C674 The Thief Shouted to Catch the Thief

The blanket, woven from threads of ice and lightning, fell open to reveal Ann Ziqing, her body frail and powerless.

Her complexion was ashen, her once-bright eyes now dull and lusterless.

At the center of her forehead, a drop of scarlet blood trembled, her Yin God shivering within, clearly petrified by the strands of "Soul Burning Electric Current" that had seeped into her blood.

Remarkably, the delicate scars that once marred her exposed skin had mostly healed.

The shattered pieces of her purple armor, coated in the viscous blood that enveloped her, seemed to reconnect and solidify once more.

Like scales, the fragmented purple crystals began to reassemble across her body.

Upon opening her eyes and catching sight of Yu Yuan, she burst out with joy, "Young Master, I knew you would come for me. You wouldn't stand by and let that villain Qi Yunhong take my life."

Qi Yunhong, hovering over Treasure Lake, his icy demeanor tinged with astonishment, remarked, "The present Goddess of the Blood God Cult is truly remarkable, awakening so swiftly."

He snorted disdainfully and closed in, "Xie Binn, and you, boy, leave the girl behind and you're free to go."

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

One by one, four silhouettes emerged from Treasure Lake, trailing Qi Yunhong.

Xie Binn's face fell.

Yu Yuan glanced up to see the lake's surface now blanketed by a web of crimson lightning.

"Blazing Soul Electricity!" In moments, it engulfed Treasure Lake.

"Four more..." Xie Binn's words trailed off as he abruptly corrected himself, "No, they're not human cultivators. Their presence is imbued with the True Technique of Lightning, a signature of otherworldly races!"

The four figures hovered, their outlines blurred, over the lake.

Beneath them, torrents of crimson lightning surged forth.

"Senior Xie, you're outmatched," Qi Yunhong declared.

With the emergence of the four mysterious beings from the depths of Treasure Lake, Xie Binn realized that even with the Ice Thunder Mark, he was no match for Qi Yunhong, let alone the four new adversaries.

"Young Master, you must save me," Ann Ziqing implored, clutching at Yu Yuan's pant leg with a woeful gaze. "I've served by your side for so many years. You wouldn't just stand by and watch me die, would you?"

"Qi Yunhong! What exactly do you want from me?"

She whirled around, her eyes blazing red with fury as she barked her challenge.

Qi Yunhong, a man marked as a traitor by the Thunder Sect and known even to Xie Binn, was momentarily taken aback by her outburst.

After a brief silence, Qi Yunhong responded, "You, Blood God Cult girl, initiated this conflict. It was you who murdered the sons of the Qi family and seized the treasures I had released. Had you not attacked me unprovoked, why on earth would I bother with you?"

Xie Binn's eyes widened in surprise. "She struck first?"

"Indeed," Qi Yunhong confirmed with a nod. "I was just outside Luan Bird City, intending to escort some of our Qi family youths away for their cultivation of the 'Soul Igniting Lightning'. As I was bestowing the artifacts upon them, this Blood God Cult girl burst forth and, seizing the moment of my incantation, slaughtered our Qi family boys."

"My retaliation was purely self-defense; she was practically begging for death by provoking me."

Yu Yuan was taken aback.

He, like Xie Binn, had assumed that Ann Ziqing was ambushed by Qi Yunhong en route to Luan Bird City, that he had cast the Soul Igniting Lightning into a droplet of her blood with the intent to shatter her soul.

It had never crossed his mind that Ann Ziqing was the instigator, the one who had killed and looted, only to end up gravely wounded herself.

"Qi Yunhong practices the Soul Igniting Lightning; he's an adversary to both the Thunder Sect and the entire Boundless Land!" Ann Ziqing declared to Yu Yuan with conviction. "Such a vile and aberrant creature deserves death at the hands of all! I encountered him and seized the moment to strike. What's wrong with that?"

Xie Binn, wearing a bemused expression, simply shook his head, withholding judgment.

Yu Yuan uttered an "uh," his mind flashing back to the time on Blood God Island when this very girl had schemed against him. It was only by the skin of his teeth and sheer willpower that he had managed to make a hasty retreat.

Whether it was within the Yu family of Darkmoon City or later in the Ember Waters, she appeared to offer help at every turn, yet her intentions were always suspect.

He gazed down at the purple-clad girl clutching at his pant leg, her posture the very picture of woeful vulnerability.

