C399 A Young Master!!

The moment Wu Pei leapt from the vessel, Yu Yuan caught a glimpse of the Dark Herald inside the cabin, sensing a distinct soul fluctuation. It was clear that Wu Pei's exit from the Silver Rainbow Shuttle was at the behest of the Dark Herald.

"Wu Pei!" Hu Tianyang called out, bewildered and alarmed.

Shi Si, hailing from the Stormcrown Empire like Wu Pei, quickly surmised that the enigmatic Dark Herald had communicated her wishes through a remnant soul. Poised and composed, she hovered above the Silver Rainbow Shuttle and called down to Van Chaoguan, "Member of the Colddeath Sect, don't be overly harsh. This sea is home to formidable sects and cultivators capable of ending you. Exercise caution, lest you draw unwanted attention. It would be quite unseemly to meet your end at their hands."

Van Chaoguan's expression grew somber above the blood cloud. He had been vigilant since the Silver Rainbow Shuttle's arrival, aware of its significance. As the former patriarch of the Van family and a follower of the Colddeath Sect, he was well-versed in the implications of the Shuttle: it was a harbinger of the Devil Palace, and it surely had a powerful protector aboard. He even speculated that this particular Shuttle was en route to the Shadowlight Empire.

In Asvetaesi City, after his identity was exposed and he had to resort to the Colddeath Sect's mystique, he had forsaken his leadership of the Van family, escaping only by the grace of the Sect's favor. As a disciple, he was cautious in his actions, knowing whom he could provoke and whom he should avoid at all costs. The Silver Rainbow Shuttle was a symbol of the Devil Palace, whose members were not to be trifiled with.

Yet, upon hearing Shi Si's warning and witnessing Wu Pei's descent, Van Chaoguan, still positioned above the Shuttle, also noticed Yan Lu and Yu Yuan. He was well aware that Yan Lu had been marked by the Devil Palace as a chosen disciple. But Yu Yuan's presence was puzzling.

Van Chaoguan's mood soured at the sight of Yu Yuan. Back in the Huang family's domain within Asvetaesi, both he and Lin Hanyu had suffered humiliation at Yu Yuan's hands. Yu Yuan had publicly executed Su Yin, and later, with Yan Qiling's intervention, Van Chaoguan's true identity had been revealed, forcing him to flee.

If not for Yu Yuan's meddling, he could have continued his covert allegiance to the Colddeath Sect, practicing their spells in secret while openly associating with the Thunder Sect, all the while exploiting the nascent Shadowlight Empire's chaos for his own gain.

The Colddeath's schemes within the Empire have been forcibly brought to a premature end. Had it not been for his exceptional aptitude and the cultivation of a rare Colddeath spell, he might have been cast aside as expendable.

With a deep breath, Wu Pei stood firmly before Van Chaoguan, his demeanor neither servile nor overbearing, and declared, "I am Wu Pei, a cultivator from the Devil Palace, acting under orders. I've come to notify you that there is a group of islands nearby known as Turingville. The mortals and cultivators there are under the protection of the Devil Palace, and I must ask that you refrain from approaching them."

"Turingville?" Van Chaoguan paused, a flicker of concern crossing his face.

"Have you been there already?" Wu Pei demanded.

Atop the Silver Rainbow Shuttle, Yu Yuan, Yan Lu, and the others could tell from Van Chaoguan's reaction that something was amiss. It seemed likely that Turingville had suffered greatly at his hands.

Visibly unsettled, Van Chaoguan glanced up at the Silver Rainbow Shuttle, then, after a moment's contemplation, admitted, "I must confess, I visited Turingville prior to my arrival here."

"And the outcome?" pressed Wu Pei.

"The same as now," Van Chaoguan replied, a sense of resignation in his voice.

Beneath the blood-red clouds, beams of bloodlight zipped through the air like lightning. The island was home to numerous cultivators at the Golden Sanctum and Veil Breaking levels, with many more at the Soul Awakening and Spirit Channel stages. Most had perished.

