C111 Soul Severing!

In the depths of Moonfall, Yu Yuan appeared to be in a trance, as if possessed, as he ventured further into the cavern alone.

Lee Yuchan and the others watched him with puzzled expressions, unsure of what was unfolding.

It wasn't long before Yu Yuan reached a pit and quietly descended the stone steps.

Lee Yuchan, Lee Yu, Su Yan, Zhan Tianxiang, and the rest followed in silence, refraining from asking questions.

Lee Yuchan even signaled the younger elites to remain silent and pointed to Yu Yuan's arms, hinting at something peculiar about them.

Lee Yu and the others caught on without a word.

Roughly half an hour later, Yu Yuan arrived at a tiny cave in the center of the rock wall, large enough to accommodate only two or three people.

The walls of the cave were smooth as jade, devoid of any abnormalities, patterns, or unusual lines.

However, as soon as Yu Yuan stepped inside, the walls began to glow.

The smooth walls transformed into a mirror, revealing several phantoms with long wings.

The phantoms, as if sensing death, desperately tried to hide.

Yet, the smooth stone wall, seemingly forced to reveal its secrets by the intense heat of Yu Yuan's sword light, shone brightly, exposing the alien souls as clearly as a demon-revealing mirror.

"Evil spirits!" exclaimed Lee Yuchan from another entrance, her eyes as cold as ice.

"The soul trapped within the wall exudes an aura of ancient and profound evil. My spiritual sense is unsettled just trying to perceive them. It's as if they don't belong to this era, having been imprisoned for untold years."

Upon hearing this, Lee Yu and the others' faces turned ashen.

Yu Yuan's hand shot out towards the wall.

With a hiss, his arm, sharp as a sword, pierced the wall as easily as if it were tofu.

A profound, vast, and ancient sword's will burst forth from within the smooth wall.

The boundless sword's will filled the little world inside the wall, turning into a dense web of sword light that left no room for the souls to hide or escape.

From outside, Lee Yu and the others could see the winged phantoms being shredded by the sword's will.

Quickly, the smooth wall returned to its original state.

Yu Yuan's hand, as if retrieved from water, left ripples dancing across the rock face.

In the moment he withdrew his hand, his previously hazy consciousness snapped into sharp focus. He stared at the wall before him, reflecting on his recent actions, a frown slowly creasing his brow.

The sword light branded on his arm, containing the sword spirit, had seemingly evolved since his arrival in this new realm. The sword spirit's self-awareness and perception appeared to be amplified.

The sword's will, burdened with a mission, transformed his body and arm into a blade to slay the malevolent soul spirits that were meant to be subdued here.

"The sword spirit, lacking its physical form, wields my body as its blade! The former sword spirit overpowered my heaven soul, nearly obliterating my spiritual wisdom," Yu Yuan realized, swiftly regaining his composure and concentrating his spiritual sense.

To his astonishment, when the sword spirit took the lead in combat, the weariness of his soul significantly diminished. The sword spirit had taken on much of the burden for him.

In this state, he could wield his sword and strike several more blows, unlike before when facing the formidable Moonfiend, where one hit would leave him unconscious.

"Are you acting in my best interest?" Yu Yuan pondered, his expression cooling as he internally declared, "My spiritual wisdom and consciousness are mine to command! I refuse to let your thoughts and awareness dominate mine! Understand this: I am the leader, and you are the support!"

Whether the sword spirit could comprehend or heed his inner voice, he needed to make his stance clear.

Wasn't the sword spirit's dominance over him akin to the Moonfiend possessing Feng Xin, Zhu Huan, Lou Ling, and the others? If this were to set a precedent, could there come a time when the sword spirit would usurp his body to traverse the world, while his three souls of heaven, earth, and man gradually extinguished?

This chilling prospect sent a shiver down Yu Yuan's spine.

It was then that Lee Yuchan gestured for the others to stay back. She vaulted gracefully, landing like a streak of cold lightning in the cave where Yu Yuan stood. "There was something off about you just now. A complex, alien will, not of human origin, seemed to have taken precedence over you," she observed, addressing Yu Yuan in a gentle tone.

"The will I've harnessed is the sword spirit that seems inherently linked to the Moonfall Sanctuary," Yu Yuan revealed openly. "Using me as both the medium and the blade, the sword spirit eradicated the malevolent soul that had been sealed within the rock for ages."

"Those weren't Moonfiends?" Lee Yuchan sought confirmation.

"They didn't resemble Moonfiends," Yu Yuan pondered before responding. "They appeared to be soul spirits even more ancient than the Moonfiends. The impression they gave me was certainly not that of a human soul."

After a brief pause, he continued, "I have this sense that the Moonfall Sanctuary harbors many more such soul spirits. They've remained hidden, undiscovered until now, likely because the balance between day and night was maintained."

Lee Yuchan was taken aback. "Are you suggesting that the prolonged cold nights and the awakening of the Moonfiends have triggered a chain of events? That the emergence of these soul spirits is due to a cataclysmic shift?"

"That's my belief," Yu Yuan affirmed.

Unbeknownst to Lee Yuchan, the Silvermoon Empire was already besieged by a myriad of malevolent spirits and monsters, leaving the great families struggling to cope.

Yu Yuan's speculation alerted her to the potential for more disturbances deep within the Moonfall Sanctuary.

"I'm now convinced that their escape from the Moonfiends was indeed thanks to you," Lee Yuchan's icy gaze softened as she looked at Yu Yuan. "It looks like I'll be depending on you, even in the heart of the forbidden zone."

"We should head to the Crimson Sun Empire," Yu Yuan proposed.

"What?" Lee Yuchan exclaimed, startled.

"Taking the route to the Crimson Sun Empire is the right move," Yu Yuan asserted with newfound confidence. "I also believe the upheaval from the Moonfall Sanctuary will engulf the Crimson Sun Empire. Even with our empires united, quelling this upheaval might prove challenging."

"You're serious about this?"

"Completely."

"And you're certain we won't be met with immediate execution upon setting foot in the Crimson Sun Empire?"

"We won't."

"Fine."

Within the confines of the modest cave, Lee Yuchan and Yu Yuan swiftly came to a consensus.

For some inexplicable reason, Lee Yuchan couldn't shake off a nagging feeling.

The young master of the Yu family in Asvetaesi was a formidable peer, capable of stabilizing the situation at critical moments, even capable of turning the tide.

Next.

While exploring the depths of the forbidden area, Yu Yuan would occasionally feel a burning sensation in his arms.

The sword spirit, attuned to his desires, no longer imposed its will over his, allowing him to take the lead.

Time and again, Yu Yuan could sense the presence of evil souls in the nooks of the cave, within the fissures of the earth, or amidst ancient carvings, all thanks to the sword spirit's premonitions. With a swift strike of his sword, he would vanquish them.

Each swing left Yu Yuan drained and dizzy, yet he never succumbed to unconsciousness.

Gradually, Yu Yuan realized that with each successive swing and recovery, his three souls—of heaven, earth, and man, particularly the heaven soul—were growing stronger at an astonishing rate.

Wielding his sword might have been inefficient, but it was the quickest way to refine his heaven soul.

"Soul Awakening, the forging of the body, the slaying of souls, and the purification of the heaven soul. This deep venture into the forbidden area is set to be the most pivotal challenge in my path of cultivation, one that will establish the sturdiest foundation for my future!"

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