C238 Who Was That Young Man?
Gazes converged in an instant on the entrance to the subterranean cave.
Cultivators like Guan Xianyun, who lusted after the riches of Gloomhollow, found themselves perplexed.
Who was Ann Jieshan?
Mei Qiurong of Ebon Star had ventured into Gloomhollow with the Mark of the Celestials in tow. It wasn't for the Sacred Hands' treasures within Gloomhollow, but for Ann Jieshan, a name she hadn't even heard before.
The crowd was astonished.
The slender girl with a fan-shaped crystalline spine and emerald eyes didn't seem the least bit surprised.
Clearly, she was aware of someone like Ann Jieshan existing in the underground cells of Gloomhollow.
She had the ability to wield the Nightstorm and command the Shadowflame Blight Array, making her the ruler over the myriad rune circles within Gloomhollow.
With her innate, exceptional sense of smell for all types of poisons and vitality, she was well aware of another peculiar creature lurking in the valley's depths.
Indeed, she had always kept a watchful eye on Ann Jieshan, secluded in the subterranean cell.
Ann Jieshan was, in fact, her ultimate goal.
Her initial plan was to slay Ann Jieshan after consuming Loong Tianxiao and Mei Qiurong, when she would be at her peak strength.
What she didn't know was that Ann Jieshan had briefly collaborated with Yu Yuan in the Moonfall Sanctuary.
Nor was she aware that Yu Yuan played a crucial role in helping Ann Jieshan break free from the Moonfall Sanctuary and the binding suppression of the Soulforge Matrix.
"You?"
Following Mei Qiurong's cold shout, Loong Tianxiao and Yu Yuan spoke up, leaving her bewildered.
"How do you recognize Ann Jieshan?"
She had been in deep cultivation with Ebon Star for a long time, oblivious to the anomalies in the Moonfall Sanctuary. It was only because the sect's artifact detected movements from Ann Jieshan, who was sealed within the Moonfall Sanctuary, that she was dispatched on this mission.
The sect's artifact indicated that Ann Jieshan's area of activity was the Serpent Spine Mountains.
She carried the Mark of the Celestials, her mission to venture into the Serpent Spine Mountains specifically to seek out Ann Jieshan. The encounter with the gaunt girl in Gloomhollow, as well as with Loong Tianxiao, Yu Yuan, and others, was entirely coincidental. Her task was not to seize the hidden treasures of Gloomhollow or to antagonize the venomous, slender girl. Her objective was to apprehend Ann Jieshan and, using the artifact bestowed by her sect, to subdue and imprison him once more.
Ebon Star was resolute in its decision to prevent Ann Jieshan from fleeing to the Land of Quiescence and rejoining the ranks of Colddeath. Ann Jieshan had pilfered numerous spells from Ebon Star, and despite his fragmented soul and transformation into a non-human entity, the sect would not tolerate him imparting those spells to the followers of Colddeath.
With a tearing sound, a crimson blood shadow streaked through the underground like a bolt of red lightning. All present sensed an unusually refined and potent blood energy, turning their gazes curiously toward the mouth of the cave.
"Puff! Puff! Puff!" Two jets of blood light burst forth from the cave's entrance like lethal blades, instantly piercing through two Subtlety Realm cultivators from the Empire of Dawn. As the blood light withdrew from their bodies, it drained their vitality and spiritual energy essence.
The blood light didn't stop there; it continued to dart across the valley, targeting cultivators of lower realms. Chaos engulfed the valley once again. Cultivators who had long feared the emaciated girl now found themselves in the crosshairs of Ann Jieshan's assault, becoming victims of his deadly rampage.
The blood light moved with the grim finality of a death god wielding a massive scythe. Cultivators from the Subtlety Realm to the Lunar Spirit Realm, regardless of their nation, were powerless against the life-stealing blood light. No spiritual weapon, no matter how intricate or powerful the spell or Spirit Magic, could contain the twin beams of blood light. They could only watch helplessly as the beams twisted and turned through the air, harvesting lives with ruthless efficiency.
In just a brief span, three more lives were claimed. Loong Tianxiao, Yu Yuan, and Mei Qiurong, the slender girl, were spared as initial targets of the blood light. They could only observe as the blood light wove its deadly path, while the valley echoed with the anguished cries of the dying, one falling after another.
Yu Yuan was baffled by the fact that the soul aura of Ann Jieshan remained hidden.
The soul and vitality of Ann Jieshan seemed to still be intertwined beneath the earth.
Mei Qiurong, clamoring with threats to destroy Ann Jieshan, gripped the yellow gourd in one hand and the Mark of the Celestials in the other. She appeared ready for a formidable adversary, yet she refrained from taking immediate action.
