C463 Devouring Spirit!!

Within the Fallen Star Eyes, gazes from all around were fixed on Yu Yuan through the glass bottle.

The crowd was eager to find out whether he had successfully refined the Evil Cauldron or if there was another twist to the tale.

Chi Nandou had no interest in restraining Lim Zhuyun, who sat desolate and alone in a corner, her face a portrait of helplessness.

Yan Lu of the Devil Palace found the sight unbearable. Standing beside her, he pondered, 'Had the Lim family heeded the old lady's advice and consented to her marriage with Yu Yuan, what might have been?'

And if she herself had not resisted deep down, had chosen to treat Yu Yuan and his family with kindness, what then?

The high regard in which Lin Yue, Hou Tianzhao, Chi Nandou, and even the enigmatic Mo Yan held Yu Yuan in the Ember Waters spoke volumes of the Darkmoon City native's exceptional nature.

Yet, it was the Lim family's misdeeds, and Lim Zhuyun's lack of discernment, that had led to today's grim outcome.

"Sigh."

Yan Lu exhaled softly, his thoughts heavy with regret.

"I don't need your pity," Lim Zhuyun snapped, her eyes dull and her face devoid of any trace of vitality. "Everyone is going to die, including you. What's the point in pitying others?"

Taken aback, Yan Lu shook his head and replied, "Perhaps there's still a chance to live."

"Live?"

With a sorrowful laugh that bore the weight of despair and oddity, Lim Zhuyun said, "Everyone present is doomed. Perhaps it's better to be dead..."

Her head bowed, she radiated an aura of death, as if she had relinquished all ties to life.

Yan Lu, finding her behavior bizarre, decided to pay her no further attention.

Mo Yan's eyes gleamed as he called out, "Yu Yuan!"

Atop the Fallen Star Eyes, Yu Yuan, who had been meditating with closed eyes, abruptly opened them.

Chi Nandou and Lau Ying, utilizing the glass bottle and the Fallen Star Eyes, had sensed the imminent arrival of the Blood Sacrificial Altar with uncanny precision, sending a shiver through their souls.

In the cage woven by sword light, the Chaos Roc, drenched in blood and its scales flying like sharp blades, fought desperately to shatter its bonds.

His malevolent howls and venomous curses aimed at Yu Yuan grew increasingly intense.

The evil spirit, trapped by the Bone Devouring Shuttle, surged forward once more, colliding with the myriad of white bone spears in the sky, causing numerous sea crystals to shatter explosively.

"Phew!"

The Evil Cauldron, having only recently settled into the dantian, was propelled outward again as Yu Yuan's eyes snapped open.

"Release the star energy barrier's confinement!" Yu Yuan commanded.

Lau Ying, bewildered, asked, "What?"

The Evil Cauldron began to ascend slowly, making its way toward the star energy barrier, poised to break free and burst forth.

"Let it out!" Yu Yuan insisted.

"Oh, alright." Lau Ying's palms flickered with starlight as she mentally shifted the formation, weaving a new array with ease.

A section of the dense star energy barrier thinned abruptly, forming an opening as if by its own volition.

The Evil Cauldron, unsteady, drifted through this 'star gate' and accelerated rapidly through the water, heading straight for the evil spirit born from the death of the Devaputras.

The evil spirit, once desperate to merge with the Evil Cauldron and enter the Fallen Star Eyes, was now frantically trying to break free from the Bone Devouring Shuttle's grasp.

Onlookers were left agape and perplexed.

Hadn't it been determined to fuse with the Evil Cauldron and enter it just moments ago?

Why was it now so desperate to flee following the voluntary departure of the Evil Cauldron?

"Chi Nandou!" Yu Yuan bellowed, fixing his gaze on the effeminate man from the Fiend Sect through the water. "I'd be grateful if you'd use the Bone Devouring Shuttle to help me contain that evil spirit!"

"How should I proceed?" Chi Nandou, seeking guidance, turned to Mo Yan. "Something feels off. Should we keep heeding his commands?"

"Down here in the sea, he's human, just like us," Mo Yan stated gravely.

With newfound understanding, Chi Nandou settled into the glass bottle. His mind shifted, and streams of brilliant light burst forth from within.

The beams infused the white bone spears, which had originated from the Bone Devouring Shuttle, with a sinister and potent energy. They became even more piercing and formidable, now imbued with a malevolent force that could incite the souls of the dead into a frenzy.

