C666 The Seventh Sage!
"Master Tan, Tan Junshan?"
As Ditdite spoke, he had already stepped out of the Thunder Chariot. It was clear from his stance that he intended to take Yu Yuan with him, whether Liu Ying consented or not.
But when Liu Ying mentioned that Master Tan was seeking Yu Yuan, Ditdite paused midair, suspended between the Fallen Star Eyes and the Thunder Chariot.
Liu Ying quickly confirmed, "Yes, Master Tan!"
"Tan Junshan has returned from beyond the stars?"
Ditdite probed, his gaze fixed intently on Liu Ying's eyes, as if trying to discern the truth.
"He has. Master Tan instructed me to escort Yu Yuan out of the Scarlet Dunes to meet him," Liu Ying replied without hesitation. "He wishes to inquire about the cosmic giant beast in the Embers Sea."
A necklace of jade beads, each the size of a fingertip, suddenly emitted a gentle glow.
Threads of remnant soul coursed through the jade, weaving into an intricate miniature arcane circle.
Liu Ying's mind momentarily hazed over, and a memory seared into her earthly soul resurfaced with striking clarity.
It was the memory of her recent conversation with Tan Junshan.
"So, Tan Junshan has truly returned."
Ditdite, a Sage of the Ethereal Void, inhaled deeply, his curiosity rising. "If he fell into the Fallen Star Eyes not long ago, why didn't he seek answers then?"
Liu Ying's realization hit her like a jolt. She understood that Ditdite, one of the seven Sages, had used the jade necklace to pry into the memories etched onto her earthly soul.
"Senior, how could you invade my memories without so much as a warning?" Liu Ying's anger flared. "Is this how the Ethereal Void Sect treats its juniors?"
"Had I alerted you, you would've been wary. How then could I be sure whether you were telling the truth?" Ditdite retorted dismissively, ignoring Liu Ying's indignation and turning his attention back to Yu Yuan, "Why are you still alive?"
His question left the assembled guests from various sects on the chariot, along with Zhao Yafu, Zhan Tianxiang, and the rest at Shadow's Keep, utterly baffled.
None could fathom why Ditdite, a Sage of the Ethereal Void with the power of a Solar Spirit, had taken such a keen interest in Yu Yuan.
Yu Yuan and Liu Ying understood the implication of his words: How was it that Yu Yuan, the very target of Yingye, remained alive?
Yingye, a practitioner in the late stages of Spirit Walk, had a history of assassinating a Solar Spirit and slaying an eighth-level archdemon.
Under orders, Yingye had stealthily infiltrated the Scarlet Dunes. Surely, if Yu Yuan dared to make an appearance, his death would be certain.
So why was Yu Yuan still alive? Instead, it was Yingye, the highly esteemed Eighth Sage within the sect, who had been inexplicably killed.
"Senior, what exactly are you saying?" Yu Yuan asked, clearly bewildered.
"A nobody without the backing of any sect, with just a slight connection to Shadow's Keep—I've decided to deal with him first." Ditdite squinted, unhooked a green jade pendant from his waist, and tossed it at Yu Yuan.
The pendant transformed midair into a cage of iron thorns and descended upon Yu Yuan.
"As for Tan Junshan, I will provide him with an explanation when I see him next!"
Despite Liu Ying's mention of Tan Junshan and after verifying it, this Sage among the seven of the Ethereal Void Sect remained relentless!
The Ethereal Void Sect, poised to ascend to an upper sect and currently leading the seven lower sects, was filled with formidable experts.
Even so, he stood undaunted in the face of Liu Ying and Tan Junshan, who had returned from beyond our world.
"Yu Yuan came here from the Forgotten Ruins at the behest of my Master!" Zhan Tianxiang bellowed from below, seeing Yu Yuan singled out by the Ethereal Void Sect. "He is an honored guest of Shadow's Keep. If you target him, my Master will surely hold you accountable!"
"You seem to be unaware of the rules of the Everlands, young one," Ditdite said, shaking his head, unswayed. "Below the Solar Spirit level, even if it's you, if I kill you, that's the end of it. At most, I'll instruct my disciple to be more cautious in the future to avoid retribution from your Master."
"And him?" Ditdite's lips curled with scorn. "He's just a minor cultivator from Asvetaesi, without any sect's support. If I kill him, I'm curious to see who would seek retribution for him!"
Thorns beneath the cage sprang open like a gaping maw, poised to engulf Yu Yuan.
Fully aware that nothing could alter the outcome against a Solar Spirit Stage cultivator from the Ethereal Void Sect, given his current abilities, Yu Yuan nevertheless summoned the Crucible of Evil and gripped the scabbard in his palm.
He was determined to fight with all his might.
"Crucible of Evil!"
"That scabbard!"
