C273 A Piece of Castiron Sign

Yu Yuan was not familiar with the Blackfang Legion.

Indeed, had Ning Ji not brought it up and explained their origins, Yu Yuan wouldn't have even heard of them.

The Sunblessed Empire and the Silvermoon Empire were distant and seldom interacted, and Yu Yuan's understanding of the Sunblessed Empire was still based on information from three centuries ago.

Back then, the Sunblessed Empire was ruled by a different emperor, and the Blackfang Legion did not exist.

The fact that Liu Wei and Lei Xiao placed such importance on Wei Feng, and that she concealed her true appearance, clearly indicated there was a significant reason.

Wei Feng's true appearance didn't possess the stunning beauty of Yuan Lianyao; instead, she exuded a wild attractiveness that appealed to a particular group of people.

It was unnecessary for her to hide her identity unless it was indeed well-known.

Members of the Blackfang Legion had long come to terms with life and death, and the soldiers they selected belonged to specific groups, not necessarily well-known ones.

With this in mind, Yu Yuan ventured, "You're not actually a true soldier of the Blackfang Legion, are you?"

Wei Feng's gaze shifted subtly, taking on a new depth that replaced the previous emptiness.

"The doctrines of the Poison Cult are quite peculiar, giving me a sense that something is amiss," Yu Yuan mused as he removed the black dagger from her waist. He examined her gloves and continued to search her person, hoping to find something else that might offer a clearer insight.

He searched the areas on Wei Feng's body where items could be concealed, such as her waist and the outer sides of her legs.

Throughout this process, Wei Feng remained stoically indifferent.

Soon, Yu Yuan discovered another item concealed in an inner pocket against her left chest.

It was a cast-iron sign.

The sign felt heavy and cool in his hand. On one side, it depicted five pills, each emanating fine soul threads, as if overflowing with life.

The pills seemed as vibrant as newborns, imbued with a sense of consciousness, a testament to their nature as pill souls.

Five pill souls signified the rank of a fifth level Divine Level herbalist, capable of crafting Divine Level pills.

She was a fifth level Divine Level herbalist.

On any continent, Divine Level herbalists are the most elusive of beings, perhaps even more so than cultivators who have reached the realm of the Primordial Spirit.

Legend has it that only the Order of Healing in the Land of Quiescence has long been home to Divine Level herbalists.

Yet, not every sect master of the Order of Healing achieves the status of a fifth level Divine Level herbalist.

In reality, many of the Order's sect masters have been third level Divine Level herbalists, and reaching the fifth level is an extraordinary rarity within the Order.

Beyond the Order of Healing, the Everlands boast only a handful of sects capable of nurturing Divine Level herbalists.

"Hmm?"

Yu Yuan let out a soft exclamation, struck by a sense of familiarity mixed with astonishment.

He flipped the cast-iron sign over to inspect its other side.

There, he saw only the ancient character "Qi" etched into the metal.

A jolt ran through Yu Yuan, his eyes shining with incredulous wonder.

His grip on the cast-iron sign tightened with his excitement, so much so that his palm throbbed with pain, snapping him back to reality.

The black cast-iron sign, clearly crafted from an unusual material, bore five pills on one side and the character "Qi" on the other. The message it conveyed forced Yu Yuan to take several deep breaths to regain his composure.

"How could this be?" he inwardly screamed, still grappling with disbelief. He scrutinized the sign, desperate to determine whether it was all just a trick of the eye.

"Do you recognize it?" Wei Feng's voice, weak and feeble, broke the silence.

Yu Yuan's display of emotion was so raw and intense that it was impossible to conceal.

"Where did you get this cast-iron sign?" he eventually asked, feigning calm.

"It's none of your business," Wei Feng retorted, her gaze drifting skyward as she lapsed into a trance. "Don't think you can coax information out of me by feigning excitement and shock."

Yu Yuan paused, then realized his genuine astonishment had been mistaken for pretense.

"Do you know that Bai Shenshen is from Sacred Hands, the herbalist sect of the Order of Healing?" Yu Yuan inhaled deeply, steadying himself. "If I'm not mistaken, this cast-iron sign originates from the Order of Healing in the Land of Quiescence, doesn't it? Only there would you find such a sign, with the pill soul indicating its owner is a fifth level Divine Level herbalist!"

"Could this be the token held by the current Sect Master of the Order of Healing?"

He posed the question deliberately.

"The current Sect Master of the Order of Healing is Zhong Chichen, a name known to all," Wei Feng said with a detached glance. "Moreover, cultivators across the three continents are aware that Zhong Chichen's gift for alchemy differs from his talent in cultivation. To date, Zhong Chichen is merely a Divine Level first-tier herbalist. Yet, upon dedicating himself to cultivation, he has ascended to the heights of the Unbound realm."

Yu Yuan felt his spirit shake once more at her words.

This was the first time since his rebirth that he had heard someone speak of his senior brother, revealing the true extent of his current cultivation level and his proficiency in alchemy.

It was as his master had said: his senior brother was not cut out for alchemy; his focus should be on cultivation.

Three hundred years had passed, and his senior brother had made little to no progress in alchemy.

But in cultivation, he had astonishingly reached the Unbound realm!

The Unbound, second only to the primordial spirit!

In the vast Everlands, every individual who attained the Unbound realm was renowned far and wide, their names known even to the Sky Fiends and otherworldly entities of the Extraterrestrial Star River.

Never in the annals of the Order of Healing had a Sect Master achieved such a pinnacle in cultivation!

His master had always said that once one embarked on the path of alchemy, one must devote oneself entirely to it, not allowing distractions from cultivation to impede reaching the zenith of alchemy.

