C511 Chasing after the Second Chance
"Crucible of Evil!"
On the precipice of Sword Island, a voice called out softly.
A long sword rested on the crossed legs of a figure who seemed to be slowly awakening from a dream.
Perched on a jutting stone platform on the cliff, his gray-white attire blended seamlessly with the rocks behind him.
At a glance, one might mistake him for an ageless boulder, immovable for millennia.
"Kong Banbi mentioned that the Crucible of Evil was acquired by Yu Yuan. The scabbard Yu Yuan possesses... it's the one used to suppress the evil beings from the extraterrestrial realm."
He murmured to himself, "If that's true, could Yu Yuan be a disciple of my Sword Sect?"
With this thought, he gently tapped the long sword on his leg.
A melodious sword chime ripped through the heavens and earth.
Hiss!
The long sword suddenly soared away from Sword Island, slicing through the air and vanishing in the blink of an eye.
This sword, intertwined with his life, served as his eyes.
His mind, consciousness, and remnant soul could all be channeled through the blade.
...
On an unnamed island, amidst a frigid mountain stream, lay a crystal-clear pond covered with a layer of emerald flames, making the cold waters appear ablaze.
A graceful and chilling figure emerged suddenly from a hidden cave at the bottom of the pond.
All the emerald flames rushed into her body like rivers flowing into the sea.
A "moon" emerged from her left eye, casting a cold, icy glow as it leisurely ascended toward the heavens.
Seconds later.
She huffed softly, reaching up to draw the "moon" back to her, then vanished into thin air like a phantom in the dead of night.
...
Across the Sundering Isles, the leaders of the various sects were unexpectedly alerted to a terrifying surge of magic power from the ocean's depths while searching for Lin Zhuyun.
The atmosphere turned tumultuous, sending shockwaves through the ranks of the powerful!
Cultivators' remnant souls, artifacts, and spells from different islands converged into the sea's abyss.
Near Demon's Scar, ordinary fish succumbed to the overwhelming psionic power in the waters, dying en masse and floating to the surface.
The cultivators who had long been stationed on the islands knew each other well, familiar with each other's histories and origins.
Without needing to physically manifest, they could discern each other's identities solely through their weapons, remnant souls, and spells.
Peers in cultivation would steer clear of one another, respecting each other's territories.
However, rogue cultivators with insufficient levels of cultivation, who dared to probe the deep sea's mysteries, would face ruthless attacks.
It was not uncommon to hear of rogue cultivators at the Subtlety level on various islands collapsing suddenly.
These individuals often blindly navigated the deep sea using their spiritual sense, inadvertently obstructing the paths of more powerful cultivators and meeting their untimely demise.
Many at the Lunar Spirit level would inexplicably cough up blood and lose consciousness.
Word spread quickly of a formidable artifact stirring in the ocean depths.
...
Amidst the shadowy seabed, Yuan Lianyao, known as the Blazing Red Lotus, carried Yu Yuan on her back, furiously unleashing her flame spiritual energy.
She had long since fled the deep sea with Yu Yuan. Along the way, Mo Yan would emerge unexpectedly.
He could be lurking within the walls of an island, inside the carcasses of massive fish, or camouflaged among inconspicuous coral and seabed stones.
Mo Yan excelled at concealment and ambush, his assassination techniques were extraordinarily refined.
His relentless assaults left Yuan Lianyao frazzled, her body accumulating wounds.
After another escape from Mo Yan's ambush, she confided to Yu Yuan, "He's wounded. Each collision with his Devil Blade is palpable through my lotus flowers. His vitality is erratic, and his Soul Power is inconsistent. Although he possesses late Lunar Spirit cultivation, there's something amiss about him."
"That's Mo Yan. He sustained severe injuries back in the Embers Sea," Yu Yuan explained with a pained expression. "Originating from the Devil Palace, he practices the intricate and enigmatic Cycle of Life and Death Spell. His standing in the Devil Palace is undoubtedly significant, and his mastery of rune circles is not to be underestimated."
"I know," Yuan Lianyao said.
