C478 Traitor
The azure light screen shattered, and the sea water turned to steam as the heavens displayed strange phenomena. The dark night sky, previously veiled by a somber curtain over the Ember Waters, suddenly blazed with stars, their brilliance piercing the gloom.
The turmoil caused by the Chaos Roc's upheaval in the sea rent the curtain asunder, revealing the true face of the small world hidden by the Aura Altar. Above, the Fallen Star Eyes floated, its internal array formations thundering, pulling in star power that multiplied in an instant.
The Python Queen, Xu Zixi, shook off her astonishment, her figure vanishing in a blink. When she reappeared, she stood atop the Fallen Star Eyes, confronting Lau Ying. "What in the world is happening beneath the sea?" she demanded.
Lau Ying, her complexion ashen and her demeanor weary, managed a bitter smile. "Aunt Xu, it's a long and complex tale, what lies beneath these waters."
Su Yan, Kong Banbi, Du Huang, and the rest, who should have been elated to see the sky again, felt their joy dampen upon realizing that the Chaos Roc's stirring below had thrown the Ember Waters into chaos, leaving them increasingly anxious.
"Huff! Huff!" Far away, countless ethereal ghosts and spirits emerged from the unknown, sweeping through the void, surging toward the sea floor.
In the midst of these dense spectral beings stood a seven-tiered pagoda, exuding an eerie presence. Powerful souls occupied its various levels, each ensconced within its own floor.
Atop the seventh tier, a man in a white robe stood with his hands clasped behind him. His robe billowed emptily, as if devoid of flesh and bone. He seemed to command the myriad ghosts, driving the pagoda and its legion of spirits toward the seabed like an army on the march.
From a great distance, Xu Zixi caught a glimpse and cried out in alarm, "The Horror Land, the White Coat Mercurial!"
Elsewhere in the sky, a cluster of iridescent clouds drifted lazily by. Nestled within was a grand peach tree, its blossoms vibrant and full.
Beneath the resplendent peach blossoms, a woman leaned against the trunk, engrossed in an ancient scroll. Slender and graceful, her attention was wholly absorbed by her reading, her true visage obscured by distance and focus.
The iridescent clouds drifted by, and as they passed the altar, shimmering like blue crystal, the woman with her back to the crowd glanced up and gave a subtle nod.
A beam of pure soul light emanated from the altar, reaching out to the peach tree nestled within the colorful clouds.
The peach blossoms burst into a radiant sparkle, their petals gleaming with the sheen of jade.
With a soft chuckle, the woman plucked a blossom, savoring its taste with evident delight.
With a contented sigh, she rode the vibrant cloud, descending into the ocean alongside the towering peach tree.
The ancient tome in her grasp was tossed aside, heavy as a mountain of gold.
The golden script, as if endowed with divine might, shone brilliantly, forming a formation before sinking deep into the sea.
"Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea, Peach Madam," Xu Zixi uttered, her voice strained, her face a portrait of distaste.
Then, a white crane glided in.
Atop it sat a white-haired man playing the flute, his music wafting through the air. Surrounded by a thick spiritual fog, he seemed lost in the melody, oblivious to the world's passage.
Xu Zixi, the Python Queen, didn't recognize the flutist, but the sight of the crane darkened her mood.
Feeling her gaze from afar, the crane returned the look.
Its eyes were void of life.
To Xu Zixi, those crane eyes were like peering into endless graves and a sea of bones and corpses.
Suddenly, she coughed up blood, yet remained unaware of her plight.
"Aunt Xu, Aunt Xu?" Lau Ying steadied her, alarmed at her sudden pallor and the blood she had coughed up, calling out in concern.
The Fallen Star Eyes, now devoid of star energy, were no longer Lau Ying's to see through. Her power was too limited to witness the distant anomalies.
Unseen by her, but clear to Xu Zixi.
"The crane marked for death by the Demon Palace, the nemesis of the Raven Lord, has appeared. And someone rides it—perhaps, the rider is not even human..."
Xu Zixi whispered to herself, collapsing to the ground, her mind a tangled mess.
How was it possible that the White Coat Mercurial, Peach Madam, the white crane, and the flute-playing man all appeared simultaneously in the Ember Waters, and precisely at this moment?
Who could have summoned them, drawing them here?
Lau Ying, Kong Banbi, Du Huang, and the rest were young cultivators from the Heavenly Source Continent, utterly unaware of the formidable figures lurking within the Quietus Continent.
Many bizarre and vicious creatures roamed alone, causing even the Demon Palace and Devil Palace to be plagued with troubles.
The White Coat Mercurial from Horror Land and the Peach Madam from the Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea were such anomalies, having fused with the small worlds of the Alien Realm, ruling their own domains with unchecked power.
The white crane was once a formidable demon of the Demon Palace. Its excessive slaughter in the Profound Sky Continent had destabilized the mortal world, leading to a near-fatal blow from the Luan Bird Queen of the Luan Bird Empire.
