C422 Each for Their Own!

The Fallen Star Eyes glided to the ocean floor.

This artifact from the Starmoon Sect had become a vessel of sorts. Under Liu Ying's guidance, it sought out trial-takers scattered across the sea.

Regardless of their sect or power, Liu Ying would welcome them aboard upon detection.

Cultivators from the Cloudwater Sect, Forgeroses, Colddeath, and Taintborn now stood atop the Fallen Star Eyes.

In its original state, the Fallen Star Eyes was ten times larger than it now appeared.

It measured merely twenty meters in length and five to six meters in width.

The trial-takers aboard the Fallen Star Eyes were wrapped in a dim starlight screen, freeing them from concerns of water infiltration and the need to channel their spiritual energy.

All bore expressions of deep concern.

Some had known before boarding that something was amiss with the sea, having lost companions to mysterious deaths or disappearances.

Those unaware quickly grasped the gravity of the situation upon arrival.

They understood that a mysterious light screen shrouded the sea, preventing any trial-taker below from reaching the surface.

They also realized that an extraterrestrial entity might be lurking beneath, preying on trial-takers like themselves, consuming their vitality.

They were further aware that even Lord Dusk Raven of Shadow's Keep and Lord Hei Xun of the Devil Palace were at a loss.

The possibility loomed that they faced an even more dire predicament.

"Liu..."

Yan Lu approached Liu Ying, who sat tranquilly on the pristine stone platform, her eyes closed as if in meditation. He hesitated, struggling to find his words.

Liu Ying, attuned to the stone platform with her spirit, opened her eyes to find Yan Lu before her and inquired, "What is it now?"

"Any word on Yu Yuan?" asked Yan Lu.

At the mention of Yu Yuan, Su Yan—the sole survivor from Abyssal Dawn—along with Fei Yi, Shi Si, and others from various sects, all showed signs of concern.

More than a dozen individuals from the Cloudwater Sect, Forgeroses, Colddeath, and Taintborn wore peculiar expressions.

How many times has this happened?

Why does that kid from Devil Palace keep pestering Liu Ying for news about Yu Yuan?

Is Yu Yuan really that significant?

"Brother Yan, I've told you several times already."

Liu Ying's spirit pulled away from the stone platform in front of her, pressing a hand to her forehead with a pained expression. "My Fallen Star Eyes are soaring beneath the sea, and I must avoid the presence of powerful beings and their soul movements. This is to prevent encounters with the one hunting our kind."

"Even this task alone drains a significant amount of my energy. On top of that, I have to look after you all, ensuring you can navigate the Fallen Star Eyes freely."

"With these responsibilities, I then have to seek out those with fainter vitality and soul disturbances to locate the other survivors."

Liu Ying spoke with a hint of resignation.

"I know, I know."

Yan Lu looked slightly sheepish, scratching his head. "I'm aware you're exhausted and that you've expended a great deal of mental and spiritual energy. But, we both understand that having Yu Yuan with us would be an immense advantage!"

"Just who is Yu Yuan?" A short, muscular youth from the Forgeroses sect grumbled, "I'm sick of that name!"

His black hair was braided into small plaits that rested on his shoulders, giving him a wild and untamed appearance.

His exposed arms were muscular, and as his vitality surged, it gave the impression that he could shatter stone with a mere punch.

"Yu Yuan..."

Over at Colddeath, a boy with the looks of a fifteen or sixteen-year-old stood out with his rosy lips and pearly teeth, his handsome features striking.

He was flanked by older disciples, his well-balanced physique noticeable.

"I think I've heard that name before."

He whispered to himself, his slender eyes occasionally flashing with blood-red currents, lending him a sudden air of malevolence and danger.

The senior Colddeath disciples by his side remained silent.

"We've never heard of such a name."

Across the way, a girl from the Taintborn sect wore flamboyant attire. Her appearance was unremarkable, but she was adorned with numerous tightly sealed bottles and jars that occasionally emitted eerie, hair-raising shrieks.

Yan Lu, a trial-taker from the Devil Palace, had repeatedly brought up the name "Yu Yuan" to Liu Ying, insisting that this individual was key to helping everyone.

