C721 You Want to Find Fault with Me

The Cloud Cruiser moored halfway up the mountain was a size smaller than the one that had previously sailed into Gavanas. Yet, even from a distance, one could see it brimming with magic items and pills.

The Skyreach Consortium had managed to extend its trade to the Land of Terror, profiting even from dealings with ghosts.

Yu Yuan shook his head in amazement. As he marveled, he suddenly heard Jiang Xingwen's soft exclamation.

With a bright smile, he bowed respectfully inside the dark cauldron, saying, "Young Yu Yuan at your service, Ms. Jiang. When you return to the Abyssal Dawn Sect and see Su Yan, please extend my regards."

This woman, whose presence had grown enigmatic since her arrival from the Abyssal Dawn Sect, must know who he was since she had previously encountered Ma Jianjiang and knew his nickname.

Yu Yuan's interactions with Su Yan in the Embers Sea were likely known to Jiang Xingwen as well.

Realizing there was no point in concealing the truth, he decided not to.

"I'll be sure to have a good talk with her about you when I get back," Jiang Xingwen said with a gentle laugh, surprised to discover that the cauldron was none other than the fabled Crucible of Evil. She hadn't expected that the young man Liu Linzhi had rescued was her disciple's close friend from the Shadowlight Empire.

Before her disciple had joined the Abyssal Dawn Sect, she had spoken of her trials in the Moonfall Sanctuary and mentioned the young man before her. But Jiang Xingwen, eager to train in the Land of Terror and considering her disciple's lower cultivation level, had dismissed the stories about her peer as mere child's play.

Little did she know that two years later, in the Land of Terror, after her Lunar Spirit had been severely wounded and captured by Liu Linzhi, it would be the very same youth she had once overlooked who would rescue her.

"Master, she has become much stronger, incredibly so!" the cauldron spirit's message echoed through Yu Yuan's Mindscape. "This woman, Jiang Xingwen, is certainly not just at the middle period of Spirit Walk! At the very least, she's at the peak of Spirit Walk, merely a step away from forming a Solar Spirit! There's even a chance that her real body has already begun to form a Solar Spirit, with her Lunar Spirit here in the Land of Terror aiding in the cultivation of other Spirit Magic!"

"Additionally, when she was clad in Liu Linzhi's armor, she must have been at her most vulnerable."

"The teal jade belt fastened around her waist is no ordinary item; it's an extremely potent Horcrux! Anyone possessing a Horcrux in the Land of Terror is a formidable opponent."

"It's peculiar, though, that the jade belt wasn't with her earlier."

"..."

Upon encountering Jiang Xingwen once more, the cauldron spirit braced itself as if facing a formidable foe.

Conversely, Ma Jianjiang and the other three Lunar Spirits from the Skyreach Consortium scarcely warranted a mention.

"Is that Yu Yuan?"

Next to Ma Jianjiang, an old man in a yellow vest, his Lunar Spirit form ethereal, cracked a strange smile and asked, "Shouldn't he be in Afnetalos?"

This individual, with a gleaming bald head and sparse hair trailing down the sides, was unmistakably bald.

Typically, a Lunar Spirit resembles its real body closely. Many female cultivators expend additional Soul Power and effort to refine their Lunar Spirits for aesthetic reasons, though it has no impact on their combat abilities.

Men, on the other hand, are less inclined to use extra Soul Power and effort to alter their Lunar Spirits' appearances, so their Lunar Spirits often mirror their real bodies.

Only those who practice specific spells might have Lunar Spirits that take on different forms. Non-human forms are not uncommon.

"Yes."

Ma Jianjiang nodded subtly, chuckling awkwardly as he spoke, "The last time we met was in Afnetalos, three or four months ago. The Everlands have seen some earth-shattering changes in that time."

"Deacon Ma." Yu Yuan's demeanor shifted as he inquired, "What's the current situation outside? Could you enlighten me?"

"Why should a traitor who has abandoned the Everlands need to know so much?" The bald elder scoffed, his soul fire flickering intensely. With a "whoosh," he soared from the group's location, heading straight for Yu Yuan.

"Aligning yourself with Zu Ann, the archdemon Green Willow, and the extraterrestrial fiends, you, Yu Yuan, no longer deserve to cling to life." The bald elder fixed his gaze on the Crucible of Evil and mocked, "Relying on a Horcrux, you dared to venture into the Land of Terror in your real body. I wouldn't dare to do that, yet you have quite the nerve."

"Who are you? Are you also from the Skyreach Consortium?"

Yu Yuan stroked his chin, eyeing the bald elder who had abruptly emerged to accuse him. He replied with a sardonic smile, "Whether I have betrayed the Everlands is not for you to decide. Moreover, even if I had betrayed the Everlands, it hardly seems like the Skyreach Consortium's place to interfere, does it?"

