C179 Being Restrained!
At the base of the Soul Transformation Pool, Yu Yuan's face was a portrait of smiles.
The Earth Demon Xiquan, the Demonic Tree, and the spectral orb of blood that was once the first elder of the Blood God Cult had all kept their distance.
When Xiquan issued his challenge, they too had keenly felt the surge of ancient sword intent from the earth's fissures and the ominous peal of thunder from the clouds.
They held back, wary of making any sudden moves.
Yu Yuan's smile remained, but inside, a trace of bitterness stirred.
He alone knew that the Heaven Sealing Soul Transformation Formation, a marvel crafted by the Divine Soul Sect, had not been fully activated.
The Soul Transformation Pool was in dire need of more soul energy.
His pointed gesture towards Xiquan, the fierce sword intent he radiated, and the thunder from the depths of the sky were nothing more than a show of force.
Until the grand formation was complete, the power it could unleash was inherently limited.
And it was not sustainable.
The strike he had launched at Duan Tianxi had already depleted a significant amount of energy.
To use the same tactic against Earth Demon Xiquan would risk exhausting the covertly absorbed soul energy before Xiquan was even vanquished.
Such an outcome would render the Heaven Sealing Soul Transformation Formation powerless.
"It's not enough, still not enough."
Yu Yuan yearned for a ferocious and bloody battle to erupt outside the Soul Transformation Pool, for more Alien Soul Demons or Yin Gods like Duan Tianxi and Duan Tianhong to perish nearby.
Only then could the sword marks etched into the walls of the pool be filled with the soul energy they craved.
"Earth Demon Xiquan is holding back, and neither the Demonic Tree nor the orb of blood are making their move."
He gazed into the heavens, observing the throngs of Alien Souls converging around, seemingly awaiting Xiquan's command.
"Hu! Hu! Hu!"
More Alien Souls arrived in droves, swirling towards the pool.
Before long, the sky above the Soul Transformation Pool teemed with countless Alien Souls and Demon Spirits, like a plague of locusts.
"If..."
He pondered the possibility that if all these Alien Souls and Demon Spirits, including the formidable ones like Xiquan, were to perish swiftly, the Soul Transformation Pool beneath him would surely be sustained by an abundance of soul energy.
At that moment, the "Heaven Sealing Soul Transformation Formation" would spring into action once more.
"I need to devise a strategy to coerce them into a bloody battle without getting myself entangled," he mused.
...
"Duan Tianxi!"
Su Xiangtian called out with a commanding yell.
Duan Tianxi, who stood at the edge of the Soul Transformation Pool, exchanging distant glances with Xiquan and the others, jolted slightly and responded, "Present!"
On either side of Duan Tianxi were Duan Guanlan and Qin Yun. Qin Yun was poised for combat, while Duan Guanlan's expression was ashen, his will to fight utterly extinguished.
The destruction of the Devil Soul Talisman by Yu Yuan had struck a devastating blow to his spirit, leaving him unable to rally.
Deprived of the talisman, Duan Tianxi, at the Profound Break Stage, appeared pitifully feeble against the assembly of formidable Old Demons.
Each time Xi Yue's gaze fell upon him, he shuddered with dread, fearing his soul might be scattered to the winds at any moment.
"Does the Rainier Empire have any more representatives?" Su Xiangtian bellowed.
Between him and Duan Tianxi lay the Earth Demon Xiquan and the Soul Transformation Pool.
Through his discussions with his daughter, Su Yan, Su Xiangtian had come to understand that the Rainier Empire's practitioners had been ambushed and slain by the Duan siblings, who shared a profound connection with the Red Devil Sect.
Su Xiangtian was befuddled, struggling to grasp the Duan family's role in the Rainier Empire's involvement and their objectives in this perilous expedition.
He also couldn't be certain whether any Rainier Empire cultivators were lurking in the shadows, biding their time to swoop in and claim the spoils when Xi Yue and the Alien Soul Demons had mutually weakened each other.
