C891 Fall into the River

Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!

A towering horse, galloping along the River of Whispers, suddenly went berserk, dragging a black carriage uncontrollably toward the churning, murky waters.

Plop! Plop! Plop!

In an instant, all the black carriages plummeted into the River of Whispers.

The river, wide and tumultuous, opened its gaping maw like a monstrous aquatic beast, swallowing the black carriages and horses whole.

The carriages sank swiftly to the riverbed.

There, the Dragon Head Staff shimmered in the depths, seemingly transforming into a flood dragon. The ill-tempered old woman of the Wen family struggled against the current, wielding the Dragon Head Staff that had morphed into the flood dragon.

But her resistance lasted only a mere dozen seconds.

She, along with the Dragon Head Staff, the horses, and the carriages, all descended to the river's bottom.

The anomaly struck without warning.

Wu Dong, tasked with safeguarding the merchant caravan, screamed commands, halting the other horses and carriages and widening the gap from the River of Whispers.

"Brother Wu?"

"Big Brother? What's going on? Why did all the Wen family's carriages and horses lose control and plunge into the River of Whispers?"

"Has the River God been provoked?"

Several cultivators, still not advanced enough to reach the Veil Breaking stage, quickly disembarked from their carriages and rushed to Wu Dong's side, clustering at the riverbank, their voices tinged with panic.

"Back off!"

Irritated, Wu Dong stamped his foot forcefully, bringing them all to a halt.

"You guys..."

He soon noticed that despite the other passengers and some of his companions stopping, two individuals ignored his pleas and stubbornly approached the River of Whispers.

Qin Yun's brow was furrowed, "One of my companions was just dragged into the River of Whispers by a black carriage."

"Dragged?" Wu Dong was taken aback.

Qin Yun narrowed his eyes, observing the turbulent river for a moment before a peculiar smile played at the corners of his mouth. He nodded slightly and walked away.

Wu Dong remained frozen in place.

"What a stroke of luck."

Once Qin Yun and Qi Yunhong had returned to their carriage, Qin Yun massaged his temples and spoke, "After Yang Chuhe was wounded by Tong Laoqian, he didn't dare linger in Midnightshields territory. Instead, he's been hiding in one of the three rivers he's mastered. I assumed it was the Nine Winding River, yet it turns out to be the River of Whispers."

Qi Yunhong watched as Wu Dong scanned the area and asked, "Was it Yang Chuhe who made the move?"

"Yes, he's targeting the Wen family," Qin Yun replied with a smile.

"Aren't you concerned with the master inside?" Qi Yunhong's expression turned icy. "Damn it, you're always so eager to show loyalty, calling me 'Young Master' all the time. It seems it's all an act!"

Qin Yun had grown accustomed to his coarseness and foul language. "What's there to worry about? With the Young Master's combat prowess and the Crucible of Evil, it's Yang Chuhe who should be concerned, isn't it?"

"But what if..." Qi Yunhong started, hinting at the pursuit by the Ethereal Void Sect.

"The course of the River of Whispers leads straight to the Serpent Spine Mountains," Qin Yun chuckled. "My guess is that Yang Chuhe was persuaded by Dragon Lake to transport the Wen family out of the Crimson Sun Empire via the River of Whispers."

Realization dawned on Qi Yunhong. "You're suggesting that once the master exits the River of Whispers, he might be beyond the borders of the Crimson Sun Empire."

"Exactly!"

...

At the bottom of the River of Whispers, all the horses that had entered the water were inevitably drowned, but the black wooden carriages, bound by spiritual energy, raced wildly along with the river's current.

Even Yu Yuan, flying with the cultivation of the Lunar Spirit, wouldn't be much faster.

"Sect Master Yang! My Wen family bears no ill will towards you; why play such a cruel joke?" Wen Xin, entwined by a flood dragon, stood atop a black wooden carriage submerged in the river. As she watched the situation spiral out of control, the rest of the Wen family members, trapped and unable to escape their carriages, cried out in despair and rage.

Her voice cut through the muffling waters.

Emberhold was very close to Midnightshields, and as a key figure in the Wen family, she quickly pieced together that the perpetrator was the current sect master of Midnightshields, who had assimilated the energies of the Nemo River, the River of Whispers, and the Nine Winding River.

