C254 Hellbreed!

Zhou Cangmin's Lunar Spirit materialized, carrying a hollow pill that held Guan Xianyun captive.

Without the protection of the Soulforge Matrix in the Moonfall Sanctuary, he remained utterly composed, as if everything was within his grasp, and nothing could elude his keen perception and strategic planning.

Such confidence was founded on an exceptional level of cultivation and strength.

Considering the might of the Crimson Sun Empire and the Silvermoon Empire, Zhou Cangmin was undoubtedly among the top cultivators.

Even the Sunfire Emperor, whose renown spanned both empires, fell slightly short of Zhou Cangmin in personal combat prowess.

The only one seen as a true contender to Zhou Cangmin by many cultivators was the Silvermoon Queen.

Yet, the Silvermoon Queen was significantly older than Zhou Cangmin.

Moreover, Zhou Cangmin, favored by the Sunlit Order, was bound to leave Aetherius and be grandly inducted as an elder within the Sunlit Order.

The Silvermoon Queen did not receive such attention from the three great upper sects of Euwrea, the Devil Palace, or Shadow's Keep.

Therefore, it wasn't an overstatement to regard Zhou Cangmin as the preeminent cultivator in the current realm of the Crimson Sun Empire and the Silvermoon Empire.

Yu Yuan felt somewhat privileged that such a formidable figure was secretly following him, using his Lunar Spirit to observe from the shadows.

He glanced at the swirling miasma and whispered, "There's no need."

The petite girl, concealed within, immediately quieted down, her concerns and care articulated in a crude, chirping tone.

"It's alright."

Yu Yuan reassured her before turning his attention back to the white-robed youth, who was none other than Zhou Cangmin. "State Preceptor, if I'm not mistaken, pill crafting isn't your forte."

"Indeed," Zhou Cangmin replied with an easy smile, his voice warm and gentle. "My passion lies in cultivation, with the aspiration to refine my heaven soul into a Solar Spirit as swiftly as possible. I dabbled in alchemy in my youth, but my talent was indeed quite ordinary."

"So, where did the Wyrmwhisker Poison Heart Pill originate?" Yu Yuan pressed, his gaze fixed on him. "And why did you give it to Liu Zaihe? Could it be that you encouraged Liu Zaihe to approach Sacred Hands and summon the Hu family to Gloomhollow?"

Since Guan Xianyun's Lunar Spirit was inside the pill, Yu Yuan became aware of the events that had transpired in Gloomhollow, and so did Zhou Cangmin.

It seemed likely that Zhou Cangmin had witnessed the sequence of tactics Wu Xiting employed to manifest through Liu Zaihe's body.

Although Zhou Cangmin was not yet affiliated with any of the three upper sects, his renown and power arguably surpassed that of Wu Xiting.

Given this, did Zhou Cangmin know about Wu Xiting's Lunar Spirit hiding within Liu Zaihe?

Officially, Wu Xiting was part of the Sunlit Order's Menend Hill lineage. And it was the Sunlit Order that would eventually help Zhou Cangmin ascend to a Solar Spirit and guide him to Euwrea.

Did Wu Xiting and Zhou Cangmin have any secret interactions?

Wu Xiting practiced the arcane arts of the Colddeath, and he was positioned within the Sunlit Order as their pawn. Did the state preceptor of the Crimson Sun Empire have any knowledge of this?

Yu Yuan's mind was flooded with a cascade of doubts, leaving him in a tangled mess of thoughts.

"Don't ask me just yet."

With a smile, Zhou Cangmin said, "I couldn't see what unfolded in Gloomhollow. After you all departed and the miasma cleared with the rune circle's release, I too went to investigate. Everyone had vanished without a trace. I'm eager to know whether Wu Xiting is dead or alive, and if Mei Qiurong survived."

He paused before inquiring further, "And what about Chen Qingyan from the Sword Sect? Is she still among the living?"

Yu Yuan, driven by curiosity, asked, "Why didn't anyone else search for them? Why find only me?"

"To be frank, the others are of a higher cultivation level, making it exceedingly difficult for me to perceive them with my Lunar Spirit," Zhou Cangmin earnestly explained. "Besides your lower level, my curiosity about you is somewhat greater."

"Mei Qiurong is dead," Yu Yuan stated.

"I suspected as much; she likely didn't survive," Zhou Cangmin agreed, unsurprised. "And the others?"

"Chen Qingyan probably left Gloomhollow with Loong Tianxiao, the one with the human head and dragon body," Yu Yuan pondered before adding, "Regarding Wu Xiting..."

He was uncertain about whether to disclose Wu Xiting's connection with the Colddeath sect.

"Oh, right, to demonstrate a bit of goodwill, I can share something with you." Zhou Cangmin was quite forthcoming, "I'm privy to the fact that Wu Xiting has entrusted his Lunar Spirit to Liu Zaihe's body."

"Do you know Wu Xiting's true identity?" Yu Yuan demanded.

"Are you referring to Wu Xiting practicing the secret arts of Colddeath?" Zhou Cangmin remained unruffled, letting out a light chuckle, "I'm fully aware, and my source wasn't Guan Xianyun."

"Not through Guan Xianyun?" Yu Yuan was taken aback.

Once Wu Xiting's practice of the Colddeath mystique was exposed, Guan Xianyun had fled without a second thought.

Guan Xianyun was aware that Wu Xiting would stop at nothing to eliminate him.

Yu Yuan had assumed Zhou Cangmin had gleaned this information from Guan Xianyun's soul and memories, but he was mistaken...

