C564 Outsider Chen Liangquan

Upon awakening, the Silvermoon Queen bore an air of accusation.

Her demeanor was icy, her gaze piercing, radiating an unmistakable hostility.

It appeared that, in addition to her collusion with Shen Feiqing, she had also made a secret pact with a member of the Chen family from the Songbird Empire.

Yet, at her most trying moment, Chen Liangquan was nowhere to be seen.

"I was held up by urgent matters. I assumed that with you and the Commander working together, you could surely maintain control over the Forgotten Ruins. The fault is mine, and I will explain everything to you later," Chen Liangquan expressed with a sigh, his tone laced with regret and a sense of helplessness. "By the time I received the troubling news and wanted to come, the attention of Shadow's Keep, the Devil Palace, and the upper sect was already fixed on this location."

"By then, there was nothing I could do. My presence would have changed nothing."

With a shake of his head, he stepped back, his palm illuminating like the sun and moon, enveloping the crescent-shaped pond.

Countless dazzling streams of light cascaded from his hand into the pond, throwing the surrounding spiritual energy into disarray.

With a crackling sound, the brilliant light drew in the spiritual energy, transforming it into tiny sparks of light that darted across the pond.

The pond hissed as he forcibly refined it, shattering the imprints of Yu Zhu one by one.

In the time it takes to sip a cup of tea, all the toxic liquid on the pond's surface had evaporated into mist, merging with the seven-colored cloud above.

The crescent pond had shrunk to a fraction of its size, now fitting in the palm of his hand.

"Here."

Chen Liangquan handed the now-minuscule pond to Lee Yupan, saying, "This should somewhat compensate for the Soul Chart's loss. I will gradually make up for what I owe you."

Regaining her spiritual wisdom, the Silvermoon Queen inhaled deeply, draining the pond of its moonlight essence in one swift motion. Her ethereal Lunar Spirit suddenly began to coalesce. "This Yu Yuan..."

Her gaze shifted to Yu Yuan, who was immersed in cultivating with the abundant spiritual energy within the Crucible of Evil, her eyes growing colder by the moment.

"We should not linger here."

Chen Liangquan shook his head, quelling her urge to strike. He spoke softly, "This crucible is no ordinary vessel. Yu Yuan is in a protected little world within, making it unwise to interfere. Moreover, he has command over the Shadowflame Blight Array. There's also a presence within the crucible, a soul so unique that even I find it remarkable. It must be what they call the Bane."

Lee Yupan remarked, "That's a formidable Bane."

Before her spiritual wisdom had coalesced, she had lain hidden in the crescent pond, passively absorbing many things.

Yu Yuan and Qin Yun's cultivation on the island had unleashed the Bane known as the Frost Queen, which had driven Weixian and his group to retreat. She had observed all of this in a daze.

Upon awakening, her memories converged, and she recalled everything.

After reflecting, she realized Chen Liangquan was correct—the island was indeed peculiar. With Yu Yuan possessing a sword sheath and concealing a sword spell and sword spirit from the Moon Slayer cultivator, he was not someone easily defeated.

Additionally, the Crucible of Evil and the Bane exuding a chilling aura were both sources of concern for her.

After all, she was merely a Lunar Spirit, not her real body.

Were her real body and Lunar Spirit to unite, and with her peak cultivation and familiar artifacts at hand, she would have no fear.

But for now...

"We should leave," Chen Liangquan suggested after giving Yu Yuan a final glance. He then transformed into a dazzling streak of light and shot through a large hole in the seven-colored cloud.

Lee Yupan, concealed within the crescent pond, also soared towards the gaping hole in the miasma cloud.

Chen Liangquan grasped the tiny crescent pond, shrugged off his shoulders, scattering the poison fire and gloomy radiance, and flew out.

He descended gracefully beside his three companions and said with a smile, "The young master of the Yu family is in the midst of his cultivation on the island; there's nothing more to it."

Lu Qingyu, who had arrived from Dedsend Lake, wore a puzzled look, while Tong Laoqian's face turned ashen.

He had firsthand experience of the Shadowflame Blight Array's potency. It was inconceivable that Chen Liangquan, who was only at the middle stage of the Lunar Spirit realm, could safely navigate in and out of it.

"Time to go, time to go."

Chen Liangquan, with a genial smile, took his companion's hand and led the way towards Gavanas.

Another couple, driven by curiosity, followed closely behind.

Shortly after their departure, Huoluo and the muscular Lei Jiao arrived in succession.