Bright red maple leaves and fire lotuses trailed behind her. Both served as vigilant guardians, ever watchful for Mo Yan's next move. In less than half an hour, Mo Yan had already launched four surprise attacks from beneath the sea.
With Yu Yuan on her back, Yuan Lianyao couldn't reach her top speed. Moreover, Mo Yan wielded the Devil Blade and was adept at stealth and assassination. Having been caught off guard twice, she had wised up. Any sudden appearance, be it a dead fish or a fragment of rock, she crushed without hesitation to prevent Mo Yan from launching another stealthy blade attack.
"How are you feeling?" she inquired gently.
"Not great," Yu Yuan replied with a wry smile.
The turmoil within the Vitality Profound Gate was still cataclysmic. The wild and violent forces battered his internal organs via the vitality acupoints, rather than being channeled through the eight extra meridians into his well-tempered bones.
For any cultivator, the organs are the most vulnerable. During the Veil Breaking Stage, the body's conditioning begins with the bones, progresses to flesh and meridians, and only lastly to the organs. This process should be gradual and deliberate.
But now, with the upheaval of the Crucible of Evil, the psionic power he had absorbed—tainted with filth and poison—was no longer contained by the Crucible or the Evil Body Refining technique. It had erupted all at once, bypassing the eight extra meridians and flooding directly into his vital organs, causing him excruciating pain.
To make matters worse, the cauldron spirit he had prematurely awakened had yet to successfully refine the evil spirit, a transformation of the Sky Fiend, into a compliant Bane that the spirit could utilize. The premature awakening, meant to evade Lin Zhuyun, had left the cauldron spirit injured during the refinement process. Consequently, even with their combined efforts, they were unable to quickly resolve the chaos within the little world of the cauldron, nor could they rectify the rune circle remnants left by Mo Yan.
Yet, he couldn't release the Crucible of Evil; if he did, the powerful figures drawn by the rumors would easily spot him.
"I will ensure your safe passage to Celestial Isle!" Yuan Lianyao declared with conviction.
"One thing to remember: before we reach Celestial Isle, we must avoid contact with anyone from the Skyreach Consortium. Stay on guard." Yu Yuan, with his arms encircling her neck, felt the warmth of her body and the movement of the surrounding seawater. He whispered in her ear, "Even before we set foot on Celestial Isle, the Skyreach Consortium might try to kill me."
Yuan Lianyao was taken aback.
"Rules are rules," Yu Yuan sighed. "The Consortium's policy is clear: once you're on Celestial Isle and have paid with soulstones, you're under their protection. This was decreed by the first president of the Skyreach Consortium, and no one dares to break it. But if we haven't made it to Celestial Isle, then the Consortium's people can act according to the Sundering Isles' law."
"The Sundering Isles have always had one law: there are no laws."
"It's survival of the fittest, the law of the jungle."
This was the first time since his reincarnation that he felt so utterly powerless.
If the Crucible of Evil were to be released, it would likely become a target for various factions, relentlessly pursued by sect experts and solitary cultivators eager to claim the Divine Artifact, the life essence of the cosmic giant beast, and the sword sheath.
Once inside him, he constantly endured the Crucible's chaotic erosion.
His organs began to rupture, the agony so intense that he no longer had the strength to gather spiritual energy or compose himself.
His only option was to reach Celestial Isle as swiftly and safely as possible, openly release the Crucible of Evil, address his injuries, and then find a way to repair the internal pathways of the cauldron. Only then could he hope to resolve his troubles.
In the meantime, the sunfire within the Golden Sanctum's little world remained a significant threat.
The Crucible's disturbance was momentarily subdued, but the presence of the sunfire still made him a prime target for the Abyssal Leviathan and Lin Zhuyun's assaults.
He had to move quickly, making his way to Celestial Isle before Lin Zhuyun and the Abyssal Leviathan could detect his presence or locate him. Time had become of the utmost importance to him, every second now more critical than the last.
With a resounding boom, a wraith detonated at the ocean's depths, dispersing thousands of thread-like wisps. These strands were a manifestation of deadly smoke within the water.
Amidst the billowing tendrils of smoke, an old man with a stooped back emerged. "I've been trailing you the entire way," he revealed.
