C875 Three Scenes

"Yu Yuan, help me!"

Qi Yunhong approached with a look of hope in his eyes. "We should be allies; we share a common enemy!"

The formidable figure before him had a serene expression, but his deep eyes betrayed a hint of madness, suggesting he was intent on entering the Crucible of Evil.

"Stop!"

Yu Yuan lifted the sword sheath, from which strands of crimson sword light flickered like fiery serpents, unpredictable in their movement. The delicate red crystal light harbored numerous unparalleled sword's wills. "I can't assist you, so please, keep your distance."

Sizzle sizzle!

The power within the sword sheath seemed poised to burst forth at any moment.

Qi Yunhong, slightly embarrassed, chuckled awkwardly and halted his advance. "If you don't help me, the Ethereal Void Sect will kill me."

"That's not my concern," Yu Yuan replied, unmoved. He turned to Chong Xiao and gave a subtle nod.

The Crucible of Evil surged forward, whisking past Chong Xiao and, guided by Qin Yun's directions, sped towards the Midnightshields.

Behind him, the clash between Qi Yunhong and Chong Xiao resumed.

"The Midnightshields are so close by; how could their battle go unnoticed by others?" Qin Yun pondered, troubled. "Yang Chuhe showed up at the Nemo River earlier, wielding the water to attack us. Surely they must have sensed it? And given Yang Chuhe's level, he should be aware of their fight."

"Indeed, there is something odd at play," Yu Yuan acknowledged.

The Crucible of Evil roared for a quarter of an hour.

The night had turned utterly dark, devoid of moonlight or twinkling stars.

For reasons unknown, Yu Yuan felt an oppressive discomfort under the pitch-black sky, as though a foreboding event loomed on the horizon.

The resplendent Illusion Orb materialized once more, revealing a grand city teeming with figures. Qi Yunhong and Chong Xiao could be seen within, casting spells that shattered the central city of the Illusion Orb.

"Save me!"

Qi Yunhong emerged from the Illusion Orb, bloodied and desperate. His crazed eyes, now slipping from sanity, were clouded with despair and numbness.

Yu Yuan exchanged a glance with him, and a sinister thought abruptly took root in his heart.

It seemed as if the Qingyun Association had forsaken the Illusion Orb. On its flight, it turned back and called out to Chong Xiao within the orb, "Take the orb with you!"

Swoosh!

Qi Yunhong stealthily drew near, then called out to the Crucible of Evil, "Yu Yuan, I recognize Lord Green Willow!"

Watching the man close in rapidly, Yu Yuan sensed trouble and responded icily, "I don't know Green Willow! And keep me out of your conflict with the Ethereal Void Sect!"

While clutching his sword sheath, he covertly reached out to Yu Yiyi.

The dark cauldron crackled as it frosted over, the thin ice emitting wisps of cold fog that shrouded the vessel. The bitter chill from the Frozen Hellscape manifested as a tangible animosity.

That animosity was aimed squarely at Qi Yunhong!

Qi Yunhong, desperate for assistance, suddenly tensed, his eyes dimming as they filled with a sense of impending doom.

"Ah, forget it..."

With a soft sigh, he abandoned his charge at the Crucible of Evil and darted off in a different direction.

Hundreds of meters away, Chong Xiao, still clutching Shadowgold, watched Yu Yuan with an odd look from within the Illusion Orb.

Then, in an instant, both the Illusion Orb and Chong Xiao vanished as if they had never been there.

"Something's not right," Qin Yun said, his muscles coiled and ready, a Dawn Arrow gripped tightly in his hand. His face was etched with concern as he added, "I sensed a hidden malice from Qi Yunhong as he approached. He claims to be our ally, but it doesn't feel that way."

"I have a bad feeling about this too," Yu Yuan concurred.

Qi Yunhong and Chong Xiao, both cultivators of the Solar Spirit Stage, were not to be compared with the likes of Yang Chuhe, a mere Spirit Walk Stage practitioner.

A cultivator of the Solar Spirit Stage posed a real threat to him, one that would even compel the Frost Queen to exert her full power.

"Master, should we just let the Midnightshields go?" Qin Yun pondered before offering his earnest advice, "I sense danger. I fear that the situation could spiral out of control and surpass your expectations."

"It's come to this. Let's just see what happens," Yu Yuan said with a frown.

"We should have reached the Midnightshields from the Nemo River by now," Qin Yun observed, scanning the surroundings and sending out wisps of his remnant soul toward the small mountains, plains, and narrow streams. "This place is familiar. Nothing seems to have changed, yet something doesn't feel quite right."

