C431 Aura Altar
Atop the ocean's expanse, Python Queen Xu Zixi, mounted on seven menacing pythons, soared through the air before slamming into the "Deep Blue Veil" with explosive force.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The seven massive pythons, each spanning dozens of meters, shimmered with sparks as they collided with the veil and recoiled violently.
Suspended in the void, Xu Zixi felt the vast reservoir of Qi and blood within her dantian spiral out of control.
Her physique, honed by the Demon Clan's Spiritual Spell, ached intensely.
With great effort, she halted and peered intently, quickly discerning the presence of the "Deep Blue Veil."
Xu Zixi gasped in alarm, "Has the Ember Waters been sealed off?"
Pondering this, she persistently shifted directions, attempting to break free from the sea region from various angles.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
After repeated collisions, Xu Zixi reluctantly accepted defeat, dejectedly realizing that not even her prowess at the Soul Wandering Stage, bolstered by the demonic might of the seven pythons, could penetrate the deep blue barrier.
"What on earth is happening at the ocean's floor?"
This thought barely formed when an oppressive force, chilling to the soul, surged from the distant islands where the Devil Palace and Demon Palace stood!
"Demonic Eye Probe!"
A drop of blood essence flared to life at the tip of Xu Zixi's finger.
Her pupils transformed into an eerie emerald hue, granting her vision of actions miles away.
High above, she expended her blood essence and soul power, gazing into the distance.
Her face grew intensely grave, as if it were heavy with unshed tears.
To her astonishment, she saw a colossal blue crystal materialize in the sky above the islands she had departed.
The crystal, suspended aloft, took the form of a teardrop or a droplet of sorrow.
In the moonlight, the blue crystal glinted immaculately, casting a radiant glow that bestowed an ethereal and magnificent sensation.
This teardrop-like crystal emanated a peculiar soulful resonance, as if it were beckoning to the very essence of all beings!
Even from such a distance, Xu Zixi, peering through her "Demonic Eye," was terrified to discover that her three souls—Heaven, Earth, and Man—seemed irresistibly drawn to the blue crystal, on the verge of being absorbed into its depths.
Whoosh!
A streak of gray light shot forth from the brow of a Cloud Water Sect cultivator at the Yin God Stage, piercing straight into the blue crystal.
The female practitioner from the Cloud Water Sect, previously suspended in midair, plummeted into the sea as the gray light at her forehead vanished, her three souls seemingly ripped from her body, leaving it without the soul's command.
"Swish! Swish! Swish!"
She was not alone; the leaders of the Cold Yin Sect and the Thunder Sect, attempting to flee into the sky, had their souls wrenched from them in an instant.
Their three souls were forcibly drawn into the blue crystal, and one by one, their bodies tumbled into the sea below.
In mere moments, the hovering blue crystal had consumed the souls of six prominent cultivators within the region.
Once the area was devoid of life, the blue crystal spun in the void, seemingly scouring for other souls to claim.
Locking onto a new location, it darted through the void in search of its next quarry.
Lord Heixun and the Raven Lord, both known to Xu Zixi, had vanished without a trace, their whereabouts a mystery.
After peering through the Demonic Eye for some time, Xu Zixi sighed in relief as the tear-shaped blue crystal flew off in a direction away from her.
"It's not me. The new target isn't me..."
Her voice was a whisper, her complexion ghostly, as the shock still gripped her.
She realized that the tear-shaped blue crystal was preying upon the elders who had brought the trial participants from the various sects to the Ember Waters.
Those at the Yin God Stage, the Soul Wandering Stage, perhaps even Heixun and Raven, were its prey.
She had been spared, partly due to her distance from the blue crystal and partly because she was alone, not worth the crystal's effort to seek out.
"But if I can't break through this deep blue barrier, that thing will eventually set its sights on me."
Standing before the "deep blue veil," Xu Zixi sensed the horrific force lurking within. "What could it be that it spans so vast an area? The entire Ember Waters is ensnared, both above and below the sea!"
Baffled and without recourse, she attempted to reach out to the Raven using the secret techniques of the Demon Palace.
The Raven Lord, presiding over the Ember Waters, had vanished without a trace, leaving no response whatsoever.
Despair began to take root in Xu Zixi's heart.
...
Deep beneath the sea.
A vast dark blue shadow crept over the Golden Barbarian Ox, enveloping it in its gloom.
