C538 Ming Kun
On a nameless island, the old man who had transformed into Ming Kun no longer bore the brown fish scales on his neck, and the spikes that once adorned the backs of his hands had vanished. His frame was lean, and he was clad in a gray vest, a long beard adorning his chin. With a sycophantic smile, he warmly greeted an elderly cultivator of the Subtlety Realm, inquiring about the intricacies of their concerns.
"Who oversees the various islands of the Sundering Isles? Is it their real body, or perhaps a Lunar or Solar Spirit presiding over them?" His curiosity about the sects' spiritual spells and the weapons they wielded was insatiable.
The old cultivator, unsuspecting, answered him offhandedly.
Nearby, numerous independent cultivators were keenly observing the island recently visited by Zhu Peining and the Dark Herald, engaging in animated discussions or hushed conversations.
"Why have both the Skyreach Consortium and the Devil Palace shown up on that small island? What are they after?"
"I've been on that island for over half a year and found nothing."
"Not long ago, Tong Laoqian was seen in the secluded Silverwoods, seemingly in a dispute with someone. But it was quickly resolved after a brief flare-up."
"What secrets does the island hold?"
Many cultivators, still in the Veil Breaking and Subtlety Realms and without fully formed Lunar Spirits, were inwardly astonished.
Ming Kun, the one-eyed elder, stroked his beard and listened with a beaming smile. His singular crimson eye, as if afflicted by an ailment or deprived of rest, was unsettlingly red.
Yet his presence was unremarkable; whether it was his soul or his vitality, both were at the middle stage of Veil Breaking, with no particularly striking features.
Occasionally, he would squint and look up at the sky with a grin. The Silver Rainbow Shuttle carrying the Dark Herald hovered conspicuously above.
...
Inside the Warp Spindle, Mo Yan's brow furrowed with a sense of inexplicable unease. At his command, the Shadowblade, now reduced to a hundredth of its size, materialized between his fingers. The diminutive Devil Blade glowed faintly, its blade soul quivering as if sensing danger.
"Something's not right," Mo Yan muttered, startled by the miniaturized blade. He turned and called out to the cabin, "There must be someone else, concealed even more deeply, harboring ill will towards us!"
The Devil Blade, once renowned throughout the extraterrestrial Star River, was on the verge of ascending to the rank of a Divine Artifact!
He, with the Devil Blade in hand, taming its soul, was intimately aware of its enigmatic nature.
Just moments ago, the blade's soul had quivered.
That quiver was a premonition...
"With all the noise we're making, it's hardly surprising that someone's lurking in the shadows," the Dark Herald's icy voice echoed from the cabin. "Don't fret; it's likely those unaffiliated cultivators with exceptional prowess who evade the oversight of the great sects. Let them look all they want, as long as they keep their distance."
Indeed, there were rogue cultivators out there, some even more formidable than Tong Laoqian.
As the Guardian of Devil Palace, she had witnessed countless illustrious rogue cultivators traverse the Sundering Isles and visit Celestial Isle to acquire magic items and pills.
Encountering rogue cultivators of the Solar Spirit level was not uncommon, and they occasionally sought out the Skyreach Consortium.
Yet, the majority of these cultivators wouldn't dare to wreak havoc in the Sundering Isles, let alone break the established rules or commit heinous acts like Lin Zhuyun did on Demon's Scar, Moonshadow Isles, and Icestorm Island.
The Dark Herald surmised that such cultivators, drawn by the rumors, had concealed themselves in the darkness, their remnant souls stirring at the presence of the Shadowblade.
"Hey, Tong Laoqian, spill it—what are you and Yu Yuan up to on this obscure island?" Gao Qin of the Skyreach Consortium asked languidly, hovering beside Tong Laoqian like an old friend engaging in idle chit-chat. "With the Grand Sword Immortal's intervention and other factors at play, we have no intention of harming him."
Tong Laoqian, standing on a copper coin, was filled with frustration. "I truly have no clue."
If not for the presence of other formidable beings deep beneath the sea, he would have considered fleeing.
But now, knowing others were below, if he remained still, he might just stay out of harm's way.
