C484 Windspeaker

The dwelling was modest but spotless.

Yu Yuan sat on the bed, his back resting against the wooden wall, as he concentrated and held his breath, turning his attention inward. True to the cauldron spirit's words, the Crucible of Evil lay unusually still within his vitality's little world.

To activate it, he had to employ the Evil Body Refining technique, unleashing a torrent of strange powers stored within the cauldron that threatened to ravage his flesh and bones.

He wasn't in a rush to practice his cultivation; instead, he carefully examined his inner world while pondering recent events. Having left the Embers Sea, he was eager to discover what had transpired there after his departure. He wondered if Hei Xun had reached the Unbound stage, slain the Abyssal Leviathan, taken control of the Blood Altar, and, alongside the Pale Reaper, Peach Madam, and the Crane Rider, had successfully breached the Everlands' wall to reach the extraterrestrial Star River.

In theory, the Skyreach Consortium had their ear to the ground, and he could have sought answers from Jiang Yurong. But information from the Consortium wasn't free, and inquiring about the Embers Sea might arouse Yurong's suspicions, so he dismissed the idea.

While on the second floor, he sensed an invisible, vast net enveloping the Sea Wanderer, seemingly cast from the fifth floor, covering every dwelling beneath. It appeared that any spiritual sense or remnant soul escaping a house would brush against this net, allowing the Skyreach Consortium to detect even the slightest stir.

As long as the remnant soul and spiritual sense remained within his house, they wouldn't touch the net. "The Skyreach Consortium has made a meticulous arrangement," Yu Yuan thought to himself. "Their network ensures that outsiders aboard the Sea Wanderer won't act recklessly. It prevents cultivators of the Subtlety and Lunar Spirit stages from disturbing others with their wandering spiritual sense and remnant souls."

He silently commended the Consortium's strategy, recognizing its effectiveness in averting conflict. Otherwise, Lunar Spirit experts could stealthily employ their toxic Spirit Magic to eliminate those of lower realms within the first and second floors.

"Tong Laoqian is also on this vessel bound for the Sundering Isles..." Yu Yuan mused with a slight frown. Considering Tong Laoqian's level of cultivation and his possession of the Jade Tower, traveling to the Sundering Isles should have been more comfortable than his current passage on the Sea Wanderer.

With a single thought, Yu Yuan was reminded of a popular belief among the more powerful cultivators: many were willing to pay soulstones for passage on the Skyreach Consortium's Sea Wanderer, not just for travel, but for the Consortium's esteemed protection. Passengers aboard the vessel were safeguarded by the Consortium, free from the fear of ambush by their enemies.

Tong Laoqian, piloting the Jade Tower across the sea, could easily fall prey to high-ranking Nagas or formidable cultivators from the Devil Palace, Shadow's Keep, Ruby Hand, or Colddeath if he wasn't cautious. Lacking the backing of a sect, he was merely a solitary cultivator. Both the Dragon Attendants of Dragon Lake and the fierce cultivators of the deep sea wouldn't hesitate to attack if they believed they could defeat him. Paying a sum of soulstones to board the Sea Wanderer was an effective way to sidestep such dangers. Many might dare to challenge Tong Laoqian, but few would risk the ire of the Skyreach Consortium.

Onboard the Sea Wanderer, Yu Yuan could practice his cultivation in safety, without the concern of being marked by malevolent forces. "However, once we reach the Sundering Isles and disembark from the Sea Wanderer, caution will be paramount."

His journey to the Sundering Isles was driven by a very specific purpose: among the myriad of fragmented islands lay one particularly tiny islet, a fallback he had meticulously prepared for himself in his past life. This island housed a secret alchemy chamber, fully equipped with an array of alchemical apparatuses. Prior to his decision to reincarnate, he had made extensive preparations, and this island was part of that plan.

Upon reaching the Sundering Isles and setting foot on that small island, Yu Yuan would use his mystique to enter the chamber. There, he possessed the means to concoct a pill that would help him integrate the Sunsorrow into his vitality's little world, step by step.

"Knock! Knock! Knock!" A gentle tapping at the door suddenly interrupted his reverie. Startled, Yu Yuan wondered, "Could that be Tong Laoqian?" In the entire Sea Wanderer, Tong Laoqian was the only person he knew. Having just settled in under the guidance of Jiang Yurong, the fact that someone was already seeking him out led him to believe it was most likely Tong Laoqian.

Inside the "Sea Wanderer," there was no need to worry about conflict or violence. Without giving it much thought, he leaped out of bed and flung open the locked wooden door. "Who are you?"

A grey-robed old man with a goatee and shifty eyes stood outside the door.

Hunched over, the old man offered a disingenuous smile and said, "Young man, where do you hail from? Are you headed to the Sundering Isles? My name is Feng Zhong, and I'm in the business of trading information. I'm well-versed in all the major events on Aetherius, the internal conflicts of the sects in the Land of Quiescence, and the movements of the Nagas in the neighboring seas!"