The Skyreach Consortium has always maintained neutrality, steering clear of the disputes within this realm.

This was a steadfast rule established at the Consortium's inception.

"I am a counselor for the Consortium, named Faang Yingzi!" the bald elder declared his name. "Young man, the Skyreach Consortium refrains from intervening in the conflicts between the sects of the Land of Quiescence and Euwrea. However, since you've allied yourself with demons and devils, you've become a common enemy of this world!"

"We are willing to exert effort against the Star-Spawned Terror, the Otherkin, and the Evil Demons!"

Faang Yingzi spoke with a tone of moral fervor, yet his gaze remained fixed on the Crucible of Evil.

The Horcrux, renowned across the world, now in Yu Yuan's possession, was considered by many to be a heavenly treasure squandered.

"Ma Jianjiang, what brings you here?"

Yu Yuan dismissed the man, his gaze shifting past him to the Cloud Cruiser, where he spotted the deacon from the Skyreach Consortium he had previously encountered in Afnetalos. "I've always had a cordial relationship with the Skyreach Consortium. Zhu Peining, Jiang Yurong, Gao Qin, and the esteemed Feng Zhong from Celestial Isle."

"Would you kindly keep your external counselors in check and spare the Consortium any unnecessary trouble?"

He addressed these words to a white-bearded, silver-browed elder standing before Ma Jianjiang.

It was clear to him that this silent figure was the true leader of the Skyreach Consortium's delegation.

"Mr. Lin? Your thoughts?"

Ma Jianjiang, having spoken, slightly bowed and sought the opinion of the white-bearded, silver-browed elder.

"In the past, our good relations stemmed from your being one of our own," the elder with the white beard and silver brows said, his brow furrowed. "Now, you stand against the three great upper sects, the Devil Palace, and Shadow's Keep. The Consortium need not worry any longer. Shadow's Keep, the Ruby Hand, and the Sword Sect will hold the Consortium accountable in due course."

He made his stance clear.

Ma Jianjiang's face showed a slight change.

Yu Yuan gave a slight nod and remarked, "Good, very good!"

In the next instant.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The Frost Queen, wrapped in a chill breeze, and the Second Bane, transformed into a blood shadow, emerged from the Crucible of Evil in quick succession.

The ethereal Frost Queen, with her scorpion-shaped body, landed on the solid ground with a resounding "CRACK!"

Streams of icy light and frosty breath streaked across the Land of Terror's terrain like bolts of electricity.

Approaching Faang Yingzi, the frosty aura shot straight up into the sky, targeting him directly.

"Frost."

A voice as old as time itself, seemingly from another realm, emanated from within the Frost Queen's crystalline form.

Only Yu Yuan, with the interpretation of the cauldron spirit, could comprehend its meaning.

In an instant, the small domain where the bald Faang Yingzi stood was transformed into a frigid expanse, as if encased in ice for eons. Not just the corporeal body, but even the soul could be frozen into dust.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The eternally fierce winds of the Land of Terror furiously poured into the icy microcosm.

Yu Yuan gasped in astonishment.

He had not anticipated that the Land of Terror's biting winds could be harnessed by the Frost Queen, enhancing the ice force within the icy enclave.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

In a burst of electric sparks, a cubic region of ice formed, trapping Faang Yingzi of the Skyreach Consortium within, his Lunar Spirit rendered immobile.

His ephemeral Lunar Spirit appeared like an insect encased in amber.

"Mr. Lin, isn't it?"

Yu Yuan's gaze returned to the elder with the white beard and silver eyebrows. "You're here in the Land of Terror to earn profits for the Consortium, and that's your prerogative. But if you insist on meddling in affairs that don't concern you, that would be a mistake."

The elder with the white beard and silver eyebrows maintained a stern face, not rushing to respond.

He glanced at Jiang Xingwen, as if seeking her opinion and wondering what she might think.

"Don't look at me. I have no desire to mete out punishment to traitors in the Land of Terror on behalf of the Everlands," Jiang Xingwen said, gesturing dismissively.

"Your real body is within the Skyreach Consortium!" bellowed the elder with a white beard and silver eyebrows.

"I've paid with soulstones," Jiang Xingwen replied, her face clouded with displeasure. "The Skyreach Consortium has its own regulations. Having accepted payment, it's only right that they look after my real body properly. You're not the president of the Consortium. You lack both the authority and the power to disregard its rules!"

"Let's not quarrel, please!" Ma Jianjiang interjected, attempting to defuse the situation.

"Ma Jianjiang, step aside. This matter doesn't concern you. Rest assured, the only one I'm after is that Mr. Lin! I'm curious to see what he can do, even if it means turning my back on the Everlands," Yu Yuan huffed, mentally issuing his second command, "It's him!"

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