C430 Reunion!

Yan Lu, Su Yan, and Lau Ying erupted into cheers together.

Their faces radiated joy and excitement, unmasked and brimming with heartfelt sincerity.

"Yu Yuan!"

The practitioners from the Ancient Desolate Sect, Filthy Spirit Sect, Blood God Cult, and Cloud Water Sect felt a jolt of energy.

Lately, they had heard Lau Ying, Yan Lu, Su Yan, and others speak of Yu Yuan time and again.

The more they heard, the more their curiosity about Yu Yuan deepened.

It was clear to them that Lau Ying, guiding the Fallen Star Eyes, was navigating the islands of the Ember Waters in search of Yu Yuan!

Lau Ying had never refuted this.

At last, at long last...

Du Huang and his peers from the Ancient Desolate Sect breathed a sigh of relief. Their eyes, following Yan Lu and Lau Ying's line of sight, converged on the glass bottle.

And they fixated on Yu Yuan!

"Yu Yuan! Yu Yuan!"

The calls from atop the Fallen Star Eyes pierced through the sea and reached directly into the glass bottle.

The vibrations forced Chi Nandou to cover his ears, shielding them from the amplified sound waves that could harm his eardrums.

The sound reached everyone because he had discreetly utilized the glass bottle's enigmatic properties to transmit the sound waves.

"Is that Lau Ying?"

Hou Tianzhao was taken aback. He fiddled with the copper ring on his earlobe and circled around Yu Yuan, "Are you and Lau Ying very close?"

Kong Banbi of the Sword Sect was initially disoriented upon learning that the alien creature terrorizing the ocean depths was the "Tears of Blue Devil." He became visibly restless.

He wandered back to the heart of the Sword Sect's challengers, his mind consumed by thoughts of the "Tears of Blue Devil."

With his knowledge of the Blue Devil Clan's history from the Sword Sect's ancient scrolls, and understanding of the "Tears of Blue Devil" and the Aura Altar, he pieced together the demise of the Demon Clan from Yu Yuan's narrative.

In contrast, Chi Nandou, Hou Tianzhao, and the others were clueless about the "Tears of Blue Devil," and they remained nonchalant.

"I'd say we're fairly acquainted."

Yu Yuan offered a slight smile, his mood lightening a bit upon seeing Yan Lu, Su Yan, and Lau Ying all safe and sound.

But in the next moment, his expression turned peculiar. "Those guys..."

Du Huang of the Ancient Desolate Sect, Lin Yue from the Blood God Cult, Chi Yin with his flamboyant Filthy Spirit Sect attire, and Fei Yi of the Devil Palace—all bore into him with stares sharp enough to cut. Their eyes seemed to devour him whole.

Despite his formidable composure, he couldn't help but shiver under their intense scrutiny. What was happening?

The pace of the Fallen Star Eyes decelerated until it finally hovered before the glass bottle.

Lau Ying's smile blossomed as she cheerfully beckoned to him. "I just knew you'd still be kicking. Get over here, and don't keep us waiting."

No sooner had she spoken than she cleared her throat and turned to address the members of the Blood God Cult and the Filthy Spirit Sect. "Interested in this glass bottle? I've heard tales of the Fiend Sect's artifact—it's versatile, capable of both offense and defense, and nearly rivals my Fallen Star Eyes."

She was clearly looking to lighten her load.

"No thanks, I'm not well-acquainted with Hou Tianzhao or Chi Nandou and their crowd."

The strikingly handsome young man from the Blood God Cult, with a flash of dark red in his eyes, licked his lips and said with a light laugh, "Besides, I'm rather curious to meet this Yu Yuan fellow."

The representative from the Filthy Spirit Sect merely squinted and offered a silent smile.

With these two leaders setting the tone, the rest were even less inclined to make a move.

"Yu Yuan," Chi Nandou murmured, "the Fallen Star Eyes can pierce the deep blue veil, and the item I possess can do the same. You..."

"Let's charge through the deep blue veil together, with the Fallen Star Eyes leading and the glass bottle following!" Yu Yuan called out, making his move.

Chi Nandou turned to Hou Tianzhao, seeking his consent.

Hou Tianzhao nodded in agreement. "That works."

A slit of shimmering jade light appeared between the glass bottle and the sea, quietly parting the waters.

Yu Yuan darted through it, swimming swiftly towards the Fallen Star Eyes.

"My thanks for the disturbance," Kong Banbi of the Sword Sect said, watching the peculiar fish trail after Yu Yuan. He bowed to Chi Nandou in gratitude and quickly made his exit.

