C544 The Light of Day

The moonlight filtered through the trees, casting a sparse glow over the locust forest.

Yu Yuan emerged silently from the earth, a ghostly figure in the night. He gazed skyward and exhaled deeply.

Nearby, beneath another locust tree, a figure in red brightened the shadows with her presence.

Elsewhere, by the sea, Ann Ziqing listened to the waves, a thoughtful smile playing on her lips.

With a swift whoosh, she too appeared in the locust forest, her smile warm. "Young Master, you've decided to grace us with your presence?"

"You?" Yuan Lianyao exclaimed in surprise.

"Why do you think those cultivators who had gathered here left?" Ann Ziqing, standing beneath a locust tree, caressed the shimmering crystal at her heart. "I rushed here from the Quietus Continent in response to your summons, to extricate you from your predicament."

Yuan Lianyao's eyes widened in realization. "It was you?"

"Before I brought Xueyin here, I was already at Babel Island, liaising with one of the guardians," Ann Ziqing clarified. "The Great Sword Immortal of Sword Island, the Primordial Yang Sect, Profound Sky Sect, and Spirit Void Sect had all been in touch through the Chamber of Commerce. Still, I hadn't anticipated the Starry Behemoth, confined in the Ember Waters, to be so deviously powerful."

She hadn't foreseen the Chaos Roc's escape.

The Chamber of Commerce had reported, along with the Demon Palace's Raven, that the Devil Palace's Heixun, White Coat Mercurial, Peach Madam, and others had joined forces to strike down the Chaos Roc.

Everyone believed the Chaos Roc would no longer stir trouble, even if it survived.

Yet, who could have guessed it would transform into Ming Kun and brazenly arrive at the Crack Archipelago in human guise, blending in with the scattered cultivators, biding its time for Yu Yuan's emergence.

Had Yu Yuan not fortuitously glimpsed him in the enigmatic hall, the truth might have remained concealed.

"How did you two communicate?" Yuan Lianyao inquired further.

Yu Yuan held the blood-colored jade pendant, his fingers tracing its contours before he shook his head with a wry smile. "When you gave me this pendant, did you have ulterior motives?"

The pendant housed an exceedingly covert communication array, ingeniously crafted, capable of piercing the dark hall's shielding to establish a delicate link with Ann Ziqing.

He couldn't discern the material of the blood-colored jade pendant, nor identify the type of jade it was made from.

"Young Master is quite adept at casting blame," Ann Ziqing said, a hint of injustice in her voice. "I was concerned for your safety when Lin Yue and the others from the Blood God Cult were after you during your underwater trials in the Ember Waters. This jade pendant in your possession is a deterrent; just showing it to him would make him think twice. The formation within can only be activated by you, and it's also the only way for you to find me."

"And I, on the other hand, cannot find you," she added earnestly.

"Let's get out of here," Yu Yuan interjected, eager to avoid drawing attention to the island and its hidden secrets. "Ann Ziqing, given your high-ranking status in the Blood God Cult, can you fill me in on what's been happening beyond our realm?"

"We should head to Red Devilland," Yuan Lianyao proposed. "It's closer, and Lord Faang Yao is there."

"To Blood God Island!" Ann Ziqing countered.

The two women exchanged a glance.

"Faang Yao..." Yu Yuan weighed his options before speaking with a hint of hesitation, "I believe Babel Island might be a better choice."

"Come with me to Blood God Island," Ann Ziqing persisted. "Sister Yuan, if you're worried, you can accompany me."

"I am indeed worried," Yuan Lianyao responded with a pout.

Ann Ziqing smiled reassuringly at Yu Yuan. "Believe me, on Blood God Island, you'll find what you're currently lacking the most."

Yu Yuan paused, a realization dawning on him. After the formation of the Blood Sacrificial Altar in the small Qi and blood world, he knew that to achieve a breakthrough to the Profound Break Stage, he would need an abundance of Qi and blood.

In the Crack Archipelago, the Demon Palace was the sole source capable of providing him with the necessary Qi and blood. Yet, they wouldn't allow him to hunt and refine higher-tier Demonic Beasts.

The Babel Chamber of Commerce might have some special pills that could aid in his rapid refinement and generation of Qi and blood essence.

Beyond that, his only option seemed to be the Blood God Cult. Known for their unique and often shunned cultivation techniques, the Blood God Cult stockpiled a variety of alien beast blood and even imprisoned their own powerful practitioners.

