C1724 The Two Sides Started to Fight

"Is that truly Yu Yuan?"

The esteemed leader of the Artifact Sect, Hu Po, along with Yinn Tiehua, freshly returned from the Gray Domain, had made a beeline for the Babel Chamber of Commerce.

He stood within a levitating spatial array, intently observing the dramatic shifts on the Heavenly Source Continent through a void prism.

When the Thunder Sect's land trembled and peaks and palaces began to crumble, Hu Po and Yinn Tiehua rushed to the scene.

Both were restless, desperate to speak with someone who could provide the answers they sought.

Their first thought was of the merchant association, situated adjacent to the Artifact Sect in the southern reaches of the Quietus Continent.

So, they arrived posthaste.

At that moment, the void prism held by Shi Jing'er vividly showcased the upheaval within the Thunder Sect, the figure of Yu Yuan, and the dazzling river of sword light.

"Him?"

Shi Jing'er, with her serene demeanor, was aglow with astonishment in her luminous eyes. She alternated her gaze between the void prism and Jun Chen and Fong Zhong.

Yu Yuan, not yet ascended to the highest echelons, had demonstrated a level of power that surpassed her comprehension.

Before Yu Yuan, she had never witnessed any practitioner of the Unrestrained Stage capable of not only overpowering a supreme Primordial Spirit but also boldly confronting the human race's leader, Han Miaoyuan.

Moreover, judging by the current circumstances, Yu Yuan appeared to be in control!

Knowing that Lin Daoke had sealed off the Plover Realm, and that Taishi, Taixu, and the other Divine Kings were unable to contend with Lin Daoke, Shi Jing'er felt an oppressive weight on her heart, uncertain of the path forward.

On the Quietus Continent, Evil Peak was besieged by practitioners from the Thunder Sect, and she had merely arranged a brief inspection.

She was indeed terrified.

She feared that the Babel Chamber of Commerce might collapse under her watch, and that her allies, Jun Chen, Fong Zhong, and others, might end up incarcerated in the Sword Prison, deprived of daylight forever.

But now...

"He's even more formidable than he was in the Gray Domain!"

Yinn Tiehua, her face etched with lines of age, gripped her cane with a force that made her knuckles stand out, a clear sign of her intense emotion. "I've said it before, Yu Yuan defies conventional judgment. I journeyed with him in the Gray Domain for some time, and the things I witnessed gave me a measure of confidence in him."

"Today, in this very moment, he has greatly expanded his trust in me!"

Yinn Tiehua and Hu Po, who had hurried over from the Artifact Sect, were even more excited and talkative than Shi Jing'er, Jun Chen, and Fong Zhong.

"It's truly unexpected that Yu Yuan, who is merely at the Unrestrained Stage, could overpower Wei Zhuo."

Jun Chen, the premier guest of the Babel Chamber of Commerce, took a deep breath, suddenly feeling hopeful that his father, imprisoned in the Outer Sword Prison, along with Zhongli the Great Warrior, might have a chance to break free.

"He actually managed to move the Spiritual Swords and Divine Swords in the Sword Cave!" exclaimed Fong Zhong, slapping his thigh in astonishment.

...

Elsewhere.

Whoosh!

Youyu materialized in the domain of the Ghost Wizard Sect, appearing amidst the fluttering venomous insects and Asuras. He looked at Xuanli, who was scratching his head in confusion, and asked, "What have you decided?"

"Greetings, my lord!"

Yuen Qingxi and Lianjing quickly bowed in respect.

Youyu gave a slight nod and spoke, "Before we returned from the Gray Domain, he had made promises to you. I'm aware of your dissatisfaction with him, but Elder Han from the Profound Sky Sect has also been a thorn in our side."

The current Sky Palace of the Profound Sky Sect was constructed in imitation of the Ghost Wizard Sect's underground palace, adorned with its most precious treasures.

"And what about it? What does it think?" Xuanli asked, looking down at his feet.

