C1023 Offense!

In the expanse of Gloomy Paradise, a series of stone towers crafted from granite stretched across the flat, expansive stone ground. At the heart of these towers, several elevated platforms glowed with a bright, energetic light.

Atop the largest tower stood a man from the Mondnacht Clan, his attire exquisite, his features handsome. A towering figure from the Djinn Clan presented seven Spirit Crystals before waiting beside the tower. The structure rivaled his height, his massive head nearly level with the open-air platform.

In that moment, the Djinn's expression shifted to one of shock as he gazed at the young master before him. "Lambing, have you lost your mind?"

Pattinson, also on the platform, was a formidable member of the Shadow Clan, boasting an Eighth Level bloodline. His lean form casually rested against the stone wall that led into the tower, and he exclaimed in alarm, "You're removing the firefly photomask? Are you planning to confront that human male, the Yin God who has already escaped the cauldron?"

An Asura woman with a fiery figure, her shoulders and knees adorned with natural spikes, stood there as well. Her ample chest was scarcely concealed by a gleaming silver breastplate, which only modestly hid her alluring form. A dark red, serpentine belt encircled her slender waist, and her lower half was clad in a very short piece of leather armor, leaving her long, shapely legs fully exposed. Her bold and untamed gaze suggested she held little regard for anyone, regardless of their gender.

"Elena, don't you think we have the power to kill them?" Lambing of the Mondnacht Clan, with a flick of his tongue at his lips, brandished the seven Spirit Crystals in his hand. "Crystals of this caliber are a rare find outside. And those fools? They're merely acquaintances of the white crane and its master, with no real ties to the Babel Chamber of Commerce!"

"I say, it's high time we took action!" His eagerness for battle was palpable.

Lambing, of the Mondnacht Clan, was the son of Calves, one of the three king of roving bandits ruling over Gloomy Paradise. With a Seventh Level Mondnacht bloodline, he stood out among his many siblings as the sole heir to advance to such a rank. His father, a man of indulgent tastes, held Lambing in high esteem for this very reason.

Elena, hailing from the Asura Clan, possessed a Seventh Level bloodline just like him, though she was significantly younger.

She was also the daughter of Fernand, the king of roving bandits and the sole child of this formidable figure. Fernand, once a great general within the Asura Clan, had fallen from grace during internal power struggles. In a fit of rage, he fled with his daughter Elena and a cadre of his loyal followers, turning to banditry.

Before her fall from grace, Elena was renowned within the Asura Clan for more than just her beauty; her fiery temper was equally legendary.

Pattinson, on the other hand, was the younger brother of Rony, another king of roving bandits, and boasted a potent Eighth Level bloodline.

Currently, Calves, Fernand, and Rony, the rulers of Gloomy Paradise, have been absent for quite some time. In their stead, their children and Pattinson, as a brother, have taken up the mantle of leadership within Gloomy Paradise.

Since the arrival of Yu Yuan, Peach Madam, Zhan Ruonan, and Sun Jun, they have been under close observation.

Through covert devices, the conversations of Yu Yuan and his companions were overheard, allowing for a rough assessment of their power and skill levels.

Lambing was vehemently in favor of striking down Yu Yuan and the others with decisive force, confident in their own formidable strength.

Pattinson, ever the voice of reason, urged patience and further observation before taking any rash actions.

Elena remained noncommittal, seemingly indifferent to whether they should strike immediately or continue to watch. She kept a discreet eye on the situation, biding her time in boredom until a clear opportunity presented itself.

She was not one to cause waves without a strong wind, and for now, no such wind had arisen.

"The firefly photomask, once removed, could cause that human's Yin God to vanish swiftly. But..." Pattinson said with a furrowed brow, "Lambing, remember, we have our own people on that land. They, too, will be exposed to the corrupting influence of the alien forces once the photomask is gone."

"It's only for a short time; they won't die right away," Lambing replied dismissively.

