C1823 He Joined the Battle Midway

Lee Yuchan's demeanor was icy.

She stood next to Han Qi, observing Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit with the detached interest one might afford a stranger.

Clearly, she harbored no fondness for Yu Yuan at present.

A hint of bitterness touched Yu Yuan's lips.

He had once assisted Lee Yuchan with refining her Shadow Curse, a spell intimately linked to Wraithbinding. After his modifications, it had caught Han Qi's attention just as Lee Yuchan was about to reforge her Lunar Spirit.

Under Han Qi's meticulous guidance, Lee Yuchan had made significant strides in necromancy through the Shadow Curse.

Yet, this encounter with Yu Yuan was unexpected, prompting memories of their complex past—sometimes allies, sometimes adversaries.

When Rhutar had shredded Lee Yuchan's Lunar Spirit in the Land of Terror, the Spectre had uttered some words.

But...

Yu Yuan silently shook his head, realizing that with the deaths of Lee Sha and Lee Yupan, along with the fall of the Lee family, the once stoic female general would likely struggle to view him favorably again.

"Master, please make the decision yourself."

Lee Yuchan's head was bowed, her veins surging with Yin Qi. Despite her corporeal form, there was an eerie sense about her, as if she were inhabited by a ghost.

"Nearly all my kin are gone. And their deaths are, to varying degrees, connected to this man."

Lee Yuchan kept her eyes shut, seemingly unwilling to even glance at Yu Yuan again, exuding a despair so profound it appeared she had lost all interest in life.

"Very well," Han Qi said, nodding in approval. He had no intention of binding Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit in the Sword Prison with mundane ropes.

"When the Nine Palaces Array was breached at Ebon Star, you refrained from killing Cao Jiaze. That boy is also my cherished disciple, whom I hold dear."

"Therefore..."

"I shall keep Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit in the Sword Prison for now, rather than extinguishing it."

With a snap of his fingers, Han Qi reestablished the soul connection between Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit and his real body.

...

In the vast expanse of the Annihilation Nebula.

Atop the Dragon Slaying Stage, Tan Junshan, standing beside Yu Yuan, was seething with anger. The Starmoon Sect cultivator, having lost a Lunar Spirit, fixed a fierce glare on Han Qi, who was revealed outside.

Jun Chen from the Skyreach Consortium was toying with his horsetail whisk as Taishi, the God-King, hurried over.

"Han Qi!"

Zhou You rubbed his eyes in disbelief. Han Qi, a name that held no significant rank within the Consortium's records, stood solitary within the Sword Prison, seemingly ready to confront Yu Yuan.

"He practices necromancy."

Taishi, upon arrival, took only a moment to survey the shimmering mountain peak, sensing the thick shadow energy swirling around it. Observing Han Qi's stance, he discerned the situation. "One of the three souls is missing. The absent Lunar Spirit resonates with this newly opened Sword Prison. At what level of necromancy do you stand?"

"God of Ghosts," Yu Yuan declared.

"God of Ghosts!"

"Another God of Ghosts!"

Jun Chen and Zhou You's faces paled at the revelation.

"Return!"

Yu Yuan, perched atop the Dragon Slaying Stage, attempted to coax the Lunar Spirit within the Sword Prison away from Han Qi's presence, hoping to exploit the mystical bond with the stage to draw the Lunar Spirit inside.

Yet, with a simple snap of Han Qi's fingers, the Lunar Spirit, which was reconnecting with its real body, seemed to be confined by the Sword Prison.

His Lunar Spirit couldn't shatter the enigmatic seals of the Sword Prison and failed to return to the Dragon Slaying Stage as intended.

"What do you desire?"

Taishi, ever composed, gestured for everyone to remain calm and inquired with a smile, "You've brought the Sword Prison here for a reason, haven't you?"

"What I want, I've already discussed with Yu Yuan. But now that you're here, and since... I've sensed the whereabouts of the Soul-Capturing and Lin Daoke."

