C505 The Seeking Jewelers
Deep beneath the sea, soul shadows darted about like fish, their agile movements sending ripples of soul energy through the water. Upon closer inspection, one would notice that each soul shadow bore the same form, each a replica of the same person—or more precisely, the same Yin God. This particular Yin God hailed from the Primordial Yang Sect, a Great Cultivator of Yang Mountain lineage.
With a whoosh, the fragmented Yin Gods coalesced into one and soared up from the ocean depths. Once they materialized, they drifted toward Primordial Yang Island within the Crack Archipelago. There, atop a hundred-foot crimson mountain, a man with red hair rose to his feet languidly as the Yin Gods cascaded over his crown like a waterfall, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
"Nine days and still nothing," he murmured to himself. "The Chaos Roc, having assimilated the sun in the Outland Star River into its eye, holds the key to something monumental. If I could integrate it into my being, I might break through to the Unrestrained Stage, just as the renegade from the Devil Palace did."
...
On Profound Sky Island, a green-robed cultivator offered an apologetic yet distant refusal. "I'm terribly sorry, but my master is in deep seclusion and cannot meet with you."
Lee Yu clutched the letter of introduction, nodding in acknowledgment. "I'll try again another time," he conceded. For someone as prideful as he, such a concession was a significant one.
A prodigy of the Lee family, the royal lineage of the Silvermoon Empire, and the foremost among the nation's five new moons, Lee Yu had been earmarked by a wandering member of the Profound Sky Sect. The promise was made that upon his advancement to the Profound Break Stage, he would be taken into the Sect.
Now, having reached the Profound Break Stage, he held the letter that had led him to Profound Sky Island. He had learned that the very same individual who had once promised him a place was now overseeing the island for the Sect. Driven by this knowledge, he had journeyed far to the Crack Archipelago, seeking an audience, but...
"My master's seclusions can span years. It would be futile for you to wait, Young Master Lee," the green-robed cultivator said, his demeanor growing sterner. "The gates of the Profound Sky Sect have closed to you."
Upon hearing these words, Lee Yu's face was etched with desolation, his pride shattered.
Unable to face the shame any longer, he turned and walked away.
Down at the shore, a black-canopied boat awaited, with Lee Yuchan standing beside it.
The imperial female general appeared much leaner, her expression cold and less haughty than in her earlier years.
As Lee Yu boarded the boat, she offered words of encouragement, "The Profound Sky Sect's refusal to accept you is their loss. With your abilities, you can make your mark without them."
"How can I seek vengeance for my family without the backing of a powerful sect?" Lee Yu lamented.
"The day will come," Lee Yuchan replied, her voice icy.
...
In the sealed tower on Red Devil Island, Yu Yuan shivered, not with cold but with dread.
He was still uncertain whether the Chaos Roc, the colossal beast suppressed deep within the Ember Waters, was dead or alive.
The Wind Chanter, Feng Zhong, had brought back only sketchy and ambiguous news.
Pei Zhen, who stood before him, was just as uncertain.
This ancient creature, born at the dawn of the cosmos within the far reaches of the galaxy, possessed boundless divine might and wisdom.
Legend had it that the Starry Behemoth emerged bathed in the radiance of the Dao, an eternal entity capable of refining the sun, moon, and stars, and of flashing across the vast starry ocean in an instant.
Indeed, such a pinnacle of life, with even a sliver of consciousness residing within its eyeball, could not be deemed dead.
"Perhaps its massive form was torn asunder by Heixun, the White Coat Mercurial, Peach Madam, and the flute-playing crane rider. Its bones may have been absorbed by the Aura Altar, with parts of its body vanishing beyond the heavens. Another thread of its consciousness might have fused with the eyeball, finding its way to the Crack Archipelago."
Yu Yuan brooded, his face dark with thought.
He had this nagging feeling that the eyeball was seeking him out...
The eight clusters of Sun Essence Fire within him were stirred repeatedly, as if beckoned by that very eyeball.
Had he not restrained them, the Sun Essence Fire would have likely left his Yellow Court Little World, drawn by their mutual resonance, straight to the Chaos Roc's eyeball.
"Yu Yuan?"