The Demon Palace had silently condoned the act, failing to deliver justice, which led to the crane's defection and subsequent crimes, inciting the Demon Palace's wrath and a decree for its execution.
Yet, after centuries, the crane still surfaced occasionally, very much alive.
It had since become more cautious and elusive, rarely revealing itself, and when it did, it was but a fleeting glimpse, never so brazen.
But now, it brazenly made an appearance above the Ember Waters, even allowing someone to perch atop it, playing the flute?
Xu Zixi's head spun with confusion, finding the current events bizarre and incomprehensible, clueless about what was truly unfolding in the Ember Waters.
"Phew!"
Hou Tianzhao, gripping the Fire Fan in both hands, suddenly burst forth from the sea, the first to emerge.
Even from a hundred miles away, he caught sight of Xu Zixi and waved frantically in excitement.
Following Hou Tianzhao's emergence, a stream of Evil Demon disciples broke free from the waters, no longer restrained by the "Dark Blue Curtain."
Beneath the sea, Chi Nandou of the Fiend Sect, his spiritual energy circulating within, began to ascend slowly after the rupture of the Dark Blue Curtain.
Accompanying him were Chi Yin, Fei Yi, and others from the Devil Palace.
After the seal's release, Mo Yan of the Devil Palace and Lin Yue of the Blood God Cult had yet to hurry to the surface. Suddenly, they found themselves alone, the others gone.
Mo Yan, wielding the Kyara Demon Blade, watched as the Blood Offering Altar, ablaze with dark green flames, surged toward the Muddy Devil Embryo.
Then, Mo Yan's face contorted with shock.
From a distance, a horde of eerie souls and ghosts, carrying a seven-tiered pagoda, plummeted toward the Blood Offering Altar and Muddy Devil Embryo, like the Yellow River descending from the heavens.
Atop the pagoda, a man in white robes entered the sea and called out, "Heixun?"
His voice, soft and soothing, echoed throughout every corner of the Ember Waters.
"He, Heixun?"
Mo Yan and Lin Yue, still deep underwater, were taken aback, utterly bewildered.
"I am here."
The unmistakable voice of Heixun, familiar to Mo Yan, suddenly filled the space.
At the sound, both Mo Yan and Lin Yue were terrified, as if they had seen a ghost in broad daylight.
The voice of Lord Heixun, the Devil Palace's sentinel of the Ember Waters, was emanating from the Blood Sacrificial Altar!
"Heixun!"
Yu Yuan, manipulating the Evil Cauldron and having forcefully extricated himself from the Ancient Fey Formation, peered through the now translucent Muddy Devil Embryo at the Blood Sacrificial Altar.
The Devil Palace's guardian was within the altar.
Despite all his conjectures, he had not anticipated that Heixun, who had been covertly communicating with him through a Demonic Mark within the Evil Cauldron, would not be above the sea.
Instead, he was below, at the very Blood Sacrificial Altar!
With a whoosh, a colossal demonic shadow emerged from the depths of the Blood Sacrificial Altar.
Lim Zhuyun, engulfed in dark green flames, materialized, deliberately distancing herself from the figure.
"Heixun!"
Grasping the Kyara Demon Blade, Mo Yan's eyes blazed with fury as he pointed the Devil Blade at the Blood Sacrificial Altar. "The desecration of the Blood Sacrificial Altar, the havoc wreaked above and below the sea—was it all your doing? How dare you betray the Devil Palace!"
Heixun, who had guided him in his actions with the Kyara Demon Blade and who had worked with Yu Yuan to subdue the Chaos Roc, was actually inside the Blood Sacrificial Altar!
Lin Yue's face suddenly darkened.
Yu Yuan, situated within the Evil Cauldron, was jolted and left in shock.
From the moment Heixun had begun transmitting the Soul Sound, he had warned Yu Yuan to be vigilant against the Chaos Roc, claiming it was the greatest threat lurking in the ocean depths. He had explained that all the preparations were aimed at sealing the Chaos Roc and that Yu Yuan, alongside Mo Yan, must join forces at any cost to confront this formidable adversary.
However, upon Heixun's arrival, Yu Yuan was struck by the realization that all the intelligence he had received might be a fabrication.
"Good to see you here. What took you so long to get a handle on the situation?" The White Coat Mercurial, standing atop the seventh level of the pagoda, his robes billowing, expressed his astonishment. "You even let the Chaos Roc break free from the Aura Altar's grasp, revealing its true form?"
"There have been a multitude of unforeseen complications," Heixun said, his tone laced with regret. "The ferry remains intact. Anyone wishing to board simply needs to assist in subduing the Chaos Roc and ensure it doesn't disrupt our plans."
While he spoke, a surge of spiritual blood light burst forth from the islands scattered across the Ember Waters.
Two additional figures, both bearing Heixun's likeness, soared across the sky and descended onto the Aura Altar.
With just one look, Yu Yuan could tell that the first to materialize on the altar was merely one of Heixun's Yin Gods. The latter two were his authentic self and his cultivated Yang God.