These two seventh-level archdemons had assumed that such intense spiritual energy fluctuations on the island signaled Yu Zhu's return.

Unexpectedly, the Skyreach Consortium's representative in Gavanas, accompanied by Gao Qin and Jiang Yurong, also made a sudden appearance at the lakeside.

Upon her arrival, Zhu Peining expressed her astonishment, "Tong Laoqian, was Chen Liangquan just here?"

Tong Laoqian confirmed with a nod, gesturing towards the mid-lake island shrouded in the seven-colored cloud, "Chen Liangquan had indeed ventured onto the island. After making a full retreat, he left with an air of nonchalance."

"How did he manage to disregard the Shadowflame Blight Array?" Gao Qin blurted out in disbelief.

"I'm not sure how he accomplished it, but it happened," Tong Laoqian replied.

Zhu Peining swiftly changed the subject, "Ochre Mountain, are you intent on reclaiming it? If we join forces, and with the addition of a member from our Skyreach Consortium, we could eliminate Liang Jingyin. What do you say?"

Tong Laoqian was visibly shaken, "I've been longing for this opportunity!"

Liang Jingyin, a solitary cultivator, had always been at odds with him. Now, he had seized control of Ochre Mountain, which Tong Laoqian once held. Alone and weakened from severe injuries sustained in the Jade Tower, Tong Laoqian was no match for Liang Jingyin. But with Zhu Peining and another formidable ally from the consortium, the scales could tip in their favor.

...

Three days later.

From within the seven-colored cloud, Yu Yuan suddenly burst forth from the Crucible of Evil, landing solidly on the ground.

Completely bare, his pores oozed a viscous impurity, while delicate streams of vitality coursed through his veins.

The sound of this vitality was thunderous, like a river breaking its banks or a stampede of wild beasts.

His muscles bulged and contracted in a constant dance of change.

Yu Yuan clenched his fists, acclimating to the transformation of his physique, feeling the raw surge of vitality coursing through his blood, veins, and organs.

"Late stage of the Veil Breaking realm!"

His eyes sparkled brilliantly, a dazzling sight on the mid-lake island under the night sky.

Yet, before he could thoroughly examine the changes to his body, he noticed the crescent pond had vanished.

"Huh!"

With a soft exclamation, he darted forward, creating a formidable tide of vitality that surged towards the former location of the crescent pond.

With a whoosh, a torrent of vitality, driven by sheer force, blasted through the dense spiritual energy, carving out a domineering path.

"Where's the pond? What happened to the Lunar Spirit of the Silvermoon Queen?" Frowning, he scanned the area but found no trace of anything unusual. "You should have been aware of any changes. What occurred?" He reached out with his mind, seeking answers from the cauldron spirit.

A member of the Chen family from the Songbird Empire, named Chen Liangquan, managed to break through the Shadowflame Blight Array and gain entry," conveyed the cauldron spirit. "He purified the crescent pond, restoring the Silvermoon Queen's spiritual wisdom and took her Lunar Spirit with him."

"Chen Liangquan?" Yu Yuan's brow furrowed. "Who is he? What level of mastery does he possess?"

"From what I can see, he's merely in the middle period of the Lunar Spirit Realm," responded the cauldron spirit.

"In the Lunar Spirit Realm? How could he possibly breach the Shadowflame Blight Array and get in?" Yu Yuan erupted in anger. "Chen Liangquan, being from the Chen family of the Songbird Empire, why would he rescue the Silvermoon Queen?"

"That, I do not know," admitted the cauldron spirit, pausing briefly before adding, "Chen Liangquan strikes me as odd. His entrance to the island and the method he used to refine the crescent pond were shrouded in blinding light. That light did not originate from his Golden Sanctum acupoints nor from his little world of vitality."

"Then where did it come from?" inquired Yu Yuan.

"From his very flesh and blood," revealed the cauldron spirit.

"What does that mean?" Yu Yuan was confused. While speaking, he inverted the Crucible of Evil, spilling out the lifeless bones of the Fellbeasts.

Devoid of vital energy, the bones of the Fellbeasts shattered upon hitting the ground.

"Chen Liangquan is no ordinary individual," the cauldron spirit observed.

"Evilkind?" Yu Yuan finished cleaning the Crucible of Evil, his sense of the situation growing increasingly peculiar. "How could a member of the Chen family be of evilkind? That seems unlikely."

"He's not evilkind. The impression Chen Liangquan gives me is that he carries the bloodline of the extraterrestrial Otherkin."

"A rare mixed-blood!" Yu Yuan's expression shifted dramatically.

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