C154 Evil Thoughts

"What's that?"

Next to the pit where the bronze monument had been subdued, Lee Yu gazed up at the sky, his face draining of color in alarm.

From their vantage point, they could still see the massive bronze coffin ascending, its divine glow brilliant and unmistakable!

"It's an enormous coffin!"

Qin Yun of the Seven Divine Sect leapt to his feet, the Spirit Crystal in his grasp abruptly crumbling into grayish-white stone fragments.

He watched for a moment, only to see the bronze coffin breaking free from its bindings and soaring beyond the heavens.

Lee Yuchan was equally astounded, yet he quickly perceived something odd about Yu Feifei and inquired, "What's with you?"

The diamond-shaped mark on Yu Feifei's forehead, once stark and distinct, was now rapidly fading.

"That presence, that guy's presence..."

Yu Feifei ignored the celestial commotion, focusing inwardly. She sensed that the unnerving feeling of being watched by the White Ghost had vanished entirely.

Moreover, the diamond-shaped mark had wondrously integrated into the spiritual center between her eyebrows.

This center, the upper dantian, is the sacred space where the three souls of heaven, earth, and humanity reside.

Without reaching the Penetrating Stage and developing a strong Spiritual Sense, one cannot perceive the mysteries of this spiritual center.

Yu Feifei could only sense the mark settling into this space, bringing with it a refreshing coolness to her forehead and a newfound clarity and vigor to her mind.

Yet, to ascertain whether the mark still resided within her upper dantian or to understand its potential benefits to her three souls, she was, for the time being, incapable.

"The Earth Demon White Ghost has actually spared you!" Lee Yuchan marveled quietly, his gaze following the trajectory of the bronze coffin into the sky. Frowning, he mused, "What exactly transpired at Yu Yuan? The Soul Transformation Pool mentioned by the White Ghost, could it truly be brimming with Soul Spirits, reactivating the Heaven Sealing Soul Transformation Formation?"

"No, it's not that."

Qin Yun gently shook her head. "My view is quite the contrary to yours. The Heaven Sealing Soul Transformation Formation hasn't been reactivated; rather... it's completely failed."

"What?" Lee Yuchan exclaimed, taken aback.

"The barriers enveloping the forbidden area seem to be fading away," Qin Yun remarked, choosing not to use the Spirit Crystal to restore her combat strength. "I must find Yu Yuan! I need to understand what's transpired there!"

"We're coming with you!"

Zhan Tianxiang, Su Yan, and the other trial survivors rose to their feet.

...

At the border of the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area and the Silvermoon Empire, the amassed Evil Demons and malevolent spirits suddenly went into a frenzy.

A ghost ape, clutching a deep red stone pillar, charged through the archway first, pounding its chest and bellowing before breaking into a wild sprint.

The barrier that had prevented Soul Spirits and Demons from penetrating the area was no more.

"I was right; the Heaven Sealing Soul Transformation Formation has finally failed!" exclaimed the boy in green, his face alight with joy. He bypassed the arch, transforming into a stream that slipped into the gully below.

The sword light that once shot from the depths of the ravine was absent, and he crossed without harm.

A formidable soul streaked through the sky, reaching the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area in an instant.

All the gathered Evil Demon Spirits and Demon Spirits realized the absence of barriers and lethal threats.

And so, they converged in droves.

...

The heavy clouds no longer brewed thunder and lightning; the sky cleared.

Yu Yuan stood on the frost-laden earth, gazing upward to find the grand formation that once shrouded the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area subtly ceasing to function.

Though it was still night, the moon above no longer cast its icy chill.

The seemingly endless frigid night appeared to conclude as the bronze coffin ascended, departing the Boundless Land for the Outland Starry Sky.

With the sword soul vanished, Yu Yuan's enigmatic bond with the Heaven Sealing Soul Transformation Formation was severed.

The spiritual Qi of this realm remained wild and bitingly cold.

"Yu Yuan!"

Across the vast crater stood a figure, her icy gaze fixed upon him.

It was his betrothed, Lim Zhuyun.

As the bronze coffin took flight, Lim Zhuyun, once mentioned by the White Ghost Earth Demon as a temporary vessel, seemed to have been forsaken, not taken along.

With the departure of the White Ghost Earth Demon, the restraints she had imposed within Lim Zhuyun dissipated into nothingness.

Lim Zhuyun finally felt a sense of liberation, and as she witnessed the bronze coffin ascend into the heavens, she realized that Yu Yuan was still alive.

Additionally, she experienced a subtle intuition...

Previously, Yu Yuan's gaze would send shivers down her spine, filling her with an instinctive dread.

But now, the persistent unease that once haunted her had vanished without a trace.

She was struck by the notion that Yu Yuan no longer posed a threat to her.

It was as though Yu Yuan had become a mere cultivator at the Spirit Accumulating Stage, stripped of the power to wield the world's restrictions as weapons against his foes.

"Miss Lim, congratulations on making it through," Yu Yuan said, his attention returning from the chasm left by the bronze monument, a smile spreading across his face. "The world's constraints have inexplicably weakened. From this point forward, I see no barriers to traveling to either the Silvermoon Empire or the Rainier Empire."

He paused briefly before adding, "Provided I don't run into any formidable Alien Soul Evil Spirits, I should be in the clear."

"Does this mean you're now free?" Lim Zhuyun interjected abruptly.

With a nod and a smile, Yu Yuan confirmed, "I'm no longer able to exploit the world's restrictions against anyone."

At his words, Lim Zhuyun fell into a contemplative silence, her intuition affirmed.

She lifted her head high, gazing into the night sky for an extended period, her senses reaching out to find the stars twinkling warmly, the moonlight no longer bearing its icy chill.

It was reminiscent of her first steps into the forbidden area.

"Do you think the forbidden area will be breached by many Alien Soul Evil Spirits?" she inquired earnestly.

Yu Yuan gave a nonchalant shrug. "I'm not sure. The departure of that bronze coffin from the forbidden area into the sky has set off a chain of events that are beyond my knowledge."

"And if those Alien Soul Evil Spirits enter the forbidden area, wouldn't our encounters with them be fraught with peril?" Lim Zhuyun pressed on.

"Even when I had control over the Forbidden Area's restrictions, I couldn't prevent Hantian and the Green Incubus from wreaking havoc. The White Ghost managed to escape as well," Yu Yuan replied with a rueful smile. "The emergence of the bronze coffin signifies the total collapse of those restrictions. I'm not even certain if the Heaven Sealing Soul Transformation Formation, or the Soul Transformation Pool for that matter, still exists."

With those parting words, Yu Yuan discerned his bearings and skirted the gaping hole, heading towards the location of the Soul Transformation Pool as described by the White Ghost.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth remained wild and tumultuous, yet it scarcely impacted him.

He seemed utterly indifferent to Lim Zhuyun's opinion.

Lim Zhuyun remained rooted to the spot, her gaze fixed on his retreating figure, her eyes icy, her expression a complex tapestry of emotions.

Now, only she and Yu Yuan remained.

With no Forbidden Area to rely on, Yu Yuan was merely a practitioner in the middle phase of the Spirit Accumulating Stage. In contrast, she had advanced to the Profound Break and possessed the exceptional artifact bestowed by the Cold Yin Sect.

Yu Yuan's very existence was destined to be a lifelong stain on the honor of the Lim family.

Could eliminating Yu Yuan here erase all traces and put an end to the troubles that might haunt her for a lifetime?

This sinister thought wound its way through her heart, weighed and considered over and over in her mind.

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