The eyes of a dozen individuals from various sects, perched atop the Thunder Chariot of the Thunder Sect, gleamed with interest.
Some of them clenched their fists, clearly coveting the artifact in his possession.
They began to suspect that Ditdite's so-called questioning of Yu Yuan might just be a smokescreen.
Perhaps Ditdite, informed by Qu Jing's message, knew the Crucible of Evil and the scabbard had found their way back to their rightful owner, and he had traveled a great distance specifically to pluck these ripe fruits for himself.
Indeed, without the backing of a sect, Yu Yuan, carrying such treasures, would be an easy target. If captured or killed, who would actually come forward to avenge him?
Only the legendary Yu Zhu, perhaps?
Should Yu Zhu advance to the eighth level, she would become a formidable tyrant within the Forgotten Ruins.
Yet, Ditdite, also a Solar Spirit, would have nothing to fear from Yu Zhu if he killed Yu Yuan and seized the Crucible of Evil and the scabbard, as long as he stayed clear of the Forgotten Ruins, unthreatened by her anywhere else in the Everlands.
Would Shadow's Keep really choose to engage in a bitter feud with the Ethereal Void Sect over a mere novice?
"Ditdite is quite the strategist!"
The cultivators who had gathered to resolve the crisis in the Scarlet Dunes suddenly realized the shrewdness of the Ethereal Void Sect's actions.
It's no surprise that the Ethereal Void Sect had ascended from an insignificant sect to the foremost among the seven lower sects in mere centuries!
"Hold on."
The soothing voice of Tan Junshan, as refreshing as a spring breeze, unexpectedly filled the air.
A luminous crescent moon, conjured from pure moonlight, hovered between the cage and Yu Yuan's head, gently colliding with the space above.
Boom!
The thorny prison shattered, reverting into a jade pendant upon impact with the "crescent moon."
The miniature crescent moon, crafted from the essence of countless moonbeams, emitted a clear and pure light that subtly enveloped Ditdite's jade pendant in a lunar glow.
Ditdite's expression chilled. As he reached to retrieve the pendant, he found it unresponsive to his command.
Tan Junshan's silhouette had yet to materialize, yet he had already thwarted Ditdite's strike with the crescent moon in its pure energy form.
His voice, unhurried and calm, emanated from the crescent moon, "Liu Ying, wield the Fallen Star Eyes and bring Yu Yuan to meet me. I'm curious to see who would dare prevent your departure from the Scarlet Dunes."
The crescent moon cast its cool, pristine moonlight through the jade pendant, effectively ensnaring Ditdite.
"Tan Junshan!"
Hu Qian, the master of the Thunder Chariot, exclaimed in surprise upon hearing Tan Junshan's voice resonate from the crescent moon.
Several others, familiar with the elusive figure from Starmoon Sect known for his wanderings in the extraterrestrial Star River, were inwardly stirred.
Tan Junshan was the disciple of the enigmatic Master of Starmoon Sect.
He managed all external affairs of the sect, representing Starmoon Sect both within the Everlands and beyond in the Star River.
This man, a controversial figure within the Moon Sect lineage of Starmoon Sect, was known for his free-spirited nature. Yet, he had encountered the sect's Master, a recluse in seclusion for nearly ten millennia, who remained unseen.
Reluctantly, he handled Starmoon Sect's matters and selected disciples suited for the sect's spell cultivation.
In recent years, he had withdrawn from the internal affairs of the sect in the Everlands, opting to wander the extraterrestrial realms. He abstained from slaying Sky Fiends and engaging in combat with the Star River's Otherkin, choosing instead to accumulate merit for Starmoon Sect in his own way.
He traversed the Star River, home to various Otherkin.
The details of Tan Junshan's activities in the extraterrestrial Star River remained a mystery, but every so often, astonishing news would ripple back from the distant reaches of the cosmos.
Tan Junshan had achieved a breakthrough to the Unbound realm beyond the stars!
Tan Junshan had reached the middle period of the Unbound realm!
Tan Junshan was now a cultivator in the late period of the Unbound realm!
In a mere two hundred years, this enigmatic figure from the Starmoon Sect had ascended from the late stage of the Solar Spirit to the late period of the Unbound realm, surpassing even the level of Liu Ying's master.
The Starmoon Sect's consistent ranking just behind the Ethereal Void Sect, as the second among the seven lower sects, owes much to this individual.
Rumor has it that even Tan Junshan's senior sister, the enigmatic leader of the Moon Sect, does not possess his high realm or formidable strength.
Knowing of Tan Junshan's return was one thing; hearing his voice was quite another.
Crack!
Merely being shrouded in the light of the "crescent moon" was enough to cause the green jade pendant, torn off by Ditdite, to show cracks in an instant.
Since the appearance of the "crescent moon" and the emergence of Tan Junshan's voice from within, the Ditdite from the Ethereal Void had been silent.