Any sudden move on his part, however, would likely provoke a swift and thunderous response from them.
"Yu Yuan, where have you vanished to? You didn't lure me here just to ensnare me, did you? After I finally opened up to you, is this how you repay me?" Tong Laoqian's heart cried out in despair, feeling trapped in a dilemma with no right choice.
At Demon's Scar, Yuan Lianyao stood amidst the volcano's erupting flames, reminiscent of a fire phoenix undergoing refinement by the earthfire essence.
Her Lunar Spirit flickered within the flames, drawing in the earthfire's essence and purifying her soul. Lotus flowers, symbols of life's cultivation, expanded to cover acres, floating over the volcano's mouth. They bloomed resplendently, swallowing the fierce flames from the heart of the earth and dissolving the magma. The radiant lotus flowers, like Yuan Lianyao herself, were experiencing a remarkable metamorphosis.
From within the buildings where Lin Zhuyun had attempted to assassinate Pei Zhen, Faang Yao and Yuan Qiufang looked on, observing her immersion in the fiery bath of earthfire and lava, refining both her Lunar Spirit and the lotus.
"Xu Zixi has arrived to pay respects to Lord Faang Yao," came a warm and alluring voice from outside the island.
"The Python Queen?" Yuan Qiufang expressed his surprise.
Faang Yao, with only one arm, smiled broadly. "We're all family here. Why should the Python Queen be so formal?"
He had been a guardian angel to the Hellbreed since his youth and was well aware of Zhou Cangmin's youthful entanglements with the Python Queen. He had witnessed the depth of her affection for the Hellbreed, which is why he considered Xu Zixi to be one of their own.
Xu Zixi gracefully descended, landing beside him and Yuan Qiufang. She glanced at Yuan Lianyao and complimented, "Congratulations to your sect for welcoming such a gifted disciple."
Faang Yao burst into hearty laughter. "How did you find your way to Demon's Scar?"
"That young man who was with her has stealthily departed from Celestial Isle," Xu Zixi said, touching her forehead with a sigh. "Can't he stay out of trouble for even a few days? It seems we're on the brink of stirring up more chaos."
"Why did he leave the island?" Yuan Qiufang asked, astonished.
"I don't know," the Python Queen admitted, her expression one of vexation. "Now, the Dark Herald, Zhu Peining, and the members of the Sunlit Order, Ebon Star, and Mystic Heaven Sect have all been roused. They're secretly converging on that unnamed island."
Faang Yao maintained a detached demeanor. "I've noticed."
Demon's Scar was not far from that island. With Zhu Peining and the Dark Herald making such a grand entrance, how could he, on the verge of transitioning to a Solar Spirit, be unaware?
"Yu Yuan has vanished," the Python Queen said with a furrowed brow. "It's peculiar. He's nowhere to be found on the island, and our searches have turned up nothing. I came here specifically to inquire with Yuan Lianyao. She and Yu Yuan were very close, having traveled together to the Sundering Isles, and it was she who escaped with him after the upheaval on Demon's Scar."
Faang Yao was taken aback. "You mean she might know where Yu Yuan is hiding?"
"If she doesn't, I doubt anyone does," Xu Zixi remarked.
"Let's wait another three days!" Faang Yao looked up, scrutinizing the situation. "In three days, her mastery of the dark arts should be complete, and her Lunar Spirit fully solidified."
...
In the shadowy hall, Yu Yuan held a piece of "Sunsorrow of the Giant Beast," his expression a mix of shock and awe illuminated by the glow of the furnace, as he sensed the tumultuous changes within his vitality's little world.
In a corner of the room, the one-eyed elder who had assumed the guise of Ming Kun wore a sly grin, blending in among the scattered cultivators.
Unbeknownst to them, a savage, bloodthirsty Cosmic Giant Beast lurked in their midst. Should it reveal its true form, the island would be the least of their worries; even the Dark Herald, Zhu Peining, and the others would face grave danger.
The sight of the Abyssal Leviathan influenced Yu Yuan's focus as he refined the "Sunsorrow of the Giant Beast."
