C278 Worship

"Young Master Yu!"

A familiar voice quietly emerged, startling Yu Yuan.

"Qin Yun?"

Yu Yuan inquired with a hint of uncertainty.

"Indeed, it is I!" Qin Yun exclaimed joyfully.

"Where are you? And how can you hear my inner thoughts?" Yu Yuan was taken aback. He couldn't fathom how his soul communication with Yu Zhu had somehow been intercepted by Qin Yun.

Since departing the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area, Yu Yuan had not crossed paths with Qin Yun of the Seven Divine Sect.

Shouldn't Qin Yun be in the Rainier Empire by all accounts?

"Young Master Yu, may we meet?" Qin Yun implored.

"Do you even know where I am?"

"I am en route!"

"Very well."

Yu Yuan immediately reined in his thoughts and fortified his resolve, remaining vigilant.

Bai Shenshen, Wei Feng, and Ning Ji cast puzzled glances his way.

"I've run into a bit of an unexpected situation," Yu Yuan offered by way of explanation.

Qin Yun, the sect master of the Seven Divine Sect, had reached the pinnacle of the Yin God Stage during his time in the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area.

His intention was to hunt the five moons of the Silvermoon Empire and leverage the unique energies of the Forbidden Area to ascend to the Soul Wandering Stage.

Regrettably, the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area was a labyrinth of enigmas, teeming with formidable beings like the Green Incubus, Sky Shocking Emperor, Earth Demon Xiquan, Loong Tianxiao, Ann Jieshan, and a host of Alien Soul Demons.

Above, Zhou Cangmin lurked, laying schemes and watching hungrily.

In the Forbidden Area, Qin Yun's gains were meager; his Azure Yang Arrows were either obliterated or forcibly branded by him.

Upon his departure, he was blindsided by an ambush from Chiu Wan and her associates of the Ghoul Glyph Sect, nearly dragging Yu Yuan into the fray.

Before Yu Yuan left for Jade Peak, he released the imprints on the Azure Yang Arrows, declaring their debts settled and their association ended.

Yet, against all odds, Qin Yun had tracked him down.

"Is he still trying to entice me to join the Seven Divine Sect for training? He just won't let it go," Yu Yuan mused with an inward scoff, completely disinterested in Qin Yun's previous proposition.

For him, Qin Yun, a practitioner at the Yin God Stage, and his Seven Divine Sect were not even worthy of being a temporary refuge.

With a whoosh, Qin Yun materialized in his elderly scholar guise, clad in green robes with a jade belt cinched at his waist. At first glance, he appeared aged and decrepit, his once vibrant eyes now tinged with a gray pallor. Although still in the late stages of the Yin God Stage, Yu Yuan sensed that Qin Yun had grown weaker since their last encounter at the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area. A year had passed—had his injuries not only failed to heal but actually deteriorated?

"Seven Divine Sect's Qin Yun!" Bai Shenshen of the Medicine Sect murmured with a hint of surprise upon spotting him. The Jade Peak Mountain Range bordered the Rainier Empire, and there were interactions between some sects of the Medicine Sect and the Rainier Empire. As the sect master of the Seven Divine Sect, guarded by seven Yin Gods, Bai Shenshen was not only familiar with Qin Yun's reputation but had also met him on several occasions.

Qin Yun gave her a cursory glance, showing no sign of recognition. Instead, he turned to Yu Yuan with a look of desperation, "Young Master Yu, I've come to you because I've run out of options."

His words sowed confusion even among the Tusk Troops' Wai Feng. Since when did a high-level Yin God Stage cultivator seek refuge with a junior at the Yellow Court Stage? Would it not seem ludicrous if such a tale were to spread?

Was Yu Yuan of the Yu family connected to the imperial family of the Luan Bird Empire on the Profound Sky Continent? Or perhaps Yu Yuan was a Demonic Seed of the Devil Palace, an unawakened Demon Spirit of the Demon Palace?

"What's this all about?" Yu Yuan asked with a furrowed brow. "You were well-off in the Rainier Empire. Why travel such a great distance to come here? And how could you have heard..."

He left the question hanging. As Qin Yun was about to respond, his attention was abruptly drawn to the distant sky, evidently detecting some extraordinary disturbance.

"I need to check on something," he announced. Without a sound, his Yin God left his body and drifted away. Yu Yuan, with his Heavenly Soul, could track the movements, and Bai Shenshen, at her Penetrating Stage, could perceive them as well.

Ning Ji and Wai Feng were completely oblivious to it.

