C1032 The Distant Gaze(2)

"Have him step back," the woman said calmly.

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

"You may leave," Calves commanded in a stern tone.

His loyal subordinate, a member of the Mondnacht Clan, bowed his head, never once glancing at the Silvermoon Queen as he silently withdrew.

This secluded realm forbade the entry of bandits and humans alike, yet those who came and went in secret were invariably one or the other.

"I require the lunar essence you promised me. Deliver it 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 lunar essence."

"Heh, I'm well aware! Other Ninth Level Mondnacht Clan members can refine it too. But..." Calves let out a cold laugh, "since you hail from the Boundless Land, you must know that the Moon Sect Master of the Silver Moon Sect, with the aid of the Divine Soul Sect and the Babel Chamber of Commerce, has nearly collected all the scattered lunar essence."

He paused briefly.

"The Mondnacht Clan bloodline within you is far too diluted, Silvermoon Queen. When compared to the Moon Sect Master, who has ascended to godhood with the support of the Divine Soul Sect and the Babel Chamber of Commerce, you are significantly weaker."

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

She had always known about her Mondnacht Clan lineage, which was why she and Chen Liangquan, a man of another race, had hit it off immediately.

They were kindred spirits, both of mixed heritage.

Aware of their unique bloodlines, they knew that once they reached higher levels of cultivation, they would attract the attention of the five supreme forces and face purification. This was the impetus behind her alliance with Shen Feiqing to scheme for the Asura's Pupil in the Absence Relic, seeking an early escape.

With Chen Liangquan's assistance, she united her Yin God with her true form and refined the residual moon energy from meteorites deep within the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area. Having successfully advanced to the Yang God, she seized the ensuing turmoil to make her secret departure.

Upon her arrival at the Outer Star River, she soon discovered that the enigmatic Moon Sect Master of the Silver Moon Sect was also of mixed heritage.

Like her, part of his lineage traced back to the Mondnacht Clan.

Even more astonishing was the fact that, as a hybrid with Mondnacht blood, the Moon Sect Master's journey to divinity was not constrained by the highest echelons of the Boundless Land!

With the hybrid advantage, the Moon Sect Master was propelled by the Divine Soul Sect and the Babel Chamber of Commerce to ascend to godhood in the outer realms!

The Mondnacht Clan's years of accumulated lunar essence and numerous treasures were all mobilized to aid his ascension. Lee Yupan, aiming to purify the Yang God and advance to the Unrestrained Stage, had no choice but to seek out Calves, a rogue, to purchase the lunar essence he had crafted with his unique bloodline.

To her surprise, she stumbled upon the name Yu Yuan.

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

...

Atop a towering edifice in Gloomy Paradise, the conflict raged fiercely.

Peach Madam, Pattinson, and Benin, the Void Spirit Succubus, all gazed upward at the tower with curious eyes, silently probing the tumultuous battle.

Hart, who had been drawn over from the rear lands by Benin's Bloodline Secret Technique, was bewildered.

Glancing back and forth, his expression was rife with anxiety.

He couldn't fathom why Benin refused to leave Gloomy Paradise with him, and instead, as if bewitched, had led him to this place.

The chilling stare from Pattinson of the Shadow Clan sent shivers down Hart's spine.

"The Asura Clan truly lives up to its reputation as the premier force of the Outland Star River, with their individual prowess being nothing short of remarkable," observed Hu Caiyun, her eyes slightly squinted as she sensed the explosive and dominant life force at the pinnacle of the tower, reminiscent of a volcanic eruption. "Isn't that girl only at the Seventh Level? How is it that her vitality surpasses even that of Eighth Level warriors from the Crypt Clan and members of the Mondnacht Clan?"

"She was expected to hone her skills in the Dark Domain," Pattinson murmured.

"The Dark Domain!"

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

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

Having spent more than a day navigating the galaxy, she was well aware that only Asuras from the first echelon, each a one-in-a-million genius and seasoned in bloodshed, were eligible to train in the enigmatic Dark Domain.

Elena's youth, coupled with her eligibility for the Dark Domain, spoke volumes.

"Is he truly just at the Soul Wandering Stage? Even practitioners from the Blood God Cult, with their bizarre bloodthirsty arts, shouldn't be this formidable at the Soul Wandering Stage, should they?" Pattinson from the Shadow Clan, utilizing the hidden device in this territory, was startled by the pulsating life force emanating from Yu Yuan.

As streams of essence were drawn from numerous opened channels, Yu Yuan's combat prowess surged once more.

Boom!

A knee strike sent Elena reeling, clutching her abdomen and crashing into the tower's stone wall. After creating a sizable hole, she plummeted onto the unforgiving stone floor below.

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

Whoosh!

As onlookers watched in astonishment, Yu Yuan advanced like a blade, his body emanating visible crimson blood energy, and stomped down on Elena, who had just hit the ground.

Crack!

Elena's breastbone shattered, and her spiky elbow, raised in haste, shattered under the impact.

Yu Yuan's subsequent blow drove her fiery body deep into the ground, eliciting a pained growl from her.

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

'She survived that?'

Below, Elena was very much alive, her fractured ribs mending under the influence of the blood energy from her heart.

The natural spikes on her elbows transformed into a pure ability, merging with her blood as she continued to refine herself.

Yu Yuan, with a complex mix of emotions and devoid of any sense of triumph, used his soul awareness and blood vitality to carefully assess the situation.

The combat strength displayed by this fiery young woman from the Asura Clan, with only a Seventh Level bloodline, was astonishingly formidable.

Yu Yuan was convinced that not even the formidable body-refining warriors of the Ancient Desolate Sect, nor the Seventh Level great demons, could stand against her. It was highly probable that they would be effortlessly decimated by Elena.

"Is this what a first echelon Asura is capable of? No, that can't be right. The one I fought before wasn't like this..."

Yu Yuan pondered in silence.

Just then, the Asura Clan girl, who had been sighing, clambered up from the underground, her voice tinged with exasperation. "Are you really human? I've encountered human Yang God Stage practitioners, even those whose true forms have reached the Yang God Stage. Some were from the Ancient Desolate Sect, yet none were as formidable as you."

Elena massaged her belly, smoothing out the indented area.

She had recovered just like that, and now she was scrutinizing Yu Yuan intently, as if a memory was surfacing. "That's right, the human Yang God I know shares your surname. Her name is Yu Ying!"

"Yu Ying!"

Yu Yuan was taken aback.

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