C442 Profound Break!
"What are you guys up to?"
The Devil Palace youth emerged from the Evil Cauldron, distancing himself from the Chaos Roc, and eyed Hou Tianzhao and Chi Nandou. "Interested in the Evil Cauldron, are you?"
"Evil Cauldron..."
Hou Tianzhao, gazing at the massive cauldron now bared by the falling rocks, shook his head. "I thought too much of it. I mistook it for something else. If it's merely the Evil Cauldron, then let it be."
Chi Nandou, who was manipulating the glass bottle, settled down once his curiosity was quenched.
"There's nothing worth seeing inside."
The Devil Palace youth huffed dismissively, gesturing for Chi Nandou to release the glass bottle. He swiftly dove in and, through the seawater, gestured to Fei Yi, Lin Yue, Chi Yin, and the others. His lips barely moved as he called out, "If you don't want to perish, come to me."
Neither the sea nor the Fallen Star Eyes could muffle his voice.
Even Lu Baichan of the Profound Sky Sect and Tang Cann of the Primordial Yang Sect heard him loud and clear.
Lin Yue of the Blood God Cult and Chi Yin of the Filthy Spirit Sect exchanged glances.
With an unspoken agreement, they both bowed in gratitude to Lau Ying and then led the remnants of their sects away from the Fallen Star Eyes.
"We should head over as well."
Fei Yi, the original leader of the Devil Palace, had been acting oddly since the youth appeared. He was quick to act on the youth's command.
"Senior Brother Fei?"
Wu Pei, Yan Lu, and the others were confused.
"Don't ask questions. Just follow me."
With that, Fei Yi departed alongside Lin Yue and Chi Yin.
As the situation unfolded, Yan Lu and the rest, despite their reluctance and confusion, had no choice but to follow.
"My apologies," Yan Lu said with a regretful smile to Lau Ying, "I have no other choice. We are bound by our sect, and Senior Brother Fei leads us."
"Off you go," Lau Ying said, waving them off, eager for them to leave.
In an instant, the disciples of the Blood God Cult, Filthy Spirit Sect, and Devil Palace heeded the call of the youth from the Evil Cauldron, leaving the Fallen Star Eyes behind and entering the glass bottle.
Together with the Red Devil Sect and the members of the Fiend Sect, all the survivors from the Quietus Continent had united as one force.
Lin Yue, Hou Tianzhao, and others appeared to be well aware of the Devil Palace youth's reputation, and with a silent agreement, they converged around him.
"Thank you, Junior Brother."
Upon his arrival, Fei Yi respectfully bowed with clasped hands before the Devil Palace youth.
Referring to him as "Junior Brother" indicated that the youth had joined the sect after Fei Yi. Although Fei Yi's cultivation level was higher, traditionally, it would be the youth's place to pay respects to him. Yet, the situation was quite the reverse.
The youth seemed nonchalant, giving Fei Yi a lazy glance before turning his attention to Yan Lu, Sheh Si, and the others trailing behind. "You're fortunate to have made it out alive."
"Thank you, Junior Brother. Shouldn't you be in seclusion at the sect?" Fei Yi inquired with curiosity. "What brings you to the ocean floor of the Ember Waters?"
"I haven't been in seclusion at the sect; I've been here, in the Ember Waters, all along," the Devil Palace youth retorted with a huff, swiftly changing the subject. "This Yu Yuan who entered the Evil Cauldron—what's his story?"
"He hails from the Devil Moon Empire, specifically from Darkmoon City..." Yan Lu began to explain.
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 Evil Cauldron continued to tremble intensely, its dark surface etched with Demonic Marks that seemed to stir to life.
Atop the cauldron's mouth, the Fallen Star Eyes, the glass bottle, and the Rosy Jenny, many onlookers remained, each harboring their own thoughts about the Evil Cauldron and the Tears of Blue Devil.
After hearing Yan Lu's account of Yu Yuan's background, the youth from the cauldron fell into deep thought. Abruptly, he declared, "Let's talk outside."
"What?" Yan Lu exclaimed, taken aback.
Disregarding him, the youth turned to Chi Nandou and commanded with a tone of aged wisdom, "You have the glass bottle, and you have that item. Surely you're not worried about breaking through the Deep Blue Veil! With Yu Yuan inside the Evil Cauldron, it's only a matter of time before he draws the Tears of Blue Devil's notice. I have no intention of perishing alongside him."
"Oh," Chi Nandou acknowledged with a nod.
