C253 Return

Late at night, the moon hung like a gleaming disc, surrounded by a tapestry of stars.

Moonfall Sanctuary.

"Crack!"

The soulstones shattered, their spiritual energy dissipating as they fell from Yu Yuan's grasp.

Awakening from a lengthy session of meditation, he couldn't help but smile at the sight of the fragmented soulstones around him.

He then turned his gaze to a sight nearby.

Bathed in the cool moonlight was a vibrant, multicolored cloud, hovering midair, its form stable and unyielding.

The cloud churned, and with the moon's glow, he could see a dance of seven-colored lights weaving within, a sight of wondrous beauty.

He was aware that the slight, dark-haired girl was concealed within, engaged in her cultivation.

During her practice, she had to assume her real body.

Not wanting him to see her true form, she chose to seclude herself within the miasma cloud each time she cultivated.

Ever since he had agreed to accompany her, she had been adapting, undergoing a silent metamorphosis.

Whenever she emerged from the miasma cloud, Yu Yuan noticed the crystalline spines on her back gradually shortening, some seemingly retracting into her body.

The peacock-like display of her spinal joints was too distinctive, unfit for openly traversing the realms of the human empire.

Understanding this, she had embarked on a new phase of evolution and concealment, aiming to adjust her appearance to more closely resemble a human.

Intelligent beings like her, once powerful enough, could will their bones, muscles, and sinews to transform in alignment with their desires and understanding.

This principle held true for archdemons and monsters, who could assume new forms upon reaching certain stages of power.

Yu Yuan was confident that before long, she would stand before him, indistinguishable from a human child, her form perfected.

"Two months have passed."

He inhaled softly, his gaze drifting towards the Silvermoon Empire, a slight furrow in his brow.

Unlike his former companions, he had not taken a detour back to the Silvermoon Empire after departing from Gloomhollow in the Serpent Spine Mountains.

The reason was simple: when Zhan Tianxiang, Zhao Yafu, and the others had left, the Moonfall Sanctuary was fraught with peril, plagued by the malevolence of powerful alien souls.

With Qin Yun's assistance, they opted to circumvent the Moonfall Sanctuary and return to the Silvermoon Empire by an alternative route.

He, however, did not require such measures.

Once the chaos in the Moonfall Sanctuary had subsided and the Soulforge Matrix had vanished, his intention for visiting the Serpent Spine Mountains was to take her with him.

Now, with her by his side and no longer any threat of archdemons or alien souls lurking in the Moonfall Sanctuary, the path was clear.

Having a connection to the enigmatic Soulforge Pool deep underground, he naturally chose to travel directly through the Moonfall Sanctuary, taking the quickest and most secure route back to the Silvermoon Empire.

"After all this time, I'm curious about the current state of affairs."

Yu Yuan squinted thoughtfully, pondering the Silvermoon Empire and his family in Asvetaesi, "Regardless, I was born into the Yu family. It's been so long, many probably assume I'm long dead."

"Would they ever guess that I, who entered the forbidden area for training, would reemerge from it now at the Golden Sanctum?"

Less than a year had passed since he entered the forbidden area.

In such a brief span, he had progressed from the Spirit Channel to the early stages of the Golden Sanctum. The pace of his advancement was undeniably swift.

Moreover, the enhancement of his combat prowess had outpaced the elevation of his cultivation realm!

"Silvermoon Empire, Asvetaesi, the Yu family, and matters yet to be resolved. The Yu family is, after all, where I was born and raised. Despite lacking a strong sense of homecoming, I feel compelled to return and see for myself."

With these thoughts, he inhaled softly and attuned himself to his inner senses.

Focusing his awareness, he immediately perceived the peculiar little world within his lower elixir field, the Golden Sanctum, now veiled in a miasma cloud.

This miasma cloud represented the divine force he had been absorbing nightly for the past two months.

Utilizing the Nine Glories Wheel and his Primal Body, he had drawn spiritual energy from the Moonfall Sanctuary's soulstones, amassing it within his lower elixir field.

In the Golden Sanctum realm, the lower elixir field was capable of storing spiritual energy. Despite his nightly efforts to absorb and refine it, he had yet to saturate it with the divine force.

He had just discovered that his aptitude for cultivation was truly remarkable!

The initial phase of entering the new realm involved saturating the peculiar little world within the lower elixir field with spiritual energy.

This constituted the first cycle of purification for the lower elixir field.

The more expansive the elixir field, the greater the amount of divine force it could hold, and consequently, the slower the progress in the first phase.

Initially, he drew solely on the spiritual energy from the Moonfall Sanctuary. However, he soon realized that without employing the Evil Body Refining technique, the spiritual energy from the Moonfall Sanctuary was laden with excessive impurities and toxins.

