C115 Golden Skeleton!

Moonlight cascaded from the heavens like liquid silver, bathing the stone forest where fragments of the moon lay scattered. At the forefront of a trio stood a young girl in white, her body now the vessel for the mightiest of Moon Demons.

Her eyes, a luminous green, shone with the clarity of jade, as if two emeralds were set within her sockets.

This body was a more seamless fit than Fong Xin's, the previous host, granting her the capacity to unleash formidable power in combat.

The celestial moonlight, weaving into countless strands of icy luminescence, was eagerly absorbed by her.

A perceptive cultivator like Lee Yuchan, with his penetrating insight, would notice that her bones had transformed into a lattice of green crystal.

Hard, clear, and emitting an eerie glow, her crystalline skeleton signified the intense refinement she had subjected her new body to.

She was confident that should she face Yu Yuan once more, even his devastating strike that once rent her soul from flesh would be withstood by her now rock-solid form.

Even if flesh were torn asunder, as long as her crystalline bones remained intact, she could retain up to ninety percent of her battle prowess.

With such strength, dispatching a swordless Yu Yuan and his underlings would be as effortless as turning one's hand.

"Master."

Her contemplation was interrupted by her two followers, who gazed fearfully beyond the stone forest. "Beyond this point lies uncharted territory for our clan," they warned.

"The land ahead has been forbidden for ten million years," another follower added, his voice a ghostly whisper. "We were exiled from our homeland by the sword-bearer, tasked with reinforcing the seal and suppressing them. One more step, and we risk facing the unknown."

"Fear not," the Moon Demon's eyes, bright as green jade, sparkled with anticipation. "Those confined within the forbidden depths yearn for our aid. We harbor no true conflict with them. We are not of this place. Should we break free, our path leads upward."

She raised her gaze to the heavens, fixating on the crescent moon, her thoughts adrift in memories of home.

"How many years has it been? I wonder if any of our kin have survived. Among the myriad Devaputra, our Moon Demon Clan is but a lesser force. Our once cherished homeland is now merely a proving ground for the human race's mighty cultivators and their Yang Gods."

"Our home lies in ruins, our kin have perished, and it's possible that aside from us, our entire clan has been wiped out."

As she spoke, a wellspring of boundless hatred surged within her emerald eyes, threatening to engulf the heavens and the earth.

"I am determined to break the seals of this forbidden land, to unleash the malevolent spirits and monstrous demons that have been trapped for eons!"

Her voice, a dark incantation, made the chilling winds seem to wail in sympathy.

"The Profound Sky Continent is the cornerstone of both the Quietus and Heavenly Source Continents. This land is steeped in anguish, its inhabitants decimated. Without new disciples for ages, the other two continents suffer."

"For the sake of our homeland, for the memory of our fallen clansmen, I yearn to see this continent awash in blood, cries of agony filling the air!"

With her head held high, she strode past the stone forest and into the heart of the forbidden zone, the other two trailing closely behind.

The trio slowly vanished into the distance.

...

Deep within the forbidden area, Lee Yu, Yan Lu, and their companions scoured the vast crater, seeking their fortunes.

Zhao Yafu, among them, had come upon an archaic dragon-shaped jade pendant.

Time and damage had taken their toll on the pendant, rendering it of little use to those of higher cultivation realms.

Indeed, the early explorers from all three continents were of extraordinary might, with practitioners of the Yin God, Soul Wandering, and Yang God Stages being commonplace.

To such individuals, a severely damaged dragon-shaped jade pendant held little value.

Yet for Zhao Yafu, a lingering trace of dragon's breath within the pendant still held promise. With her spiritual energy, she connected to it, her life force drawing it forth, slowly reaping its benefits.

Few were as fortunate as she.

The majority of the survivors found nothing, quickly succumbing to disillusionment.

In one corner of the deep pit lay several broad stone pathways, their destinations a mystery.

Suddenly, the echo of heavy footsteps resonated from one particularly spacious stone path, alarming everyone present.

"There's... there's something coming!"

Yuan Tine leapt to his feet from his seated meditation, the closest to the stone path, and swiftly turned to investigate.

"Ah!"

He let out a startled cry and retreated in a flurry of panic.

In that moment, he captured the rapt attention of everyone present.

Yu Yuan's eyes sparkled as he turned to Lee Yu and said, "Newcomer, I'll draw him off. You and your aunt coordinate to take him elsewhere."

Before Lee Yu could respond, Lee Yuchan's shoulders quivered slightly as she looked to him with an inquiring gaze.

Yu Yuan gave a subtle nod. "The soul trapped within is fragmented, yet it's a perfect match for you."

Lee Yuchan's eyes shone with anticipation.

"What is it, Yuan Tine?" Zhan Tianxiang demanded.

"A golden skeleton, human-shaped!" Yuan Tine bellowed.

No sooner had he spoken than a nearly two-meter-tall humanoid skeleton came into view.

Crafted as if from poured gold, it gleamed brilliantly, its brow pierced by some sharp weapon.

Yet within its hollow skull flickered a dark red flame, burning fitfully like a candle buffeted by the wind.

The dark red flame radiated a distinctly soulful presence, guiding the golden skeleton as it emerged step by step from the depths of the stone pathway.

"That flame?" Lee Yuchan's face registered shock. "A soul fragment?"

The flame burned dark red, its glow reminiscent of fire, yet the aura it cast was chillingly cold.

"The shattered Yang God's essence has been recondensed," Yu Yuan said with a deep gaze. "In life, this person was a formidable Yang God Stage practitioner, but a blade through the brain ended him, obliterating his Yin God and tearing apart his Yang God. A strand of the Yang God's essence managed to escape amidst the destruction."

"Sadly, even the escaping strand of Yang God essence was still repressed by the forbidden area's array, confined to a specific spot within the cavern."

"With the world's transformation, the array containing the Yang God essence underwent a realignment, allowing it to break free and instinctively seek out its former vessel."

Yu Yuan recounted the details as if recounting family lore, his own expression turning peculiar.

He touched his head, feeling the presence of the sword soul within his arm, and inquired inwardly, "Did you tell me this?"

The sword soul remained silent, yet warmth began to spread through the bones of his arm.

"You!"

Yu Yuan let out a cold huff and fixed his gaze on the golden skeleton, eyeing the flicker of dark flame within it.

Abruptly, the flame began to dance wildly!

As if sensing the presence of its arch-nemesis, the golden skeleton charged at Yu Yuan with sudden ferocity. It seemed to understand that by slaying Yu Yuan, it could break free, reassemble its scattered soul fragments, and be reborn into the world.

"Everyone else, stay put. Sister Lee, Lee Yu, follow me!"

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