C549 The New City
In the Absence Relic, a vibrant five-colored jade teleportation array sprawled across a square expanse, its jade platform covering three acres, woven with a tapestry of brilliant light.
Beneath the stone platform, Spirit Stones and Spirit Jades glistened, their cores pulsing with golden luminescence.
Each activation of the array sent ripples through space. Beneath the dazzling light, the platform would tremble, tearing open the void to reveal spatial rifts and unleashing torrents of chaotic spatial currents.
Whoosh!
Three figures materialized abruptly on the jade platform.
Yu Yuan, despite the sensation of his muscles being torn asunder, leaving him sore, managed a smile. His spirits remained high as he observed the array, once ravaged by Yan Qiling but now restored and humming with energy by the Spirit Void Sect. "Still as convenient as ever," he remarked.
Moments before, they had been on Babel Island within the Crack Archipelago. Now, in the blink of an eye, they stood in the Absence Relic.
"Coming from Babel Island, the Chamber of Commerce has cleared your passage, so there's no need to pay extra for the teleportation," a Spirit Void Sect cultivator at the Penetrating Stage informed them, his voice detached as he gave the newcomers a cursory glance. "Take note, visitors from the Crack Archipelago, the Absence Relic has changed. Whether you're here or venturing to the nearby Devil Moon or Divine Might Empires, do not act rashly."
Surrounding the teleportation array was a bustling city, a new addition to the landscape. The array itself stood proudly at the city's central plaza.
Radiating from the array were structures of various heights, constructed from black stone, green stone, and granite. Cultivators clad in the garb of the seven lower sects bustled through the city, engaging in lively discussions.
Storefronts adorned with signs offered medicinal herbs, weapons, and pellets, with cultivators on hand to greet and assist passersby. It was, unmistakably, a scaled-down replica of Babel Island.
"Come down, quickly!" implored the Spirit Void Sect member, growing impatient with the trio from Babel Island who, wide-eyed and marveling, had yet to step off the teleportation array. "Many others are waiting to be transported to the Absence Relic. Don't hog the platform!"
Yu Yuan couldn't help but laugh silently, nodding before leading the way by leaping off the stone platform.
Old Cash and Yuan Lianyao, finding the whole experience novel and amusing, followed suit, gliding down from the space teleportation array.
"The transformation is truly remarkable," Old Cash remarked, looking around with a chuckle.
Decades ago, he was a formidable figure in Absence Relic, rising above a band of ruthless and wicked independent cultivators to rule over a region rich in Spiritual Qi.
Back then, Absence Relic was a desolate place, shunned by birds and turtles alike.
Not just the cultivators from Heavenly Source Continent, but even those from Profound Sky Continent and Quietus Continent avoided this forsaken land.
Consequently, Absence Relic became a haven for the nefarious and the unorthodox.
It wasn't until Spirit Void Sect established a space teleportation array here, sparking rumors of a hidden secret realm, that this long-abandoned expanse began to buzz with activity.
Numerous youths from the seven lower sects, guided by their elders, flooded into Absence Relic, intent on discovering the secret realm and vanquishing demons.
Old Cash, unable to confront the power of the seven lower sects, was compelled to relocate.
Now, returning to this land and witnessing the dramatic changes brought about by the resurgence of Spiritual Qi, he was content and delighted, thanks to Yu Yuan's promise.
Yuan Lianyao, radiant in her red dress, shared his beaming smile, her steps light with excitement.
As the City Lord of Darkmoon, the radical transformation of Absence Relic was incredibly advantageous for her!
The more prosperous and bustling Absence Relic became, the higher her standing would rise as City Lord within the Devil Moon Empire and the Red Devil Sect.
She was also privy to the connection between Yu Yuan and Yu Zhu.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
No sooner had the trio departed than the space teleportation array constructed by Spirit Void Sect vibrated once more, heralding the arrival of four cultivators.
"From the Luan Bird Empire, four travelers. That will be four hundred Spirit Stones," announced the representative of Spirit Void Sect, standing tall beneath the array and extending a hand to the newcomers.
The newly arrived quartet—two men and two women—were clad in opulent attire that clearly marked their distinguished status.
Three were at the Penetrating Stage, while one of the men appeared to have recently achieved the Yin God Stage.
Each of the four dutifully handed over a hundred Spirit Stones before stepping out of the space teleportation array. They chatted casually as they meandered through the city streets.
"The Luan Bird Empire..." Yuan Lianyao murmured under her breath.
"In the entire Profound Sky Continent, only the Luan Bird Empire possesses the wealth and resources to construct such a space teleportation array," Old Cash observed, his eyes narrowing as he watched the group depart. "If I'm not mistaken, that Yin God Stage cultivator belongs to the Chen family."
"The Chen family!" Yuan Lianyao exclaimed, a tremor of surprise in her voice.
Indeed, the surname Chen signified royalty within the Luan Bird Empire!
The Chen family was recognized as the premier family on the Profound Sky Continent!
Their current head, none other than the Luan Bird Queen herself, was the reigning monarch—a figure of such brilliance that her legacy spanned the ages!
The Chen family's renown extended well beyond the Profound Sky Continent; even denizens of the Heavenly Source and Quietus Continents would think twice before underestimating someone of that lineage.
Countless prodigies had emerged from the Chen family, each leaving an indelible mark upon the vast expanse of the Boundless Land.
