C33 A Shock from the Distance

The sky blazed with a crimson hue.

Ann Ziqing approached at a leisurely pace, her entire being glowing with a brilliance that was almost too dazzling to behold.

Her radiance resembled that of blood-colored jade, naturally effulgent.

Though typically just a beautiful woman, at this moment, she appeared to be shrouded in an extraordinary aura.

All those in the valley were weighed down with heavy hearts, their gazes fixed upon her.

She commanded the attention of everyone present.

"So it turns out that the scene that morning wasn't just my imagination," Yu Yuan reflected with a tinge of bitterness, recalling the morning he had seen Yuan Lianyao.

Yuan Lianyao, gravely wounded, also remembered sensing an unusual disturbance in her vitality before she departed that day.

At the time, she had even let out a soft "Huh?"

Yet, she hadn't anticipated that the strange vitality disturbance originated from a seemingly insignificant maid beside Yu Yuan.

She had assumed it was someone from the Yu family secretly practicing some nefarious arcane art.

"Yin Jue came to you in the dead of night, sealing you with his ice magic. You became an ice sculpture, and I thought you were without consciousness," Yu Yuan said after a few seconds of silence. "Did you witness anything at that time?"

As Ann Ziqing walked, she let out a light laugh, "I saw your might at that time, Young Master. I watched you torment Yin Jue with a poison pill. I saw you cover his mouth, fearing his screams. In that moment, Young Master, you truly captivated me."

"I'm very curious, with your level of cultivation and realm, why are you with the Yu family?" Yu Yuan inquired.

"I'm sorry, but that's a question I cannot answer," Ann Ziqing replied, her face awash with embarrassment. "However, I'm even more curious about you, Young Master. The number of people who perished in Asvetaesi doesn't concern me; all that matters is that my senior brother's Lunar Spirit is successfully refined. As for you, Young Master, I hope to continue to be by your side."

"Continue to be by my side?" Yu Yuan's mouth twisted into a wry smile as he said, "Or perhaps you mean to abduct me and keep me close to you?"

"Young Master, I truly believe it would be an honor to serve by your side," Ann Ziqing insisted earnestly. "Once you awaken, your prospects are boundless. The confines of Asvetaesi and the Yu family will only hold you back. Our Colddeath is a far superior choice for you."

Ann Ziqing abruptly halted mid-sentence.

Her eyebrows flickered, signaling that she had detected something amiss.

A scarlet orb of light materialized from nowhere in her palm.

Almost immediately, a drop of her blood sprang from the skin cradling the orb and mysteriously fused with it.

"Tears of the Blood God! Open the Heavenly Eyes!"

With her soft cry, the blood within the orb burst into a resplendent divine glow.

In the blink of an eye, the orb transformed into a clear, reflective mirror.

Within it, the images of three individuals were sharply cast.

Lin Hanyu and Lin Zhuyun were in the company of a middle-aged man dressed in white, exuding an exceptional aura.

All three looked skyward, their faces contorted with shock.

Dozens of miles away, atop a verdant peak far from Asvetaesi, Lin Hanyu, his daughter, and an elder from Winter's Bite all cast their gazes heavenward.

The once clear sky was now stained with a sanguine hue!

Ann Ziqing's striking visage then appeared within the blood-red firmament.

Her beautiful face hung in the sky, her gaze downward, observing them with an inscrutable expression, like a deity surveying the mortal realm.

"The Colddeath Sect is performing magic in Asvetaesi. I urge the Winter's Bite to withdraw at once," Ann Ziqing's voice echoed from the crimson sky. "Furthermore, the young master of the Yu family has been chosen by the Colddeath Sect. I implore the Lin family and Winter's Bite to cease their petty schemes."

As her words concluded, the blood-red sky gradually receded.

Lin Hanyu and Lin Zhuyun exchanged bewildered glances.

"Her name is Ann Ziqing. When I visited the Yu family, I discovered she was the one caring for Yu Yuan," Lin Zhuyun murmured, still reeling from disbelief at the recent events. "Despite the distance of dozens of miles, she managed to project her image across the sky. I had always assumed she was merely a common maid."

Her thoughts then drifted to the incident in Thylethlume Town, where Ning Ji had conducted the Soul Summoning Magic Circle, only for Yin Jue to abruptly intervene and disrupt the ritual.

At that time, Yin Jue was so enraged that he was willing to go as far as to kill Ann Ziqing?

She sensed a bitter taste in her mouth.

"She must be at least at the Lunar Spirit level." Liu Wei, an elder from Winter's Bite, tasked with investigating Lyu Yue's death and resolving the dispute between the Lin and Yu families, furrowed his brow and said, "A Lunar Spirit, hiding within the Yu family and serving Yu Yuan as her master?"

Lin Zhuyun sighed softly, her head bowed. "I'm not entirely clear on the specifics."

