C417 A Strange Blue Light!

Liu Ying, empowered by the Fallen Star Eyes, had already reached the location where she parted ways with Yu Yuan. Connected in spirit to the Fallen Star Eyes, she floated in the water, quietly perceiving her surroundings.

The Fallen Star Eyes, dazzling like crystals, shone brightly as if they were a divine eye capable of illuminating heaven and earth. Though nestled within her chest, her vision seemed to extend in all directions. Massive islands, remnants of extraterrestrial battleships, and the shattered bones of the Otherkin were all revealed in the light of the Fallen Star Eyes.

The enormous sunken ship that Yu Yuan had boarded was also within the gaze of the Fallen Star Eyes. But in a fleeting moment, Liu Ying dismissed it from her attention. There was no sign of unusual activity, no trace of life, nor any peculiar energy fluctuations.

As for the stern rudder of Yu Yuan's ship, the Fallen Star Eyes detected nothing amiss, so naturally, it failed to capture Liu Ying's interest. She used the Fallen Star Eyes to meticulously survey the ancient region around her. Finding nothing, she shifted her focus to another area.

Time passed, and still, the Fallen Star Eyes turned up empty.

"How odd," she mused to herself. "This is the most ancient site, where starshards from beyond the skies have fallen. If Yu Yuan were nearby, the Fallen Star Eyes should have detected him. If he's not here and hasn't gone to the site of the recent meteor shower, where could he be?"

A shiver ran through her slender frame. "Could it be that... he's left the bounds of the Embers Sea, disregarding the rules?"

The thought sparked concern in Liu Ying. Knowing Yu Yuan, it was entirely possible he would flout the conventions of the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep, acting on his own whims.

But what if Tang Cen were to take notice? Tang Cen, lurking in the ocean's depths, beyond the watchful eyes of the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep—if he decided to pursue you, could you truly escape?

Her unease grew.

"Liu, Liu Ying..."

Suddenly, a piercing shriek resonated within the crystal-like Fallen Star Eyes, audible only to her. The sound came from Lee Yueyue, a senior sister from the Starmoon Sect, who had sent the message through the Astral Melody Stone directly to the Fallen Star Eyes.

The Astral Melody Stone was a fragment that had been refined from the Fallen Star Eyes. This process enabled the stone to facilitate communication between the Fallen Star Eyes.

The moment a cry was heard, the cosmic energy's luminous flow surrounding Liu Ying burst into shards.

"Senior Sister Lee, what's wrong? What happened?"

Liu Ying pressed urgently, aware that without a significant issue, Lee Yueyue, with her composure and temperament, would never resort to using the Astral Melody Stone for an alert.

"Senior Sister Lee? Senior Sister!"

Despite her repeated inquiries, there was no further response from Lee Yueyue, who possessed the Astral Melody Stone.

Liu Ying's expression grew stern as she abandoned her search for Yu Yuan. The Fallen Star Eyes, which had been miniaturized to an extreme degree, transformed into a crystalline panel.

She descended swiftly, and the Fallen Star Eyes shot forth.

...

On the island, within the Skullcairn.

Lord Dusk Raven, wearied by the incessant questioning from Python Queen Xu Zixi, extended his left hand, which resembled a chicken's claw, and flicked it dismissively towards the outside.

In an instant, Xu Zixi's form was suspended in mid-air, hovering in a corner of the tower.

Her clamor and outbursts were silenced completely.

Lord Dusk Raven's finger grew a sharp nail. Only when it reached nearly half a meter in length did he nod in satisfaction, leisurely enjoying the sensation as he used the elongated nail to clean his ear.

"Xu Zixi, cut the chatter and the endless questions," he said languidly, without sparing a glance at her. "What business is it of yours what I discuss with Hei Xun or what lies beneath the sea? I am the one responsible for Shadow's Keep in the Embers Sea, not you."

"Some matters are simply beyond your clearance to engage in," he declared.

Continuing, Lord Dusk Raven casually took out the ice-blue crystal and peered into its depths.

Given his status and rank among the evilkind, he could easily monitor the subtle undulations and skirmishes occurring on the islands of the Embers Sea with just a thought.

However, such vigilance required constant attention to the depths below, a task that was mentally draining over extended periods, and thus, not something he was inclined to do.

Through the ice-blue crystal, he could avoid constantly expending his energy to monitor the sea's anomalies. This approach was effortless but highly irresponsible.

He believed that Hei Xun from the Devil Palace should be more accountable.

He entrusted all his hopes and responsibilities to Hei Xun.

