C523 The First Bane!

The dark cauldron was suspended high in the air.

Inside the little world of the cauldron, Yu Yuan could no longer detect any disturbances from the Golden Sanctum's little world.

The eight clusters of sunfire had become incredibly tame and well-behaved, not responding to the summons of the Abyssal Leviathan.

The cauldron's walls were etched with numerous glyphs, each embodying the intricate dark arts of the Terror Claws, with the astounding power to seize the essence of heaven and earth and refine evil spirits into Banes.

Whoosh!

An ice-blue shadow, unmistakably in the form of Luo Yiyi from the Moon Sect, materialized out of thin air.

At a single glance, Yu Yuan recognized the figure before him as the peculiar evil spirit, a manifestation conjured by the Sky Fiend's transformative abilities.

The ice-blue Luo Yiyi stood quietly, utterly still.

Within the cauldron's little world, a mélange of Soul Power from the Spawn of Chaos surged into her, cleansing her indomitable spirit, as she aspired to supplant the cauldron spirit and ambitiously become the new artifact soul.

The Abyssal Leviathan's words flashed through Yu Yuan's mind.

The Abyssal Leviathan had explained that this evil spirit, a derivative of the Sky Fiend, was not a natural occurrence but rather a creation of the Devil Palace's dark adept, who had slain a Sky Fiend beside the Crucible of Evil and forcibly brought it into existence.

The practice of evil converge had never been seen before with a Sky Fiend!

The evil spirit before him was the result of a Star-Spawned Terror, butchered by the Devil Palace's dark adept, with the intention of integrating it into the Crucible of Evil to forge a new artifact soul.

The dark adept was unaware that the artifact soul had not been utterly extinguished but lay deeply hidden within the cauldron.

The Crucible of Evil had been demoted from a Divine Artifact to a heavenly one, and the cultivator believed the root cause was the death of the cauldron spirit.

By condensing the Sky Fiend into an evil spirit, he hoped it would become the new cauldron spirit, presiding over the Crucible of Evil and restoring the notorious weapon to its former splendor.

*Crack!*

A chilling beam of soul light burst forth in the region of Luo Yiyi's consciousness.

The cauldron spirit, previously undetected within the cauldron, suddenly stirred with excitement. "Success!"

Yu Yuan, taken aback, watched as Luo Yiyi's entire being transformed into a pool of ice-blue liquid, floating midair within the cauldron like a celestial ice-blue river.

A chilling and eerie aura wafted from it.

The ice-blue river morphed once more, taking the shape of a figure far colder than Luo Yiyi had been.

This enigmatic figure towered tall, seemingly sculpted from ice itself.

Distinctly feminine in form, a closer inspection revealed a human-like upper body with the lower half resembling that of a scorpion.

It appeared to be the true, primordial form of the Star-Spawned Terror.

The aloof woman, half-human, half-scorpion, had eyes of ice-blue, devoid of any human emotion, exuding an aura of coldness, stillness, and millennia of solitude.

Now fully under the artifact soul's control, she was the first "Bane" within the cauldron following Yu Yuan's integration.

The "Bane," with her ice-blue gaze, suddenly turned her attention to the sword sheath in Yu Yuan's hands.

The cauldron spirit's excitement peaked. "The ice energy within the sword sheath—please grant it to her!"

Yu Yuan, perplexed, asked, "What?"

"The ice energy sealed within the sword sheath will empower her!" The cauldron spirit's excitement grew. "New master, I've come to understand! After transforming her into a demon, everything has become clear!"

"What have you understood?" inquired Yu Yuan.

"First, lift the seal and release the ice energy from the bottom of the sword sheath into this little world!" the cauldron spirit urged once more.

Having fully refined the cauldron and learned of the cauldron spirit's origins from Boulderdawn, Yu Yuan had witnessed a series of events that affirmed its loyalty.

Despite his lingering doubts, Yu Yuan proceeded as instructed.

He attempted to commune with the remnants of the sword's will within the sword sheath.

With a crisp crack, the sword light left by the Grand Sword Immortal within the sheath shattered.

The sword's will dissipated into nothingness.

A frigid stream of ice energy burst forth from the base of the sheath, drawn to the "Bane" as if by magnetism, swiftly merging into her being, becoming part of her essence.

"Ah!"

Yu Yuan was taken aback, wondering to himself, "How could this happen?"

He was aware of the origin of the ice energy sealed at the base of the sword sheath.

In the Forgotten Ruins, the platinum skull of a Shura from the Dark Realm had been impaled by this very sword sheath.

