C35 The Heavenly Artifact!
Upon hearing the news, Huang Fan and the remaining members of the Huang family felt as if they had plunged into a frigid abyss.
The blood-red hue faded, and the intense sun loomed overhead.
Yet, to the Huang family, it felt as though they were in a frozen wasteland.
A profound sense of humiliation fermented in Huang Fan's heart, nearly driving him to the brink of collapse.
His family had given their all to the Colddeath!
What more could they have done?
But in Ann Ziqing's eyes, what significance did the Huang family hold?
If Yu Yuan merely gave the nod, Ann Ziqing would not hesitate to wield her sword and exterminate the entire Huang family without mercy!
Above them all, a river of fire danced in the sky.
The river, imbued with the violent essence of Yuan Qiufang, was filled with spell symbols that shimmered like Fire Crystals, seemingly consuming and growing stronger from the river's power.
Yuan Qiufang appeared to be biding his time, not rushing to act.
"What's your opinion, Young Master?"
Ann Ziqing didn't bother to turn her head or spare Huang Fan a glance; she just kept her gaze fixed on him.
In her mind, the Huang family was nothing more than a minor pawn of her senior brother's, easily discarded once its usefulness had ended. Why would she waste a second glance?
She didn't even hold her senior brother in high regard, so why would she consider anyone else?
"To join the Colddeath?"
Yu Yuan was taken aback, eyeing Huang Fan with a curious look.
Huang Fan couldn't bring himself to meet his gaze.
"Scared?" Yu Yuan suddenly chuckled. "Afraid that with a simple nod from me, your entire Huang family would be wiped out? Are you terrified that I joined the Colddeath just to ensure your family's demise?"
"Heh."
"The Huang family truly isn't significant enough to influence my decisions!"
With that, he addressed Ann Ziqing with a stern demeanor, "To me, it doesn't matter whether you're a follower of the Colddeath. Since you claim you didn't break your grandfather's knees and haven't committed any severe misdeeds against my Yu family, I'll let you off the hook."
"Thus, even though I have no desire to become a disciple of the Colddeath, I also don't wish to see you die here."
"Take your senior brother and evacuate from Asvetaesi back to the Land of Quiescence."
In his past life, he was the Sect Master of the Order of Healing.
The Order of Healing, located in the southern region of the Land of Quiescence, boasted a foundation and strength that far surpassed those of Colddeath and Ruby Hand.
It maintained close ties with even the Devil Palace, Shadow's Keep, and the various prominent sects of Euwrea.
The Order of Healing stood superior to the sects across the three continents.
If Ann Ziqing were to bring him back to the Land of Quiescence and start spreading the word, he risked prematurely revealing his identity and being discovered by his senior brother, Zhong Chichen.
What was his current level?
Should his identity be exposed now, with the level of cultivation and methods his senior brother would possess in three hundred years, wouldn't he be completely at his senior brother's mercy?
He needed to remain on the Aetherius Continent, advancing his cultivation here, understanding the current state of affairs across the three continents, and gaining the strength to defend himself before he could consider rejoining the Order of Healing.
The time for that had not yet come.
"Young Master, do you not wish to see me die here?" Ann Ziqing asked with a mixture of laughter and tears. "Thank you for your concern. But do you truly believe Yuan Qiufang poses a threat to me?"
"Entering a state of frenzy can actually ignite one's inner power, boosting combat strength once more," Yu Yuan advised earnestly, glancing at the fiery river. "You must be aware of how fearsome the members of Ruby Hand can be when they completely lose their minds. Yuan Qiufang has cultivated that madness to its peak."
A flicker of concern finally crossed Ann Ziqing's eyes. "And what if he has gone completely mad?"
"He might die," Yu Yuan replied, unperturbed. "And you, I presume, would be gravely wounded. Am I correct in assuming your true cultivation level is in the middle period of the Lunar Spirit realm?"
Ann Ziqing's face fell.
"Go now, take your senior brother, and make haste from Asvetaesi," Yu Yuan suggested kindly, gradually increasing the distance between them. "I'll remember your goodwill. There will come a day when we meet again. Perhaps then, I might be in a position to offer you some assistance."
Ann Ziqing squinted her eyes slightly.
She watched Yu Yuan, maintaining a deliberate distance from him.
Gazing at the river of flames floating above, she chuckled softly, "I apologize, Young Master, but I still wish to give it a try. Moreover, I truly don't want to part ways with you. I don't want to wait for the future; I want to be by your side from this day forward, always."
"Crack!"
The blood-colored ribbon wrapped around her waist was flung skyward.
It transformed into a streak of blood-red lightning.
Simultaneously, her porcelain-white hand formed a seal over her chest.
"Crack! Crack!"
In the valleys of Mount Aureum, every Aureum Stone buried beneath the earth responded to the mysterious seal forming over her chest and shot towards the heavens.