In his past life, constrained by his own limitations, he had concentrated solely on alchemy and ultimately earned his master's favor, becoming the Sect Master of that era.

His senior brother's failure to reach the pinnacle was due to his desire to balance both worlds, and because his progress in cultivation was so effortless, the master deemed him to have mistakenly chosen the path of cultivation.

In the blink of an eye, three hundred years had passed, and to his astonishment, his senior brother's innate talent for cultivation proved to be formidable.

The Unbound realm!

Yu Yuan, emulating Wei Feng, couldn't help but gaze upward into the empty sky, feeling a sudden surge of pressure.

"The pill soul on the sign represents a fifth-level Divine Level herbalist!" Wei Feng snorted with disdain. "The current Sect Master of the Order of Healing doesn't deserve such a cast-iron sign!"

Yu Yuan snapped out of his reverie and, noticing Wei Feng's sudden chattiness, inquired, "Where did you get this sign from?"

Wei Feng fell silent once more.

"Shall I take a guess?" Yu Yuan pondered briefly before speaking softly, "The person who gave you the cast-iron sign, does he have numerous burn scars on his hands? Not just his hands, but also on his chest and back, right? And, does he have six fingers on his left hand?"

Wei Feng's icy gaze turned to one of alarm as she stared at him, stammering, "You, you, you..."

"How do I know, right?" Yu Yuan had reached a conclusion. After a few seconds of contemplation, he asked, "Is this person still among the living?"

"Of course, he's alive!" Wei Feng confirmed.

"What's your relationship with him?" Yu Yuan probed further.

After a moment of consideration, Wei Feng replied tersely, "I have nothing to disclose!"

Yu Yuan nodded, then pressed on, "Does he have ties to the Blackfang Legion?"

This time, Wei Feng nodded in affirmation.

"Did the Blackfang Legion's arrival in Asvetaesi and defection from the Sunblessed Empire have anything to do with you and him?" Yu Yuan continued his questioning.

"How do you recognize this iron sign?" Wei Feng deflected, her gaze turning cold. "You're acquainted with Bai Shenshen of the Sacred Hands. Not long ago, members of the Order of Healing visited the Serpent Spine Mountains to oversee the herbalist event at the Sacred Hands. What did they say that made the Sacred Hands seek him out?"

As Wei Feng spoke, she seemed to muster some energy and attempted to bite her tongue once more.

"Thump!"

Realizing the danger, Yu Yuan quickly knocked her out again and re-stuffed the cloth into her mouth.

He pocketed the iron sign.

Yu Yuan looked at Wei Feng, his expression grave. After a moment's hesitation, he sought out Bai Shenshen and asked, "Bai Shenshen, what brings you specifically to Asvetaesi, to the northern part of Thylethlume?"

Seeing him engaged in a casual conversation with Ning Ji, Bai Shenshen paused before saying, "You disappeared in the Serpent Spine Mountains. Having a longstanding relationship with your father, I came to Thylethlume to inform your grandfather. I didn't expect you to have already returned. Moreover, I've accepted a mission from our sect to search for a few items to the north of Thylethlume."

"A sect mission? Issued by the Sacred Hands?" Yu Yuan's expression shifted.

He suspected that Shi Yuxuan from the Sacred Hands might be acting under the direction of someone from the Order of Healing, investigating the connection between the Blackfang Legion and Wei Feng.

Were there others from the Sacred Hands besides Bai Shenshen?

A multitude of doubts swirled in Yu Yuan's mind, especially with the emergence of the cast-iron sign, compelling him to ponder further.

"Did you manage to get anything out of her?"

Yuan Lianyao approached, brimming with curiosity, "What's the story behind that Blackfang Legion girl?"

Bai Shenshen and Ning Ji were intrigued; they hadn't anticipated that Yu Yuan, not Lianyao, would be the one interrogating Wei Feng.

"I've uncovered some leads, but she's reluctant to divulge the details. I need to reflect on this before questioning her further," Yu Yuan explained. "Sister Mayor, Wei Feng is a complex character. Her life is essential. However, bringing her into Asvetaesi could potentially put the city at risk if the Blackfang Legion were to find out."

"I could seek assistance from the empress," Yuan Lianyao suggested.

She had considered the possibility of a full-scale invasion by the Blackfang Legion. By alerting the Silvermoon Queen in advance and requesting imperial reinforcements, as well as notifying the Sunblessed Empire, they could potentially thwart the Blackfang Legion's plans.

"There's no need for that," Yu Yuan replied, shaking his head. After a moment's hesitation, he continued, "Could you entrust Wei Feng to me for the time being? Rest assured, once I learn anything, I will inform you."

A year ago, when the Colddeath Sect covertly targeted Asvetaesi, Yu Yuan had been the one to sound the alarm.

Recalling Yu Yuan's extraordinary actions in the Moonfall Sanctuary, Yuan Lianyao conceded, "Since you were the one who captured her, it's only right that you decide her fate. My concern is that Winter's Bite and the Thunder Sect may not take this lightly."

"For the time being, I won't be returning to Thylethlume," Yu Yuan deliberated before speaking. "You can spread the word with any excuse you like, just say that I've captured a female officer of the Blackfang Legion and that's why I haven't returned. As long as the remnants of the Blackfang Legion know that Wei Feng is in my custody and that I'm not in Asvetaesi, that will suffice."

Yuan Lianyao asked with a hint of surprise, "Aren't you worried that the Thunder Sect and Winter's Bite will track you down?"

"I'm not worried," Yu Yuan replied confidently.

After a moment of contemplation, Yuan Lianyao, trusting in his judgment, nodded and agreed to his plan.

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