C1281 He Had to Come!
"That person..."
Upon seeing the figure forming on the mirror-like ice mountain, Yuan Lianyao immediately realized who the young lady of the Lin family was referring to.
"How is that possible?!"
Yuan Lianyao's alluring form shuddered abruptly.
She was aware that Yu Yuan was in Brugeth, but given the vastness of this fragmented Astral Domain, how could they have so easily crossed paths?
Moreover, how could Yu Yuan possibly know what had transpired? Why would he rush over here so urgently?
For a moment, Yuan Lianyao's current predicament slipped from her mind as a flood of memories washed over her. Visions of their first meeting, their companionship, and their journeys across various realms became vivid in her thoughts, as if they had occurred just days before.
She realized just how deeply Yu Yuan's image was etched into her soul's memory, never fading or wearing away.
After a brief spell of distraction, she was once again overwhelmed by the suffocating, terrifying pressure emanating from the totem-poles of the evilkind.
She witnessed the aftermath as the thirty-six totem-poles were unleashed, with the Monster Lord, Ogeus, prostrate on the ground, and Faang Yao along with the other cultivators of the Solar Spirit, scattered and battered, some on the brink of death.
Faang Yao, cornered and grimacing in agony, frantically used special pills to mend his body, as did most of the others.
The Ghoul King, perched atop one of the totem-poles, cackled ominously, exuding arrogance and defiance.
Lin Zhuyun stood amidst the glacial totem-poles, her demeanor icy and her presence enigmatic, seemingly in constant communion with the totem-poles.
And there, the figure etched into the ice mountain had fully materialized—it was unmistakably Yu Yuan.
Suddenly, a complex wave of emotions surged within Yuan Lianyao's heart.
Recognizing Lin Zhuyun's formidable power and the might of the Starborne Ritual of Primeval Demons, she wished Yu Yuan had not found his way here.
Despite her fervent cultivation and desire to see Yu Yuan, even to the point of rushing her Solar Spirit refinement and accepting its flaws, she longed to meet him sooner in the Extraterrestrial Star River.
Yet, this was not what she wanted!
She did not want Yu Yuan to fall into peril on her account, to be rashly pursued by a vengeful Lin Zhuyun, brimming with lethal intent, and to possibly meet his end at her hands.
"No, please don't come..."
She whispered fervently in her heart, praying for the heavens to take notice and for Yu Yuan to hear her plea.
"You don't truly understand him! At least, not deeply enough."
A sneer crept into Lin Zhuyun's icy gaze as she nonchalantly gestured toward a totem pole, dark as ink and shaped like a flood dragon.
The tiny demonic script on the totem pole sprang to life, as if reaching directly into the soul with vivid clarity.
Yuan Lianyao was horrified to discover that her innermost thoughts and whispers were emanating from the dark totem pole, carrying an ethereal and fleeting essence.
This ethereal quality seemed to carry her voice across vast distances to the extraterrestrial.
"I have granted your wish. I... have made it possible for him to hear you!" Lin Zhuyun declared with a detached tone.
Suddenly, beams of ghostly light burst forth from seven nearby totem poles, converging on the glacier etched with Yu Yuan's likeness. It was as though a portal through time and space had been opened, projecting the true Yu Yuan into the image sculpted upon the icy facade.
Yuan Lianyao watched in amazement as a figure stood within the Crucible of Evil, calling out in desperation.
As if responding to an unheard voice, the Crucible of Evil abruptly halted, and the figure representing Yu Yuan seemed to be discerning something, listening intently...
She realized then that Lin Zhuyun, master of the thirty-six totem poles, had indeed transmitted her silent musings to her distant beloved using an enigmatic technique.
At that moment, Yu Yuan heard her cries of "Don't come!" echoing through the void.
Thus, Yu Yuan was caught in a moment of discernment, perhaps even hesitation.
Yuan Lianyao's anxiety reached a fever pitch!
Her hands were clenched so tightly that her nails, sharp as blades, dug into her crimson palms.
She was numb to the pain, her heart so flooded with a torrent of bizarre emotions that it drowned out all else.
Her entire focus, her consciousness, was riveted on the figure in the ice mountain that had paused because of her inner voice.
Seconds seemed to stretch into an eternity before the Crucible of Evil roared to life once more!
Yuan Lianyao's Solar Spirit Body suddenly went limp inside the Red Demon Bell, her strained nerves at last giving way.
Her heart brimmed with worry, yet she was simultaneously consumed by a tumult of excitement and joy. She was at a loss, unsure of her own thoughts, uncertain of her true desires.
She was bewildered and disoriented, staring blankly into space.
"It's truly moving."
Lin Zhuyun clicked her tongue, feigning sentimentality with a voice that was chilling to the marrow.
Yuan Lianyao suddenly snapped to attention, her spirit reinvigorated. She whispered frantically to herself, "Don't! Don't come closer! Lin Zhuyun wields the Starborne Ritual of Primeval Demons. The might of the thirty-six totem-poles is earth-shattering. She has the combat prowess of the Unbound realm! Her strength is beyond my comprehension!"
"Don't come! If you do, you'll die too! Forget about me! Please, just go back!"
"All I wanted was to see you, to see what you look like now. I don't want anything to happen to you..."
As Yuan Lianyao murmured, she was in fact weeping, her tears unshed.
Yet her refined Solar Spirit Body, not being made of true flesh and blood, could not show her tears.
Then, she saw...
The Crucible of Evil within the ice mountain did not pause for even a moment at her pleading. It was accelerating, hurtling towards her with a speed beyond comprehension, smashing through countless asteroids and boulders in its frenzy!
Yuan Lianyao's eyes blazed red as if flames were burning within them.
Lin Zhuyun's expression was icy, her pupils harboring beams of frost that intertwined like crossed blades.
Crack! Crack!
The silhouette etched from her remnant soul atop the ice mountain suffered as if tormented by a thousand swords, and in a flash, it shattered into hundreds of fragments, vanishing into thin air.
She waved dismissively at the glacier.
A glistening sheen of ice reformed on the surface, leaving the ice mountain smooth as glass once more.
Yet, there was no longer any sign of Yu Yuan upon it.
Whoosh!
She ascended to the summit of the ice mountain, her gaze leaving Yuan Lianyao as she turned to await the arrival of another.
"The time has come for a conclusion," she murmured to herself.
The Ghoul King high above inhaled deeply, his form becoming rigid with anticipation.
He gathered the remaining Ghouls from within the totem-poles into the rare stone, aware that in the upcoming battle, such low-level Ghouls would serve no purpose.
Unlike others, he was acutely aware of Yu Yuan's extraordinary nature. He knew his master had pinned an immense amount of hope on Yu Yuan.
A person held in such high regard by his master, who had also earned the recognition of Nie Qingtian's sword spirit and was favored by Boulderdawn, not to mention having claimed the Dragon Slaying Stage—how could such a person be ordinary?
"I just hope the secular bird didn't follow us."
The Ghoul King stood solemnly, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.
"Yu Yuan..."
Faang Yao, gravely wounded, ingested a pill that blazed like a flame. Assessing the situation, he braced himself for what was to come.
His emotions were a tumultuous mix.
Chu Yao, known as the Divine Healer, wore an expression of deep bitterness as he heaved a sigh.
At last...
The Crucible of Evil, bearing Yu Yuan, shattered the obstructive meteors and suddenly appeared before the astonished crowd.
Yuan Lianyao's delicate frame shuddered.
She told herself that dying for him today would be worth it.
