C446 Who Is Real and Who Is Fake

The Soul Voice emanated from the Crucible of Evil.

As Yu Yuan soared through the sea, his form abruptly became rigid, his mind experiencing a profound shift.

"Hei Xun!"

He had learned from Fei Yi, Yan Lu, and others that the guardian of the Devil Palace was none other than Lord Hei Xun.

And the Shadow's Keep? It was guarded by an eighth-level crow.

Hei Xun, a dark adept of the Solar Spirit realm, was expected to be locked in endless battle with the Soul Altar upon the waves.

So why was his Soul Voice issuing from the Crucible of Evil?

Yu Yuan was deeply shaken, yet he refrained from responding immediately, instead taking time to carefully consider the implications.

The Crucible of Evil was likely the dark adept who had secretly brought it to an island in the Embers Sea. As its guardian, Hei Xun would certainly be aware of the Crucible of Evil, the Abyssal Leviathan, and the Tears of the Azurefiend.

With this in mind, what was Hei Xun's intention in sending his Soul Voice through the Crucible of Evil? Was he attempting to claim it?

This cultivator, possessing the cultivation of a Solar Spirit and serving as the Guardian of the Devil Palace in the Embers Sea, where could his real body be? By what means, and through which mystique, did he manage to project his Soul Voice into the Crucible of Evil?

Yu Yuan mulled over these questions, yet he did not immediately send a response.

"I can sense that the Crucible of Evil has been refined, not seized by the Tears of the Azurefiend, nor controlled by the Abyssal Leviathan," Hei Xun said, his impatience growing as he received no reply. "You are not Mo Yan! If it were Mo Yan, he would have responded the instant he heard my Soul Voice!"

"You must be another participant in the trial!"

"I need you to understand that the situation in the Embers Sea is tumultuous, and I find myself restrained. I need to know who you are, and I need you to use the Crucible of Evil to act on my behalf, for the sake of us all!"

The urgency in Hei Xun's voice, transmitted through the glyph, was palpable.

After a moment of contemplation, Yu Yuan's consciousness slipped into the Profound Gate within his middle elixir field, "I am Yu Yuan."

"It's you!"

Hei Xun's remnant soul surged with excitement. "You're the one who refined the Crucible of Evil? Are you still at the bottom of the sea? Have you encountered anyone else? What's the situation down there? Yu Yuan! I need you to tell me the truth!"

"The Abyssal Leviathan has also escaped its bonds. And yes, I'm still at the sea's depths. The only survivors not eradicated by the Blood Altar are the Fallen Star Eyes, the Ethereal Vial, and the Nebula Gem. These artifacts are attempting to penetrate the Azure Veil beneath the sea, break free from the Embers Sea, and escape to relay the dire events unfolding here," Yu Yuan replied.

Hei Xun listened intently, not uttering a single word, meticulously analyzing every thought.

"How did the Abyssal Leviathan get out?" he finally asked.

"By chance, I stumbled upon a sunken ship. Exploring it, I found an oddly shaped rudder at the stern. Somehow, I ended up inside. I must confess, the Abyssal Leviathan's liberation was with my assistance," Yu Yuan clarified. "The Tears of the Azurefiend is the Blood Altar, split in two, wreaking havoc above and below the sea, as the Abyssal Leviathan itself revealed to me."

"Furthermore, it was under its guidance that I located the Crucible of Evil."

"Inside the Crucible, aside from the Abyssal Leviathan, there was a youth from the Devil Palace. If I'm not mistaken, you referred to him as Mo Yan. By the time I entered the crucible, Mo Yan had already departed."

"Now, I'm closing in on the Abyssal Leviathan, which should be with the others. It aims to use either the Fallen Star Eyes or the Ethereal Vial to shatter the Azure Veil and escape the Embers Sea."

"…"

Yu Yuan went on to provide a detailed account of the current circumstances and the events that had transpired.

Hei Xun's Soul Voice remained silent for a long stretch.

"You actually trust it..."

After a considerable pause, Hei Xun's Soul Voice finally resonated again, "It has been confined by the ancient evilkind for eons. Its loathing for the evilkind of the Everlands is deeper than you can fathom. The Azure Veil wasn't created to prevent trial-takers like you from escaping; it serves as a secondary constraint on it!"

Yu Yuan was thunderstruck. "Are you telling me that the Abyssal Leviathan has been deceiving me?!"

"The thirty-six totem-poles of the evilkind were meant to keep it in check, but due to your actions, that balance has been disrupted. It was bound to break free eventually," Hei Xun's Soul Voice seemed to sigh. "It aimed to entice you into taking control of the Crucible of Evil, but its true intention was to seize it for itself."