As Qin Yun's Yin God departed from his body, his primary and celestial souls remained intact, allowing him to speak without hindrance. "I must confess, when you branded your soul into the Azure Yang Arrow, even after its extraction, I covertly retained a trace through my secret cultivation technique. This trace had no effect on you, as your realm was not advanced enough to perceive it."

"It was by leveraging that faint whisper of your soul that I quieted my mind and sensed your inner voice. By a stroke of luck, I caught the essence of your thoughts and used a secret method to establish a bridge for our communication."

Qin Yun felt a mix of admiration and awe.

Merely at the Yellow Court Stage, yet he managed to connect across the void with an unknown soul spirit a hundred miles distant. Yu Yuan's skill left Qin Yun with no choice but to acknowledge his prowess.

This very experience only served to solidify his resolve.

"You dared to intercept a thread of my thoughts!" Yu Yuan erupted in anger.

Qin Yun quickly offered his apologies, then continued, "At Hidden Dragon Lake, a Seventh Level Silverfrost Dragon, accompanied by over a dozen Dragon Servitors and a heavily armored warrior, are locked in battle high above. That individual..."

He paused, his realization dawning with a jolt, "That must be the legendary commander of the Tusk Troops from the Divine Might Empire!"

At his words, Wai Feng's frame quivered subtly, her eyes alight with excitement.

Yu Yuan's brow lifted in surprise, "The commander of the Tusk Troops!"

Through Ning Ji and Bai Shenshen, he had come to understand that the commander of the Tusk Troops was a formidable character.

This commander had emerged out of nowhere within the Divine Might Empire, initially supporting the then-prince, aiding his ascent to the imperial throne, and subsequently subduing the Empire's many unruly subjects, ushering in an era of prosperity and growth for the Divine Might Empire.

A man of mysterious origins and exceptional cultivation, he held the emperor's utmost trust.

In the Divine Might Empire, his status was akin to that of Zhou Cangmin in the Rainier Empire—second only to one, towering above all others in authority.

Yu Yuan had previously sensed that the Silverfrost Dragon was facing a formidable adversary, but its identity had eluded him until now.

Qin Yun immediately understood the situation once it was laid out before him: the Dragon Servitors and the Silverfrost Dragon were not targeting the Thunder Sect or the Cold Yin Sect, but rather the commander of the Tusk Troops.

With a look of surprise, Qin Yun glanced at Yu Yuan, seemingly recognizing his affiliation with the Tusk Troops. He refrained from questioning further, instead offering a wry smile as he confided in Yu Yuan, "The Rainier Empire no longer has a place for me. I've been ousted as the Sect Master of the Seven Divine Sect. The emperor hasn't spoken a word, yet his silence has given consent to the empire's people to strike against me."

"I'm well aware that staying in the Rainier Empire would only lead to my inevitable demise."

"Not to mention within the sect itself, several of the emperor's old friends had already begun conspiring against me before my departure."

Qin Yun, visibly aged and wearied, shook his head with a sigh, "Once I left the empire, my movements were tracked. I encountered several skirmishes along the way, and one of my Azure Yang Arrows was even destroyed."

After a heavy sigh, he continued, "I pondered my next move for quite some time, and upon hearing news of your emergence, I decided to seek refuge with you."

Bai Shenshen of the Medicine Sect interjected with a moment's hesitation, addressing Yu Yuan, "His words hold truth. Before my arrival, I too heard tales of Rainier Empire cultivators laying traps to assassinate Elder Qin, allegedly for the numerous empire elites he slaughtered in the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area."

Qin Yun spread his hands before Yu Yuan and stated plainly, "You're aware that wasn't my doing."

Yu Yuan gave a confirming nod. He had witnessed the truth firsthand: the Duan brothers were the true culprits, with the Imperial Advisor of the Rainier Empire orchestrating from the shadows. Qin Yun was innocent.

It seemed that Qin Yun might merely be a scapegoat for Zhou Cangmin.

"So, you're seeking refuge?" Yu Yuan stroked his chin, his gaze curious and probing, "Weren't you the one so eager to recruit me into the Seven Divine Sect? Yet within a year, you've reversed your stance and now seek to join me. What's prompted this change of heart?"

"If you'll have me," Qin Yun stated earnestly, "I would like to offer my services as a guest elder to the Yu family."

Yu Yuan stood agape in shock.

Qin Yun, at the pinnacle of the Yin God Stage, had specifically sought them out to become a guest elder for the Yu family?

Even Yuan Lianyao, the City Lord of Darkmoon, was merely in the late Penetrating Stage and hadn't ascended to the Yin God Stage yet!

...