C1047 I Don't Want to Delay too Much

The Silvermoon Queen slowly backed away, positioning herself at the fringe of the Ashen Hollow.

Bertha, the priestess of the Moonlit Wanderers, continued to harness the refined moon energy hidden within Moon Lake to aid Gull in purifying the Shadow Moon Essence. Once she learned of Yu Yuan's connection to Boulderdawn, she became cautious, wary of taking any hasty actions.

Yu Yuan glanced over and caught sight of a massive peach tree, Hu Caiyun's life-bound entity, deep within the Rainbow Ocean, shedding a flurry of peach blossoms.

The dazzling blossoms seemed to possess a divine power, their patterns teeming with a sinister vitality.

Yue Fei, having taken over Calves, had undergone a complete transformation from male to female, embodying the form she had previously revealed. Her eyes, curved like crescent moons, shone with a chilling light that sent shivers down one's spine.

Yet now, she was engulfed in a sea of peach blossoms.

The sky was awash with peach blossoms that encircled her like an ocean, with beams of radiant light slashing through the air like blades.

Snap! Snap!

With a flick of Yue Fei's sleeves, the blossoms were ground into dust, scattering light in all directions.

More blossoms sprouted from the branches, relentlessly pursuing Yue Fei.

Yu Yuan, tapping into his vitality and Soul Power, detected distinct scents emanating from the core of each blossom: the crystallized essence of archdemons, the condensed souls of human Solar Spirits, the chaotic fury of Warpbeasts, and the bloodthirsty madness of extraterrestrial dire beasts...

Hu Caiyun, having ascended back to the Unbound Realm, appeared capable of extracting and refining the residual power of all substances assimilated into the Rainbow Ocean, infusing it into the peach blossoms to strike at her foes.

Upon closer inspection, he realized that the clash between Peach Madam and Yue Fei would not yield a swift victor.

Yue Fei was formidable in her own right, her true strength yet to be unveiled as she delved into the mysteries of Calves' bloodline and the array of artifacts and rare treasures he held.

"Bertha, is it?" Yu Yuan's focus shifted to the elderly woman of the Moonlit Wanderers. With a smile, he said, "Release the Ashen Hollow's constraints. I'm pressed for time and must hasten to the Annihilation Nebula; I can't afford any delays."

Pattinson of the Shadowkin had just activated a clandestine device beneath the surface. Yet, it failed to liberate the Ashen Hollow from the gravitational pull of the neighboring land. The Ashen Hollow remained immobilized, ensnared by the adjacent terrain. Such an enigmatic land, if it lingered too long in this region, would inevitably attract unwanted attention. Whether it was the Human Clan, archdemons, or the regular armies of the Otherkin, all were aware that the Ashen Hollow's presence could spell additional trouble.

"I'm only detaining the Ashen Hollow of the King of Bandits, not you!" Bertha exclaimed with a huff. Her words conveyed that as a priestess of the Moonlit Wanderers, she felt no remorse in taking action against the unchecked bandits. If Yu Yuan was unhappy with the situation, he was free to take flight and leave the Ashen Hollow behind. In her own way, she believed she was justifiably aligning herself with Gull's interests. Gull had suffered grievous injuries and was afflicted by the Shadow Moon Essence, and she too was heartbroken and expressing her emotions.

"If you insist..." With a mere thought, Yu Yuan called forth the Dragon Slaying Stage. With his free hand, he gently clasped the pale stone. Before the astonished eyes of Pattinson and Elena, he abruptly shattered the Luminescent Barrier, standing amidst the Star River awash with corrupt psionic power. He gazed upon a tract of land, comparable in size to the Moonlit Domain, and observed its shimmering wall.

The Dragon Slaying Stage in his grasp began to radiate light, akin to temporal fissures, and the Star River before Yu Yuan appeared to be cleaved by the luminous display. Simultaneously, numerous vials filled with exotic toxins hovered around him. As one of the vials uncorked, the essence of poison from the flora of the Nirvana Realm cascaded toward the distant land like a beam of light.

