C338 The Dark Chess
A figure that had no business being there silently emerged on the floating island. He was a tall, burly general clad in a hauberk. This was Van Yan, from the Empire's Van family. Liu Ying, who had been closely monitoring Yu Zhu's actions through the Fallen Star Eyes, was taken aback by this unexpected presence.
Ever since the Golden Ship had made its appearance, she had kept her gaze fixed on the Nimbuswing through the celestial Fallen Star Eyes. She had clearly observed the moment when Lee Yuangui discovered Yu Yuan and his companions, leading them onto the Nimbuswing.
She faintly recalled that it was Van Yan who had given Yu Yuan and his group a nudge in the direction of their current adversary, Yan Qiling, and the Terra Fiend, Bai Shang. At the time, Bai Shang had not yet revealed his true identity and appeared down on his luck.
Yet, in a departure from his usual detachment and numbness, Bai Shang had engaged in a rare dispute with Van Yan. When Bai Shang stopped hiding his true self and once again returned to the Nimbuswing, this time to take Wei Feng captive, Van Yan shrank back into the crowd, avoiding Bai Shang's gaze.
Later, when the High Oracle fatally struck Lee Yuangui's mud pellet acupoint, exposing Bai Shang as the Terra Fiend, Yang Yinquan of the Abyssal Dawn directed the blame towards the Silvermoon Empire. Van Yan was quick to defend, claiming it was solely the Lee family's doing, a decision made by the empress herself.
As the Nimbuswing fell from the sky under the orders of Le Baixiong, with Wei Wujiang launching the ballista, Liu Ying lost interest in Van Yan. Yet, to her surprise, this general who had persistently opposed Yu Yuan and clashed with Bai Shang, quick to shift all blame onto the empress when things went awry, had now unsuspectingly made his way to the floating island.
In the middle period of Subtlety, the formidable Van Yan, adorned in his radiant hauberk, clearly possessed no ordinary artifact. The Van family general, known for his explosive temper, now stood on the floating island, his presence as steady as a mountain.
It was a stark contrast to what had been revealed before.
Van Yan, with his vitality and spiritual energy carefully suppressed, moved on tiptoe, stealthy as a nocturnal cat, as he closed in on Yu Zhu.
A bright yellow Eight-Flanged Mace was suddenly swung into action by Van Yan.
Bathed in sunlight, the head of the bright yellow Eight-Flanged Mace expanded to the size of a millstone, emanating an aura of imminent explosion.
With a sudden, crushing force, the Eight-Flanged Mace descended upon Yu Zhu's head, like a mountain crashing down.
Boom!
Yu Zhu's body shook violently, her crown emitting shards of emerald light scattering in all directions.
As she trembled, the flesh at the corners of her mouth and on her forehead split, leaking a green blood unlike that of ordinary humans.
Yu Zhu let out a pained grunt. She had been drawing blood from her heart, willing to sacrifice her own cultivation progress to aid Yu Yuan in his challenge of refining dragon blood, but now she was forced to halt.
Caught off guard by the ambush, her injuries compounded.
In the midst of her agony, she was also bewildered. How could she be stealthily attacked on her own floating island within the Forgotten Ruins?
She whirled around to confront the uninvited guest, her green eyes glinting with a ghostly light.
The hammer had struck, but Yu Zhu was not slain. Van Yan's face remained impassive, betraying no surprise, as though he had anticipated this outcome.
The bearded general, clad in his hauberk, spoke with tranquil authority, "You should have heeded Mr. Bai's advice."
A flicker of scorn crossed Yu Zhu's eyes, mocking Van Yan for his audacity. With merely a Subtlety Realm cultivation, he had dared to seek his own demise.
But as she prepared to unleash her real body and obliterate Van Yan, she, who shared a mental bond with Yu Yuan, was suddenly struck by an ominous premonition.
She exhaled a breath of noxious miasma.
Within the miasma were over a dozen lethal poisons from the Forgotten Ruins, which she had assimilated into her body to use against her foes.
As the miasma advanced towards Van Yan, Yu Zhu refocused, touching the natural armor over her chest. From within its crevices, she extracted another strand of refined blood, infusing it into the dragon blood beneath her on the floating island.
Enduring excruciating pain, she paid no mind to Van Yan, who was acting like a buffoon. She persisted in refining the dragon blood to support Yu Yuan.
