C103 Condensing Evil!

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

Yu Yuan rose to his feet languidly, his hand clenched tightly around the Demon Core as he feverishly drew in the life force it contained.

"Huff!"

The spiritual essence of Heaven and Earth swirled around him, churning with energy.

His other hand was scorching, filled with a torrent of Sword Intent that threatened to burst forth.

Yu Yuan was distracted, struggling to keep it at bay.

He was acutely aware that with the refinement of his Heavenly Soul, he could annihilate the young man before him—now a vessel for the Moon Demon—with a single unleashing of the power from the sword light branded on his arm.

If the mightiest Moon Demon couldn't withstand such a blow, what chance did this one have?

But what would come after that decisive strike?

Last time, he had gravely wounded the mightiest Moon Demon with one blow, only to collapse unconscious.

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

He was painfully conscious that he was the key to subduing the Moon Demon, particularly the most formidable one.

Without him, if the Moon Demon that had taken over Feng Xin were to reappear, the others would likely stand no chance.

He had but one strike to give, and that strike was destined for the mightiest Moon Demon.

Not for the one before him now.

"I alone am sufficient."

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

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

Yu Yuan, with his keen soul perception, sensed invisible specks of light raining down from the sky, each merging with the ghost flames, magnifying their presence and potency.

The ghost flames devoured one another in a frenzied dance until they coalesced into three massive, head-sized green fireballs, arranged in a triangular formation, hurtling toward him.

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

Yu Yuan's physical body, along with his three souls, was instantly gripped by an icy chill.

But it was fleeting.

The fiery sword light etched into the marrow of his arms surged with warmth.

The icy, sinister, and malevolent sensations that had infiltrated his flesh and soul were cleansed in an instant, freeing Yu Yuan from their grasp.

Simultaneously, the sword light grew increasingly assertive and fierce!

The vast, ancient Sword Intent within him was on the verge of erupting, unstoppable and overwhelming!

Yu Yuan seemed capable of effortlessly vanquishing the brown-robed youth before him with a mere gesture.

"Master was correct; it is indeed you."

There was not a hint of the fear or unease one would expect in the green depths of the brown-robed youth's eyes. "The sword soul and intent of that blade have fused with your being, transforming you into a living weapon, a blade that can project its essence."

The Moon Demon residing within him had already instinctively felt death's approach.

The Moon Demon was well aware that with a single swing of Yu Yuan's sword, he would be obliterated in an instant, leaving behind no trace.

Yet, he harbored no fear.

Rather, there was a sense of anticipation.

"No, that's not right!"

Yu Yuan paused for a moment, then realization dawned. "You've come to meet your end! Your master intends to trade your life for a strike of my sword!"

"Your demise will leave me unable to deliver a second blow, and then he will make his move."

"Is that the plan?"

Yu Yuan demanded, his voice heavy with authority.

"What does it matter if it is or isn't?" replied the brown-robed youth, nonchalantly manipulating three orbs of ghostly fire. "If you refrain from striking, death is certain for you. If you do strike, I shall perish first, followed by you. My life for yours, my master's return to daylight, and the continuation of our line is a worthy trade."

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

The sword light branded on Yu Yuan's arm was restless, seemingly on the verge of bursting forth to annihilate the jester before him, the vile creature that had been suppressed for millennia.

"Stop!"

Yu Yuan roared inwardly, desperately trying to contain the sword light.

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

"Evil Body Refining Skill!"

As Yu Yuan inwardly cried out, the omnipresent Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth in the forbidden wilderness spiraled into chaos.

The Spiritual Qi, already swirling unusually around him, surged violently at the invocation of the "Evil Body Refining Skill," intensifying several-fold!

Centered on Yu Yuan, the air popped and hissed as clusters of grey, dark brown, and white Spiritual Qi collided and burst apart.

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

He met the challenge head-on!

"Puff! Puff! Puff!"

The ghost flames didn't reach Yu Yuan, merely grazing the turbulent Spiritual Qi surrounding him and detonating in a frenzy.

Yu Yuan, swirling with the force of a tornado, flashed a grin and chuckled, "Your turn now!"

Without summoning any weapon, he surged toward the brown-robed youth like a relentless deluge.

In such a tumultuous environment, the Evil Body Refining Skill amplified the Spiritual Qi's volatility by tenfold.

Different strands of Spiritual Qi converged, clashing and causing the remnants and toxins to explode, naturally forming a chaotic and twisted magnetic field.

Ordinary people would suffer grievous harm in such a maelstrom.

Yu Yuan, well-versed in the practice of the Evil Body Refining Skill, knew to keep his distance during cultivation.

Even as the one who set it off, he would wail and howl in distress. Despite several experiences, the intensity was still nearly unbearable for him—how much more so for others?

"Violent aura."

The brown-robed youth, watching Yu Yuan's fierce approach, observed the whirlwind of Spiritual Qi encircling him and his brow furrowed in concern.

The Moon Demon within his mind sensed that even his soul would sustain heavy damage in that magnetic field, struggling to break free.

Yu Yuan, a novice in the Evil Body Refining Skill, was unaware that advancing in the technique could condense an "evil" essence. This "evil" was a blend of despair, violence, sorrow, desolation, and the emotions of death, capable of inflicting a soul-based spiritual assault.

Such a mental onslaught was least effective against Demonic Beasts but proved devastating to the Moon Demon and humans, beings rich in thought.

Demonic Beasts, simple in nature, were largely unaffected by emotional attacks.

"Bane." For spirit entities, humans, and those who focus on soul cultivation, the lethality of this mental attack was formidable.

Unbeknownst to Yu Yuan, countless beings who perished in the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area over millennia had their souls shattered, their final emotions of despair, rage, and hatred dissipating into the Spiritual Qi.

Under normal conditions, those emotions would remain hidden. Yet, in the wake of the Spiritual Qi disturbance, those same terrifying emotions were coaxed out of their hiding spots in numerous eerie locales.

Now, they were converging in a complex web within the magnetic field around him, forming what is known as a "baneful aura."

Once Yu Yuan further hones his Evil Body Refining Skill and ascends to a higher realm, the potency of this "baneful aura" will multiply exponentially.

The young man in the brown robe sensed the looming threat, and in a swift change of heart, he turned tail and fled as he approached.

"Huh?"

Yu Yuan, uncertain of his own capabilities, was taken aback by the sudden retreat.

Bewildered but sensing his opponent's fear, Yu Yuan instinctively gave chase.

"Hey, you've come all this way, and the fight hasn't even begun—why run now?" Yu Yuan taunted with a booming laugh as he pursued. "Besides, weren't you ready to lay down your life? If you've come seeking death, you might as well embrace it."

But the brown-robed youth was undeterred, his mind set solely on escape.

…