C479 Heaven and Earth Were United and He Had Great Freedom!
Heixun's true form, along with the long-hidden Yang God, simultaneously plunged into the depths of the sea. At that very moment, the girl reading by the peach tree, her face alight with a smile, also made her descent into the watery abyss.
A crane's call, sharp and piercing, sliced through the water, causing a painful ringing in everyone's ears. The white crane, an embodiment of eerie stillness, gracefully followed suit, slipping into the sea.
The flutist ceased his melody, setting aside his jade flute, and cast an indifferent gaze upon the White Coat Mercurial, Peach Madam, and Heixun, who stood divided yet united upon the Blood Offering Altar.
The trio of Heixuns, sentinels of the Devil Palace, began their slow convergence into a singular entity. The Yin God and Yang God, each a facet of Heixun, merged into their original form from either side.
As the two Heixuns melded into their true essence, the fragmented islands of the Ember Waters erupted in a chain of explosive shatters. Scores of demonic beams and bolts of lightning surged forth from the ruins, racing toward Heixun.
Above Heixun, the heavy sea abruptly parted, revealing an immense chasm that welcomed the incoming surge of demonic brilliance.
The White Coat Mercurial, Peach Madam, and the white-haired crane rider each found themselves positioned at the vertices of the Blood Offering Altar's triangle.
With a forceful "Hu!" the white-robed Mercurial flung his cloak, dispersing the throng of formidable ghosts.
Atop the seven-tiered pagoda, three colossal souls gaped wide, greedily ingesting hundreds of ghosts, voraciously masticating them, and in doing so, unleashed bizarre and arcane Soul Arts.
Freed from the pagoda, the three souls began to etch a cryptic soul pattern, pulling and prodding at the fabric of the spirit realm.
Once the three peculiar Soul Secret Scrolls materialized, etched by the power of souls, they rustled in the air as they drifted toward Heixun.
The bolts of lightning, having entered through the sea's gaping maw, found their mark upon the Soul Secret Scrolls, bestowing upon the ensconced spirits a rebirth and otherworldly might.
Heixun extended his hand, gathering the three scrolls into his possession with a nonchalant smile and a word of thanks.
"The fare is yours," offered Peach Madam with a radiant smile, her hands delicately releasing a shower of glistening peach blossoms toward Heixun.
Heixun, unreserved in his delight, bellowed with laughter. A beam of light erupted from his crown, drawing the peach blossoms into the sea of his soul.
The flutist rode his crane with an icy demeanor, declaring, "I lack the fare for a boat."
"I wouldn't dare," Heixun hastily replied.
As he spoke, dozens of demonic lightning bolts cascaded down from the opening above him.
Deep within the Blood Sacrificial Altar, a dense mass of blood snakes, wrought from the purest Qi and blood essence, slithered into his body as if bestowed by the altar itself.
Heixun, the sentinel of the Devil Palace, exuded an aura that swiftly enveloped the Ember Waters. The immutable laws and rules of this realm seemed to subtly shift in response to his presence.
"To reach the Unrestrained Stage is to become one with the cosmos!"
Lin Yue, of the Blood God Cult, wrestled with his inner terror. After scrutinizing the ocean depths for an extended period, he finally relinquished all illusions.
His covetousness for the Giant Beast Amber vanished entirely once he realized what Heixun was undertaking.
Lin Yue dared not move too hastily or conspicuously, slipping away into the sea with utmost stealth.
His caution was palpable, driven by the fear of drawing the attention of Heixun and other malevolent forces.
Even a fleeting gaze from those mythical titans could spell his doom.
"Bl-Black..."
Mo Yan, wielder of the Kyara Demon Blade, stuttered, no longer bold enough to brand Heixun a traitor.
He bit back his words, silently retreating beneath the waves while keeping an eye on the Blood Sacrificial Altar and Heixun.
Without surfacing, he gradually distanced himself from the scene below.