The sword sheath had been locked in a millennia-long struggle with the lingering will of the Dark Realm Shura.

In the world of the Shura's eye, he had witnessed innumerable Ice Shards, all forged from the gathered Residual Souls of the Shura, seemingly from a Dark Realm untouched by sunlight.

The self-awareness of the Dark Realm Shura had been obliterated, and Yu Zhu had acquired its lifetime of insights.

Yet, despite the years of battle between the Shura and the sword sheath, the icy current from the Dark Realm had been contained at the base of the sheath, restrained by the interwoven sword light, never spilling forth.

Not long ago, Lin Zhuyun had shown a covetous thirst for this icy current.

But she had not prevailed.

And now...

The once vague and ethereal "Bane" had suddenly been infused with this icy current, solidifying into a tangible form!

The "Bane" had transformed into a being that exuded an icy aloofness, its appearance strikingly exotic.

It still had the upper body of a human and the lower body of a scorpion, but it was no longer a watery form. Instead, it was composed of ice-blue, crystalline transparency, emanating a chilling aura.

With a sudden burst, it burst into flames, the ice-blue fire raging.

For some reason, the presence and sensation of this "Bane" seemed faintly reminiscent of Lin Zhuyun to Yu Yuan.

"The Star-Spawned Terror that possessed Lin Zhuyun and this entity are of the same lineage."

The cauldron spirit seemed quite thrilled, "Both Sky Fiends must have arrived in the Everlands simultaneously. One was seized by the dark adept, slain beside the cauldron, and transformed into an 'evil spirit', intent on replacing me and seizing control of the cauldron."

"The other must have fortuitously fled, concealing itself deep within the Frozen Hellscape, refining the Frozen Flames."

"The Sky Fiend that has taken over that girl will be persuaded by Hei Xun to venture to the Embers Sea. Undoubtedly, it has something to do with the Sky Fiend that became an 'evil spirit'."

"That girl is slaughtering her way to you, heedless of the consequences. The ice energy within the scabbard is a factor, but she herself is the main one."

"Once she acquires the ice energy and herself, her power will surge, propelling her even further. It must be the Abyssal Leviathan that has informed her. This creature, suppressed by the ancient evilkind, has been lurking in the depths of the Embers Sea for countless years, silently observing everything."

"He knows more secrets than I do, more than Hei Xun, more than the Blood Altar."

The cauldron spirit deduced the truth.

Yu Yuan was stunned into silence.

Two Sky Fiends had simultaneously arrived in the Everlands, pursued by the local cultivators—one perished, the other fled.

The one who perished has become the current "Bane," while the one who fled is likely imprisoned within Lin Zhuyun.

"Are you certain you can control her?" Yu Yuan inquired.

"Once she's refined into a Bane, she'll have no say in the matter," the cauldron spirit confidently replied. "She'll be the first Bane within the cauldron. After another cleansing and taming, she'll be ready for battle! Master, this 'Bane' is incredibly unique, with boundless potential. She's nearly as formidable as the strongest Banes from the past!"

The peculiarity of the Crucible of Evil lies in its strength growing with each Bane it contains, enhancing the cauldron spirit's power as well.

The cauldron spirit, through the refinement, control, and collection of "Bane," undergoes a transformation, potentially restoring this long-dormant artifact to its pinnacle.

The Divine Artifact has the capacity for continuous advancement. In Yu Yuan's possession, with numerous high-quality Banes within, the artifact's grade could further ascend.

As the artifact's grade elevates, so too does the might of the cauldron spirit.

"When will she be ready to fight for me?"

"In half a month! She will be battle-ready and at your service."

"How is her combat strength?"

"Judging by her integration with the cold current, if the compatibility is high and the fusion goes smoothly, her combat strength should be on par with a Lunar Spirit in the middle period."

Yu Yuan's eyes sparkled with interest. "Bane, is there potential for further enhancement?"

"Yes."

"How can we achieve that?"

"If she can find more of the cold current that she's compatible with, she can grow even stronger. Alternatively, slaying more Sky Fiends and nourishing her with their souls could work. Or, if you eliminate that girl, you could merge the Frozen Flames from her body and the Sky Fiend she has suppressed into our Bane."

"That sounds challenging."

"No rush, we can take our time." The cauldron spirit exuded confidence. "Master, in a fortnight, this formidable 'Bane' will be able to enter your Golden Sanctum's little world under my control."

"What for?"

"The ice-blue flame she carries might be able to locate and eradicate the mark left by the Abyssal Leviathan in the sunfire. Only then will the sunfire be completely yours, with no risk of it being uncontrollable!"

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