The source of the Yin Meridian is the foundational support of the Ghost Wizard Sect. The soul techniques and secret methods that Xuanli had mastered were initially taught by the source of the Yin Meridian itself.

Xuanli trusted that the source of the Yin Meridian would make its own choices, and he held great respect for it.

Yu Yuan had returned quietly, using the Dragon Slash Platform to teleport to the Thunder Sect and completely leveled the thriving new upper sect. Xuanli was, of course, aware of this development.

Otherwise, Youyu wouldn't have made the special trip from Horror Land.

Since recognizing that Yu Yuan was the Great Yin, he knew Yu Yuan had to be incredibly powerful, beyond the scope of his current stage.

Yet, he still hadn't anticipated that Yu Yuan would be this formidable!

The resentment that once clouded his heart towards Yu Yuan, along with the inner turmoil and hesitation, seemed to have been largely swept away by the Dragon Slash Platform's suppression of the Thunder Sect and the formation of a long river of sword light.

"It didn't tell me, but I know what it's thinking. The most ideal outcome would be for Yu Yuan and Wai Zhuo to mutually annihilate each other in this battle," Youyu stated, his expression impassive.

Yu Yuan had set his sights on the Origin Soul, and since Wai Zhuo had limited influence over the Yin Meridian, it would be preferable if both were to vanish.

"Wai Zhuo is clearly no match for him!" Xuanli exclaimed.

"That's why it's feeling uneasy. It's still weighing its options, wanting to take another look," Youyu said, the corners of his mouth lifting in a semblance of a smile, though his face and eyes remained devoid of mirth. "There's no need for you to rush your decision. You can simply observe how things unfold. From my perspective, even if we, the Ghost Wizard Sect, choose to stay neutral, he won't hold it against us afterward."

"After all, he's the one who's been in debt to us," Youyu added.

"Exactly! He's the one who owes us; we didn't do anything wrong back then!" Xuanli suddenly found clarity, his indecision dissipating. "So, we'll just sit back and enjoy the show! Let's see whether the Divine Soul Sect, under his leadership, or the factions controlled by Han Miaoyuan, will emerge victorious in the end!"

Youyu nodded gently. "Neutrality is indeed the most prudent approach."

His words were meant for Xuanli as much as they were for the source of the Yin Meridian beneath the ground.

...

Atop Evil Peak.

"Qi Jinghai, why haven't you signaled the order with a wave of your hand?"

Yu Yiyi rose into the air from the peak, her beautiful face etched with scorn as she observed the Thunder Sect's rookie, his hand raised high and his body stiffening. Her eyes flashed with ferocity. "Since you're taking so long to act, we'll take over."

Hei Xun, Green Incubus, and the others burst into hearty laughter, their earlier frustration now dispelled.

Without needing Yu Yiyi's explanation, cultivators of their stature could infer trouble had befallen the Thunder Sect simply by sensing the shifts in the energies of Heaven and Earth and the subtle movements therein.

Qi Jinghai and his fellow Thunder Sect cultivators' panic confirmed this point.

While they harbored doubts, Yu Yiyi provided them with an answer, making it clear that Yu Yuan was at the Thunder Sect's headquarters, blatantly defying Wei Zhuo's orders and going on a killing spree!

Wei Zhuo was still under the suppression of the Dragon Slash Platform!

Whoosh!

Yu Yiyi made a beeline for Qi Jinghai.

Her exquisite pitch-black armor, moving with her silhouette, clung to her shapely figure like a sinister bloom.

A purple civet cat perched on her shoulder, and in her hand, she wielded an extremely cold ice spear, weaving through the green and crimson lightning to materialize before Qi Jinghai like a phantom.

"Protect the young sect master!"

An Unrestrained Stage cultivator, like Lu Ji, let out a scream upon Yu Yiyi's approach, drawing attention to the skies above Evil Peak where countless Evil Devils formed a massive, malevolent array.

