C442 Veil Breaking!

"What are you all up to?"

The young man from Devil Palace emerged from the Abyssal Leviathan and eyed Hou Tianzhao and Qi Nandou. "Oh? Does the Crucible of Evil pique your interest?"

"Crucible of Evil..."

Gazing at the massive cauldron now exposed as the rocks fell away, Hou Tianzhao shook his head. "I thought too much; I mistook it for something else. If it's just the Crucible of Evil, then never mind."

Qi Nandou, manipulating the Ethereal Vial, also settled down once his curiosity was quenched.

"There's nothing worth seeing inside."

The Devil Palace youth snorted lightly, gesturing for Qi Nandou to release the Ethereal Vial. He swiftly dove in and, through the water, gestured to Fei Yi, Lin Yue, Chi Yin, and the others. His lips barely moved as he said, "Come over if you don't want to die."

Neither the water nor the Fallen Star Eyes could muffle his voice.

Lu Baichan from Ebon Star and Tang Cen from Sunlit Order also heard him loud and clear.

Lin Yue of Colddeath Sect and Chi Yin of Taintborn Sect exchanged glances.

With an understanding nod, they both bowed slightly to Liu Ying in thanks, then led the sect's survivors away from the Fallen Star Eyes.

"We should go as well."

Fei Yi, the original leader of Devil Palace, had been acting off since the young man appeared. As soon as the young man spoke, Fei Yi was quick to act.

"Brother Fei?"

Wu Pei, Yan Lu, and the others were confused.

"Don't ask questions; just follow me."

Leaving them with those words, Fei Yi swiftly departed with Lin Yue and Chi Yin from the Fallen Star Eyes.

Yan Lu and the rest, though reluctant and filled with questions, had no choice but to follow.

"Sorry about this." Yan Lu gave Liu Ying an apologetic smile. "I have no choice; I'm a sect disciple, and Brother Fei is our leader."

"Off you go." Liu Ying waved them off, eager for them to leave.

In an instant, the trial-takers from Colddeath, Taintborn, and Devil Palace, heeding the words of the youth from the Crucible of Evil, had all departed from the Fallen Star Eyes and entered the Ethereal Vial.

The survivors from the Ruby Hand and the Skyblight Cult, along with all the remaining inhabitants of the Land of Quiescence, had united as one force. Lin Yue, Hou Tianzhao, and others appeared to be well aware of the Devil Palace youth's reputation and had instinctively gathered around him.

"Thank you, Junior Brother."

Upon his arrival, Fei Yi respectfully bowed with clasped hands before the young man from the Devil Palace. By addressing him as "Junior Brother," it was clear that the youth had joined the sect more recently than Fei Yi. Given that Fei Yi's level was higher, it would typically be the youth's role to pay respects to him. Yet, the situation was quite the opposite.

The youth seemed unconcerned, giving Fei Yi a languid glance before turning his attention to Yan Lu, Shi Si, and the rest trailing behind. "You're fortunate to have made it out alive."

"Junior Brother, shouldn't you be in seclusion at the sect?" Fei Yi inquired with curiosity. "What brings you to the bottom of the Embers Sea?"

"I haven't been in seclusion at the sect; I've been here, at the bottom of the Embers Sea, all this time," the Devil Palace youth retorted with a huff, swiftly changing the subject. "That individual who entered the Crucible of Evil, Yu Yuan, what's his story?"

"He hails from the Shadowlight Empire, specifically from Asvetaesi," Yan Lu explained.

The youth listened intently, nodding frequently and even pressing Yan Lu for more details about Yu Yuan's previous life and his actions in the Domain of the Falling Stars. Meanwhile, the Crucible of Evil continued to tremble intensely, its dark surface etched with glyphs that seemed to stir to life.

Many onlookers remained fixated on the Crucible of Evil, the Fallen Star Eyes, the Ethereal Vial, and the Nebula Gem, each harboring their own agendas.

After hearing about Yu Yuan's origins from Yan Lu, the youth from the Devil Palace paused to reflect before abruptly suggesting, "Let's discuss this outside."

"What?" exclaimed Yan Lu, taken aback.

Disregarding him, the youth turned to Qi Nandou and instructed in a tone beyond his years, "You have the Ethereal Vial, and you have that item. Surely you're not worried about breaking through the Azure Veil! With Yu Yuan inside the Crucible of Evil, it's only a matter of time before he draws the Tears of the Azurefiend's attention. I have no intention of perishing alongside him."

"Oh," Qi Nandou nodded.