"No more remain," Duan Tianxi admitted with a bitter smile. After a pause, he added, "Our journey encountered an unforeseen mishap."
Mid-sentence, his gaze involuntarily drifted towards Yu Yuan in the Soul Transformation Pool.
Yu Yuan, feeling the stare, looked up and returned it with an amiable smile.
A chill settled in Duan Tianxi's heart, and the words he meant to say next were left unspoken.
For reasons unknown, Yu Yuan, despite his modest level of cultivation, managed to fix Duan Tianxi with a gaze so penetrating and incisive in that instant. It was as though a sagacious elder had peered into his very soul, instilling an overwhelming sense of vulnerability and despair.
"A pack of jesters."
Out of the blue, Earth Demon Xiquan, with the appearance of a youth in green robes, seemed to come to a decision and beamed with a radiant smile.
He gave a subtle nod to the orb of bloodlight beside him.
Yuan Lianyao, trailing behind with her enchanting and fiery figure surrounded by vivid red lotuses, suddenly looked stricken.
Blood uncontrollably burst forth from her mouth!
The red lotuses, now stained with splotches of blood, took on a sinister and sanguine appearance, emitting a pungent, overpowering scent of blood.
Their glow cast a bewitching light that weighed heavily on the heart, causing Su Xiangtian and the other visitors from the Silvermoon Empire to visibly pale.
The vital energy and blood within everyone's central dantian surged tumultuously.
Their bloodstreams, thick and rich, went haywire in an instant!
"The Blood God Cult's arcane art!"
Su Xiangtian's complexion blanched as he stared at the red lotuses, which were unmistakably Yuan Lianyao's.
"Hu!"
The bewitching red lotuses appeared to ensnare Yuan Lianyao, forcefully pulling her alluring form toward the bloodlight.
The bloodlight contorted and swayed, morphing into a crimson silhouette.
The silhouette seemed to reach out a hand and point towards the Soul Transformation Pool.
Yuan Lianyao's seductive figure, under the pull of the red lotuses, hovered above the Soul Transformation Pool, visible to Yu Yuan from below.
"Sss! Sss!"
Within the demonic red lotuses, beams of bloodlight, sharp as spears and swords, bore down on Yuan Lianyao's ample chest, her slender, alabaster neck, and her smooth, jade-like forehead.
It seemed that with just a few inches more, Yuan Lianyao would meet her demise.
The renowned City Lord of Darkmoon, held in the same regard as Lee Yuchan, was now helplessly suspended in midair.
Beside the Soul Transformation Pool, the blood shadow stood without a distinct face or uttering a single word.
Earth Demon Xiquan gave a slight nod, "Much obliged."
The blood shadow remained still, merely manipulating the red lotuses, infusing them with its power, ready to execute Yuan Lianyao at a moment's notice.
"City Lord Yuan!"
"Lianyao!"
Only then did the guests from the Silvermoon Empire grasp the gravity of the situation.
Su Xiangtian, at the middle stage of the Yin God realm, had his striking face etched with fury.
Right under his watch, amidst the cultivators of the Silvermoon Empire, Yuan Lianyao from Darkmoon City was shockingly taken captive, tethered above the Soul Transformation Pool by a sinister blood shadow.
A disgrace of the highest order!
"My apologies, Brother Yu."
Earth Demon Xiquan surfaced once more, finally mustering the courage to peer down at Yu Yuan at the bottom of the pool, "Having a proper conversation with you has proven quite difficult. So, I won't be descending again. I kindly ask that you come up."
"Pfft!"
A jet of blood light pierced through Yuan Lianyao's left shoulder, sending blood flying.
Trapped by her own crafted red lotuses and menaced by the spiritual blood light, Yuan Lianyao's face was filled with bitterness. She could never have imagined that her life would one day be used as leverage.
Her very existence was merely a bargaining chip for a dialogue with Yu Yuan.
