C875 Three Scenes

"Yu Yuan, help me!"

Qi Yunhong leaned in, his face etched with hope. "We're allies, aren't we? We share a common foe!"

This formidable figure, calm yet with a hint of madness flickering deep within his eyes, seemed poised to step into the Evil Cauldron.

"Halt!"

Yu Yuan lifted his sword sheath, from which ribbons of scarlet sword light, resembling fiery serpents, flickered unpredictably. The slender scarlet beams harbored an extraordinary sword intent. "I can't assist you. Now, please keep your distance."

Sizzle sizzle!

The power within the sword sheath seemed on the verge of bursting forth.

Qi Yunhong, slightly embarrassed, chuckled awkwardly and halted his advance. "Without your help, the Spirit Void Sect will kill me."

"That's not my concern," Yu Yuan replied, unfazed, and turned to acknowledge Taoist Chongxiao with a nod.

The Evil Cauldron picked up speed, zipping past Taoist Chongxiao and, guided by Qin Yun's directions, darted toward the Seven Divine Sect.

The clash between Qi Yunhong and Taoist Chongxiao resumed in its wake.

"The Seven Divine Sect is just nearby. How has this battle gone unnoticed by others?" Qin Yun wondered, sensing something off. "Yang Chuhe appeared at Nimo River, wielding the water to strike at us. Surely they must have sensed it? And with Yang Chuhe's level of power, he should be aware of their skirmish."

"Something is definitely off," Yu Yuan concurred.

The Evil Cauldron's howl echoed for a quarter of an hour.

The night had turned pitch-black, devoid of moon and stars.

For reasons unknown, the darkness weighed heavily on Yu Yuan, as if it foretold some impending misfortune.

The radiant Illusion Pearl emerged once more, revealing a grand city bustling with figures, including Qi Yunhong and Taoist Chongxiao. Within the city, they unleashed their magic, reducing the city at the heart of the Illusion Pearl to ruins.

"Save me!"

Bleeding profusely, Qi Yunhong fled the Illusion Pearl once again. His eyes, wild with a madness that edged toward insanity, were now clouded with despair and numbness.

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

It seemed as though the Qingyun Meeting had forsaken the Illusion Pearl. In midflight, he turned back to shout at Taoist Chongxiao within the pearl, "Take the pearl with you!"

Swoosh!

Qi Yunhong stealthily drew near, calling out to the Evil Cauldron, "Yu Yuan, I recognize Lord Lvliu!"

Watching him close in swiftly, Yu Yuan felt a sense of foreboding and responded icily, "I don't know any Lvliu! And keep me out of your feud with the Spirit Void Sect!"

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

The dark cauldron crackled as a layer of frost formed over it. The thin ice released wisps of chilling mist, shrouding the cauldron in a hostile aura born from the extreme cold of the Nether Abyss.

This hostility was aimed squarely at Qi Yunhong!

Qi Yunhong's face tensed up, his eyes dimming with a growing sense of doom.

"Ah, never mind..."

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

Hundreds of meters away, Taoist Chongxiao, still within the Illusion Pearl and clutching the Nether Gold, cast a peculiar glance at Yu Yuan.

Then, in an instant, both the Illusion Pearl and Taoist Chongxiao vanished as if they had never been there.

"Something's not right," Qin Yun said, his muscles coiled tight as he gripped an Azure Yang Arrow, his face etched with concern. "When Qi Yunhong came near, I sensed a veiled malice. Despite his claims of being an ally, it didn't sit right with me."

"I share your unease," Yu Yuan concurred.

Qi Yunhong and Taoist Chongxiao, both at the Yang God Stage, were not mere Soul Wandering practitioners like Yang Chuhe.

A Yang God Stage cultivator posed a real threat, one that could compel the Ice Concubine to exert her full power.

"Master, perhaps we should let the Seven Divine Sect matter go?" Qin Yun proposed earnestly after a pause. "I sense danger. I fear... the situation could spiral out of control, beyond what you've anticipated."

"It's come to this. Let's just wait and see," Yu Yuan said with a furrowed brow.

"Logically speaking, we should have reached the Seven Divine Sect from the Nimo River by now," Qin Yun mused, scanning the surroundings and extending his soul consciousness to the nearby hills, plains, and meandering streams. "This place is familiar, nothing's changed, yet something feels off."