Each stone appeared as though it had been dredged from blood, dripping as if freshly bled.
The source of the blood remained unknown.
Only Huang Fan was aware that deep within Mount Aureum lay Blood Pools, surrounded by the corpses of hunters.
The Blood Pools, connected by ancient underground channels, ran beneath the entire valley.
"Awoo!"
A ferocious roar, akin to that of a dire beast, erupted from the depths of the flame river. Yuan Qiufang's roar allowed the onlookers to catch a glimpse of a shadow darting within the flames.
This shadow was encircled by numerous Fire Crystal-like spells, giving it an ethereal, almost spectral appearance.
"Yu Yuan!"
Yuan Lianyao, who had regained consciousness some time ago, was now fully alert.
Her eyes, filled with ire, bore into him. "What have you done to my father? What is happening with his figure within the flame river?"
"This..." Yu Yuan was visibly uncomfortable.
"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"
Countless bloody Aureum Stones, following the trail of the blood-colored ribbon, surged into the river of flames.
The sky, clear and bright, suddenly burst into a dazzling display of fireworks.
A thunderous boom resonated.
A rain of blood, intermingled with sparks, cascaded down.
A long halberd, glowing as if forged in fire, emerged from the river of flames, carrying with it a tempest of fire and lightning, hurtling towards Ann Ziqing.
A scarlet shadow, reminiscent of an artifact soul, glided within the long halberd.
"Flame Halberd!" Ann Ziqing's face registered utter astonishment. "The Flame Halberd of the Ruby Hand is actually in your possession!"
"Whoosh!"
Innumerable sparks suddenly solidified into glistening crystals.
The crystals plummeted like stars!
Contrarily, the Flame Halberd that Ann Ziqing had called out for eerily vanished, as if its essence dispersed into each crystal, capable of splitting into countless Fire Crystals.
"Uh!"
Yu Yuan couldn't help but gasp, his gaze fixed on the sky full of Fire Crystals, feeling the pure and refined fiery power emanating from them. "A heavenly-level artifact!"
Artifacts were categorized into common level, Spirit Level, earthly level, heavenly level, and Divine Level.
Thus far in Asvetaesi, the artifacts Yu Yuan had encountered, whether used by Lin Zhuyun and her father or the Black Dragon Scissors, were merely at the Spirit Level. He had never even seen an earthly-level artifact.
A heavenly-level artifact was considered a prized treasure within the Ruby Hand, Winter's Bite, and at Dragon Lake.
Only the most central members of a sect were privileged enough to wield one!
Yuan Qiufang, who had practiced the Crimson Soul Spell to the point of obsession without advancing to the Lunar Spirit Stage, how could he have the Ruby Hand's heavenly-level Flame Halberd?
"Whoosh!"
Streams of blood light surged from Ann Ziqing's body, soaring skyward.
The fiery crystals, as if smelted by the blood light, dimmed one by one.
Yet, more fiery crystals converged near her, reforming into a massive, blazing halberd that hurtled towards Ann Ziqing.
With a huff, Ann Ziqing shifted her position, vanishing in an instant.
"Boom!"
The spot where she had just stood was violently gouged open by the Flame Halberd, leaving a charred, bottomless pit.
Mount Aureum trembled once more, and a dense network of fissures, akin to a spider's web, spread around the pit.
The Flame Halberd continued to burrow deeper into the earth, like a dragon soaring through the underground.
"Rumble!"
The earth thundered, and fiery streams erupted from the fissures, all aiming for Ann Ziqing.
Spectators watched in awe as the fiery streams chased after Ann Ziqing, who weaved and dodged with remarkable agility. They couldn't help but marvel at the formidable power of the heavenly-level artifact.
The Flame Halberd, a prized treasure of the Ruby Hand, unleashed only a fraction of its potential in the frenzied grasp of Yuan Qiufang. Even so, Ann Ziqing, who had reached the middle period of the Lunar Spirit stage, dared not confront it directly.
"I never anticipated he'd possess a heavenly-grade weapon," Yu Yuan earnestly cautioned. "You should leave, take your senior brother, and get as far away from Asvetaesi as possible."
"Why should it be so easy for her to leave after coming all this way?" Mayor Yuan Lianyao, standing resolute once more, tucked the vibrant lotus flowers into her sleeves, nurturing them with her spiritual energy and vitality. She gave a cold huff, fixing her gaze on Zhao Zhenghao and Yu Cen, and challenged, "Do you truly intend to bow to Colddeath? Think carefully; this is the Silvermoon Empire!"
Zhao Zhenghao and Yu Cen exchanged a glance, their decision wavering.
"Yu Yuan!" Yuan Lianyao called out firmly. "With things as they are, I need to know where you stand! Are you with me, or are you siding with that Colddeath girl?"