Without seeking Hou Tianzhao's consent this time, he took command of the glass bottle on his own initiative. Carrying the remnants of the Devil Palace, Red Devil Sect, Fiend Sect, Filthy Spirit Sect, and Blood God Cult, the bottle abruptly departed from the vicinity of the Evil Cauldron.
Yan Lu, despite his numerous thoughts and dissatisfaction, was powerless to intervene.
"What do we do now?"
Eyes turned to Lu Baichan, among the many from the Primordial Yang Sect and the Profound Sky Sect gathered within the Rosy Jenny. Lu Baichan, who had been attentively listening to the Demon Palace youth, watched as Chi Nandou, following the youth's directive, piloted the glass bottle away. After a brief hesitation, she decisively said, "Let's go!"
The Rosy Jenny shimmered with light, trailing the glass bottle swiftly into the distance.
In an instant, only the Fallen Star Eyes, Lau Ying, and a few from the Sword Sect, Ancient Desolate Sect, and Su Yan remained.
The situation was shifting rapidly.
"What should we do?" A young member of the Ancient Desolate Sect asked Du Huang, his voice tinged with worry.
"Don't rush; let's wait a bit longer," Du Huang reassured him.
Lau Ying, composed, swept a glance over the group. "Any of you may leave whenever you choose."
Silence followed; no one spoke up.
...
Inside the cauldron, Yu Yuan, having advanced through the Profound Gate, didn't pause but continued to temper his flesh with the Evil Body Refining Skill. The eight secret meridians within his middle dantian were revealed.
These eight extraordinary meridians, one end connected to the profound door of the middle dantian and the other to the five viscera and six bowels, were crucial in the early stages of the Profound Break Stage. This stage required the cultivator to channel the rich life force of Qi and blood through the middle dantian's profound door, extending into the eight extraordinary meridians, and infusing it into the deepest and most intricate parts of the internal organs.
Strengthening the vitality of the internal organs could significantly extend a cultivator's lifespan!
Furthermore, the eight extraordinary meridians could channel the vast essence of Qi and blood into the bone membranes, initiating a profound transformation of the physical body.
As the internal organs erupted with power like volcanoes and the bones became as durable as forged steel, the sinews grew resilient and strong. This newfound strength would enable the cultivator to perform feats of incredible power, as if they could move mountains and split the earth with their bare hands.
The practitioners of the Ancient Desolate Sect, along with the formidable members of the Demon Clan, placed a significant emphasis on physical conditioning and endurance.
The Evil Sect, a faction within the Demonic Cultivators, was particularly obsessed with physical prowess at the Profound Break Stage.
The "Evil Body Refining Skill" was acknowledged by all the major sects across the Boundless Land as one of the most potent Devil Spells during the Spirit Accumulating and Profound Break Stages.
"Chi!" A bizarre, oily green light burst forth from a Demonic Mark on the Evil Cauldron, piercing straight into Yu Yuan's chest.
Amidst the excruciating pain, Yu Yuan sensed that the oily green light didn't merge with the profound gate of his middle dantian. Instead, after tearing through his skin and flesh, the light split into eight and surged into his eight extraordinary meridians.
His meridians, once clogged like channels blocked by innumerable pebbles, now throbbed painfully, making his scalp tingle.
The oily green light, brimming with a domineering force and intermingled with other energies, relentlessly carved its way through.
Yu Yuan scrutinized the Demonic Mark from which the light had emerged, resembling a demon cackling wickedly.
"With the middle dantian open, following the Profound Break Stage, more of this strange light seems to originate from the Evil Cauldron itself!" Yu Yuan had an epiphany. "It's not merely the scattered bones of the alien race or the power binding the rocks and the cauldron's walls. It's the Evil Cauldron! There's an unknown force concealed within the multitude of Demonic Marks on its body."
Amidst his howls, the eight extraordinary meridians threading through his organs and sinews were rapidly cleared, at a rate that defied his belief.
This speed dwarfed his efforts during the Pulse Opening Stage, where he had repeatedly struck his meridians with his own strength and the "Glorious Heavenly Wheel."
The remarkable efficiency was due to the "Evil Body Refining Skill," and his presence within the Evil Cauldron.
He now realized that his cultivation of the Evil Body Refining Skill for physical refinement in the Spirit Accumulating and Profound Break Stages was far superior to that of the "Glorious Heavenly Wheel."
What felt like an eternity, yet might have only been a matter of hours, resulted in his eight extraordinary meridians becoming completely unobstructed.
He ceased his cultivation practice and abruptly opened his eyes.
Before him lay the remains of the alien race and the massive crocodile, their flesh and bones now reduced to nothing more than bone dust and ashes.