"Wu Xiting sought me out before he ventured into the Serpent Spine Mountains," Zhou Cangmin said, his demeanor growing solemn, "His very first words to me were about his Colddeath affiliation. He also mentioned that the sect's venerable ancestor was within the Serpent Spine Mountains."

At these words, Yu Yuan turned ashen, "Were you involved in the scheme to take Mei Qiurong's Mark of the Celestials?"

"Not just involved," Zhou Cangmin corrected, shaking his head, "I orchestrated the entire plan! Wu Xiting, Ann Jieshan, and the others decided to strike in Gloomhollow based on my numerous recommendations."

Referring to the frail girl before them, he continued, "Wu Xiting informed me about her. She was included in my strategy. If things had gone as planned, she would have been... captured and delivered to me by Wu Xiting."

Yu Yuan's expression darkened abruptly.

He had believed Wu Xiting and Ann Jieshan were the primary conspirators, the hidden puppeteers manipulating the downfall of the Ebon Star.

To his surprise, it was the Crimson Sun Empire's state preceptor, who had remained behind the scenes from start to finish, that was the true architect of the plot. He had even made it clear to Wu Xiting from the outset that the skinny girl would be handed over to him after their plans came to fruition.

The state preceptor had betrayed numerous experts of his own empire at Moonfall Sanctuary, and the Duan brothers, who were loyal to the Ruby Hand, willingly followed his command.

And yet, he was held in high esteem by the Sunlit Order?

What was really happening?

"The Mark of the Celestials is no trivial matter. Losing even one would deal a severe blow to the Ebon Star," Zhou Cangmin said, his smile radiant. "Bringing a Mark of the Celestials back to Colddeath would be an honor beyond compare! Whether it's the Devil Palace or Shadow's Keep, they would all rejoice! Those involved in this affair would be highly commended within the sect."

Yu Yuan spoke with urgency, "Ann Jieshan left Gloomhollow with Wu Xiting before I did. Wu Xiting was injured, but with Ann Jieshan's presence, he should recover. Two months have passed without significant incident; they ought to have returned to Colddeath by now. If you're in the Land of Quiescence, someone from Colddeath would have the information you seek."

"Even if they make it back, Colddeath will keep it under wraps. I won't be able to dig up any news," Zhou Cangmin admitted, a flicker of happiness in his eyes. "But if the Mark of the Celestials is returned, it signifies the success of my strategy. Everything else is just minor details."

With that, he cast another glance at the vibrant miasma cloud.

A chill settled in Yu Yuan's heart as he regarded it with a steely gaze. "What now? You want to execute every aspect of your plan flawlessly?"

"Don't get the wrong idea," Zhou Cangmin said with an easy smile. "Truth be told, Wu Xiting, Ann Jieshan, and I share similar origins. According to the sect's original plan, I was to be chosen by the Sunlit Order from the Crimson Sun Empire even earlier than they were. Like Wu Xiting and Ann Jieshan before me, I was meant to train with one of the three upper sects."

"You?!" Yu Yuan exclaimed, taken aback.

"I hail from the Ruby Hand," Zhou Cangmin confirmed with a nod. "Plans change, and the sect later realized that my staying in the Crimson Sun Empire was more beneficial. So, I remained. Eventually, I earned the friendship and trust of the Sunfire Emperor and became the nation's state preceptor."

"Sunfire Emperor, you clung to me, never willing to let me go."

"My own power advanced too swiftly. Using the foundational spiritual spell granted by the Sunlit Order, I progressed to Lunar Spirit, then undertook the Spirit Walk, and now I'm on the verge of ascending to Solar Spirit. The Sunlit Order realized they couldn't take me in as a disciple, but since I was indeed practicing their spiritual spell, they offered me a position as an elder."

"The Sunlit Order truly held me in high regard, but alas, it's a pity."

He burst into uproarious laughter.

"I was born a Hellbreed of the Ruby Hand; how could I ever pledge allegiance to the Sunlit Order? My initial plan was to assume the role of elder in the Sunlit Order after solidifying my Solar Spirit, but with the new developments, that's no longer relevant."

The state preceptor of the Crimson Sun Empire, deeply engaged in conversation with Yu Yuan, divulged many secrets he had kept to himself.

Even Zhou Cangmin couldn't articulate why he had humbled himself to share so many secrets with a young man whose background was a mystery to him.

"The Ruby Hand, the Hellbreed, like Wu Xiting and Ann Jieshan, they were the Seeds of Wisdom that should've been sent to the Sunlit Order long ago!"

Yu Yuan's mind reeled with the revelation from the state preceptor, and he suddenly saw the light. He understood why the Duan brothers behaved so oddly, hunting their own country's cultivators.

And now he grasped Zhou Cangmin's peculiar actions.

For a Hellbreed of the Ruby Hand to collaborate with Wu Xiting and Ann Jieshan and seize a Mark of the Celestials would indeed be a monumental feat.

"Aren't you worried about leaving too many traces that could reveal your identity?" Yu Yuan demanded.

"It's of no consequence," Zhou Cangmin replied nonchalantly. "I've abandoned any intentions of serving as an elder for the Sunlit Order. It won't be long before my identity as a Hellbreed of the Ruby Hand becomes common knowledge."

"You?" Yu Yuan was taken aback.

"Some unforeseen events have occurred, and I have more pressing matters to attend to, preventing me from joining the Sunlit Order," Zhou Cangmin said with a hint of melancholy. "I've decided to go back to my origins. Why should I concern myself with the empty honors of the Crimson Sun Empire? My only regret is that I couldn't fulfill the Sunfire Emperor's wishes."

"Return to one's roots?" Yu Yuan furrowed his brow. "Were you born in the Land of Quiescence?"

"That's correct."

...