Both he and Lin Yue recognized that Heixun, long-standing guardian of the Ember Waters, aspired to unify with the Dao through the Blood Sacrificial Altar and the entire region. Utilizing the Devilish Light Divine Lightning he had secretly amassed, Heixun aimed to surge into the Unrestrained Stage in a fleeting moment.
A Yang cultivator could merge with a domain of the world, achieving supreme liberation.
Cultivators at the Unrestrained Stage were exceedingly rare in the Boundless Land, each with the potential to found a new sect.
Even the mightiest among the Fiend Sect, Filthy Spirit Sect, Blood God Cult, Ghoul Glyph Sect, and Voodoo Cult had only attained the Unrestrained Stage.
In the Heavenly Source Continent, the sect masters of the seven lower sects were predominantly at the same level.
The Unrestrained Stage, just a step below the Primordial Spirit Stage, was a level of prowess that commanded respect even beyond the stars.
Hei Xun, infamous even outside the vast Boundless Land, was now attempting to ascend to the Unrestrained Stage within the Ember Waters!
During his critical breakthrough, allies such as the White Coat Mercurial, Peach Madam, and the crane-mounted flutist were all present to fortify his position, safeguarding against any external disruptions that could derail his profound journey.
This level of coordination didn't happen overnight; it was the result of years, if not decades, of meticulous planning and unspoken agreements.
Mo Yan could see just how complete Heixun's dominion over the Ember Waters was.
It became clear that Heixun had long ago forged a silent pact with the Aura Altar. His ambitions stretched beyond achieving the Unrestrained Stage within the Ember Waters; he intended to leverage the Aura Altar to shatter the world's barriers and surge into the Outland Star River.
Heixun's plan was to not only free himself from the confines of the Boundless Land but to also bring others along for the journey.
He saw the Aura Altar as a vessel capable of breaching the celestial divide, with the bound spirits of this realm as its passengers.
The White Coat Mercurial, Peach Madam, and the crane-riding flutist were among those passengers.
But it was not the Aura Altar that summoned them; it was Heixun, the warden of the Devil Palace.
Inside the cauldron, Yu Yuan's mind raced as he discreetly withdrew.
At that moment, he cast aside his curiosity, no longer concerned with discerning the truth or deception in the messages conveyed by the Evil Cauldron.
His only desire was to remain uninvolved.
The upheaval in the Ember Waters was bound to trigger a domino effect.
With Heixun's defection, the arrival of the White Coat Mercurial, Peach Madam, the white crane, and the crane rider marked the beginning of a clandestine, blood-drenched spectacle centered around the Aura Altar.
Their underwater skirmish with the Blood Sacrificial Altar and the Chaos Roc was merely the prelude to an impending carnage.
In the future, there's no doubt that a host of powerful demons and formidable monsters will descend upon this place.
Before the Aura Altar ascended and broke free from the Boundless Land, a fiercely bloody conflict was inevitable.
He had no desire to become an easy target for the whimsical eradication by those mighty cultivators.
The "Evil Cauldron" didn't rise into the air but instead roared along the ocean floor, keeping as far away as possible from the Blood Sacrificial Altar and the Muddy Devil Embryo.
The Chaos Roc, manifesting from the depths of the Muddy Devil Embryo, continued to swell in size.
"Heixun, what exactly is your connection to the Chaos Roc?" Yu Yuan couldn't help but wonder.
He had heard tales of the White Coat Mercurial and the Peach Madam from the Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea in his past life. He had even encountered the Peach Madam, though they had never formed a close bond.
Legend had it that the White Coat Mercurial was once a great cultivator from the Profound Sky Sect who, after his demise, grew from a remnant soul into a pure spirit entity within the Horror Land.
Yan Qiling and Loong Tianxiao seemed to be treading a similar path.
The Horror Land, as one of the Boundless Land's most enigmatic and supernatural locales, was naturally conducive to the nurturing of souls and specters.
