C439 The Spirit Was Gathered in the Cauldron!

In the outside world, the Fallen Star Eyes and the Ethereal Vial maintained a distance from the Abyssal Leviathan. The survivors on the Ethereal Vial occasionally glanced at the dark cave and then at the Abyssal Leviathan.

They waited in silence, eager for Yu Yuan to emerge quickly.

Many attempted to communicate with the Abyssal Leviathan, using either their spiritual sense or their thoughts.

The Abyssal Leviathan ignored them, standing sentinel at the cave's entrance, unmoved and unresponsive.

It couldn't enter, nor would it allow anyone else to do so!

"Hey, this elder from the evilkind sure has a foul temper."

"Yeah, it's been ramming into the cave so many times. If it can't get in, why not let us try? That place clearly isn't its cultivation site, or it wouldn't be barred from entering."

"How did Yu Yuan know how to get in? That's the real mystery."

The crowd buzzed with speculation.

At that moment, a flicker of recognition passed through Liu Ying's and Qi Nandou's eyes on the Fallen Star Eyes.

Simultaneously, they turned their gaze in one direction.

Their sudden movement startled many.

Yan Lu spoke up anxiously, "It's not the Blood Altar that's found us, is it?"

"No, it's Lu Baichan from the Ebon Star," Liu Ying clarified.

"The Nebula Gem?" Fei Yi inquired.

Liu Ying gave a slight nod. "We would have been beyond their reach with our speed, but now that we've stopped..."

The Fallen Star Eyes and the Ethereal Vial, both superior to the Nebula Gem, could travel at incredible speeds. Only because they paused to wait for Yu Yuan did the slower Nebula Gem manage to catch up.

"This doesn't bode well," Qi Nandou murmured, his expression grave inside the Ethereal Vial. "That foolish woman from the Ebon Star might try to rescue the evilkind's bull. It's possible that the golden bull is with the Nebula Gem."

Hou Tianzhao's face also tensed.

Almost at the same moment, Kong Banbi from the Sword Sect, who had been quiet since entering the Fallen Star Eyes, broke his silence. "Yu Yuan and I left the Nebula Gem together. He left to prevent the Nebula Gem from rescuing a bull from the evilkind, and you all know why..."

Kong Banbi succinctly clarified the situation.

Liu Ying paid close attention and responded, "After you departed, I encountered the Nebula Gem. It bore no image of the golden bull."

Kong Banbi nodded in acknowledgment. "It seems I was overly concerned."

"Better to err on the side of caution," Liu Ying remarked with a smile, her gaze then shifting to the horizon as the Nebula Gem slowly emerged and inched closer to them.

Lu Baichan was still at the helm, accompanied by Tang Cen and others from the Ebon Star and Sunlit Order. The mood within the gem was tense, and silence prevailed.

The atmosphere lightened only when the Fallen Star Eyes came into view again, along with the nearby Ethereal Vial, sparking a surge of excitement in Lu Baichan.

Reuniting with the main group in perilous times was always fortunate, especially since the Fallen Star Eyes could shatter Yu Yuan's so-called 'Azure Veil' beneath the sea, offering them a glimmer of hope for survival.

Yet...

The demeanor of Liu Ying from the Fallen Star Eyes, Qi Nandou with the Ethereal Vial, and Hou Tianzhao from the Ebon Star was decidedly frosty, tinged with evident disdain and aversion.

A chill settled in Lu Baichan's heart as she pondered, "Qi Nandou and Hou Tianzhao aside, why would Liu Ying from the Starmoon Sect, part of the seven major lower sects, exhibit such an expression?"

She and Tang Cen represented the Ebon Star and Sunlit Order, respectively. Why would Liu Ying and her peers from the lower sects harbor such animosity?

Amidst her bewilderment, she wondered if it all stemmed from Yu Yuan.

"What a hassle!"

Qi Nandou exhaled a weary sigh, eyeing the nearing Nebula Gem. He turned to Hou Tianzhao and said, "The Ebon Star and the Sunlit Order are full of fools. Their presence might draw the Blood Altar's notice. What's our move? Should we abandon them and slip away first?"

Hou Tianzhao stroked his chin, his gaze fixed on the Abyssal Leviathan and the shadowy cavern. "Let's wait and see."

"Fine," Qi Nandou conceded. "Regardless of what lies within that cave or how formidable that elder from the evilkind might be, we can't linger. The elder's repeated impacts on the cave have me worried it will alert the Blood Altar, prompting them to swiftly investigate."

"No, that won't happen," Hou Tianzhao shook his head. "The disturbance in its vitality hasn't spread far, just within this small area."

"Anyway, I'm not about to gamble with my life out of mere curiosity," Qi Nandou huffed. He had long noticed Hou Tianzhao's fascination with the shadowy cave and was therefore not eager to depart.

Knowing Hou Tianzhao as he did, Qi Nandou was aware that in the face of life-threatening danger, Hou Tianzhao would unhesitatingly sacrifice everyone around him.

...

"The Crucible of Evil!"

Prompted by the young man from the Devil Palace, Yu Yuan reassessed the seabed cavern, now viewing it through the lens of the Crucible of Evil.

He scanned the area, looking overhead and all around, until realization dawned on him.