She was aware that Yu Yuan couldn't afford to be without her at this crucial time.
"Hehe."
Van Yan let out a weird chuckle, clutching the Eight-Flanged Mace and fearlessly traversing the miasma.
The hauberk he wore was intricately patterned on the inside, operating in secrecy.
The myriad toxins lurking in the miasma were repelled by the radiant light emanating from the hauberk as it approached Van Yan, leaving him unaffected.
He swung the Eight-Flanged Mace once more, hammering down on Yu Zhu as if striking an anvil.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
With each blow, Yu Zhu, who was far superior to Van Yan in strength and rank, suffered under the relentless pounding. The ordeal of extracting her own heart's blood to smelt the dragon blood was unspeakably agonizing.
Yu Zhu was drenched in filthy blood, her already plain face now twisted into something even more ghastly.
Her skull, as hard as wrought iron, began to fracture under the continuous heavy blows of the Eight-Flanged Mace.
As Van Yan raised his hammer for another strike, a brilliant stream of starlight pierced through the dusk sky and thundered down upon him.
The radiant starlight struck Van Yan, tearing his robust frame apart.
A figure, with acupoints gleaming with the light of stars, descended with the starlight and looked at Van Yan with an icy glare, saying coldly, "You despicable cur!"
Van Yan came to an abrupt halt, casting a deep glance at Liu Ying before advising, "I suggest you stay tucked away in the Fallen Star Eyes and avoid meddling in affairs that don't concern you."
Liu Ying's face was frosty. Having observed the scene for some time, her frustration boiled over. She found Van Yan to be exceptionally cruel and malicious. He was adept at concealing his true nature, which she found utterly repugnant.
She wasn't foolish; after watching for so long, she had pieced together the puzzle.
The only person Bai Shang had ever clashed with was Lee Yuangui, who also seemed to dislike Van Yan. Yet, Van Yan had the audacity to rebuke the Silvermoon Queen and the Lee family at a critical juncture. Clearly, he was cut from the same cloth as Bai Shang and Lee Yuangui.
If Bai Shang and Lee Yuangui were overt chess pieces, then Van Yan was the hidden piece, lurking deeper in the shadows, far more elusive.
Had it not been for Yu Zhu's refined dragon blood, which greatly aided Yu Yuan and had the potential to sway the outcome of the brutal conflict, Van Yan might still be lurking in the shadows.
Yang Yinquan, Su Xiangtian, Yuan Lianyao, and the others could have been ambushed and betrayed by him at any moment.
Van Yan, bearing the Van surname, could have been a staunch supporter of the Silvermoon Queen, with the Van family of the Silvermoon Empire possibly privy to secrets and having aligned with the queen from early on.
Or it might have been a move solely orchestrated by Van Yan himself.
"Keep casting your spell; I'll handle this one."
Liu Ying inhaled deeply, igniting the cosmic energy within every acupoint of her body.
Her extraordinary attire transformed into an immense starry sea, with countless starshards twinkling and shifting positions within the fabric.
Van Yan's demeanor shifted upon witnessing her stance. "Are you prepared to fight to the death with me? To my knowledge, you, the esteemed daughter of the Starmoon Sect, have never truly faced a life-or-death battle."
Liu Ying replied with serene composure, "The past is the past, and now is now."
...
Within the ruins of the shattered city.
Yu Yuan gazed at his arm, which, drop by drop, was being restored by the silver dragon blood, as flesh grew over bone, enveloping sinew and skeleton.
He could distinctly feel the newly formed flesh brimming with an abundance of vitality.
His veins, flowing with sword light and space magic, seemed to be refined and purified anew.
His bones had become as unyielding as divine metal from the Star River.
He was aware that his survival, without succumbing to a violent death, was due to Yu Zhu on the floating island above.
Yet, he was unaware of the extent of suffering Yu Zhu was enduring for his sake at this very moment.
Watching as the hand pointing toward the brown iris was engulfed by the icy blue strange power and began to spread to his forearm, shifting the battlefield there, he urgently continued to call out with his spirit.
After what seemed an eternity.
"I am here."
A remnant soul, perceptible only to him, suddenly emerged within his Heart Lake and soul sea.
His eyes suddenly sparkled like diamonds!
...