The ox's pitiful cries, amplified by the Demon Clan's secret arts, pierced through the water for dozens of miles.
The shadow continued to advance, swallowing the ox whole.
The wailing ceased with a sudden silence.
With a heavy splash, a soulless corpse plummeted from above.
Passing through the "Dark Blue Veil" like a shell, the body descended into the depths.
This was the flesh of an Elder Yin God from the Ancient Desolate Sect, whose three souls had been consumed by the blue crystal above, causing his lifeless form to sink into the ocean's embrace.
Strangely, the "Dark Blue Veil" that barred the trial participants from surfacing did nothing to stop the soulless dead from penetrating its barrier and reaching the deep sea.
It seemed almost as if it were facilitating the passage for the blue shadow.
Indeed, the blue shadow that had claimed the Demon Clan's Golden Barbarian Ox now swirled at the sea's floor, dragging the Elder's corpse into its midst.
...
Within the Rosy Jenny.
Lu Baichan, who had faced repeated setbacks at the hands of Lau Ying and Yu Yuan, was brooding and uncomfortable.
Every glance at Tang Cann brought irritation, as she blamed him and Lim Zhuyun for her misjudgments, which had led to Yu Yuan's departure.
Yu Yuan's exit had set off a domino effect, resulting in the Fiend Sect, Red Devil Sect, and Sword Sect severing ties.
And just as they had finally encountered the much-anticipated Fallen Star Eyes, they were torn apart again before she could even explain.
Out of nowhere, a demonic energy-laden sound wave crashed against the pearl's light shield.
Lu Baichan, the pearl's controller, concentrated her spirit, quickly deciphered the message, and her face turned pale.
"The Demon Race's Golden Barbarian Ox has been devoured by a blue shadow. It knew death was inevitable and sent out a distress call with its last ounce of demonic energy. It was furious that we did not come to its rescue and warned us to flee the Ember Waters immediately!"
Lu Baichan inhaled deeply, her gaze sweeping over the members of the Profound Sky Sect and those from the Primordial Yang Sect. "Yu Yuan is right!" she declared.
...
The Fallen Star Eyes raced across the ocean floor.
When Yu Yuan revealed that the Tears of Blue Devil was the last remaining Aura Altar of the extraterrestrial Blue Devil Clan, it caused an uproar among many.
Those unfamiliar with the Tears of Blue Devil but who knew of the Aura Altar were shocked, their voices rising in accusation against the Demon Palace and the Devil Palace.
Fei Yi stepped forward, indicating his desire for a detailed discussion with Yu Yuan.
With a splash, a body suddenly pierced the deep blue veil and plummeted into the sea.
"An elder from our sect!"
Chi Yin of the Filthy Spirit Sect, witnessing the body's descent, had a slight shift in her expression.
"Why would a body fall from above?" exclaimed Luo Yiyi from the Cloud Water Sect, visibly startled.
"The Aura Altar is divided into two levels: the Spiritual Altar and the Blood Altar," explained Lin Yue of the Blood God Cult, his demeanor remaining composed. "The Spiritual Altar likely resides above the sea, preying on the souls of the elders left to guard it, drawing out their tripartite spirits. Once the souls are extracted, the bodies fall into the sea to be consumed by the Blood Altar."
Chi Yin drew in a steadying breath and concurred, "It seems that's the case."
"So, the Blood Altar is at the bottom of the sea? And it's the one hunting demons?" Fei Yi sought confirmation, "Yu Yuan, are you absolutely certain?"
He had intended to have an in-depth conversation with Yu Yuan, hoping that Yu Yuan wouldn't make unfounded claims before seeing the evidence himself.
The presence of a Blood Altar on an island in the Ember Waters was undoubtedly linked to the Demon Palace and the Devil Palace. With the Demon Palace's members dead, he, as the spokesperson for the Devil Palace, felt compelled to defend its honor.
But before he could voice his thoughts, the fall of an elder from the Filthy Spirit Sect and the assertions of Lin Yue and Chi Yin left him no choice but to believe.
"Yes, the Blue Devil Clan refers to the altar as the Tears of Blue Devil."
Yu Yuan offered a smile and gestured above, "The good news is, the Tears of Blue Devil aren't beneath the waves anymore—they're floating on the sea's surface. Right now, the only thing stirring in the ocean depths is the Blood Sacrificial Altar."
