C101 Moonfiend Reborn

A mere hundred miles from the entrance to the forbidden area lay a deep chasm. At the bottom of this chasm rested an enormous, egg-shaped Moon Shard, its white surface gleaming with a brilliant light. Moonbeams cascaded from the heavens like a celestial waterfall, bathing the shard in their ethereal glow. Under the deluge of moonlight, the Moon Shard took on the appearance of a magnificent piece of jade, its crystalline sheen growing ever more radiant.

Within the shard, the moonlight streamed like liquid, creating a spectacle of otherworldly beauty. Three cultivators from Wethtalos City, their presence exuding an aura of icy detachment, sat in silent meditation upon the Moon Shard. Nearby, a young girl in white was ensnared by tendrils of green light that wound around her, the luminescence piercing her corporeal body like needles. Every so often, she would emit a pained whimper, her face a portrait of despair and terror.

Suddenly, a flurry of green specks, akin to will-o'-the-wisps, began to fall like rain from the sky above the pit. The cultivators from Wethtalos City rose to their feet in unison, their gazes lifted skyward.

"Master," they intoned, their voices echoing with a reverence born of ancient and distant tongues.

The green lights, reminiscent of raindrops, flared brilliantly and surged toward the captive girl in white. She watched the myriad droplets descend, her face etched with sorrow, yet a glimmer of solace shone in her eyes. "You cannot win. Our city of Lellon will slay one of you. And together with the five great families and the other cities, we will defeat you all."

The cultivators from Wethtalos regarded her with deep, emotionless eyes, devoid of any human sentiment. The green luminescent rain continued to fall upon her, each drop merging with her being as if water into the ocean. Green flames flickered in the depths of her eyes as her facial expression contorted with immense agony. After a brief struggle, she collapsed to the ground, overcome with exhaustion.

The three trial-takers from Wethtalos gathered around her, each casting their intricate spells in synchrony. From the lustrous Moon Shard, three refined beams of moonlight were drawn forth like liquid silver, each one entering the girl's body at her waist, chest, and forehead.

The young girl's presence began to surge with astonishing velocity.

The moon, suspended in the night sky, seemed to resonate with her, as if there was a profound soulful connection between them.

Moments later, she slowly sat up with her eyes closed.

Upon opening her eyes, they shone with a deep green hue, reminiscent of Feng Xin's.

"The sword is nowhere to be found, yet its will and spirit have fused with a young man named Yu Yuan," she articulated in human speech. "In our native land, when the Moon Slayer sword struck, our home was shattered into the Moon Shard and plummeted here. The sword came down with it, oppressing us for eons. Now that the sword's body, will, and spirit are separated, we've shattered our bonds and can finally take a breath. All that's left is to shatter its spirit, and we will be free."

"Master, did the youth named Yu Yuan harm you?" a follower inquired incredulously.

"It's peculiar, a mere Soul Awakening cultivator could incite a tempest of divine force with the sword's will and spirit," she reflected on the intense battle, somewhat perplexed. "I took him too lightly. His ability to gain the sword's will's approval surely marks him as exceptional."

"Yet, his cultivation level is so low that he collapsed immediately after wielding the sword."

"Otherwise, I might not have escaped. Now I possess a new corporeal body, one that is even more attuned to me than the last."

With a breath, she descended upon the Moon Shard.

The Moon Shard, with its stream-like luminescence, suddenly quickened.

Her delicate form burst into radiance, becoming as lustrous and crystalline as the shard itself, drawing in the moonlight within.

"They must come this way to leave. Upon our next encounter, with your aid, none shall survive."

...

The Soul Orb drifted lazily in the void.

Lee Yu, following the Soul Orb, led his companions in a seemingly random course.

With a hiss, the Soul Orb burst into brilliance and sped away.

Lee Yu and Yu Yuan dashed ahead, swift as lightning.

"Yu Yuan, that lad, is truly remarkable," Zhan Tianxiang marveled as Yu Yuan sped into the distance. "When I first tempered my body in the early stages of Soul Awakening, I never possessed such agility."

Having received the legacy of the Golden Elephant God, his Soul Awakening physique was significantly stronger than that of most people.

Only Zhao Yafu could match his corporeal body's resilience.

"Brother Yu is truly formidable," Zhao Yafu said with a light smile, her demeanor calm. She showed no signs of anxiety over the Soul Orb's activity.

Several seconds later.

The Soul Orb, having absorbed a cluster of gray shadows from a stone cave at the center of a deep pit, returned without success.

The gray shadows emerged from a piece of cloth amidst a pile of rocks, fragments of a Wraithbanner containing shattered residual souls.

"What's the situation?"

Su Yan approached Lee Yu and Yu Yuan with a nonchalant expression, though she had already anticipated the outcome.

Lee Yu shook his head, "We've encountered nothing but residual souls and malevolent thoughts."

"If we continue like this, the efficiency seems quite low," Zhan Tianxiang remarked, stroking his chin. "I thought your Soul Orb's ability to detect any stir of souls was an advantage. But now, it doesn't seem so advantageous; it can't target the Moonfiend exclusively."

Days had passed.

The Soul Orb, under Lee Yu's command, had issued warnings five or six times as they roamed.

Initially, they were on high alert, ready to engage in a fierce battle with the Moonfiend.

However, they soon realized that the Soul Orb was leading them to remnants within tattered flags or malevolent spirits within destroyed objects. These were often consumed by the Soul Orb before they could even arrive.

The Soul Orb would glow a bit brighter, but there were no other changes, indicating that the absorbed spirits were too weak to be of consequence.

Time and again, the Soul Orb led them to such feeble spirits, and their patience was wearing thin.

"I have not yet reached the Subtlety Realm in my cultivation, making it difficult to communicate effectively with the Soul Orb," Lee Yu admitted, somewhat frustrated. "But one thing is certain: if the Moonfiend is truly nearby, the Soul Orb will detect its presence and pinpoint its location with precision."

"For the moment, it seems we're out of good options," Han Hui sighed, adding, "If we can't locate the Moonfiend soon, it might regain its full strength. Then, it won't be us hunting it down; it'll be the one coming after us."

"Rather than wait, we should find a place to cultivate with soulstones and keep our combat abilities sharp. When the Moonfiend shows up, we'll be ready for a fight to the finish." Yan Lu, still nursing injuries from his relentless exertions, asked, "Lee Yu, aside from the Soul Orb, do you have any other solutions?"

Lee Yu shook his head. "I've got nothing."

Yan Lu's face fell with disappointment, but he quickly turned to Yu Yuan with a hopeful expression. "What about you? You've always had effective methods for dealing with creatures like the Moonfiend. Do you have any strategies for capturing them and forcing them into the open?"

"I could act as the lure," Yu Yuan offered.

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