Yu Yuan, having never been to this place before, failed to discern anything amiss even as his remnant soul roamed in all directions. He advised, "Stay vigilant and keep watching."

"Alright."

Half an hour later...

"Help! Yu Yuan, save me!"

Qi Yunhong reemerged, drenched in blood and looking utterly wretched. His skin beneath his clothes was charred and smoking as if struck by lightning, and his bare arms were lacerated with vicious bloody welts as though whipped by thorns.

Yu Yuan sensed that Qi Yunhong's soul was incredibly weak, as if it had sustained serious damage.

Chong Xiao of the Ethereal Void Sect was right behind him, clutching the Illusion Orb and standing atop a Five-clawed Golden Dragon formed from Shadowgold, his expression cold as he pursued Qi Yunhong.

"Don't interfere," Chong Xiao stated coldly.

"You old cur! You said you only wanted the Illusion Orb! I've given it to you, so why can't you let it go?" Qi Yunhong shouted, cursing.

Chong Xiao remained unmoved.

"Save me!"

Qi Yunhong made a third desperate dash toward the Crucible of Evil.

At that moment, Yu Yuan inhaled deeply. As Qi Yunhong neared, he gripped his sword sheath tightly and welcomed him with the Star Shattering Slash.

A dazzling point of light, like the brightest star in the pitch-black night, twinkled thrice before bursting forth.

The radiance from the Star Shattering Slash spread like a magnificent galaxy, engulfing Qi Yunhong.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

Qi Yunhong's form fragmented bit by bit within the galactic depths, like shattered glass turning to debris.

Chong Xiao, following close behind, furrowed his brow, his expression grave as he watched the bursting stars. Then, without a word, he abruptly turned and departed.

"What... what is this?"

As the starshards vanished, leaving only fluttering scraps of paper in their wake, Qin Yun massaged his forehead, clearly perplexed.

Qi Yunhong, a cultivator at the Solar Spirit Stage, had just been within the range of the Star Shattering Slash. The resulting explosion was evident, like a crystal shattering into fragments before turning to dust.

But why had it all turned into paper scraps?

At that moment, Yu Yuan stood within the Crucible of Evil, attempting to reach out to the Soulforge Pool in the Moonfall Sanctuary, as well as to the peculiar space inscribed with the ancient, dark characters spelling 'To Know All is to Suffer All.'

There was no response...

Yu Yuan's eyes dimmed, then suddenly brightened as if he had an epiphany.

"Our route to the Midnightshields was predetermined, and because we had declared our intentions from the start, we were ambushed and led into a little world," Yu Yuan said with a huff. "This little world is an exact replica of the outside, so much so that even you didn't notice anything amiss."

"We've unwittingly entered another little world?" Qin Yun exclaimed, alarmed.

"Yes. I experienced something similar when I was taken away by the Illusion Orb in Afnetalos," Yu Yuan explained, now understanding their predicament. "We've been within the Crimson Sun Empire's territory all along. My spiritual link to the Moonfall Sanctuary couldn't possibly be severed. Should we encounter an inescapable danger, I can reach out to the Moonfall Sanctuary and inform Mr. Yan."

"Mr. Yan, master of space magic, could reach me in the span of a single breath."

"Moreover, Mr. Yan could bring along powerful cultivators from the Moonfall Sanctuary and even from Boulderdawn. With such allies, no matter who lurks within the Crimson Sun Empire, I would be safe."

Yu Yuan shared his conclusions.

"Unless, you were taken to a different little world, one that's cut off from the Moonfall Sanctuary?" Qin Yun wasn't foolish and quickly grasped the implications. "In another little world, it would be as if you vanished from the Crimson Sun Empire. In such a case, no one would know where you've gone, whether you're dead or alive."

Yu Yuan nodded. "Exactly."

"Who could be behind this?" Qin Yun asked, startled.

"The scenes we witnessed earlier must have occurred in the past," Yu Yuan mused, pausing for a few seconds before continuing. "Qi Yunhong being pursued by Chong Xiao is likely true, a real event. But it must have taken place recently, not in real-time."

"The Illusion Orb indeed ended up in the hands of Chong Xiao," Yu Yuan confirmed, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Given that, the Illusion Orb and the Ethereal Void's Spectral Umbrella must have been combined. The treasured artifacts of the Ethereal Void have fused to create this extraordinary little world we find ourselves in now."

"Ethereal Void Sect, Qu Jing!"

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