C28 A Lunar Spirit

Atop the high platform, Yuan Lianyao's elegant form set the red lotus flowers into a mesmerizing dance.

"Crack!"

The Aureum Stones shattered into dust under the assault of the red lotuses, showering the sky with their remains.

The so-called blood boiling mist had engulfed her, but it had no effect on her whatsoever.

Suddenly, she transformed into a brilliant rainbow, soaring out of the mist's reach and gracefully landing before Huang Fan and Huang Chen.

With a cold smile playing at her lips, she asked, "What promises did Colddeath make to you? To sacrifice Asvetaesi? To offer up the lives of Asvetaesi's cultivators and mortals? What does the Huang family stand to gain from this?"

"Colddeath Sect?"

"The Huang family in league with the Colddeath Sect?!"

"Has the Huang family lost their minds?"

Zhao Xi, Le Feng, and the other guards' faces shifted with concern.

Initially, when Yuan Lianyao and Yu Yuan mentioned Colddeath, they hadn't grasped the significance.

In the northern reaches of the Land of Quiescence, the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep, even the mighty Ruby Hand, were less formidable than Colddeath, which had never before been active in Asvetaesi. Hence, they hadn't made the connection immediately.

But as Yuan Lianyao reiterated the accusation, they came to a stark realization and confirmation.

The Huang family had indeed conspired with Colddeath!

They now understood why Mayor Yuan Lianyao had so persistently flouted the rules, seemingly targeting the Huang family with a vengeance.

The mayor had long been aware of the Huang family's collusion with Colddeath!

The feared outsider was none other than the notorious Colddeath!

"You knew all along?"

Zhao Xi regarded the composed Yu Yuan with suspicion, then turned abruptly to Zhao Yafu, "And you, girl, you knew too."

Yu Yuan and Zhao Yafu exchanged glances and nodded in unison.

Le Feng's eyebrows shot up, his eyes brimming with astonishment.

He remembered something else...

Days earlier, Yu Yuan and Ning Ji had emerged in the villages surrounding Thylethlume, warning him of an impending calamity in Asvetaesi.

At the time, he had dismissed Yu Yuan's warnings as alarmist.

The following day, Yu Yuan had all but stormed the Keep to meet with Yuan Lianyao.

After being rejected, he even went so far as to have Ning Ji challenge him.

Eventually, the disturbance became so significant that it caught the attention of Yuan Lianyao.

Could it be possible?

Bit by bit, Le Feng unraveled the crux of the situation—Yu Yuan was the one who first uncovered the collusion between the Huang family and Colddeath.

"How did this kid manage to see through everything?" Le Feng's demeanor shifted noticeably as he regarded Yu Yuan once more.

"Let's skip the idle chatter, sister," Yu Yuan said with a hint of detachment, reminding her, "It's better to deal with some threats sooner rather than later. The truth isn't as crucial as finding a solution."

Upon landing, Huang Fan and Huang Chen, still bleeding profusely, shot Yu Yuan a venomous glare upon hearing his comment.

Yu Yuan shrugged nonchalantly, "What's the look for? You'll be dead soon enough anyway."

"Indeed, two dead men will no longer pose a threat to you," Yuan Lianyao said with a slight smile, her lips curling at the edges. His warning had dissuaded her from pressing Huang Fan and Huang Chen for more details.

To avoid any further complications, it was best to eliminate them now!

"Whoosh!"

The remaining blazing red lotuses guarding her side launched themselves at Huang Fan and Huang Chen in succession.

Each lotus blazed with bright red flames, each one harboring a terrifyingly potent force.

"Not even as servants of Colddeath are you beyond my reach!"

A piercing shriek rent the air, as if tearing through the eardrums of all present!

The shriek forced many of the lower-level cultivators to clutch their heads and cover their ears.

"Crash!"

The cave on Mount Aureum collapsed, sending boulders hurtling through the air.

Desiccated corpses, drained of blood, were flung out amidst the tumult.

The crimson canopy above, heavy like a cloud of blood, pressed down suddenly!

The boiling blood mist that Yuan Lianyao had escaped from eerily coalesced into a viscous, blood-colored ribbon.

With a slicing sound, the ribbon materialized between Yuan Lianyao and the father-son duo, Huang Fan and Huang Chen.

Then, as if seized by an unseen hand, the blood-colored ribbon lashed out at the blazing red lotuses.

Struck squarely by the ribbon, the lotuses scattered their fiery sparks in all directions, rendered harmless to Huang Fan and Huang Chen.

Huang Fan slowly rose to his feet, dabbing at the blood at the corner of his mouth with his sleeve. His golden eyes settled on Yuan Lianyao and Yu Yuan with a cruel glint.