Pei Zhen called out softly, snapping him back to reality.
"Don't let your imagination run wild. That Starry Behemoth is probably gone," she reassured him, recounting a recent anomaly, "About half a month ago, as the sun plummeted, another, seemingly smaller sun, plunged swiftly into the sea. It descended near the northern reaches of the Crack Archipelago."
"The Babel Chamber of Commerce, the Demon Palace, and the Demon Palace—three of the upper sects, myself included, along with many leaders stationed in the Crack Archipelago, have all attempted the search."
"Unfortunately..."
Pei Zhen gave a wry smile. "We're all at a loss."
The Crack Archipelago, unlike the Ember Waters, lies in the deep sea.
If the plummeting "Flaming Sun" were the eyeball of the Chaos Roc, adept at stealth and evasion, it could elude detection in the murky depths—not just by someone like Pei Zhen, but even by a Yang God or an Unrestrained Stage cultivator.
"What would you have me do?" Yu Yuan inquired.
"If the Sun Essence Fire you've refined is indeed connected to that eye, perhaps you could join forces with my sect." Pei Zhen's spirits lifted. "Should you agree, I can call upon other masters from our sect to collectively seek out that eye!"
"I need to consider it," Yu Yuan replied, his demeanor cooling into a smile. "Given my ties to the Imperial Advisor, the Red Devil Sect wouldn't press me, would they?"
"I shall convey this to him," Pei Zhen affirmed.
"As you wish." Yu Yuan nodded, then steered the conversation in a new direction. "That girl Xiao Yun you mentioned—I encountered her in the Ember Waters. But the tale she spun for you is pure fabrication. She recognized the mask on my face, but that information likely came from the steward of the Pirate Ship."
At his words, both Pei Zhen and Yuan Lianyao were taken aback.
"What do you mean?" Pei Zhen asked, bewildered.
"She's with the Babel Chamber of Commerce," Yu Yuan clarified. "They wouldn't slip up like that. The mask they provided wouldn't have given me away—Xiao Yun couldn't have figured it out on her own. It must have been the steward who informed her, hoping she'd reveal my background to you."
Pei Zhen's face darkened. "Now that you mention it, it seems quite plausible! Zhu Peining is playing a slick game!"
"Could the Babel Chamber of Commerce really plant a pawn within the Red Devil Sect?" Yuan Lianyao was incredulous. "How could they dare? And how do they wield such influence?"
"It may not be someone directly from the Babel Chamber of Commerce, but they've likely had dealings with them," Pei Zhen huffed. "Regardless, for passing messages on Zhu Peining's behalf, that girl will be expelled from the sect!"
"The issue with the Chaos Roc's eyeball has given me much to ponder over the past several days," Yu Yuan remarked.
"Understood!"
Pei Zhen nodded, his expression somber, as he silently withdrew.
"Could that colossal creature truly be alive?" Yuan Lianyao exclaimed in astonishment.
"The eyeball that sank to this cluster of islands retains its consciousness," Yu Yuan explained, inhaling deeply. "But even if it's alive, with its spirit lingering in the eyeball, it's undoubtedly weakened."
He recalled the sensations he had felt aboard the "Pirate Ship."
If the Chaos Roc retained its formidable power, it wouldn't bother with the Crack Archipelago. It could have easily ambushed the "Pirate Ship" en route and effortlessly seized control.
The one overseeing the "Pirate Ship," Zhu Peining, was merely at the Soul Wandering Stage.
The fact that no attack was launched suggested an acknowledgment of potential failure, prompting a different strategy.
Narrowing his eyes, Yu Yuan let out a cold laugh. "If it's become so feeble, preferring to lurk beneath the sea, it should stay well hidden. Yet it insists on meddling from the shadows, seeking vengeance against me in the Crack Archipelago. It shuns the heavenly path, only to plunge headlong into the abyss!"
"What will you do?" Yuan Lianyao called out.
"I'll wait for it to come to me," Yu Yuan said, a scheme forming in his mind. "Naturally, it won't be at Red Devilland. With Pei Zhen present, if it's indeed that eye, it wouldn't dare approach."
"When will you depart from the island?"
"In the next few days!"