Instead of fixating on the two streams of blood light, she scanned her surroundings.
It was as though a significant threat lurked in the unseen shadows, just out of sight.
Meanwhile, outside the valley.
Liu Zaihe, who was supposed to have perished alongside the Hu family, stealthily retrieved a pill from within his clothing and swallowed it quickly.
The pill was a grayish-brown hue, resembling a small heart with whiskers, which had been gently swaying just moments before.
The pill was visible only briefly.
Yet, both Shi Yuxuan and Chen Qingyan felt an instant connection to it.
Several herbalists from the Sacred Hands also shifted their gaze to Liu Zaihe, their expressions altering. One exclaimed, "Where did you get that pill in your hand?"
Liu Zaihe, usually so proud and aloof, showed a flicker of panic and replied, "It was a gift from my family!"
"Impossible!" Shi Yuxuan's expression turned grave. "The Wyrmwhisker Poison Pill is certainly not a gift from your family. A descendant of the King of Wraiths would never deal with poison pills! Liu Zaihe, with your exceptional talent for medicine, you were meant to be recommended by our sect to study at the Order of Healing. How did you stray so far off course?"
"I was afflicted with a potent poison within the valley; this pill was my only hope for survival," Liu Zaihe explained.
"I'm asking you, who provided you with this pill?" Shi Yuxuan pressed.
Liu Zaihe bit down on his teeth, remaining silent.
"Uncle Shi, allow me to borrow Liu Zaihe for a moment," Chen Qingyan interjected suddenly.
Shi Yuxuan, taken aback, asked, "What?"
Before he could gather his thoughts, Chen Qingyan, with the Snakeskin Scabbard in hand, pointed it directly at Liu Zaihe.
From within the scabbard, a surge of gentle yet resilient sword's will emerged.
Liu Zaihe, having ingested the Wyrmwhisker Poison, was suddenly enveloped by the sword's will. Chen Qingyan's tug sent him flying straight toward her.
In a flash, she had seized Liu Zaihe and pinned him against the Snakeskin Scabbard.
The scene mirrored an earlier one, with her in the lead and Yu Yuan trailing behind.
"Move!"
Chen Qingyan slapped his shoulder.
Wispy, grayish-brown dragon whiskers, resembling supple willow branches, wafted out from Liu Zaihe's body.
These whiskers were not tangible; they were manifestations of Liu Zaihe's vitality and spiritual energy, intermingled with the toxic effects of the Wyrmwhisker Poison.
Chen Qingyan, who had been cautiously remaining at the edge of the valley, now thrust Liu Zaihe forward like a spear, launching him toward Gloomhollow.
As the dragon whiskers neared the Shadowflame Blight Array, they wildly elongated, seemingly dragging Liu Zaihe and the Snakeskin Scabbard in an attempt to retreat.
Chen Qingyan scoffed and formed her fingers into the shape of a blade, giving a light tap.
The dragon whiskers, previously half a meter long, instantly subdued and ceased any further movement.
Liu Zaihe's cheekbones sunk in sharply, and he appeared significantly gaunter.
It was as though the peculiar dragon whiskers had drained the majority of his essence, energy, and spirit.
With a hiss, the bright yellow light of the Shadowflame Blight Array flickered as flames surged towards Chen Qingyan.
The dragon whiskers, under the command of Chen Qingyan's sword's will, stretched out reluctantly and met the flames, extinguishing many of them.
The Snakeskin Scabbard, with Liu Zaihe aboard, plunged into the depths of the valley.
Inside the valley, Yu Yuan felt a sudden premonition and looked towards a specific spot, a new thought taking root in his mind.
A dark, thin girl frowned slightly and, somewhat reluctantly, tugged in that direction.
With a mere tug, the toxic fog in that vicinity quietly dispersed.
In the next moment, Chen Qingyan, standing on the Snakeskin Scabbard, burst into the valley with Liu Zaihe in tow.
As she stepped into the valley, the toxic fog that had been trailing behind her surged once more, filling the void.
For a brief moment, those within the valley and those outside could see each other clearly.
Yu Yuan caught sight of Shi Yuxuan, a herbalist from the Sacred Hands, as well as numerous other cultivators from Aetherius.
Shi Yuxuan and his companions also observed two streaks of blood racing through Gloomhollow, and they noticed Loong Tianxiao, Guan Xianyun, and Mei Qiurong.
Additionally, there was a youth standing in the depths of Gloomhollow, at the entrance to what should have been the underground prison. He appeared indifferent and strikingly handsome.
"Who is that young man?"
