C480 Leaving the Place

Deep within the Ember Waters, thirty-six totem pillars rose majestically, like towering mountains ascending from the seabed.

Mountains emerged from the ocean floor!

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

Summoned by Heixun, the island's rocks, long imbued with demonic energy, were wrenched from their resting places by the totem pillars, whistling through the air.

Countless massive stones took flight, creating a breathtaking spectacle above the sea's surface.

These island rocks clung to the totem pillars, transforming into new mountains!

Aoao! Roar! Roar!

The ancient Fey race's furious roars erupted from these "new mountains," as if great Fey beasts perched atop them, conversing through their thunderous howls.

Demonic Power rolled and surged among the thirty-six peaks, striving to quell the island's extraordinary metamorphosis.

Lin Yue, Hou Tianzhao, Chi Yin, and the other survivors, leveraging the power of their artifacts, hovered helplessly as they witnessed the dramatic transformations of the sky and deep sea.

"Ancient Fey Formation!"

After a stunned silence, Chi Yin was the first to recover, exclaiming in shock.

"It's the stone pillars carried by the Chaos Roc!" Lin Yue clarified for the group, "The Bone Devouring Shuttle from the Fiend Sect, once assimilated by the Chaos Roc, completed the thirty-sixth totem pillar, ushering the Ancient Fey Formation back into the world! But now, this Demon Array serves not to restrain the Chaos Roc, but to empower it!"

From a distance, Hou Tianzhao called out, "We'll have to play it by ear!"

"Fallen Star Eyes!"

Hundreds of miles away, a colossal silver meteor glittered in the night sky, capturing their gaze.

Without further ado, all eyes turned to the Fallen Star Eyes.

"Has anyone seen Mo Yan?"

At Hou Tianzhao's signal, Fei Yi, Yan Lu, Wu Pei, and others alighted upon the Fire Fan. They stood on the deep red treasure fan, which felt as stable as solid ground beneath their feet. Basking in the fan's warmth and marveling at its swift flight, Fei Yi couldn't help but inquire about their missing companion.

The newly advanced Fire Fan streaked across the sky like lightning, swiftly drawing Chi Nandou, Chi Yin, and the rest of the survivors into its wake.

Before its advancement, such a Heaven Level artifact from the Red Devil Sect lacked the power to transport so many people and couldn't achieve such high speeds.

Once Lin Yue was aboard, Hou Tianzhao inquired, "Where's Mo Yan?"

"Forget about him."

Lin Yue's breaths came in rapid gasps, not from exertion but from sheer astonishment. "The Devil Palace Guardian has turned against the Boundless Land, bound by a secret pact with the Blood Sacrificial Altar. The White Coat Mercurial, Peach Madam, and that white crane, all guardians from various quarters, are aiding him in his quest to merge with the Dao and attain the Boundless Freedom!"

"To merge with the Dao? To achieve Boundless Freedom?"

"Heixun has turned traitor?"

"Were those people summoned to the Ember Waters by Heixun?"

The revelation from Lin Yue sent shockwaves through the group, and concerns for Mo Yan were swiftly abandoned.

Deep beneath the sea, they had all depended on Mo Yan and his Kyara Demon Blade to keep the Blood Offering Altar at bay. But now, with the Deep Blue Veil shattered and all the seals on this region broken, Mo Yan was no longer of any consequence to them. Their only thought was to distance themselves from this accursed place, his fate be damned.

"Hou Tianzhao, Lin Yue, Chi Nandou..."

Beneath the Fallen Star Eyes, Lau Ying felt the energy of the stars cascading down, the Artifact Soul regaining strength. She gazed into the distance, her eyes fixating on the Fire Fan, recognizing one familiar figure after another.

"Where's Yu Yuan? What's become of Yu Yuan?"

Despair gripped Lau Ying, an inexplicable sorrow clouding her clear eyes.

Her voice grew louder, more frantic, "Show me the world beneath the sea!"

She commanded the Artifact Soul with her will, desperate to understand what had transpired in the ocean's depths.

"Not yet. Besides, the depths below... they're too terrifying."

The Artifact Soul of the Fallen Star Eyes, chastened like a child rebuked by a parent, sent back a feeble thought.

"Lau Ying, once Hou Tianzhao and the others arrive, we must leave the Ember Waters," declared Python Queen Xu Zixi, surveying the tumultuous changes in the sea from atop the Fallen Star Eyes with a sense of foreboding. "The upheaval here is beyond us. Even if Faang Yao and the rest were to return, I fear they'd be powerless to intervene."

Faang Yao of the Red Devil Sect had only reached the Soul Wandering Stage and was not yet a Yang God.

The White Coat Mercurial from Horror Land, Peach Madam of the Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea, and the white crane were all beings of greater strength and more ancient lineage than Faang Yao.

Moreover, there was the enigmatic figure in white, riding a crane.

Such formidable forces had even driven the Raven from its palace into a desperate escape. What chance did the others stand?

"I'm going to wait for Yu Yuan to show up!"

