C126 The Authority!

"Brother!"

Yu Feifei lunged forward, clutching at Yu Yuan's sleeve, her eyes brimming with tears.

Yu Yuan furrowed his brow and looked down to ask, "What's the matter?"

He noticed Yuan Tine hanging his head slightly, seemingly afraid to meet his gaze.

"Hmm?"

Zhao Yafu let out a soft gasp and darted from Lee Yuchan's side to Yuan Tine's, questioning a Zhao family member, "Zhao Hanyue, what happened to Zhao Yang?"

"He's dead," the Zhao family member replied, his voice heavy with sorrow.

Yu Yuan also observed that two individuals from the Yuan family who had accompanied Yuan Tine were nowhere to be found.

And it wasn't just in Darkmoon City.

Members were missing from the Yan family, the Su family, and from the groups led by Zhan Tianxiang and Han Hui.

Those who had vanished were likely dead.

"After you three departed, we kept digging through the pit's bottom to ensure nothing was overlooked," Zhan Tianxiang explained with a wry smile. "Out of nowhere, a horde of bizarre soul creatures swarmed us. We suffered casualties continuously throughout the skirmish."

"Realizing the direness of our predicament, we retreated further into the forbidden zone."

"It wasn't until we spotted Lee Yu's soul sacrifice ball, shining like a beacon in mid-air, that we managed to find our way."

"The various strange soul creatures that had been pursuing us finally began to disperse."

Zhan Tianxiang's eyes were filled with reproach as he spoke.

"You three are key figures capable of subduing spirits. Once you left, facing those creatures became an arduous task for us."

The others harbored their grievances silently, choosing not to voice them.

Lee Yu possessed the soul sacrifice ball, Lee Yuchan was a master of his craft, and Yu Yuan was the enforcer of the forbidden area.

Had even one of them been present, the situation might not have been so dire, and lives could have been spared.

"This forbidden area is becoming increasingly perilous," Yan Lu, typically known for his fiery temper, remarked with unexpected composure in the face of danger. "More and more of these evil spirits and souls are emerging. There could be even greater numbers ahead. I hope you three won't stray too far from us, otherwise..."

He let out a soft sigh. "Otherwise, I fear we have no hope of leaving this place alive."

Su Yan nodded in agreement, her gesture subtle but certain.

The other survivors were quick to convince one another, resolute in their decision to stick with Yu Yuan and the other two this time. To separate was to court death at any moment.

"General Lee, General Lee?"

Su Yan of the Su family took a longer look at Lee Yuchan and couldn't help but cry out in surprise.

Everyone instinctively followed her gaze.

"I was fortunate enough to make a breakthrough," Lee Yuchan stated with an icy demeanor.

His words sent a ripple of shock through the crowd.

"You?" Zhan Tianxiang fixed his gaze on Yu Yuan.

"Merely at the Middle Period of the Spirit Accumulating Stage," Yu Yuan replied with a smile.

In that moment, the eyes of those who had hurried over shifted to Lee Yu and Zhao Yafu.

To their astonishment, they discovered that all four in the group had either experienced a breakthrough in their cultivation or wielded enhanced weapons.

And Zhao Yafu—wasn't her aura surging, as if she was on the verge of shattering her current cultivation limits and advancing further?

How long had they been apart?

How had these four, who had strayed from the main group, managed to increase their strength so significantly in such a short time?

The others couldn't make sense of it, yet they grew increasingly convinced that by keeping pace with them, they too would reap similar benefits, leading to advancements in their own cultivation and combat prowess.

"From this moment on, I'll take the lead!"

Yu Yuan stepped up without hesitation, assuming command of the group.

"Everyone will follow my lead from here on out! I'll do my utmost to stay close and use all my abilities to guide us out of this forbidden land and into the territory of the Rainier Empire!"

Yan Lu, Su Yan, Zhan Tianxiang, and the others cast curious glances at Lee Yu and Lee Yuchan.

The Lee family was royalty in the Rainier Empire, and with Lee Yuchan's recent ascension to the Yin God Stage, she was at her most powerful and confident. Known for her assertiveness, would she really submit to Yu Yuan's direction?