Should Yan Qiling and Loong Tianxiao seek a significant breakthrough in their soul arts, it's highly probable that their paths would lead them to the Horror Land.
The Horror Land was fraught with peril, a place where flesh and blood dared not tread.
For human cultivators, the minimum requirement to enter was to have attained the Yin God level.
The mightiest being within the Horror Land was said to rival a Primordial Spirit Stage cultivator, and even the Demon Palace and the Demon Palace were powerless to intervene there.
The White Coat Mercurial's ability to carve out a domain and earn the moniker "hermit" in such a mystical place spoke volumes of his prowess.
Within the Horror Land, a "hermit" stood on par with an Unrestrained Stage cultivator. However, should he venture out to other regions of the Boundless Land, his status would automatically be demoted to that of a Yang cultivator.
The origins of the Peach Madam from the Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea were shrouded in even greater mystery. Although Yu Yuan had crossed paths with her in his former life, her true provenance remained unknown.
He had only vaguely heard rumors that Peach Madam was once the consort of a Primordial Spirit Stage cultivator. As for the identity of this cultivator or whether he was still among the living, that remained a mystery to him.
In a past life, Peach Madam had sought a pellet from him, and in exchange, he had requested some rare miasma clouds from deep within the Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea. That transaction was the extent of their dealings.
As for the white crane and its flute-playing rider, he had never come across them before. They might have been malevolent entities that had emerged over the past three hundred years.
Yet, observing the white-haired crane rider's demeanor when confronting Heixun, and Heixun's respectful treatment in return, it seemed this individual might be even more formidable than both the White Coat Mercurial and Peach Madam.
Yu Yuan was well aware that he was no match for such a character; it was best to keep his distance.
To his surprise, Heixun, with whom he had previously interacted through the Evil Cauldron, did not pursue him or attempt to seize the cauldron.
Then, from afar, at the Blood Sacrificial Altar, Heixun caught his eye and offered a smile that carried a profound significance, leaving Yu Yuan somewhat bewildered.
In that moment, the Evil Cauldron that was transporting him gave a gentle quiver. It was the cauldron soul stirring.
"What's the matter?" Yu Yuan inquired, his attention sharpening.
"When you practiced the Evil Body Refining Skill inside the cauldron, you didn't truly earn my recognition," the cauldron soul explained leisurely. "It wasn't the Evil Sect's body technique that made me accept you."
Yu Yuan responded, "I understand. It was my Soul Forging Technique, the legacy of the Divine Soul Sect."
"Correct," the cauldron soul affirmed. After a pause, it added, "To the Devil Palace's Guardian, the likes of Mo Yan and the offspring of the Blood God Cult are insignificant, too weak to even pique his interest in slaying them. But you, due to the presence of the Evil Cauldron and your involvement with the Chaos Roc, should not have been spared."
Reflecting on this, Yu Yuan mused, "At the very least, he wouldn't have let me leave with you—and the cauldron—so effortlessly."
Having refined the Evil Cauldron and harvested a wealth of Giant Beast Amber, and with his advancement to the Profound Break Stage, Yu Yuan's journey had indeed been fruitful.
Guarded by the Devil Palace's Black Hu, the trio had been his protectors. Before the Chaos Roc could unleash its ultimate power, it would have been no challenge for him to strike him down.
Yet, Black Hu refrained from doing so.
Yu Yuan had racked his brain, unable to fathom the reason.
After a prolonged silence, the cauldron soul finally provided an answer. "He let you take me because you truly earned my acknowledgment. You gained my approval by employing the Soul Forging Technique, having practiced the exquisite Soul Arts of the Divine Soul Sect."
Yu Yuan was taken aback. "So, Black Hu?"
"You're not wrong; he's just like you," the cauldron soul responded. "Black Hu likely received the Divine Soul Sect's legacy somewhere within the Outland Star River. Upon his return to the Boundless Land, he orchestrated his plans in secret, stirring up an earth-shattering uproar in the Ember Waters."
"Divine Soul Sect!"