This time, he didn't seek Hou Tianzhao's consent and immediately set the Ethereal Vial into motion. Carrying the remnants of the Devil Palace, Ruby Hand, Skyblight Cult, Taintborn, and Colddeath, the Ethereal Vial abruptly departed from the vicinity of the Crucible of Evil. Yan Lu, despite his many thoughts and dissatisfaction, was powerless to intervene.

"What do we do now?"

Within the Nebula Gem, numerous members of the Ebon Star and Sunlit Order turned their gaze towards Lu Baichan. Lu Baichan had been attentively listening to the young man from the Devil Palace. Upon witnessing Qi Nandou maneuver the Ethereal Vial away at the youth's behest, she briefly hesitated before decisively instructing, "Let's go!" The Nebula Gem shimmered with a burst of light, swiftly trailing behind the Ethereal Vial.

In an instant, only the Fallen Star Eyes remained, along with Liu Ying and a few individuals from the Forgeroses, Sword Sect, and Su Yan. The dynamics of the situation had shifted dramatically.

"What should we do?"

A young boy from the Forgeroses, his face etched with gloom, quietly sought guidance from Du Huang. "Don't rush; let's wait a bit longer," Du Huang reassured.

Liu Ying, maintaining her composure, glanced over the group and said, "Any of you can leave whenever you wish." Yet, no one responded.

...

Inside the cauldron.

Yu Yuan, having advanced into the Veil Breaking realm by opening the acupoints of the Profound Gate, did not pause in his progress. He continued to refine his corporeal body using the psionic power radiating from all around, employing the Evil Body Refining technique. The middle elixir field opened up, revealing eight hidden meridians.

These eight extra-channels, one end connected to the middle elixir field and the other to the internal organs, were now visible. The early stages of Veil Breaking cultivation shared a mysterious similarity with the cultivation of the Spirit Channel Stage. The Veil Breaking stage required the cultivator to channel the vitality stored in the middle elixir field through the eight extra-channels, infusing this robust life force into the deepest and most delicate parts of the organs. A cultivator's internal organs, imbued with such vitality, could achieve a significant breakthrough in longevity.

The eight extra-channels could infuse the vast essence of vitality into the bone membranes, initiating a profound transformation of the corporeal body.

The internal organs roared like erupting volcanoes, the bones were as sturdy as refined iron, and the veins were resilient and powerful. Cultivators could wield the strength to move mountains and split the earth with their mere gestures.

Both the Forgeroses cultivators and the mighty evilkind placed significant emphasis on fortifying their physical forms.

The Terror Claws, a faction of dark adepts, was also a sect that obsessively pursued physical perfection, particularly in the Veil Breaking realm.

The Evil Body Refining technique was recognized by the major sects across the Everlands as one of the most potent dark arts during both the Soul Awakening and Veil Breaking stages.

"Chi!"

An eerie, oily-green light shot out from a glyph on the Crucible of Evil and instantly penetrated Yu Yuan's chest.

Amidst excruciating pain, he realized the green light had bypassed the Profound Gate of his middle elixir field. Instead, after tearing through his flesh, it split into eight strands and entered the eight extra-channels.

The previously obstructed channels, clogged as if by countless pebbles, now throbbed painfully, making his scalp tingle.

The green light, brimming with domineering force and mixed with various energies and strange powers, continued to carve its way through.

Yu Yuan gave a closer look at the glyph from which the light had emerged; it resembled a demon laughing malevolently.

"With the middle elixir field open, more streams of psionic light seemed to emanate directly from the Crucible of Evil itself!" Yu Yuan had an epiphany. "It wasn't just the extraterrestrial bones of the Otherkin scattered about, nor merely the force binding the rocks and cauldron walls. It was the Crucible itself! The power concealed within its myriad glyphs."

The eight extra-channels, running through his organs and sinews, were being rapidly cleared at a rate that Yu Yuan found unbelievable.

This speed far surpassed his own efforts during the Spirit Channel Realm, where he had repeatedly struck his meridians with the Nine Glories Wheel.

The remarkable efficacy of the Evil Body Refining technique was evident, especially within the Crucible of Evil.

He had an epiphany that practicing the Evil Body Refining technique was far more effective than the Nine Glories Wheel for tempering his corporeal body in both the Soul Awakening and Veil Breaking realms.

It felt as though an eternity had elapsed, yet it could have been merely a few hours when his eight extra-channels suddenly cleared, allowing energy to flow freely.

He ceased his cultivation and abruptly opened his eyes to find that the corpses of the Otherkin, once strewn about, along with that of the massive crocodile, had all disintegrated into bone dust and ashes.

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