With Zhou Cangmin gone, Yang Chuhe, now the preeminent cultivator of the Crimson Sun Empire, was behind this ordeal.

Only Yang Chuhe, who happened to be at the River of Whispers, could wield such divine powers. Using a remnant soul, he caused the horses to lose control and swept all the black wooden carriages into the river.

Yang Chuhe, a middle-period Spirit Walk cultivator, knew in her heart that victory was out of reach.

Could it be that the empire had detected something unusual about that girl?

This realization plunged Wen Xin deeper into despair.

"Sect Master Yang, surely we can come to an agreement on this matter!"

She swiftly shifted her approach, appealing to sentiment and speaking of the longstanding admiration the Wen family and the Midnightshields had for Yang Chuhe's elegance and tactics.

Regrettably, the River of Whispers remained silent.

Time passed, unmeasured.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

One by one, the black wooden carriages emerged from the river's current, soaring through the air to land on the bank.

Wen Xin, clutching the transformed Dragon Head Staff, descended from atop one of the carriages.

Squeak!

The bewildered Wen family members, long confined, stepped out from the other carriages, exchanging uncertain glances.

At that moment, Yu Yuan drew back the carriage curtain, holding Wen Lu's hand as they both emerged.

Wen Lu's sudden fainting spell was not the work of the green dragon's residual soul, but a direct intervention by Yang Chuhe's soul, which had swiftly infiltrated her body to scrutinize her memories.

"Mr. Yang, this is an exquisite spell that my master has meticulously prepared for you."

The Dragon Attendant, his neck marked by a fierce green dragon tattoo, respectfully offered a mist-enshrouded jade emblem to Yang Chuhe after all the carriages had left the River of Whispers.

The emblem was intricately carved with hundreds of tiny characters, resembling miniature boas.

Yang Chuhe accepted the emblem with a serene demeanor, his fingertip grazing it to immediately detect that each minuscule character was crafted from the essence of water.

A flicker of approval crossed his eyes as he nodded subtly, his regard for the green dragon of Dragon Lake growing.

Despite his origins as an independent cultivator and his notable status within the Crimson Sun Empire, he knew he was not on par with the storied might of Dragon Lake.

Moreover, the dragons of Dragon Lake were ancient beings, some living for millennia.

These venerable and juvenile dragons had witnessed the full spectrum of life, amassing vast wisdom. To them, a spell for refining water essence was hardly a treasure.

Yet, for him, it held significant meaning.

Yang Chuhe pondered the possibility of forging a tighter bond with Dragon Lake in the future. He might leverage this power, shunned by the major sects, to reap greater rewards.

"Wen Xin, I bear no grudge against the Wen family."

After a cough, he fixed a stern gaze on the old crone wielding the Dragon Head Staff. "But you, and everyone who followed you, have been officially disowned by the Wen family! I presume there's no need for me to confirm this, is there? The moment you left Emberhold, your ties to the Wen family were severed."

"Therefore, my actions against you are not an affront to the Wen family."

He squinted slightly, his gaze shifting from the pallid-faced Wen Xin to Wen Lu. "Since you carry the tainted blood of the Otherkin, you ought to be confined. Dragon Lake has stepped forward to take responsibility for your suppression, which I deem advantageous for the Empire."

As for the stranger beside Wen Lu, Yang Chuhe scarcely gave him a glance.

The effects of the Shadowfruit were still active; he detected no unusual Soul Power or vitality emanating from Yu Yuan.

He deemed the commoner unworthy of his notice.

In that moment,

Yu Yuan gazed into the distance, smiling at the sight of the lush forest and the familiar mountains.

Controlling the Crucible of Evil, he soared over the expansive woodland, well aware that he was entering the territory of the Crimson Sun Empire, and that the Serpent Spine Mountains lay below.

The broad channel of the River of Whispers branched into winding creeks before reaching the mountains, the water transforming from murky to clear.

Yet, the once abundant vitality of the water was nearly gone, cut off by Yang Chuhe's actions.

"Serpent Spine Mountains."

With a view of the woods he knew so well, Yu Yuan felt a profound sense of calm.

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