The cultivators who had converged on the three islands were of obscure origins and lowly realms. Van Chaoguan, with his peak Subtlety prowess and the fearsome Colddeath spell, had nearly exterminated all the cultivators who had flocked there for various reasons.

"All the people of Turingville are dead?" Wu Pei's expression grew grim, his breathing quickened.

"The mortals survive. Their blood and bodies are insufficient for refining abundant vitality," Van Chaoguan explained with a certain nonchalance. "As for the cultivators, yes, most have been slain. I am on the verge of condensing the Lunar Spirit, and my control has been erratic lately. Moreover, there was no mention of any affiliation with the Devil Palace among the people of Turingville."

"Could the cultivators on Turingville be connected to Wu Pei?" Yan Lu inquired.

"Who's to say?" Shi Si responded nonchalantly.

"Turingville has ties to the Devil Palace. You'll face the consequences for your actions there!" Wu Pei inhaled deeply, steadying himself.

Van Chaoguan paid him no mind, instead turning his attention to the Silver Rainbow Shuttle.

The one commanding the Warp Spindle was the key; they were the one who could truly influence him.

"A price to pay, huh..." Van Chaoguan murmured, his fingertip grazing the blood-red jade ruyi pendant around his neck.

The jade ruyi flared with a brilliant red glow, bathing the surrounding sea in a crimson light.

Blood clouds enveloping the island funneled into the jade ruyi at Van Chaoguan's throat, seemingly unleashing something.

Yu Yuan narrowed his eyes, whispering, "He's transmitting a message."

"The Colddeath Sect places great importance on disciples who ascend to the Lunar Spirit," Shi Si interjected. "Usually, when a disciple begins refining the Lunar Spirit, a more powerful disciple will guard them for a time. The fact that he's sending out a message suggests there's another potent Colddeath disciple nearby."

"That seems likely," Hu Tianyang concurred.

"Another formidable Colddeath disciple!" Yan Lu was inwardly shocked, his gaze instinctively shifting to the cabin, pondering whether the enigmatic Dark Herald could manage the situation.

"Relax, it doesn't matter who comes; they wouldn't dare touch us," Shi Si assured with ease. "Who are we? Disciples of the Devil Palace, aboard the Silver Rainbow Shuttle! Would anyone be foolish enough to trouble us? The Colddeath may have grown strong recently, but they're still no match for us."

"That's right. Compared to us, both the Colddeath and the Ruby Hand are inferior," Hu Tianyang declared with pride.

As disciples of the Devil Palace, the pinnacle sect of the Everlands, they had every reason to be confident.

Off in the distance, a purple sun seemed to rise over the ocean.

It was a figure shrouded in a deep purple aura.

Despite the miles separating them, the figure raced through the void like a purple sun, emitting a terrifying brilliance and an overwhelming aura of dread.

Within the sphere of light was a seemingly fragile silhouette.

Whoosh!

The purple sun, seemingly distant, arrived abruptly within the span of ten breaths.

"Young Master!"

As the blinding purple radiance slowly receded, a joyous exclamation emerged.

A young lady clad in a purple gown, draped in resplendent purple divine armor, appeared. The armor, contracting and gathering like a luminous orb, revealed itself as radiant divine armor upon opening.

With a gentle shrug of her shoulders, blade-like feathers unfurled from her shoulders and knees, resembling petals.

Her eyes sparkled with a brilliance akin to the stars, casting a dazzling and captivating glow.

She gazed intently at Yu Yuan, her smile pure, "In just over two years, the young master has ascended from the Spirit Channel Stage to the middle period of the Golden Sanctum. Moreover, having refined the fifth level of the Golden Sanctum's little world is indeed a cause for celebration."

The newcomer was Ann Ziqing.

—Yu Yuan's erstwhile personal maid.

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