"It seems Lyu Yue's death will remain unavenged." Liu Wei shrugged, seemingly resigned to the conclusion of his mission. "Lyu Yue had Yin Jue attack the young master of the Yu family twice. With a Lunar Spirit from the Colddeath Sect backing him, it seems Lyu Yue was simply out of luck."

"Elder Liu, what about the humiliation my father and I suffered at the hands of the Yu family?" Lin Hanyu asked with a hopeful gaze.

"Have you been clouded by your anger?" Liu Wei frowned. "With your intelligence, if you just calm down and think it through, you'll realize that it's not wise to speak of such matters."

Lin Hanyu promptly fell silent.

"The Colddeath Sect in the northern Land of Quiescence is no weaker than our Winter's Bite," Liu Wei stated somberly. "A Lunar Spirit from the Colddeath Sect, serving as a maid to the young master of the Yu family, doesn't that tell you something? The young master, who has been in chaos for seventeen years and yet could be resurrected, is likely all part of the Colddeath Sect's design."

"Such an individual..."

Liu Wei paused for a moment, glancing at Lin Zhuyun, and continued, "The cultivation talent and potential future accomplishments of such an individual have already transcended the realm of the ordinary."

What he really meant was that the Colddeath Sect valued Yu Yuan so highly that his importance to them likely exceeded Lin Zhuyun's to Winter's Bite.

If Lin Zhuyun was seen as a future pillar of the sect, then Yu Yuan was considered a treasure by the Colddeath Sect.

It was even conceivable that Yu Yuan might be regarded as a future candidate for the sect leader.

If Winter's Bite dares to act recklessly again, it could ignite a bloody conflict between the two sects, with untold numbers of casualties before it ends.

"I understand."

Lin Zhuyun bowed her head, her fingers tightening around the hem of her garment with increasing intensity.

"Whoosh!"

Simultaneously, in another part of Asvetaesi, a fiery pillar of light erupted, cascading upwards like a waterfall of flames.

It collided with a blood-red arm.

The sky exploded with a magnificent display of spiritual energy, so brilliant it caused onlookers' eyes to sting.

Within the depths of the flame waterfall, spell symbols, akin to Flame Spirits, constantly shifted and rearranged themselves into various intricate formations, withstanding the assault of the blood-red arm.

"Ruby Hand!"

Liu Wei's eyes widened in astonishment. "The small Asvetaesi is teeming with hidden talents. The Colddeath Sect has laid a secret magic circle, intending to purge the city with blood, and now members of the Ruby Hand are intervening. In the northern reaches of the Land of Quiescence, the Colddeath Sect and the Ruby Hand are at odds. Could it be they see Asvetaesi as a battleground?"

This realization made Liu Wei anxious to leave. "You father and daughter should not linger in Asvetaesi. Lin Zhuyun, once you're back with the Lin family, you must seclude yourself and use the pill I've given you to attempt the Veil Breaking. Once you've succeeded, the sect will guide you away to train on the Euwrea Continent."

Lin Zhuyun nodded in compliance. "Understood."

"Let's go!"

...

In the valley of Mount Aureum.

"I've safely escorted the Lin family father and daughter, along with an elder from Winter's Bite."

Ann Ziqing pocketed the crimson orb of light into her sleeve and sweetly smiled at Yu Yuan, "I've made it abundantly clear. The young master is the chosen one of our Colddeath Sect. As long as they're sensible, Winter's Bite will exercise restraint and not dare to offend the young master again."

Regarding the young master's betrothed...

She shook her head, expressing pity, "Since she's blind to the truth, she's not worth our concern. Once the young master joins our Divine Cult and masters our secret spells, Lin Zhuyun will no longer be a match for him. By then, it will be she who aspires to reach his level."

In Asvetaesi, the surviving members of the four great families cast peculiar glances at the pair.

They observed what was ostensibly a master and servant relationship.

The Huang family, especially Huang Fan and Huang Tianyi, found it most perplexing.

Why did Ann Ziqing, once concealed within the Yu family, continue to hold Yu Yuan in such high regard after revealing her true identity? Why was she so adamant about persuading Yu Yuan to return to the Colddeath Sect?

And why did she still wish to attend to him as a maid?

What virtues or abilities did Yu Yuan possess?

"Forget it, the reputation of Colddeath is too negative, and I'm not fond of their cultivation methods," Yu Yuan said, shaking his head, seemingly unaware that Ann Ziqing was no longer his maid to command. "Besides, your senior brother isn't as sure of victory as you might believe. Your strategies and preparations may not be as foolproof as you imagine."

"Is there something else I should know?" Ann Ziqing asked, her smile charming.

"Boom!"

In the distance, a colossal blood shadow, formed from the blood-red clouds, burst apart.

The crimson sky was torn open by a massive hole, raging with flames.

The hole blazed intensely.

Countless fire runes, resembling tiny red crystals, flickered as they dissolved, dismantling the so-called "Colddeath magic circle."

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