C1281 It Was Inevitable!!
"That person..."
Upon seeing the silhouette emerging from the ice mountain's mirror-like surface, Yuan Lianyao instantly realized who the young miss of the Lim family was referring to.
"How can this be?!"
Yuan Lianyao's alluring form shuddered abruptly.
She was aware that Yu Yuan was in the Deep Starfield, but considering the vast expanse of the fragmented Starfield, how could they possibly run into each other so easily?
Moreover, how could Yu Yuan have known what transpired, and why would he be in such a hurry to come here?
Suddenly, Yuan Lianyao's current predicament slipped from her mind as she became lost in thought.
Memories of meeting Yu Yuan, their companionship, and their travels across various realms flooded her mind with vivid clarity, as though these events had occurred just days ago.
She realized just how indelibly Yu Yuan's image was etched into her soul's memory.
It had never once faded or worn away.
Snapped back to reality by the overwhelming pressure emanating from the totem pillars of the Demon Race, she regained her focus.
She witnessed the aftermath of the thirty-six totem pillars' release: Demon King Jin Lih prostrate on the ground, Faang Yao and the Yang cultivators scattered, either gravely injured or on the brink of death.
Faang Yao, cornered and contorted in agony, desperately consumed special pellets to mend his battered body.
The majority were in similar straits.
The Yin Corpse King cackled menacingly atop a totem pillar, exuding an air of brazen arrogance.
Lim Zhuyun stood amidst the towering, glacier-like totem pillars, her demeanor icy and her presence enigmatic, seemingly in constant communion with the pillars.
And there, the figure etched upon the ice mountain was now fully revealed.
Without a doubt, it was Yu Yuan!
In that moment, a tumult of complex emotions welled up within Yuan Lianyao.
Having witnessed Lim Zhuyun's formidable power and the might of the Ancient Fey Formation, she found herself not wanting Yu Yuan to find her.
Despite her relentless pursuit of cultivation, eager to see Yu Yuan, she had rushed her progress to the point where even her Yang God refinement was flawed. All she wanted was to meet Yu Yuan sooner in the Outland Star River.
But not like this.
She didn't want Yu Yuan to fall into peril because of her, to hastily come to her aid only to be targeted and potentially slain by Lim Zhuyun, who was radiating a murderous aura.
"No, please don't come..."
Yuan Lianyao whispered fervently in her heart, praying for the heavens to intervene and for Yu Yuan to hear her plea.
"You don't understand him! At least, not well enough."
A sneer crept into Lim Zhuyun's icy gaze as she nonchalantly gestured towards a totem pillar, dark as ink and shaped like a sinuous dragon.
The tiny, black demonic script on the pillar began to stir to life.
The script seemed to pierce straight to the heart and soul, coming alive in vivid detail.
Yuan Lianyao was horrified to discover that her innermost thoughts and whispers were emanating from the dark totem pillars, carrying an illusory and fleeting quality.
This ghostly echo seemed to carry her voice to the farthest reaches of the heavens.
"I have granted your wish. I... have made it possible for him to hear you!" Lim Zhuyun declared with detached calm.
Suddenly, streams of pale light burst forth from the seven nearby totem pillars, converging on the glacier etched with Yu Yuan's likeness. It was as if a portal through time and space had opened, allowing the distant, real Yu Yuan to step into the image sculpted upon the icy facade.
Yuan Lianyao watched in amazement as a figure within the Evil Cauldron, surrounded by a multitude of meteors, called out in urgent howls.
As if responding to a distant sound, the Evil Cauldron ground to a halt. The figure representing Yu Yuan above seemed to be discerning something, listening intently...
It dawned on her that Lim Zhuyun, wielding the thirty-six totem pillars, had indeed used her enigmatic powers to transmit Yuan Lianyao's silent words to her distant beloved.
In that moment, Yu Yuan heard her repeated cries of "Don't come!"
