C114 See Through
Lee Yuchan followed Yu Yuan to the edge of a battlefield strewn with the bones of the human race.
Yu Yuan paused, standing amidst the numerous human skeletons, and said, "The owners of these remains were all at the Lunar Spirit level or higher during their lifetimes."
Lee Yuchan, whose presence was as chilling as a blade's edge, wore armor that reeked of blood. She furrowed her brow and asked coldly, "What are you getting at?"
"Lee, I've heard that your cultivation is in the late period of Subtlety, and you have the potential to advance to a Lunar Spirit," Yu Yuan remarked as he stepped on a skeleton, causing a crackling sound as the bones shattered beneath his foot. "Is that true?"
Lee Yuchan replied sternly, "You should show some basic respect for our deceased elders!"
"What if I told you that the Lunar Spirit of this deceased elder escaped its mortal shell and has become an evil soul of the forbidden area?" Yu Yuan said with a smirk. "The sword spirit I've acquired has an innate aversion to this skeleton."
"A Lunar Spirit transformed into an evil soul within the forbidden area?" Lee Yuchan's expression darkened.
"I've recently developed a theory," Yu Yuan mused for a few seconds before continuing. "This world might not be limited to the Moonfall Sanctuary. The Moonfiend we encountered at the beginning of our trials may just be one of the extraneous entities."
He gazed at the skeletons—some human, some Fellbeast, and others non-human—and said, "The outsiders aren't just Moonfiends. There are also ancient Evil Devils that have been suppressed here."
Recently, under the guidance of the sword spirit, he had sporadically slain several alien souls and evil entities.
They were relatively weak.
Among them, some alien souls had once been incredibly powerful.
Their emanating aura was terrifying, as if the world itself found them abhorrent.
The reason he could dispatch them with ease was that these alien souls and evil entities had been weakened by eons of confinement, their Soul Power eroded, leaving them frail.
Thus, he was able to leverage the power of the sword spirit, along with the hidden arrays within the forbidden area, to vanquish them.
Had these evil souls and entities not been so weakened, on the brink of extinction, and had they remained at their peak, he would have stood no chance of inflicting any damage upon them.
"What are you trying to say?" Lee Yuchan pressed.
"This world is likely sealed with alien souls far more dreadful than the Moonfiend!" Yu Yuan inhaled deeply and declared, "I don't know where they are, but they must still be alive! At the late period of Subtlety, have you never considered condensing your Lunar Spirit and advancing by force?"
"What?" Lee Yuchan was thunderstruck. "Advancing to Lunar Spirit is no trifling matter. Stepping into that realm requires extensive preparation, protection, and coordination!"
To her, this chaotic, disordered forbidden area seemed entirely unsuitable for the Lunar Spirit's advancement. One should choose the safest location for such a transition, preferably with stronger individuals for protection, and ensure that all magic items and pills are secured before daring to attempt the advancement.
But certainly not now!
"If you attempt to reach Lunar Spirit elsewhere, I won't be able to assist you," Yu Yuan said with a grave expression, clearly not in jest. "However, in this realm, I can lend you a hand. Moreover, there are many methods to transform an earthly soul into a Lunar Spirit. If you need pure Soul Power or the sacrifice of a soul, both your nephew Lee Yu and I can help."
After speaking, Yu Yuan watched her in silence.
There was no hint of joy in Lee Yuchan's eyes, only wariness. "What exactly do you know?"
"Your spell has no ties to the Colddeath Cult, but the refinement into Lunar Spirit still necessitates the sacrifice of a soul," Yu Yuan said with a sly grin. "In truth, you've already accumulated enough to step into the Lunar Spirit. Your hesitation to break through is due to many concerns, isn't it? Perhaps because you haven't yet found the soul you need to sacrifice?"
At his words, Lee Yuchan's aura bristled with lethal intent.
Lee Yu, sensing the tension, immediately looked over.
"It's okay, just having a chat with Sister Lee. No need to worry," Yu Yuan called out, ensuring Lee Yu settled down before he narrowed his eyes and continued to gaze at Lee Yuchan fearlessly. "You should be aware by now that in this forbidden area, I pose a significant threat to you. So, don't even think about making a move against me."
Lee Yuchan's mind flashed back to the recent incident with Zhan Tianxiang and Yu Yuan. A chill settled in her heart as she looked up at the clouds, feeling as if the layers above were teeming with numerous Heavenly Thunder Spells that Yu Yuan could potentially harness to annihilate all life in the forbidden area.
With this realization, she regained her composure. "How did you figure it out?"
Practicing dark arts is permitted on the Aetherius Continent, and they are not considered forbidden spells.
However, the methods of the Colddeath, which involve sacrificing other soul spirits to advance to a Lunar Spirit, are strictly taboo.
In essence, using the sacrifice of other souls to achieve one's own Lunar Spirit is scorned by both practitioners of dark arts and devil cultivators.
This is precisely why Lee Yuchan hesitated to openly break through to the next realm. Partly due to the unique nature of her spell, and partly because she lacked a soul that could assist her in condensing a Lunar Spirit.
"Don't concern yourself with how I know," Yu Yuan stated earnestly. "Here, I require the aid of a Lunar Spirit. And you are the only one who stands a chance of breaking through to the Lunar Spirit realm in a short time."
"The spell I'm cultivating..." Yuchan's face betrayed her discomfort.
"This forbidden area is sealed off, hidden from the outside world," Yu Yuan said with a smile. "It teems with various souls, and I am capable of vanquishing them for your benefit. Surely you must agree, there's no better place for your advancement to the Lunar Spirit realm than here?"
Yuchan was clearly swayed by his argument.
Outside of the forbidden area, attempting to condense the Lunar Spirit back in the Empire would risk exposure.
Yu Yuan had a point. If it were possible to make a breakthrough in this secluded realm, who could detect anything amiss once the Lunar Spirit was refined?
"Can you truly assist me?" she asked in a hushed tone.
"I can, but should you succeed and become a Lunar Spirit, I will need you to align with my mindset until we return to the Empire," Yu Yuan replied.
"So you expect me to obey you?"
"That's one way to put it, but this only applies until we return to the Empire. How does that sound to you?"
"And if my attempt to reach the Lunar Spirit fails?"
"Then there's nothing more to discuss. If you fail, I might dispose of you just as I would those tainted souls."
Yu Yuan delivered these words with a casual, matter-of-fact air.
A shiver ran down Yuchan's spine.
She had been silently following him for a while now, witnessing too many times how Yu Yuan, without a flicker of emotion, scattered the souls of those who were sealed and restrained.
The sense of detachment and numbness she felt was unsettling.
She found it difficult to conceive how the young master of the Yu family from Asvetaesi could so casually extinguish such once vicious souls with such composure.
"If I don't succeed, will you kill me?" she asked for confirmation.
"A Lunar Spirit that fails is highly likely to mutate into something else within the forbidden area," Yu Yuan said with a shrug. "In that case, it's my duty to preemptively eliminate any potential threats. So, Lee, you'd best succeed. Otherwise, don't hold it against me for being ruthless."
"You're not setting me up, are you?" Lee Yuchan inquired.
Yu Yuan flashed a smile. "We bear no ill will towards each other, and I need the assistance of a Lunar Spirit. There's no motive for me to betray you."
"Fine, I agree to your terms!" Lee Yuchan declared, her voice edged with determination.
