C430 Meeting Again!

Above the Fallen Star Eyes, Yan Lu, Su Yan, and Liu Ying cheered in unison. Their faces beamed with joy and excitement, unmasked and utterly heartfelt.

"Yu Yuan!"

The trial-takers from the Forgeroses, Taintborn, Colddeath, and Cloudwater Sect felt a jolt of energy. They had heard Liu Ying, Yan Lu, and Su Yan mention the name Yu Yuan countless times recently. Their curiosity about Yu Yuan had grown with each mention.

It became clear that Liu Ying was navigating the islands of the Embers Sea with the Fallen Star Eyes, all in search of Yu Yuan—and she didn't deny it.

At last, at last...

Du Huang and his peers from the Forgeroses silently breathed a sigh of relief. Their eyes, following Yan Lu and Liu Ying's line of sight, all converged on the Ethereal Vial and fixed upon Yu Yuan.

"Yu Yuan! Yu Yuan!"

The calls from atop the Fallen Star Eyes somehow penetrated the seawater and reached inside the Ethereal Vial. The sound was so intense that Qi Nandou had to cover his ears to protect his eardrums from the amplified vibrations. The only reason the others could hear was that he had discreetly harnessed the Ethereal Vial's arcane properties to transmit the sound waves.

"Isn't that Liu Ying?"

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

Kong Banbi from the Sword Sect was in a daze after learning that the extraterrestrial menace ravaging the ocean floor was none other than the Tears of the Azurefiend, and he became visibly restless.

He aimlessly wandered back to the heart of the Sword Sect's trial-takers, his mind consumed by thoughts of the Tears of the Azurefiend. Familiar with the origins of the Azurefiend and the connection between the Tears of the Azurefiend and the Blood Altar from the sect's ancient scrolls, he pieced together Yu Yuan's words and the demise of the evilkind, gaining a sense of clarity.

In contrast, Qi Nandou and Hou Tianzhao, who knew nothing of the Tears of the Azurefiend, remained nonchalant.

"They're quite familiar, I'd say."

Yu Yuan offered a slight smile, relieved to see Yan Lu, Su Yan, and Liu Ying all present and unharmed.

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

Du Huang of the Forgeroses, Lin Yue of the Colddeath, Chi Yin with her flamboyant Taintborn attire, and Fei Yi of the Devil Palace were all giving him looks that seemed voracious.

Even with his strong composure, Yu Yuan felt a shiver under their intense scrutiny, wondering to himself, What's happening?

The Fallen Star Eyes decelerated, eventually reaching the Ethereal Vial.

Liu Ying's smile was radiant, and her cheerful demeanor beckoned him. "I knew you'd still be kicking. Get over here, and quick—don't keep us waiting."

After her invitation, she cleared her throat and addressed the two from the Colddeath and Taintborn Sects, "Are you interested in the Ethereal Vial? I've heard about the Skyblight Cult's artifact; it's versatile in offense and defense, hardly inferior to my Fallen Star Eyes."

She was keen on shedding some weight from her shoulders.

"No thanks, I'm not well-acquainted with Hou Tianzhao, Qi Nandou, and the rest."

The strikingly handsome youth from Colddeath, his eyes flashing a dark red, licked his lips and chuckled, "Besides, I'm curious to meet this Yu Yuan."

The Taintborn representative merely squinted and smiled, offering no response.

With these two leaders from the Colddeath and Taintborn Sects setting the tone, the rest were even less inclined to act.

"Yu Yuan," Qi Nandou spoke gently, "the Fallen Star Eyes can pierce the Azure Veil. The artifact I hold can achieve the same. You..."

"Let the Fallen Star Eyes lead, with the Ethereal Vial following. Together, we'll break through the Azure Veil!" Yu Yuan called out and set off.

Qi Nandou turned to Hou Tianzhao, seeking his consent.

Hou Tianzhao nodded in agreement, "That works for me."

A slit of shimmering jade light quietly formed between the Ethereal Vial and the sea.

Yu Yuan swiftly made his way through and headed toward the Fallen Star Eyes.

"Thank you for the disturbance, much appreciated."

Kong Banbi of the Sword Sect watched the odd fish trail after Yu Yuan and promptly took his leave, offering a fist-and-palm salute to Qi Nandou in gratitude before swiftly departing. His departure prompted the rest of the Sword Sect to follow suit.

