C435 The Price Was Inquired

Chi Yin, with her tall and sturdy frame, approached Yu Yuan, the sound of her arrival punctuated by a crisp "clang."

She beamed at Yu Yuan with a radiant smile, as if greeting an old friend, "Brother Yu, you're quite the sight for sore eyes, and so handsome too."

Yu Yuan, initially perplexed by Su Yan's comments, paused for a moment before quickly regaining his composure.

This bold and brash woman from the Taintborn Sect was speaking to him, yet her gaze remained fixed on the Abyssal Leviathan.

The Abyssal Leviathan he had brought along concealed its aura and remnant soul through the power of the Star River giant beast, rendering it undetectable to the Blood Altar of the Azurefiend within a certain range.

He was confident that no one could sense the potent blood aura of the Abyssal Leviathan, but Chi Yin seemed fixated on it.

"What's the matter?" Yu Yuan asked, his tone cool and detached.

"Brother Yu, where did this fish come from?" Chi Yin inquired earnestly.

Her question drew the attention of many around the Fallen Star Eyes back to the Abyssal Leviathan, stirring a sense of curiosity.

The Abyssal Leviathan had already caught the eye of many upon its arrival with Yu Yuan at the Fallen Star Eyes.

The peculiar fish, seemingly unremarkable and devoid of any vibrant signs of vitality, was pierced with stone forks.

The stone forks, resembling chopsticks, made it stand out and contributed to the fish's odd appearance.

Yet, as Yu Yuan revealed the secrets of the Tears of the Azurefiend and the Blood Altar, the focus shifted away from the fish as everyone was preoccupied with the grim task of contemplating their survival.

The strange fish was momentarily forgotten.

Now, Chi Yin had brought the floating fish back into the spotlight, capturing everyone's attention once again.

"I stumbled upon it at the bottom of the Embers Sea. This odd fish has been quite docile, following me without posing any threat, so I decided to keep it," Yu Yuan explained casually. "Is there a problem? Has this fish inconvenienced you in some way?"

"Chi Yin!"

Liu Ying, having ingested the Soul Essence Pill and suspecting Chi Yin was looking for trouble with Yu Yuan, raised her voice in warning, "If the Taintborn have any grievances, then perhaps it's time to leave the Fallen Star Eyes. Qi Nandou of the Skyblight Cult is managing the Ethereal Vial just behind us. You're welcome to join the Skyblight Cult and the Ruby Hand on their journey."

She was ushering them out once more.

Upon encountering Yu Yuan, Chi Yin couldn't wait for the Fallen Star Eyes to be less burdened with people—the fewer, the better.

She was eager for the Taintborn and the Colddeath survivors to quickly depart from the Fallen Star Eyes and join the remnants of the other two sects within the Ethereal Vial on the Land of Quiescence.

This would significantly ease her burden.

"I have no complaints," Chi Yin quickly made her stance clear, chuckling, "In fact, I'm quite fond of this fish! Brother Yu, would you consider selling it to me? As for the price, we can work something out."

Before Yu Yuan could respond, she added, "How about three hundred Soul Crystals?"

"Soul Crystals? Three hundred!"

"Sister Chi! Have you lost your mind?"

Her fellow Taintborn disciples who had accompanied her exclaimed in disbelief.

Chi Yin's expression turned stern as she cast a cold glance their way.

The Taintborn trial-takers, intimidated by her impending anger, fell silent instantly, their voices ceasing as if frozen by fear.

Among the Taintborn, she commanded considerable respect.

Lin Yue, Du Huang, and others, including Yan Lu and Fei Yi from the Devil Palace, pondered deeply over Chi Yin's proposition, their expressions revealing their intrigue.

Could the odd fish truly be worth three hundred Soul Crystals?

They didn't take Chi Yin's offer as a joke, nor did they think her foolish. They seriously considered the Abyssal Leviathan's true worth.

Then, Lin Yue of the Colddeath Sect noticed the stone spikes protruding from the Abyssal Leviathan's back, resembling chopsticks.

The once towering stone column, now shrunk hundreds of times smaller, had lost its luster.

Yet, delicate etchings remained visible on the column.

With the column reduced in size, the engravings became even more intricate, something that had initially gone unnoticed.

Stirred by Chi Yin's actions, Lin Yue employed a Colddeath mystique to closely examine the stone pillar. After scrutinizing the minute etchings, she suddenly interjected, "If Brother Yu is willing to part with it, I'm prepared to offer five hundred Soul Crystals."