"Ugh."

Abruptly, he ceased his ear-cleaning activity.

With a flick, a piece of earwax shot out. His hand gave a slight tug.

Xu Zixi materialized before him in an instant.

Observing the area around the ice-blue crystal at the feet of Dusk Raven and Python Queen, she maintained her position above the ground, her face set in a cold expression, and asked, "Why have you summoned me again?"

"Look at this."

Dusk Raven gestured toward the ice-blue crystal. The section it lit up emitted a soft blue glow that obscured any view inside.

"What's happening? Why is there a blue glow at the bottom of the sea?" Xu Zixi inquired, puzzled.

"I can't perceive it with my Demon Eyes or remnant soul," Dusk Raven's face took on a mix of confusion and concern. "Occasionally, the islands in the Embers Sea experience anomalies. Sometimes, an entire area becomes impenetrable to investigation. But..."

"But what?" pressed Xu Zixi.

"It's just that the blue glow is very close to an object. That object..." Dusk Raven's frown deepened, and she abruptly stood and called out, "Hei Xun!"

The name "Hei Xun" transformed into a streak of lightning, racing toward the Devil Palace's stronghold in the Jin Sea.

But there was no response from Hei Xun.

Dusk Raven's expression grew increasingly grave, "Something's not right."

...

Whoosh!

The Fallen Star Eyes carried Liu Ying swiftly to the location where Lee Yueyue had sent her message. They were greeted by a drifting blue light.

The blue light was eerie, its origin and purpose unknown.

Upon her arrival, Liu Ying's gaze fell upon the seabed's sandy expanse, and her complexion turned deathly pale, "Senior Sister Lee!"

The bodies strewn about were clad in the Starmoon Sect's attire, all of them trial-takers from the sect.

Lee Yueyue, clutching the Astral Melody Stone, stood right before her.

Each corpse was reduced to nothing more than a human skin enveloping bones; the flesh and organs had vanished without a trace.

They were all dead, and every item they had carried remained intact.

This was not the work of trial-takers robbing each other, nor was it the act of disciples from the Taintborn or Colddeath.

The disciples of Colddeath, after slaying their victims, would only extract and refine the lifeblood.

To them, flesh and internal organs were of no use.

"Such horrifying acts should not be the work of ordinary people, nor should they be committed by our own kind!" Liu Ying fought to stifle the sorrow in her heart, striving for clarity of thought.

She resisted the urge to pursue the fleeting blue light. Instead, she maneuvered the Fallen Star Eyes and surged toward the ocean's surface.

She was convinced that the assailant targeting her Starmoon Sect brethren was not a fellow trial-taker.

It had to be an extraterrestrial being!

Only a creature from beyond the Star River, one that viewed the inhabitants of the Everlands as mere food or cattle, could exhibit such brutal and bloodthirsty tactics!

Boom!

Liu Ying, guiding the Fallen Star Eyes, had barely ascended a few dozen meters when she collided with a shimmering blue barrier and was violently repelled.

Her face blanched with shock, realizing that the islands of the Embers Sea must have undergone a significant and ominous change.

...

Boom!

Inside the Otherworld, the tremors within the belly of the fish became not only more frequent but also incredibly intense!

Yu Yuan could no longer employ the Nine Glories Wheel to draw in the sunfire for the further refinement of the Golden Sanctum.

His cultivation was abruptly halted.

The thirty-six towering stone columns swayed with each tremor, emitting beams of light with every shake to quell the fish bones materializing in the heavens.

The soulstones laid upon the ground burst into dust, layer after layer.

Yu Yuan rose from his seated position and stood, gazing thoughtfully at the sky.

He began to earnestly contemplate whether he should call forth the scabbard and use it to depart from the increasingly uncontrollable Otherworld.

He gradually noticed that the restraining power of the thirty-six towering stone columns on the massive fish was slowly diminishing.

There was a chance that the extraterrestrial entity, which had traveled here from an unknown region of the Star River and was suppressed by the ancient Otherkin with the thirty-six towering stone columns, had broken free from its bonds, regaining consciousness and spiritual wisdom.

Would he, situated within the belly of this creature, be the first to perish?

"Forget it, forget it."

Yu Yuan chuckled wryly and shook his head. "After all the trouble to find a place conducive to focused cultivation, I've barely managed to refine any sunfire, and now the Otherworld is thrown into turmoil. No matter, if there are issues here among the three great wonders, I'll simply seek out another location."

With that thought, he reached for his scabbard, only to be startled by what he found.

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