C135 The Tables Were Turned like a Flip of a Book!
The Star-Spawned Terror naturally resides beyond the Everlands. Once cultivators in the Everlands ascend to the realm of the Solar Spirit, they often venture into the extraterrestrial void to hunt these terrors, bolstering their Solar Spirit and advancing their cultivation.
However, some Star-Spawned Terrors manage to breach the wall and infiltrate the Everlands. Those bold enough to enter are typically formidable, attracting the pursuit of cultivators from both the Land of Quiescence and Euwrea. Many Star-Spawned Terrors are swiftly encircled and slain upon their arrival. Only a rare few can roam the Everlands and manage to retreat unharmed.
The Star-Spawned Terror concealed within the bronze monument was likely restrained and suppressed by the fourth upper sect, trapped within the forbidden area for millennia. Qin Yun, at the pinnacle of the Lunar Spirit Realm, could only flee with severe injuries after battling this terror. This incident underscores the terror's might and ferocity.
"That Star-Spawned Terror is still shackled by this world, unable to fully break free," Qin Yun mused. "If its strength had been restored, I wouldn't have stood a chance of escaping."
His words were met with a heavy silence.
After some contemplation, Lee Yuchan inquired, "Yu Yuan, is that the entity you intentionally avoided earlier?"
"Yes," Yu Yuan admitted. "The sword spirit I've acquired indicated that only by achieving a greater harmony with this world could I possibly restrain that creature."
"Sword spirit? Harmony with the world?" Qin Yun paused, then a realization dawned on him. "Can you activate the sanctuary's protective measures?"
Yu Yuan nodded affirmatively. "Indeed."
"So, what exactly do you know about the Moonfall Sanctuary?" Qin Yun glanced at the sky before peering into the distance. "Lately, I've sensed that something is amiss here. The emergence of alien souls and goast is overwhelming. On my previous three expeditions, I never encountered such peculiar phenomena."
He, along with the cultivators from the Crimson Sun Empire, frequented the Moonfall Sanctuary due to its proximity.
In the past, the forbidden area was home to only a handful of alien souls and malevolent entities, all of relatively low rank.
The Moon Shards within the forbidden area had long since lost their allure, and for nearly a century, no cultivator of note had managed to uncover any miracles.
This led to the gradual fading of the forbidden area from the collective memory of Aetherius's cultivators.
But now, everything had changed.
What was once a sparsely populated and ordinary forbidden area had become fraught with peril, as powerful alien souls and evil creatures emerged with increasing frequency.
The portals connecting the Crimson Sun Empire and the Silvermoon Empire were cut off by a mysterious wall, and the clouds above were shrouded by a certain restrictive force.
The heavens and the earth were sealed, barring entry and exit.
It was akin to a colossal prison.
"I can only tell you that if this realm spirals out of control and the sealed alien souls and goasts break free..."
Yu Yuan's voice trailed off as he gazed steadily at Qin Yun, "Forget the Silvermoon Empire and the Crimson Sun Empire; the entire Aetherius would be thrown into turmoil."
Qin Yun was taken aback, "Like the Star-Spawned Terror within the bronze monument?"
"Not just one," Yu Yuan confirmed. "That one might be the most formidable alien soul we've encountered in the forbidden area so far. But there could be others, even more fearsome, still lying in wait, not yet freed."
Silence fell upon all who heard these words.
Even Yan Lu, Han Hui, and their peers had only a vague understanding of the forbidden area's true state.
Su Yan sensed the many inexplicable dangers of the forbidden area but failed to grasp the gravity of the situation, even as she observed Lee Yuchan, Lee Yu, and others exchanging hushed words.
Only now did everyone grasp the sheer horror lurking within this realm.
One false move could bring about cataclysmic upheaval.
"Are you able to activate the restrictions here?"
Qin Yun drew upon the spiritual energy of the soulstone, his skin shimmering with a crystalline luster, his eyes exceptionally radiant.
He abruptly closed his eyes.
Upon reopening them, his gaze held the pull of powerful magnets.
Yu Yuan, locked in that gaze, felt as though the three souls of heaven, earth, and man were on the verge of being ripped from his consciousness.
"Qin Yun!"
Lee Yuchan's voice cut through the air sharply, as a web woven from her spiritual sense materialized overhead.
Her Lunar Spirit, positioned at the center of the spider web, fixed a relentless gaze on Qin Yun. Now, her Lunar Spirit had become so faint and indistinct that, aside from Lee Yu, it was nearly invisible to the others. With further refinement and the purging of impurities, her Lunar Spirit would soon become entirely concealed.
"Chi! Chi!" Sword light within Yu Yuan's arm bone burst forth, shining with a resplendent divine glow.
Qin Yun's alert eyes, drawn like magnets, immediately shifted towards his arm. He was taken aback to see sun-like radiance blazing upon Yu Yuan's arms.
"Soul Movement!" Qin Yun silently recited the mantra, his Lunar Spirit resonating with his dominant soul. His hands weaved through complex seals with the grace of fluttering butterflies.
"Boom!" Without warning, a deluge of lightning cascaded from the heavens, hurtling towards Qin Yun with ferocious, unstoppable force.
A cluster of green clouds sprang from the back of Qin Yun's head, rising to meet the torrential lightning. These clouds, likely an artifact tied to his very essence, erupted in dazzling light, shielding him from being instantly obliterated by the lightning.
In that critical moment, however, tendrils of sword's will surged from the fissures beneath the earth. Qin Yun's hands, still busy forming seals, were suddenly soaked in blood.
He grunted, his figure blurring momentarily. Seconds later, he reappeared beside an elder from the Midnightshields, wincing as he applied a healing salve to his bloodied hands.
Yu Yuan, with a frosty expression, challenged, "Senior, do you intend to strip me of my chance?"
Qin Yun had been meticulously scraping away the sword light etched into his arm bone, intending to assimilate it into himself and usurp Yu Yuan as the sword-bearer of this realm. Alas, his efforts were in vain.
"With your level of Soul Awakening, you cannot unlock the secrets of the forbidden area. It would be better if I took over," Qin Yun said, unashamed even after his actions were exposed. "You've said it yourself—if we don't seal the alien souls and goast here, they could wreak untold havoc on the Aetherius Continent."
"Pass your opportunity to me. With my level of cultivation and higher compatibility with the restrictions, I can surely turn peril into safety."
"The bronze monument, too, will be easily obliterated by the Star-Spawned Terror within, once I seize the opportunity and trigger the world's restrictions."
He intended to add that with his peak Lunar Spirit cultivation, he would refine the Star-Spawned Terror and seamlessly ascend to the Spirit Walk realm.
Upon entering the Spirit Walk realm and wielding the sword spirit imprint, he would continue to hunt down more evil spirits and alien souls. In the Moonfall Sanctuary, he would break through realms at a terrifying pace.
He might even condense a Solar Spirit in an incredibly short time.
Such a man would not only be preeminent in the Crimson Sun Empire but also a top-tier existence throughout Aetherius.
"What a shame you didn't succeed," Yu Yuan said with a furrowed brow. "Now, Senior, can you tell me whether I should put an end to your life after your failure?"
"You activated the restriction and confined the bronze monument. If I join forces with you, we can annihilate that Star-Spawned Terror!" Qin Yun, realizing his initial plan had failed, quickly shifted his strategy. "The bronze monument will be yours. I'll refine the Star-Spawned Terror you defeat. How does that sound?"
"There's no need. I'll take you down first," Yu Yuan said with a smile. "As for the bronze monument and the Star-Spawned Terror within, I'll consider my options."
With that, he launched his attack, not allowing Qin Yun any chance to negotiate.
