C601 I Am the Fish Meat

Zhan Yun guided Yu Yuan down from the Sword Prison, positioning herself between Zhao Jie and Zhang Miao.

Zhao Jie offered a pill, its red hue tinged with yellow. Zhan Yun swallowed it without hesitation. Before she could address Zhao Jie and Zhang Miao, the master's displeasure echoed through the air.

Looking up, Zhan Yun's gaze settled on the snow-white robe billowing in the Sword Prison's midst. She smiled wryly, "This simply won't do."

Elsewhere, Lin Zhuyun, shrouded in emerald flames, had just unleashed a cold moon, aiming to claim the Sword Prison. Yet, the master's words caused her to hesitate.

"This is Yu Yuan. You should all recognize him."

With a gentle nod to Zhao Jie and Zhang Miao, Zhan Yun gestured towards Yu Yuan, briefly introducing him before addressing the master once more, "He doesn't hold much value for the Nightbane Sect. But I'm aware there's a significant number who wish him dead or alive."

Her eyes briefly met those of Yan Qiling, Lin Zhuyun, Zhongli Dapan, and Zhao Yafu.

"To claim him, you'll need to offer something in return."

Zhan Yun's demeanor remained unruffled, seemingly unafraid of the master's wrath as she confidently stated, "You're well aware of the formidable power of the Spirit-Birthing technique I've employed. If I wish for his demise, a mere thought to trigger the soul mark would scatter his soul beyond salvation—no one could intervene."

Her confidence was palpable.

Realizing Yu Yuan's exceptional worth, she had disregarded the master's presence, opting to employ the Nightbane Sect's enchantment on Yu Yuan within the Sword Prison, intent on reaping a windfall.

Only Zhan Yun, with the Nightbane Sect's unique enchantment, could evade the enmity of the sword light and sword's will.

Recognizing Yu Yuan's potential, she had taken a calculated risk.

Now that she had succeeded, she wouldn't simply rescind the soul mark at the master's behest, letting Yu Yuan, a prize catch, slip through her fingers.

"Zhan Yun, I'll take the lad off your hands. What's your price?"

The elder of the Naga clan, having freed himself, had taken Loong Yang's place and was now seated cross-legged on the hovering sedan chair. He called out across the distance, "What does the Nightbane Sect desire? We can negotiate!"

Loong Yang exclaimed in shock, "Father, him?"

"Silence!"

Loong Jie shot her a fierce glare, silencing her attempts at persuasion.

A single drop of Loong Jie's blood had found its way into Yu Yuan's vitality, revealing to him the Blood Altar crafted from the Sunsorrow of the giant beast.

The value of the Blood Altar was not lost on Loong Jie.

He suspected that even Zhan Yun of the Nightbane Sect might be unaware of the anomaly within Yu Yuan's body, let alone Yu Yuan's true worth.

"Zhan Yun, if you desire him, he's yours," came the voice from within the snow-white robes once more. "But the Crucible of Evil he holds, the sword sheath, and the Bracelet of Holding he wears must be surrendered to me."

"The Crucible of Evil?!"

The Nightbane Sect's leader, recently liberated from the Sword Prison, cried out in astonishment.

She whirled around, fixing her gaze intently on Yu Yuan, and wondered aloud, "Just how many treasures does this young man possess?"

"Reporting to the Sect Master, I am aware of the Crucible of Evil, the Sunsorrow, and the sword sheath," Zhang Miao hastily interjected, sharing the information she had gathered from the Sundering Isles.

"The Crucible of Evil, the Sunsorrow, and the sword sheath!" Zhan Yun inhaled sharply, her gaze on Yu Yuan shifting subtly as she mused, "With such treasures at hand, could he be a Hellbreed from the Devil Palace?"

"He has no master," Zhang Miao said with a light smirk.

"How peculiar," Zhan Yun mused, her curiosity piqued.

Following Loong Jie, the fat old man dressed in the attire of the Skyreach Consortium and adept in space magic, swished his whisk and chuckled, "I'm not concerned with his possessions. The man himself has piqued my interest."

The fat old man was the first to emerge from the Sword Prison, having been in covert communication with the figure in the snow-white robes.

His apprentice, now serving the master of this place, was once a key member of the Skyreach Consortium.

After leaving Sword Prison, he used a bit of mystique to ask his apprentice a simple question and was able to make an educated guess about the master's origins, which naturally led to a sense of kinship.

Xi Quan, who was refining the Withered Sword, reassured Chen Qingyan with a gentle pat on her shoulder, saying, "I want him too. Zhan Yun, set your price. Include me in the deal."

Yu Yuan's legacy, which he received from a Moon Slayer cultivator, was known to her. Being a standout member of the Sword Sect, she was somewhat familiar with the name and tales of that Moon Slayer cultivator.

She regarded Yu Yuan as an honorary disciple of the Sword Sect and, considering her connection to Chen Qingyan, decided to get involved.

"That settles it. I no longer want what you promised me," Yan Qiling declared, looking up at the master of the place. "Yu Yuan and I go way back. He assisted me in the Moonfall Sanctuary. Hand him over to me, and I'll leave Godsblight Marsh with him right away, ensuring that not a word about this place leaves my lips."

"If Zhan Yun refuses to hand him over, there's nothing I can do," came the response from the empty white robe.

The group fell silent, a disagreement brewing over who would claim Yu Yuan.

Yu Yuan, who had remained quiet, listened to their exchange with a mix of amusement and disbelief.

Zhan Yun, Loong Jie, and the enigmatic master were treating him as though he were a mere object to be bartered.

In his two lifetimes, he had never been subjected to such treatment, never been regarded as a mere magical artifact.

"And then there's her."

Loong Jie gestured grandly toward Zhao Yafu. "I intend to take this young woman back to Dragon Lake! Tell me, what must I offer to make that happen?"

The figure within the white robe spoke up, "Loong Jie, you're aware that she's been taken as a hand-chosen disciple by the Astral Tiger of Shadow's Keep. Here in the marsh, not even the Astral Tiger can pry. You can kill her without worry, provided it remains a secret. But if you take her to Dragon Lake, have you thought through the potential repercussions?"

"Can you, or your Dragon Lake, endure the wrath of the Astral Tiger?"

As soon as these words were spoken, many in the crowd visibly paled.

The Dark Deity Astral Tiger, notorious for its fearsome reputation, had achieved remarkable and shocking victories in battles beyond our world. Even the evilkind and magnates who roamed the extraterrestrial Star River held the Astral Tiger in high regard.

This was particularly true given that there was indeed an archdemon from Shadow's Keep present!

"These five youngsters are off-limits to all."

The green snake hissed in the sharp, ancient tongue of the evilkind, clearly stating its position.

"You are no longer the leader of the extraterrestrial evilkind army!" Loong Jie exclaimed in fury.

The green snake remained silent, fixing Loong Jie with a cold, gloomy, and fierce gaze.

"Crack!"

A fracturing sound echoed from the Sword Prison behind them.

As Yu Yuan collected the dense sword's will and sword light into his sheath, the largely magic-depleted Sword Prison showed signs of damage from the internal conflicts among the evilkind and magnates.

But why were there cracking sounds now that everyone had departed?

"Crack! Crack!"

Stones tumbled down, and it seemed as though an invisible sculptor was meticulously carving something right before their eyes.

In short order, a divine statue with two heads and four arms began to take form.

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