C666 Seventh Master!
"Uncle Master Tan, Tan Junshan?"
As Taoist Qiyu spoke, he had already stepped off the Thunderbolt War Chariot. His initial posture suggested he was intent on taking Yu Yuan with him, whether Lau Ying consented or not.
But when Lau Ying mentioned that Uncle Master Tan was seeking Yu Yuan, Taoist Qiyu paused midair, suspended between the Fallen Star Eyes and the Thunderbolt War Chariot.
Lau Ying quickly confirmed, "Yes, Uncle Master Tan!"
"Tan Junshan has returned from beyond the heavens?"
Taoist Qiyu's gaze bore into Lau Ying's eyes, searching for the truth.
"He has. Uncle Master Tan instructed me to escort Yu Yuan out of the Crimson Desert to meet him." Lau Ying's response was immediate and certain, "He wishes to inquire about the Starry Behemoth in the Ember Waters."
A necklace of jade beads, each the size of a fingertip, suddenly glowed with a gentle radiance.
Within the necklace, strands of soul consciousness flowed, weaving together into an intricate miniature Spiritual Array.
Lau Ying's mind blurred momentarily as a memory seared into her soul surfaced with startling clarity.
The memory was of her recent conversation with Tan Junshan.
"So, Tan Junshan has truly returned."
Taoist Qiyu of the Spirit Void Sect inhaled sharply, his mind clouded with doubt, "If he fell into the Fallen Star Eyes so recently, why didn't he seek answers then?"
Lau Ying's realization was swift; she recognized that Taoist Qiyu, one of the Seven Spiritual Masters, had exploited the jade necklace to pilfer the memories etched into her soul.
"Senior, you didn't even warn me before you invaded my memories?" Lau Ying's anger flared, "Is this the way the Spirit Void Sect treats its juniors?"
"Had I alerted you, you'd have been wary. How then could I discern the truth of your words?" Taoist Qiyu huffed dismissively, brushing aside Lau Ying's indignation and turning his attention back to Yu Yuan, "Why are you still alive?"
His words left the guests aboard the chariot, along with Zhao Yafu, Zhan Tianxiang, and the rest at the Demon Palace, utterly bewildered.
It was a mystery to them why Taoist Qiyu, a member of the Spirit Void Sect with the formidable power of the Yang God Stage, had taken an interest in Yu Yuan.
Yu Yuan and Lau Ying understood the implications: How could Yu Yuan, the one marked by Taoist Yeyin, still be alive?
Taoist Yeyin, at the late Soul Wandering Stage, was known for his feats, including the assassination of a Yang God and the slaying of an Eighth Level Great Demon.
Tasked with a mission, Taoist Yeyin stealthily infiltrated the Crimson Desert. Surely, if Yu Yuan were to appear, his death would be certain.
So why was Yu Yuan still alive, while Taoist Yeyin, the esteemed Eighth Master held in high regard by his sect, had been inexplicably killed?
"Senior, what are you saying?" Yu Yuan asked, bewildered.
"I've dealt with a small fry who lacks the backing of a sect and has only a slight connection to the Demon Palace," Taoist Qiyu said with a squint, detaching a green jade pendant from his waist and tossing it to Yu Yuan.
The pendant transformed mid-air into a cage of iron thorns, descending upon Yu Yuan.
"I'll have words for Tan Junshan when I see him next," Taoist Qiyu declared.
Despite Lau Ying's mention of Tan Junshan and subsequent verification, the Seven Daoists of the Spirit Void Sect remained relentless in their pursuit.
The Spirit Void Sect, on the cusp of becoming an upper sect and currently leading the seven lower sects, was a powerhouse teeming with formidable experts.
Even so, facing Lau Ying and the recently returned Tan Junshan, Taoist Qiyu showed no fear.
"Yu Yuan is here under the directive of my master, from the Absence Relic!" Zhan Tianxiang, witnessing Yu Yuan being singled out by the Spirit Void Sect, couldn't contain his anger and bellowed, "He is an honored guest of the Demon Palace. Should you harm him, my master will surely hold you accountable!"
"You seem to be unfamiliar with the laws of the Boundless Land, young one," Taoist Qiyu said, shaking his head, unfazed. "Below the Yang God Stage, even if it's you, if I kill you, that's the end of it. At most, my disciples will need to be more cautious in the future to avoid retribution from your master."
"And what of him?"
Taoist Qiyu's lips curled in scorn. "He's just a minor cultivator from Darkmoon City with no sect backing him. I'd like to see who dares to avenge him after I've dealt with him!"
Beneath the cage, thorns burst open like a gaping maw, poised to engulf Yu Yuan.
Aware that he stood no chance against a Yang God Stage cultivator from the Spirit Void Sect, Yu Yuan nevertheless called forth the Evil Cauldron and gripped the scabbard tightly in his hand. He was determined to fight with all he had.
