C643 Altar of Rebirth!

Outside the city of Afnetalos, the sun blazed overhead as a fleet of hundred-meter-long ships, forged from Sunsilver, shimmered dazzlingly in the sunlight.

Aboard these vessels stood young cultivators from various sects, their fists clenched and spirits high, ready to venture into the Scarlet Dunes. These ships, provided by the Songbird Empire, were each commanded by a member of the Chen family.

With a whoosh, one ship sliced through the clouds, leading the charge toward the Scarlet Dunes.

"Why hasn't your Chen family sent back the person who came with us, Yu Yuan?" Zhao Yafu demanded, her voice charged with emotion as she confronted Chen Yao, a disciple of the Chen family. "Chen Langzhi of your family took him to Afnetalos in a Golden Carriage."

An archdemon, kin to the Astral Tiger, bellowed, "Shadow's Keep is seeking him!"

"Our Chen family is not involved," Chen Yao replied to Zhao Yafu and the imposing archdemon with a calm and measured demeanor. "I'm aware that Yu Yuan was brought to Afnetalos by Uncle Zhi. He was free to roam the city shortly after his arrival. Yu Yuan is neither a criminal nor affiliated with Shadow's Keep. The Chen family has no authority over his actions within Afnetalos."

Chen Yao then expressed his surprise, "He hasn't arrived here?"

"If he had, would I still be discussing this with you?" retorted Zhao Yafu, visibly frustrated.

"It seems Yu Yuan simply isn't interested in the Scarlet Dunes," Chen Yao said with a shrug. "This is beyond our Chen family's concern. Perhaps Shadow's Keep has a mystique or arcane method to reach him. Otherwise, you might consider searching for him in Afnetalos yourselves."

With another whoosh, Chen Yao activated the ship and set off toward the Scarlet Dunes.

"I'm heading to Afnetalos!" Zhao Yafu declared, her face seething with anger.

"That's not advisable," the Astral Tiger-related archdemon cautioned, placing a hand on her shoulder and shaking his head. "I will notify Shadow's Keep to send someone else to find him in Afnetalos."

After a moment's hesitation, the archdemon continued, "It's not just Shadow's Keep and Devil Palace searching for him; the three upper sects are on the lookout as well."

Simultaneously.

Liu Ying unleashed the Fallen Star Eyes, upon which Kong Banbi and several members from Starmoon Sect, Sword Sect, and others who were friendly with her stood.

"Do you have any idea why the five great forces are all instructing their disciples to search for Yu Yuan?" Kong Banbi inquired with curiosity.

Liu Ying's gaze danced as she shook her head decisively. "How could I possibly know?"

Whoosh!

The Fallen Star Eyes darted towards the Scarlet Dunes.

...

In Afnetalos, on the ground.

A towering palace, its interior divided into numerous training rooms, was situated in the western part of the city.

This palace was known as the Azure Vault.

Each of these training rooms was available for rent to outsiders.

Any cultivator arriving in Afnetalos, including esteemed mortals from various empires, could rent a room by paying the required soulstones.

The Azure Vault rose nine stories, with each floor offering distinct training rooms at varying soulstone rates.

Rumor had it that the inspiration for the Azure Vault came from the Sea Wanderer of the Skyreach Consortium.

However, the Azure Vault had no affiliation with the Skyreach Consortium.

The true power behind this cultivation hall was Aetherius Continent's preeminent family—the Chen family.

On the seventh floor, Yu Yuan meticulously inspected a sealed training room. Only after confirming that no sound would escape did he call forth the Crucible of Evil from the Zigong acupoint.

"Frost Queen, bring forth the Second Bane."

With a mere thought, Yu Yuan communicated his intent to the cauldron spirit.

The Crucible of Evil, resting on the floor, released the Frost Queen, a figure sculpted from ice.

The Frost Queen, exuding a chilling presence, retained her scorpion lower half and human female upper half.

Emerging from the Crucible of Evil, she maintained her haughty and icy demeanor, offering Yu Yuan a respectful bow.

Whoosh!

A streak of blood light burst forth from the Crucible of Evil.

Before Yu Yuan's eyes, the blood-red light shifted continuously until it finally took the form of a gaunt man with narrow, bloodshot eyes and a strong scent of blood about him.

This emaciated figure was barely more than an outline, crafted from coagulated blood, seemingly boneless and naked.

His features, too, were formed from congealed blood, lacking any distinct characteristics.