A hive-like formation, comprised of thirty thousand Evil Devils, wailed in chorus.

Their cries shredded the eardrums of the Thunder Sect cultivators and tore at their very souls.

Another formation, created by twenty thousand Evil Devils, resembled a sea of lost souls, with the dense Evil Devils within transforming into myriad soul talismans.

Additionally, Evil Devils coalesced into a fog that clouded the thoughts and consciousness of nearby beings, muddling their cognition.

Soul Split, Dead Sea, and Demonic Mist.

With the number of Evil Devils in the Evil Cauldron nearing one hundred thousand, and with the advancement of many higher-tier Evil Devils, the Magic Tool had effortlessly returned to the Divine Level and solidified.

Yu Yiyi masterfully directed the Myriad Demon Array, and the great cauldron served as her armor. Neither the "Burning Soul Electric Current" nor the Thunder Sect's ethereal green lightning could penetrate her dark armor.

Puchi!

Yu Yiyi, who had just used her ice spear to impale an Unrestrained Stage cultivator and incinerate him with icy flames, sneered, "The Thunder Sect's divine lightning is indeed perfectly effective against Evil Devils and Yin Spirits that lack physical form. But if your Thunder Sect were truly powerful, why haven't the Heavenly Devils from beyond been annihilated?"

"Why do you seek to refine a devil's body, Heavenly Devils?"

"Because once the Devil Soul possesses a body, it gains an armor capable of resisting thunderbolts! Your divine lightning cannot reach the Devil Soul directly, so how can you hope to extinguish their spirits?"

"Take a closer look!"

With those words, Black Woman, Rend Armor, Silver Lock, and Yellow Light Demon materialized one by one.

Each had a refined physical form!

The most formidable Evil Devils navigated through the lightning and thunder. Their bodies, struck by lightning, bore only charred fissures, yet they were not vanquished by the thunder's might.

"You've indeed lived up to my expectations."

At that moment, Yu Yuan's laughter echoed from above.

A crystal-clear jade platform, shaped like a blue teardrop, gently descended. Yuv Qian, the Sky Demon, squinted and smiled, standing shoulder to shoulder with Yu Yuan, who was in his Spiritual Body form.

He brazenly revealed his Yin God to the Thunder Sect's practitioners and the formidable beings from across the vast realms.

Swoosh!

Dozens of "Soul Burning Lightning" bolts streaked towards them, but before they could even approach the "Aura Altar," they were engulfed and dissolved by the Muddy Devil Embryo.

"Yu Yuan!"

Heixun, White Ghost, and the Sky Shocking Emperor, standing atop Evil Peak, looked up and called out to him.

Clearly, they had not anticipated that his Yin God and physical form were separate entities.

"I will not overlook any of the Thunder Sect's disciples here."

Yu Yuan smiled serenely as he departed from Yuv Qian's "Aura Altar" and descended amidst the swarm of Evil Devils.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Countless Evil Devils appeared to merge with his Yin God, fortifying it. His once insubstantial Yin God swelled with strength, expanding a hundredfold in mere moments, transforming into a colossal being comprised of tens of thousands of Evil Devils.

"Heh!"

The gargantuan troll, towering tens of thousands of feet high, took shape amidst the mountains of Evil Peak and stepped forth.

In the troll's grasp, tens of thousands of Evil Devils formed two spiraling black vortexes in its hands, which it wielded as it bore down upon the Thunder Sect cultivators below.

"Come forth!"

The troll, a creation of the Yin God, bellowed with a sinister laugh.

The Thunder Sect cultivators beneath the Unrestrained Stage level, Qi Jinghai included, felt as though the crowns of their heads had been wrenched open. Their souls were being extracted, one by one, in a harrowing spectacle.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The souls of these individuals were uncontrollably ripped from their bodies, spiraling into the dark vortices cradled in the troll's hands.

Then, in the next instant, a series of chilling, agonized screams emanated from the swirling darkness.

It was the Evil Demon, feasting on their souls.

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