"Windspeaker?" Yu Yuan inquired with curiosity.

The self-proclaimed Feng Zhong's eyes lit up with surprise. "Young man, you're familiar with this ancient trade?"

Windspeakers, those who dealt in information, traversed the world, each with their unique means of survival.

Numerous Windspeakers exchanged news among themselves, verifying its veracity before selling it to those in need in exchange for soulstones.

Most Windspeakers wouldn't disclose their identity, so not many could recognize one on sight.

"Indeed, that's the case."

Yu Yuan chuckled, stepped aside, and gestured for the old man to enter. Then he said, "A Windspeaker's eyes are notoriously keen. Did you come knocking because you spotted this Bracelet of Holding?"

"After entering, Feng Zhong recounted the false identity Yu Yuan had given: "Lee Qi, claiming to hail from the Shadowlight Empire, said he was a member of the Lee family, ambushed at Dragon Lake and separated from his kin. I spent three soulstones to purchase this information from Jiang Yurong. I'm confident I can recoup that investment with you."

"I'm interested in the latest news from the Embers Sea," Yu Yuan stated plainly.

Feng Zhong's astonishment grew. "The Embers Sea?"

Yu Yuan nodded.

"The Embers Sea is a vast expanse of water between the northern reaches of Aetherius and the southern edge of the Land of Quiescence. It's not along the same maritime route you came from. The Sundering Isles are quite distant from the southern part of the Land of Quiescence. If you were originally heading to the Sundering Isles, you would be quite far from the Embers Sea," Feng Zhong explained.

Before Yu Yuan could offer an explanation, Feng Zhong let out a sly chuckle. "No offense, no offense! We're just accustomed to confirming the veracity of information, so my apologies."

He had swiftly deduced that the information he had purchased from Jiang Yurong was nothing but Yu Yuan's fabrications. The man who had misled Jiang Yurong, claiming to be Lee Qi from a minor branch of the Lee family, likely hadn't uttered a single truth.

Of course, Jiang Yurong herself wasn't concerned with truth or falsehood. The Skyreach Consortium only dealt in soulstones, indifferent to one's origins.

"I'm looking for news about the Embers Sea," Yu Yuan reiterated.

"We have some, but as Windspeakers, we haven't been able to verify it just yet," Feng Zhong admitted candidly. "It'll cost you a hundred soulstones. Are you interested?" His gaze settled on Yu Yuan's Bracelet of Holding.

Yu Yuan dutifully surrendered the soulstones.

Accepting them with a grin, Feng Zhong deposited them into his own Bracelet of Holding before revealing, "The Guardian of Devil Palace, Hei Xun, turned traitor, unleashing a Blood Altar and causing the demise of numerous trial-takers and their guiding elders. Dusk Raven, the Guardian of Shadow's Keep, fled with the Palace of Bones. In the Embers Sea, Hei Xun achieved the Unbound state and, along with the Blood Altar, broke free into the extraterrestrial realms."

Yu Yuan was visibly moved.

Hei Xun had indeed succeeded, commandeering the Blood Altar and fleeing into the extraterrestrial Star River!

"Is that everything?" Yu Yuan inquired.

"Other pieces of information are riddled with falsehoods. You might not believe them, so it's probably best to leave them be," Feng Zhong said with a smile.

"Tell me anyway," Yu Yuan pressed.

"Fine, but take the rest with a grain of salt. Just listen and don't dwell on it," Feng Zhong prefaced, then continued, "Rumor has it that a Cosmic Giant Beast was trapped on an island in the Embers Sea. This beast also broke free and had a tangle with Hei Xun."

"Another rumor suggests that Hei Xun's escape was facilitated by a powerful entity collaborating with him in the Extraterrestrial Star River."

The cultivator stationed in the Everlands was suddenly besieged by a Sky Fiend. He had no time to attend to the Blood Altar, which allowed Hei Xun to successfully breach the barrier and escape."

"It was also mentioned that the cultivators from the Devil Palace, Shadow's Keep, and the three upper sects had their spiritual senses obscured. By the time they realized something was amiss, Hei Xun had already made his getaway."

"There's more to the story..."

Feng Zhong rambled on with more news from the Embers Sea, though most of it was unsubstantiated rumors.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

Another series of knocks echoed at the door.

Yu Yuan's eyebrows gave a slight twitch, signaling Feng Zhong to hold his tongue. He asked, "Where are you staying? If I need to seek information, where can I find you?"

"Third floor, room nine," Feng Zhong replied, understanding the cue. Seeing that Yu Yuan had no further questions, he courteously made his way to the door. After opening it for Yu Yuan, he paused, then turned with a sly grin, "Little brother, seems like fortune favors you in more ways than one."

With that, he took his leave.

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