C246 Pull out the Spear!

The scarlet short spear was not a creation of the Sunlit Order. The rare magic item and refined iron used in its crafting, along with the explosive force it harbored, had no connection to the Order. Consequently, the Nine Glories Wheel's ability to suppress and absorb the Dawn Brilliance could not be activated.

"Damn it!" Wu Xiting's face turned pale, his composure completely shattered.

Boom!

Seven pillars of arc light burst forth from his crown, intertwining in the void to form a gigantic crimson hand. It reached for the short spear, attempting to contain the formidable power within—Wu Xiting feared for Yu Yuan's life.

Chen Qingyan let out a soft moan, lamenting the situation. She feared that Yu Yuan's arms would be the first to burst under the short spear's bizarre strength, followed by his entire body shattering to pieces. The origin of the short spear eluded her, but the power it contained was unmistakably alien to the Sunlit Order.

The short spear, whose grade was unknown, had managed to pierce through the chest shell of the thin, small girl and pin her against the rock wall, relentlessly ravaging her flesh. How could Yu Yuan, at this moment, even be compared to that non-human girl? She couldn't withstand it, so how could Yu Yuan fare any better, even after entering the Golden Sanctum?

Both Wu Xiting and Chen Qingyan, in their anxiety, realized that it was too late to change what had happened. Yu Yuan, clutching the short spear, was beyond help. Yet, life is full of unexpected twists and surprises.

Take this moment, for instance!

Yu Yuan gripped the scarlet short spear firmly, feeling dozens of scarlet lightning bolts travel from his palms, up his arms, and into his vital organs, yet his heart remained untroubled. As the sword light, dormant since his departure from the Moonfall Sanctuary, began to stir within his arm bones, he couldn't help but exclaim inwardly, "I knew you hadn't abandoned me!"

"Eh?"

Wu Xiting and Chen Qingyan were taken aback by the sudden development.

Loong Tianxiao, struggling against the Primal Flame Mirror, caught a whiff of a familiar scent. A profound, ancient sword's will emerged from Yu Yuan's arms—a clear sign of the Moonfall Sanctuary's weapon of doom, which, in harmony with the Soulforge Matrix, had never failed Yu Yuan.

In a flash, Yu Yuan's arms turned into two rods of glowing red-hot iron.

His skin became translucent, and his arm bones appeared to be forged from celestial refined iron.

The sword light etched upon them, if magnified a million times, would reveal intricate sword spells and movements akin to those on the walls of the Soulforge Pool, complete with the essence of the sword spirit.

Then, dozens of crimson bolts of lightning began to disintegrate within the fiery red joints of his arm bones.

The streaks of lightning, as if cleaved by thousands of razor-sharp swords, shattered even further and burst into oblivion.

Yu Yuan, sensing with his heaven soul, felt as though he was witnessing brilliant fireworks erupting within his arm bones, like a meteor shower cascading down.

The faint "sizzle" sounds were audible only to him.

Each soft crackle signified the vanishing of a scarlet lightning bolt, transforming into a warm current that nourished the joints of his arms.

With a roar, Yu Yuan's hands sparked with electric fire as he forcefully yanked.

The short spear that had impaled the thin, dark-skinned girl to the rock wall was indeed pulled free by Yu Yuan.

The moment the short spear was removed, her weakened aura revived; her head lifted, and her shoulders squared as if infused with new life.

The divine force within Gloomhollow surged and roiled!

The thick toxic smog from the extraterrestrial domain of the valley morphed into serpentine dragons, all converging towards her.

Even the colorful flames within the Shadowflame Blight Array were drawn to her, descending from the heavens and rising from beneath, converging upon her presence.

Her eyelids quivered before slowly parting.

Upon opening her eyes, her emerald gaze was initially dim and lusterless. But as the poisonous vapors and the vibrant flames approached, it was as if a beacon had been ignited within her eyes.

Her gaze suddenly shone with brilliance!

She then cast a look at Yu Yuan.

That single glance conveyed a tapestry of complex emotions: gratitude, surprise, warmth, and forgiveness.

Once more enveloped by the miasma, with a crisp "crack," her delicate form vanished into the thick, toxic smog.

The smog slowly ascended, and within its depths, one could glimpse segments of rainbow-hued, crystalline bones emitting an enchanting, divine radiance.

"You!"

Wu Xiting, who had been cautious because of Mount Solarian, watched helplessly as the short spear was pulled out and she broke free, his heart brimming with frenzied anger.

He glared at Yu Yuan, chastising him with the tone of a senior teaching a junior, "Even if you are of Mount Solarian lineage, even if you are the rightful heir to the Nine Glories Wheel, you cannot come here and disrupt the grand plans that your fellow disciples have been scheming for years!"

As someone from Mensend Hill with the cultivation of Spirit Walk, he was indeed Yu Yuan's senior!

He had been plotting for years to obtain something he considered rightfully his. Now that Yu Yuan had released it, how could it possibly be justified?

"Senior?"

Yu Yuan, gripping the short spear, inhaled deeply, his face slowly twisting into a peculiar expression. "Where did you acquire this short spear? Have you even begun to comprehend the spell and the intricacies contained within it?"