He urged Liu Ying to focus her efforts on finding Yu Yuan instead of searching for other scattered individuals.

For members of the Forgeroses, Colddeath, and Taintborn, they had become separated from their fellow disciples upon their descent.

Their senior brothers and sisters who had descended with them might still be alive, hiding somewhere. With Liu Ying's Fallen Star Eyes, there was a chance they could be discovered and rescued.

Yan Lu's emphasis on the importance of finding Yu Yuan had affected their interests, causing significant displeasure.

Yet Liu Ying, the wielder of the Fallen Star Eyes, did not fault Yan Lu and appeared to take his advice seriously, continuing her secret search for Yu Yuan as he desired.

This only intensified their dissatisfaction and bred further resentment.

"It doesn't matter whether you've heard of him or know him!" Yan Lu declared proudly in front of Liu Ying, "If I say he can help everyone, then he can!"

As a disciple of the Devil Palace, one of the pinnacle sects in the Everlands, he held little regard for the likes of the Cloudwater Sect, Forgeroses, Colddeath, and Taintborn, even if they were of higher cultivation levels. He naturally didn't bother to show them any respect.

"Enough, enough," Liu Ying gently interjected, "I've been keeping an eye on Yu Yuan. There's no need for constant reminders."

"Yan Lu, let's keep things in perspective. It's crucial for everyone to maintain unity at this time," Fei Yi chimed in.

With a huff, Yan Lu ceased his outburst and grumbled, "A bunch of ungrateful fools!"

Meanwhile, in a different region of the Embers Sea, Tang Cen, Lin Zhuyun, and a group of young trial-takers from the Sword Sect, Sunlit Order, Ebon Star, Skyblight Cult, and Ruby Hand had come together.

They were all enclosed within a massive pearl.

The pearl, shaped like an oversized goose egg and shimmering with iridescent light, was the center of their attention.

A young woman from the Ebon Star Sect, with a dignified aura, floated cross-legged in midair. Streams of light emanated from behind her, blending with the pearl, as she seemed to be guiding the pearl's trajectory.

Tang Cen stood among three trial-takers from the Sunlit Order, listening as they discussed the disappearance of their fellow sect members.

Excluding Tang Cen, there were fifteen trial-takers from the Sunlit Order. These individuals hailed from various branches of the sect, possessing average cultivation talents and were simply ordinary disciples, not renowned prodigies.

Now, only three remained, and it was likely that the others had perished.

"Everyone, stay calm. We're in the Embers Sea, and the cultivators from the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep are right above us," Tang Cen reassured them. "The turmoil beneath the sea won't persist for long. Once those above notice the anomalies, they will surely delve into the depths."

Beside Lin Zhuyun, two surviving disciples from Winter's Bite remained silent, their eyes fixed on Lin Zhuyun and Tang Cen, hoping to make it through this ordeal.

"It's going to be okay," Lin Zhuyun whispered soothingly.

"I think we should make a quick exit from the Embers Sea!" boomed a tall, burly young man with a copper ring dangling from his earlobe and a broad, fleshy face. "Sister from the Ebon Star Sect, please activate the 'Nebula Gem' and take us with you."

The girl seated cross-legged in midair shot him a glance and rolled her eyes, chiding, "Typical of the devil's way, always self-centered and selfish! With the sea's upheaval claiming so many trial-takers, if there are any survivors left, shouldn't we attempt a rescue?"

"Rescue?" scoffed the young man from the Ruby Hand, his mouth twisting into a sardonic smile. "We need to save ourselves first! Don't tell me you think we won't run into that thing? While it's still not onto us or too busy to care, we should make our escape."

"He's got a point!" members of the Skyblight Cult nodded eagerly, desperate to leave.

The Ebon Star girl was about to respond when her expression shifted to one of surprise. "Look, there are survivors making their way up!"

Inside the Nebula Gem, trial-takers from various sects turned their attention in the direction she indicated, all looking on in unison.

Then, a young man clutching a sword sheath, followed by a strange fish, slowly approached.

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