C189 The Bottom of the Pond

The thought alone was enough to shatter Yuan Lianyao's composure!

Yu Yuan, a disciple of the Yu family from Asvetaesi!

If he could truly wield those sword's wills, then the deaths of all the Silvermoon Empire's cultivators could be laid at his feet!

Should this deed come to light, would Yu Yuan have any hope of survival in the Silvermoon Empire?

The Yu family, too, would face a bloody purge!

Zhao Yafu, who had just spoken, came to a stark realization upon seeing Yuan Lianyao's expression.

Her face drained of color, and her shoulders quivered as she stuttered, "Mayor, I... I didn't mean it that way, I..."

She tried to defend herself, but quickly realized that any words or excuses were futile at this point.

Her own survival and the safety of Ann Jieshan were undeniable evidence!

Yu Yuan undoubtedly had influence over the sword's wills!

Thus, he could not easily clear his name regarding Lin Fengyan's death and the demise of numerous Silvermoon Empire cultivators!

"It's unrelated to me."

Yu Yuan's brow furrowed slightly as he addressed Yuan Lianyao, "I can't control those sword's wills, but I can impart my preferences to a degree. I merely wished to safeguard two individuals. Once that thought crossed my mind, neither Zhao Yafu nor Elder Ann Jieshan came under attack."

Yuan Lianyao, clutching her forehead, let out a bitter sigh, "You should have chosen to protect none or all. Now..."

"Will there be trouble?" Yu Yuan's eyes narrowed.

Yuan Lianyao was about to explain that once the truth surfaced, the consequences upon their return to the Silvermoon Empire would be far from minor.

They would be colossal!

Yet, the chill in her heart intensified as she met Yu Yuan's piercing gaze, filled with a cold, murderous intent.

"You... you wouldn't?"

Yuan Lianyao's breath hitched, "Yu Yuan, don't be reckless! If you commit a grave error, no one will be able to shield you!"

Suddenly, fear of Yu Yuan took hold of her.

She had just witnessed the horrifying ferocity of the sword's wills as they burst forth from the wall.

The Terra Fiend Fides was formidable, wasn't it? Yet it found itself relentlessly pursued by seven sword wills, each one tearing at its soul until it dissipated into nothingness. Those same sword wills danced and intertwined midair, continuing their onslaught against the alien souls and decimating the cultivators of the Silvermoon Empire. Meanwhile, the Soulforge Matrix remained untouched by Yu Yuan, its potential still dormant.

As the dark Soul Power gathered, it was inevitable that the Soulforge Matrix would spring to life once more. When that happened, could Yu Yuan, with his reliance on the sword spirit, truly annihilate them all? Who would manage to escape with their life intact? Were Su Xiangtian and the venerable general destined to perish here? And what of myself? If I were to survive, how could I face the Empress, explaining the loss of so many Empire elites and the sudden decline in Silvermoon Empire's might? Could we then be facing annexation?

The more Yuan Lianyao pondered, the more her head throbbed with worry.

"Concerns of the future can wait for another day," Yu Yuan remarked with a dismissive snort. "I just hope the Empire's elders manage to keep their wits about them and refrain from spouting nonsense within this forbidden area."

Suddenly, a profound wave of melancholy and grief welled up from the depths of the Soulforge Pool. The previously turbulent spatial ripples seemed to be gently soothed into stillness.

"Soul Forging through Enlightenment!"

Yu Yuan allowed his mind to settle, immersing himself in the subtleties of this enigmatic technique. He sensed his heaven soul coalesce into a singular consciousness that began to permeate the earth below.

The presence of the sword wills etched along the pool's walls instilled no fear in him. He had an inkling that within the confines of the Soulforge Pool, as long as the sword wills detached from their perches, he would remain unharmed due to the sword spirit's mark upon his arm bone. No external force could descend and slay him, and the prospect of a remnant soul doing so was even less likely.

