Chapter 377: Liu Youyu

A majestic snow-peaked mountain stood in Brocade Cloud.

In the warmer seasons, the snow on the peak would melt, cascading streams and waterfalls down the mountain.

A clear river meandered out from the mountain to flow through the entire fragmented land.

A well-dressed Ghost Race warrior commanded his subordinates to dump bucket after bucket of thick, foul-smelling liquid into the river.

The once crystal-clear river had already become murky and foul, emanating a strange scent that drove Vicious Beasts into a frenzy.

The Vicious Beasts on Brocade Cloud had already been struggling to adapt to the invading murky energy. When they caught a whiff of the foul scent, they entered a frenzy and charged toward the river from all over the fragmented land.

Vicious Beasts plunged into the river and gulped down the putrid water.

The bodies of some Vicious Beasts then ruptured, staining the waters red as their corpses sank down to the murky riverbed.

Surviving Vicious Beasts dove down to tear apart their bodies for nourishment.

The river wound its way through the fragmented land. Countless Vicious Beasts met a tragic end, bodies sinking to the riverbed where their flesh was swiftly devoured.

As some Vicious Beasts adapted to the strengthening liquid, their eyes turned bloodshot and their bloodlines underwent a breakthrough.

However, their auras became increasingly strange, hearts pounding as if about to burst and bodies burning like they harbored volcanoes within them.

Roar!

The deafening cries of Vicious Beasts echoed from every part of the river, shaking the fragmented land.

The commanding Ghost Race warrior from the outer worlds sneered coldly, "This liquid will unleash their potential, causing their bloodlines to advance rapidly.

"Unfortunately, the enhancement doesn't last long and they'll die quickly.

"Strength gained through sacrifice is always destined to be short-lived."

Behind him, the Ghost Race warriors native to the Abyss continued to pour the foul-smelling liquid into the river. Their faces were full of terror, fearing the rampaging Vicious Beasts would turn on them.

"There's nothing to be afraid of. We carry a special scent. They won't see us as targets." The Ghost Race warrior from the outer worlds grinned wickedly. "In my world, this liquid is called the Bloodthirst Elixir.

"Any Vicious or Spirit Beasts that come into contact with it will transform into Berserk Beasts, driven to devour every living being around them.

"They feel no pain, have no fear of death, and lose all self-awareness.

"Their insatiable hunger for flesh drives them to relentless slaughter, and they'll continue until the Bloodthirst Elixir in their veins runs dry.

"Heh, the Third World is teeming with Vicious Beasts. The Bloodthirst Elixir can unleash its true power here. This will be our first wave of counterattacks."

The Ghost Race warrior belonged to an advanced civilization from the outer worlds and was skilled in crafting sinister concoctions the native Ghost Race had never even heard of.

The Bloodthirst Elixir was just one of many vicious concoctions he could use to drive the Vicious Beasts into madness.

***

A Sword Boat sailed alongside a Scarlet Dawn Boat high in the skies of the Third World.

Before long, a warship from the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom, bearing the character "Zhu", came whistling toward them.

Zhu Wenle stood on a high platform on the warship, dressed in a luxurious robe.

Aside from a distance at Pang Jian and Zhou Qingchen, he made no other effort to acknowledge them.

Shortly after, a Demon Incursion Ship and a Mountain Stream Spirit Boat sped past the Sword Boat and the Scarlet Dawn Boat.

"The Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom ignored my request for help only to organize their own team!" Zhou Qingchen snorted coldly.

The Scarlet Dawn Boat, steered by Han Duping, carried the Spirit Condensation Realm rogue cultivators, while Zhou Qingchen and Pang Jian traveled together in the smaller Sword Boat.

Zhou Qingchen felt embarrassed. "Our Scarlet Dawn Boat is much slower than the flying vessels of the Second World. I've slowed you down."

"No harm. The situation in Brocade Cloud seems unusual. Those rushing ahead may not necessarily reap any contribution points," Pang Jian said with a light shake of his head.

"Zhu Wenle, a member of the Zhu Clan from the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom, is an officer in the Blazing Rainbow Army. He's in the middle stage of the Soul Wandering Realm and ranks forty-first on the Soul Wandering Realm leaderboard.

"He hasn't been in Auspicious Light for long, but he possesses many treasures and can easily slaughter foreign races and Vicious Beasts.

"On the Demon Incursion Ship is Ning Shuo from the Demon Sect, in the late stage of the Soul Wandering Realm and ranked thirty-sixth on the leaderboard.

"The leader on the Mountain Stream Spirit Boat is Yu Huan from the Celestial Lagoon Sect, in the mid-stage of the Soul Wandering Realm and ranked twenty-ninth on the leaderboard," Zhou Qingchen informed.

Pang Jian glanced at the Mystic Eye and the three's names and rankings on the Soul Wandering Realm leaderboard.

On the Scarlet Dawn Boat, a Spirit Condensation Realm rogue cultivator named Wu Xuanfeng grew increasingly nervous as he watched one opulent flying vessel after another from the First and Second World pass by.

"Brother Han, something feels off," he said. "Those flying vessels each have a Soul Wandering Realm cultivator on board! Is there really something wrong in Brocade Cloud?"

"What are you afraid of? We have a Soul Wandering Realm cultivator with us too," Han Duping said with a grin.

The rogue cultivators looked over at Pang Jian on the Sword Boat.

"Old Han, do you think he's...up to the task?"

