C655 A New Plan!

Above the Starskiff, the Ethereal Void Sect members who had been engaged in animated discussion abruptly fell silent.

Liu Ying looked at Yu Yuan with astonishment, clearly not expecting him to confront the woman from her sect who had criticized Yuan Lianyao so aggressively.

She had thought Yu Yuan would simply defend himself, perhaps with a sharp rebuke.

—Not with such extremity.

On the Starskiff, the woman at the Subtlety Level, her beauty accentuated by her oval face and elegantly coiffed long hair, was taken aback by Yu Yuan's words. Clutching her white jade ruler, she turned to her companion for confirmation, "Is he speaking to me?"

The person beside her, his expression dark and brooding, nodded slowly, "It appears so."

The woman's breath hitched, her bright eyes suddenly brimming with hatred and fury. With the jade ruler in her grasp, she pointed it at Yu Yuan from a distance.

In a flash, her spiritual sense locked onto Yu Yuan, ready to command the white jade ruler to strike him with a mere thought.

"Youngster of the Yu family, you dare to hurl such vile insults at a disciple of the Ethereal Void Sect!"

At the forefront of the Starskiff, a cultivator in the late Lunar Spirit Stage was seething with rage, his curses filled with lethal intent.

All the Ethereal Void disciples aboard shared looks of profound insult, their animosity united against a common foe.

"Vile insults?" Yu Yuan's grin was icy as he scoffed, "The words this wretch used against the mayor of Asvetaesi were the true filth! To spout such hearsay in public—she has no shame, so she can't blame me for calling her out!"

"The Ruby Hand witch's licentious reputation is known far and wide! What's the matter? You can act disgracefully but can't handle being talked about?" The white jade ruler in the woman's hand glowed with a soft, pearly light as her spiritual sense wove into it, and then it flew from her palm toward Yu Yuan.

"People say there's no difference between the likes of you and those who've consumed filth," Yu Yuan roared with laughter. "Very well, you struck first, so don't blame me for showing no mercy."

With a thunderous boom, the dark Crucible of Evil emerged once more. The massive cauldron spun in the void, and rays of light burst forth from the glyphs, targeting the white jade ruler.

The white jade ruler attempted to escape from the Starskiff, but before the woman could react, she was struck by a blast of black demonic light. The ruler, far inferior to the Crucible of Evil, immediately lost its sheen upon impact. Tiny cracks spread across its surface in the blink of an eye.

The woman from the Ethereal Void Sect's face paled as she nearly coughed up blood. Aware that Yu Yuan wielded the Crucible of Evil, she had no intention of openly clashing with him. Her aim was merely to save face and find an honorable retreat. Little did she expect that this unaffiliated cultivator from Asvetaesi would be so ruthless as to attack the moment her white jade ruler left the safety of the Starskiff. The precious two-star earthly weapon she had acquired at great expense now bore the scars of that single, devastating blow.

Suppressing a cry of despair, she forced the blood that had risen in her throat to spill forth. Then, she looked up to a strikingly handsome young man atop the Starskiff, pleading, "Senior Brother Qu, I implore you to seek justice for me!"

She bypassed the late-stage Lunar Spirit elder on the Starskiff, instead seeking aid from a fellow disciple who had only recently entered the Lunar Spirit realm. Qu Jing gave a slight nod and positioned himself at the forefront of the Starskiff.

"Qu Jing?" The elder, responsible for overseeing the Starskiff, showed a flicker of concern upon seeing him step forward.

With a reassuring smile, Qu Jing responded, "Leave this matter to me."

After a moment's hesitation, the elder nodded his consent.

"Qu Jing!" Liu Ying, perched upon the Fallen Star Eyes, spotted him emerging to take a stand at the very front of the Starskiff. She appeared somewhat uncomfortable as she informed him, "He is the third disciple of the current Sage of the Ethereal Void Sect, Lingxu, and he is... the most favored one."

In the Ethereal Void Sect, each sect master is known as Lingxu. No matter their previous name, upon ascending to the role of sect master, they adopt this new title, adhering to an unspoken tradition of the sect.

Qu Jing, being the personal disciple of the Ethereal Void Sect's master and the most favored one, implied that his status within the sect was on par with Liu Ying's.

The Ethereal Void Sect, leading the seven lower sects, aspired to join the ranks of the upper sects and compete with the likes of the Ebon Star, the Sunlit Order, and the Sword Sect.

From this perspective, Qu Jing's status was not just on par with Liu Ying's; it was subtly superior.

