C203 Teach Them a Lesson

Yu Yuan's sea of consciousness teemed with venomous creatures—lizards, snakes, scorpions, spiders, and the like—slashed into a bloody, indistinct mess by a small, radiant sword.

These creatures were not mere beasts but ghoul glyphs, soul imprints brought to life through the Dark Ghost's secret incantations, a unique kind of spirit.

For any cultivator below the Penetrating Stage, the presence of such spirits in their sea of consciousness could spell disaster. Without reaching the Penetrating Stage, one's spiritual awareness is too weak to even detect disturbances in the sea of consciousness, let alone discern the movements of these venomous spirit creatures.

Since beginning his practice of the Soul Forging Technique, Yu Yuan had embarked on a journey unlike any other cultivator. Below the Penetrating Stage, his Heavenly Soul had become incredibly refined and powerful.

Nourished by the Soul Transformation Pool and purified by sword souls, his Heavenly Soul, though not as tangible as the Yang God, possessed its own profound mysteries within his sea of consciousness. It could, for instance, transform into a gleaming blade.

With a "sizzle," the small, bright sword danced through his sea of consciousness. Sword light interwove with sword intent, creating a dazzling river of radiance, brimming with boundless celestial power.

The spirit forms of the venomous creatures, each a manifestation of the Dark Ghost's secret curse, were cleaved apart, dissipating into thin wisps of smoke in mere moments.

Yu Yuan's intimate knowledge of these ghoul glyphs, and his tailored countermeasures, made them powerless against him. Once the ghoul glyphs encountered the condensed light of his sword within his sea of consciousness, they met their nemesis, disintegrating rapidly into smoke.

A thousand miles away, in the hollow of a tree, Chiu Wan of the Ghoul Glyph Sect let out a harrowing scream, her face smeared with blood. The blood was the ghoul glyphs that had been etched onto her skin, now unraveling into sanguine streams.

Her features twisted in agony, she clutched her head and wailed as the Azure Yang Arrow hissed, burning brightly.

A wisp of Yu Yuan's consciousness, branded within him, was kindled, fueling the Azure Yang Arrow to burn with even greater ferocity. This, in turn, left Qin Yun's Yin God teetering on the brink of extinction, his soul grievously wounded.

Each Azure Yang Arrow was intrinsically linked to Qin Yun's very life force. Their ignition inflicted severe damage upon his Yin God.

Qin Yun, appearing as an old scholar, was shackled by three lightning bolts, feeling the Azure Yang Arrows' backlash with a heart heavy with sorrow.

Yet, upon seeing Chiu Wan of the Ghoul Glyph Sect in even greater agony than himself, a sense of satisfaction surged within him.

"Good! Who would have thought that Yu Yuan could inflict harm on her from thousands of miles away!"

Qin Yun increasingly believed that Yu Yuan, re-emerging from the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area, had grown more enigmatic and formidable.

Chiu Wan had unleashed the "Dark Ghost Secret Curse" with his Azure Yang Arrow as the catalyst, yet it failed to deal a crippling blow to Yu Yuan or compel his submission.

"Ah! Ahhh!"

Chiu Wan, wild-eyed and disheveled, clawed at her own neck and arms, leaving trails of blood. "How can Yu Yuan, merely at the Spirit Accumulating Stage, with no solidified soul consciousness, retaliate against me?"

"Wuwu! My meticulously crafted dark ghost mystic curses! My ghoul glyphs!"

"Puff! Puff!"

Within the blazing Azure Yang Arrow, it seemed as though wisps of venomous insect spirits burst like balloons.

Chiu Wan's form shook violently, green-tinged blood streaming from her nostrils as she collapsed.

Curled up, her body continued to quake, her vitality severely depleted.

Her crafted ghoul glyphs shared a mysterious kinship with Qin Yun's Azure Yang Arrow, resonating with her own soul and lifeblood.

The ghoul glyphs' combustion and subsequent explosion reverberated back to her, leaving her grievously injured.

She was baffled as to how Yu Yuan, a mere Spirit Accumulating Stage cultivator, could wield his Heavenly Soul Sword within her spiritual sea, annihilating her secretly placed ghoul glyphs and shattering the dark ghost mystic curse.

The small Azure Yang Arrow, ablaze and surging with power, shot towards Qin Yun in a sudden flash.

Qin Yun's face transformed with shock.

But in the blink of an eye, his surprise turned to elation.

