C202 Binders of Shadows

The tree was robust and its hollow interior surprisingly spacious.

Qin Yun's body was withered, his flesh and vitality drained, resembling a mummified corpse at the feet of the elderly woman.

Her face was adorned with a multitude of bizarre runes, reminiscent of earthworms or venomous insects, their vibrant colors striking fear in those who beheld them.

Any cultivator from the Land of Quiescence would instantly recognize her as a member of the Binders of Shadows, for only they would etch such runes upon their flesh.

"Granny Qiu, I was ambushed and captured by the Binders of Shadows on my way home. I've been held captive here, without ever having made contact with Yu Yuan," Qin Yun's aged scholar form of his Lunar Spirit said to the decrepit Chou Wan, his voice heavy with exhaustion, "I truly do not know his whereabouts."

Qin Yun felt both hatred and fear towards Chou Wan. He was well aware that she had long been scouring the Aetherius Continent, tasked with recruiting suitable disciples for the Binders of Shadows. Although their sect's influence was less than that of the Ruby Hand or Colddeath, they were nonetheless a force to be reckoned with.

Chou Wan, in the late period of her Lunar Spirit stage, had joined forces with two other elders from the Binders of Shadows to grievously wound and capture Qin Yun. They forced his Lunar Spirit from his body and confined it with a peculiar artifact, all to extract information about the events that transpired in the Moonfall Sanctuary.

Somehow, the Binders of Shadows had learned that a youth from Asvetaesi, unknown to the wider world, had taken control of an ancient grand formation within the Moonfall Sanctuary. The youth, named Yu Yuan, appeared to have a close connection with Qin Yun. It was this association that led to Qin Yun's misfortune, his ambush, and subsequent capture.

The Midnightshields were considered a formidable power within the Crimson Sun Empire, yet they paled in comparison to the Binders of Shadows from the Land of Quiescence. Known for their lack of principles and morality, much like the Colddeath, the Binders of Shadows were notorious for their ill repute.

Chou Wan was indifferent to Qin Yun's identity and the stance of the Crimson Sun Empire. When she struck, she did so with ruthless efficiency, sparing no courtesy.

"Hehe, Qin Yun, oh Qin Yun, your four Dawn Arrows have already betrayed you. Are you still trying to be defiant?"

Chou Wan cackled, extending her claw-like fingers and lightly touching one of the Dawn Arrows. "Yu Yuan is just some lucky fellow from Asvetaesi, a stranger to you. Why bother protecting him? Besides, he's tampered with your Dawn Arrows. As a sect master, how can you tolerate such an insult?"

While she spoke, her claw-like fingers abruptly tightened their grip.

The Dawn Arrow in her grasp was suddenly engulfed by a fierce white flame.

Bizarre runes resembling locusts, spiders, snakes, and lizards manifested on the Dawn Arrow. The spiritual energy took shape, burrowing into the arrow.

"Let me assist you," Chou Wan huffed.

As the Dawn Arrow burned, a wisp of smoke rose from the scholarly figure of Qin Yun, now a Lunar Spirit.

Qin Yun issued a pitiful cry.

...

Simultaneously.

Yu Yuan, positioned at the entrance of the Moonfall Sanctuary and the Crimson Sun Empire, was jolted, his expression contorting.

He keenly sensed that from the direction of the Crimson Sun Empire, a thread of his consciousness and spirit seemed to be scorched by flames.

A stabbing pain pierced his brow.

Suddenly, he envisioned lizards, venomous snakes, spiders, and scorpions swarming to attack and bite him.

These poisonous creatures and Alien Bugs, though mere illusions, emitted a terrifying presence capable of devouring souls.

The pain in his brow sharply escalated, his thoughts thrown into disarray as if bewitched or possessed, ensnared in a web of illusions.

"Binders of Shadows!"

He bit his tongue sharply, using the pain to force himself back to clarity.

In his past life, he had spent years in the Land of Quiescence and was intimately familiar with the Binders of Shadows.

The sect, known for breeding various poisonous insects and distilling the essence of these Alien Bugs into mystic runes, had once collaborated closely with him during his endeavor to craft poison pills.

The Binders of Shadows had secretly supplied him with numerous rare and carefully cultivated poisonous insects.

He had crafted an astonishing number of poison pills for the Binders of Shadows, enhancing the progression and toxicity of their venomous insects.

In the Land of Quiescence, the Binders of Shadows had been a weaker sect, unable to stand shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Ruby Hand and Colddeath, let alone be compared to Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep.

His contributions and the myriad of pills he concocted significantly elevated the sect's power, allowing it to surge forward in a remarkably short period.

The Binders of Shadows could now be considered on equal footing with the Ruby Hand and Colddeath, and it was largely his doing.

"I've shot myself in the foot. Who would have thought that the Binders of Shadows of this era would dare to strike at me!"

Yu Yuan seethed with rage as he sensed the runes, etched by the spirits of venomous insects in his mind, transform into vividly real insects, afflicting him with the Binders of Shadows' Dark Spirit Hex. "Could it be that the sect master of Midnightshields has quietly betrayed me?"

Mulling over this, he prepared to unleash his lethal intent, stirring the remnant souls within Green Sun Town and causing the four Dawn Arrows to detonate instantly.

This would leave Qin Yun gravely wounded, if not dead.

The Dark Spirit Hex utilized one of the Dawn Arrows as a conduit, exploiting the link between the arrow and the consciousness within it.

If the Dawn Arrow were to shatter, the lingering thoughts would vanish, and the Dark Spirit Hex would be undone.

However, just as he was about to act, he caught sight of another scene.

Qin Yun's Lunar Spirit lay discarded in a tree hollow, his withered body tossed aside carelessly.

The scholar-like Lunar Spirit was dissolving, clearly suffering soul damage from the scorching of the Dawn Arrow.

In that moment, he realized that Qin Yun was a fellow victim.

Qin Yun had not betrayed him; he had been captured by the disciples of the Binders of Shadows, who used one of the Dawn Arrows to launch the Dark Spirit Hex at him.

"Mr. Qin, my apologies."

With a silent plea in his heart, Yu Yuan abruptly took a seat at the entrance of the forbidden area.

The malevolent spirits of the venomous insects persisted in their mischief deep within his mind.

Centering his thoughts and calming his spirit, Yu Yuan's heaven soul released a wave of desolate emotion.

Immersed in a sorrowful atmosphere, his heaven soul transformed into a diminutive figure.

This tiny being was not a Solar Spirit and could never leave the confines of his Mindscape. It was merely a small spirited body, incapable of becoming as corporeal as a Solar Spirit.

Yet, this miniature figure, having been endowed with strands of pure Soul Power within the Soulforge Pool, had also become imbued with a piercing sword's will.

"Chi!"

The figure seemed to morph into a razor-sharp miniature sword.

This radiant, gleaming sword could only manifest within his Mindscape.

The luminous blade abruptly struck at the swarm of venomous insects that had materialized within his Mindscape.

More precisely, it targeted the Dark Spirit Hexes, which took the form of these toxic insects.

"Ah!"

Thousands of miles away, Chou Wan from the Binders of Shadows let out a piercing scream from within a hollow tree.

​