Qu Jing shouldered a large black umbrella and sported an emerald Cosmos Ring on his finger. His attire bore no mark of the Ethereal Void Sect. His slender eyes were often narrowed, as though he was perpetually drowsy.

As he approached the Starskiff, every disciple of the Ethereal Void Sect seemed to find their resolve, their expressions instantly invigorated.

"My name is Qu Jing."

He regarded Yu Yuan with a slight bow, speaking in a conversational tone, "You've harmed a disciple of our Ethereal Void Sect, and for that, there will be consequences."

He unhurriedly removed the black umbrella from his back, gripping it firmly in both hands.

The moment he grasped the umbrella, Yu Yuan felt the entire world around them grow heavy.

An intangible force bore down from above!

It wasn't just Yu Yuan; even Liu Ying and the Fallen Star Eyes beneath them were compelled to sink incrementally.

Liu Ying's expression soured as she protested, "Brother Qu, is such force really necessary?"

"Our people have been gravely wounded by him, and I had no choice," Qu Jing responded, unmoved. "You're aware of the Everlands' rules. Sect disciples below the Solar Spirit level are forbidden from killing each other. He isn't even a sect disciple and hasn't been acknowledged by the Shadow's Keep; he's merely an independent cultivator."

"A mere independent cultivator. If I kill him, then so be it."

With those words, Qu Jing unfurled the umbrella.

As the black umbrella expanded, it seemed to unveil a new realm. Ethereal spiritual energy swirled upwards with the opening of the umbrella.

Yu Yuan looked up to find the night sky had vanished.

In its place was an ethereal world, replete with palatial structures, mountains, lakes, spirit animals, and the resounding echoes of the Way of Heaven.

"Spectral Umbrella!"

Liu Ying's expression was grave as she disclosed the artifact's origins. She immediately connected with the Fallen Star Eyes through her thoughts, steadying it.

As Qu Jing unfurled the umbrella, the Crucible of Evil hovering over Yu Yuan's head swiftly enlarged. The mouth of the cauldron remained downward, subtly enveloping Yu Yuan.

Yu Yuan let out a soft chuckle, addressing Liu Ying, "I've realized this Spectral Umbrella must have quite the history."

"It falls slightly short of the undamaged Crucible of Evil," Liu Ying said with a furrowed brow and a soft sigh. "But it's somewhat stronger than the Crucible of Evil in its current state. The Spectral Umbrella's rank is on par with the Fallen Star Eyes beneath my feet. However, the Fallen Star Eyes isn't a weapon of attack, so its power is somewhat inferior."

Her implication was clear: the Spectral Umbrella in Qu Jing's possession was more potent than the present Crucible of Evil, and its offensive capabilities surpassed those of the Fallen Star Eyes.

Moreover, Qu Jing's level of cultivation and combat experience were a notch above theirs.

Qu Jing also had the support of the Starskiff and numerous Ethereal Void Sect Elders and disciples.

The disparity in strength between the two sides was evident.

"I see what you did there," Yu Yuan laughed heartily. "You deliberately allowed me to gravely wound that woman. Maybe you even egged her on, secretly signaling her to enrage me. That way, you'd have a pretext to make a move against me."

"The Ethereal Void Sect truly exemplifies honor. I've witnessed it firsthand today. After a failed ambush couldn't kill me, you, the esteemed disciple of the sect master, shamelessly took it upon yourself to strike."

Yu Yuan observed that the instant Qu Jing opened the umbrella, the woman who had spitefully defamed Yuan Lianyao suddenly became serene.

Gone were the feelings of humiliation, rage, or vengeful ferocity.

Her tranquility was unsettling.

He surmised that the woman's behavior was a deliberate attempt to incite him, to provoke an attack at the cost of her own injury, thereby giving Qu Jing a legitimate reason to execute him in broad daylight.

Following Yingye's lead, Qu Jing must have been instructed to proceed with the scheme.

"A sneak attack?" Liu Ying gasped, "The Ethereal Void Sect has been attacking you covertly?"

Yu Yuan nodded, "They just didn't manage to succeed."

"Nobody would believe such a baseless lie." Qu Jing had already stepped out of the Starskiff and stood beneath the Spectral Umbrella, appearing like a deity presiding over an ethereal realm as he drifted in front of Yu Yuan. "A devilish artifact like the Crucible of Evil should never have ended up in your hands once it came into existence."

"If not in my hands, then whose? Yours?" Yu Yuan scoffed.

"After your demise, I will select a new owner for this cauldron," Qu Jing stated, his expression detached. "Someone like Mo Yan, for instance."

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