C1023 Offense!
"Ashen Hollow."
Spread across the flat expanse of stone ground stood towering stone buildings crafted from granite. In the midst of these numerous towers, several platforms radiated with bright, energetic light.
Atop the largest tower's open-air balcony, a handsome man from the Moonlit Wanderers, dressed in exquisite attire, stood proudly.
A towering Titan from the Titan race presented seven Psicrystals and stood by, waiting beside the tower. The structure's height matched his own, his massive head nearly level with the balcony.
In that moment, the Titan's expression shifted dramatically as he stared in astonishment at the young master before him.
"Lambing, have you lost your mind?"
Pattinson, stationed on the same balcony, was a formidable eighth-level Shadowkin with a lean figure that casually leaned against the stone wall leading into the tower.
"Removing the Luminescent Barrier—are you planning to confront that human man, the Lunar Spirit who has already escaped the cauldron?"
A Shura woman with a fiery figure and natural spikes adorning her shoulders, elbows, and knees, boasted a towering chest barely contained by a gleaming silver breastplate. Her slender waist was encircled by a dark red, serpent-like belt, and her long, shapely legs were boldly exposed.
The scantily clad Shura woman, with her untamed and defiant gaze, seemed to dismiss everyone around her, regardless of their gender.
"Elena, don't you think we can take them down?" Lambing of the Moonlit Wanderers licked his lips and brandished the seven Psicrystals in his hand. "Crystals of spiritual energy this potent are scarce outside. And those fellows? They're merely acquainted with the white crane and its master, having no real ties to the Skyreach Consortium!"
"If you ask me, we should have made our move long ago!"
His eagerness for battle was palpable.
Lambing, a member of the Moonlit Wanderers, was the son of Calves, one of the three revered Bandit Kings of Ashen Hollow. Possessing a distinguished seventh-level bloodline, he was the only one among his numerous siblings to achieve such a rank, earning him considerable esteem from his father.
Elena, hailing from the Shura clan, possessed a seventh-level bloodline, just like him, but was significantly younger.
She was also the daughter of a King of Bandits, the sole child of Fernand, one of the three rulers of Ashen Hollow. Fernand, a former high-ranking general of the Shura, had lost in a power struggle within the clan. In a fit of rage, he took Elena and a group of his loyal followers and turned to banditry.
Before her fall from grace, Elena was well-known within the Shura for her striking beauty and equally notorious temper.
Pattinson, on the other hand, was the younger brother of another King of Bandits, Rosny, and boasted a powerful eighth-level bloodline.
Now, with Calves, Fernand, and Rosny—the trio at the helm of Ashen Hollow—absent for an extended period, their children and Pattinson, as Rosny's brother, had stepped up as the de facto leaders.
Yu Yuan, Peach Madam, Zhan Ruonan, and Sun Jun had been under their watchful eye since their arrival.
Using clandestine devices, they had overheard the conversations among Yu Yuan's group, gauging their strengths and abilities.
Lambing was vehemently in favor of swiftly and decisively eliminating Yu Yuan and his companions, confident in their capacity for such force.
Pattinson, ever composed, urged patience and continued observation.
Elena remained noncommittal, seemingly indifferent to whether they should strike or keep watching. Until Yu Yuan and his group made a move, she contentedly observed from the shadows, biding her time.
She was not one to stir trouble without cause, and at present, no such cause had arisen.
"Once we take down the Luminescent Barrier, that human kid's Lunar Spirit might vanish instantly. But..." Pattinson said, his brow furrowed with concern, "Lambing, remember we have our own people on that land. They, too, will suffer from the corrupting influence of the extraterrestrial forces once the barrier is gone."
"It's only temporary; they won't die on the spot," Lambing replied dismissively.
To him, the bandits living on the other two lands were nothing more than lowly, expendable nuisances. He wouldn't mourn their deaths; a mere temporary affliction by the Star River's psionic power was of even less concern.