"The Evil Cauldron!"
"That scabbard!"
Eyes gleamed from atop the Thunder Sect's Thunderbolt War Chariot, belonging to over a dozen individuals from various sects. Some clenched their fists, clearly coveting the artifacts in his possession.
They began to suspect that Taoist Qiyu's so-called questioning of Yu Yuan was merely a facade. Had Taoist Qiyu, upon receiving Chu Jing's message, learned that the Evil Cauldron and scabbard had returned to their rightful owner and thus traveled the distance just to pluck the ripe fruit for himself?
As he had pointed out, would anyone really stand up for Yu Yuan, an unaffiliated cultivator in possession of such treasures, if he were captured or even killed?
Perhaps only the legendary Yu Zhu would.
Should Yu Zhu advance to the Eighth Level, he would become a formidable tyrant within the Absence Relic. But Taoist Qiyu, also at the Yang God Stage, had no reason to fear Yu Zhu if he avoided the Absence Relic and stayed within the vast expanse of the Boundless Land.
Would the Demon Palace really risk an all-out conflict with the Spirit Void Sect over a newcomer?
"Taoist Qiyu is quite the strategist!"
The cultivators who had converged to unravel the Crimson Desert's predicament suddenly realized the depth of his cunning, lamenting that the Spirit Void Sect had acted swiftly and mercilessly. It was no surprise that the Spirit Void Sect had risen to become the foremost among the seven lower sects in mere centuries.
"Hold on."
The voice of Tan Junshan, as refreshing as a spring breeze, unexpectedly filled the air.
A luminous crescent moon, wrought from pure moonlight, hovered between the cage and Yu Yuan's head, gently nudging upward.
Boom!
The thorny cage reverted back into a jade pendant with a single touch from the crescent moon.
This miniature crescent, a concentration of the moon's essence, cast a clear and pristine light, subtly enveloping Taoist Qiyu's jade pendant in its glow.
Taoist Qiyu's expression chilled. As he reached for the jade pendant, he found it unresponsive to his command.
Tan Junshan had not yet shown himself, yet he had thwarted Taoist Qiyu's strike with the crescent moon in its pure energy state.
His voice, unhurried, drifted from the crescent, "Lau Ying, wielding the Fallen Star Eyes, bring Yu Yuan to me. I'm curious to see who would dare prevent your departure from the Crimson Desert."
The crescent moon, suspended in the air, cast its cool, pale light through the jade pendant, ensnaring Taoist Qiyu.
"Tan Junshan!"
Hu Jin of the Thunder Sect, master of the Thunderbolt War Chariot, exclaimed upon hearing Tan Junshan's voice emanate from the crescent moon.
Others, familiar with the enigmatic figure from the Silver Moon Sect known for his elusive presence and constant wanderings in the Outland Star River, were quietly stirred.
Tan Junshan was the disciple of the even more enigmatic Moon Sect Master.
He managed all external affairs of the Moon Sect, representing them both within the vast expanse of the Boundless Land and beyond, in the Galaxy.
This figure was a controversial eccentric of the Silver Moon Sect.
His nature was that of a free spirit, yet fate paired him with the Moon Sect Master, a recluse of nearly ten thousand years, who never made a public appearance.
Reluctantly, he handled the Moon Sect's affairs and selected disciples suitable for mastering the Moon Sect's Spiritual Spells.
In recent years, he had stepped back from the internal affairs of the Moon Sect within the Boundless Land, choosing instead to wander the Outer Star River. He abstained from slaying Devaputras and engaging in combat with the Galaxy Alien Race, focusing on amassing honors for himself and the Silver Moon Sect.
He traversed the galaxies inhabited by various alien races.
The activities of Tan Junshan within the Outer Star River were a mystery, yet periodically, astonishing news would ripple back from the galactic void.
Tan Junshan had achieved a breakthrough to the Unrestrained Stage in the Outer Star River!
Tan Junshan had progressed to the Middle Period of the Unrestrained Stage!
Tan Junshan had ascended to the Late Period of the Unrestrained Stage as a great cultivator!
In a mere two centuries, this enigmatic figure from the Moon Sect had risen from the late Yang God Stage to the late Unrestrained Stage, surpassing even the realm of Lau Ying's master.
The Silver Moon Sect's consistent ranking just behind the Spirit Void Sect as the second of the seven lower sects owed much to this individual.
Rumors suggested that not even Tan Junshan's senior sister, the elusive Moon Sect Master, possessed his high level of cultivation or his formidable strength.
Knowing of Tan Junshan's return was one thing; hearing his voice emanate from within was quite another.
Crack!
Merely shrouded in the glow of the "Bent Moon," the emerald jade pendant Taoist Qiyu had snatched away soon displayed fractures.
Since the appearance of the "Bent Moon" and the emergence of Tan Junshan's voice from within, Taoist Qiyu of the Spirit Void Sect had been utterly silent.