The Abyssal Leviathan was still alive. How long had it been masquerading as a human on the Sundering Isles?
"Can this hall conceal my presence from its senses?" Yu Yuan pondered deeply. "If it discovers me and has regained most of its Cosmic Giant Beast power, it could surely break through!"
Suddenly, Yu Yuan's thoughts were in disarray.
His lack of concentration led to the Crucible of Evil, which had been enduring relentless impacts, being expelled from the Profound Gate acupoint.
With a whoosh, the dark cauldron emerged from his chest, casting an eerie demonic glow.
"Master, the Abyssal Leviathan is still alive!" the cauldron spirit exclaimed as it soared out, also catching sight of the astonishing scene at the furnace's edge. "No, it's on the Sundering Isles, not devoured by Hei Xun and the others. There's definitely something amiss! Being so close, could it sense these pieces of Sunsorrow of the Giant Beast? After all, they are the essence of its vitality!"
"Ah!" Yu Yuan's expression shifted dramatically.
"I thought he had either perished or fled to the extraterrestrial realms, leaving only his residual soul within the Eye of the Burning Sun," the cauldron spirit said, its voice tinged with clear anxiety and unease. "But since he's alive, he should have been able to sense the disturbance when you were refining the Sunsorrow, and know exactly what you're up to!"
"Are you suggesting he's aware that I'm processing these Sunsorrow?" Yu Yuan asked, aghast.
"It all hinges on whether this hall can shield us from his perception," the cauldron spirit replied, maneuvering the dusky cauldron with a gentle sway within the dimly lit chamber. It too was taken aback, "What is this place? Even from within, I'm unable to detect any external happenings. If I'm blind to it, perhaps he is as well."
The artifact soul had a sudden realization: its new master, whose cultivation seemed unremarkable, was shrouded in mysteries.
How had the new master discovered this place, and how had he managed to gain entry so effortlessly?
How did he possess such extensive knowledge of the past events concerning Zu Ann of Rosy Cloud Island, and how was he able to access them?
Merely a Veil Breaking cultivator without the backing of a powerful cultivator or a major sect, yet he knew so much about the ancient lore and secrets of the Everlands?
"No matter if the Abyssal Leviathan can see or not, I must proceed with refining these Sunsorrow!"
Resolved, Yu Yuan rekindled the sunfire, igniting the crystallized essence of vitality in his palm, which resembled a piece of ancient amber. With a burst, a shower of sparkles scattered.
"Evil Body Refining!"
His bones crackled as the Profound Gate acupoint within his middle elixir field suddenly generated a powerful suction.
The gleaming specks of vital energy, like luminescent fireflies, streamed into the acupoint, swiftly creating dozens of radiant orbs brimming with rich vital essence within the little world of vitality.
Below, the effects of the Blood Rejuvenation Elixir, broken down by spiritual energy, coursed into the little world of vitality.
For reasons unknown, after the Crucible of Evil was bombarded by these orbs of vitality, the intricate acupoints that had been storing, condensing, and refining the vitality no longer exhibited the previously terrifying levels of activity.
As soon as the Crucible of Evil departed, the vitality essence derived from the Abyssal Leviathan morphed into an enormous orb of light brimming with life power. It began to miraculously transform the small world, initiating its metamorphosis with the power of creation.
"Hmm?"
Yu Yuan, deep in contemplation, peered into the fabric of this world and couldn't help but utter a surprised exclamation.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
More vitality orbs, each as large as a cartwheel, ceased their destructive rampage. No longer did they fracture or tear through the fabric of this vitality-filled world.
The energy from the Sunsorrow of the giant beast spontaneously adjusted to a gentle state, modifying itself in a way that his elixir field could withstand and assimilate.
It wasn't the cauldron spirit at all, not as others had claimed, with the potential to rupture his little world of vitality.
"Did I get it wrong? Or was it the cauldron spirit that was mistaken?" Yu Yuan marveled inwardly. "If this is the norm, then there's no need for the Blood Rejuvenation Elixir. I can simply refine the Sunsorrow directly from the giant beast!"