This so-called seabed cavern was actually shaped like the overturned Crucible of Evil, with its mouth facing outward.

The mouth, the very entrance to the deep cave he had entered, resembled the gaping maw of a gigantic alien beast.

Above the Crucible of Evil, the body of the cauldron was fused with the island's subterranean rock. In essence, the thick rock encased the Crucible of Evil, obscuring its body from view.

The same rocky layer lined the interior, making it initially indistinguishable to him that the very ground he stood upon was the revered treasure of the Terror Claws.

As the Abyssal Leviathan had explained, the cultivators from the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep had once attempted to meld the Bane concealed within the Crucible of Evil with the Tears of the Azurefiend. They aimed to see if they could purify it into unadulterated Soul Power using the transformative powers of the Soul Altar.

The Star-Spawned Terror could utilize the Blood Altar to swiftly restore its depleted Soul Power.

The high-ranking cultivators of the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep had covertly constructed a Blood Altar at the ocean's depths and had relocated the Crucible of Evil here. It was highly probable that their intent was to use the Blood Altar to distill pure Soul Power, enabling the powerhouses of both the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep to rapidly advance their cultivation and replenish their expended energy.

If the Blood Altar could harness an immense amount of vital energy, the evilkind would be overjoyed.

The evilkind place significant emphasis on the forging and strengthening of their physiques. Abundant vital energy is the finest Spirit Elixir for them.

The majority of cultivators in the Devil Palace are human. After forming their Lunar Spirit, they increasingly concentrate on soul refinement, reinvigorating the powerful three souls of heaven, earth, and man.

Should the Soul Altar manage to extract pure Soul Power, it would undoubtedly serve as a sumptuous feast for the dark adepts, a veritable Gluttony.

Following this line of reasoning, the Otherkin corpses found in this island's cave were likely brought in later to be offered to the Blood Altar.

I recall that the fall of the Terror Claws came from internal strife, not an extraterrestrial racial conflict.

The primary function of the Crucible of Evil was to gather evil spirits and gradually transmute them into Bane, not to collect the numerous Otherkin or their flesh and bone remains.

"Now I understand." Yu Yuan slightly curled his lips, grasping the full picture. He then turned to the Devil Palace youth with a smile, "Thanks for the information. My visit here is specifically to seek the Crucible of Evil."

"You intend to take the Crucible of Evil?" The Devil Palace youth burst into laughter. "Are you dreaming? Despite its damage, it was once a Divine Artifact! Do you even comprehend what a Divine Artifact is? You think you can just waltz off with the Crucible of Evil? Perhaps the Tears of the Azurefiend have addled your brain."

"I am the heir to the Terror Claws." Yu Yuan said with a smile.

"The Terror Claws sect is no more; it has ceased to exist. Even if you practice the Terror Claws' dark arts, you cannot claim to be their heir!" The youth scoffed, giving Yu Yuan a thorough once-over before adding, "Merely obtaining and practicing the dark arts for a short time doesn't entitle you to the Crucible of Evil."

He had noticed earlier that Yu Yuan deliberately displayed his aura, revealing the extraordinary aspects of his Evil Body Refining technique.

"I have no need for the extraneous contents of the cauldron, including the Otherkin corpses," Yu Yuan inhaled deeply, stating firmly, "I only want the Crucible of Evil! Moreover, I intend to take it with me in short order!"

"Go ahead! Try all you want, I won't stand in your way." The youth struck a pose that suggested he was giving Yu Yuan free rein, then he backed away toward the mouth of the cave.

"Fine!"

Without further ado, Yu Yuan activated the Evil Body Refining technique, setting the mysterious dark arts in motion. His body became a magnet, drawing in the chaotic spiritual energy concealed within the Crucible of Evil.

"Huff! Huff! Huff!"

Thin streams of smoke and flowing energy streaked in from all around the cave.

Even specks of unidentified light were drawn to Yu Yuan.

In that instant, Yu Yuan felt like a massive magnet, his lower elixir field acting as a high-speed vortex of magical power, pulling in and engulfing any force that could be absorbed.

Unlike the Nine Glories Wheel, the Evil Body Refining technique required no cleansing or purification. It greedily devoured the jumbled, wild, and even conflicting spiritual energy and strange power, like a whale gulping water, taking it all in at once.

The distinction between the dark arts and spells was significant.

"Pop!"

Tiny flickers of light struck Yu Yuan's body, penetrating his flesh and clinging to his bones and viscera.

Some of the spiritual energy, laced with corrosive toxins, seeped into his skin, causing a searing pain and unspeakable discomfort.

Sharp, knife-like beams of light were instantly pulled into the little world of the Golden Sanctum. Inside, after being processed by the Nine Glories Wheel, only a trace of purified spiritual energy settled into the lower realm.

"The impurities within the spiritual energy are detrimental to the little world of the Golden Sanctum. The majority of toxins and extraterrestrial evil forces have merged into my flesh and bones."

Yu Yuan, practicing the Evil Body Refining technique and attempting to provoke a reaction from the Crucible of Evil, focused intently on discerning the subtle shifts.

The Devil Palace youth watched him, his face etched with astonishment, "An eighth-level Golden Sanctum practitioner!"

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