C427 Ethereal Vial

In an instant, Yu Yuan and the fish demon soared away.

His departure triggered a domino effect, prompting the Ruby Hand, Skyblight Cult, and even the Sword Sect to break away from the group!

Lu Baichan could somewhat understand why the Ruby Hand and Skyblight Cult might leave.

But the Sword Sect? Why would they do such a thing?

"Lu Baichan!"

Tang Cen bellowed, his body enveloped in golden flames, transforming him into the image of a wrathful Flame Deity, "How could you let him get away from the 'Nebula Gem'?"

The young Ebon Star girl, still reeling from the events, snapped to attention at his words. The multicolored clouds woven into her garments responded instinctively.

Clouds of vibrant hues burst forth from Lu Baichan's clothing and reintegrated with the 'Nebula Gem', enhancing its brilliance.

With an icy look, she glanced at Tang Cen and retorted, "Why didn't you show your fury when he was leaving? Now that he's gone, what's the point of flexing your might at me?"

"You're the guardian of the gem, not me!" Tang Cen declared.

"The gem..."

A wry smile tugged at Lu Baichan's lips, tinged with self-deprecation and resignation, "You're not its master, and since you don't practice the sword spell, you can't perceive the fearsome sword's will. What could you possibly understand?"

"Baichan, what's really happening here?"

An elder cultivator from the Ebon Star, his face framed by a beard and only at the early period of Veil Breaking, sensed something amiss. He inquired with a furrowed brow, "The Nebula Gem is known for its formidable defenses. Couldn't you stop him?"

Tang Cen, poised to lay further blame, went rigid and muttered incredulously, "How could that be?"

Lu Baichan turned back to the man, offering a bitter smile, "When he directed that sword sheath at the Nebula Gem's light, the piercing sword's will made my three souls shudder. Besides me, probably only Kong Banbi from the Sword Sect detected it."

The man's face paled, "It can penetrate the Nebula Gem?"

Nodding, Lu Baichan confirmed, "Not only can it breach the gem, but it could have killed me."

Everyone from the Ebon Star Sect was left utterly shocked by her declaration.

"Don't approach the golden bull from evilkind!"

An elder Ebon Star cultivator pondered for a few seconds before making a decisive statement, "Even if we don't accompany Yu Yuan, we should still keep our distance from the golden bull! I'm starting to believe that kid isn't just talking nonsense!"

This stance effectively validated Yu Yuan.

And, by extension, it discredited Tang Cen.

The trial-takers from the Sunlit Order and Winter's Bite, including Lin Zhuyun, looked displeased after hearing Lu Baichan's words.

Tang Cen was seething with anger, yet he was powerless to act.

"I know what to do now," Lu Baichan sighed softly.

...

"Yu! Yu Yuan, wait up, brother!"

Hou Tianzhao from the Ruby Hand was like an inflated ball bouncing through the water, rapidly rolling towards Yu Yuan.

His bare chest was exposed, and from his middle elixir field, a rumbling akin to a volcano's roar could be faintly heard.

It was as if he had refined an erupting volcano and incorporated it into the Profound Gate acupoint of his middle elixir field.

Yu Yuan, soaring through the sea with his Primal Body, sensed the explosive surge of vitality long before Hou Tianzhao got close.

Yu Yuan was inwardly astonished.

Not only did he share the same level of cultivation as Tang Cen, but Hou Tianzhao's physical resilience, honed during his Veil Breaking phase, was undeniably superior to Tang Cen's.

Without a rare treasure on Tang Cen's part, he would likely be at a disadvantage in a physical confrontation with Hou Tianzhao.

"Hmm?"

While contemplating this, Yu Yuan, still submerged, looked on in mild surprise.

Not just Hou Tianzhao, but Qi Nandou from the Skyblight Cult and other trial-takers from his sect had also abandoned the Nebula Gem and were heading his way.

Moreover, there was Kong Banbi from the Sword Sect along with several Sword Sect disciples.

"Wait for me!"

Qi Nandou called out from the water, his form looking delicate and weary. Catching up to Yu Yuan and Hou Tianzhao, he gently thumped his chest with his fist, as if a sudden realization had struck him, and exclaimed, "I almost forgot, silly me and my terrible memory!"

A glimmering Ethereal Vial materialized in Qi Nandou's palm as if by magic.

With a toss, the vial expanded dozens of times in size, resembling a submarine vessel emerging in the water before everyone's eyes.

Qi Nandou led the way into the vial, beckoning the others to follow.

The trial-takers from the Skyblight Cult, who had accompanied him, entered the vial with ease, clearly aware of its existence in Qi Nandou's possession.

"Ethereal Vial."

