C560 Archdemon Seeking Refuge

"Brother Gao, are you searching for Yu Yuan?"

Tong Laoqian gazed upward as a silhouette darted overhead, calling out with a chuckle from beneath the shade of a tree.

Gao Qin, having departed from Thylethlume, glanced down and inquired with surprise, "Tong Laoqian, what brings you here?"

With a whoosh, Tong Laoqian soared forth, a copper coin beneath his foot. He grinned and explained, "I've just been to the Shadowlight Empire to gather some items for the restoration of my Jade Tower."

He alighted beside Gao Qin, adding, "Now that I'm back, I'm on my way to find Yu Yuan."

"Do you know where Yu Yuan might be?" Gao Qin asked.

Tong Laoqian nodded affirmatively. "Come with me."

Together, they set off toward the mid-lake island, cutting swiftly through the sky.

Before long, they spotted an icy streak of lightning surging toward Gavanas from a distance.

"Winter's Bite, Weixian!" Tong Laoqian's face paled. "Yu Yuan must be on the mid-lake island. When we last parted, he mentioned he would be cultivating there for some time! The direction Weixian took must lead to that very island!"

"The master of the Lost Lands, the island refined by Yu Zhu?" Gao Qin exclaimed, taken aback.

"Exactly that one," Tong Laoqian confirmed.

"Weixian wouldn't harbor ill intentions toward Yu Yuan, would he?" Gao Qin's pulse quickened, and he accelerated his flight toward the island. "Winter's Bite wouldn't dare such audacity! Given Yu Yuan's close ties, would Weixian really risk striking at him within the Lost Lands?"

"Weixian is not one to be underestimated," Tong Laoqian said with concern.

Without further discussion, they sped toward the mid-lake island like twin comets.

Shortly thereafter.

"Lu Qingyu from the Songbird Empire, the archdemon of Dedsend Lake!" Tong Laoqian's eyes widened in alarm as he observed a river flowing midair. "Lu Qingyu, a seventh-level archdemon and the Monster Lord of Dedsend Lake! What could have brought her to the Lost Lands, and why to the mid-lake island?"

"Lei Jiao, an archdemon within the Stormcrown Empire!" Gao Qin observed a majestic man stepping through a cluster of lightning, "He's also a seventh-level archdemon, innately capable of wielding lightning. Why is he heading to the lake?"

"And Huoluo!" Tong Laoqian cried out in alarm.

Both were pariahs, shunned by the world for their malevolent nature. Tong Laoqian's training grounds had once been the Forgotten Ruins.

After departing, Tong Laoqian had traversed the breadth of the Aetherius Continent, making the acquaintance of numerous nefarious demons and archdemons. He recognized at a glance the origins of Lu Qingyu, Lei Jiao, and Huoluo.

All on the same path, they were outcasts not accepted by the orthodox sects of the Land of Quiescence and Euwrea, often clashing with one another.

Their ranks and preferred weapons were no secrets to each other.

Lu Qingyu, Lei Jiao, and Huoluo, all hailing from evilkind, were defiant souls beyond the governance of Shadow's Keep. They had honed their skills at Dedsend Lake, the Ice and Thunder Forest, and the Scarlet Dunes, respectively.

These three seventh-level archdemons were peers to Tong Laoqian in the realm of Spirit Walk. Lei Jiao and Huoluo, in particular, were anomalies he preferred to avoid.

The spell he practiced, the Way of Heaven, was mildly suppressed by Huoluo and Lei Jiao, leaving him handicapped in combat.

"Weixian, were they the ones who drove you off?"

As a deacon of the Skyreach Consortium, Gao Qin was acutely aware of the formidable nature of Aetherius's concealed archdemons. Each of the three seventh-level archdemons was as potent as a Spirit Walk sage.

Weixian, with his late-stage Spirit Walk prowess, would likely struggle against three archdemons of such caliber.

Gao Qin had assumed that Weixian's flight was due to the trio of archdemons.

Upon reaching the lake alongside Tong Laoqian, they encountered the aftermath of a brutal skirmish, marked by scattered blood and shattered bones.

"A vicious fight took place here," Tong Laoqian noted, his face darkening. He settled by the lakeshore, first surveying the seven-colored cloud hovering over the water, then turning his gaze to Lu Qingyu, Huoluo, and Lei Jiao, now in human form. In a grave tone, he inquired, "Did you engage in combat with Weixian of Winter's Bite?"

"Tong Laoqian, what brings you back?" The imposing man with horns on his head burst into laughter, manipulating the lightning at his feet into serpentine arcs of electricity that coiled around his arms. "I heard Liang Jingyin took over the mountain where you used to train. Looks like you've got no home to return to."

The youthful Huoluo chuckled and nodded at Tong Laoqian. "It's been a while."

Lu Qingyu remained silent.

