C1194 Teach Me a Lesson!

Denise of the Starborn raised her eyebrows, a spark igniting in her eyes as she naturally gravitated toward the cave entrance.

She sensed something was amiss.

Though she couldn't clearly see the malevolent soul that emanated from the cave, the artifacts she carried, her bloodline, and the wall surrounding the forbidden area enabled her to discern what was transpiring.

"Is it him?"

Denise's gaze was fixed on Yu Yuan's face and eyes. Clutching her gem and crystal-studded wand, she covertly activated her blood magic, causing the stars shining over the Lower Continent to appear a tad brighter.

The resplendent cosmic energy descended upon the forbidden area, absorbed by the wall, and intensified the confining magnetic force.

Yu Yuan nodded and motioned for patience. Once Denise had calmed, he concentrated his efforts on communicating with the Lunar Spirit and the fiend beneath the earth.

"I can aid you in breaking free from this confinement, but in return, you must vow not to wreak havoc in Zekrica. Moreover, you'll need to assist me with a task and provide detailed information about Zekrica."

"And another thing..."

"Shut up!"

Yu Zhu's biological father cut Yu Yuan off before he could lay out his terms.

"What do you think you are? On what grounds do you negotiate with me? Placing her in the Serpent Spine Mountains was clearly malicious! You wish to enslave her, to have her pledge loyalty to you, and yet you dare speak to me in such a manner?"

Yu Yuan was taken aback.

Initially, he had indeed harbored the intention to adopt Yu Zhu and provide for her.

But three hundred years later, reborn as Yu Yuan and revisiting the marshes of the Serpent Spine Mountains, his perspective shifted upon seeing Yu Zhu. He came to genuinely regard her as his daughter and treated her with heartfelt care.

The audacity of the man below to make such an accusation!

Upon reflection, Yu Yuan realized that the first memories Yu Zhu's father had accessed from his mind likely only pertained to Yu Zhu and the giant spider.

He might be unaware of their shared history and the profound bond between him and Yu Zhu.

"One cannot fault the ignorant."

With this thought, Yu Yuan intended to set the record straight.

Then, he noticed a murky fog materializing within his Mindscape.

Alien souls and evil spirits, manipulated by that being, spread confusion, warping spiritual wisdom, seeking to obliterate his self-awareness and supplant it with their dark will and spells. These malevolent forces surged directly toward his Lunar Spirit.

The alien souls and evil spirits transformed into ancient runes, while the dark will and spells, in harmony with the Way of Heaven, were chanted. In that moment, Yu Yuan's Mindscape became a battlefield for souls. The dark will and spells that had secretly emerged were like formidable warriors of malevolent spirits, poised to shatter the defenses of his Lunar Spirit.

Yu Yuan was instantly infuriated. He had intended to persuade kindly and negotiate, considering Yu Zhu's face, to help the one who had struggled free from the forbidden area. But he hadn't expected such ingratitude!

"You still want her to be called Yu Zhu? How dare you use your surname to name her!"

The fiend roared, its thousands of dark wills and spells morphing into celestial stars and moonbeams, encircling Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit in the Mindscape before surging forward in an overwhelming assault.

"Sigh."

Yu Yuan sighed in resignation. His Lunar Spirit, hovering in the Mindscape, once again invoked the Wraithbinding technique, unleashing a lethal move. The Lunar Spirit transformed into a colossal phantom, towering thousands of feet tall, clutching the sun and moon, with a backdrop of countless starry rings.

Simultaneously, the Shadow Moon Essence was drawn from the acupoints and pulled into the Mindscape. In an instant, the phantom pressed down the sun and moon, and billions of stars circulated, channeling the Shadow Moon Essence from the acupoints into the Mindscape, precipitating a torrential downpour.

All the alien souls and evil spirits that had stealthily infiltrated Yu Yuan's Mindscape were obliterated in an instant. The vanquished remnant souls were devoured by the phantom Yu Yuan had manifested, as effortlessly as a whale drawing in water.

"What kind of monster are you?"

