C630 There Was No Need to Leave Any Future Trouble!
In Gavanas, at the Skyreach Consortium branch, Qin Yun, who had recently advanced to the Spirit Walk realm, eagerly accepted a verdant bracelet from Gao Qin with a sycophantic grin.
With a concentrated thought, Qin Yun peered into the Bracelet of Holding. The sight of neatly arranged medicinal herbs and variously hued liquids brought a broad smile to his face. He effusively expressed his gratitude, "Mr. Yu mentioned he's only borrowing it temporarily from the Skyreach Consortium and plans to return it with additional interest."
Zhu Peining, the consortium's manager, responded with an amiable nod, "Please have Yu Yuan meet with me once he emerges from the mid-lake island."
"Absolutely, without fail!" Qin Yun assured her, carefully stowing the bracelet and bowing deeply before departing.
"How peculiar," mused Gao Qin, stroking his chin. "The herbs and rare liquids on Yu Yuan's list are all alchemical ingredients. After his trip to Asvetaesi and subsequent return to the mid-lake island, he had Qin Yun hastily request these items from us. What could he be up to?"
Before Zhu Peining could reply, Gao Qin speculated aloud, "He's not planning to take up alchemy, is he?"
"It's hard to say," Zhu Peining remarked.
Gao Qin burst into laughter, "Could Yu Yuan actually be a jack-of-all-trades? He's mastered the Terror Claws' body tempering technique and advanced to Subtlety so swiftly. Where would he find the leisure to delve into alchemy? The barriers to becoming an herbalist are even higher than those of cultivation. It's not something just anyone can achieve."
He was stating a fact; herbalists were even more uncommon than cultivators and faced a steeper path to mastery.
"Isn't that the truth?" Zhu Peining mused, her brow furrowing slightly. "Yet, Yu Yuan is a bit of an enigma. Given his close ties to Yu Zhu and the backing of the Python Queen, Xu Zixi, he shouldn't have any trouble repaying the consortium for the herbs."
"That's certainly not a concern," Gao Qin agreed with a nod. "I've heard that Mo Yan has bolstered the Gao family's position in Erhokadi within the Shadowlight Empire, elevating Gao Zhengxing to replace Yuan Lianyao as the new mayor. We've had no prior dealings with Gao Zhengxing. Now that he's in charge, could it pose an obstacle for our consortium?"
Gao Zhengxing lacks the strength, but Mo Yan, the power behind him, could pose a real problem if he decides to cross the Skyreach Consortium," Zhu Peining said, feeling a headache brewing. "Mo Yan's influence is significant, and the Consortium would rather not provoke him. As long as he doesn't overstep in Asvetaesi, it's best to just bear with it."
"That's the only option."
Reflecting on Mo Yan's father, the primordial spirit powerhouse ranked just below the Demon Lord in the Devil Palace, Gao Qin felt immense pressure.
...
The Shadowflame Blight Array concealed the mid-lake island.
Whoosh!
A colorful miasma cloud billowed as a phantom, gliding through the night, paused above the cloud-covered island.
Yu Yuan, seated on the island, meticulously refining his body and delving into the intricacies of Subtlety with his spiritual sense, abruptly opened his eyes!
With a mere thought, swathes of the vibrant miasma cloud parted, revealing a vast expanse.
Yu Yuan let out a cold snort, fixing his gaze on Du Jing, who was skulking about in his Lunar Spirit form. "You come here in the dead of night as a Lunar Spirit. Are you seeking death?"
In the Godsblight Marsh, Du Jing, along with Zhan Yun, Loong Yang, Tan Yuan, and Shen Feiqing, were dispersed throughout the Sword Prison.
As he emerged from the Sword Prison, the Evil Devils and magnates, terrified of the Evil Statue, scattered in every direction, with Du Jing among them.
When the evil soul of the statue infiltrated his Mindscape, he could have ended Du Jing's life, but he chose not to.
Du Jing was, after all, his herb slave in a past life. He refrained from acting, leaving Du Jing to his own fate. Unexpectedly, Du Jing managed to survive with the vestiges of his Lunar Spirit.
Not only did he survive, but he also left the marsh and found his way here.
"I didn't come here to die."
Du Jing's Lunar Spirit hovered above the toxic miasma cloud, not daring to venture further. He gazed at the swirling, multicolored clouds with a complex look. "The master I once served excelled in refining these poisonous clouds and crafting arrays."
Yu Yuan remained silent.
Du Jing let out a deep sigh as he gazed down at Yu Yuan, hesitating briefly before speaking. "Back in the Sundering Isles, was it you and that woman from the Ruby Hand?"
Yu Yuan's heart raced, but his face betrayed no emotion; he simply returned Du Jing's gaze with a cold indifference.