Lau Ying, positioned at the forefront of the Fallen Star Eyes, was resolute, tuning out Xu Zixi's words. "Even if he's dead, I need to see for myself!"

Her journey from the Absence Relic to the Ember Waters had solidified her trust in Yu Yuan.

She had faith in his abilities, his intellect, and his untapped potential.

But now, her confidence was shaken...

The White Coat Mercurial, Peach Madam, the white crane, the crane rider, the Starry Behemoth, the Aura Altar...

The presence of so many formidable and otherworldly beings, capable of shattering realms with a mere stomp, had converged in the Ember Waters, setting off a chain of violent upheavals. Even Lau Ying's steadfast belief in Yu Yuan was beginning to falter.

"Survive, you must survive!"

Lau Ying's inner voice screamed, calling out for the first time in her life she was this preoccupied with someone's well-being.

A surge of inexplicable emotions, like demons of the heart, swamped her mind and heart lake, leaving her unsettled.

Xu Zixi, standing nearby, watched Lau Ying's gaze wander, her search tireless, her wait for someone's appearance agonizing. With a soft sigh, she thought, "This girl is probably unaware of her own feelings."

With that thought, Xu Zixi's heart stirred, her expression turning to one of surprise.

Wasn't there another striking woman in a green dress, her hem dancing with the wind, also searching for someone?

"Yu Yuan, that rascal, is just like that scoundrel from his younger days! It's no wonder he's so fond of Yu Yuan, always shielding him!"

Xu Zixi found herself thinking of the man in white and felt a sudden surge of irritation.

Boom!

Dozens of miles away, beyond the Ember Waters, a massive black cauldron burst forth from the sea like a dark sun!

"Yu Yuan!"

Su Yan, scanning the horizon from the tail end of the Fallen Star Eyes, spotted it first and cried out with tears of joy.

Whoosh!

The Fallen Star Eyes, which had been dormant for quite some time, suddenly erupted with a dazzling burst of starlight, propelling itself toward the massive cauldron that had emerged from the sea.

"Yu Yuan! Yu Yuan has already escaped the Ember Waters!"

Hou Tianzhao, perched atop the Fire Fan, bared his teeth in a wide grin and swiftly changed course.

The treasure fan's base blazed with flames, transforming the Fire Fan into a floating inferno in the sky, ferrying the survivors and the Fallen Star Eyes toward the Evil Cauldron.

For reasons unknown, upon witnessing the Evil Cauldron's emergence, the disoriented crowd felt an urgent need to regroup.

Fei Yi yelled out, urging everyone to search for Mo Yan, but it was as if his cries fell on deaf ears.

Yu Yuan, who had been propelled from the cauldron and was now above the sea's surface, was still reeling from the tumultuous events.

Seeing the Fallen Star Eyes make a beeline for him just as he settled, his heart warmed, and a faint smile graced his lips.

The crisis may not have fully abated.

Yet, he was relieved to see that those connected to him had not perished, but were very much alive and well.

"Remember, keep yourself well-hidden and don't expose too many secrets. The Evil Sect and the Glorious Heavenly Wheel won't be the death of you, but be exceedingly cautious with anything pertaining to the Divine Soul Sect."

"Otherwise, you might one day be compelled to leave the Boundless Land, just like Heixun."

"The Divine Soul Sect was once the unrivaled sovereign of this realm, the leader of humanity, commanding even the Demon Clan. Now, however, the Boundless Land is under the dominion of the three upper sects of the Heavenly Source Continent, the Devil Palace, and the Demon Palace from the Quietus Continent."

"All knowledge of the Divine Soul Sect has been shrouded in secrecy, their legacy erased, forbidden from existence. In this place, if anyone discovers the intricacies of the Soul Arts you practice, you could be silently eradicated."

"Freedom can only be attained by breaking free from the shackles of the Boundless Land and soaring through the Outer Star River, just as Heixun has."

"Heixun today may very well be you tomorrow."

"..."

The cauldron soul's persistent thoughts echoed in Yu Yuan's mind, a constant reminder, deeply ingrained.

The weight of the pressure was akin to a hundred thousand mountains thundering down upon him, so crushing that even within the Evil Cauldron, his soul felt burdened and heavy.

He was filled with regret, lamenting his choice to practice the Soul Forging Technique within the white paper fan, and wishing he had never entangled himself with the Divine Soul Sect in the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area.

Erased from existence by the combined might of the three upper sects, the Devil Palace, and the Demon Palace, the Divine Soul Sect had slowly faded into obscurity.

Yet beyond the vast expanse of the Boundless Land, the Divine Soul Sect was experiencing a resurgence, amassing its power once more. The whispers spoke of its desire to confront the three upper sects and the Demon Palace, to settle past grievances.

But within the Boundless Land itself, the Divine Soul Sect still found no foothold.

"Why must it be so?" Yu Yuan mused with a heavy heart. Glancing down at the solid chunks of Giant Beast Amber, a glimmer of hope sparked within him. "Perhaps, like the master of the ancient bronze coffin, I too can surge through the constraints of the cosmos without fear!"

With that thought, the cauldron abruptly soared away from the Ember Waters.

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