong, began to mysteriously seep out.
It flowed toward the nearby cave leading underground.
Beneath Gloomhollow, something seemed to be drawing their blood.
Yu Yuan's gaze met hers, but the abrupt event rudely interrupted them.
"The one I'm after is down there!" Mei Qiurong declared icily, "Don't think you can wreak havoc within the Ebon Star and leave Moonfall Sanctuary unscathed! Ann Jieshan, no matter where you hide, the moment Ebon Star learns of your location, you're as good as dead!"
"Ann Jieshan!" Loong Tianxiao exclaimed in surprise.
Yu Yuan inhaled deeply and said, "The Hon. Ann, isn't it time for you to show yourself?"
