C638 Outside the Luan Bird City

Yu Yuan approached the Raven Lord with a request to venture into the Crimson Desert.

The Raven Lord, standing in for Yu Zhu, sought the Golden Elephant Ancient God's consent through a spiritual summons. With the Ancient God's blessing, he granted Yu Yuan swift passage.

The Raven Lord informed Yu Yuan that Zhan Tianxiang and Zhao Yafu were soon to return from the Devil Moon Empire, suggesting that the trio should join forces.

Yu Yuan had been kept in the Absence Relic by the Demon Palace primarily for his own safety, fearing that once outside, he might become a target for other factions, easily captured and confined.

Owing to Yu Zhu's circumstances, the Demon Palace felt a responsibility to watch over Yu Yuan.

After all, it was on behalf of the Demon Palace that Yu Yuan had ventured into the Desolate Swamp.

Another reason for his retention was the Golden Elephant Ancient God's desire to personally debrief Yu Yuan on the events that transpired in the Desolate Swamp upon his return.

However, through dialogue with the Desolate God, the Demon Palace had already learned much about the Sword Prison, the Chaos Roc, and President Lyi.

The Desolate God, a formidable demon in his own right, had briefly communicated with the Golden Elephant Ancient God, revealing that Yu Yuan was merely manipulated by President Lyi and had his consciousness briefly dominated by an evil statue.

Given their longstanding acquaintance, the Golden Elephant Ancient God was more inclined to trust the Desolate God, and his decision to allow Yu Yuan's departure was partly influenced by this trust.

The Desolate God had divulged much about Yu Yuan, yet remained steadfast and reserved on matters concerning President Lyi and the Chaos Roc's fate.

The situation in the Great Swamp continued to be locked in a standoff.

Meanwhile, Yu Yuan was diligently preparing for his journey.

The extra twenty thousand Spirit Stones he had earned from selling information, and subsequently spent at the Babel Chamber of Commerce's Spider City branch, went towards acquiring a compact defensive array, the rich blood and flesh of Demonic Beasts, and numerous fire-attribute crystal stones.

As another deep night enveloped him, Yu Yuan meticulously inventoried the medicinal herbs, pellets, and various spiritual materials within his Mustard Seed Bracelet, his mind adrift in contemplation.

Suddenly, the portly Old Cash materialized like an apparition, whispering, "The pellets are sold out."

"How many Spirit Stones did they fetch?" inquired Yu Yuan.

"Seven hundred and thirty thousand. I've converted them into Spirit Jade and Spirit Crystals," replied Old Cash with a smile, his gaze sweeping the room. Noting the banners and sensing the spiritual energy coursing through the array, he advised, "We ought to exercise caution; Spider City is teeming with all sorts."

Sixteen banners stood impervious, even to the souls at the Soul Wandering Stage—they simply couldn't penetrate.

Within the array, the conversation between him and Yu Yuan was inaudible, imperceptible, and utterly invisible to others.

In the entirety of the Absence Relic, the Raven Lord was the sole Demonic Beast of the Eighth Level. As a Demonic Beast, the Raven Lord's sensitivity to souls paled in comparison to that of a human cultivator.

Thus, once the sixteen banners were in place, he had no concerns about being detected by anyone.

Luminous Spirit Jade and Spirit Crystals, clear as crystal, shifted from Old Cash's Universe Ring to Yu Yuan's Mustard Seed Bracelet.

Shortly, with a mere touch of his consciousness, Yu Yuan peered into the bracelet's space. He beheld a small mountain of Spirit Jade and Spirit Crystals, along with a variety of cultivation materials he had prepared for himself.

"Has your Jade Tower been placed in the subterranean veins of Yellow Mountain?" Yu Yuan inquired.

"Indeed, it's under repair," Old Cash replied with a wide smile. "Liang Jingyin is gone, but the foundation of Yellow Mountain remains. The underground array has been tweaked by Zhan Tianxiang using the Divine Mount. Thanks to you, I believe I can restore the Jade Tower to its former glory!"

Yu Yuan nodded in approval. "That's good to hear."

"You're set on heading to the Crimson Desert? I've heard that the situation there is quite tumultuous lately, with Earth Demons, various malevolent entities, and even Heavenly Demons emerging," Old Cash expressed his genuine concern. "Before, I was confident in your safety. But after your ordeal in the Desolate Swamp, the Evil Cauldron, and the lost sword sheath..."

