C497 A Key
A figure composed of infinite light materialized out of thin air above the mountain peak.
Yu Yuan looked up and with just one glance, his spirit trembled and his soul vibrated.
A colossal Divine Visage, ten thousand feet tall and bathed in a spectrum of divine light, crowned with a crest and draped in a white robe, hung in the sky like a towering sun.
An overwhelming majesty unfurled in all directions, with strands of rainbow-colored Divine Thunder swirling around him.
His visage was ancient, reminiscent of an immortal from bygone eras, who, after soaring through the Star River, returned to his homeland with an air of nonchalance.
Whoosh!
The towering Luminous Solar Spirit, surrounded by the roaring cosmic order, suddenly contracted.
In a blink, it diminished a millionfold, reverting to a normal human stature, and settled by the small pond.
A golden fishing line shot from the heavens, piercing the sky to the small pond, as if reaching down to the netherworld and into the deep sea bed of Rosy Cloud Island.
Within the pond, the vividly displayed landscapes of the three continents subtly transformed once more.
They reverted to Rosy Cloud Island and its modest hillside.
Yu Yuan looked down and could even see two severed, bloodied fingers lying atop the hill.
The golden fishing line, originating from the ninth heaven, descended into the pond before him and then stretched towards the summit of Rosy Cloud Island.
A single line, connecting the three realms!
As if a deity from the extraterrestrial Star River cast a fishing line to angle in the realm of mortals.
"Your name is Yu Yuan."
The ancient-looking man, now in the form of a Solar Spirit Body and significantly reduced in size, adjusted his crest as he leaned over the small pond, "The Crucible of Evil resides within you."
He casually fixed his crest, not paying close attention to Yu Yuan, yet he spoke his true name with certainty.
"Greetings, Mr. Zu."
Yu Yuan greeted him with a smile and a respectful bow, adhering strictly to the etiquette of a junior, "I knew I couldn't deceive you. Senior, when you probed the shores of Rosy Cloud Island with your Lunar Spirit, I was aware that you had seen everything."
The fisherman on the island's far side was none other than the Lunar Spirit of Zu Ann, who had remained hidden beneath Rosy Cloud Island year-round.
The man before him was Zu Ann's Solar Spirit, seated atop the loftiest mountain in the Everlands, overseeing the world of mortals.
Zu Ann's true form resided in a Star River beyond the Everlands. With the formidable power of the late Unbound stage, he guarded a critical location, preventing the Otherkin from seizing the opportunity to invade.
The Lunar Spirit, Solar Spirit, and the true form were situated in three distinct regions, all linked by the Mirror of Fates.
The Mirror of Fates lay before Yu Yuan, appearing as nothing more than a small pond.
This realm offered views below to Rosy Cloud Island and the Everlands, and above to the movements of the Otherkin beyond the Star River.
Yu Yuan gazed through the Mirror of Fates three times, observing Rosy Cloud Island, the expansive sea, and the entirety of the Everlands, all thanks to the mirror's wondrous capabilities.
"I'm aware my surname is Zu, and I conduct myself as a junior," he stated.
Zu Ann, seated by the pond with an impassive demeanor, watched the golden fish line and hummed dismissively, "Who is your master? From what I've gathered, you hail from a modest herbalist family in Asvetaesi of the Silvermoon Empire. I doubt someone of your origins would recognize me."
Yu Yuan, too, stood by the small pond, observing the golden fish line as it was besieged by vengeful souls scrambling to ascend.
The very same golden fish line had been responsible for the swift demise of the Lunar Spirit.
At that moment, the golden fish line extended down into the heart of Rosy Cloud Island, where numerous soul spirits and alien souls regarded it as a ladder, eagerly attempting to escape their confines.
Watching the soul spirits slither up the golden fish line like serpents and slender anacondas, Yu Yuan's eyes brimmed with compassion.
Before long, a particularly resilient new soul spirit reached the base of the small pond.
It seemed that just one more step upward could break through the dome of the sky and arrive in this world.
Zu Ann let out a scoff.
With a flick of his finger, the pond's surface shimmered with a kaleidoscope of ripples.
The elated strange soul spirit, as if spotting a lifeline, surged upwards and indeed crossed the celestial barrier, stepping into this world.
In an instant, the soul transformed, becoming the gaunt man who had met his tragic end atop the mountain peak not long before.
The soul, now a Lunar Spirit, was dragged into a mysterious area within the hillside and underwent a rapid transformation. After escaping the chilling depths of a hauntingly cold realm, it found solace in a place that basked in the warmth of the sun, akin to the gentleness of spring. It believed it had stumbled upon a great fortune, graced by the divine.
Zu Ann abruptly extended his hand, seizing the soul within his grasp, and with a forceful squeeze—
Boom!
The gaunt man was obliterated in an instant, his last shred of spiritual wisdom and consciousness shattered to dust.
