C438 The Assassin

Yu Yuan was nursing a headache. Unable to reach out to the Abyssal Leviathan, he was clueless about the location of the ultimate treasure left behind by the Terror Claws.

The Abyssal Leviathan had mentioned that the Crucible of Evil was inside the cave, but had failed to specify where. "I need to search and find it quickly!" he thought. He was acutely aware that lingering in the underwater cave for too long was not an option. The longer the people outside remained stationary, the greater the risk of being located by the Blood Altar.

Moreover, for their own survival, they would be reluctant to wait for him indefinitely. Qi Nandou, in particular, possessing the Ethereal Vial and another rare treasure from the Skyblight Cult, felt empowered to break through the Azure Veil without assistance.

With her energy restored to its peak by the Soul Essence Pill, Liu Ying had also mastered her control over the Fallen Star Eyes and hoped to penetrate the Azure Veil. While Liu Ying might be inclined to wait a bit longer, the others probably wouldn't share her patience.

With this in mind, Yu Yuan made a swift decision not to squander any more time on the Abyssal Leviathan or the survivors of the various sects within the Fallen Star Eyes and the Ethereal Vial. He pressed on deeper into the mysterious sea cave.

Corpses of various sizes and unknown origins, marked by the passage of time, lay before him, their presence casting a somber mood. "Crack!" A silver-white lizard's tail, spanning seven to eight yards, snapped under his foot. "Worthless," he muttered to himself, moving forward.

Out of nowhere, a burst of dark light erupted from beneath the belly of a crocodile he had just passed. Boom! The force propelled Yu Yuan forward over ten meters, his back searing with pain, his spine nearly shattered.

Whirling around, he peered into the gloom of the cave. In his little world within the Golden Sanctum, he vigorously channeled the repeatedly refined spiritual energy, sending it coursing through the meridians and acupoints of his body.

The light danced around him, and Yu Yuan's expression turned grim as he uttered a cold snort, "Who's there?"

The fact that the surprise attack hadn't killed him indicated that his assailant's combat prowess wasn't overwhelmingly fearsome, not to the point of driving him to despair.

The presence of living creatures in the cave didn't scare him; it actually thrilled him.

"He's still alive."

Someone forced their way out from under the belly of a giant crocodile, pushing aside the layers of wrinkled skin that had accumulated on top of them, "Are you a trial-taker too? Which sect are you from? And how did you sneak in here?"

A boy, seemingly younger than Yu Yuan, scrutinized him with a cold gaze.

His skin was dark, his muscles well-defined, and his eyes gleamed with a belligerent ferocity, "Are you from Shadow's Keep, one of those who descended into the sea?"

The garment he wore clung tightly to his body, crafted from an exotic fish skin.

The boy's demeanor was hostile, with only a Bracelet of Holding adorning his wrist and no other possessions.

"Who are you?" Yu Yuan inquired, his brow furrowed.

"I'm from Devil Palace," the boy retorted with a snort. "Only the most influential in Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep know about this place! I'm familiar with every member of the first group from Shadow's Keep. You're not one of them! Unless, of course, you're an additional entrant arranged by Shadow's Keep." His stance made it clear he believed Yu Yuan to be from Shadow's Keep.

"Devil Palace..." Yu Yuan was taken aback, examining the boy more closely. "Why haven't you considered that I might be from Devil Palace, part of the second wave of trial-takers?"

"Hei Xun would never dare deceive me!"

The boy's posture was one of arrogance. "This so-called trial in the Embers Sea is trivial, merely a formality. Moreover, I was here beneath the sea before anyone else arrived! In fact, I've been cultivating on the seabed of the Embers Sea for quite some time! Hei Xun has already briefed me on the formidable individuals among the trial-takers from Devil Palace, Shadow's Keep, and Ruby Hand—the three great upper sects."

"You've been at the bottom of the sea already?" Yu Yuan exclaimed, surprised.

The young man's demeanor was haughty and arrogant as he referred to Hei Xun, the guardian of the Devil Palace, without the respectful title of 'Master'.

He even boasted that not even Hei Xun would dare to deceive him...

Moreover, he had been cultivating in the Embers Sea for quite some time, undoubtedly with Hei Xun's permission, and possibly even under his protection.