Thus, Yu Yuan was deliberating, perhaps... also hesitating.
Yuan Lianyao's anxiety reached a fever pitch!
Her hands were clenched so tightly that her nails, sharp as blades, dug into the crimson flesh of her palms.
She felt no pain, for her heart and the overwhelming tide of peculiar emotions had engulfed her.
All her focus, all her conscious thought, was riveted on the figure in the ice mountain that had paused because of her voice.
It felt like mere seconds, yet also as if an entire century had elapsed!
The Evil Cauldron roared to life once more!
Yuan Lianyao's Yang God form slumped powerlessly inside the Red Demon Bell, her strained nerves finally giving way.
Her heart brimmed with worry, yet she was simultaneously engulfed by a surge of excitement and ecstasy. She couldn't pinpoint her thoughts or discern her true desires.
Lost and bewildered, she stood in a trance.
"How touching," Lim Zhuyun remarked with a click of her tongue, feigning sentiment. Her voice was chilling to the marrow.
Yuan Lianyao snapped back to reality, her spirit reignited. She whispered fervently to herself, "Don't! Stay away! Lim Zhuyun wields the Ancient Fey Formation. The might of the thirty-six Totem Pillars is astonishing. She has the combat prowess of the Unrestrained Stage! Her strength is beyond my comprehension!"
"Don't come closer! You'll die too! Ignore me! Please, just go back!"
"All I wanted was to see you, to see how you are now. I can't bear the thought of anything happening to you..."
As Yuan Lianyao murmured, her voice broke into sobs and cries.
Yet, her refined Yang God body, not being made of true flesh, could not produce the tears that should have streamed down her face.
Then, she saw...
The Evil Cauldron within the ice mountain did not pause for even a moment at her plea. It was accelerating, hurtling through countless meteorites and boulders with an urgency that defied belief!
Yuan Lianyao's eyes blazed red as if flames were consuming them.
Lim Zhuyun's face was the epitome of frost, her eyes glinting with icy shards, crisscrossing like deadly blades.
Crack! Crack!
The figure etched atop the ice mountain by her soul's imprint suffered as if tormented by a thousand swords, shattering into countless fragments in the blink of an eye, then vanishing into nothingness.
With dissatisfaction, she waved dismissively at the glacier.
A shimmering layer of ice reformed on the surface, rendering the ice mountain smooth as glass once more.
Yet, any sign of Yu Yuan had been erased.
Whoosh!
She ascended to the summit of the ice mountain, turning her back on Yuan Lianyao. She faced a new direction, awaiting the arrival of another.
"The time has come for a conclusion," she muttered to herself.
High above, the Yin Corpse King inhaled deeply, his form suddenly coalescing with tension.
The remaining Yin Corpses, once scattered among the Totem Pillars, were methodically collected by him into the rare stone. He was aware that such low-level Yin Corpses would be of little use in the upcoming battle.
Unlike others, he was acutely aware of Yu Yuan's extraordinary nature. He knew his master had placed great hopes on Yu Yuan.
How could someone so esteemed by his master, someone who had earned the recognition of Nie Qingtian's sword soul and the favor of the Divine Soul Sect, not to mention seizing the Dragon Slash Platform, be anything but remarkable?
"I just hope the Secular Bird hasn't followed us."
The Yin Corpse King was solemn and vigilant, allowing no room for negligence.
"Yu Yuan..."
Faang Yao, gravely wounded, ingested a fiery-looking pellet. Assessing the situation, he braced himself for what was to come, his emotions a complex tapestry.
Chu Yao, known as the Little Medicine God, wore a look of bitterness, his sighs reflecting his inner turmoil.
At last...
The Evil Cauldron, bearing Yu Yuan, shattered the obstructing meteors, suddenly coming into view for all to see.
Yuan Lianyao's delicate frame shuddered with emotion.
In her heart, she knew that dying for him today would be a worthy end.
