C437 The Extraterrestrial Corpse

"Eh?"

Su Yan let out a sudden exclamation within the Fallen Star Eyes, her face contorted into an indescribably odd expression.

Luo Yiyi, Fei Yi, Du Huang, and the rest who remained in the Fallen Star Eyes cast equally bizarre looks towards the entrance of the shadowy sea cave.

"Uh..."

Lau Ying was taken aback, pressing her white palm against her forehead, at a loss for words.

Inside the glass bottle, Chi Nandou's expression was blank.

Lin Yue, Chi Yin, and Hou Tianzhao of the Red Devil Sect had approached Lin Yue and Chi Yin, only to come to an abrupt halt.

Hou Tianzhao ceased his clamor, his eyes now clouded with confusion as he scrutinized the cave's peculiar entrance.

Yu Yuan had already slipped into the sea cave ahead of them.

The cavern's deep, murky darkness concealed Yu Yuan's tracks and masked his scent from Hou Tianzhao.

Yet, the strange fish that had departed the Fallen Star Eyes alongside Yu Yuan was now unexpectedly outside the cave!

Yu Yuan had claimed this island cave was the strange fish's birthplace, and he had left the Fallen Star Eyes specifically to allow the fish to enter and retrieve something.

Now that he was inside, why was the strange fish left floundering outside?

Adding to the absurdity, the fish, with its small, intelligent eyes sparkling with wisdom, repeatedly rammed into an unseen barrier.

The strange fish appeared frantic, desperate, and redoubled its efforts with each collision.

"Bam! Bam!"

From a distance, the sea cave, anchored to the underwater island, resembled a colossal, pitch-black beast, its gaping maw menacing enough to send shivers down one's spine.

Yet, the entire cave was now quaking from the strange fish's relentless battering!

It was as though a slumbering, monstrous beast was under siege by another formidable alien creature.

But the size of the strange fish that accompanied Yu Yuan...

"No way?"

Du Huang of the Ancient Desolate Sect, initially unconcerned, now seemed on the verge of panic.

"That strange fish! My god!"

He began to exclaim loudly, pointing at the Chaos Roc within the Fallen Star Eyes, "You can't possibly fathom the sheer force of its impacts!"

"Each collision's impact rivals the boiling blood fury of an Eighth Level Great Demon," Lau Ying inhaled sharply.

Upon hearing Lau Ying's revelation, all the trialists in the Fallen Star Eyes were thrown into an uproar.

"Is that strange fish an Eighth Level Sea Demon?"

"Eighth Level! Even the esteemed Raven Lord of the Demon Palace is merely at the Eighth Level!"

"Can you believe it? It's been loyally following Yu Yuan all this time, obeying his every command?"

"Chi Yin and Lin Yue are sharp ones, indeed! They must have recognized the extraordinary nature of that odd fish to offer spirit jades for it!"

"Why on earth would it choose to follow Yu Yuan? And that underwater cave—Yu Yuan slips in effortlessly, yet it, a formidable Eighth Level Great Demon, can't get through? Why is that?"

The chatter swelled and ebbed, giving Lau Ying a pounding headache.

At the entrance to the secluded cave, the Chaos Roc had slammed against the barrier multiple times, undeterred by the risk of exposing its fearsome power, but ultimately it had to settle down.

It remained in its shrunken form, hovering at the cave's mouth.

Hou Tianzhao, Lin Yue, and Chi Yin, who had intended to follow it and Yu Yuan inside, now stood by quietly and behaved themselves.

The trio exchanged awkward glances.

They weren't fools; they understood the Chaos Roc's might and feared that a hasty entrance might provoke an attack. So, they stayed put.

"This... that..."

In the midst of the sea, Hou Tianzhao wielded the Red Devil Sect's Devil Spell like a fiery orb. He raised his hand in a greeting to the Chaos Roc, saying, "Please overlook my earlier ignorance, sir. I didn't realize your formidable nature and failed to show the proper respect."

He had assumed that the Chaos Roc, hailing from the Demon Palace, was of the same or even higher rank than the Raven.

To him, paying homage to such a high-ranking demon was no disgrace.

The Chaos Roc's eyes, one a fiery red, the other a luminous white, gave him a chilling glance.

A shiver ran down Hou Tianzhao's spine, and the words he had planned to say next were abruptly silenced.

He offered an awkward smile and nodded to Lin Yue and Chi Yin, "Please, proceed as you wish."

With a lingering glance at the cave entrance, Hou Tianzhao turned to swim back, entering the glass bottle and plopping down with a sigh, "That elder from the demon race sure has a temper."

