C451 Cruel Slaughter!(2)

Cultivators below the rank of Solar Spirit were numerous and relatively easier to advance, so they didn't warrant much concern.

Hence, a common adage among cultivators in both the Land of Quiescence and Euwrea was that without reaching the status of a Solar Spirit, one amounted to nothing.

"Tang Cen is a goner."

Liu Ying inhaled sharply, keeping her link with the Fallen Star Eyes intact, and turned to Yu Yuan. "What's our move? If we're not getting involved, do we just stand by? Could they possibly...?"

"Could they what?" Yu Yuan flashed a wry smile. "Come after us?"

Liu Ying nodded, her worries evident. She feared that following the deaths of Tang Cen and Lin Zhuyun, the survivors from the Land of Quiescence, led by the youth from the Devil Palace, might redirect their hostility towards the Fallen Star Eyes.

If the Abyssal Leviathan were not in the picture, she wouldn't be concerned. She was confident in her total control over the Fallen Star Eyes, which she believed to be quicker than the Ethereal Vial.

Yet, the enigmatic fish hovering in the air had managed to wrest control of the Fallen Star Eyes, and it was highly probable that this creature belonged to the evilkind from the depths. It was well-known that the evilkind and the Devil Palace were staunch allies.

"Don't fret," Yu Yuan reassured her, maintaining his composure. "Let's just wait and watch what they'll do next."

"But..."

Du Huang of the Forgeroses couldn't hold back. "Yu Yuan, Liu Ying, shouldn't we steer clear of them? The Fallen Star Eyes possess formidable offensive capabilities. If we head to a different fringe area and break through the Azure Veil, we could leave the Embers Sea by another route, right?"

His suggestion prompted nods of agreement from his Forgeroses compatriots and many from the Sword Sect.

Liu Ying considered Du Huang's proposal to be a sound strategy.

"There's no need," Yu Yuan declared.

Du Huang's face fell, and he bit back further words.

He understood their position; they were at the mercy of their hosts and lacked any real say in the matter.

The decision to stay or go rested solely with Liu Ying, who wielded control over the Fallen Star Eyes, and Yu Yuan, whose mysterious background earned him Liu Ying's trust.

"Hu!"

Amidst a maelstrom of dark fire and sinister weapons, a scarlet flag emerged, defiantly ascending through the chaos. The flag blazed within the sea, its flames colliding and casting sparks akin to Fire Crystals. Within its folds, the outline of a Mountain of Flames began to materialize.

Du Huang gasped in awe, "A heavenly-grade weapon!"

With a slash, a Devil Blade fell from the heavens, its gleam cutting through the sea as if cleaving the earth itself.

The Mountain of Flames within Tang Cen's final defense, the flag, dimmed under the Devil Blade's assault, tearing the banner asunder.

"Hahaha! Ahahaha!"

Hou Tianzhao's triumphant laughter pierced through the roar of the sea as he descended, enveloped by the fan, towards the waters where Tang Cen had been.

The sea parted as if the fan had gouged a hole through it.

The tattered pieces of the flag, sheared by the Devil Blade, scattered like embers, seemingly devoured by the fan.

The longstanding feud between the Ruby Hand and the Sunlit Order was common knowledge.

Rumors even suggested that at their inception, they were branches of the same lineage.

The fan wielded by Hou Tianzhao, channeling the dark arts, proved capable of refining and absorbing Tang Cen's heavenly-grade weapon, assimilating its fiery essence.

"Tang Cen is dead," Kong Banbi of the Sword Sect declared solemnly. "Tang Zheng of Churchsor Hill held him in the highest regard. Learning of his death, he won't rest. The rules established by those at the pinnacle might well be shattered, and those responsible for Tang Cen's demise will likely face retribution."

His concern was palpable; he feared that the peace between the Land of Quiescence and Euwrea might be jeopardized.

Had Tang Cen been merely a cultivator from Churchsor Hill, or even Tang Zheng's hand-chosen disciple, his death might not have incited such turmoil. But Tang Cen was his beloved grandson—whose affection for him wasn't widely recognized?

Could Tang Zheng truly endure this loss?

"Those responsible seem undaunted," Du Huang observed.

Kong Banbi surveyed the scene, noting Hou Tianzhao, Chi Yin, Qi Nandou, Lin Yue, and the others, all exuding confidence, utterly unconcerned by the gravity of their actions.

Let's not even get started on Mo Yan, the mastermind behind it all.

"Whoosh!"

The Bone-Devouring Shuttle sped through the sea towards Lin Zhuyun.

"No, let her live."

The one who spoke wasn't Yu Yuan, but Mo Yan, the young man from the Devil Palace. He smiled, gave Qi Nandou a nod, and said, "Capture her alive and place her in the Ethereal Vial, sparing her life."

"Why?" Qi Nandou asked, confused.

"Just do it," Mo Yan replied with a lift of his eyebrows.

Qi Nandou immediately complied, nodding vigorously, "Yes, yes." He dared not go against Mo Yan's command.

The Devil Blade, having sliced through the crimson flag, flew off and hovered behind Mo Yan.

Beneath the sea, Mo Yan surveyed his surroundings, alert for any unusual disturbances, while speaking to Yu Yuan with a radiant and earnest smile, "Yu Yuan, I'm truly delighted that you've emerged from the Crucible of Evil. Down here, it's only you and I who can truly see things for what they are."

"Get to the point," Yu Yuan said with a chuckle.

Grinning, Mo Yan continued, "On behalf of the Devil Palace, I formally invite you to join us. Since you arrived on the Silver Rainbow Shuttle, there's a connection between you and our Devil Palace. Furthermore, Hou Tianzhao and Lin Yue have both asked me to bring you with us."

From afar, Lin Yue of the Colddeath gave a subtle nod.

Hou Tianzhao, however, remained motionless, still laughing heartily.

"Just me?" Yu Yuan was taken aback, gesturing towards Liu Ying, Su Yan, Kong Banbi, and the others, "What about them? Are they included in your invitation?"

Mo Yan scratched his head, "Our paths are different, and we do not plan together. They hail from the continent of Euwrea, and our ways do not align."

"What will become of them if I go?" Yu Yuan pressed.

Mo Yan's smile persisted, though it took on a chillier edge, "Them? They'll all be killed, of course. Like Tang Cen and the others, they'll become sacrifices for the Bone-Devouring Shuttle's journey."

At these words, Su Yan, Du Huang, and the rest, including members of the Sword Sect and Forgeroses, visibly paled.

Inwardly, they were cursing Liu Ying for her intention to leave, blaming Yu Yuan's hesitation for preventing them from escaping the battlefield at the most opportune moment.

Now that Tang Cen, Lu Baichan, Luo Yiyi, and the others were dead, was it finally their turn?

"Don't bother. The people you've killed have already provided the Bone-Devouring Shuttle with enough power to pierce through the Azure Veil," Yu Yuan said with a smile. "Brother Mo, why don't you clear the path for me first?"

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