C186 The Mournful Wail Echoed in the Air!
The White Paper Fan was no longer under his control, elusively hiding at the bottom of the Soulforge Pool, consuming Soul Power.
Yu Yuan was taken aback.
Terra Fiend Fides, in a state of extreme urgency, incessantly pressed Yu Yuan to retrieve the White Paper Fan from the Soulforge Pool.
"What exactly is happening?"
Yu Yuan observed the White Paper Fan with amazement. It seemed to possess a life of its own, darting through the air like lightning, as elusive as a serpent, utterly uncatchable.
The dark Soul Power was rapidly vanishing.
The four ancient black characters on the White Paper Fan emitted a glow identical to that of the Soul Power.
"Yu Yuan, this White Paper Fan?" Yuan Lianyao called out sternly.
"It's another artifact from the Boulderdawn Sect," Yu Yuan clarified, "It appears to have been crafted and imbued by a formidable member of the Boulderdawn Sect. Each of the four characters seems to form its own realm, subtly linked to distant places."
"A child's soul spirit is now residing within the world contained in those four ancient black characters, recuperating."
He provided a succinct explanation.
"Boulderdawn relics!" Fides exclaimed in astonishment.
"Yu Yuan! This item might be connected to the Translocation Circle below!" Yuan Lianyao's eyes never left the White Paper Fan. "It can conceal a soul spirit, has its own space, and can connect to other realms..."
She suddenly fixed her gaze on Yu Yuan, "Don't you see the striking resemblance to the Soulforge Pool and the Translocation Circle?"
Yu Yuan paused, momentarily at a loss.
Then, in an instant, the White Paper Fan, which had been tranquil in his possession, mysteriously merged with the bottom of the Soulforge Pool.
Strands of the ink-colored Soul Power in the pool began to seep downward.
Threads of thought unexpectedly surged from the fiery sword spirit.
"Key, key, key..."
The sword spirit conveyed a singular concept — the key!
It was unclear whether it referred to the key for the Soulforge Pool or the Translocation Circle.
"That object!"
Fides fixated on the pool's depths, his expression morphing from earlier trepidation to one of thrill and agitation. "Yu, the fan seems to have triggered the Translocation Circle at the base of the Soulforge Pool!"
A distinct spatial fluctuation emanated from the depths of the Soulforge Pool.
The tumultuous spatial activity immediately alerted the large figure with a human head and dragon body, Ann Jieshan, and the tree monster. Around the Soulforge Pool, powerful Aberrant Souls and Demon Spirits instinctively leaped toward the depths.
"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"
Terrifying wisps of sword's will burst forth from the sword scars etched into the pool's walls. The alien souls and Aberrant Souls transformed into puffs of smoke, vanishing into the sword scars.
Yu Yuan's face turned pale with shock. Since his arrival at the Soulforge Pool, the sword scars on the walls had never launched an attack. This was unprecedented!
In an instant, even more intense sword's wills shot out from the pool's sword scars. These sword's wills were far more fearsome and brutal than the hidden forces within the earth's fissures, and the essence of swordsmanship they embodied far surpassed any he had encountered.
Yu Yuan, with his modest cultivation level, could only sense the sword's wills with his heaven soul, unable to discern their true form. However, a powerful soul like Fides could see the sword's wills as they transformed into variously shaped ancient swords, each carrying a distinct aura, and cleaved through all the alien souls and Aberrant Souls in the heavens.
"Chi la!"
A prismatic sword's will, with the force of creation itself, split the human head dragon body figure in two. The dragonman, a descendant of Zhao Yafu, let out a howl and fled the battlefield as if encountering a ghost in broad daylight. His human head and severed dragon body parted ways, only reuniting after putting considerable distance between themselves and the Soulforge Pool.
Three additional sword's wills, like bolts of lightning, shredded the towering tree monster to bits. Its branches snapped off, and its unseen leaves scattered to the winds. Suddenly, the tree monster disintegrated into countless branches and sentient leaves, making their escape from the vicinity of the Soulforge Pool.