Yu Yuan let out a bitter smile and remarked, "The blood sacrifice magic circle should never have been triggered."

Had the elder from the Ruby Hand followed through with his plan to destroy the hidden hubs beneath the four corners of Asvetaesi, the elaborate blood sacrifice magic circle laid out by the Colddeath would have failed to materialize.

Without the magic circle, the Colddeath disciple's goal of forming a Lunar Spirit would have been unattainable.

The blood-colored ribbon struck down the red lotuses under Yuan Lianyao's control and abruptly changed direction.

"Whoosh!"

Like a blood-colored rainbow, the ribbon soared towards the Yuan and Zhao family members besieging Huang Tianyi.

"Puff! Puff!"

One after another, the bodies of the Yuan and Zhao family members were pierced as easily as if they were made of paper by the blood-colored light.

Even Yuan Fu, the leader of the Yuan family, was impaled through the heart by the ribbon and died instantly.

Oddly, the fresh blood of the deceased was rapidly drained and absorbed into the ribbon, making it appear even broader and more crimson.

"Well done!"

Huang Tianyi, previously trapped and wounded by the combined assault of Yuan Fu and Zhao Dongsheng, wore a crazed, bloodthirsty expression. "Let's join forces with the envoy and wipe out the Yuan and Zhao families."

"Bang!"

As the blood-colored ribbon hurtled towards Zhao Dongsheng, it crashed against a copper mirror.

The mirror, etched with dragon scales, seemed to house a ferocious flood dragon, empowering it to shield the corpulent Zhao Dongsheng from certain doom.

"Eh!"

A voice of surprise emanated from within the ribbon.

"Somebody is manipulating the blood-colored ribbon, yet we... we can't see them." A guard from Asvetaesi realized upon hearing the voice, "A Lunar Spirit?"

Yuan Lianyao's complexion turned a ghastly pale, "A Lunar Spirit!"

Yu Yuan inwardly lamented, "Without the presence of a Lunar Spirit, who else could be so brazen?"

A Lunar Spirit, evolved from an earthly soul, is invisible to the mortal eye. Only cultivators of Yuan Lianyao's caliber, who have attained the level of Subtlety, can detect its presence with their spiritual sense.

Below the realm of Subtlety, it was impossible to perceive the processes of Veil Breaking, Golden Sanctum, Soul Awakening, and Spirit Channel.

A Lunar Spirit of such nature, weaving through Mount Aureum, was nearly undetectable and virtually invincible.

In all of Asvetaesi City, the only one capable of posing a threat to the Colddeath Lunar Spirit was likely the elder from the Ruby Hand, who suffered from the torment of fire toxin.

Yet, Yuan Qiufang was nowhere to be found.

If nothing had gone awry on his end, the blood sacrifice magic circle would not have been successfully activated.

"Wait!"

Suddenly, Yu Yuan had an epiphany and exclaimed, "This Lunar Spirit of the Colddeath hasn't been fully refined! The blood sacrifice magic circle has been triggered, but it still requires an immense amount of fresh blood to complete the Lunar Spirit's formation! Otherwise, it doesn't add up!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Lianyao felt a surge of hope, "Are you suggesting that the Lunar Spirit is still in a formative state?"

"Exactly. He's still relying on the blood sacrifice magic circle, using slaughter to solidify the Lunar Spirit," Yu Yuan inhaled sharply, "An unformed Lunar Spirit has many vulnerabilities. You're aware that the one you've concealed is suffering from a failed Lunar Spirit condensation, which led to his descent into madness."

Yuan Lianyao's eyes sparkled with realization.

She had long been aware from her father that the refinement of a Lunar Spirit was fraught with peril, and any misstep could result in the soul's annihilation.

The so-called emissary of the Colddeath, currently rampant in the valley, must be at this pivotal juncture.

Under normal circumstances, with his and the Huang family's strategy, he would have waited until the end of the three-realm contest and the fall of night to activate the blood sacrifice magic circle and then proceed with the Lunar Spirit's refinement.

Now, with his and the Huang family's plans unraveled and the Huang family on the brink of destruction, his subsequent schemes were in jeopardy, forcing him to initiate the process prematurely.

This meant his Lunar Spirit had not yet achieved successful cohesion!

"Heh! An unconsolidated Lunar Spirit that has already emerged to wreak havoc is taking quite the gamble," Yu Yuan said with a hint of malice, his eyes drifting over the crimson streak, "From what I know, there are still ways to inflict severe damage or even a devastating blow at this stage."

The crimson ribbon abruptly soared away from Zhao Dongsheng and hurtled toward Yu Yuan.

"Kid, you sure do have a way with words," came the cold, merciless voice of the Colddeath envoy, echoing out of nowhere.

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