"If my Yuan family could one day rise to the stature of the Chen family, becoming the foremost family of the Profound Sky Continent, our ancestors would surely find peace," Yuan Lianyao reflected, her eyes alight with longing as the four figures disappeared into the distance. "The Luan Bird Queen is an empress of unparalleled renown in our continent's history."
"She's now spoken of in the same breath as the Sky Shocking Emperor. She's still among us, still ascending to new heights," Old Cash remarked with a tone of reverence. "Truth be told, if not for the need to maintain continental balance and to keep the major sects appeased, she would have likely succeeded in unifying the Profound Sky Continent."
Rumor has it that the powers of the Heavenly Source and Quietus Continents would never allow a single ruler to gain absolute control over the Profound Sky Continent.
A unified continent would mean an end to the strife and competition that forges strength and tests the mettle of cultivators.
Only in a world rife with chaos and unending wars could more formidable cultivators emerge, aligning with their vested interests.
The Luan Bird Queen understood this well. Hence, after leading the Luan Bird Empire to dominance over the Profound Sky Continent, she chose a life of seclusion.
She refrained from inciting battles and conquering other empires one by one.
Instead, she shifted her focus to the cosmos! With her formidable personal combat abilities, she waged wars in the starry expanse beyond the Boundless Land!
Rumors abounded of her illustrious military achievements in outer space, earning her the esteem of the three upper sects, the Demon Palace, and the Devil Palace.
She fearlessly engaged with the elite of the top-tier sects in space, treating them as equals.
The Luan Bird Queen became a living legend throughout the Profound Sky Continent and even the vastness of the Boundless Land.
And her legend continues to unfold...
Yuan Lianyao spoke of her with evident reverence, much like a young girl idolizing an impressive older sister, aspiring to emulate her and walk in her footsteps.
"Just half a year, and the Absence Relic has undergone a dramatic transformation. Even the Chen family from the Luan Bird Empire made a point to visit."
Yu Yuan was indifferent to the arrival of the Chen family. His joy stemmed from witnessing the relic's transformation. Observing the throngs of cultivators on the streets, he squinted and took note that they were not only from the seven lower sects.
Members from the Demon Palace of the Quietus Continent, the Filthy Spirit Sect, and the Fiend Sect were also spotted from time to time.
A ripple stirred in his heart lake as he attempted to reach out to Yu Zhu.
"Hmm?" To his surprise, Yu Zhu, who had always been in tune with his mind, showed no response when he tried to reconnect upon his return to the Absence Relic.
"That's odd."
Given Yu Zhu's rank and her dominion over the Absence Relic, she should have instantly responded to the stirrings of his mind. "Could she be in deep cultivation, or perhaps... she's temporarily absent?"
Unable to establish an immediate link with Yu Zhu, he furrowed his brow in concern.
"Yu Yuan! Yuan Lianyao!"
A few dozen meters away, a man with graying temples and a gentle, scholarly demeanor emerged from a pavilion peddling medicinal herbs. Catching a glimpse of them, he couldn't help but exclaim aloud.
"Su Xiangtian!"
Yuan Lianyao caught sight of him, her lips curving into a smile as she gracefully made her way over.
Yu Yuan was taken aback; he hadn't anticipated encountering Su Yan's father, the current head of the Su family—Su Xiangtian—so soon after his return to the Absence Relic.
Su Xiangtian appeared to be searching for a particular medicinal herb in this newly established city.
The Su family, renowned as the largest alchemy lineage within the Devil Moon Empire, held sway over the empire's medicinal herb supply and maintained trade relations with the Medicine Sect of the Jade Peak Mountain Range.
The presence of Su Xiangtian, the family patriarch, in this nascent city was a testament to its significance.
"Long time no see."
Approaching Su Xiangtian, Yu Yuan offered a nod, his demeanor cool and detached.
His opinion of the Su family had soured since the awakening of his Heavenly Soul and Earth Soul.
The Su family, as the Yu family's primary and most significant buyer of herbs, had elders whose dubious actions had long since planted seeds of resentment in Yu Yuan's mind.
Despite Su Xiangtian's rise to leadership as a collateral family member, he had yet to consolidate his control over the Su family, with individuals like Su Yin stirring trouble from within.
Su Yan was the sole member of the Su family for whom Yu Yuan held any regard.
"It has indeed been quite some time," Su Xiangtian replied, his expression tinged with complexity as he returned the nod, a faint sigh escaping him internally.
He had not expected to encounter Yu Yuan here, who had vanished for an extended period. At a single glance, Su Xiangtian, with his cultivation at the Yin God Stage, recognized that Yu Yuan had ascended to the Profound Break Stage.
Yu Yuan stood before him with an aura of composure, and even without probing with his soul consciousness, Su Xiangtian sensed that Yu Yuan was profoundly inscrutable.
Following her escape from the depths of the Ember Waters and her return to the Taiyuan Sect, his daughter Su Yan had sent a letter. In it, Yu Yuan was the most frequently mentioned.
Her detailed account of their time together beneath the sea and her assessment of Yu Yuan were all laid out in the letter, urging Su Xiangtian to handle the Yu family with care within the Devil Moon Empire and to avoid any rash actions.
The letter was filled with numerous details, but Su Xiangtian, in his role as a father, discerned something more concealed within its words.
He sighed.
Gazing at the empire's most radiant "Blazing Red Lotus," standing shoulder to shoulder with Yuan Lianyao, Su Xiangtian's thoughts turned to his daughter, prompting another quiet sigh from him.
"Such an impolite youngster," a member of the Su family muttered disapprovingly from behind Su Xiangtian.
Yu Yuan looked on, taken aback.