Hou Tianzhao huffed, giving Qi Nandou a disgruntled look. "Always full of surprises, aren't you? If you had the Skyblight Cult's Ethereal Vial all along, why keep it a secret? Your vial is even more exceptional than that Ebon Star Sect girl's Nebula Gem!"

"Cough, cough. The Ethereal Vial and the Nebula Gem serve similar purposes. She revealed hers first, so I didn't want to overshadow her," Qi Nandou replied, unfazed. From within the crystalline vial, he gestured again, "See, as soon as we got away, I brought it out, didn't I? I've kept nothing hidden!"

Despite his lingering dissatisfaction, Hou Tianzhao refrained from further complaint and, with a tug, pulled Yu Yuan into the vial with him.

Following his lead, members of the Ruby Hand sect gradually made their way inside.

"What about those from the Sword Sect?"

Qi Nandou paused, his gaze settling on the Sword Sect disciples led by Kong Banbi. A fleeting shadow crossed his eyes before he smiled and asked, "Should we bother with them?"

He directed the question to Hou Tianzhao.

Hou Tianzhao grinned. "Let them come. We're all in this together now."

"Fine by me."

Qi Nandou readily agreed and gestured to Kong Banbi.

He watched as Kong Banbi and the other Sword Sect trial-takers entered the Ethereal Vial one after another.

As they stepped inside, Qi Nandou's smile grew increasingly radiant.

Upon entering, Kong Banbi glanced at Yu Yuan and gave Qi Nandou a respectful nod, simply saying, "Much obliged."

He remained silent, taking a seat in a corner of the Ethereal Vial alongside the trial-takers from the Sword Sect.

Meanwhile, his fellow junior sisters and brothers who had accompanied him were brimming with questions and confusion. They were eager to seek answers from him, but his reluctance to explain left them with no choice but to keep their silence.

Kong Banbi occasionally cast peculiar glances at Yu Yuan.

Yu Yuan responded with a slight smile, acknowledging him with a nod.

"My decision won't be wrong."

Kong Banbi reassured himself internally, eyeing the junior sisters and brothers who murmured their grievances. He silently affirmed, "Eventually, you'll all appreciate the difficult choices I've made."

He had shamelessly abandoned the expected path for a disciple of one of the three great upper sects, the Sword Sect. Instead, he aligned himself with the Sunlit Order, the Ebon Star, and the Skyblight Cult, alongside Yu Yuan and the Ruby Hand. He did this, disregarding any future criticism, all in the name of survival.

When Yu Yuan aimed his sword sheath at the luminescent barrier created by the Nebula Gem, Kong Banbi's own life-bound sword immediately resonated!

He was acutely aware of the formidable and astonishing power of the sword light and sword's will that lay dormant within the sheath.

In that instant, he recognized a crucial truth.

The sword sheath in Yu Yuan's grasp had the potential to shatter the "Azure Veil" and breach the Otherkin's seals!

If Yu Yuan's claims were accurate, and only a weapon of the seventh level of heavenly grade had the power to offer them a sliver of hope for survival, then aside from the Fallen Star Eyes, it was Yu Yuan's sword sheath that held the key to their lives.

With this realization, he had resolved to follow them, casting aside all hesitations.

"Let's move out!"

With a gentle whistle from Qi Nandou, the Ethereal Vial surged through the sea with a velocity surpassing that of the Nebula Gem, gliding smoothly.

Inside the vial, Yu Yuan could feel its swift motion. He knew that whether in terms of defense or offense, it outclassed the Nebula Gem by a significant margin.

Though it was no match for the Fallen Star Eyes, this artifact was undoubtedly renowned within the Skyblight Cult.

"Um..."

As the Ethereal Vial sped on, Qi Nandou approached with a look of apology etched on his face.

"What are you up to now?" Hou Tianzhao demanded, glaring at him.

Qi Nandou halted and turned to Yu Yuan. "Actually, if we need the sharpness of a seventh-level heavenly weapon to break through the Azure Veil, I might just be able to manage it."

Hou Tianzhao was taken aback. "The Ethereal Vial may be a heavenly item, but it doesn't reach the seventh level!"

"I have this as well," Qi Nandou said, producing a shimmering silver Flying Shuttle. "Combined with the Ethereal Vial, their power should be sufficient."

Hou Tianzhao eyed the Flying Shuttle, licking the corner of his lips instinctively. "Qi Nandou, how much is the Skyblight Cult betting on you? Besides the Ethereal Vial, how did you come to possess this item?"

"Just borrowing it, nothing more," Qi Nandou replied with a forced chuckle.

Hou Tianzhao nodded, then turned his attention back to Yu Yuan. "Together, those two items pack the punch of a seventh-level heavenly weapon. Should we forget about Liu Ying and the Fallen Star Eyes and just make a break for it?"

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