In his view, the bandits living on the other two lands were nothing more than worthless scum, expendable and unworthy of his concern. To him, their temporary affliction by the Galaxy Extraordinary Talent was of little consequence.

"We could have lived in harmony. There was no need to rush," Pattinson said, shaking his head.

"Elena, what's your take on this?"

Lambing snorted, dismissing Pattinson's perspective. "Elena, I know you're bored too. You can sense our chance for victory, can't you? They have only three Yang Gods. The kid who unleashed the Yin God is merely at the Soul Wandering Stage! They're not members of the Babel Chamber of Commerce or the Divine Soul Sect. Why should we fear them?"

"I'm indifferent," Elena replied with a shrug.

She hailed from the battle-hungry Asura Clan. Even before Fernand's betrayal, she had spent years waging war alongside her father. It wasn't in her nature to be docile.

Privately, she had been observing the situation. She suspected that engaging Peach Madam might yield some surprises.

"As long as we're in agreement, there's no issue! Uncle Pattinson, it's two against one—you have no choice but to go along," Lambing boasted.

Pattinson sighed, conceding reluctantly. "Something feels off to me, but since you've made up your minds, let's proceed."

The roving bandits, accustomed to a life of adventure, were not the type to fear death. They were willing to try anything if they believed there was a glimmer of hope.

Only the white crane and its master, President Lyi, recognized the futility of their situation and chose to endure.

As for the unfamiliar Peach Madam, Yu Yuan, Zhan Ruonan, and Sun Jun, they lacked the intimidating presence and did not exhibit the might and aura of someone at the Unrestrained Stage.

With Lambing and Elena eager to take a chance, Pattinson had no choice but to agree, albeit reluctantly.

...

In the land that stretched out behind them.

Yu Yuan's true form had retreated into the inner world of the Evil Cauldron, where he was gradually dissolving the vital essence that had diffused throughout his body due to the Life Altar's refinement process.

His soul, in the form of the Yin God, was drifting outside, meandering about.

It was customary for the Yin God to leave the body and use spiritual perception to probe the unknown, a fundamental aspect of their cultivation.

Moreover, the soul form of the Yin God could perceive things invisible to the naked eye and observe from all angles.

This land was enveloped by a firefly photomask, and the air was free of any impurities that could harm the soul. Besides the intruders, the land was teeming with bandits of the Fifth and Sixth Levels, and even weaker Fourth Level Bloodline Warriors.

Yu Yuan wasn't concerned about their survival; he was confident that his Yin God, which he had released, wouldn't encounter any problems.

Before long, his Yin God made another discovery on this land, at a site where supplies were displayed. There was an extraordinary flower with nine leaves, each leaf sparkling with tiny starlights.

The Nine Stars Flower, a Heaven Level Eighth Grade spiritual herb in the Boundless Land, was capable of being used to refine many rare Heaven Level pellets. This particular Nine Stars Flower appeared to be wilting, its roots embedded in soil that was far too soft, seemingly hastening its demise.

"What a waste! The Nine Stars Flower should never be rooted in such conditions."

With just one glance, Yu Yuan concluded that the bandits of Gloomy Paradise were oblivious to the flower's value and clueless about how to cultivate it. It's even possible that the original owner of the Nine Stars Flower was also unaware of its proper care. In the Boundless Land, such rare flora might be overlooked, as they could be considered insignificant in the Outland Star River, attracting little attention.

Instantly, three methods to revive the Nine Stars Flower sprang to mind. He began contemplating which spiritual materials to gather to create new soil that would breathe life back into the flower.

Suddenly, the energy curtain that had shrouded the land flickered out like a dimming light, leaving the land exposed to the perilous and shadowy Outland Star River.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A malevolent force, capable of shredding the soul, poured into the drifting land. Yu Yuan's soul form, now visible, was caught off guard.

"Damn it!"

He immediately grasped what had occurred. The Evil Cauldron, anchored to the earth, and his distant Yin God sprang into action simultaneously. The cauldron and the Yin God rapidly converged.

