C852 Myriad Evil Formation
Enshrouded in darkness, the Devil Envoy aboard the Silver Rainbow Magic Shuttle fixed a silent gaze upon Yu Yuan.
Yu Yuan lifted his gaze, meeting hers across the void.
In that single glance, his Yin God felt the scrutiny of an ancient, dark deity.
An insidious power sought to penetrate his soul, to unearth all his unease.
"Cough! Cough!"
Chiu Muge of the Fiend Sect interrupted with an awkward cough.
The Devil Envoy's soulful probing from the Devil Palace vanished cleanly with Chiu Muge's interruption.
Yan Qiling, standing nearby, gave Chiu Muge a knowing smile.
Her look seemed to question the necessity of his action, as if to say, with Yu Yuan's capabilities and the nature of his soul, how could he be troubled by such a basic soul search from the Devil Envoy?
"We meet again."
Yu Yuan, with a furrowed brow, greeted the Devil Envoy with a respectful fist-and-palm salute.
He was no stranger to this enigmatic Devil Envoy from the Devil Palace. His first journey from the Profound Sky Continent to the Ember Waters for training had been aboard this very Silver Rainbow Magic Shuttle.
He had encountered the Devil Envoy again in the Crack Archipelago.
At times, he felt as though he should have known her from his past life.
But since the Devil Envoy had never shown her true face, he had never truly seen her, leaving her identity a mystery to him.
"Stop trying to ingratiate yourself!" The Devil Envoy's voice was icy.
"Yu Yuan!"
Lost in contemplation, Yu Yuan was jolted back to reality by the stern voice of Yun Hao, the current sect master of the Fiend Sect.
Yu Yuan's soul trembled with the force of the call.
It was as if ancient Evil Gods were emerging from the mountainous depths of the Fiend Sect's stronghold, towering over him amidst the sea of Spiritual Qi, exerting their immense pressure.
He realized then that Yun Hao, wielding the Evil Bead and commanding the Ten Thousand Evil Formation, could amplify his presence with the formation's power through mere words or a glance.
With Yun Hao's mere shout, the formidable might from the mountains bore down on him.
His soul felt insignificant, as trivial as a grain of dust, unworthy of note.
Yun Hao's words alone seemed capable of sealing his fate, of dictating life or death.
In that moment, Yu Yuan grasped a sobering truth—the gap between their realms was vast.
The Evil Cauldron, hovering within his chest, spontaneously emitted a dark light shield, safeguarding his brow and aiding him in warding off the verbal assault from Yun Hao.
The cauldron's pitch-black surface squirmed with Demonic Marks.
Upon closer inspection, it seemed as though thousands of malevolent spirits had stirred from their eternal rest, unleashing sinister thoughts to counter Yun Hao's piercing stare.
Yu Yuan's demeanor returned to a tranquil state.
His previously sluggish thoughts now flowed with ease, swift as lightning.
Yun Hao feigned ignorance of Lee Tihai's actions, ostensibly disciplining him by sending him into seclusion for self-reflection.
Perhaps, in a few years, once the incident had been forgotten, he would concoct another pretext to reinstate the man.
He continued to honor the Evil King as his mentor, invoking his name to demand that Chiu Muge surrender his mother's soul, and with a righteous air, declared that he would banish him from the Yu family.
Then, as if on cue, the Devil Envoy appeared, intent on detaining Yu Yuan and escorting him back to the Devil Palace. The strategy was flawless, without a single oversight.
Yu Yuan inwardly commended the plan.
"Muge, entrust the coloured glaze lamp to me; I will ensure her safety," Yun Hao implored with earnestness, his broad brows and large eyes conveying sincerity, a trace of anguish flickering in his gaze. "The Evil King is my mentor. I refuse to let his kin suffer any further indignities!"
Chiu Muge, having advanced to the Late Period of the Yang God Stage, was caught in a bind, his brow furrowed in consternation.
Yun Hao, under the noble guise of safeguarding his master's progeny, rightfully sought the three coloured glaze lamps from him.
Unless he wished to sever ties with the Fiend Sect immediately, Chiu Muge had no choice but to dutifully return the lamps to Yun Hao.
Yun Hao, claiming his place as part of the Yu family, proceeded to cast out Yu Yuan.
Should Yu Yuan be apprehended by the Devil Envoy and subjected to interrogation, their defeat would be absolute.
"Hand them over," came a gentle request.
In that instant, the striking Yan Qiling offered a slight, enigmatic smile.
