C168 The Ancient Moonfiend!

Beyond the forbidden area, numerous alien souls harbored a profound connection with this realm.

It appeared that these alien souls had been subdued here in the distant past.

For reasons unknown, or perhaps by sheer coincidence, some of these alien souls managed to escape their confines.

Yet, when the world underwent changes, they felt compelled to return.

Within the forbidden area, there seemed to be an object of their intense desire.

"Esteemed elders!"

Yu Yuan could barely contain his excitement upon learning of the impending arrival of the alien souls. His voice rang out with vigor, "My association with Lord Faang Yao and the Ruby Hand can wait. I believe I've grasped your intentions. You are here on the state preceptor's orders to vanquish these alien souls, correct?"

Duan Tianxi affirmed with a nod.

"So, shall we attend to the pressing matter at hand?" Yu Yuan suggested with a smile.

A glint of admiration sparkled in Duan Tianhong's eyes as he offered a slight smile, "Regardless of your ties to the Ruby Hand, I must commend you, Yu Yuan. Your temperament is indeed remarkable."

Remaining composed in the face of peril is a commendable trait.

Maintaining clarity of mind and thought is even more challenging.

"There's no need for undue concern. According to the state preceptor's predictions, the so-called alien souls from beyond the forbidden area pose little threat," Duan Tianhong stated, gazing into the distance with an icy demeanor. "The true horrors are those lurking in the depths, but thankfully, they no longer pose a danger."

"I implore you, elders, to eliminate the encroaching alien souls. I shall eagerly await the outcome." Yu Yuan cheekily ensconced himself in a corner of the Soulforge Pool, addressing Qin Yun and Lee Yuchan, "As I see it, your priority should be to ensure my safety. The state preceptor of the Crimson Sun Empire surely has the situation well in hand."

Despite the massacre that had claimed many lives among the Crimson Sun Empire's cultivators, the Soul Power absorbed by the sword scars on the pool's walls still seemed insufficient.

Yu Yuan's arm bone sword light was intensely fierce, yet the sword spirit buried deep within showed no signs of reawakening.

With the depletion of Soul Power, the submerged Soulforge Matrix was nowhere near ready to be reactivated.

Therefore, more dead souls were still needed...

In this world, any being with a soul and intelligence, as long as the soul was powerful, could transform into Soul Power to replenish the Soulforge Pool.

The Soulforge Matrix, crafted by Boulderdawn, was the very essence of all Soul Power!

"Crack!"

Suddenly, strands of intense sword light linked together along the arm bone.

Yu Yuan, employing his heaven soul to probe and perceive, noticed nine points of sword light on his left arm at the elbow, mysteriously interconnected as if etching out an enigmatic diagram.

The nine points of sword light shone like nine stars, radiating a dazzling brilliance.

The light coalesced into lines, with each line intricately entwined with the others.

Yu Yuan, with no prior cultivation experience from his past life, possessed a unique insight and knowledge of various arcane circles and diagrams. Yet, the nine points of sword light and the diagram etched onto his arm bone were unlike anything he had ever seen.

But the emanating aura was all too familiar to him.

It was immense, profound, and ancient, swirling with a sense of timelessness and commanding presence.

Puff!

A faint point of darkness suddenly appeared on his forehead.

The dark point, resembling a black grain of rice, burst forth with a dim glow, attempting to penetrate his mud pellet.

He couldn't see it himself, but Qin Yun and Lee Yuchan at his side instantly looked alarmed.

At that moment, Yu Yuan's face, marked by astonishment, bore a diagram beneath his pale skin.

A diagram that began with nine points of light and was traced with the lines of sword's will.

As the dark point from the black grain of rice surged into the mud pellet on his forehead, it crackled as if being tugged by an unseen force, tearing it apart piece by piece.

Both Qin Yun and Lee Yuchan, cultivators of the Lunar Spirit Realm, were visibly shaken.

The dark point of light had emerged stealthily, taking them by surprise.

They were utterly unprepared for the assault on Yu Yuan.

Had it not been for Yu Yuan's own resilience and the peculiar diagram surfacing on his face, his cultivation at the Soul Awakening Realm might have been insufficient to prevent his Mindscape from collapsing.