At his words, Chen Qingyan was baffled, her expression dazed.

She hadn't yet recovered from the earlier shock.

Yu Yuan's hands, still clutching the short spear, miraculously hadn't burst apart. Yu Yuan wasn't torn asunder by the subsequent force, which was utterly illogical.

The short spear had been successfully extracted and was now in Yu Yuan's possession. Was he really questioning Wu Xiting, a fellow disciple of the same lineage?

Additionally, what was the deal with the ancient sword's will that seemed to have manifested in Yu Yuan's arm earlier?

She was riddled with questions.

Wu Xiting, who had been rebuking Yu Yuan, suddenly froze after Yu Yuan's retort. Then, confusion washed over Wu Xiting's face. "What are you talking about?"

"What am I talking about?" Yu Yuan scoffed, still holding the short spear, "Senior Wu, are you pretending to be clueless?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Wu Xiting's face darkened, his voice growing colder, "Yu Yuan, is it? Regardless of your origins, since you've cultivated the Nine Glories Wheel, you are part of Mount Solarian. Mount Solarian and our Mensend Hill are both branches of the Sunlit Order, originating from the same source. Upon learning of your identity, I've shown restraint on several occasions. Don't overstep your bounds!"

"But you're not my fellow disciple, nor are you a member of the Sunlit Order," Yu Yuan said with a laugh.

"The Primal Flame Mirror was personally given to me by the Lord of Mensend Hill. My name, Wu Xiting, is inscribed in the Sunlit Order's genealogy. How could I not be part of the Sunlit Order?" Wu Xiting's voice rose sharply, his fury palpable. He was so incensed that he didn't even care to maintain Mo Baichuan's dignity.

Yu Yuan's words had clearly crossed a line.

"If you dare to use the spell within the short spear, then you don't belong to the Sunlit Order," Yu Yuan said with a smirk, watching as Wu Xiting, in his desperation, formed a large red hand from seven pillars of arc light.

Wu Xiting's complexion darkened slightly as the large red hand vanished in an instant.

"The Burning Blood Seal," Yu Yuan exhaled softly. "Even if you invoke the Sunlit Order's fire magic, that scarlet hand shaped from seven light pillars is still the Burning Blood Seal. You, Wu Xiting, are not the Lord of Mount Solarian. You lack the expertise and ability to invent an entirely new spell."

"The handprint you've developed still bears traces of the Burning Blood Seal, and this short spear was clearly crafted using your own vitality, refined by the techniques of the Colddeath."

"So, how could you possibly be from Mensend Hill? Even if you were, you'd be facing expulsion," Yu Yuan said with a cold chuckle.

The moment the scarlet lightning from the short spear seeped into his arm bones, the rich scent of blood that had been concealed was quietly released.

In that instant, he knew the short spear's forging technique originated from the Colddeath. Reflecting on Wu Xiting, who hailed from Mensend Hill and harbored designs on her, it didn't add up. Cultivators who practiced Mensend Hill's spells would not go to such lengths to possess her.

True practitioners of the Sunlit Order's arcane arts, even if intent on executing Banish Evil, would simply aim to eliminate her, to swiftly and cleanly remove any threat, not capture her alive.

Capturing someone alive is only worth the trouble if there are benefits to be gained!

If Wu Xiting, as a disciple of Mensend Hill, had been covertly practicing the Colddeath's mystique, then everything would fall into place.

To the Binders of Shadows, to the Colddeath, to the Imperial Envoy, and to those peculiar cultivators practicing arcane spells, her continued existence was crucial!

Yu Yuan boldly surmised that Wu Xiting, who constantly touted himself as a paragon of the Sunlit Order, was either originally from the Colddeath and covertly placed within the Sunlit Order, or he had inadvertently slain a Colddeath cultivator and acquired the short spear. Subsequently, he may have been swayed by darker ambitions and began to delve into the Colddeath's mystique in secret.

Whichever the case, if the Sunlit Order were to discover this, Wu Xiting would find himself without a foothold within the sect. Exile would be the least of his worries. At worst, it could mean death!

"Burning Blood Seal, Colddeath!" Chen Qingyan cried out, her voice tinged with desperation. Panic was evident in the depths of her beautiful eyes.

For the first time, she found herself deeply resenting Yu Yuan, questioning his actions. Why did he have to go this far? Even if he had discerned Wu Xiting's clandestine practices of the Colddeath's arcane and his secret refinement of their artifacts, couldn't he have feigned ignorance?

Couldn't he have waited until the ordeal in Gloomhollow was resolved, until they were all safe, until Wu Xiting could no longer find him, to confront the issue?

Why did he have to speak up? Now that he had, and she had heard, what were they to do if Wu Xiting was indeed as Yu Yuan claimed? Faced with exposure and pursuit by the Sunlit Order, Wu Xiting might not even spare a thought for her master's reputation.

She hoped against hope that Yu Yuan was mistaken, that he was merely spouting baseless theories, and that Wu Xiting wouldn't care in the slightest.

But as Wu Xiting grew silent and his gaze turned icy, Chen Qingyan's heart sank. She realized the gravity of their situation.

"Yu Yuan, you damned fool! You've dragged me down with you!"

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