He was utterly and irrevocably dead.
"His fate was truly unfortunate; he has no one else to blame," Zu Ann remarked, his face devoid of emotion. "He was ignorant of the customs of Rosy Cloud Island, descending upon that hilltop out of the blue. His luck was at its nadir. Yet, he fancied he could escape, clinging to a sliver of hope, rushing towards his own demise."
Yu Yuan concurred, "Indeed, flying heedlessly over the head of Mr. Zu's wife, he was courting misfortune."
At these words, Zu Ann's stoic demeanor softened ever so slightly.
Many were aware of the rules governing Rosy Cloud Island.
But only a select few knew the reason behind them, or that the small hill concealed the resting place of his late wife, Feixia.
"Who is your master?" Zu Ann inquired, his tone now carrying a hint of interest.
Yu Yuan inhaled deeply, his face etched with solemnity. "I've come for a key," he stated with grave seriousness. "Over three hundred years ago, that key was entrusted to the elder by someone from the Sundering Isles."
Zu Ann's frame shook subtly, his eyes shining so intensely that Yu Yuan had to avert his gaze to avoid being dazzled.
"More than three centuries have passed. How did you come by his legacy of alchemy?" Zu Ann questioned, his voice resonating with gravity.
"Serpent Spine Mountains, Gloomhollow," Yu Yuan responded.
"The Serpent Spine Mountains are within the domain of Sacred Hands. Gloomhollow..." Zu Ann murmured to himself, reflecting inwardly, "Yu Yuan had ventured into the Serpent Spine Mountains from Moonfall Sanctuary and was indeed spotted in Gloomhollow. Yu Zhu, it was after the turmoil in Gloomhollow had subsided that she suddenly emerged in the Forgotten Ruins."
He was gathering his thoughts.
Yu Yuan remained quiet, patiently waiting.
Holding the Mirror of Fates, this late-period Unbound Realm cultivator could peer into the mortal realm. With just a name, he could tap into the thoughts of others to uncover many hidden secrets.
Since Zu Ann had addressed Yu Yuan directly, it was clear he had been monitoring the disturbances in the Embers Sea. He had gathered information about Yu Yuan's appearance, background, and previous movements through various channels.
Thus, Zu Ann had tracked Yu Yuan's movements from Asvetaesi City to the Moonfall Sanctuary, then to the Serpent Spine Mountains and the Forgotten Ruins, and finally to the Embers Sea.
What Zu Ann was doing now was piecing together the connection between Yu Yuan and the heir of a previous generation.
"The island in the Sundering Isles?" Zu Ann inquired abruptly.
Without hesitation, Yu Yuan responded, "It's an unnamed island, not affiliated with any sect, and has no ties to the Order of Healing. Its obscurity is what makes it more concealed."
Zu Ann probed further, "What is the most valuable item within the place the key unlocks?"
"The furnace," Yu Yuan answered.
Zu Ann nodded in confirmation and instructed, "Hold on a moment."
Boom! Thunder roared!
Suddenly, the sea of clouds churned, and lightning streaked across the sky.
Within an inconspicuous cluster of clouds, a space opened up as if revealing a new world.
Swoosh!
A red metal key, summoned by Zu Ann, shot out from a small space that had been sealed for three hundred years.
The red metal key hovered steadily in front of Yu Yuan's chest.
Yu Yuan, visibly excited, reached out to toss the floating key into his Bracelet of Holding.
"Hold on a moment."
Zu Ann suddenly spoke up, facing Yu Yuan across the red metal key, "Give me a piece of Sunsorrow from the giant beast as a storage fee for the past three hundred years."
Yu Yuan was taken aback, "The legacy I was informed of made no mention of such a fee."
Zu Ann offered no explanation, simply extending his hand.
After a brief hesitation, Yu Yuan reluctantly retrieved a solid crystal of the Abyssal Leviathan's vitality from his Bracelet of Holding and handed it to Zu Ann, saying with a grimace, "Mr. Zu, you owe me for this. According to our agreement, I shouldn't have to give up anything in exchange for the key."
"It's actually Sunsorrow from the giant beast!"
Zu Ann exclaimed, as the shimmering Sunsorrow was suddenly cast into the Mirror of Fates. In a flash, it descended upon the small mountaintop of Rosy Cloud Island.
Yu Yuan's realization dawned upon him. With a thought, he murmured, "Merely a piece of Sunsorrow won't be enough to revive her."
Zu Ann's gaze was piercing. "You seem to know quite a bit, kid."
"A single piece of Sunsorrow is indeed insufficient," Yu Yuan reiterated.
"Over three hundred years have passed, and I've collected many things," Zu Ann retorted with a cold huff. "Yet your Master never made any promises about concocting potions! Besides Zhong Chichen, there's no one else I trust."
Yu Yuan chuckled, "If you're willing to wait a bit longer, I could assist you with the refinement in the future."