The silver wall, already weakened by the Dragon Slaying Stage and the rift-like beams, turned exceedingly fragile. As the essence of poison, gathered by the Bane, drenched the land, the wall ignited upon contact, burning instantly.

"What are you doing?!" Bertha cried out in alarm.

The Silvermoon Queen's face also turned grave.

"That stone, along with the bizarre poison he amassed in the Nirvana Realm, can dissolve the wall of an entire little world!" Benin of the Voidweaver tribe could no longer remain seated, her complexion ashen. "Please, don't proceed with this! The land will transform into another Nirvana Realm! Every one of the Moonlit Wanderers will either perish or be transmuted into Warpbeasts!"

Members of the Moonlit Wanderers who lacked the credentials to ascend to the Moonlit Domain resided on the adjacent land.

Much like the inhabitants of the Everlands, the lineage of these Moonlit Wanderers was predominantly below the fifth level. When exposed to the corrupting influence of tainted cosmic energy, the consequences were predictable.

The same kind of nightmare that occurred in the Nirvana Realm could easily unfold here.

"Bertha, do you think the wall of this land, once dissolved, could still be contained by a magnetic field?" Yu Yuan asked with a smile. "And, do you truly wish to witness the extinction of all the Moonlit Wanderers under your jurisdiction?"

"No! I don't want that! I know what must be done now!"

The potential disaster depicted by Benin and Yu Yuan shattered Bertha's mental defenses. Her fear-stricken mind, previously swayed by Gull, regained clarity. "I'll release you at once!"

The Lunar Wand transformed into a beam of light, descending upon the land that housed both a town and a small kingdom.

It burrowed into a secret region beneath the surface.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Following three distinct quakes within the land, the previously immobilized Ashen Hollow burst forth like an untamed stallion.

Yu Yuan chuckled, refraining from further action, and floated down into the Ashen Hollow.

"Just as it should be."

He withdrew the Dragon Slaying Stage and looked back at the land now behind the Ashen Hollow. He advised Bertha, "I suggest you make haste to mend the fractured corner of the wall. If not, the breach will only widen, and the land will continue to suffer."

"You heartless fiend!"

Bertha seethed, her gaze fixed on him.

Eventually, she reluctantly mounted a cushion formed from Moon Lake and departed the Ashen Hollow, ignoring Gull's howls of rage and frustration.

"Gull, we stand no chance against him; we cannot defeat him," Bertha murmured, her voice tinged with helplessness. "Besides, I can't bear the thought of you dying at his hands!"

"I want to stand with Lady Yue Fei in battle!" Gull shrieked.

"She... she might not be victorious either..."

Bertha whispered under her breath, and the Moon Lake cushion beneath her transformed into a sphere of moonlight, shooting out of the Ashen Hollow and descending into the sky above the fractured ground.

From within the cushion, Moon Lakes shifted toward the fissure, their radiant moonlight bursting forth in an effort to mend the breach.

She was aware that Yu Yuan wasn't merely spouting nonsense. If the crack's "poisonous fire" were allowed to rage unchecked, the land's wall would disintegrate, and her people, the Moonlit Wanderers, might face extinction.

As the steward of this Astral Domain, she would be held accountable, undoubtedly facing thorough investigation.

Moreover, she was troubled by her own conscience.

Much later.

Rosny of the Shadowkin and Shura General Fernand, both Kings of Bandits, arrived aboard a small starship without any of their followers.

"The Ashen Hollow was once here!"

Rosny fearlessly confronted Bertha, his expression grim, "I also noticed you wielded the power of the waning moon in an attempt to destroy the Voidfarer I crafted! Lady Priestess, where might the Ashen Hollow be now, and my brother?"

Both at the ninth level, neither he nor Fernand feared Bertha.

Having just repaired the damaged wall, Bertha regarded the two other Kings of Bandits who had belatedly arrived. After a moment's contemplation, she said, "They've gone to the Annihilation Nebula. What about you?"

