C509 The Demonic Tide at the Bottom of the Sea

After removing his mask, Yu Yuan emerged from the Crucible of Evil, revealing his true face, and descended beneath the sea.

He enlarged his figure as he stood within the cauldron, peering inside.

Beneath him, Yuan Lianyao appeared as tiny as a grain of rice, situated within the little world inside the cauldron.

The serrated, broad Devil Blade, motionless beneath the waves, resembled a small boat. Mo Yan, from the Devil Palace, stood atop the Shadowblade.

As Yu Yuan materialized, Mo Yan's eyes sparkled with recognition. "We meet again!"

"How did you manage to find me?" Yu Yuan asked, his expression grave.

Outside the cauldron, the presence of the eight clusters of sunfire meant that if the Abyssal Leviathan employed the burning sun to seek him out, it could likely discern his location.

That is, unless he remained completely hidden within the little world of the cauldron.

The Crucible of Evil, being a Divine Level artifact, possessed a unique ability to shield its aura. The cauldron spirit had claimed that buried deep beneath the Sundering Isles, the cauldron was nearly impossible to find, even for those at the Solar Spirit or Unbound realms.

It was with the assurance of the cauldron spirit that he felt confident.

Yet, Mo Yan had not only found him but had pinpointed his location with remarkable accuracy.

Yu Yuan immediately sensed danger and began to wonder if the cauldron spirit had been overly confident.

At his peak, Mo Yan had only reached the Lunar Spirit realm.

If he could find Yu Yuan, what about the others?

"How I found you..."

Mo Yan laughed heartily atop the Devil Blade, his laughter penetrating the water. "Yu Yuan, oh Yu Yuan, do you recall where we first encountered each other?"

Yu Yuan was taken aback.

He had met Mo Yan within the little world inside the Crucible of Evil.

"You must realize that the cauldron was acquired by the Devil Palace and lies at the bottom of the Embers Sea. This cauldron is also one of the three great wonders of that region. And me..."

Mo Yan's voice trailed off, "Before you showed up, before you entered the cauldron, that place was my secret sanctuary for cultivation. In the years before your group of trial-takers arrived, I was already there, beneath the sea of the Embers Sea, diligently practicing within that very cauldron. It was the Devil Palace that entrusted me with it, to attempt its refinement."

"Of course, I wasn't destined for the cauldron, so I couldn't refine it," I admitted. "However, having spent so much time inside, I've learned a great deal about the glyphs within. Within a certain range, I can still sense the cauldron's approximate location."

At this point, Mo Yan's voice carried a hint of melancholy. His resentment wasn't directed at Yu Yuan, but rather at the Crucible of Evil itself.

"I had no idea the artifact soul was still intact. It hid itself so well that, despite years of intense cultivation inside, it never showed itself. What I didn't expect was for you to practice Evil Body Refining, align yourself with the cauldron, gain the artifact soul's approval, and then be accepted by it."

How could he not feel frustrated? Mo Yan held an esteemed position within the Devil Palace and had dedicated himself to the Embers Sea, where the Devil Palace had placed their hopes on him to unlock the mysteries of the Crucible of Evil and make it his own.

For years, he had studied the glyphs in solitude, attempting to refine the cauldron using the Devil Palace's mystique, only to return with nothing to show for it. Then, out of nowhere, Yu Yuan emerged, practicing Evil Body Refining. He repeatedly broke through barriers in the cauldron's little world, refining his body and growing stronger.

Later, the Crucible of Evil consumed an unusual evil spirit and took Yu Yuan through the Embers Sea to cleanse impurities. In times of crisis, they managed to make a swift escape from the region.

By then, Mo Yan had surmised that the artifact soul of the Crucible of Evil hadn't vanished. It was still there, just deeply concealed—so much so that he never sensed the cauldron spirit's presence nor received any guidance during his years of arduous practice.

As Mo Yan brooded, Yu Yuan couldn't help but smirk, finding the situation somewhat amusing. "Cut the chatter. What do you want from me?" he asked.

It wasn't the Evil Body Refining that Mo Yan had hoped for—it was the legacy of Boulderdawn, a secret he would never divulge.

"Not long ago, Demon's Scar was subjected to a brutal slaughter, committed by your betrothed," Mo Yan continued, setting aside his dejection. "Zhu Peining of the Skyreach Consortium is convinced that both you and a woman from the Ruby Hand were on the island at the time. After the massacre, the Consortium believed you both perished."

