C407 Unbalanced!

A flying carpet drifted in from behind the Fallen Star Eyes.

Adorned like a tapestry unfurled, it bore the cultivators of Winter's Bite, along with elders and disciples participating in the trial.

Lin Zhuyun and Tang Cen were conspicuously perched atop it.

Tang Cen's countenance darkened upon hearing Faang Yao's laughter.

His gaze toward Faang Yao held a peculiar glint, one eye gold and the other red, not from invoking the Solar Flame Mantra, but from sheer fury.

"Faang Yao recently infiltrated the Euwrea Continent and clashed with the cultivators of Churchsor Hill over a 'Seven Flames Ghost Fire Grass' in a magma river. He didn't just secure the heavenly eighth-level herb; he also slew Han Feng," Liu Ying shared with a hint of schadenfreude.

"Han Feng, one of Tang Zheng's esteemed disciples, had just reached the Spirit Walk. He intended to use the 'Seven Flames Ghost Fire Grass' to solidify his Spirit Walk. Little did he know he'd meet his end at the hands of Faang Yao from the Ruby Hand amidst the lava flows of Euwrea."

Liu Ying paused before adding, "Han Feng had looked after Tang Cen since he was a boy. During Tang Zheng's seclusions, it was Han Feng who elucidated the intricacies of the spells to Tang Cen. And when Tang Cen wandered afar, Han Feng was his unseen guardian. His death is sure to weigh heavily on Tang Cen."

Yu Yuan responded with a knowing smile, "Understood."

The feud between the Ruby Hand and the Sunlit Order was centuries old, with no end to their hostilities in sight.

This realm abided by an unwritten code: those beneath the Solar Spirit rank would not engage in lethal combat, and the sects would refrain from escalating conflicts to all-out war.

Both Han Feng and Faang Yao were of the Spirit Walk rank. With Han Feng's death at Faang Yao's hands, his demise was in vain.

Even the Sunlit Order couldn't confront the Ruby Hand directly; the most they could do was to seek retribution by targeting Ruby Hand cultivators elsewhere, as an outlet for their grief and anger.

"Faang Yao's advancement to the late period of the Spirit Walk Stage seems to be thanks to the 'Seven Flames Ghost Fire Grass'. He's truly formidable," Tian Wanrou exclaimed in admiration. "He ventured alone into the territory of the Sunlit Order and managed to snatch victory from the jaws of Han Feng."

"By the time the Sunlit Order got wind of it and sent people to assassinate him, Faang Yao had already made his escape," added Liu Ying.

Yu Yuan's curiosity about Faang Yao deepened after hearing their conversation.

Years had passed, and the once naive and slow-witted boy had indeed become a person of significance.

Observing Faang Yao, Yu Yuan noted the presence of numerous cultivators of various ages surrounding him. Their attire made it clear to him that these individuals hailed from the Land of Quiescence, belonging to the Skyblight Cult and the Taintborn.

The Ruby Hand, Skyblight Cult, Taintborn, and Colddeath are formidable powers under the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep, akin to the seven great lower sects of Euwrea.

The Binders of Shadows and the Poison Cult, on the other hand, are merely considered third level.

As the leader of the Ruby Hand in the Embers Sea, Faang Yao had already set out with the sect's disciples alongside those from the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep.

His exuberant and proud demeanor was evident; he must have taken pride in the fact that the disciples of the Ruby Hand could journey alongside those from the first level.

Members of the Skyblight Cult and the Taintborn were still waiting for the arrival of the seven lower sects, anticipating a joint venture into the deeper sea regions.

It was clear that the elders and disciples of the Skyblight Cult and the Taintborn were also showering Faang Yao with flattery.

Yu Yuan took a few more glances at them before turning his attention to the Colddeath Sect's members. He noticed that the Colddeath Sect's elders and disciples were not on the same island as Faang Yao and his companions; they were isolated on another end.

The presence of the Colddeath Sect's members was somewhat surprising to Yu Yuan.

Ann Ziqing had mentioned that disciples from the Colddeath Sect would also be venturing into the Embers Sea, which he had found peculiar.