"We could have lived in harmony. There was no need to rush." Pattinson shook his head.
"Elena, what's your take on this?"
Lambing snorted, dismissing Pattinson's opinion. "Elena, I know you're bored too. You must sense that we stand a chance of winning, right? They have only three Solar Spirits. The kid who unleashed the Lunar Spirit is merely at the Spirit Walk level! They're neither from the Skyreach Consortium nor the Boulderdawn Sect. Why should we fear them?"
"I'm indifferent." Elena shrugged nonchalantly.
Hailing from the battle-hungry Shura Clan, she had been accustomed to war long before her defection. Following her father into countless battles, she was anything but submissive.
Privately, she had been observing the situation. She suspected that if the Peach Madam were to strike, there might be some surprises.
"As long as we're in agreement, there's no issue! Uncle Pattinson, it's two against one—you have to back us up!" Lambing boasted triumphantly.
Pattinson sighed, conceding reluctantly. "I have a bad feeling about this, but since you've made up your minds, let's proceed."
Bandits accustomed to a life of adventure were not known for their fear of death. If there was even a sliver of hope, they would dare to attempt anything.
Only the White Crane and its master, President Lyi, knew there was no hope and thus could only endure.
As for the unfamiliar Peach Madam, Yu Yuan, Zhan Ruonan, and Sun Jun, they lacked the intimidating presence and did not exhibit the aura or power of an Unbound expert.
With Lambing and Elena eager to test the waters, Pattinson had no choice but to reluctantly agree.
...
On the trailing land.
Yu Yuan's real body retreated into the inner world of the Crucible of Evil, where it slowly dissolved the vital essence that had dispersed through his body as a result of the Altar of Rebirth's refinement.
His soul, in the form of the Lunar Spirit, drifted outside, aimlessly wandering.
For the Lunar Spirit to leave the body and use spiritual sense to explore the mysteries was an essential part of cultivation.
Moreover, the Lunar Spirit could perceive things invisible to the naked eye and could observe comprehensively from every perspective.
The land was enveloped by a Luminescent Barrier, and the air was free from any impurities that could harm the soul. Besides our group, there were numerous Blood Warriors of the fifth and sixth levels, and even weaker fourth-level fighters scattered about.
Yu Yuan was unconcerned for their well-being, confident that his released Lunar Spirit would encounter no issues.
Before long, his Lunar Spirit made a discovery at a different location on the land. There, a peculiar flower with nine leaves shimmered like tiny stars.
The Novanthus, an eighth-level heavenly herb in the Everlands, was capable of being used to concoct a variety of rare heavenly pills. This particular Novanthus appeared to be wilting, its roots in overly soft soil that seemed to hasten its demise.
"What a travesty to let such a treasure go to waste! The Novanthus should never have been planted in such conditions."
With just a glance, Yu Yuan surmised that the Ashen Hollow's raiders were oblivious to the Novanthus's value and clueless about its cultivation.
It was even conceivable that the Novanthus's original owner was unaware of its preferences. After all, the exotic flora of the Everlands might be deemed insignificant in the extraterrestrial realms, garnering little attention.
Instantly, Yu Yuan's mind was flooded with three potential methods for reviving the Novanthus. He pondered which magic items to gather to create the right soil for the flower's rejuvenation.
Abruptly, the energy curtain that had shrouded the land flickered out like a dimming flame.
The land lay bare, exposed to the perilous Star River!
Whoosh! The corrupt psionic power, capable of shredding souls, surged onto the land now adrift. Yu Yuan's soul, manifest and vulnerable, was caught off guard.
"Damn it!"
He instantly grasped the gravity of the situation.
The Crucible of Evil anchored to the earth and his distant Lunar Spirit sprang into action almost simultaneously.
The cauldron and the Lunar Spirit rapidly converged.
Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit, in its soul form, transmitted an unspeakable agony as the Star River's ferocious psionic power invaded. It was as though innumerable blades were slicing through his soul.
The torment he endured at this moment was tenfold more severe than when he had recklessly unleashed the Lunar Spirit in the Nirvana Realm.
In the Nirvana Realm, the wall had merely cracked open, allowing in a stream of psionic power that was not sufficiently concentrated.
Now, however, Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit was utterly exposed!
"Ugh!"
Peach Madam, Zhan Ruonan, and Sun Jun were all suddenly taken aback, their expressions changing dramatically.
The trio had been exploring the continent, looking for resources and magic items that might suit them. They were on high alert the moment they noticed the Luminescent Barrier had vanished.
Thankfully, being either in the Unbound state or possessing a Solar Spirit Body, they were impervious to the corrupting psionic power of the Star River.
Ah!
Hart from the Silverscale Tribe and Benin from the Voidweavers were caught off guard and exposed. Even though they were not Lunar Spirits like Yu Yuan, their flesh and blood could not endure the onslaught.
Benin's beautiful, pale skin visibly cracked and bled at an alarming rate.
Hart, with his robust physique, had his face split open as if slashed by a wind-blade.
They were not alone; many lesser bandits also wailed, helplessly suffering the assault.
Some of the fourth-level Fiend Scorpions even had their hearts burst from the strain in mere moments, dying instantly.
Several fifth-level Crypt Clan members, seeing their skin tear open, quickly burrowed underground.
On the surface, pandemonium ensued, and a chorus of curses rose like a flood.
"They've come for Yu Yuan."
Peach Madam squinted her eyes, her smile unwavering, and remarked coolly, "Bandits will be bandits. In their eagerness to assassinate Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit, they disregard even their weaker kin."
Boom!
A Titan warrior, as massive as a mountain, plummeted from the sky, landing between Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit and the Crucible of Evil. His gigantic hand, several times larger than a door, smashed down on the dark cauldron with a thunderous impact.
The cauldron, clanging loudly, sent sparks scattering in every direction.
The Crucible of Evil, eager to reunite with the Lunar Spirit, was knocked away by his powerful slap. The Titan then bared his teeth in a cruel smile.
Swoosh!
As the cauldron tumbled away, Yu Yuan's real body emerged, steadying himself in midair with forceful control.
Swoosh!
His body, forged through countless trials, was now under assault by the corrupt psionic power from an extraterrestrial realm. It was as though a giant hammer of flame had struck him, causing sparks of strange light to scatter.
Yet, within mere seconds, his body ceased to emit any unusual luminescence.
This indicated that in a brief span, he had adapted to the wild and distorted psionic power from beyond the Star River.
But...
In just a short moment, his Lunar Spirit had grown blurry and ethereal, worsening under the onslaught of the extraterrestrial psionic power.
Without the shelter of his real body, the Lunar Spirit was akin to a rootless weed, vulnerable to the psionic corruption deep within the Star River.
"Hmm?"
At that moment, the Seven Star Aegis on his hand revealed its mystical nature.
A faint glow flickered and was gone.
Emanating from his ephemeral Lunar Spirit, it appeared as if he were cloaked in a translucent, black-and-blue enchanted robe, tenderly enveloped by the Seven Star Aegis.
The ring had vanished from his hand. His Lunar Spirit, eager to reunite and still some distance from his real body, halted its fading trend abruptly.
Enshrouded by the Seven Star Aegis, he felt a comforting warmth. Wisps of his own Soul Power seeped out, blending into his Lunar Spirit.
The dire state he was in had significantly improved with the aid of the Seven Star Aegis.
The tumultuous psionic power of the Star River was effectively barred by the Seven Star Aegis, unable to breach the defenses and further afflict his fragile Lunar Spirit Body.
"This is going to be quite the spectacle."
Peach Madam's radiant gaze drifted leisurely from Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit to the inaugural landmass of the Ashen Hollow.
