C933 A Small Accident

In the Forgotten Ruins, a majestic Golden Ship crafted by the Artifact Sect, nearly a hundred meters in length, sailed silently among the clouds. Aboard this vessel were cultivators from the Thunder Sect, Ethereal Void Sect, Winter's Bite Sect, Abyssal Dawn Sect, and Cloudwater Sect. The Sage of the Ethereal Void Sect, Lingxu, commanded the ship from the forefront.

The ship was populated with several Unbound cultivators, over a dozen Solar Spirits, and numerous practitioners of Spirit Walk and Lunar Spirit. They had all reached Gavanas via the teleportation circle from Euwrea. Shadow's Keep had recently lifted a restriction, permitting Unbound cultivators to roam the Lost Lands.

As the Golden Ship neared Thylethlume, it paused briefly. "Below us lies Thylethlume," someone whispered. Many cultivators peered down curiously. They were en route to the Moonfall Sanctuary aboard the Golden Ship, intending to join forces with cultivators from the upper sects to vanquish extraterrestrial demons.

Rumors had spread that Yu Yuan was in league with the extraterrestrial demons through the Soulforge Matrix in the forbidden area, branding him an enemy of this realm. The inhabitants of Thylethlume below were all kin to Yu Yuan.

"Master..." In a corner of the ship, Su Yan of the Abyssal Dawn Sect, clad in a green dress, called out softly amidst the sneers of others, "Did Yu Yuan trouble you in the Land of Terror?" Her master was Jiang Xingwen.

Jiang Xingwen's face was a tapestry of emotions as she recalled the Lunar Spirit ordeal in the Land of Terror. Memories of the now-vanished Ghost King, Dhoreus, surfaced, causing a twinge of pain in her heart. She responded coolly, "Yu Yuan did not trouble me."

When Dhoreus fell, her spirit had been shattered, her Lunar Spirit whisked away by Taruer, only to be later released. It was during her time with the Skyreach Consortium that her Lunar Spirit integrated with her body, triggering an unexpected surge in her abilities. She discovered that her remnant soul had been refined to perfection, and a wealth of secret Spirit Magic and mystiques had emerged, as if by magic.

She suddenly understood that it was a gift from Dhoreus, imprinted on her soul in an incomprehensible way.

Dhoreus, once the ruler of the Land of Terror, had imparted to her the secrets of necromancy, the mysteries of the Root of the Lunar Meridian, and his understanding of the soul.

This also included a portion of exceptionally pure Soul Power, sealed within the depths of her Lunar Spirit.

Upon her Lunar Spirit's return to the Mindscape, the seal naturally dissolved, and the power burst forth like a geyser.

Jiang Xingwen didn't have time to return to the Abyssal Dawn; while still at the Skyreach Consortium, the power bestowed by Dhoreus propelled her to the level of a Solar Spirit with astonishing speed!

Back at the Abyssal Dawn, after being granted magic items and pills, she ascended yet another small realm.

Now, Jiang Xingwen was in the middle period of the Solar Spirit Stage, deeply trusted by the sect master, recognized as one of the most formidable cultivators in the Abyssal Dawn, and serving as the leader of their contingent.

Jiang Xingwen herself felt that her future breakthroughs would be swift and unstoppable.

She knew that all of this was due to Dhoreus, who had laid the groundwork while she was oblivious.

"Dhoreus..."

She bit her lip lightly, gazing toward Thylethlume, cloaked in a haze of demon energy, and then cast a glance at the distant mid-lake island.

"Master, by rushing to the Moonfall Sanctuary, do you intend to kill Yu Yuan?" Su Yan whispered.

"Yu Yuan is of little concern," Jiang Xingwen replied, her face cold and detached. "His life or death is of no consequence to me. What I've heard is that Tian Zang is also there. Tian Zang, transformed from a Sky Fiend into a Ghost King, thwarted Dhoreus's plans. Even if I'm no match for him, I still wish to witness Tian Zang's demise!"

With the backing of the three upper sects, the Devil Palace, and Shadow's Keep, Dhoreus was commanded to enter and provide assistance.

Had it not been for the sudden interference of Boulderdawn, Dhoreus would have become the God of Ghosts of the Land of Terror!

The promises Dhoreus made to her were meant to be fulfilled; they were supposed to traverse the magnificent Star River together, living freely and without care.