Yu Yuan, unfamiliar with the area, couldn't discern anything amiss despite his soul wandering in all directions. He advised, "Stay alert and keep watching."

"Alright."

Half an hour later, a cry for help pierced the air. "Yu Yuan, save me!"

Qi Yunhong reemerged, drenched in blood and looking utterly wretched. His charred, smoldering clothes suggested he had been struck by lightning, and his bare arms were lacerated as if whipped by thorns, marked with gruesome bloodstains.

Yu Yuan sensed that Qi Yunhong's soul was dangerously weak, as though it too had sustained serious damage.

Hot on his heels was Taoist Chongxiao of the Spirit Void Sect, clutching the Illusion Pearl and standing atop a Five-clawed Golden Dragon formed from Nether Gold, his expression icy as he pursued Qi Yunhong.

"Don't interfere," Taoist Chongxiao stated coldly.

"You old cur! You said you only wanted the Illusion Pearl! I gave it to you, so why can't you let go?" Qi Yunhong spat out the words in a furious tirade.

Taoist Chongxiao remained unmoved.

"Save me!"

For the third time, Qi Yunhong made a desperate dash toward the Evil Cauldron.

In that moment, Yu Yuan inhaled deeply. As Qi Yunhong neared, he suddenly clenched his sword sheath and unleashed the Star Shattering Slash to confront him.

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

The radiance of the Star Shattering Slash spread like a resplendent galaxy, engulfing Qi Yunhong.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

Within the depths of that galaxy, Qi Yunhong's form fragmented bit by bit, like shattered glass turning to dust.

Taoist Chongxiao, following close behind, furrowed his brow and wore a grave look as he watched the stars continue to burst. Then, without a word, he turned sharply and departed.

"What... What is this?"

As the stars vanished, leaving only fluttering scraps of paper in their wake, Qin Yun massaged his forehead, his confusion evident. Qi Yunhong, a cultivator at the Yang God Stage, had been within the blast radius of the shattering crystal. It was as if the crystal had burst into fragments, turning to dust.

But how had it all turned into paper?

At that moment, Yu Yuan stood within the Evil Cauldron, attempting to reach out to the Soul Transformation Pool in the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area, as well as the mysterious space deep underground, emblazoned with the ancient, dark characters "Extreme Wisdom will harm." Yet, there was no response.

A shadow passed over Yu Yuan's eyes, which then sparked with realization, as if he'd suddenly pieced it all together.

"Our path to the Seven Divine Sect was a trap. Our intentions were clear from the beginning, making us easy targets for an ambush that led us into a different small world," Yu Yuan said with a huff. "This small world is an exact replica of the outside, so much so that you didn't notice anything amiss."

"We've inadvertently entered another small world?" Qin Yun exclaimed, startled.

"Yes. I had a similar experience in Luan Bird City when the Illusion Pearl whisked me away," Yu Yuan shared, piecing together their current predicament. "We've been within the Rainier Empire all this time. My spiritual connection to the Soul Transformation Pool in the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area couldn't possibly be severed. If we ever face an insurmountable danger, I can reach out to the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area and inform Mr. Yan."

"Mr. Yan, with his mastery of spatial powers, could reach me in the blink of an eye."

"Moreover, Mr. Yan could bring reinforcements from the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area, even the powerful cultivators from the Divine Soul Sect. With such allies, no matter who lurks within the Rainier Empire, I will be safe."

Yu Yuan laid out his deductions.

"Unless you've been taken to a small world cut off from the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area?" Qin Yun was quick to grasp the implications. "In this small world, it's as if you've vanished from the Rainier Empire. In such a case, no one would know your whereabouts, whether you're dead or alive."

Yu Yuan nodded in agreement. "Exactly."

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

"The scenes we witnessed earlier must have actually occurred," Yu Yuan mused, taking a moment before adding, "Qi Yunhong's pursuit by Taoist Chongxiao was real, a true event. But it likely took place recently, not in the immediate present."

"The fact that the Illusion Pearl ended up with Taoist Chongxiao is indeed true."

Yu Yuan stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Given that, it seems the Illusion Pearl and the Spirit Void Sect's Spectral Umbrella must have been unified. The Spirit Void Sect's most prized treasures have combined to form this peculiar microcosm we find ourselves in now."

"Spirit Void Sect, Chu Jing!"

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