C103 Evil Converge

"Why doesn't your master have the courage to come himself?"

Yu Yuan rose to his feet at a measured pace, his hand clenching the Demon Core tightly as he frantically drew upon the vitality within.

"Huff!"

Divine force swirled around him, tumultuous and alive.

His other hand was scorching, the sword's will within threatening to burst forth like a torrential flood.

Yu Yuan was distracted, struggling to contain it.

He was acutely aware that with the refined state of his heaven soul, unleashing the power of the sword light branded on his arm bone would undoubtedly slay the young man, now a vessel for the Moonfiend, in a single blow.

If the mightiest Moonfiend couldn't withstand such a strike, what chance did the one before him have?

But what then, after that one strike?

The last time, after a single blow, he had gravely wounded the formidable Moonfiend but had also lost consciousness.

Even if he remained conscious this time, he wouldn't have the strength for a second strike anytime soon.

He was all too aware that he was the ace up the sleeve against the Moonfiend, particularly the most formidable one.

Without him, should the Moonfiend that had taken over Feng Xin reappear, the others would likely stand no chance.

He had but one strike, and that strike had to be saved for the mightiest Moonfiend.

Not for the one before him!

"I alone am sufficient."

The youth in the brown robe lunged forward, releasing clusters of green ghost flames from his sleeves.

As the ghost flames emerged, the full moon hanging in the night sky seemed to brighten momentarily.

Yu Yuan's keen soul perception detected numerous invisible specks of light cascading from the sky, each merging with the ghost flames, enhancing their presence and potency.

The ghost flames devoured one another until they coalesced into three large, head-sized green fireballs, flying towards Yu Yuan in a triangular formation.

A chilling, sinister, and malevolent aura descended naturally upon him.

Yu Yuan's physical body, along with his three souls of heaven, earth, and man, momentarily felt an icy chill.

But it was fleeting.

A surge of warmth burst forth from the sword light etched into his arm bones, dispelling the penetrating cold, sinister, and malevolent sensations from the three souls of heaven, earth, and man. In an instant, Yu Yuan was cleansed of their influence and unaffected.

At that moment, the sword light grew increasingly aggressive and fierce!

The sword's will, ancient and boundless, was on the verge of being unleashed!

It seemed that with just a slight cooperation from Yu Yuan, a mere wave of his hand, he could effortlessly vanquish the young man in brown.

"Master was right; it is indeed you."

In the depths of the youth's green eyes, there was not a hint of the fear or unease that one would expect from a human. "The sword spirit and sword's will have fused with your body, transforming you into a blade capable of leaving its sheath."

The Moonfiend within him had instinctively sensed the approach of death.

The Moonfiend was well aware that if Yu Yuan were to swing his sword, he would vanish without a trace in an instant.

Yet, there was no fear in him.

He even seemed somewhat eager.

"No, that's not right!"

Yu Yuan paused for a second, then realized, "You've come to die! Your master intends to trade your life for a strike of my sword!"

"If you perish, I won't have the strength to make a second strike, and then he will make his move."

"Is that so?"

Yu Yuan demanded.

"What difference does it make if it is or isn't?" the youth in brown retorted, casually controlling three orbs of ghostly fire. "If you don't swing your sword, you'll die. If you do, I die first, and you follow. My life for yours, in exchange for my master's return to the light of day, and the continuation of our lineage—it's a fair trade."

The three massive orbs of ghostly fire, as large as heads, crept closer.

The sword light branded on Yu Yuan's arm grew restless, as if it could no longer be contained and was about to surge forth, obliterating the jester before him, an evil being that had been suppressed for millennia.

"Stop!"

Yu Yuan screamed internally, desperately trying to restrain the sword light.

"This vile creature is nothing; I have the means to handle it!"

"Evil Body Refining Technique!"

The divine force that permeated the wilderness of the forbidden area spiraled out of control as Yu Yuan's inner cry echoed.

The spiritual energy that had been swirling around him, already unusual, intensified dramatically with the invocation of the Evil Body Refining. Centered around Yu Yuan, the air popped and hissed as clusters of spiritual energy, in shades of gray, dark brown, and white, collided and burst apart.

Yu Yuan burst forth with sudden ferocity, charging into the three orbs of eerie green ghost flames.

He confronted the challenge directly!

"Puff! Puff! Puff!"

The ghost flames didn't reach Yu Yuan, merely grazing the turbulent spiritual energy surrounding him and detonating wildly upon contact.

Like a whirlwind, Yu Yuan flashed a wide grin and chuckled, "Your turn now!"

With those words, he didn't call forth any weapon but surged forward like a raging flood toward the brown-robed youth.

In such a tumultuous environment, the Evil Body Refining Technique could amplify the spiritual energy tenfold.

Different streams of spiritual energy would converge and collide, with the resulting detritus and toxins exploding to form a chaotic and twisted magnetic field.

Ordinary people would suffer greatly in such a disordered magnetic field.

Yu Yuan, who had been practicing the Evil Body Refining Technique for some time, was acutely aware of this and always kept his distance during his training sessions.

Even as the one who initiated it, he would end up in agony, and despite his experience, he found it nearly unbearable—so what of others?

"Violent Bane."

The brown-robed youth watched as Yu Yuan approached with ferocious momentum, his gaze fixed on the swirling spiritual energy around him, and his brow furrowed deeply in concern.

The Moonfiend within his mind sensed that even his soul would sustain severe damage within that magnetic field, making escape a daunting task.

Yu Yuan, still a novice in the Evil Body Refining Technique, was unaware that advancing in this practice could condense 'Bane,' an essence infused with intense emotions like despair, violence, sorrow, and the desolation of death, capable of a mental assault akin to Soul Power.

This form of mental attack was least effective on Fellbeasts but proved devastating against Moonfiends and humans, beings rich in thought.

Fellbeasts, simple in nature, were largely unaffected by such emotional onslaughts.

'Bane' posed a significant threat to Demonic Spirits, humans, and soul-focused cultivators.

Unbeknownst to Yu Yuan, countless souls that perished in the Moonfall Sanctuary over millennia dispersed their final emotions of despair, rage, and hatred into the spiritual energy.

Under normal circumstances, those emotions would remain hidden. But when the spiritual energy went into turmoil, those same terrifying emotions were stirred from many eerie places.

Now, they were converging into a dense web within the magnetic field surrounding him, forming what is known as "Bane."

As Yu Yuan's "Evil Body Refining Technique" becomes more advanced and his realm higher, the "Bane" will be able to materialize, its power increasing exponentially.

The brown-robed youth, sensing a threat, abruptly turned tail and fled as he approached.

"Hmm?"

Yu Yuan, unsure of himself, was taken aback by the youth's sudden retreat.

Confused but realizing the youth was scared, Yu Yuan instinctively gave chase.

"Heh, you've come all this way, why run before the fight even starts?" Yu Yuan taunted as he pursued, laughing heartily, "Besides, weren't you ready to make the ultimate sacrifice? If you've come seeking death, you might as well embrace it."

The brown-robed youth, undeterred by the taunts, continued his desperate flight.

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