"Chi!"

Qin Yun's mind stirred as he took aim with a Dawn Arrow at the shadowy speck of light.

But before he could release the Dawn Arrow, the shadowy light vanished without a trace.

It was as if everyone had glimpsed a fleeting streak of dark moonlight that disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, never to be seen again.

Yu Yuan's arm bone continued to burn fiercely as he stared intently at the void where the shadowy light had emerged, exclaiming, "It's a crescent pendant! The pendant is brimming with moon energy and dark Soul Power! A Moonfiend, another extraterrestrial Moonfiend!"

In the moment that the bizarre symbols surfaced on his face, he saw everything clearly.

The tiny speck of shadowy light, no larger than a grain of rice, was revealed to be a crescent pendant upon closer inspection.

The pendant was delicate and small, yet it was imbued with a profound darkness, as if emitting a moonlight glow. However, the purity of the moonlight was completely overshadowed by the dark Soul Power of the Moonfiend.

"Moonfiend!"

Duan Tianhong scoffed coldly, his grin spreading across his face, "A branch of the Sky Fiend that was thought to be extinct in the outer realms dares to wreak havoc in the Everlands! They are unaware that the esteemed elders of the Ruby Hand have traveled to the extraterrestrial realms, taking great pleasure in hunting Moonfiends to purge the residual fire toxin from the Solar Spirit."

"Hahaha!" Duan Tianxi joined in with laughter, "The Moonfiend Clan is inconsequential!"

"I..."

Duan Guanlan's mouth hung open as he was about to speak, but he abruptly fell silent.

The Cursemark affixed to his forehead suddenly burst into brilliance.

In a flash, nearly a hundred fine strands of golden-red lightning sprang forth from the tiny Cursemark.

The Cursemark faded to nothing.

A mystic book woven from the golden-red lightning materialized before Duan Guanlan's eyes in the span of a single breath.

Seen from a distance, the mystic book resembled the holy ground of the Ruby Hand sect, with the sky ablaze with fiery clouds.

The fiery clouds seemed to set the heavens alight, and beneath this inferno, a grand and solemn series of red halls stood amidst a winding river of flames.

"Crackle!"

A dark point of light, as if emerging from within the mystic book, suddenly appeared.

The point of light contorted wildly, morphing into a curved, black moon.

The black crescent moon, casting a somber glow, manifested within the depiction of the Ruby Hand sect's holy ground in the mystic book, desperately seeking an exit in its attempt to break free.

Within the pages of the mystic book, the fiery sky abruptly descended, and in an instant, clusters of fiery clouds morphed into a flock of burning crows.

Thousands of these flaming crows pecked furiously at the dark crescent moon.

A harrowing scream echoed within the peculiar realm of the Cursemark, audible even to Yu Yuan.

Yu Yuan could see the black crescent moon riddled with tiny holes, from which Soul Power seeped out like ethereal water.

A distinct sound emanated from the black crescent moon as it recklessly burrowed into the earth.

Flame streams, animate and whip-like, lashed at the black crescent moon.

The black crescent moon, riven with cracks, frantically sought to flee, burrowing deeper into the ground.

At last, it emerged from the earth.

"Ah!"

A ghastly wail tore through the Soulforge Pool.

Then, before everyone's eyes, a crescent moon pendant, marred with fissures and tiny holes, emerged in a desperate bid for escape.

"Your aura is well hidden, yet it's such a shame," Duan Tianhong remarked as he gestured with a raised hand. A magma pool soared from above his head, swiftly enveloping the battered crescent moon pendant. "You, a Star-Spawned Terror, are naturally unfamiliar with my sect's Cursemark. Had you known its potency, you wouldn't have foolishly attempted to invade his mind and possess him."

The crescent moon pendant, reeling from the blow, was instantly drawn into the magma pool.

Countless fiery crystal shards, embodying the fervent glyphs of the Ruby Hand, encircled the pendant.

Specks of fiery essence plunged into the pendant, commencing the smelting of the venerable Moonfiend who had lain in wait beyond the forbidden area, seeking vengeance for Yue Fei.

​