"Is it true he just recently advanced to the Soul Wandering Realm and has yet to stabilize his cultivation? Is that why his ranking isn't very high?"

"If Brocade Cloud is really that dangerous, can we rely on him?"

The rogue cultivators voiced their concerns.

Han Duping chuckled and avoided giving a direct answer.

Deep down, he was not entirely confident either.

It had been too long since he had last seen Pang Jian in action, and everything he knew about him came from Zhou Qingchen.

Regardless of how much Zhou Qingchen praised him, Han Duping had not seen Pang Jian in action with his own eyes and could not fully trust him. Thus, he could not confidently answer the rogue cultivators' questions.

***

The flying vessels from the different factions came to a halt a thousand li from the edge of Brocade Cloud.

Zhu Wenle's expression shifted. "The Primeval Pillar Divine Kingdom's Flying Fish Boat!"

He had assumed he would be the first to arrive at Brocade Cloud, but the Flying Fish Boat was already anchored there.

"Liu Youyu!"

"She's third on the Soul Wandering Realm leaderboard!"

"She's here too!"

Cultivators on the Demon Incursion Ship, the Mountain Stream Spirit Boat, and the trailing Black Cloud Sails exclaimed in surprise.

Nirvana Realm powerhouses had yet to join the battle, meaning the Soul Wandering Realm cultivators represented the pinnacle of power in the present struggle against the foreign races.

The Merit Leaderboards ranked individuals based on their number of kills and the ranks of those kills.

Those with higher rankings naturally had greater combat strength and could exert more influence as they had made the most significant contributions to the human race.

Regardless of origin, those ranked at the top of the leaderboards were admired and respected.

Whoosh!

Zhu Wenle toward the Flying Fish Boat wearing only his luxurious robes and no heavy armor.

Stopping ten zhang away, he cupped his hands and said, "I'm Zhu Wenle from the Blazing Rainbow Army of the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom!"

"Ning Shuo of the Demon Sect!"

"Yu Huan of the Celestial Lagoon Sect!"

"Qin Xiao of the Black Valley Sect!"

The leaders of the respective factions took the initiative to leave their flying vessels and pay respect to the high-ranked Liu Youyu.

Only the truly strong could earn such respect and prompt other cultivators to lower themselves in courtesy.

Liu Youyu was not used to being the center of attention and did not show herself.

"Brocade Cloud is troublesome to deal with. The situation inside is unclear, and I'm worried," she said from inside her Flying Fish Boat. "Please be careful. Not all foreign races and Vicious Beasts are easy to defeat."

The others immediately became cautious.

When Zhou Qingchen said those same words, they were taken as a sign of cowardice, but no one dared to take them lightly when they came from Liu Youyu.

Inside the Flying Fish Boat, Liu Youyu kept her head down, as if afraid of being seen. Taking out a wooden token she furtively sent a message through it.

There was no response.

"Strange, the Sword Boat is here and within a three-thousand-li range. Why isn't he responding?" Liu Youyu frowned.

She intended to share some advanced techniques for using the Primal Sphere and advise Pang Jian to avoid getting involved in this dangerous situation.

However, her wooden token could not establish a connection, meaning Pang Jian had likely stowed it away in a spatial storage artifact.

"This guy..." Liu Youyu gently bit her lip, mulling over whether to steer her Flying Fish Boat toward the Sword Boat in front of everyone.

Forget it, my aunt's relationship with Li Zhaotian isn't exactly a proud one.

The Flying Fish Boat sailed away.

Her boat did not head into Brocade Cloud but instead moved to the far side of the fragmented land.

It seemed she wanted to avoid making small talk with Zhu Wenle and the others.

"She—" Zhu Wenle was taken aback.

His many prepared compliments caught in his throat and the warm smile on his face stiffened.

The other Soul Wandering Realm cultivators were also baffled. They did not understand why Liu Youyu was avoiding them.

She was ranked third on the leaderboard and had well-known combat prowess. It was only natural for the leader of the excursion into Brocade Cloud to be her.

That was the assumption and desire of everyone present.

Contrary to expectations, she abruptly withdrew. Her clear unwillingness to engage with them left many speechless.

"What an arrogant woman," Zhou Qingchen remarked with a sigh. "But she's third on the Soul Wandering Realm leaderboard and a peerless genius of the Primeval Pillar Divine Kingdom, so I suppose she has the right to be proud."

Pang Jian was secretly surprised.

The information from the Sword Pavilion described Liu Youyu as introverted, not fond of the spotlight, and not inclined toward leadership roles.

Her behavior—both at present and at the Primeval Pillar Divine Kingdom's redemption point, where she remained out of sight the entire time—allowed Pang Jian to witness some of her peculiarities firsthand.

"Zhou Qingchen!" Zhu Wenle called, pointing toward Brocade Cloud, "I've come to realize that you're probably right. We can't afford to underestimate the foreign races!

"So, please, take the lead and go into Brocade Cloud to scout the situation for us."

Countless eyes from the surrounding flying vessels turned toward Zhou Qingchen and Pang Jian.

Zhu Wenle of the Boundless Sky Divine Kingdom had taken Liu Youyu's warning seriously and, wary of the potential dangers ahead, asked Zhou Qingchen and the others to take the lead.

On the other side of the fragmented land, Liu Youyu grasped the wooden token and sent a desperate message through it.

"Don't go! It's dangerous!"