He was well aware that this place was one of the three great enigmas, and he knew it like the back of his hand.

Piecing everything together, Yu Yuan realized that the youth claiming to be from the Devil Palace in the northern part of the Land of Quiescence was certainly someone of high stature.

He either possessed exceptional talent for cultivation!

Or he was born into unparalleled nobility, much like Tang Cen.

"Enough chit-chat. Where do you hail from?" The youth was growing impatient. "You survived my ambush once, consider yourself lucky. I'll let you keep your miserable life! Now that you're here, tell me, what's the situation outside?"

With these words, he emerged completely from the underbelly of the massive crocodile.

He glanced outside the cave and was taken aback. "The Abyssal Leviathan? Isn't that the Abyssal Leviathan? Has it too broken free from its bonds and emerged?"

Yu Yuan asked, "You recognize the Abyssal Leviathan?"

"Of course!" The youth snapped, anger flaring. "Beyond this place, at the bottom of the Embers Sea, lies the Abyssal Leviathan, and the sealed Tears of the Azurefiend. Those accursed Tears of the Azurefiend!"

As he ranted about the Tears of the Azurefiend, his expression turned ghostly pale, and he cursed bitterly, "If it weren't for the Tears of the Azurefiend, I wouldn't have to be hiding out here to escape calamity."

Indeed!

Yu Yuan's mind was settled; he was certain that the youth before him was a significant figure within the Devil Palace.

The youth was privy to all three of the sea's deepest secrets, and he was also aware that the Tears of the Azurefiend had broken free. Fearing that he might become a target of the Tears of the Azurefiend, he had fled to this refuge.

"Is that the Fallen Star Eyes? And the Skyblight Cult's Ethereal Vial?"

As the young man from the Devil Palace approached the cave, he noticed two peculiar items shimmering behind the Abyssal Leviathan: the Fallen Star Eyes and the Ethereal Vial. "So, there are actually quite a few survivors! What's going on? How did those guys manage to stay alive?"

Initially, he was perplexed, almost as if he expected most of those who had undergone the deep-sea trial to have perished.

The unexpected emergence of the Fallen Star Eyes and the Ethereal Vial took him by surprise.

He paused, then a surge of excitement overtook him. "The Ethereal Vial and Fallen Star Eyes could be promising. Maybe they can penetrate the Azure Veil!"

Those outside, including the Abyssal Leviathan, couldn't peer through the invisible crystalline barrier to see inside the cave, unaware of the Devil Palace youth now standing beside Yu Yuan.

Yet, he could clearly observe the exterior world, just like Yu Yuan.

"By the way, which sect do you belong to?" he asked, turning to Yu Yuan with renewed interest. "You must be with them, right? So, do you know what's been happening outside?"

"The last Blood Altar of the Azurefiend, once suppressed by the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep at the ocean's depths, has now been freed," Yu Yuan replied calmly. "The Soul Altar targets the stationed elders above, while the Blood Altar hunts down trial-takers like us below."

"Ah! How did you come by this information?" the young man exclaimed in astonishment.

Pointing to the Abyssal Leviathan, Yu Yuan explained, "It informed me."

"It?" The young man was taken aback once more. "Is it allied with you?"

"Yes, I assisted in its liberation," Yu Yuan confirmed.

"And who might you be?" the young man demanded.

"I am Yu Yuan, from the former Silvermoon Empire. I arrived here aboard your Devil Palace's Silver Rainbow Shuttle."

"Never heard of it."

"I didn't expect you to have," Yu Yuan said, surveying his surroundings. "I'm here in search of the Crucible of Evil. Are you aware of its whereabouts after the Terror Claws sect was wiped out and it vanished without a trace?"

"The Crucible of Evil?" The Devil Palace youth burst into a mocking laugh. "I had you pegged for someone clever, but it seems that's not the case. The Crucible of Evil, ha! Isn't this the Crucible of Evil?" He gestured expansively around him.

Yu Yuan was momentarily taken aback before a sudden realization dawned on him.

The so-called underwater cave was, in fact, the Crucible of Evil!

The deep, dark entrance was none other than the mouth of the Crucible!

And before him, scattered all around, were numerous corpses—all within the confines of the Crucible of Evil!

…