"No worries at all," Hou Tianzhao said with a dismissive wave of his hand and an unconcerned look. "Yu mentioned we could follow him. The item you're holding will prove extremely useful when we break through the Azure Veil."

"That's what I was thinking too," Qi Nandou said with a shrug, watching the Sword Sect's survivors depart.

"Yu Yuan! Where have you been?" Yan Lu called out with a hearty laugh.

Joy twinkled in Su Yan's eyes. Once Liu Ying welcomed Yu Yuan into the Fallen Star Eyes, she smiled softly and said, "I'm glad you're okay."

"I knew you'd make it," Liu Ying declared, harnessing cosmic energy to forge a path and escort Yu Yuan directly to her side. "Do you have any idea what's been happening at the sea's bottom?"

Du Huang, Lin Yue, Chi Yin from the Taintborn Sect, and Fei Yi from the Devil Palace all fixed their intense gazes on Yu Yuan.

They were all eager to find out if Yu Yuan, who had been highly praised by Yan Lu and Liu Ying, truly possessed the skills he was reputed to have.

Among them, Shi Si and others who had previously met Yu Yuan were somewhat skeptical.

"The way these people are looking at me is making me feel uneasy," Yu Yuan remarked after settling down, noticing everyone's stares following Liu Ying's introduction. "I don't have any grudges with them, do I?"

"Hahaha!" Yan Lu burst into a robust laugh, offering an explanation, "We've been searching for you for ages! Liu Ying and I refused to believe that you'd perish in the Embers Sea! Moreover, we all agree that if you're alive and with us, our chances of survival beneath the sea would significantly improve!"

"You've been praised so often that you've become quite memorable to others," Su Yan added with a smile.

For some reason, seeing Yu Yuan enter the Fallen Star Eyes brought her an inexplicable sense of tranquility.

Despite the dire circumstances, which she felt were even more perilous than the Moonfall Sanctuary, she couldn't help but feel a bit despondent. She believed that even if Yu Yuan were alive, it might still be a challenge for him to change the course of events.

Upon seeing Yu Yuan so close, a wave of calm washed over Su Yan. She couldn't quite articulate the strange shift within her heart.

"The Tears of the Azurefiend, secretly placed beneath the Embers Sea by the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep, have been unleashed by the recent meteor shower," Yu Yuan revealed, no longer concealing the truth. "The Tears of the Azurefiend, a relic from the nearly extinct Azurefiend branch of the Star-Spawned Terror, will voraciously consume flesh to regain its power."

"Tears of the Azurefiend?"

"What in the world is that?"

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

Members of the Cloudwater Sect, Forgeroses, Taintborn, and many from the Colddeath were utterly baffled. Yan Lu, Shi Si, and the rest were equally perplexed, eagerly awaiting his explanation.

"Tears of the Azurefiend..." Fei Yi, also from the Devil Palace, spoke with a strained voice.

"Blood Altar!" Lin Yue of Colddeath and Chi Yin of Taintborn inhaled sharply. They may not have known what the Tears of the Azurefiend were, but they had heard whispers of the Star-Spawned Terror's mysterious and fearsome Blood Altar.

Liu Ying, too, was visibly shaken by the mention of the "Blood Altar."

"Guide your Fallen Star Eyes to avoid any encounters with powerful evilkind," Yu Yuan instructed with ease. "Then head to the outskirts of the Embers Sea and attempt to penetrate the Azure Veil created by the Tears of the Azurefiend. If the Fallen Star Eyes don't succeed, you still have the Ethereal Vial and another piece of heavenly equipment from the Skyblight Cult at your disposal."

"Oh, right, understood!" Liu Ying, having regained her composure, refocused with renewed vigor following Yu Yuan's directions. She promptly adjusted the trajectory of the Fallen Star Eyes.

"That way won't do," Yu Yuan cautioned, shaking his head. "There's a golden bull of the evilkind in that direction, apparently the leader of their sea expedition. It was initially fleeing, but it's likely dead now. Best to avoid that area."

"Alright!"

Liu Ying was extremely compliant, swiftly altering the trajectory of her Fallen Star Eyes and redirecting their course.

"Yu Yuan, I'd like to have a serious conversation with you. My name is Fei Yi, from the Devil Palace!"

...

The old scoundrel was caught in a torrential rain, followed by flashes of lightning and peals of thunder! Damn, I have no idea which jerk made that oath, but it was terrifying!