C504 Anxiety

"Yu Yuan and Yuan Lianyao slipped away to Red Devilland after they set sail," Chiang Yurong reported from within a room adorned with numerous crystal balls, located on the fifth level of the Pirate Ship. She was briefing Zhu Peining, "He cleverly used that mask, and even the sisters and Old Cash couldn't discern his true identity."

Zhu Peining, who had been meditating with her eyes shut, slowly rose to her feet and remarked, "Pei Zhen on Red Devil Island is no ordinary figure. With her there, she should be able to look after the red lotus well."

"You're not concerned about Yu Yuan?" Chiang Yurong inquired, puzzled.

"That plague-bringer, always scheming, what's there to worry about?" Zhu Peining said with a gentle smile. "I've recently reviewed his exploits since leaving Darkmoon City. The kid's been through a string of perilous trials without ever really coming up short. Isn't that odd?"

"How could that be? His level is so modest!" Chiang Yurong exclaimed, astonished.

"I find it hard to believe myself, but the facts speak for themselves," Zhu Peining admitted, finding it a mystery. "Despite his humble beginnings, he's been favored by fortune, reaping rewards time and again. From the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area to the Jade Peak, the Absence Relic, and the Ember Waters, he's always come out ahead."

"It's baffling," Chiang Yurong agreed.

Zhu Peining reflected for a moment before saying, "Throughout the annals of Boundless Land, there have been those like him, seemingly guided by destiny. Such individuals, as if graced by fate itself, often rise above their lowly station early on, advancing unstoppably."

Chiang Yurong was taken aback. "Are you suggesting he's one of those rare beings?"

Zhu Peining nodded slowly, "It appears so, for now."

"And the chamber of commerce?" Chiang Yurong pressed, surprised once more.

"I'll double-check. If he continues to shine as brightly in the Crack Archipelago, I'll give a full account to the chamber of commerce," Zhu Peining declared, her demeanor turning grave with the weight of her words. "Throughout history, those blessed with such fortune have achieved no small feats. Even those who now command the outer starry sea, instilling awe and fear in foreign realms, once had similar youthful days."

Chiang Yurong's frame shuddered.

...

Whoosh!

A gleaming copper coin shot through the air beneath the clouds, swift as lightning.

Old Cash stood above, having departed the Pirate Ship, he now turned back towards Red Devilland.

Shortly after, he voluntarily halted his approach, still a good distance from the island.

Beneath the clear blue sky and fluffy white clouds, a striking red drum burst forth from between the three dormant volcanoes of Red Devil Island.

With just one look, Old Cash understood the situation. He sighed and decided to land on an unnamed islet close to Red Devil Island.

"Pei Zhen, and that drum, are more than I can handle."

Old Cash was wise to the ways of the world. He surmised that Yu Yuan, much like the other scattered cultivators who had taken to the sea, had discreetly disembarked and stealthily made his way back to Red Devil Island.

Aware of Yu Yuan's presence on the island, he was nonetheless powerless to intervene.

With Pei Zhen stationed there, and as a fellow Soul Wandering Stage practitioner, Old Cash knew he'd be warned off if he ventured too close.

As a lone cultivator, he couldn't afford to clash with the Red Devil Sect or provoke Pei Zhen.

He had no choice but to observe from a neighboring island, biding his time for Yu Yuan and Yuan Lianyao to emerge.

...

"Have you ever encountered that sect disciple named Xiao Yun?"

Upon entering the room, Yuan Lianyao pressed for answers, "I couldn't help but notice her peculiar gaze towards you. And you, you gave her a particular look as well."

The Red Stone Pavilion was starkly bare, devoid of even the simplest furnishings.

She unfurled her meditation mat and settled onto it with a thud.

Yu Yuan took his place on the warm ground, leaning against a column, then spoke, "Back in the Ember Waters, Xiao Yun, like Hou Tianzhao, was a trialist for the Red Devil Sect. It's odd, I'm masked, and yet Chung Mann and Chung Miao can't see through it, nor can Old Cash, but her reaction was notably odd."

"So, you've met before in the Ember Waters." Yuan Lianyao's brow furrowed, "Could she have possibly recognized you?"

"I'm not sure," Yu Yuan replied with a shake of his head.

"Let it be. It's not worth fretting over," Yuan Lianyao decided not to probe further. "Given the Imperial Advisor's high esteem for you, knowing your identity might actually make our comings and goings smoother. Besides, the cultivation path of my father's lineage within the Red Devil Sect holds great significance for me."

She arrived on the island ahead of Yu Yuan, and it wasn't long before Pei Zhen made her presence known.

Pei Zhen revealed that the individual who had imparted the "Devil Refining Spell" to Yuan Qiufang and bequeathed the "Blazing Inferno Halberd" was her martial uncle.

This connection meant she and Yuan Qiufang were essentially senior and junior sect siblings. She had even made a point of meeting him after he joined the Red Devil Sect.

Yuan Lianyao, Yuan Qiufang's daughter, was now demonstrating a talent that outshone her father's.

Looking ahead, her accomplishments within the Red Devil Sect were poised to eclipse those of her father.

Pei Zhen saw great potential in her and held high hopes for her future.

The Red Devil Sect, not being a faction of the Heavenly Source Continent, rarely meddled in the private affairs or conduct of its disciples.

Thus, regardless of Yuan Lianyao's reputation, Pei Zhen was indifferent as long as she remained dedicated to her cultivation and continued to advance.