With Lin Yue's intervention, the crowd was taken aback.

Their gazes shifted back and forth between the Abyssal Leviathan and its stone spikes, their expressions growing increasingly peculiar.

Even Liu Ying was taken aback, debating whether to scrutinize the Abyssal Leviathan's internal organs with her Fallen Star Eyes.

"Is this bizarre fish really worth that many Soul Crystals? And Soul Crystals are not mere Soul Stones!"

A female cultivator behind Luo Yiyi muttered under her breath, her face etched with frustration.

Luo Yiyi's curiosity was piqued, and she peered over from a distance.

"Not for sale."

Yu Yuan offered a carefree smile as he crisply stated his position.

With a dismissive wave of his hand, he said, "Go about your business, and don't interrupt my spiritual energy recovery."

He then took out a soulstone, sat down, and began to refine the spiritual energy within it, paying no mind to Chi Yin and Lin Yue, who had made an offer.

Chi Yin's demeanor remained remarkably pleasant in the face of outsiders.

She wasn't upset by Yu Yuan's words or actions; instead, she chuckled and nodded in agreement. "If it's not for sale, it's not for sale. I'm not one to coerce a purchase."

She gazed longingly at the peculiar fish behind Yu Yuan, which became even more noticeable as he sat down, before she returned to her spot with a sense of resignation.

"Thirty-five stone forks, bearing traces of ancient arcane script..."

Lin Yue's lips remained still, yet a peculiar sound emerged from his belly, reaching Chi Yin's ears.

Chi Yin gave him a look but remained silent, responding with a mystical technique, "Those aren't stone forks; they're stone pillars, just shrunk down hundreds of times. Consider their arrangement, the ancient arcane script upon them, and what if there were not thirty-five, but thirty-six?"

Lin Yue was taken aback, "Thirty-six stone pillars, arranged so, with ancient arcane script..."

He jolted, "The Starborne Ritual of Primeval Demons!"

Chi Yin didn't respond with the mystical technique but simply nodded subtly.

Lin Yue fell silent, bowing his head to conceal the blood light flaring in his eyes.

Simultaneously, Yu Yuan let out a cold snort.

Despite the distance between them, he cast a glance at Chi Yin and Lin Yue of Colddeath, indifferent to their thoughts or their understanding of the Abyssal Leviathan.

Clutching the soulstone, he absorbed and refined the spiritual energy into his elixir field's acupoint. In silence, he communicated with the heaven soul and the Abyssal Leviathan.

The Abyssal Leviathan and Yu Yuan were intent on harnessing the power of the sword sheath to pierce through the Azure Veil and make their escape from the Blood Altar.

The presence of the Abyssal Leviathan also served to shield Yu Yuan from the Blood Altar. Until he could break free from the ocean's depths, the Tears of the Azurefiend, a Soul Altar, would likely remain unable to locate him.

Their partnership was one of mutual benefit, with each party having their own objectives.

"At the bottom of the Embers Sea, there are three oddities. Besides myself, the Tears of the Azurefiend, there is one more thing..."

Out of the blue, while in conversation with the Abyssal Leviathan, it unexpectedly mentioned, "The third marvel lies just ahead. I had no desire to inform you, as it is irrelevant to our agreement. However, since the spell you practice is greatly related to it, I thought it pertinent to mention as we are passing by."

Yu Yuan's curiosity was piqued, "What is it?"

An old friend from his past life in the Devil Palace had once alluded to the three wondrous sites within the Embers Sea, each with its own marvels.

The details had always been withheld, but now that Yu Yuan was aware of the Tears of the Azurefiend, it all made sense.

How could the existence of a Blood Altar, concealed on an island within the Embers Sea, be openly acknowledged?

Should the three great upper sects ever discover the Blood Altar hidden within the Embers Sea islands, it would undoubtedly provoke widespread turmoil, potentially destabilizing two entire continents.

Naturally, Yu Yuan was eager to uncover what lay beyond the Azurefiend and the Abyssal Leviathan as the third anomaly.

"The spell you've been cultivating likely shares the same origin as that object."

The Abyssal Leviathan, a visitor from the extraterrestrial Star River, showed no inclination to conceal the truth. Through its remnant soul, it conveyed, "It's known as the Crucible of Evil, originating from a sect that your people annihilated."

"The Crucible of Evil!"

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