C892 A Hidden Plan

Deep in his heart, Yu Yuan silently expressed his gratitude to Yang Chuhe. The old feud between him, Qin Yun, and the Ethereal Void Sect was something Yang Chuhe and the others were well aware of. Employing his mastery of water magic, Yu Yuan maneuvered the black wooden carriages down the river. Even when the Ethereal Void Sect's investigators noticed the caster was Yang Chuhe, they were put at ease.

Every cultivator family within the Crimson Sun Empire was aware that both Qin Yun and Yang Chuhe had entered the nation with the Midnightshields in mind. Despite Yang Chuhe being wounded by Tong Laoqian, it seemed impossible he would lend a hand. Yet, by sheer coincidence, without recognizing Yu Yuan's true identity beneath the effects of the Shadowfruit, he inadvertently helped him escape the Crimson Sun Empire, leading him to the border of the Serpent Spine Mountains. Here, what could possibly intimidate Yu Yuan?

"Nana, I..." Wen Lu emerged from the carriage, her expression timid, gripping Yu Yuan's hand. Upon seeing Yang Chuhe and the muscular man with the green dragon tattoo on his neck, she instantly grasped the situation. Instinctively, she tightened her grip on Yu Yuan's hand, seeking to draw strength and courage from the connection. Oddly enough, just holding Yu Yuan's hand made her feel significantly more secure.

"Nana, I can't bear the thought of more of our people dying because of me," Wen Lu said with a hint of defiance, her chin lifted slightly. "Please, let the villains from Dragon Lake take me away."

"They are merely counselors to our Wen family and should be willing to lay down their lives for you. Don't trouble yourself over it," Wen Xin declared, leaning on her Dragon Head Staff, indifferent to the value of their lives. "Your life is the precious one! Don't fear, I will defend you with my last breath!"

"Evil people?" The Dragon Attendant let out a scornful laugh. "You wretched girl, without the protection of my master's Dragon Soul and dragon's breath, would you have ascended to the Veil Breaking Realm so swiftly? After reaching the Veil Breaking Realm, you were supposed to serve our master as I do and go to Dragon Lake for training."

"Yet you betrayed our master, breaking the agreement you and your Wen family made years ago, secretly striking him down and consuming his Dragon Soul and dragon's breath!"

"You wretched girl, you've brought this upon yourself, and now you dare to cast blame on my master!" The other Dragon Attendants glared at her with thinly veiled hostility.

Yu Yuan, whose hand was being tightly gripped by Wen Lu, struggled a few times. When he realized she had no intention of releasing her hold—in fact, she seemed to grip even tighter—he couldn't help but speak up in resignation, "Okay, we're on shore now, you can let go."

Wen Lu, fully aware of her dire fate, had come to the realization that it wasn't appropriate to cling on, yet she couldn't bring herself to release her grip.

Turning her head, her eyes brimming with tears, she pleaded earnestly, "Brother Lee Qi, can you please help us?"

She sensed something emanating from the Altar of Rebirth within Yu Yuan. Holding his hand now, she felt a deep connection, as if she were grasping an ancient dire beast.

Instinctively, she believed that only Yu Yuan could assist her and Nana, which is why she was adamant about not letting go.

"Him? Help us? With what?"

Wen Xin, along with the remaining members of the Wen family and the counselors, were all consumed by a bitter sense of helplessness.

They all assumed that Wen Lu, the sheltered flower of the family, was acting out of desperation, grasping at straws by enlisting the help of a stranger as if he were a miraculous cure.

The Dragon Attendants at Dragon Lake couldn't help but smirk, watching Wen Lu as if she were the punchline to their joke.

"He's incredibly powerful! Far more so than any of you!"

Feeling humiliated and misunderstood, Wen Lu clenched her teeth and flailed her free arm with the ferocity of a lioness. "You're the ones who are blind, you don't understand anything!"

"Enough, enough, calm down!" Wen Xin raised her voice, inhaling deeply before addressing Yang Chuhe once more, "Mr. Yang, what must our Wen family offer for you to lend us your aid?"

The Dragon Attendant with the tattooed neck let out a low chuckle.

Yang Chuhe's thoughts were adrift, his focus on the emblem in his hand as he delved into its intricacies.

At Wen Xin's words, his expression turned slightly impatient.

"Stop referring to it as the 'Wen family' over and over. Let me remind you, the moment you left Emberhold, the current head of the Wen family publicly declared that you were no longer associated with them."

It was as though he was trying to prove a point.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

A series of shimmering swords burst forth from the nearby river, effortlessly slicing through the hastily conjured spiritual energy shields of the Wen family members and counselors, piercing their flesh and blood.