The release of the Big Devil from the Sword Prison and the flight of the evil statue into the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area were both events he had a hand in.

He had ventured into the Desolate Swamp on behalf of the Demon Palace, and thus, the Demon Palace had shielded him within the Absence Relic.

But now, heading to the Crimson Desert, would the three upper sects, the Devil Palace, and the seven lower sects direct their wrath towards him?

"Don't worry about it, I'll be fine," Yu Yuan reassured, unconcerned.

Seeing that Yu Yuan was resolute, Old Cash no longer pressed the issue, nodded, and took his leave.

Later, Yu Yuan sought out Qin Yun to delegate some tasks, specifically mentioning to keep an eye on Darkmoon City's new lord, Gao Zhengxing. Should Gao Zhengxing prove too unruly, Qin Yun was to seek out Xu Zixi for assistance.

Five days later, Yuan Lianyao's injuries had completely healed, thanks to the Purple Spirit Pill. She sought out Yu Yuan once more to convey that the Red Devil Sect urgently required her presence at their headquarters on the Quietus Continent. The turmoil in the Crimson Desert meant she could no longer be involved.

Yuan Lianyao proposed that Yu Yuan accompany her to the Red Devil Sect, suggesting it would be ideal for him to join as well. Yu Yuan, however, declined her offer once again, leaving her no choice but to return alone.

Two days passed, and Zhan Tianxiang, Zhao Yafu, and seven peers, all human cultivators of the Demon Palace's techniques, returned from the Devil Moon Empire. They, along with Yu Yuan, were set to represent the Demon Palace in the Crimson Desert.

In the heart of Spider City, beneath the blazing sun, the space teleportation array was crowded with youthful practitioners. Yu Yuan, Zhan Tianxiang, Zhao Yafu, Hou Tianzhao, Lau Ying, Lin Yue, Chi Yin, and others were all there, engaged in animated discussions about the state of affairs in the Crimson Desert.

Suddenly, the spiritual energy channels beneath the array burst into luminous streams. The formation roared to life. In moments, everyone on the teleportation array vanished without a trace.

Following their departure, the next batch of individuals stepped onto the array and were transported away. This cycle repeated five times until the space teleportation array, established by the Spirit Void Sect in the Absence Relic, finally quieted down.

In a secluded corner of the tower, the ethereal shadow of Taoist Chongxiao's Yin God appeared to gaze thoughtfully at the array. "Master, has Liang Jingyin truly perished?" asked Liu Xiao, clad as an elderly matron, standing behind Taoist Chongxiao's Yin God and peering at the array. "This independent cultivator was convinced by you, Master, to join our Spirit Void Sect after achieving Yang God status," she remarked softly.

Recruiting a Yang God to serve as a guest elder was a significant feat. For a lower sect like Spirit Void Sect, with its scarcity of Yang Gods, each one was exceedingly valuable. The sect had made substantial investments in Liang Jingyin. His untimely death would not only nullify Taoist Chongxiao's efforts but could also lead to censure from the sect.

Blaming him would be pointless.

"The Demon Palace has marked him for death. Within the Absence Relic, our hands are tied," Taoist Chongxiao's Yin God, with his back to Liu Xiao, spoke in an even, emotionless tone. "He failed to quickly form his Yang God, especially at a time when Yu Yuan had returned and joined forces with Zhan Tianxiang..."

"It's simply Liang Jingyin's destiny."

Taoist Chongxiao paused before adding somberly, "As for Yu Yuan, we're powerless over him in the Absence Relic, but now that he's ventured into the Crimson Desert..."

With those words, his spirit flickered and vanished in an instant.

...

On the outskirts of Luan Bird City in the Luan Bird Empire, at the Chen family's teleportation array.

Yu Yuan materialized amidst a surge of energy from the array.

"Yu Yuan!"

Kong Banbi of the Sword Sect called out upon spotting him.

"Yu Yuan!"

"That's Yu Yuan!"

"The God of Plagues from Darkmoon City?"

The mention of his name set off a commotion among the hundreds of young cultivators gathered around the teleportation array.

Their stares left the freshly teleported Yu Yuan frozen in place. He blurted out in surprise, "Wow, what a crowd!"

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