"Master, after the Untamed separated us from your body, he evolved into the Second Bane," the cauldron spirit explained, eager to share. "This individual has become increasingly peculiar since being transformed into the Second Bane. He was once a traitor of the Colddeath Cult, a late-period cultivator at the Solar Spirit Stage..."

The Crucible of Evil, when refining a Bane, could parse the lingering memories of its former life, revealing some of its history.

The cauldron spirit informed Yu Yuan that the blood that formed the Second Bane, which was confined in the Sword Prison, belonged to a traitor of the Colddeath. In the far reaches of the extraterrestrial Star River, he had been seduced by the Sky Fiend.

This follower of the Colddeath had been swayed by a branch of the Sky Fiend Clan—the Blood Fiend—and had turned against the Everlands.

After aligning with the Blood Fiend Clan, he targeted the Colddeath's disciples from the extraterrestrial realms.

When he was finally captured by a Moon Slayer cultivator, the Colddeath pleaded for a long time, only wishing for him to be detained in the Sword Prison without erasing his spiritual wisdom or scattering his soul.

Whether out of respect for his past deeds or in hopes of gaining something from him was unclear.

In the Sword Prison, without fresh blood to draw upon, his rich lifeblood was gradually absorbed by the prison's array.

Consequently, the traitor from the Colddeath, deceived by the Blood Fiend, seemed to have lost his sanity, no longer even aware of his own identity.

He would occasionally regain lucidity, but for the most part, he remained in a state of deranged confusion.

"I have something to show him."

Yu Yuan manipulated the vitality within his little world, drawing out the Blood Altar, which resembled a blood jade, from his middle elixir field to hover before his chest.

"This fellow seems to hold some secrets about the Blood Altar," Yu Yuan said, gesturing toward the Second Bane. "Can you extract any information from him?"

"I'll give it a try," the cauldron spirit replied.

The Crucible of Evil began to float silently. Its glyphs writhed like living entities, emitting waves of astonishing Soul Power fluctuations. The slightly dazed Second Bane, a being formed from lifeblood and immense energy, seemed to gain a spark of spiritual wisdom in his crimson eyes under the influence of the Crucible's Soul Power.

"What is this?" The voice of the Crucible of Evil's cauldron spirit resonated in a way that both Yu Yuan and the Second Bane could hear.

"The Altar of Rebirth," the Second Bane instinctively replied.

"The Altar of Rebirth?!" Both Yu Yuan and the cauldron spirit exclaimed, their excitement palpable.

The Terror Claws had once been a formidable force in the Everlands, but their dominance was short-lived, and they were soon erased from this realm. Yu Yuan, in his past life, was the sect master of the Order of Healing, but his life was cut short due to his lack of progress on the cultivator's path.

Neither Yu Yuan nor the cauldron spirit had ever heard of the Altar of Rebirth, leaving them curious about its nature.

The cauldron spirit immediately pressed the Second Bane for details on the mysterious Altar of Rebirth. "In the ancient and most exalted realms of the Star River, among the Otherkin, a rare few are born with the Altar of Rebirth. These individuals are considered precious within their tribes. Possessors of the Altar of Rebirth hold a status akin to the Hellbreed in the Devil Palace or those born with the sword heart in the Sword Sect," the Second Bane explained, revealing the enigma under the cauldron spirit's persistent questioning.

"The current chieftain of the Blood Fiend Clan was born with an Altar of Rebirth akin to this one," he continued. At this point, the Second Bane, bound by the Crucible of Evil, suddenly became frenzied. Had he not been subdued, he might have tried to claim the Blood Altar for himself.

His longing for the so-called Altar of Rebirth, conjured by Yu Yuan, nearly exceeded the Crucible of Evil's control. In response to this intense desire, the glyphs on the Crucible of Evil ceased their squirming.

The cauldron spirit had to cease its efforts, seemingly concerned that an accident might cause the Bane it was refining to turn on its master.

After some time, the Second Bane began to settle down, and the Crucible of Evil once again showed signs of glyph vibrations.

Yet, the Second Bane did not regain consciousness, nor did it show any sign of rational thought.

"I can only extract so much information," the cauldron spirit admitted after three attempts, unable to restore the Second Bane's clarity of mind. Reluctantly, it concluded, "This object should be known as the Altar of Rebirth. It appears to have a significant history."

"The Altar of Rebirth..."

Yu Yuan mulled over this for a moment and then nodded in understanding. "I've got it. I'll look for another way to uncover the history behind this altar."

​