The only potential threat to his safety could be Yuan Lianyao herself. Yet, he trusted that the mayor of Asvetaesi wouldn't choose this critical moment to turn against him. With this assurance, the consciousness that had emerged from his heaven soul serenely sank into the ground, unopposed by the dark Soul Power.

The consciousness seemed to pierce through an unseen barrier, abruptly arriving at the bottom of the Soulforge Pool. The horrific wails of countless demons assaulted from every direction, threatening to shatter his awareness in mere moments.

The phrase "To Know All is to Suffer All" loomed overhead in the shadowy firmament, magnified a billion times, like four ancient deities that had existed since time immemorial, pressing down upon the cosmos from their respective corners.

The four archaic characters resembled black suns, casting a dark, inky light of the soul that rained down below. A wave of desolate and mournful emotions seemed to coalesce into another force, bearing down oppressively on the murky depths beneath.

The dreadful cacophony of demonic howls was significantly muted beneath this layer of sorrow and sadness. Yu Yuan's consciousness, on the brink of annihilation, found refuge under the protection of those ancient black words, flickering stubbornly like a candle in the wind.

Here, at the base of the Soulforge Pool, neither the sword spirit nor the sword scars etched into the pool's walls seemed to have any effect. These marks of the sword's will appeared to be bound by some unseen rule, incapable of transcending their limits.

Then, a spark of insight struck him. "The sword spirit and the sword scars on the pool's walls, as well as the sword spirit within my arm bone, belong to a different faction. The force suppressing the spatial passage beneath the Soulforge Pool originates from Boulderdawn. The White Paper Fan and those four ancient black words are also of Boulderdawn!"

He seemed to grasp the situation in an instant. Without delay, he attempted to extend his consciousness to perceive the shadowy depths below. The awareness emanating from his heaven soul was like opening a celestial eye, granting him a true visual experience in this foreign space!

Yet, despite this, all he could detect was the pervasive gloom. The spatial passageway that allowed the Sky Fiend to surge forth seemed to be concealed within the depths, with only occasional ripples of space surfacing.

With each ripple, the lamentations of ghostly demons echoed, as if billions of Sky Fiends were trapped in the dark, desperately striving to enter this realm and indulge in a feast.

"Yu Yuan!"

The peculiar child, clad in black and white, once the artifact soul of the Soul Splitting Staff, now emerged weightlessly from the ancient black character "extreme."

"Is it you?" Yu Yuan exclaimed in surprise. "Were you also the one secretly manipulating the White Paper Fan?"

"It's me," the boy clad in black and white said, nodding slightly. "The Terra Fiend nearly beguiled you into serving him. It was a critical situation, and at that moment, you couldn't have entered the realm within the White Paper Fan to seek confirmation or communicate with me."

"I had to suppress the passageway in my own way," the Yin-Yang Acolytes explained.

"You are the artifact soul of the Soul Splitting Staff that was forged. He had the power to break free and could have opened the passageway, so why didn't he?" Yu Yuan, brimming with confusion, demanded, "If he was confined in the Moonfall Sanctuary and was the sin of the Boulderdawn, why didn't he cause chaos?"

"My master is not so vile," the Yin-Yang Acolytes retorted with a huff. "The Sky Fiends that originated from the extraterrestrial realm were merely my master's servants. He could command those Sky Fiends, refine them for his own benefit, and provide advantages to his disciples."

"Some fools believe they can cultivate with the Sky Fiend just like my master. Sadly, their strength is inadequate, and their realm insufficient, leading them to be ensnared by the Sky Fiend, turning into mere toys in its grasp!"

"My master's venture into the depths of the Star River will be a fortunate event for the Boulderdawn. As for me, yearning for freedom and the absence of an artifact soul, I will still fulfill my duties with all my heart, even if I am separated from the Soul Splitting Staff."

"To prevent the Sky Fiend from invading," the boy with the contrasting hair proclaimed resolutely.

"..."