She and Tong Laoqian were mere acquaintances with no prior interactions, which explained the coolness between them upon reuniting at the Forgotten Ruins.

"Liang Jingyin, the Consortium will certainly take action against him!" Gao Qin blurted out.

Tong Laoqian's eyes sparkled. "The Skyreach Consortium is going after Liang Jingyin?"

"Liang Jingyin plundered the Consortium's assets and has been marked for retribution," Gao Qin, privy to the details, informed Tong Laoqian. "Shadow's Keep has laid down the law in the Forgotten Ruins: neither Solar Spirits nor eighth-level archdemons are permitted entry for the time being."

"Not even Chong Xiao from the Ethereal Void Sect with his Solar Spirit Body can enter, as per Shadow's Keep's restrictions."

"Liang Jingyin, at the pinnacle of Spirit Walk, hasn't ascended to Solar Spirit. The Consortium, aware of his presence, can't send a Solar Spirit due to Shadow's Keep's edict, leaving him beyond their reach," Gao Qin explained.

With this revelation, Tong Laoqian suddenly grasped why Liang Jingyin had vanished years ago without a trace: he had raided the Consortium's stores and was now lying low to assimilate his spoils.

He also realized why Liang Jingyin had the audacity to appear on Ochre Mountain despite being pursued by the Consortium for so long.

Boom!

A massive dark cauldron burst through the island's seven-colored miasma, unfurling a gigantic, colorful mushroom cloud.

"The Crucible of Evil! Yu Yuan!" Gao Qin exclaimed in shock.

Lu Qingyu, Huoluo, and Lei Jiao gazed at the cauldron and Yu Yuan, who stood at its rim, with expressions of sheer astonishment. They seemed unsure of how to proceed.

"Yu, did Weixian stop by earlier?" Tong Laoqian asked, visibly relieved to see Yu Yuan unharmed. He quickly added, "What was Weixian after here? Did he make a move against you?"

"Weixian was wounded and escaped with the Extreme Cold Seal," the muscular man with the thundersnake coiled around his arm interjected nonchalantly. "We've heard that the Yu family's young master is closely acquainted with the ruler of the Lost Lands. Could you introduce us? We're eager to meet her."

Lu Qingyu and Huoluo bowed stiffly, following human customs.

"Weixian had previously injured Qin Yun, so I returned the favor," Yu Yuan said with a smile, addressing only Tong Laoqian before giving Gao Qin a nod. "Is the Skyreach Consortium planning to establish a branch in Gavanas?"

"You injured Weixian?" Tong Laoqian was taken aback.

Weixian was a formidable individual in the late Spirit Walk Stage, on the cusp of condensing his Solar Spirit, surpassing even Tong Laoqian in strength.

Tong Laoqian harbored a grudge against Weixian, but upon arriving at the Forgotten Ruins, he refrained from seeking revenge, acknowledging his own inferiority.

How had Yu Yuan managed to injure Weixian?

The three seventh-level archdemons who had traveled a great distance were equally skeptical upon hearing Yu Yuan's claim. Surely it was the master of the Lost Lands who had used the Way of Heaven to subdue Weixian, inflicting his wounds. Why was Yu Yuan claiming the credit?

They could easily discern Yu Yuan's cultivation level. With his Veil Breaking abilities, even if he could wield the Crucible of Evil, its enhancement to his combat prowess would be modest at best. How could he possibly have harmed Weixian?

None of the seventh-level archdemons believed it. In fact, this revelation caused them to view the reputed young master of the Yu family in a less favorable light.

"That's correct. The Skyreach Consortium has established a branch in the Lost Lands, with Zhu Peining overseeing the project. She's currently in Gavanas," Gao Qin said, squinting his eyes. "On my visit to Thylethlume, I encountered an array of rare spiritual herbs. Zhu Peining has requested your presence in Gavanas to discuss some matters with her."

Despite being a deacon and having a lower rank within the Consortium than Zhu Peining, Gao Qin addressed her by her first name, indicating he had some leverage within the organization.

"Gavanas," Yu Yuan murmured, nodding slightly. "I'll make my way there shortly."

Shifting the conversation, he addressed Lu Qingyu, Huoluo, and Lei Jiao, "The individual you're seeking is not in the Lost Lands at the moment. Haven't you heard that she's at Shadow's Keep?"

"She's definitely inside!" insisted Lu Qingyu.

"I've told you, she's not here," Yu Yuan replied, his brow furrowing.

"It was her who drove Weixian away; it has to be her!" Lu Qingyu's voice was tinged with urgency. "I need to see her. I've uprooted my family and traveled thousands of miles from Dedsend Lake to seek her out. She must meet with me!"

"I've already told you, she's not here," Yu Yuan reiterated firmly.

"You don't own the Lost Lands sealed by Shadow's Keep; you can't speak for her!"

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