The materials were already prepared, ready to be refined and transformed by the Blood Sacrificial Altar into a fountain of Qi and blood essence.

"Alright! To Blood God Island we go!"

...

"So, Yu Yuan has actually emerged."

Faang Yao of Red Devil Island quirked an eyebrow and chuckled at Yuan Qiufang, "Lianyao, along with the Blood God Cult's goddess, has headed to Blood God Island with him."

Upon his return, still concerned for Yuan Lianyao, he occasionally extended his soul sense towards the nearby island.

A quarter of an hour after Yu Yuan appeared, Faang Yao checked once more with his soul sense and saw him.

"Where had he been before?" inquired Yuan Qiufang, puzzled.

"No one knows," Faang Yao replied, releasing a massive fireball that soared from the island's volcanic veins, dragging chunks of crimson rock behind it.

The rocks responded to his intent, swiftly stacking up.

A nascent Mountain of Flames began to take form.

Previously, Lim Zhuyun had unleashed a force as heavy as Mount Tai to slay Pei Zhen, causing the island's volcano to shatter and its palaces to crumble in an instant, nearly compromising the very foundation of Red Devil Island.

It was only after Faang Yao arrived and wielded his divine powers to reconstruct Red Devil Island that it began to regain its original state.

"What's odd is that the island has no renown whatsoever. I could see everything with absolute clarity when I probed it with my soul sense," Faang Yao mused, shaking his head. "It's astonishing, really. Back in Darkmoon City, I never paid that kid any mind, didn't give him a second glance."

"He seems to have been aware of your reputation for quite some time," Yuan Qiufang interjected suddenly.

"He knew of me?" Faang Yao expressed skepticism. "He never left Darkmoon City in his early years, had no sect—how could he possibly know of me?"

"When I spoke with him, he gave me the impression he was already familiar with you," Yuan Qiufang responded, recalling Yu Yuan's peculiar demeanor when mentioning Faang Yao in the past. "I have this persistent feeling that he's known you for a long time."

"Impossible, impossible," Faang Yao repeated, shaking his head in denial.

"The Blood God Cult's maiden seems to know his whereabouts, hence her waiting," Yuan Qiufang pondered, then voiced his confusion, "But why would she, a goddess of the Blood God Cult's current generation, of such esteemed status, demean herself by referring to herself as a servant?"

"Perhaps it's just some twisted hobby of hers," Faang Yao mused, equally baffled. "With her standing, she shouldn't be serving anyone in the Boundless Land."

"Could she have killed Yu Yuan on Blood God Island?" Yuan Qiufang asked, her worry evident.

"That's anyone's guess," Faang Yao chuckled. "If Yu Yuan is dead, Zhou Cangmin would take it hard. Our Demonic Seed has been keen on recruiting him into the sect, praising his exceptional nature. The Demonic Seed's judgment is infallible, yet that young man has yet to give us a definitive response."

In Faang Yao's view, unless Yu Yuan formally joined the Red Devil Sect, he wasn't truly part of the inner circle.

An outsider, no matter how gifted or remarkable, didn't warrant his special attention.

...

Bathed in moonlight, an island shaped like a human heart glowed a vivid red.

"We've arrived at Blood God Island."

Ann Ziqing's smile was radiant as she, like a shadow of blood, gracefully descended onto the island.

Yu Yuan and Yuan Lianyao, supported by her blossoming lotuses, hovered above, surveying the island from the sky.

"Shall we go down?"

Yuan Lianyao wasn't in a rush, even though they were already at Blood God Island. "If you're reluctant, we could head to Babel Island instead. We can use the space teleportation array there to swiftly return to Absence Relic, ensuring we avoid drawing too much attention."

She harbored no fondness for Ann Ziqing and preferred to keep Yu Yuan from entangling too deeply with this Blood God Cult maiden.

"Sister Yuan, now that we're here, why the rush to depart?" Ann Ziqing called out from below, beckoning them. "I extend only goodwill to our Young Master. If you wish to leave, then go ahead."

"Young Master, come down quickly, and I'll show you around," she beckoned with a charming smile and a gentle voice.

Yu Yuan responded with a beaming smile and plunged toward Blood God Island.

Boom!

A hidden array spread across the heart-shaped island sprang to life. In the moonlit night, the island transformed in the blink of an eye into a ferocious, bloodthirsty beast roused from slumber!

"Ann Ziqing, how dare you?!" Yuan Lianyao exclaimed in fury.

"It wasn't me!" Ann Ziqing exclaimed.

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