The force of the water burst within them, instantly causing their deaths.

In a mere moment, aside from Wen Xin and Wen Lu, all individuals who had emerged from the black carriage and were associated with the Wen family were slain by Yang Chuhe with a mere gesture.

With his cultivation at the middle stage of the Spirit Walk, and near the river he had refined, dispatching several cultivators of the Veil Breaking and Golden Sanctum realms was as effortless as crushing a swarm of ants.

"Just give in, surrender yourself, and accompany that young lady to Dragon Lake."

Yang Chuhe spared Wen Xin because he thought it would be handy to have an old lady look after Wen Lu during their journey.

He had some understanding of the temperament of the green dragon residing at Dragon Lake.

Wen Lu's destiny would be incredibly grim once in the clutches of the green dragon.

If Wen Xin remained alive, the Dragon Attendants with their warped minds might show some restraint.

"Thank you, Mr. Yang!"

The Dragon Attendants, witnessing the swift demise of a majority of the Wen family's counselors, quickly expressed their gratitude.

"Hmm, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave." Yang Chuhe mused over the enigmatic spell as he spoke.

Upon seeing the corpses strewn about and the shattered black carriage, Wen Xin was engulfed in despair.

She fully grasped her utter helplessness against Yang Chuhe, whose power exceeded hers by several realms.

Had Yang Chuhe wished her dead, she would not have stood a chance.

"It's over, I'm truly out of options. Poor child..." Wen Xin inhaled deeply, her gaze turning icy as she addressed Wen Lu, "Remember my words! There's no way out for you. Before you encounter the green dragon, you might as well end it all. You know how."

"I... I know, but I'm too scared..."

Wen Lu's head hung low, her voice a faint whisper, her frame quivering.

Yu Yuan could deeply sense her terror and despair.

"Yang Chuhe."

In that instant, Yu Yuan gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before swiftly withdrawing it.

A profound sense of loss washed over Wen Lu as she gazed blankly at the stranger beside her, "L-Lee Qi, is that you?"

"Li! Big Brother Li!"

Wen Lu's scream pierced the air.

All eyes instinctively shifted to Yu Yuan at the sound of her alarm.

Before them, Yu Yuan's face was transforming at a rate visible to the naked eye, as if sculpted by an unseen chisel.

Within moments, a visage as if meticulously crafted by a master sculptor was revealed.

Yang Chuhe, who had been about to take his leave, turned back and upon seeing Yu Yuan, his face contorted with shock. He exclaimed, "How could it be you?!"

Wen Xin, Wen Lu, and the Dragon Attendants present were all jolted by Yang Chuhe's exclamation.

Who could it be?

"Thank you, Sect Master Yang, for so kindly sending me out of the Crimson Sun Empire, despite the Ethereal Void Sect's extensive search throughout the empire," Yu Yuan said with feigned gratitude, bowing to Yang Chuhe. "Without your help, I might have had to linger within the empire's borders for several more days."

"You know, every additional day I stayed would have put me in grave danger."

He gave Yang Chuhe a knowing wink, suggesting a shared secret.

Back at Nemo River, when the Lunar Spirit had seen Yang Chuhe, it had filled him with rage. "Qin Yun, and the other one?"

"He's been left behind at the place where you dragged us into the river," Yu Yuan replied with a smile.

"Then why do you have the audacity to confront me?" Yang Chuhe retorted with a cold huff.

"Yu Yuan! The Yu Yuan from Asvetaesi!"

"I've figured it out! All the cultivator forces and families across the Crimson Sun Empire have been searching for him!"

The Dragon Attendants at Dragon Lake, upon hearing the exchange between Yang Chuhe and Yu Yuan, realized the gravity of the situation. Their faces turned pale as they braced for a formidable threat, aiming their weapons at Yu Yuan.

They were not Yang Chuhe; they were not Spirit Walk realm experts and lacked his confidence.

An expert who had slain Qu Jing of the Ethereal Void Sect was beyond their ability to confront.

Yang Chuhe might believe that Qu Jing's demise was due to Qin Yun and another powerful defector from the Thunder Sect, but the mere mention of Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit cultivation was enough to deter the Dragon Attendants from engaging him.

"You, you're Yu Yuan from the Silvermoon Empire?" Wen Xin exclaimed, a mix of shock and delight in her voice.

"You're familiar with my name?" Yu Yuan asked with a casual smile.

The old woman, who had always been quite fearsome, paused before responding with reverence, "It's a name that resonates like thunder!"

"Yang Chuhe, I may be grateful to you, but indeed, you truly deserve to die."

With those words, he ceased to conceal his vitality and remnant soul. The power of the Shadowfruit was instantly nullified.

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