A solitary, feeble remnant soul cried out in alarm. Without waiting for Yu Yuan to respond, the remnant soul ranted wildly, "No matter what you are, once I'm free, you're doomed. Release me now! I will exterminate all the otherworldly beings on this planet, using their souls to fortify my demonform!"

Yu Yuan chuckled eerily, his Lunar Spirit's phantom form reaching out to pinch the frail remnant soul.

Poof!

The remnant soul, too, dissipated into dust.

The next moment, Yu Yuan's real body opened his eyes, a peculiar smile playing on his lips. Seeing Denise's gaze, Yu Yuan shook his head, "That fellow has been imprisoned far too long; his mind's gone awry. It seems I must discipline him, let him cool off before we proceed."

"Release you only to have you come after me?"

Yu Yuan considered the fiend's haughty taunts and was relieved that Yu Zhu hadn't inherited that being's spiritual wisdom. Otherwise, she would have been an utter madwoman, unlikely to be held in such high regard by Shadow's Keep.

"The Voidweavers in the Lower Continent have a particular dry tree branch that naturally bears the Sunsilver glyphs. I need you to send some here. Wrap them in glass and Sunsilver containers, and make it quick," Yu Yuan instructed Denise.

"What's special about this tree?" Denise inquired with curiosity.

"It will bring our friend below to tears and clarity, helping him grasp the gravity of his predicament," Yu Yuan explained, a smile playing on his lips.

"Understood."

Denise sensed that Yu Yuan's second interaction with the subterranean individual had been less than cordial. Trusting Yu Yuan, she set the wheels in motion once more.

Only half a day had passed, as marked by the hourglass.

Darke of the Voidweavers, accompanied by an elderly woman of his race, was escorted by Denise into the forbidden area and before Yu Yuan.

The old woman, her light green hair knotted, presented the branches with reverence.

Yu Yuan expressed his thanks and noticed Darke's hostile stare. Puzzled at first, he pondered the situation and then grasped the underlying issue.

Denise had explained that all Otherkin in Zekrica originated from different Astral Domains and little worlds.

Their own worlds had been ravaged by the incessant conflicts among the races and the sweeping purges by humans and archdemons in the Everlands. Desperate for survival, they had pleaded with the Starborn for refuge as their ships passed, seeking a fresh start.

Darke, having left his homeland years ago with the old Voidweaver woman, had opted to make a life in Zekrica.

The scarcity of Voidweavers, coupled with the respect they commanded abroad, led Darke to consider himself a cut above the rest. He harbored a deep affection for Denise, which he kept well concealed, never daring to reveal it.

Yu Yuan, despite having wreaked havoc in the Upper Continent, had been esteemed by Denise and brought to this place, spending much time in her company of late.

Yu Yuan had a hunch about what was going on.

"Let them leave; this isn't a place where they can linger," Yu Yuan said, his back to them as he selected three branches adorned with natural lightning patterns from his quiver made of sunsilver and held them aloft.

Sizzle sizzle!

The thunder vortexes, previously dispersed throughout the forbidden area, were instantly drawn in.

Denise glanced at the branches and recognized their ability to attract lightning and thunder. She quickly grasped Yu Yuan's intent and said with a mischievous smile, "You really are quite the troublemaker."

"If they won't listen, they need to be disciplined. A good thrashing should bring them to their senses and ensure they behave."

As he spoke, he tossed the three branches toward the entrance of the cave. Immediately, the first thunder vortex followed, plunging into the depths below.

The second and third vortexes swiftly followed suit.

Soon after, a cacophony of bizarre howls, angry shouts, and intermittent curses audible only to Yu Yuan echoed from beneath.

"Why haven't they left yet?"

Turning around to face Darke and the elderly woman, Yu Yuan's frown deepened, his expression grim. His opinion of the Voidweavers had been soured by his encounters with Kelly and Noeyr.

"This is Melissa, a Voidweaver with a sixth-level bloodline who seeks your counsel," Denise explained. "With a sixth-level bloodline and mastery of spatial arcane, she's someone you should consider seriously."

"I don't think she's up to par."

Yu Yuan shook his head, reminiscing about when he first met Benin, who was so young yet already possessed a seventh-level bloodline. What was this Melissa in comparison?

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