Surprisingly, Lee Yuchan showed no signs of defiance, her silence eerie.

After Yu Yuan's declaration, Lee Yu gave a slight nod in agreement, an unexpected show of wholehearted acceptance.

No one knew exactly what had transpired among them, but judging by Lee Yuchan and Lee Yu's demeanor, it was clear that Yu Yuan now called the shots in the group!

"Come with me."

After a brief exchange with the sword soul, Yu Yuan followed its guidance and chose a direction.

His willingness to take on this challenge stemmed from a deep-seated confidence.

Even if he didn't have the sword soul within him, his vast experience and knowledge from his past life would still place him above Lee Yuchan and Lee Yu.

In his previous existence, what kind of young prodigies or ancient troll demons hadn't he encountered?

Compared to Lee Yu and the prodigious talents from the Heavenly Source Continent and the Quietus Continent, the Demonic Seed, they all paled in comparison. In his past life, hadn't they all bowed their heads in his presence?

Whether they were Soul Wandering Stage cultivators, Yang Gods, or Unrestrained Stage practitioners, when they sought an audience with Yu Yuan to plead for pellets, didn't they all speak with bated breath?

What could Lee Yuchan possibly have to measure up to them?

Once Yu Yuan, a man who had lived two lifetimes, truly made up his mind, he cast aside his former indolence and took the reins of power. The aura and charisma he exuded were now in stark contrast to his past self.

Even the likes of Su Yan and Han Hui, girls who usually held themselves in high regard, felt that in this moment, Yu Yuan shone with an inner light.

Lee Yuchan found herself taking a second look, as if seeing him for the first time.

Guided by the sword soul, their journey proceeded without a hitch.

Along the way, Lee Yuchan had pointed out an area where there was a peculiar disturbance in the soul energy.

Yu Yuan was aware that the direction she had sensed was precisely where the sword soul had advised him to steer clear of—the formidable spirit that had abducted Yuefei.

Yu Yuan opted to avoid it, and Lee Yuchan raised no objections, deferring to his leadership.

Two days later, deep within the forbidden zone, they encountered an expanse shrouded in thick, white fog.

As they approached, everyone detected an extraordinarily pure and intense spiritual energy, heard thunderous roars, and saw bursts of radiant light, like auroras, emanating from the heart of the fog.

"Could it be that a rare treasure has emerged?"

The group was suddenly ablaze with excitement, nearly forgetting that Yu Yuan was in command, and were about to dash forward.

"Halt!"

Yu Yuan's commanding shout snapped everyone back to their senses.

"Wait. Let the spiritual fog clear, and let whatever it is drift up from the depths of the pit," Yu Yuan said with a piercing gaze. "If I don't dare to charge in blindly, what makes you think you can?"

As he spoke, his gaze intentionally found Lee Yuchan.

Lee Yuchan was the quickest to react. Had he not shouted out when he did, Lee Yuchan would have been deep in the spiritual mist by now.

"I'm in danger too?" Lee Yuchan was clearly skeptical.

"I just gave you a warning," Yu Yuan said with a smirk. "Now that you've been warned, if you don't believe me, feel free to test it out. I'm aware you've just solidified your Yin God Stage. Why not try letting your Yin God leave your body?"

At that, Lee Yuchan wavered.

"Perhaps you're unaware of how many Yin Gods have perished in this forbidden zone?" Yu Yuan threw in another comment.

Lee Yuchan paused, then regained his composure, remaining silent.

"We wait," declared Yu Yuan.

And so, they waited a full two hours.

The thick white fog eventually began to thin, revealing to the expectant crowd that the Spiritual Qi within was extraordinarily abundant and could be directly absorbed.

"Look!" Zhan Tianxiang exclaimed in excitement.

From the depths of the pit, a prism-shaped Moon Fragment emerged, floating up.

The silvery, semi-transparent stone shimmered from within, casting a kaleidoscope of light.

"Yu Yuan, how do we divide this treasure?" Lee Yuchan called out.

"The division will be as I decide," Yu Yuan replied.

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