C1126 The Two Empresses

The cold moon, a manifestation of pure moon energy, revealed a delicate silhouette within its luminous glow.

In the dark, frigid expanse of the Star River, the cold moon was swiftly drawing near. Yu Yuan, peering intently, soon recognized the approaching figures.

They were the Silvermoon Queen, Lee Yupan, and the ancient Moonfiend, Yue Fei.

During their last encounter, Yupan had disclosed the location of the Titanblade to him, suggesting that he could venture to the Dark Realm to claim the sword once his strength and realm were sufficient.

Yet, in the Ionodios Realm not long ago, he learned a troubling fact.

Regardless of his power or realm, the presence of the sword spirit within him would immediately alert the Blood King Sabonis upon entering the Dark Realm.

In that domain, Sabonis might be a match for a God-King, so what chance would he stand?

He began to doubt the Silvermoon Queen's motives in revealing the Titanblade's location—could there be malice behind her guidance?

With a whoosh, the cold moon transformed into a beam of silver light, descending upon his location. This confirmed his suspicion that the Silvermoon Queen was indeed the one Tan Junshan and Winona were expecting.

"Yu Yuan? What brings you here?"

Lee Yupan, slender with an air of icy elegance, had arrived on a crescent moon. As she descended, the crescent morphed into Yue Fei, a member of the ancient Moonfiend clan.

Yue Fei's body had once belonged to Calves, the King of Bandits and a ninth-level member of the Moonlit Wanderers.

After the possession, Yue Fei's visage altered, taking on a feminine form.

"Heh."

Stepping out from behind Yu Yiyi, the Frost Queen emerged, her gaze settling on Lee Yupan, who shared the Moonlit Wanderers' lineage, and Yue Fei, who had usurped Calves. Her ice-blue eyes sparkled with an enigmatic light.

"At last, my memories are restored," Yue Fei uttered with a light huff.

"You two?"

The Silvermoon Queen, Lee Yupan, eyed Yue Fei, who had been with her for many years, and then the Frost Queen, with her beautifully curved upper body and scorpion-like lower half. She expressed her astonishment, "Do you actually know each other?"

Yu Yuan shared in the surprise.

The Frost Queen was a formidable Frostfiend. In times past, she had been absorbed by the Crucible of Evil at the bottom of the Embers Sea, her soul altered, becoming a Bane.

After numerous enhancements and advancements, he eventually became the ultimate Bane, with all his memories fully restored.

Yue Fei, on the other hand, hailed from the ancient Moonfiend lineage, a branch of the Sky Fiend. Due to Nie Qingtian's Moon Slayer, a Moon Shard fell into the Moonfall Sanctuary, resulting in her entrapment.

Both belonging to the Star-Spawned Terror and confined within the Everlands, they also shared the commonality of being female...

"We're acquainted, but we never had much of a connection before. We were actually rivals," Yue Fei, of the ancient Moonfiend Clan, reflected with a sigh. "Our clan was nearly eradicated by Nie Qingtian. The few of us that survived had to depend on the Moonlit Wanderers to cling to life. The Frostfiend weren't much better off; after their progenitor's demise, their power plummeted, and they lost their standing among the Sky Fiend ranks."

Yue Fei glanced at the Frost Queen as she spoke.

The Frost Queen's brow furrowed slightly, and she remained silent, her spirits somewhat dampened.

"What a stroke of luck," Yu Yuan said with a smile, nodding. He then saw Tan Junshan and Winona emerge from underground, seemingly aware of Lee Yupan and Yue Fei's arrival.

"How many have you invited to share in the spoils of the Lunarphite's body?" Yu Yuan inquired.

Not only could the Songbird Queen, Tan Junshan, and Winona utilize and assimilate the moon energy, but Lee Yupan and Yue Fei also possessed such capabilities and arcane knowledge. With all four present, Yu Yuan wondered if the residual moon energy from a fallen Dark Deity would be sufficient for them to divide amongst themselves.

"Young man, don't fret over it," Tan Junshan said as he swiftly joined the Silvermoon Queen, his smile fading. He nodded respectfully and asked, "Any leads on breaking through to the Unbound realm?"

"Not at the moment," Lee Yupan replied with a sigh.

"However, her Moonlit Wanderers' bloodline is advancing at an exceptionally rapid pace," Yue Fei commented, her eyes, sharp as crescent moons, gleaming with a mischievous light. "If all goes well, she could leverage the Lunarphite's body to elevate her bloodline to the ninth level. At that point, her unique bloodline might just enable her to advance the human spiritual energy system and discover a method to access the Unbound State."