The Colddeath Sect was not exactly popular; many high-ranking individuals from the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep publicly declared their contempt for the Colddeath Sect's cultivation practices.

In the past, disciples of the Colddeath Sect were almost never allowed to participate in such trials.

However, the presence of members from the Colddeath Sect sent a clear signal—the leaders of the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep were gradually acknowledging and attempting to integrate the Colddeath Sect.

"Could this have something to do with Ann Jieshan's return? She mentioned that after his return, Ann Jieshan began to refine the Colddeath Sect's spells, eliminating some of the more extreme ones..."

Yu Yuan couldn't help but recall Ann Ziqing's words, speculating whether the Colddeath Sect's shift in approach was due to Ann Jieshan's influence, leading to a newfound respect from the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep.

Ann Ziqing's previous interaction with the Dark Herald's remnant soul in the Devil Palace, which resulted in the Dark Herald agreeing to anchor the Silver Rainbow Shuttle and wait, also seemed to reflect the Devil Palace's changing stance.

"The Ruby Hand is poised to reach the first level. The Colddeath Sect has always been powerful, but lacked recognition and faced oppression from both the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep. Now, even the Colddeath Sect is gradually aligning with them, and along with the ancient Skyblight Cult and Taintborn Sect, the power within the Land of Quiescence is increasingly formidable."

"Besides these battle-thirsty factions, the Land of Quiescence also houses the Order of Healing, the Artifact Sect, and the Skyreach Consortium."

"If they could truly unite under the influence of the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep, I fear..."

At this thought, Yu Yuan felt a growing sense of unease.

He was well-versed in the intricacies of this realm, aware that when the powers of the Land of Quiescence and Euwrea were balanced, they tended to avoid conflict, coexisting peacefully and jointly resisting the Star-Spawned Terror and incursions from Otherkin.

However, should the balance of power between the two continents become severely skewed, or if external threats were to vanish, it could lead to internal chaos.

Every internal conflict was catastrophic, resulting in countless deaths and injuries. The civil wars between the continents of Euwrea and the Land of Quiescence had profound and lasting effects, bringing untold suffering to the inhabitants of the Everlands. Solar Spirits, free spirits, and even those with Primordial Spirits could be caught in the fray and possibly perish.

The fate of other cultivators at the Spirit Walk, Lunar Spirit, and Subtlety levels was uncertain, with potentially many losing their lives. Some sects might never recover from such turmoil, or they might be completely wiped out.

Yu Yuan observed that the power within the Land of Quiescence was consolidating and growing increasingly dominant. At the Shadow's Keep, the emergence of the Dark Deity Astral Tiger and Yu Zhu, along with the notable actions of the Primordial Spirit Zhou Cangmin, were signs of this growing strength.

Ann Jieshan's return to the Colddeath Sect had led the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep to consider integrating Colddeath into the mainstream sects. If they could convince the Order of Healing, Artifact Sect, and Skyreach Consortium to abandon their neutrality, the might of the Land of Quiescence could very well overshadow that of Euwrea.

"No, that can't be right. After all, the external enemy still looms," Yu Yuan muttered to himself, shaking his head to dismiss the dreadful thought as he continued to survey the situation attentively.

"Since everyone has arrived, let's not waste any more time," a piercing voice called out from a pavilion constructed of bones on the massive island that housed the Shadow's Keep.

Simultaneously, a figure emerged from the pavilion. She glanced around, her gaze landing on Yu Yuan. With a slight smile and a nod in his direction, she acknowledged his presence.

"Ms. Xu!" exclaimed Liu Ying, recognizing her.

Yu Yuan, taken aback to see her, returned the nod from a distance as a form of greeting. Xu Zixi had apparently been in the Embers Sea for quite some time, engaging in discussions with the Shadow's Keep's cultivators on the island.

Yu Yuan's sharp senses picked up that at the moment Xu Zixi nodded at him, the remnant souls from both the Devil Palace and the Shadow's Keep's cultivators swept over him.