A bizarre and excruciating agony transmitted from the Yin God, within Yu Yuan's soul form, as if innumerable blades were slicing through his soul. The torment he endured at this moment was tenfold more severe than when he had recklessly released his Yin God in the Nirvana Realm.

Back in the Nirvana Realm, the barrier had merely cracked, and the infiltrating starry power was not as potent. But now, Yu Yuan's Yin God was utterly vulnerable!

"Ugh!"

Peach Madam, Zhan Ruonan, and Sun Jun also exhibited looks of sudden alarm and astonishment.

The trio traversed the continent, eager to find suitable supplies and spiritual materials for themselves. Upon discovering the disappearance of the energy shield, they were instantly on high alert. Fortunately, being either at the Unrestrained Stage or embodied as Yang Gods, they were impervious to the corrupting influence of the galaxy's malignant energies.

Suddenly, Hart from the Silver Scale Clan and Benin, the Void Spirit Succubus, were caught off guard and exposed. Despite not possessing the formidable strength of Yu Yuan's Yin God, their flesh was no match for the relentless erosion. Benin's once beautiful and delicate skin began to fissure and bleed before our very eyes. Hart, with his robust physique, found his face slashed as if by an invisible blade, his skin tearing apart.

They were not alone in their suffering; many weaker bandits also howled in pain, enduring the assault in a state of panic. Some members of the Fourth Level Demon Scorpion Clan experienced their hearts bursting within moments, dying instantly. A few Fifth Level Bloodline warriors from the Crypt Clan, witnessing their flesh rending, desperately burrowed into the earth's depths.

Chaos reigned on the land as a cacophony of curses rose like a flood.

"They've come for Yu Yuan," Peach Madam remarked, her eyes narrowing while her smile remained unflinching. "Bandits will be bandits, so fixated on assassinating Yu Yuan's Yin God that they disregard even their own kind."

With a thunderous crash, a Djinn Clan warrior, towering like a mountain, plummeted from the heavens, landing between the Evil Cauldron and Yin God Yu. His massive hand, several times larger than a door, slammed down on the dark cauldron with a resounding clang, sending sparks scattering.

The Evil Cauldron, desperate to reunite with the Yin God, was knocked away by his mighty blow, while he bared his teeth in a cruel laugh.

As the cauldron was sent reeling, Yu Yuan's true form emerged, steadying himself in midair with great effort.

His body, refined through countless trials, endured the onslaught of the alien energies, as if hammered by flames, casting off a spray of luminescent sparks. Yet, within mere seconds, the strange glow ceased. This indicated that his body had swiftly adapted to the wild and twisted energies of the Outland Star River, rendering him unharmed.

In just a moment, the Yin God, in its soul form, had gone from crystal clear to blurry and ethereal, its condition deteriorating due to the invasive energies from the Outland Star River.

Without the safeguard of a physical body, the Yin God was as vulnerable as a piece of driftwood, susceptible to the corrosive powers lurking in the galaxy's depths.

"Hmm?"

At that moment, the Astral Shield he wore on his hand exhibited a miraculous glow. A subtle luminescence flickered and then vanished.

His ethereal Yin God, as if draped in a shimmering cloak of black, was tenderly enveloped by the Astral Shield.

The ring on his hand had disappeared. His Yin God, eager to reunite with his true body and still some distance away, halted its fading trend abruptly.

Wrapped in the warmth and tranquility of the Astral Shield, wisps of his own soul power began to seep out, integrating into his Yin God.

The dire state he was in saw significant improvement thanks to the support of the Astral Shield.

The overwhelming force of the Galaxy Extraordinary Talent was effectively isolated by the Astral Shield, unable to breach the defense and further assail his fragile Yin God.

"This is going to be quite the spectacle."

Peach Madam's radiant gaze shifted leisurely from Yu Yuan's Yin God to the primeval lands of the Gloomy Paradise.

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