Lin Fengyan, the current head of the Lin family from the Silvermoon Empire, found himself ensnared in midair by the three sword's wills, his body instantly mangled beyond recognition. Crying out in agony, he seemed to be desperately seeking aid from Su Xiangtian, hoping for salvation.
The mournful howls ceased within seconds as the Lunar Spirit shattered, transforming into a pure remnant soul that fused with the sword scar in the Soulforge Pool. A patriarch from one of the five major families of the Empire was thus obliterated.
Sword's will surged forth from the sword scar on the pool's wall, streaking into the sky and ruthlessly harvesting the lives of souls and all flesh-and-blood creatures.
Overcome with instinctual terror, the demon energy-infused Wraith Ape disregarded the attacks from Duan Tianhong and the venerable general of the Lee family, fleeing despite its injuries.
"Boom!"
The fiercely burning magma pool burst into a spectacle of light, permeated by the sword's will.
Duan Tianhong, in the late stages of the Lunar Spirit Realm, found his forehead gashed open with bloody wounds.
His hair disheveled, his vitality severely drained, he swiftly concealed himself within the magma pool, hastily retreating.
The Lee family's elder general, sensing danger, grunted and executed a self-damaging Veilwalk, transforming into a golden cloud that whisked him dozens of miles away in an instant.
"Retreat! Everyone out of the pool area!"
Su Xiangtian's voice echoed in the sky, filled with panic as he moved further away.
"Chi! Chi!"
The sword's will crisscrossed through the void, cleaving through the very fabric of existence.
Alien souls and Aberrant Souls were annihilated on the spot, their essences condensing into wisps of colored smoke that streamed into the sword scar on the pool's wall.
From the Soulforge Pool's wall, the sword's will erupted, commencing a massacre of the living. The Terra Fiend Fides fell silent.
This sentient Terra Fiend, born from the enigmatic lands of the Euwrea Continent, dared not attempt an escape from the Soulforge Pool.
It had assumed the pool's depths were fraught with peril, never to be touched.
Yet, who could have predicted that all beings outside the pool would fall prey to the sword's will, with more than half perishing in mere moments, leaving a trail of widespread devastation?
Fides's heart quaked as he looked at Yu Yuan, his expression uneasy.
The mayor of Asvetaesi, unable to resist, gravitated towards Yu Yuan.
Her shoulder brushed against Yu Yuan's, and still feeling unsafe, she hesitated briefly before reaching out and clasping Yu Yuan's arm.
Her eyes sparkled with sudden brilliance!
As she gazed at Yu Yuan's arm, she felt that beneath his clothing, his arm was as hot as a glowing iron brand.
She could barely withstand the terrifying heat and quickly withdrew her hand, yet she clung to the hem of Yu Yuan's sleeve, seeking comfort.
She keenly sensed that the sword scars etched into the walls of the Soulforge Pool bore no malice toward Yu Yuan alone.
Anyone else who dared to venture near the Soulforge Pool was deemed fair game for elimination!
And yet, those sword scars seemed to be independent of the Soulforge Matrix's inherent restrictions.
"The Soul Power is insufficient. The ancient sword's will has been stirred by the Translocation Circle's activity, autonomously emerging to draw in more Soul Power."
Yu Yuan contemplated in silence before turning to Fides with a smile, "An abundance of Soul Power is lethal. Except for me, with the sword spirit's mark and essence, anyone else is fair game."
Fides offered an awkward chuckle and hurriedly said, "Yu, you know I mean you no harm."
"No ill intentions?" Yu Yuan's smile held a hint of irony.
"On my honor!" Fides hastened to clarify, "I simply wish to use the Translocation Circle to depart the Everlands. To that end, I've willingly aided you, causing the demise of Silvermoon Empire's cultivators and the extinction of those alien souls!"
"My only desire is to leave; I harbor no other intentions!"
Under Yu Yuan's watchful eye, he drifted towards the Soulforge Pool, but as he was about to exit, he faltered.
He came to a halt, casting a forlorn look at Yu Yuan.
"You might as well die here."