Yu Yuan nodded in agreement. "Indeed, we were there at the time."

Xiao Yun, a chess piece strategically placed by Zhu Peining, was well aware that she and Yuan Lianyao were on Demon's Scar Island when the incident occurred.

With Pei Zhen dead and many bodies reduced to ashes, Zhu Peining naturally assumed that both he and Yuan Lianyao had perished as well.

Zhu Peining might even have believed that the Crucible of Evil and the Sunsorrow had fallen into Lin Zhuyun's hands.

Mo Yan, having sensed the presence of the Crucible of Evil, now understood that both Yu Yuan and Yuan Lianyao had survived.

"The fact that you two are alive is truly surprising," Mo Yan remarked with a hint of wonder. "Had I not detected the aura of the cauldron, I would have found it hard to believe. Pei Zhen, along with numerous formidable members of the Starmoon Sect and Winter's Bite, were all slain by your fiancée, who was taken over by the Sky Fiend."

"Cut the chatter," Yu Yuan said, his patience wearing thin.

He was concerned that the Abyssal Leviathan might pinpoint his location through the burning sun's eye.

The last thing he wanted was for his fiancée, whose temperament had drastically changed, to come looking for him.

"Since the artifact soul has chosen you, I won't covet what is yours," Mo Yan said with a wistful sigh, his expression one of regret. "The Crucible of Evil rightfully belongs to the Devil Palace; it was meant for me to refine. Now that it's in your possession, I won't contest it. However, regarding the Sunsorrow from the Abyssal Leviathan, shouldn't you offer it as compensation?"

He extended his hand toward Yu Yuan, his gaze fixed on the Bracelet of Holding that Yu Yuan had donned once more.

When Yu Yuan revealed his true appearance, he didn't bother to conceal the bracelet, which was back on his wrist.

"I should have known there was no good news."

Yu Yuan grumbled under his breath and scoffed, "Mo Yan, you have no use for the Sunsorrow from the giant beast. You've surpassed the Veil Breaking Realm; it's of no benefit to you now."

"How I use it is none of your concern," Mo Yan replied with a smile.

"How much are you asking for?" Yu Yuan asked, his brow furrowed.

Pointing to his Bracelet of Holding, Mo Yan responded with ease, "Hand over the bracelet, and I'll take all the Sunsorrow from the giant beasts within. I won't touch anything else."

Yu Yuan's expression turned grim. "You're quite ambitious."

Mo Yan simply smiled and nodded in agreement.

"And if I refuse, what can you possibly do to me?" Yu Yuan challenged.

Mo Yan responded without hesitation, as if he had already planned his next move. "In the Crucible of Evil, within its little world, I've toiled for years and left my mark. It's these traces that allow me to sense the cauldron. The moment you release it, I'll know."

"And what's more, I can make others sense it too."

He had the air of someone who had Yu Yuan cornered. "Your betrothed, the one possessed by the Sky Fiend on Demon's Scar Island, she's searching for you, isn't she? Pei Zhen and other members of the Ruby Hand have perished because of you. Once the cauldron's aura is revealed, she, along with everyone else, will pinpoint your location."

"I'll also spread the word that you possess the Crucible of Evil and the Sunsorrow from the giant beast."

"Without a sect's protection, no matter how gifted you are, you'll be completely immobilized within the Sundering Isles."

"I don't even need to lift a finger; others will go out of their way to kill you!"

Mo Yan extended his hand, his eyes narrowed, his voice icy. "Now, if you would be so kind as to toss me the Bracelet of Holding."

Yu Yuan inhaled deeply and replied, "Once it's in my possession, I never relinquish it."

"That's truly unfortunate," Mo Yan said, shaking his head with a look of pity, as though Yu Yuan was already a goner.

He then began to back away slowly, creating distance between them.

"Take care of yourself," Mo Yan said dismissively.

With those words, strands of remnant soul flowed into the Shadowblade. It was as if a hidden magic circle had been triggered, sending a powerful surge of spiritual energy from the Shadowblade straight into the Crucible of Evil.

Within the cauldron's little world, glyphs along the cauldron's walls began to flicker like electric snakes. Yuan Lianyao, trapped inside, suddenly noticed demonic light threading through the cauldron's interior, penetrating its exterior and causing the dark cauldron to erupt with a startling display of demonic power.

The magic circle designed to cloak one's aura failed in an instant.

At the ocean's depths, the Crucible of Evil shone like a plummeting sun, its demonic radiance seemingly boundless!

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