Her dismissal of Yuan Lianyao's lack of decorum stemmed from her view of Yu Yuan as too weak to be of any assistance.

In her eyes, Yu Yuan lacked even the merit to be in Yuan Lianyao's company for leisure.

"What Pei Zhen thinks doesn't concern me," Yu Yuan said with a smile. "After all, my stay on Red Devil Island will be brief."

As he spoke, a flicker crossed his brow, signaling another stir within the Yellow Court Little World at his lower dantian.

The eight clusters of Sun Essence Fire were restless, eager to break free once more.

Yu Yuan's expression grew stern.

It was at this moment that Pei Zhen, having brought Xiao Yun back to her dwelling, extracted some peculiar information from the girl with the melon-shaped face.

Xiao Yun confided that the sallow-faced man accompanying Yuan Lianyao was supposed to have been long dead.

He was a practitioner from the Luan Bird Empire.

Xiao Yun, hailing from the same empire, was acquainted with the man and was aware that he had been slain outright during a trial.

By Xiao Yun's account, the deceased had attained the Yin God Stage of cultivation.

Yet here was Yu Yuan, bearing the same face but with a cultivation level at the Profound Break Stage, an incongruity that raised questions.

Pei Zhen mulled it over and realized that the deceased must truly be dead. The individual who had appeared alongside Yuan Lianyao was merely donning a remarkably convincing mask.

"A cultivator at the Profound Break Stage should be more discreet. That lotus flower seems to hold him in high regard."

As Pei Zhen's thoughts continued to churn, she suddenly experienced an odd sensation.

She called down the massive drum, invisible to the common eye, from the skies above Red Devilland. What once towered like a mountain shrank to the size of a palm in an instant.

With a flick of her finger, Pei Zhen struck the drum.

Rip!

A streak of flame traced across its surface.

Using the Spiritual Spell of Fire to probe the drum, Pei Zhen's face, etched with wrinkles, was a picture of astonishment.

"Sun Essence Fire!"

Moments later, she was standing outside Yuan Lianyao's pavilion, communicating telepathically.

Yuan Lianyao reacted with surprise, "Your identity has been compromised."

With a gesture, she reached out and, from several meters away, the door swung open.

"Could it be Xiao Yun?" Yu Yuan was taken aback.

Pei Zhen flashed into the room, and the door closed behind her without a sound.

The elderly lady, who had previously scoffed at Yu Yuan, now examined him with a mix of curiosity and awe. "You're the young master of the Yu family from Darkmoon City, aren't you? After the uproar in the Ember Waters, everyone assumed you had left for other parts."

Her voice carried a soft chuckle. "Little did they expect you to turn up in the Crack Archipelago."

Yu Yuan responded, "I was compelled by circumstances, Senior. I hope you hold no grudge."

Pei Zhen dismissed the concern with a wave of her hand. "No matter, no matter. Xiao Yun has ties to me. She recounted your deeds in the Ember Waters in great detail after arriving on Red Devilland. Even that rascal Hou Tianzhao holds you in high esteem."

"How did she recognize me?" Yu Yuan inquired, intrigued.

Pei Zhen clarified that Xiao Yun had identified him by the mask he wore.

After a brief pause, she continued, "In the Ember Waters, an eye of the Starry Behemoth fell upon the Crack Archipelago, and many are in search of it. There was something peculiar about you just now; could it be related to that eye?"

Yu Yuan was taken aback.

Yuan Lianyao gasped, "An eye of the Starry Behemoth fell onto the Crack Archipelago?"

"Yes," Pei Zhen confirmed with a nod. "That eye is no ordinary thing. Deep within the eyeball, there lies an endless radiance of divine sunfire. The ability to refine the sun and moon, to swallow stars whole, is a talent unique to the Starry Behemoth. The individual who emerged in the Ember Waters possessed one eye that had refined the sun, while the other held the essence of the moon."

Yu Yuan kept his silence.

Pei Zhen went on, "The specifics are unknown to us all; we're only aware that the eye landed on the Crack Archipelago. The Primordial Yang Sect, along with our Red Devil Sect and other practitioners of fire spells, are all in pursuit of that eye's location."

"And just now, I detected the scent of Sun Essence Fire on you!" Her voice rose with excitement at the revelation.

"If I'm not mistaken, the Sun Essence Fire within you must have been condensed from that eye, correct?" Pei Zhen inhaled deeply. "Regardless, the Red Devil Sect cannot let the Primordial Yang Sect get their hands on that eye! Yu Yuan, I believe you could join forces with our sect to secure it!"

"To refine the Flaming Sun Divine Light into an eyeball!" Yuan Lianyao shuddered at the thought. "Such an object must be of extraordinary value!"

Pei Zhen declared emphatically, "If harnessed correctly, this item could serve as the core material for the Primordial Yang Sect to forge an Artifact. They are our mortal foes, making the eye just as crucial for us!"

"Has the Chaos Roc perished?" Yu Yuan inquired.

"To tell you the truth, our knowledge is quite limited," Pei Zhen admitted, shaking her head. "The Grey Crow from the Demon Palace is the most informed. He was nearest to the Ember Waters at the time and witnessed more than anyone. The others, like you, withdrew when they were defending the Dao Integration Star at the Devil Palace."

"My concern is that the Chaos Roc isn't dead and still lurks within the Boundless Land," Yu Yuan stated gravely.

"Why would you think that?" Pei Zhen asked, taken aback.

"That eye... it feels like it's been searching for me all this time!"

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