C481 They Were Safe and Sound

In the deep of night, the sun and moon were suspended in the sky.

"Crackle!"

Enveloped in endless divine lightning, the Chaos Roc burst forth from the depths of the Ember Waters.

The atmosphere churned, and the earth trembled!

Thirty-six totem pillars, comprising the Ancient Fey Formation, seemed to snake through the ocean depths, carving out vast spaces for the Chaos Roc to thrash about.

It retained its bizarre fish form, yet had grown to more than a million times its original size!

Its body was sheathed in brilliant scales that radiated a terrifying aura capable of extinguishing all life.

The fins that once pierced the deep blue veil of the sea now resembled undulating mountain ranges.

A fiery red sun and a frosty white moon were revealed to be its eyes.

While most of its body remained submerged, just the portion breaching the surface soared high like the celestial sun and moon.

"My God! Is this the Starry Behemoth?!"

Yan Lu of the Devil Palace, perched atop Hou Tianzhao's Fire Fan, turned to gaze back in awe, his body quaking with shock at the sight of the Chaos Roc nearly engulfing the Ember Waters.

The part of the Chaos Roc that had emerged dwarfed even Silvermoon City, where Yan Lu resided. The scales alone spanned several acres, their size beyond imagination.

A mere glance from the sky would leave anyone dumbstruck by the colossal form of the Chaos Roc.

"If my master didn't deceive me, what we're seeing of this Starry Behemoth is less than a tenth of its true size," Chi Nandou of the Fiend Sect remarked with a wry smile, eyeing the Chaos Roc that nearly filled the Ember Waters. "A mature Starry Behemoth should be at least as vast as the lands of the Devil Moon Empire."

Yan Lu found himself at a loss for words.

"The hoof of a grown Starry Behemoth might tower more majestically than any mountain in our Boundless Land," Hou Tianzhao mused with a lick of his lips, his mouth stretching into a mischievous grin. "Fascinating, truly fascinating! The anomalies in these waters will surely draw the eyes of many."

He was convinced that it wouldn't be long before the mightiest from the three upper sects, the Devil Palace, and the Demon Palace would take notice.

The Chaos Roc had manifested its true form, and the Devil Palace had already merged with the Dao in the Ember Waters, forcefully ascending to the Unrestrained Stage.

The tumult was too vast to be concealed from the seasoned cultivators. There was no need for any intervention; peak experts would inevitably descend to quell the unrest in the Ember Waters.

The Fire Fan was soaring through the sky, while Lau Ying's Fallen Star Eyes screamed through the air.

The Evil Cauldron, the object of their pursuit, had already departed from the Ember Waters, hurtling towards a determined destination.

"Howl!" The Chaos Roc unleashed a long, piercing cry.

Yu Yuan, hearing just a single note, discerned a multitude of underlying messages. The roar that reached his ears was laden with the Chaos Roc's towering rage, accusing him of conspiring with Heixun, engaging in treachery, and betraying the Chaos Roc.

Feeling unjustly accused, Yu Yuan longed to offer an explanation but found himself at a loss for words.

Turning his gaze to the Ember Waters, he witnessed the Blood Offering Altar ascending from the ocean floor, with the Muddy Devil Embryo perched atop it like a tray.

Heixun, an amalgamation of the Yin God, Yang God, and his original form, stood upon the Blood Sacrificial Altar, crowned by the spirit altar.

The trio, ensconced within the Aura Altar, confronted the colossal head of the Chaos Roc. The surrounding area appeared to warp and shift, influenced by the sea's intrinsic laws.

Divine lightning, like countless serpentine bolts, writhed upon the Chaos Roc's form, burrowing into the crevices of his scales.

This Divine Lightning bore the imprints of the Ember Waters' laws, laden with various seals and checks that ravaged the Chaos Roc's flesh and eroded his immense vitality.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

In the ocean's abyss, a maelstrom of spiritual energy and demonic power converged, pouring into the Aura Altar.

Transformed by the Aura Altar into a deluge of extraordinary power, it served to purify the Yin God and Yang God, propelling Heixun towards the Unrestrained Stage.

As the Chaos Roc swelled in size, it was internally dissected by the divine lightning, its blood spilling into the vast sea.

Each droplet of blood, upon touching the waters, was consumed by the Ember Waters—broken down, assimilated, and then channeled into the Aura Altar, cementing the core of Heixun's formidable strength.

In that instant, the Ember Waters had transformed into Heixun's exclusive realm, a microcosm subject to his manipulation.

The White Coat Mercurial, Peach Madam, and the white crane positioned themselves around the "Sun and Moon," close to the head of the Chaos Roc as it emerged from the sea.

Thirty-six totem pillars, towering like mountains, were embedded in the seabed of the Ember Waters, seemingly aiding Heixun in stabilizing the region.

"It's futile..."

The Artifact Soul's thoughts whispered silently in Yu Yuan's mind.

"You've been a significant aid to Heixun; he owes you gratitude. The Chaos Roc was entrenched at the ocean's bottom, unwilling to surface. Even as the Devil Palace's guardian, Heixun was powerless to coax it out."

"It was you who ventured into the sunken ship, your sword sheath revealing to the Chaos Roc that the totem pillars could be destroyed."

"You gave the Chaos Roc hope. It manipulated you, using your hand to break the first layer of the seal, allowing it to rise from the shipwreck."