"You and that Ruby Hand member tried to disguise yourselves, but to no avail," Du Jing said in a hushed tone, his eyes locked on Yu Yuan. "It was Tong Laoqian who chased my body from the Silverwoods on the island. Tong Laoqian, along with you and Yuan Lianyao, all returned to Gavanas. I've made sure to get all the details."
At these words, Yu Yuan's brow furrowed, aware of where the problem lay, yet he remained tight-lipped.
"I should've figured it out sooner."
Du Jing's Lunar Spirit, which had an eerie presence, surveyed the area above the Shadowflame Blight Array and spoke again, "Yu Zhu first emerged from the Serpent Spine Mountains, beginning to wield her power in Gloomhollow. It was the Shadowflame Blight Array that shielded Gloomhollow, and now it's been brought here."
After a brief silence, Du Jing continued, "You must have received his legacy somewhere in the Serpent Spine Mountains, right? Then you went to Rosy Cloud Island and took the key from Zu Ann, didn't you?"
Yu Yuan let out a dismissive snort.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
A dense, ink-like black cloud burst forth from the island, swiftly enveloping Du Jing's Lunar Spirit and dragging him into the heart of the mid-lake island.
The black miasma, laden with toxins that corroded the soul, began to permeate Du Jing's Lunar Spirit.
Du Jing's complexion turned ashen with shock. He hadn't anticipated that Yu Yuan, who had only recently achieved Subtlety in the Sword Prison, could so adeptly manipulate the Shadowflame Blight Array, using the miasma specifically designed to target souls against him.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!
Inside the cloud, Du Jing's Lunar Spirit began to rapidly dissolve.
"Yu Yuan! Since you've inherited his knowledge of alchemy and have been recognized by him, I am willing to serve you and accept you as my new master!" Du Jing's Lunar Spirit cried out from within the cloud, pleading.
Had they not been on the mid-lake island, within the Shadowflame Blight Array, Yu Yuan, without the Crucible of Evil and the sword sheath, would have been powerless against Du Jing.
Du Jing, tragically unaware of the fine line between life and death, believed his Lunar Spirit could easily slip away.
"Serve me as your master?"
With a wry smile, Yu Yuan watched Du Jing's Lunar Spirit dissolve. Shaking his head, he said, "I've heard a bit about your loyalty, Du Jing. Unfortunately, I don't require your service. Your death will suffice."
Despite Du Jing's pleas, the dark miasma cloud enveloping his Lunar Spirit relentlessly consumed him.
In a mere moment, Du Jing, who had narrowly escaped the clutches of Godsblight Marsh, found his soul corroded by the potent poison within the Shadowflame Blight Array at the heart of the Forgotten Ruins. Every trace of his being vanished from existence.
With a soft pop, as the last of Du Jing's remnant soul burst, a subtle change crossed Yu Yuan's face.
Within that remnant soul lingered the essence of the Untamed, revealed but for a fleeting second.
Just a second...
Yet, Yu Yuan understood that the Untamed, from afar in the marsh, had long ago planted a remnant soul within Du Jing's Lunar Spirit, witnessing his actions through Du Jing's eyes.
Du Jing's physical form awaited on an unnamed isle within the Sundering Isles, nestled in the Silverwoods, for his successor to emerge.
His Lunar Spirit, meanwhile, lay concealed in the marsh, safeguarded by the Untamed.
This indicated that the Untamed had seen something of value in Du Jing, allowing him sanctuary within the marsh.
Now that Yu Yuan had used the Shadowflame Blight Array to eradicate Du Jing, and with the Untamed secretly observing, he pondered the repercussions. Would this affect his future endeavors to claim the Crucible of Evil, the scabbard, and delve into the sword spirit at its base from the Untamed?
With these thoughts, Yu Yuan's mood darkened, and he found himself unable to focus on further cultivation.
Half an hour later.
Yuan Lianyao, clad in a flowing red gown, drifted elegantly to the lakeshore of the mid-lake island, bathed in the luminous moonlight. Sensing her approach, Yu Yuan released the Shadowflame Blight Array's seal and led Yuan Lianyao inside. Upon seeing the once-mayor, his gaze turned somber.
"What's wrong?" Yu Yuan inquired, his voice laced with concern.
"After a heated argument with Mo Yan, we clashed using Soul Power, and I ended up at a disadvantage," Yuan Lianyao fumed. "Wielding the Shadowblade, Mo Yan has grown even stronger than he was back in the Sundering Isles. Not only did he appoint Gao Zhengxing as the mayor of Asvetaesi, but he's also demanding that the Yu family surrender the lands and mines we acquired from the Huang family in recent years."
Yu Yuan exclaimed in frustration, "Mo Yan, again!"
