C1032 Looking from Afar(2)

"Let him leave," the woman said with a dismissive air.

She stood before a towering silver pillar in the living room, clad in a silver gown adorned with dragon and phoenix motifs. This was none other than the Silvermoon Queen, Lee Yupan.

"You may leave now," Calves commanded in a stern voice.

His loyal subordinate, a member of the Moonlit Wanderers, bowed his head, never once glancing at the Silvermoon Queen as he silently departed.

This secluded realm was off-limits to bandits and humans alike, yet it was these very outlaws and humans who often engaged in clandestine dealings here.

"I need those moon essences you promised me. Deliver them promptly, and I will reveal Yu Yuan's origins," the Silvermoon Queen stated icily. "Calves, you're well aware that you're not the sole possessor of the moon's essence."

"Heh, I'm well aware! Other ninth-level members of the Moonlit Wanderers can refine it too, but..." Calves let out a cold laugh, "Since you hail from the Everlands, you ought to know that the Master of the Moon Sect, with the aid of the Skyreach Consortium and Boulderdawn Sect, has nearly gathered all the scattered moon essences."

He paused briefly.

Calves continued, "Silvermoon Queen, the Moonlit Wanderers' bloodline within you is too diluted. Compared to the Master of the Moon Sect who ascended to godhood with the support of the Skyreach Consortium and Boulderdawn Sect, you are significantly weaker."

"That's precisely why I sought you out, a renegade, rather than a legitimate Moonlit Wanderers noble," retorted Lee Yupan with a huff.

She had always been aware of her Moonlit Wanderers heritage; it was what had initially drawn her to Chen Liangquan, a fellow half-blood.

Both were mixed-race, sharing a common bond.

Their unique bloodlines meant that once they reached higher levels of cultivation, they would inevitably attract the attention of the five supreme forces and face purification. This looming threat was the catalyst for Shen Feiqing and her to conspire over the Shura Eye in the Forgotten Ruins, seeking an early escape from their fated persecution.

With the assistance of Chen Liangquan, she successfully merged her Lunar Spirit with her physical form and refined the residual moon energy from the aerolites deep within the Moonfall Sanctuary. Upon breaking through to the Solar Spirit, she seized the opportunity amidst the turmoil to slip away unnoticed.

Shortly after reaching the Star River, they discovered that the enigmatic leader of the Starmoon Sect was, in fact, of mixed heritage.

Like her, part of his lineage stemmed from the Moonlit Wanderers.

What was even more astonishing was that, as a hybrid with the Moonlit Wanderers' bloodline, the Moon Sect Master's Path to Godhood was not bound by the Supreme God of the Everlands!

Leveraging his mixed heritage, the Moon Sect Master was propelled by the Skyreach Consortium and Boulderdawn to ascend to godhood in the extraterrestrial realms!

The Moonlit Wanderers had amassed the moon's essence over many years, along with numerous treasures, all of which were used to aid his ascension. Lee Yupan, aiming to purify her Solar Spirit and advance to the Unbound Realm, had no choice but to turn to Calves, a rogue, to purchase the moon essence he had crafted with his unique bloodline.

Unexpectedly, she stumbled upon the name Yu Yuan.

"I agreed to your terms. Now tell me, who is responsible for my son's death!" demanded Calves.

...

Atop a tower-like edifice in Ashen Hollow, the conflict raged fiercely.

Peach Madam, Pattinson, and Benin the Voidweaver all gazed up at the tower with curious eyes, quietly attuning to the energy there.

Hart, who had been dragged over from the rear lands by Benin's blood magic, was bewildered.

Hart's gaze shifted back and forth, his expression riddled with anxiety.

He couldn't fathom why Benin refused to leave Ashen Hollow with him. Instead, she seemed bewitched, leading him to this forsaken place.

Pattinson of the Shadowkin cast a chilling look his way, making Hart's blood run cold.

"The Shura truly live up to their reputation as the foremost race of the extraterrestrial star river; their individual combat prowess is exceptional," remarked Hu Caiyun, her eyes narrowing as she sensed the explosive and dominant vitality at the pinnacle of the tower, akin to a volcanic eruption. "That girl possesses only a seventh-level bloodline, doesn't she? How is it that her vitality surpasses even that of the eighth-level Crypt Clan warriors and the Moonlit Wanderers?"

"She was destined to venture into the Dark Realm for her Shura training," Pattinson murmured.

"The Dark Realm!"

Hart and Benin's faces registered shock at Pattinson's words.

Hu Caiyun gave a slight nod. "That explains it."

Having spent more than her first day navigating the Star River, she was well aware that first-level cultivators, eligible to train in the mysterious Dark Realm, were all one-in-a-million talents and seasoned warriors.

Elena's youth, coupled with her qualification for the Dark Realm, spoke volumes.

"Is he really just at the Spirit Walk level? Even for a member of the Colddeath, practicing their bizarre bloodthirsty arts, that level of power seems excessive for the Spirit Walk, doesn't it?" Pattinson of the Shadowkin, utilizing the concealed device in this territory, was taken aback by the surge of vital energy he sensed from Yu Yuan.

As vital energy was drawn from the numerous activated acupoints, Yu Yuan's combat prowess skyrocketed.

Boom!

A knee strike sent Elena clutching her abdomen and crashing back-first into the tower's stone wall. After creating a large hole, she plummeted to the hard stone floor below.

Her abdomen was visibly caved in, as if Yu Yuan's knee had penetrated right through it.

Whoosh!

As everyone watched in astonishment, Yu Yuan approached like a swift blade, his body emanating visible streams of crimson blood energy. He stepped down on Elena, who had just hit the ground.

Crack!

Elena's sternum fractured, and her spiky elbow shattered under the force of her defense.

Her strikingly toned body was further crushed into the ground by Yu Yuan's subsequent strike, sinking several meters and eliciting a series of low, pained growls.

Without pursuing his advantage, Yu Yuan stood solemnly at the mouth of the crater.

'How is she still alive?'

Below, Elena's life force remained intact, her broken ribs regenerating under the influence of the vital energy from her heart.

The natural spikes of Elena's elbow transformed into pure psionic power, merging with her blood, as if being refined further.

Yu Yuan, with his remnant soul's perception and careful observation of her vitality, felt a complex mix of emotions, devoid of the joy of victory.

This Shura girl, with only a seventh-level bloodline, had demonstrated a level of combat strength that was astonishingly formidable.

Yu Yuan was convinced that not even the seasoned warriors of the Forgeroses who had refined their bodies, nor the seventh-level archdemons, could stand against her. It was highly probable that they would be effortlessly cut down by Elena.

"Is this what a first-level Shura is capable of? No, that can't be right. The Shura who battled me earlier wasn't like this..."

Yu Yuan pondered in silence.

Just then, the Shura girl, sighing heavily, clambered up from underground and asked, "Are you truly human? I've encountered a human Solar Spirit Realm cultivator before. I've even met one whose real body reached that realm, apparently from the Forgeroses, but none were as formidable as you."

Elena massaged her abdomen, smoothing out the indented area.

She had recovered just like that, fixing her gaze intently on Yu Yuan as if a memory was surfacing, "That's right, the human Solar Spirit I know shares your surname. Her name is Yu Ying!"

"Yu Ying!"

Yu Yuan was taken aback.

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