Han Qi, standing above the Sword Prison, burst into a broad laugh, "The greatest advantage in the battle between your Soul-Capturing God-King and Lin Daoke is that Lin Daoke has never been able to pinpoint her, rendering him powerless. Among countless specters, only one bears her soul mark."

"Lin Daoke can't find her, but I can."

Behind another Han Qi within the Sword Prison, the flow of the blood-yellow secret map, referred to as "Levi River" on the stone slab, suddenly accelerated.

Two streams, one clear and the other murky, emerged within the pattern etched on the stone slab, resembling the twin meridians of the Root of the Lunar Meridian. In a desolate region of the Annihilation Nebula, amidst countless shattered rocks, innumerable specters howled, pursued by thousands of streaks of sword light. Each specter boasted two long, braided tresses on their cheeks, reminiscent of meandering rivers.

Suddenly, under the influence of the Levi River's power, the braids on the cheeks of one specter became strikingly prominent. The face of this demonic specter glowed with a twilight hue, as if it had been suddenly infused with strength.

Lin Daoke, his expression stoic, was jolted to alertness. "I found it."

With a swift motion, he extracted the divine seat hidden within his Mindscape, drawing it forth from his brow. A boundless sword's will emanated from him, resonating with nearly every formidable being in the Annihilation Nebula.

Lin Daoke unleashed his full might in a single strike. A sword light, cleaving through the primordial chaos, bifurcated the cosmos and burst forth in the Star River of the Annihilation Nebula, emitting a blinding radiance that no creature dared to gaze upon directly.

In that very Star River, amidst a myriad of meteorites, the dispersed devil soul wraiths swiftly coalesced. They formed a colossal specter, towering like a monolith among the stars, its feet planted at the confluence of the two broad rivers. The fragmented meteorites first solidified into stars, then, in the blink of an eye, transformed into various fiends: the dancing Frostfiend Witch, the crystalline Frostfiend, the Shura's soul images, and the Enchantress' bewitching Witches.

These myriad fiends, suddenly inhabiting the star-formed meteorites, converged their powers across different dimensions and worlds, channeling their strength to the hands of the immense specter.

A peculiar sound of the void being rent asunder emanated from the chest of the gargantuan specter. Countless fiends and the stars they occupied disintegrated to dust in an instant. The specter, standing at the heart of the rivers, bore a wound on its chest, yet it bled not a drop.

A cascade of black flames ignited within Lin Daoke's Mindscape, setting ablaze his consciousness, remnant soul, and the Lunar Spirit that had departed from his godly station.

"You can hurt me, and I can certainly hurt you in return."

The velvety voice of Soul-Capturing resonated leisurely around Lin Daoke, reaching also the ears of Yu Yuan and Taishi.

Whoosh!

A statuesque figure emerged from the stone door of the Sword Prison, her striking red hair impossible to miss. It cascaded down like the beard of the Demon God Bertain. Her features were large and pronounced—eyes, nose, and full red lips all more prominent than those of an average woman. Yet, they harmonized perfectly with her towering stature.

The red-haired woman's deep purple eyes seemed to harbor a raging devil soul. Clad in armor crafted from some mysterious material, her commanding presence was both fierce and unyielding, exuding strength and assertiveness.

"Beyond Youyu, here stands another God of Ghosts in this world."

Upon her arrival, she cast a discerning glance at Han Qi, quickly appraising his realm and the nature of his cultivation.

"A God of Ghosts from the Wraithlands, that explains the lack of renown. The fact that Han Miaoyuan and Lin Daoke trust you to oversee this Sword Prison speaks volumes of your exceptional nature."

While speaking, the formidable woman playfully blinked at Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit.

"Back in the Everlands, only my soul could traverse; my real body was not present. Well then, let's reintroduce ourselves. They refer to me as Soul-Capturing, but you may call me Kaiya."

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