C130 One Black and One White

The boy in black remained silent.

Yet, through his gaze alone, everyone could discern his intent.

Take this moment, for instance.

He watched Yan Lu with a grin, uttering not a single word, but the derision and scorn in his eyes couldn't have been clearer.

Bloodshot lines webbed the corners of Yan Lu's eyes, his expression twisted into something fierce and dreadful.

In the face of the boy, Yan Lu was powerless to retaliate.

And it wasn't just Yan Lu; even Yu Yuan, who had so effortlessly navigated this forbidden realm until now, found himself at an impasse, lacking any effective strategy against the enigmatic boy in black who had emerged so abruptly.

"Who exactly is he?"

This question echoed repeatedly in Yu Yuan's mind, her silent exchanges with the sword soul growing increasingly desperate.

Yet, the sword soul offered no response.

To the sword soul, the boy in black did not register as an enemy, nor as a target to be vanquished—regardless of his past actions.

"The flesh and bones, freshly created, are so unnervingly sinister."

As the crowd reeled from the shock, Lee Yuchan snapped to action.

Clad in heavy armor, reeking of blood, her eyes glinting with a cold, icy ferocity, she flung the iron ring from her left hand.

Before her, the ring morphed into a sphere, from which a nauseating blood stench wafted, almost inducing retching.

Then, droplets of greenish-black blood, imbued with a chilling force, shot towards the boy in black.

Upon closer inspection, each bead of greenish-black blood seemed to harbor a strand of her soul essence.

It was as though multiple Lee Yuchans, transformed into spectral forms, were amplifying the might of the blood beads.

The beads hovered above the boy's head, then abruptly froze.

Inside, the spectral forms—meant to be Lee Yuchan's—began to contort and shift, taking on the visage of the boy in black, as if attempting to consume his soul as they had with Yan Tong.

"Yin God Stage."

Witnessing the transformation of the greenish-black blood beads, Yu Yuan realized that once a cultivator reached the Yin God Stage, their battles would engage the very essence of their souls.

"Everyone, keep your distance from them."

At his command, the crowd that had surged into the dilapidated palace receded like the tide, falling back to stand behind him. Despite his admission that he might not be able to slay the mysterious black-robed youth who had emerged, the people still instinctively rallied around him as their focal point.

Yet, from the way some of them eyed him from behind, it was clear they harbored a touch of resentment. They resented that he hadn't been able to dispatch the Moon Demon with the same swift decisiveness as he had with Yan Tong, where he had wielded his arm like a sword and obliterated the demon in an instant.

"Lee Yu, that black-robed youth isn't tangible," Lee Yu whispered, clutching the soul sacrifice ball. "Yan Tong's residual soul and flesh, once gathered by him, gave the illusion of a corporeal form. But in truth, it's all a facade. He's likely a unique type of spirit from the forbidden zone."

"Or perhaps, he's an aberration formed from the lingering soul of a human cultivator who perished there."

"He's yet to speak, which leads me to believe his consciousness isn't whole. It's as if he's missing parts of his three souls—of heaven, earth, and man."

"It's possible he's merely an aspect of the Yin God or Yang God."

Despite the eerie presence of the black-clothed youth, Lee Yu's demeanor remained composed, not a trace of panic in sight. "The Broken Soul Staff wielded by Yan Lu is said to originate from the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area, brought out by those who ventured there before us. Its provenance is shrouded in antiquity, and to this day, the Yan family is still in the dark about its rightful owner or the sect it once belonged to."

As he conversed with Lee Yuchan, the clash between Lee Yuchan and the black-robed youth was already underway.

The youth seemed preoccupied, paying no heed to Yan Lu. Meanwhile, Yan Lu, his face smeared with blood, sat down and applied a healing salve to his wounds. "The Broken Soul Staff, referred to as the Splitting Soul Staff by the Moon Demon, must truly belong to that being! My Yan family once sought the insight of a sage, who confirmed that the staff's intricate patterns and inscribed arrays are beyond the crafting capabilities of any nation on the Profound Sky Continent."

"It's likely that not even the Heavenly Source Continent or the Quietus Continent possess sects or powers with similar arrays."

"It appears to be an array capable of integrating the essence of the soul. That's why I've renamed the Broken Soul Staff. After years of contemplation, I've unraveled its profound utility in fracturing the soul."

With his belongings now under the control of the black-robed youth, there was no longer any point in concealment. He revealed everything about the gold and silver short staff, hoping his knowledge would assist Yu Yuan and perhaps provide Lee Yuchan with some insight.

"Crack!" Golden and silver bolts of lightning burst forth from the patterns on the Splitting Soul Staff in the black-robed youth's grip. The golden lightning continued to snake around the base, while the silver lightning shot forth with lethal precision, leaving the staff behind.

"Puff! Puff! Puff!" One by one, the dark blood beads released by Lee Yuchan were impaled by the silver lightning.

The black-robed youth, still clutching the Splitting Soul Staff, wore a smile. He was amused by Lee Yuchan's overestimation of her own abilities. Having only recently solidified her Yin God, her soul power was evidently lacking. The assault of the blood beads left her visibly diminished.

The scattered blood beads coalesced once more into an iron ball, reforming into an iron ring that clamped around her arm. "Lend me the Blue Profound Sword," she demanded, as a torrent of blood scent burst forth from the dantian in her chest. As she extended her hand toward Lee Yu, her body's acupoints roared like the devils of the heavens, and the sword light etched into Yu Yuan's arm bones began to sear.

"Don't!" Lee Yu blurted out, his voice tinged with panic. He glared at Lee Yuchan, "Don't be reckless!" He was unaware of the exact nature of the nefarious spell Lee Yuchan had cultivated in addition to her martial arts.

Yet, as soon as Lee Yuchan activated the technique, the sword soul instinctively reacted. He realized that this technique was far from ordinary. It might even have originated from the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area, possibly linked to an Alien Soul Evil Spirit that had been slain or suppressed, or a Great Demon Devaputra that had met its end there. Otherwise, the sword soul wouldn't have been so acutely sensitive.

Lee Yu, who had already called forth the Blue Profound Sword, now hesitated, his resolve shaken by Lee Yuchan's urgent cry. Meanwhile, the black-robed youth's laughter had ceased, replaced by a look of solemnity.

He seemed to have detected the horrific scent of blood emanating from Lee Yuchan's acupoints, indicating that the technique she was about to employ with the Blue Profound Sword was of significant origin and undoubtedly of extraordinary power.

"Wait! Hold on!"

Yu Yuan let out another piercing scream, his eyes suddenly bulging as he stared at the white paper fan in his grasp.

On the fan's surface, four ancient black characters erupted, spewing forth billowing white smoke as if from four deep wells.

Four tendrils of smoke, each the width of a toddler's fist, met a meter above ground, swirling and morphing incessantly.

They transformed into a boy dressed in white.

A boy who bore an uncanny resemblance to the one in black, who was warily eyeing Lee Yuchan.

The boys in black and white exuded starkly contrasting auras—one cold, the other warm; one malevolent, the other benevolent; one clad in darkness, the other in light.

They were like the dual facets of the human soul.

…