The Azure Yang Arrow, on the brink of burning out, transformed into a fiery stream and struck the three golden bolts of lightning that held him captive.

These golden bolts were psychically linked to Chiu Wan's mind, drawing power from her Yin God to remain unbreakable.

Yet now, Chiu Wan was in such agony that she could no longer focus on anything else.

The Azure Yang Arrow, still burning and carrying the remnants of the ghoul glyph's power, struck the golden lightning. One by one, the bolts dissipated into a shower of electric arcs.

Qin Yun's Yin God, in the guise of an aged scholar, suddenly burst free from its constraints.

Whoosh!

Like a stream, the Yin God flowed into his crown and settled into his Niwan acupoint.

Qin Yun, youthful in appearance, inflated from his previously withered state as if filled with air.

With a sweep of his sleeve, the remaining three Azure Yang Arrows vanished.

Qin Yun, with only a fraction of his peak power, his face dark with foreboding, stared down at Chiu Wan. She lay curled on the ground, shivering and smeared with blood. "The Ghoul Glyph Sect's might is undeniable, and I am well aware of my limitations in resisting them. I will take this matter to the Scorching Sun Emperor and consult with the Imperial Advisor. As for the Ghoul Glyph Sect, tread carefully within the borders of the Rainier Empire."

With those words, Qin Yun ascended above the tree hollow and stepped into the expanse of the heavens.

Despite Chiu Wan's grave injuries, he refrained from delivering a fatal blow. He could not risk her dying there.

The Ghoul Glyph Sect stood behind Chiu Wan, and with two other Yin God experts from the sect having attacked him, her death at his hands would surely provoke their wrath.

Even the Scorching Sun Emperor might struggle to protect him and the Seven Divine Sect.

So, despite the bitterness swelling in his heart, he suppressed it.

"That Yu Yuan is recklessly bold," Qin Yun mused, his mind swirling with doubt. "Does he not realize the gravity of crossing Chiu Wan? He's merely a minor noble of the Yu family from Darkmoon City. How could he so brazenly antagonize the Ghoul Glyph Sect? If any of their elders were to visit Darkmoon City, the Yu family would face certain destruction!"

With that thought, he discerned a direction and made his way toward Yu Yuan.

He had a lot to clarify with Yu Yuan.

He also harbored the hope that Yu Yuan could withdraw the intentions imbued in the remaining three Azure Yang Arrows and nullify them.

...

“Huh!”

Yu Yuan, who had been in a prolonged state of silence, suddenly felt invigorated, his mind crystal clear.

As he stared into the infinite expanse of the night sky, the stars seemed to sharpen in clarity.

He could even make out the faint outlines and general shapes of several stars.

This indicated that his vision had extended, becoming more acute and detailed.

The smoke that wafted from the Ghoul Glyph, after being destroyed by the Dark Ghost Secret Curse from the Ghoul Glyph Sect's Yin God, didn't just vanish into the air.

Rather, it dissipated within him, within his soul's sea of consciousness.

It seemed to fortify his Heavenly Soul once more, or perhaps it nourished his Earth Soul and his core soul.

He could sense the benefit to his soul, yet there was a hint of uncertainty.

“Soul Forging Technique.”

Settling into a meditative state, he submerged himself in a mood of sorrow, his Heavenly Soul flickering like a bright star in the sea of consciousness.

Out of the blue, he felt an enigmatic connection to a profound depth within the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area.

He was jolted by the sensation.

The white paper fan, inscribed with the words "Fire of Extreme Wisdom," had long since vanished.

Those four archaic black characters transformed into four black suns, eternally suppressing the spatial passage that led to other realms.

He had resigned himself to the possibility of no longer being able to practice the Soul Forging Technique, but to his surprise, as he delved into the depths of sorrow, a mysterious connection emerged, allowing his Heavenly Soul to perceive that enigmatic and unknowable space.

Thus, he could persist in cultivating the Soul Forging Technique to further empower his Heavenly Soul!

“What if I completely leave the forbidden area and venture outside?”

This thought propelled Yu Yuan to his feet, and he finally passed through the gateway of the forbidden area, stepping into the territory of the Rainier Empire.

"Yu!"

Qin Yun's faint soul message reached him through the last three Azure Yang Arrows, "Don't return to Darkmoon City or the Silvermoon Empire. Join me in heading to the Seven Divine Sect, will you?"

"Why?" Yu Yuan felt a ripple in his heart lake.

"Your country likely won't welcome you back, and your Yu family could suffer consequences because of you!"

...