"My daughter has been taken," Fernand stated, his face set in a cold mask.

"My brother, along with the Ashen Hollow, has been taken hostage!" Rosny declared.

The ancient Moonfiend, Gull, had once again merged with Bertha, and they exchanged thoughts swiftly.

Before long, Bertha reached a decision. She eyed the starship the two men had arrived in and said, "It's not as swift as the Ashen Hollow. There's no way it can catch up."

Rosny retorted, "I don't need your reminder!"

"I can assist you," Bertha offered, her resolve influenced by Gull. "You're aware this Star River is under the Moonlit Wanderers' jurisdiction. We have numerous sentries and a wealth of resources at our disposal."

Upon hearing this, Fernand's surprise was evident.

Bertha, a high-ranking priestess of the Moonlit Wanderers and a member of the official army of the extraterrestrial races, despised all bandits with a passion.

Their unease grew when Bertha offered to help them, suspecting a ruse.

"Our common enemy is the one who has taken the Ashen Hollow," Bertha clarified.

"Go on," urged Rosny.

...

The Ashen Hollow resumed its voyage.

Yu Yuan squinted as he observed the vibrant Rainbow Ocean, noting that the fierce battle between Peach Madam and Yue Fei was reaching its climax.

"Yu Yuan, I can shatter her Moonlit Wanderer form. When her soul flees, I'll need your assistance!" Peach Madam exclaimed, having seen Yu Yuan's devastating Spiritrend attack on Gull. She was confident that Yue Fei, lacking her demonform, would be equally vulnerable.

She sought an alliance with Yu Yuan, aiming to defeat Yue Fei in the Ashen Hollow without incurring severe losses.

"Rest assured, once she's without her demonform and reduced to just her soul, she won't escape," Yu Yuan assured with a casual smile. He glanced at the Crucible of Evil emerging from a nearby tower. "She won't just fail to escape; she'll be refined by the Crucible of Evil into another formidable Bane!"

In that moment, he felt Yu Yiyi's presence and knew that after a period of refinement, she had undergone a remarkable transformation and had grown even stronger.

Besides Yu Yiyi, four other formidable Bane stood ready to join her in battle. With the cauldron spirit, these Bane as the formation's nexus, and the Frost Queen at his disposal, Yu Yuan was certain that the ancient Moonfiend could not elude his grasp.

Even with the Silvermoon Queen involved, he was convinced that Yue Fei's fate was sealed.

"Yu, Yu Yuan..." Lee Yupan, who had remained in the Ashen Hollow, overheard his conversation with Hu Caiyun and saw his confident demeanor. With a look of concern, he interjected, "Could you possibly spare Yue Fei's life as a favor to me? You're aware she's not targeting you, but is after Nie Qingtian's sword sheath and sword spell."

"Let her go?" Yu Yuan's mouth twitched slightly. "On my first visit to the Moonfall Sanctuary, her devil soul caused all the trouble. Your Majesty, are you aware that many trial-takers perished because of her?"

"The part of her that remained within the forbidden area is unaware of many things," the Silvermoon Queen clarified.

Yue Fei, left behind in the forbidden area, was oblivious to the schemes of her other self. However, the Yue Fei residing within the Silvermoon Queen was privy to everything.

Yet, even with this knowledge, the Yue Fei within the Queen remained indifferent. As the most formidable of the ancient Moonfiends, her only concern was Lee Yupan, who bore the bloodline of the Moonlit Wanderers. The fate of the Silvermoon Empire's citizens was of no consequence to her.

"Please do me this favor and spare her life," Lee Yupan implored, seeing Yu Yuan's silence. "The ancient Moonfiend Clan has few experts left. With the Star-Spawned Terror and Boulderdawn now closely aligned, there's no need for total annihilation."

Yu Yuan felt somewhat uneasy as he watched the former queen plead for the Moonfiend's life. He pondered in silence.

"Of course, I'm willing to exchange some valuable information for her survival," the Silvermoon Queen added.

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