Tan Junshan and Winona looked at Lee Yupan in surprise upon hearing her words.

Yu Yuan felt an odd sensation stirring within him.

The enigmatic sect master of the Moon Sect, to whom Tan Junshan was loyal, also possessed the bloodline of the Moonlit Wanderers and had ascended to godhood with the aid of the Boulderdawn Sect and the Chamber of Commerce.

Winona, along with many of the Moonlit Wanderers, had already accepted her leadership.

Lee Yupan, too, carried the bloodline of the Moonlit Wanderers. Moreover, she had been host to the Moonfiend for many years. Using the power of humanity, she had ascended to the realm of the Solar Spirit. In the vast expanse of the Star River, her bloodline was no longer suppressed. Once revealed, her advancement was swift and fierce. Could it be that she truly wished to fully integrate with the Moonlit Wanderers?

With the ascension of the Moon Sect's deity, the Moonlit Wanderers' status among the Star River civilizations had risen markedly.

With the Boulderdawn Sect paving the way, it seemed likely that the Moonlit Wanderers would soon join the ranks of first-level intelligent life forms such as the Dawnbringers, Shura, and Starborn.

With such a deity among them, mixed-blood individuals like Lee Yupan would undoubtedly be embraced.

A cascade of thoughts raced through Yu Yuan's mind, and he felt he was beginning to understand the bigger picture.

"When you manage to elevate the Moonlit Wanderers' bloodline to the ninth level, I will take you to meet her," Tan Junshan said, gazing intently at Lee Yupan before turning to Yue Fei. "Most of the surviving members of the Moonfiend clan reside within the Moonlit Wanderers' territory. If all goes well, I'll also take you to meet more of your kin."

A bittersweet complexity flickered in Yue Fei's eyes as she said with self-deprecating irony, "There's an old saying in the Everlands: 'When one ascends to godhood, even their dogs and chickens rise to heaven.' The entire Moonlit Wanderers have undergone an earth-shattering transformation because of one mixed-blood girl born among us."

"The Moonlit Wanderers are merely the first to attempt this. There may be many more to follow," Tan Junshan said with a sly chuckle.

"Indeed, it is easier for humans and Moonlit Wanderers to conceive. Other races seem to face greater challenges when mingling with humans, with a much lower probability of success," Winona remarked dispassionately.

As they engaged in casual conversation, the Songbird Queen remained conspicuously absent, leaving everyone wondering about her whereabouts.

Half a day later, the earth beneath them trembled violently. It seemed as though a concealed formation had been triggered, unleashing a cataclysmic shift in the subterranean world.

With a swift whoosh, the Bane that Yu Yiyi had set free emerged from a fissure below, taking the form of a spiritual cat as it landed in Yu Yiyi's embrace. The cat's eyes sparkled with excitement, eagerly communicating something to her.

"The Songbird Queen is breaking the seal," Yu Yiyi explained to Yu Yuan, still cradling the cat.

"Yu Yuan, stay outside for now. The outer layer of the seal doesn't require your intervention," Tan Junshan said with a grave tone. "The Moonshield's shattering demands our collective effort. During the destruction, we'll see who can harness and absorb the most moon energy."

Winona, Lee Yupan, and Yue Fei all showed signs of excitement at the mention of this task.

"Moonshield?" Yu Yuan inquired with a mix of curiosity and bewilderment.

"The Lunarphite's demon energy, combined with the purest moon energy, has solidified into an armor-like substance," Tan Junshan clarified. "It's incredibly durable, and only those of us who have mastered the subtleties of moonlight can break it down and assimilate it."

"Relying solely on brute force or a Divine Weapon would alert the Blood Fiend's elders before we could even penetrate its surface. Zagreus is the domain of the Sky Fiends, and despite Greco's recklessness, he is still revered by many young Sky Fiends."

"No one wants to be ambushed by a horde of Sky Fiends without having seen anything."

Winona and Lee Yupan, heeding his warning, adopted a more cautious stance.

The Star-Spawned Terror was already among the most formidable powers in the Star River, rivaling the human and evilkind populations of the Everlands. The Sky Fiends had once reigned supreme over the Star River, and their current might still surpassed that of the Shura, Starborn, Dawnbringers, and Shadowkin.

"Alright, we'll head down first. Yu Yuan, you wait here," Winona instructed gently.

With that, the four individuals capable of harnessing and refining moon energy descended into the depths, seemingly in sync with Chen Qinghuang's efforts to dismantle the so-called Moonshield.

"Master, watch out for Yue Fei."

...