Her face was etched with sorrow, her eyes mirroring the same desolation.

However, for reasons unknown, Yu Yuan sensed a chilling indifference lurking beneath Ann Ziqing's seemingly pitiful gaze.

It was as though she was scrutinizing him with a detached, almost mocking look in her eyes.

Yu Yuan trusted his intuition and perception, attributes sharpened by the wisdom and acuity of his Tianhun, a gift of his practice in the Soul Forging Technique.

"Elder Xie, we should depart."

Yu Yuan spread his hands, adopting an expression of regret. He sighed, shook his head, and said, "I truly lack the means to assist you. I'm not prepared to gamble with my life, so it's wiser to bow out gracefully."

With those words, he forcefully withdrew his foot from Ann Ziqing's clasp.

He quickly stepped back and gave Qi Yunhong a respectful bow. "I leave her in your care."

Xie Binn was taken aback.

"Let's move on. Knowing full well we can't extricate ourselves from this, why throw our lives away needlessly?" Yu Yuan said to Ann Ziqing, who was now slowly rising from the ground. "I haven't forgotten your kindness. When my power is sufficient, I'll seek vengeance on your behalf if possible."

"Young man, what is your name?" Qi Yunhong inquired abruptly.

"My name remains unchanged, Chen Xi from Darkmoon City," Yu Yuan declared.

"My lord, your heart is truly hardened."

Ann Ziqing rose slowly from her seated position, stepping out from the blanket woven of ice and crimson lightning. "After all I've done for you, you choose to leave me to my fate."

"It's not a matter of desire, but ability—I simply cannot save you!" Yu Yuan protested.

Meanwhile, he had summoned the Evil Cauldron. In a flash, he was inside the massive vessel. "Elder Qi, I must take my leave now, no need for farewells."

"Darkmoon City! Yu Yuan!"

As the Evil Cauldron appeared, Qi Yunhong paused to think and quickly deduced Yu Yuan's identity. "Wait, I have questions for you—there's no rush to leave!"

"No, no! Should destiny allow, we shall meet again!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Yu Yuan directed the Evil Cauldron with his will, swiftly retracing his path of arrival.

The sword sheath, summoned from within the Mustard Seed Bracelet, pointed towards the darkened heavens above the Evil Cauldron. "Senior Qi, best stow away your Illusion Pearl before it shatters and spoils the view. You're well aware of what happened to Chu Jing, who possessed another of the Illusion Sect's relics—his Spectral Umbrella now sports a rather unsightly hole thanks to me!"

"Wait! Just wait!" Qi Yunhong exclaimed in shock.

Without warning, an anomaly occurred!

A streak of blood light materialized out of thin air, hovering over Treasure Lake, and impaled each of the four enigmatic foreigners one by one.

These four strangers, whose faces Yu Yuan hadn't even glimpsed, were reduced to bloodless husks after the blood light swept through them, plummeting into Treasure Lake with a series of splashes.

Their bodies sank to the lakebed, shrouded by the crimson lightning that danced across the water's surface.

Qi Yunhong's face contorted with fury as he glared at Ann Ziqing. "You conniving little thing, did you plan this?"

"Chi! Sizzle!"

Within Ann Ziqing's brow, the remnants of the 'Fiery Soul Lightning' were crushed into glimmers by the violent essence in the droplet of blood.

In a flash, the blood was devoid of any trace of crimson lightning.

Whoosh!

Ann Ziqing's Yin God returned to her, and with a flick of her tongue, she caught the droplet of blood and swallowed it.

Maintaining her woeful demeanor, she paid no heed to Qi Yunhong. Her eyes, filled with a mournful longing, remained fixed on Yu Yuan. "Young Master, I've offered you nothing but heartfelt kindness. How can you be so indifferent?"

Boom!

The Evil Cauldron collided with another layer of blood light and came to an abrupt halt in the void.

Yu Yuan, feeling cornered, turned around. "Since we've met, I've yet to see you at a disadvantage. Your cunning and ruthless tactics are no strangers to me. The timing of your sudden awakening—when it's not Senior Qi's doing—is far too convenient."

"It seems you can awaken whenever you choose."

"You feigned grave injuries to seek me out at the Clouds Sect's Dao House, staging this whole farce. What's your endgame? Are you testing whether I would come to your rescue, or is there another ploy at play?"

Yu Yuan paused, his gaze shifting to Treasure Lake and the motionless blood light. "Senior Ann, we meet again."

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