With his departure, the rest of the Sword Sect disciples promptly followed suit.

"No trouble at all," Hou Tianzhao dismissed with a wave of his hand, his face the picture of nonchalance. "Yu mentioned we could trail behind him. The item you wield will prove invaluable in breaching the deep blue veil."

"I was thinking the same thing," Chi Nandou said with a shrug, letting the remnants of the Sword Sect depart without interference.

"Yu Yuan! Where the heck have you been?" Yan Lu bellowed with a laugh.

A glint of joy sparkled in Su Yan's eyes. Once Yu Yuan was embraced by Lau Ying's Fallen Star Eyes, she couldn't help but smile. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"I just knew you'd make it out alive," Lau Ying said, using her star power to clear a path and drawing Yu Yuan close. "Do you have any idea what's been happening at the bottom of the sea?"

Du Huang, Lin Yue, Chi Yin, and the others from the Filthy Spirit Sect, along with Fei Yi from the Devil Palace, all fixed their intense stares on Yu Yuan.

They were all eager to find out if Yu Yuan, who had been so highly praised by Yan Lu and Lau Ying, truly possessed the skills he was reputed to have. Even those like Sheh Si, who had previously met Yu Yuan, harbored their doubts.

"The way these people are looking at me is... odd," Yu Yuan remarked, feeling unsettled as he noticed everyone's gaze following Lau Ying's introduction. "I don't have any feuds with them, do I?"

Yan Lu's laughter rang out heartily as he clarified, "We've been searching for you for ages! Lau Ying and I refused to believe that you'd perish in the Ember Waters. Besides, we all agreed that having you with us would significantly boost our chances of survival beneath the sea."

"Your praises have made you quite the figure of interest," Su Yan added with a chuckle.

For some reason, seeing Yu Yuan within the Fallen Star Eyes brought her an inexplicable sense of peace. Faced with such peril, she had been feeling downcast, thinking this situation was more treacherous than the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area and doubting that even Yu Yuan could alter the dire course of events. Yet, the moment she laid eyes on him, so near, a wave of calm washed over her. Su Yan couldn't quite fathom the odd shift in her emotions.

"The Tears of Blue Devil, secretly placed beneath the Ember Waters by the Demon Palace, have been unleashed due to the impact of a new meteor shower," Yu Yuan revealed, no longer concealing the truth. "The Tears of Blue Devil is an altar of the nearly extinct Blue Devil Clan from the Outer Realm. Before it becomes fully operational, it will consume as much powerful flesh and blood as it can."

"Tears of Blue Devil?"

"What in the world is that?"

"And the Aura Altar? What's that?"

The remnants of the Cloud Water Sect and Ancient Desolate Sect, along with many from the Filthy Spirit Sect and Blood God Cult, were utterly perplexed.

Yan Lu, Sheh Si, and the rest were equally puzzled, eagerly awaiting an explanation.

"The Tears of Blue Devil..."

Fei Yi, also hailing from the Devil Palace, spoke the words with a strained voice.

"The Aura Altar!"

Lin Yue from the Blood God Cult and Chi Yin from the Filthy Spirit Sect inhaled sharply.

They might not have known what the Tears of Blue Devil were, but they had heard ominous tales from their elders about the mysterious and fearsome Aura Altar, a creation of the Outer Realm Heavenly Devils.

The mention of the "Aura Altar" sent a shiver through Lau Ying.

"Navigate with the Fallen Star Eyes, steering clear of any formidable demons. Don't even approach them," Yu Yuan instructed with ease, "Then head to the fringes of the Ember Waters and attempt to penetrate the deep blue veil created by the Tears of Blue Devil. If the Fallen Star Eyes aren't enough, you still have the glass bottle and another Heaven Level artifact from the Fiend Sect to aid you."

"Okay, got it!"

Lau Ying, her initial shock subsiding, refocused with determination following Yu Yuan's guidance.

She promptly adjusted the trajectory of the Fallen Star Eyes.

"That way won't work," Yu Yuan warned, shaking his head. "There's a Golden Barbarian Ox in that direction, apparently the leader of the Demon Clan's expedition. It was fleeing, but now it might be dead. Don't head that way."

"Understood!"

Lau Ying complied immediately, altering the course of the Fallen Star Eyes once more.

"Yu Yuan, I'd like to speak with you earnestly. I am Fei Yi, from the Devil Palace!"

...

Old Ni's place was drenched in torrential rain, with lightning flashing and thunder booming! Damn, some fool must have made a reckless vow—scared the living daylights out of everyone!