It was all because of Tian Zang! Jiang Xingwen's eyes turned icy, and a dangerous aura emanated from her entire being at the thought.

"That Yu Yuan, our Ethereal Void Sect will handle him," Lingxu, stationed at the ship's bow, cast a lingering glance at Thylethlume and, after a moment's hesitation, commanded, "Set sail!"

The Golden Ship, previously at a standstill, swiftly skimmed past Thylethlume.

It was common knowledge that Lingxu was cautious due to Yu Zhu's presence; without such concern, Thylethlume would have faced utter annihilation.

As the treasured ship departed from Thylethlume, it did not cross directly over Asvetaesi but instead veered around, avoiding the airspace above every city inhabited by mortals, traveling high above the desolate wilderness.

"My family, my father..."

Passing by the City of Silvermoon, Su Yan gazed upon the grand city with a soft sigh.

Following Yan Gui's defection from the Devil Palace and the subsequent reversion of the Shadowlight Empire to the Silvermoon Empire, numerous families were either purged or exiled.

Su Xiangtian, the current head of the Su family, made a decision. He chose not to flee with his kin but to align with Yan Gui instead.

Su Xiangtian's decision secured the Su family's position as one of the prominent families within the Silvermoon Empire.

Yet, from that point on, the Su family had no further ties with the Abyssal Dawn.

Su Yan, now a disciple of the Abyssal Dawn, was forbidden from ever setting foot in the Su family's domain.

"A sect is a sect, and by its rules, we do not directly meddle in the affairs of the Human Empire. If we did, many families in the Silvermoon Empire, including your father's Su family, would be wiped out," Jiang Xingwen said sternly. "Remember, once you join the Abyssal Dawn, you are a disciple of the sect, with no further connection to the Su family!"

"Even if the Sect Master orders you to strike down your father in the future, you must comply!"

Jiang Xingwen, once gentle as water, had undergone a profound transformation after the tumultuous events in the Land of Terror and the death of Dhoreus.

And this change in her was precisely what the Abyssal Dawn wished to see.

...

Near the forbidden area, close to the Silvermoon Empire, lay a range of collapsed hills riddled with numerous craters. Evil spirits and Sky Fiends would occasionally emerge from the fissures within the crater walls.

Many souls were converging in this area, as though drawn by some unseen force.

With a whoosh, the Crucible of Evil halted at the site of a collapsed peak. Yu Yuan and the now-visible Yu Yiyi bowed their heads to peer into the craters below.

"This must be the place. I have a faint memory of being confined here before..." Yu Yiyi's delicate face was etched with confusion and recollection as she gestured toward one unremarkable crater, "It feels like I spent many years inside it."

"We're not deep within the forbidden area," Yu Yuan remarked, his expression peculiar. "When we first arrived here from the Silvermoon Empire, it wasn't long before we reached this spot."

He extended his remnant soul, probing the surroundings in secret.

The presence of the Crucible of Evil had unsettled the weaker little devils and souls, causing them to scatter in a flurry, much like bats in flight.

Recently, the Crucible had been autonomously capturing soul spirits within the Moonfall Sanctuary, transforming them into Banes, leaving many evil spirits in a state of constant dread. They recognized the dark cauldron and feared capture by Yu Yiyi once more. Realizing that hiding was futile, they fled.

Among the startled spirits, a particularly feeble little devil went unnoticed. Yet somehow, both Yu Yuan and Yu Yiyi felt a pull towards it and fixed their gaze upon the creature.

The little devil, which had taken the form of a green bird, suddenly froze, then transformed into a face marked by resignation. "Why are you looking for me?" it asked, frowning and rolling its eyes at Yu Yuan. "The ancestor of your Yu family is on the verge of ascending to a never-before-seen God of Ghosts in the Land of Terror. I've kept my part of the bargain; I won't return to the Land of Terror. I'm here, peacefully cultivating my strength, and that shouldn't concern you, should it?"

"Tian Zang!" Yu Yuan exclaimed.

"Tian Zang the Ghost King!" Yu Yiyi echoed, both of them taken aback.

They had not anticipated that the little devil, mingling with the other devils and evil spirits, would turn out to be Tian Zang the Ghost King from the Land of Terror—a former Sky Fiend powerhouse of the Azurefiend who had reclaimed the Tears of the Azurefiend from Cao Jiaze in that very realm.

"You mean to say you weren't seeking me out?" Tian Zang asked, clearly puzzled.

"..."