Once he was gone, Lin Yue and Chi Yin, after a brief hesitation, bowed respectfully to the Chaos Roc.

"We won't impose any further."

Lin Yue spoke with earnest intent and promptly turned to leave. Chi Yin was quick to follow.

To their eyes, the Chaos Roc, having shown its might, was undoubtedly an entity of the Eighth Level or perhaps even a higher-ranking sea demon. It seemed almost certain that it was connected to the Demon Palace and the Raven Lord.

In the northern reaches of the Quietus Continent, the power of the Red Devil Sect, Blood God Cult, and Filthy Spirit Sect paled in comparison to that of the Demon Palace. Encountering a dignitary of the Demon Palace, it was only proper, and indeed a rule to be followed, to act with humility and respect.

The Chaos Roc stood sentinel at the mouth of the cave, its gaze upon Hou Tianzhao betraying its clear intent—it would permit no one else to enter. As a formidable Demon, its will was not to be defied by the younger members of the Red Devil Sect, Blood God Cult, or Filthy Spirit Sect, who had no choice but to withdraw obediently and wait in silence.

"Yu Yuan, since when have you been entangled with the Demon Palace?" Su Yan inquired.

"He grew quite close to the Python Queen during our time in the Absence Relic. And isn't she from the Demon Palace?" Lau Ying chimed in, though her gaze remained fixed on the shadowy depths of the cave and the enigmatic Chaos Roc guarding its entrance, wondering what could compel Yu Yuan to insist on entering.

The others, too, were brimming with curiosity and pondered in silence. What lay hidden within?

...

The underwater cavern was vast beyond expectation.

Yu Yuan was astonished to discover an absence of seawater within. The darkness hindered his sight, yet a single glance was enough to leave him astounded. A beast with the likeness of a crocodile, its hide as tough as forged steel and its forehead bristling with sharp spikes, lay prostrate to his left.

This crocodilian alien beast was an imposing sight even when prone, standing nearly ten feet tall with a length that could well exceed a hundred feet. Standing before it, Yu Yuan felt his own insignificance; merely observing the creature suggested a life of extreme ferocity and cruelty.

The spikes on the crocodile's forehead glinted with a chilling light in the dim cavern, as if capable of piercing through all. A battered warship lay upon the creature's back, its design clearly not the work of Boundless Land's denizens but rather resembling the craftsmanship of an ancient alien race from the far reaches of the stars.

From this, we can deduce that the massive crocodile must also be an otherworldly entity, akin to the Chaos Roc!

In the right-hand corner, a man radiated with golden brilliance, holding a golden trident as he hovered close to the rocky wall.

The glow emanating from the man's body originated from his skin and flesh. He was a towering figure, clad in an opulent short tunic. Despite having been dead for years, his muscles hadn't atrophied, still exuding an aura of liveliness.

Yet, the golden trident in his grasp had lost its luster, its formidable power seemingly drained.

Below the waist, the man did not have the legs of a normal human but rather a fish's tail.

Yu Yuan scanned the area and spotted another alien beast, appearing as if it were crafted from crystals, with spiritual energy coursing through its form.

He also encountered a variety of bizarre remains. Some were as large as mountains, others shorter than the average human, with additional eyes protruding from the back of their heads.

These peculiar remains, mostly unseen before, clearly belonged to extragalactic alien races.

"Hmm?"

After his initial astonishment, Yu Yuan's thoughts snapped back to the Chaos Roc, and he swiftly turned to look at it.

He observed the Chaos Roc watching him with its odd little eyes from the other side of an invisible barrier.

Chi Yin and Lin Yue, who had departed with him, had already returned to the Fallen Star Eyes.

He could see the Chaos Roc, the Fallen Star Eyes, and the glass bottle—he could see it all.

But the others seemed oblivious to his presence, their faces etched with bewilderment.

Additionally, he noticed that Hou Tianzhao, Chi Nandou, and the rest looked upon the Chaos Roc with eyes brimming with dread.

Boom!

The Chaos Roc charged forward abruptly, causing the seabed cave to tremble gently.

Dark energy waves rippled between him and the Chaos Roc, neutralizing the creature's impact and hindering its advance.

In an instant, Yu Yuan grasped the situation.

The previous minor vibrations were likely caused by the Chaos Roc's collisions, but he had been too captivated by the cave's extraordinary sights to take notice.

The Chaos Roc couldn't step foot inside due to an invisible barrier that enveloped the area, leaving it stranded on the outside.

Attempting to reach out with his soul, he quickly discovered that his mental focus could not breach the unseen barrier, leaving him unable to establish contact with the Chaos Roc.

"Where might the Evil Cauldron be?"

...