Cultivating in the Golden Sanctum realm was a stark contrast to that of the Soul Awakening; there was no longer an urgent need to forge and refine one's physique.

Evil Body Refining could, while ravaging the bones and flesh, utilize the tumultuous and murky forces of the Moonfall Sanctuary. The various impurities and toxins within the spiritual energy could even be advantageous.

The Golden Sanctum, however, demanded a different approach.

The spiritual energy that flowed into the peculiar little world of the lower elixir field had to be devoid of any impurities or toxins—it needed to be pristine!

While the Nine Glories Wheel could also draw in the spiritual energy of the Moonfall Sanctuary, it required a preliminary process of purification and refinement to isolate the most unadulterated spiritual energy for the lower elixir field.

After some time in cultivation, Yu Yuan noticed that this method was somewhat inefficient.

At that juncture, soulstones emerged as a superior alternative.

He had gathered some soulstones during his time in the Moonfall Sanctuary and had acquired many more while fighting alongside Lee Yuchan, Lee Yu, and Zhan Tianxiang.

In his possession were even high-purity, top-grade Psicrystals.

Yet, given that his current state was merely the Golden Sanctum, using Psicrystals for cultivation would be extravagantly wasteful.

Thus, he opted to harness the spiritual energy from the soulstones he had, channeling it towards the lower elixir field.

Despite two full months of effort, the small world within his lower elixir field, designed to store spiritual energy, was still not brimming with it—ample room remained for more.

In the Golden Sanctum realm, whether it was about expanding the lower elixir field or refining spiritual energy, the initial step was always to saturate it with spiritual energy.

This stage of cultivation is all about "overflow." Only when the spiritual energy is fully saturated and begins to spill over can one further expand their lower elixir field or refine the spiritual energy anew. It took me two months to reach the initial stage of saturation, and I still haven't succeeded.

"Extraordinary talent can sometimes be a hindrance to one's advancement, preventing rapid progression in one's cultivation. However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing; it simply requires more accumulation."

A detached and ethereal voice caught me off guard. As soon as I heard it, my expression darkened. Since re-entering the Moonfall Sanctuary, I hadn't come across any cultivators, alien souls, or monsters for two months. The sudden voice, addressing the specifics of my Golden Sanctum cultivation, put me on high alert. It dawned on me that someone had been observing me in secret—possibly for more than just a day or two!

In the Moonfall Sanctuary, despite my covert link to the Soulforge Pool, someone had managed to watch me undetected. What level of mastery did this observer possess?

"Hu! Hu! Hu!"

The five-colored miasma cloud roiled with the emergence of the voice. A figure, not yet fully visible, snarled and clawed at the air behind me. Amidst a scattering of jagged rocks, a white-robed youth stepped out with an air of nonchalance.

"I am Zhou Cangmin," he said, offering me a slight bow and a smile.

"The esteemed state preceptor of the Crimson Sun Empire!"

After a moment of shock, I regained my composure and, with a furrowed brow, responded, "If I'm not mistaken, we've crossed paths in this realm before."

Zhou Cangmin, manifesting as a Lunar Spirit, nodded in affirmation. "At that time, I was above," he said, gesturing toward the heavens.

"Your Lunar Spirit showed a keen interest in me from the skies," I remarked, maintaining an unusual calm. "Was it because a sword spirit took a liking to me by chance, allowing me to resonate with the Soulforge Matrix?"

"Not entirely," Zhou Cangmin replied with a smile.

He produced a pill, within which a cluster of phantoms began to coalesce.

"Binder of Shadows, Guan Xianyun!" I gasped in recognition. "He fled from Gloomhollow, yet he still couldn't break free and has now fallen into the hands of the state preceptor."

"I was the one who provided Liu Zaihe with the Wyrmwhisker Poison," Zhou Cangmin revealed.

Upon hearing this, Yu Yuan's gaze flickered as he quietly attempted to establish a connection with the Soulforge Pool.

He was acutely aware that in the presence of the state preceptor from the Crimson Sun Empire—a formidable figure whom the entire Silvermoon Empire considered their arch-nemesis—he lacked the power to stand against him.

Even with her amidst the Miasma Mist, their chances of victory were slim.

"You seem to have quite a few misconceptions about me."

Detecting his train of thought, Zhou Cangmin offered a casual smile. "I'm merely intrigued by you. I'm eager to understand the intentions and motivations behind your actions in the Moonfall Sanctuary and Gloomhollow."

"Furthermore, while the Crimson Sun Empire and the Silvermoon Empire are adversaries, I no longer align myself with either side."

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