"Awoo! Awoo! Awoo!"

The shrill screech erupted from the gleaming bone spears.

A multitude of radiant beams and the force of vital blood suddenly enveloped the evil spirit.

The spirit, having harnessed the sea's power, morphed into a figure familiar to all.

It bore a striking resemblance to Luo Yiyi of the Cloud Water Sect, conjured from the sea's might, its form still indistinct and not fully realized.

"Luo Yiyi is adept with the Cloud Water Sect's Spiritual Spell, capable of summoning the sea's strength," Kong Banbi noted with surprise, recognizing the signs. "Yet, this is not Luo Yiyi. It remains an evil spirit, a manifestation of the Devaputra's illusions."

"Regardless of its true nature, this ends now," declared Yu Yuan.

No sooner had he spoken than the Evil Cauldron surfaced from the sea above the transformed spirit's head. The enigmatic Demonic Marks that adorned the cauldron began to writhe as if coming to life.

Before the eyes of the onlookers, the cauldron swelled rapidly.

Within mere moments, it grew mountainous, a colossal black cauldron now looming before them.

The Evil Cauldron, having caused islands to fracture and the seabed to quake, revealed its primal form. The animated Demonic Marks emitted a soul-capturing glow, hinting at boundless profundities.

Those of lesser strength felt a wave of dizziness wash over them at the sight of the massive cauldron.

Brave souls who, like Lin Yue, dared to unleash their vital energy to probe the cauldron's essence, were met with a violent backlash. They vomited blood and collapsed, the light in their eyes fading to darkness.

"You think you can wield the Blood God Cult's Spiritual Spell to commune with it?" Mo Yan sneered, eyeing Lin Yue, who lay on the ground, visibly shaken, "Did it nearly drain all the refined blood and Qi from your body?"

Lin Yue let out a contemptuous snort, dismissing Mo Yan's mockery. He glanced at Yu Yuan through the glass bottle and the light of the Fallen Star Eyes, giving a subtle nod of gratitude. In his heart, he silently thanked Yu Yuan.

Just moments before, as he attempted to link the Evil Cauldron to the Fallen Star Eyes using the Blood God Cult's forbidden art and his own blood, the world seemed to spin, and he felt his lifeblood threatening to surge into the cauldron.

He narrowly escaped death when the Evil Cauldron nearly swallowed him whole and drained every drop of his blood.

In that critical moment, he caught a whiff of Yu Yuan's presence and latched onto his thoughts. It was as though Yu Yuan's will sent ripples through the cauldron, halting its next move.

That's how he managed to stay alive.

It was then that Lin Yue first recognized the truth: the Evil Cauldron, once a divine artifact, had genuinely accepted Yu Yuan as its master. Having been refined by Yu Yuan, it now heeded his commands.

With a whoosh, the evil spirit, besieged by the Bone Devouring Shuttle and born from the death of a Devaputra, was violently drawn into the Evil Cauldron.

The spirit, assuming the form of Luo Yiyi, appeared to struggle in a frenzy of terror.

Yet, it stood no chance against the overwhelming demonic power of the Evil Cauldron and was ultimately silenced within, leaving no trace of its existence.

Having consumed the evil spirit, the Evil Cauldron spun silently in the water, seemingly refining it instantly to erase any vestige of its rebellious will.

Amidst this, the blood sacrifice altar, a source of destruction beneath the waves, emerged as a blue shadow. It appeared to move slowly, yet its approach was incredibly swift.

"The blood sacrifice altar!"

"It has finally arrived!"

People exclaimed in terror, their eyes fixed on the devouring blue shadow.

Many of their fellow sect members and the elders who had led them into the Ember Waters had fallen prey to the shadow, becoming sustenance for the altar.

The true form of the blood sacrifice altar, however, remained shrouded in the blue shadow, not yet fully disclosed.

"Let's hope it chooses the Chaos Roc first, not us," they prayed.

At this point, Mo Yan could only resign himself to fate, trusting in Yu Yuan's judgment.

"Return!"

With a mere thought from Yu Yuan, the Evil Cauldron, having ingested the evil spirit, rapidly contracted and flew back to him.

The sword lights that had long restrained the Chaos Roc, still brimming with energy, transformed into brilliant streaks of lightning and reversed course, soaring back into the sword sheath he held aloft.

​