C117 The Landlord

Yu Yuan's arm bone gleamed like a constellation, each sword light shining like individual stars, casting a brilliance that was impossible to ignore. Lee Yuchan and Lee Yu's expressions shifted dramatically. To them, the moment Yu Yuan lifted his hand, it wasn't just his arm that illuminated; his entire being radiated light.

Lee Yuchan was particularly struck by the sight, finding it both profound and bizarre. She felt as though, with a mere lift of Yu Yuan's hand, a Grand Sword Immortal, capable of traversing the cosmos, had descended out of nowhere, transforming into his sword, ready to vanquish all the malevolent devil souls within the forbidden area.

Deep in the void, the clouds churned as if they had morphed into a colossal boa, stretching for miles and bellowing through the heavens and earth. Countless sword wills swam through the earth's depths like a myriad of fish.

Yu Yuan's hand, imprinted with the sword spirit on his arm bone, seemed to hold the key to command the heavens and the earth, unlocking the array that bound them.

The spiritual energy surged, wild and frenzied, converging on the resplendent golden skeleton of the Solar Spirit. A cacophony of fine golden lightning erupted from within the skeleton's bones. The golden skeleton, which had been lifeless for untold years and had only recently risen, suddenly fractured into fragments, losing all its luster and divine presence. The fragments turned to dust before even touching the ground, except for the skull, which shattered into a chaos of golden shards upon impact.

The previously imposing dark red flame, sensing imminent peril, instinctively fled.

"Heh," Yu Yuan chuckled dismissively. "Just as I thought, a mere fragment of the Solar Spirit's essence. Had you been wiser, you would have concealed yourself the instant you laid eyes on me and never emerged, no matter the threat."

With his command, "Break!" seven or eight sword lights in his arm bone suddenly interlinked, coalescing into a singular sword's will that shot straight toward the dark red flame. The flame, attempting to flee, burst apart into countless dark red sparks.

Lee Yu, ever vigilant, recognized the moment: "Soul Sacrifice!" Nine ancient spell symbols emerged from the Soul Orb, each one a voracious black hole eager to consume the scattered dark red lights.

A shimmering veil of greenish-blue light swept over like ripples on water, engulfing the flecks of dark red flame.

In that instant,

Lee Yuchan moved silently, arriving beneath the greenish-blue light in a flash.

Above her, at the crown of her head, threads of her spiritual sense wove together into an invisible web.

"Lee Yu!" she called out urgently.

Lee Yu was ready. He quickly retracted the Soul Orb, rendering the nine spells invisible.

The web of spiritual sense above Lee Yuchan's head trapped each speck of dark red light.

Like a spider's web ensnaring its prey.

The dark red flames, tugged by Lee Yuchan's spiritual web, reconverged, fusing once again.

Immediately, Lee Yuchan sat cross-legged and began to chant softly.

Each syllable she uttered echoed with the web, mysteriously resonating and causing the newly formed soul to ignite.

As the soul burned, a multitude of lights showered down upon Lee Yuchan's head, transforming into pure Soul Power that nourished her soul.

This was particularly true for her earthly soul.

If Yu Yuan's abilities were refined enough, he would see within Lee Yuchan's upper elixir field's Mindscape, her earthly soul morphing into a well, drawing water from the heavens.

This well water was the Soul Power gained from the sacrifice of a strand of the Solar Spirit.

Fine wisps of smoke, invisible to the naked eye, escaped from Lee Yuchan's ears.

Within the smoke lingered the Solar Spirit's stray thoughts, its reluctance, and the bitterness and anger bred from the world's poison after its demise.

All were cleansed from Lee Yuchan's body following the Shadow Curse's sacrifice.

"Not enough!"

Lee Yuchan, seated in meditation and offering up a strand of the Solar Spirit's residual soul, realized it was insufficient and exclaimed softly.

"Hmm, keep going. I'll look for more," Yu Yuan responded, fully aware that a mere wisp of the Solar Spirit's essence was inadequate for Lee Yuchan to refine her Lunar Spirit. "There's more nearby. No need to hurry."

"More?" Lee Yu inquired, intrigued.

"Why else would I have chosen this place?" Yu Yuan said with a bright smile to Lee Yu, "Smash these ice rocks!"

"Ice rocks?"

"Yes!"

Lee Yu hesitated only for a moment before he suddenly called forth the Gutrender.

In Lee Yu's hands, the Gutrender resembled a verdant dragon, exuding a tyrannical presence as it crashed into an ice rock.

"Boom!"

The ice rock shattered, sending innumerable ice blades, shards, and glimmers scattering in all directions.

Among them, strands of ice light, as if sentient, stealthily burrowed into the ground, attempting to flee.

"Ah!"

Lee Yu exclaimed, ready to summon the Soul Orb, when he noticed Lee Yuchan's eyes sparkled as she commanded, "Return, soul!"

Above her head, the web of spiritual sense transformed into a net, cascading over the earth.

The frosty ground hissed peculiarly, and then the strands of ice light, as if caught by something, descended towards Lee Yuchan's head.

Lee Yu possessed the Soul Orb, and Yu Yuan, adept at capturing heaven soul, managed to ensnare a few.

"Why didn't my Soul Orb detect that ice light as soul spirits?" Lee Yu asked, astonished.

"The ice rocks seal them, concealing their presence," Yu Yuan explained with a casual smile. "Besides, your Soul Orb isn't of a high enough grade yet."

He felt a burning sensation in the sword light on his arm as he approached with the golden skeleton.

Upon reaching the heart of the ice rock, he was convinced that many more glacial soul spirits were obscured by the thick ice, all carefully concealing their presence.

He also understood that all the ice soul spirits likely belonged to a single individual.

That person's soul had been shattered, with all remnant souls scattered here, not dissipating into the cosmos but instead merging with the ice rocks.

Had the world remained unchanged, that person's remnant souls would have been eternally sealed, without even the slightest ripple.

But now, with the awakening of the Moonfiend and the loosening of the array, the person's lingering will had begun to stir, and by chance, he had captured it.

"Bad luck for you," Yu Yuan murmured, gesturing for Lee Yu to proceed. "With your aunt offering up the remnants of that soul, there's a good seventy to eighty percent chance of aiding her in the formation of the Lunar Spirit."

As he spoke, he squinted and made his way toward a different spot.

"Yu Yuan, what are you up to?" Lee Yu asked, puzzled.

"The most formidable Moonfiend should have shown herself by now. I'm going to confront her," Yu Yuan declared.

"The most formidable Moonfiend! You—you're not going to wait for my aunt Yuchan to gather her Lunar Spirit before you seek her out?"

"The Moonfiend Clan poses no threat. They failed to kill me in the Land of Trials, yet they pursued me here. That's their gravest error! They have no idea that in this wilder and more savage realm, I reign supreme!"

​