"Your unexpected arrival enabled Heixun to unleash the Aura Altar and create the deep blue veil, forming a second layer of confinement for the Chaos Roc."

"Heixun has been scheming against the Chaos Roc for more than just a day or two, but he never found the right moment. Bound by his role as guardian, he couldn't access the ship's interior, nor could he persuade the Chaos Roc to emerge willingly."

"All of this was set in motion by you."

"..."

As Yu Yuan soared outward with the cauldron, it revealed to him the profound secrets within.

He learned that Heixun's choice to merge with the Heaven and Earth of the Ember Waters and advance to the Unrestrained Stage was driven by his desire to confront the Chaos Roc.

Together with the Aura Altar, White Coat Mercurial, Peach Madam, and the white crane, he aimed to devour the Starry Behemoth that had lived for untold years.

This plan, likely years in the making, awaited just the right catalyst.

Constrained by the Devil Palace's edicts, Heixun, as the ship's guardian, couldn't break the seal or release the Chaos Roc with his own might.

Such an act would immediately alarm the Devil Palace's high-ranking cultivators and doom his plans.

Emerging from the Devil Palace, he couldn't gain the Chaos Roc's trust. The sly and venomous creature, having dwelled in these waters for aeons, wouldn't fall for his ruses, nor would it willingly leave the shipwreck.

Yu Yuan's arrival was a stroke of serendipity as he "stumbled" into the sunken ship. Utilizing the "Glorious Heavenly Wheel" to refine the Sun Essence Fire, and with the extraordinary sword sheath from the Sword Sect—not the Devil Palace or Demon Palace—it inadvertently gave the Chaos Roc a glimmer of hope for escape.

Later, when the Aura Altar's seals were released and the blood altar began its rampage across the ocean floor, it was merely Heixun stirring the waters, seizing the opportunity.

The creation of the "Dark Blue Curtain" and the ensuing lockdown of the entire sea, with the blood altar wandering unchecked...

All of Heixun's machinations were for this very moment!

By merging with the Ember Waters' Ancient Fey Formation, Heixun no longer needed the "Dark Blue Curtain," as he naturally aligned with the cosmic laws of the Ember Waters.

The Ancient Fey Formation, situated within the Ember Waters, could no longer bolster the Chaos Roc.

In these waters, at this juncture, without a Primordial Spirit Stage cultivator's direct intervention, Heixun might well be unbeatable.

Moreover, he had allies like the White Coat Mercurial, Peach Madam, the White Crane, and the flute-playing crane rider at his side.

His plan was to consume the Chaos Roc, seal the Aura Altar, and with the creature's flesh and bones, fortify the flying ship to shatter the realm's barrier and soar into the great beyond.

"I didn't want it to come to this, but you brought it upon yourself—you can't blame me."

After the Artifact Soul's analysis enlightened him, Yu Yuan shook his head with a wry smile, "Best of luck to you. I hope you retain some wit, and we may meet again beyond the skies. If fate allows and you survive, we can settle our debts then."

"Yu Yuan! Wait for us!"

Above the Fallen Star Eyes, Su Yan's voice echoed, pleading for him to pause.

Aboard the Fire Fan, Yan Lu, Hou Tianzhao, and others were also yelling, urging him to slow down the Evil Cauldron so they could flee together.

"Take care, everyone. It's time we went our separate ways."

Standing within the cauldron, Yu Yuan waved to Lau Ying and the rest, including those on the Fire Fan. "In these tumultuous times, it's best we part now and hope for a reunion in the days to come."

He glanced down at the chunks of Giant Beast Amber in the cauldron and murmured, "Shake them off."

With that, the Evil Cauldron surged forward, its speed surpassing the star-energy-deprived Fallen Star Eyes by leaps and bounds. It was immeasurably faster than the Fire Fan, vanishing in an instant.

Lau Ying, Hou Tianzhao, and the rest could only stare as the Evil Cauldron dwindled into the distance until it was out of sight.

"Yu Yuan! You scoundrel! Why the hell are you running? Do you think we're going to devour you?!" Lau Ying's voice, filled with fury, carried high over the waves; she was on the brink of madness.

After enduring worry and threats for so long, she had steadfastly waited for Yu Yuan to show himself.

Little did she expect that after Yu Yuan emerged from the sea and briefly assessed the situation, he would turn tail without so much as a warning.

She had pursued him relentlessly, but Yu Yuan hadn't slowed down—in fact, he had sped up even more.

"Do I look like bad luck incarnate?" Lau Ying fumed, stamping her foot and nearly shooting daggers from her eyes, her frustration palpable.

"Why is he running?" Yan Lu, perched atop the Fire Fan, gazed into the void where the Evil Cauldron had vanished, utterly bewildered. "Wasn't he marked by the Starry Behemoth? He must be afraid of drawing trouble to us."

"Always the good brother, thinking the best of him," Hou Tianzhao huffed. "That guy has simply assimilated the Evil Cauldron and seized the Giant Beast Amber, hoarding all the spoils for himself. He's probably worried about the Devil Palace and Demon Palace demanding the cauldron back, so he seized the chance to flee."

"Uh, can he really get away?" Yan Lu asked, astonished.

"For the time being, the Devil Palace and Demon Palace are likely too preoccupied with their own troubles," Hou Tianzhao replied, glancing back. "They've got their hands full suppressing Hei Xun, dealing with those other nuisances, and trying to prevent the Aura Altar from ascending. They're too busy to bother with him."

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