Yu Yuan's face fell once more.

"Your prolonged presence inside the Crucible of Evil, and the commotion you caused, must have drawn the Blood Altar's notice. It grew impatient and had no choice but to depart," Hei Xun continued his analysis. "Otherwise, it wouldn't have waited for you to assimilate the Crucible of Evil; it would have acted on its own."

"Its presence beneath the Embers Sea means it can't unleash even a third of its ferocity."

"Under the sea, it's unable to shatter the Crucible of Evil's barrier. It's no match for the Blood Altar and cannot break through the Azure Veil."

"Once it escapes the Embers Sea and surfaces, the power it has lost will return at an inconceivable rate. Free from the sea, even the combined might of the Blood Altar and Soul Altar, forming the Tears of the Azurefiend, may not be enough to contain it. It could even overpower them."

"The greatest threat at the bottom of the Embers Sea isn't the Tears of the Azurefiend or the Crucible of Evil—it's the Abyssal Leviathan itself!"

"The Crucible of Evil and the Blood Altar were placed here specifically to suppress and constrain it!"

As Hei Xun from the Devil Palace spoke of the Abyssal Leviathan, his fear was nearly palpable, seeping through the glyphs.

"What?!"

Yu Yuan was finally thrown into a frenzy, unable to maintain his composure. He began to shout underwater, not through his consciousness or spirit, and inadvertently swallowed water.

He had never imagined that the Abyssal Leviathan was the most dreadful and enigmatic entity in the Embers Sea! The Tears of the Azurefiend and the Crucible of Evil were initially intended to quell its might.

Beneath the sea, it couldn't exert even a fraction of its true strength.

But once it breaks free, once it ascends from the depths of the Embers Sea, it will swiftly reclaim its lost power, and not even the Tears of the Azurefiend could restrain it.

The direst outcome would be its emergence from the sea to seize the Tears of the Azurefiend, transforming the Blood Altar into a lotus platform to support its massive form. Should that occur, it will inevitably invade the Land of Quiescence, the realm of evilkind. Utilizing evilkind to cleanse its flesh and blood and amass power, it will ultimately shatter the starry sky's barrier and return to the extraterrestrial realm.

Hei Xun's Soul Voice conveyed this possibility with palpable urgency.

Deep beneath the sea, Yu Yuan inhaled sharply and said, "So, at the bottom of the Embers Sea, it's limited to just 30% of its power. That should make it more manageable, right?"

"You lack the strength to confront it. Keep your distance and don't approach it!" Hei Xun's Soul Voice warned sternly.

"I want to give it a try!" Yu Yuan said with a defiant smile.

"It will wrest the Crucible of Evil from you! With the Crucible of Evil in its possession, it could break through the Azure Veil without any assistance!" Hei Xun's anxiety was evident.

He surmised that Hei Xun was considering using the Fallen Star Eyes or the Ethereal Vial to penetrate the Azure Veil.

Hence, the Abyssal Leviathan remained relatively docile, not yet showing its ferocious nature.

Should the Abyssal Leviathan acquire the Crucible of Evil and refine it independently, it would confidently break free from its bonds and bask in daylight once more, likely unleashing a reign of terror without delay.

Its onslaught could prove even more ruthless and ferocious than the Blood Altar or the blue specter.

"I want to see if it has the strength to take the Crucible of Evil from me!"

Yu Yuan scoffed, emboldened by the sword sheath in his grasp. If he exerted his full might, channeling the sword light and sword's will concealed within his arm bone with maximum force, the Abyssal Leviathan might stand no chance.

Armed with the sword sheath, and with the sword spirit and sword light within him, he had reason for his boldness.

Unaware of this, Hei Xun mistook his determination for recklessness and foolishness, and continued to plead with him to reconsider.

"Thank you for the information, Lord Hei Xun, but I can't take your word as the absolute truth," Yu Yuan mused. The Abyssal Leviathan had one story, Hei Xun another; who could say if Hei Xun was being honest? "I'll verify the facts myself. True or false, I'll find my own answers."

"How dare you doubt my words!" Hei Xun erupted in anger. "Who is this upstart? Do you realize that by merely contacting the Abyssal Leviathan, you risk losing the Crucible of Evil? Had I known you were this obtuse, I wouldn't have wasted my time revealing so much to you!"

"Whether you had spoken or not, I would have sought it out. But now, I'll proceed with extra caution," Yu Yuan replied.

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