The next moment, Chiu Muge's complexion blanched, and he abruptly agitated his sleeve.
From within the Mustard Seed Bracelet, a rift materialized in the heavens of the concealed microcosm, and a hand emerged, deftly seizing the three coloured glaze lamps.
And with that, he whisked them away.
The three coloured glaze lamps, which held Yu Yuan's mother captive, were seized just like that.
Chiu Muge couldn't discern how Yan Qiling managed it. It seemed that as soon as he uttered the words "Give them to me," the lamps were in his possession.
"A master of Spatial Spiritual Spells!"
In a flash, Chiu Muge understood that the striking man before him was an exceptionally skilled practitioner of spatial powers, a rarity in the Boundless Land.
"Lee Tihai, the independent cultivator you brought on board, failed to promptly disclose my identity as Yan Qiling."
The man, clad in black and white, wore a subtle smile. He surveyed his surroundings before his gaze settled on Yun Hao. "I am Yan Qiling, adept in the spatial secret arts, hailing from the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area."
"Oh, and I should mention, I am affiliated with the Divine Soul Sect."
At the mention of "Divine Soul Sect," many of the less powerful residents of Evil Town were bewildered.
Lyu Geng, the Devil Envoy, along with several powerhouses at the Soul Wandering Stage, were visibly shaken.
"Sect Master Yun, you lack the authority to cast out Yu Yuan under the pretense of being half a Yu family member," Yan Qiling said with a slight smile. "What makes you think you're qualified?"
"You fled from the horrific conflict in the Outland Star River, didn't you?" His grin was infuriating. "What's your role here, Devil Envoy? To offer him solace, or to hold him accountable? Unless I'm mistaken, you're not aligned with Zhu Zhenxiao, so your purpose must be to ascertain what transpired, correct?"
"Remnants of the Divine Soul Sect!"
Yun Hao erupted in rage before Yan Qiling could finish speaking, his voice thundering.
Boom! The very mountains that housed the Fiend Sect trembled, as myriad divine rainbows burst forth from the peaks like a wild cavalry charge.
In mere moments, the Fiend Sect's Ten Thousand Evil Formation roared to life.
The divine rainbows morphed into tangible shields, swords, spears, bolts of lightning, and showers of light, manifesting in the depths of the expansive cloud sea.
Whoosh! The imprisoned Evil Spirits and Devils within the Evil Bead, now released, fused with the shields and spears, as if suddenly endowed with corporeal forms, transforming into extraordinary celestial warriors.
Amidst a myriad of weapons, divine lightning, and a rain of light, a dazzling brilliance was unleashed, as if emerging victorious from a celestial palace beyond the Nine Heavens. They stood tall in the depths of the cloud sea behind Yun Hao, like divine soldiers returning from battle.
A decree that proclaimed his absolute dominion over this realm, where all things bent to his will, materialized as minuscule bolts of order that danced around Yun Hao.
In the Unrestrained Stage, akin to a domain presided over by a deity, both power and combat prowess were amplified.
As the Sect Master of the Fiend Sect, the Evil Bead and these mountains were his domain of fusion with the Dao, the wellspring of his inexhaustible strength.
Within this territory, he could alter the laws of nature and endlessly draw power from the subterranean spirit veins to replenish his combat vitality.
Even a single strand of his soul could extend its reach to the smallest blade of grass.
Now, he had mobilized the formidable Ten Thousand Evil Formation, evidently intent on silencing Yan Qiling's slanderous words that threatened to tarnish his illustrious reputation.
Moreover, given Yan Qiling's mastery of spatial secret arts, Yun Hao aimed to use the Ten Thousand Evil Formation to subdue the heavens themselves, ensuring that Yan Qiling could not slip away from Evil Town, right under his watchful eye, through spatial evasion.
"I had no thoughts of fleeing," Yan Qiling's smile suddenly bloomed, radiant and unreserved, "Yun Hao, and you, Devil Envoy. In the era when the Divine Soul Sect reigned supreme over the boundless seas, you only caught wind of their legend and likely harbor doubts. But now that they have returned, I boldly declare my name within the Fiend Sect, with no intention of flight."
Yu Yuan, cradling the Evil Cauldron, felt the oppressive might of the Ten Thousand Evil Formation bearing down on him. Yan Qiling had assured him on their journey that everything was under control, that their strength was formidable, and there was no need for concern, though he had spared the details.
Now, a mix of anxiety and anticipation stirred within him. He was eager to discover whether Yan Qiling truly possessed the formidable power to act with impunity within the Fiend Sect.
