C192 Fighting Headon

The sword intent etched into the pond's wall was unleashed to suppress the spatial passage, ensuring a steady supply of soul energy. Its attacks were indiscriminate, targeting both Alien Soul Demons and human cultivators alike. The opening of the passage would allow countless Alien Soul Demons to flood in, a scenario too dire to contemplate.

However, once sufficient soul energy was channeled into the four ancient black characters, "Wisdom Extremes Bring Harm," it would ensure the spatial passage to the outer realms remained sealed. The sword intent's victims would then become specific. It first struck at the Demonic Tree, the ghost ape, and a burly man with a dragon's body.

To the sword intent's senses, neither the Demonic Tree nor the ghost ape were human. They were anomalies. Many such beings, already suppressed by the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area, were the hunted prey of the Divine Soul Sect. Thus, the sword intent inscribed on the pond's wall prioritized these creatures for elimination.

The human cultivators of the Silvermoon Empire, who obeyed Su Xiangtian, were spared only when there was an abundance of soul energy. As Su Xiangtian and his group cautiously approached the Soul Transformation Pool, they were initially wary. But upon realizing that the sword intent was solely targeting Alien Soul Demon Spirits and deliberately avoiding them, they were greatly reassured.

Soon, a group of seven reunited at the Soul Transformation Pool, all at the Yin God Stage.

"Young lady," Old General Lee Yuangui approached Zhao Yafu, his cloudy eyes shining with an intense light. "You're from Darkmoon City, aren't you? Named Zhao Yafu?"

Zhao Yafu nodded rapidly, replying, "It's an honor to meet you, Grandfather Lee."

"Then..." Lee Yuangui's gaze shifted and landed on the man with the human head and dragon body, who was cornered by the sword intent, "What's your relation to him?"

As he spoke, Su Xiangtian and the other Yin God powerhouses turned their attention in that direction. Zhao Yafu's face was a picture of distress as she stammered, "He... he once helped me."

"Are you Yu Yuan?" A frail old crone in a grey-brown robe fixed her gaze on the bottom of the pond, her wrinkled face twisted with malice. "Lim Fengyan of the Van family perished at the entrance to the forbidden area! In his final moments, he shattered a Soul Sound talisman, sending a last thought back to the Van family."

Yuan Lianyao was taken aback. "Senior Van Hua, what are you talking about?"

Yu Yuan's brow furrowed as he raised his voice, "What do you mean?"

The seven remaining practitioners from the Silvermoon Empire had convened above the Soul Transformation Pool, showing no rush to take any reckless actions.

They were just as unclear about the current situation.

Lim Fengyan was dead, and several of his companions had fallen to the sword intent.

Despite the sword intent now seeming devoid of malice, they still hesitated to approach the Soul Transformation Pool at this juncture.

They all sought to understand exactly what had transpired.

Van Hua's revelation that Van Ning had transmitted a Soul Sound before his death piqued their curiosity.

Su Xiangtian, momentarily taken aback, remarked, "You've never mentioned this before."

Grief etched Van Hua's brow. "Van Li was the Van family's pride and one of the Empire's five new moons. His death dealt a severe blow to our family. His final Soul Sound conveyed that Yu Yuan of Darkmoon City had been acting suspiciously in the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area and that there were many inconsistencies about him."

Eyes instinctively turned towards Yu Yuan.

Su Xiangtian remained silent, his gaze on Ann Jieshan, now with a flesh and blood body, and the muscular figure with a dragon's head and a human's body. "Earth Demon Xiquan, the Demonic Tree, and the ghost ape—all were slain by the pool's sword intent. Zhao told me before I arrived that she hoped you would spare him?"

Su Xiangtian gave the dragon-headed man another look.

"I've spoken with Su Yan, and she too mentioned that you could wield the Forbidden Area's powers," Su Xiangtian said, his face a picture of bewilderment. "You've slain many Moon Demons. It seems you truly resonate with this land and can harness its energies."

Yuan Lianyao's heart raced with alarm.

Su Xiangtian's insinuations touched upon her deepest fears.

Van Hua, caught off guard, raised his voice sharply, "So, can you also manipulate the sword intent on the pool's walls? This elder from the Blood God Cult—why is he still alive? And what about him!"

Van Hua gestured towards the man with the head of a human and the body of a dragon, adding, "He's alive too!"

"Yet the current head of the Lim family within our empire was slain by sword intent, his soul utterly destroyed!" Van Hua's voice rose with emotion. "Yu Yuan, can you honestly claim that the empire's fallen have no connection to you?"

"No," Yu Yuan replied, shaking his head.

"Yu Yuan, if only you could rein in your sword intent," Su Xiangtian said, squinting at the man with the dragon body and Ann Jieshan, who had taken on a corporeal form, "These are all Alien Soul Demons, once the most savage beings within the empire. Moreover, they are natives of the forbidden area. You..."

"What about it?" Yu Yuan interjected.

"Use your sword intent to cleanse them," Su Xiangtian said earnestly, his gaze fixed on the man with the dragon body. "Little Yan'er has asked to speak with you personally. The squabble between the Su and Yu families is trivial. Rest assured, upon our return to the empire, I will have Su Yin visit your Yu family and offer your grandfather an apology."

"Su Xiangtian!" Van Hua exclaimed sharply.

Su Xiangtian gestured for her to calm down. "I'm aware that Van Ning was a prodigy of the empire, but he's gone now. He's not the only one; many of our empire's brightest and those who joined us have met with tragic fates."

"Our nation is at its most vulnerable; we must take action."

Lee Yuangui silently agreed.

In this pivotal moment, Su Xiangtian remained remarkably composed, not seeking to delve into whether Lim Fengyan's death was connected to Yu Yuan.

His priority was to swiftly eliminate any Alien Soul Demons unrelated to the empire.

Only then could he verify whether Yu Yuan truly had the ability to control the formations of the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area, as Zhao Yafu and Su Yan had claimed.

Once confirmed, he would adjust his strategy accordingly.

"Van Hua, we'll set aside the matter of Van Ning's death for the moment," the old general spoke softly. "As for Lim Fengyan's demise, it was swift. In my view, it has no ties to Yu Yuan."

Upon seeing Yu Yuan, both he and Su Xiangtian proactively spoke out in his defense, prompting Fan He to grunt in frustration and wisely choose to remain silent.

"Those not of our kind will surely have different hearts," Lee Yuangui said to Yu Yuan with a grave tone. "If indeed you can harness those sword intents, it would be best to dispose of the unrelated alien spirits sooner rather than later."

The sword intents pressed against the nape and back of the man with a dragon's body and a human head, yet they did not penetrate—a revelation that spoke volumes.

Ann Jieshan's survival served as undeniable evidence. After all, it was Ann Jieshan who had switched sides in the heat of battle, delivering the captured Yuan Lianyao into Yu Yuan's hands as an early gesture of goodwill.

"To be completely honest," Yu Yuan began, bowing respectfully to the old general he had once met at the bottom of the Soul Transformation Pool, "I am indeed able to exert some influence over those sword intents."

Lee Yuangui and Su Xiangtian's faces lit up with relief and pride, reassured that their efforts to protect this promising youth were not in vain.

"However, I will not allow the sword intents to strike down either of them," Yu Yuan added.

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