C300 Ancient Echoes of the Void!

The Dragonfire Gem settled into his lower elixir field, and as a result, the rate at which he absorbed the soulstone naturally increased fivefold!

Within the gem, shaped like a diamond, numerous specks of light moved of their own accord when he activated his spell.

These specks, resembling a mysterious nebula in a distant realm, followed a specific pattern, embodying the Way of Heaven.

Yu Yuan concentrated and could sense the Dragonfire Gem acting like a vortex of stars, accelerating his ability to absorb the soulstone's power into the Golden Sanctum's lower elixir field.

But that wasn't all.

The sparse and barren spiritual energy of the Forgotten Ruins also surged toward him with greater efficiency due to the gem's presence.

He had the peculiar sensation of being a massive magnet, attracting the surrounding spiritual energy as if it were iron filings drawn to his pull.

This might just be one of the many wondrous functions of the Dragonfire Gem.

Yu Yuan opened his eyes, which sparkled as he grinned and expressed his gratitude to Xu Zixi, "The Dragonfire Gem truly is a wonder. With this in my possession, my advancement in the Golden Sanctum will be significantly faster."

"If it weren't for Cangmin's sake, I would have never parted with the Dragonfire Gem," Xu Zixi pouted.

Her demeanor made it clear she was playfully seeking favor with the High Oracle.

"Alright," Zhou Cangmin sighed internally, yet he reassured her, "As long as we can locate the Mystic Gate, it will all be worthwhile. If Feiqing can thrive, perhaps she too will one day escape the confines of the Everlands and drift into the boundless starry sea."

"Of course, I wish for her to be well too," Xu Zixi replied.

From their exchange, Yu Yuan learned that the commander from the Sunblessed Empire was named Feiqing.

With Zhou Cangmin and Xu Zixi nearby, he didn't fully unleash his capabilities. Instead, he practiced diligently using the Nine Glories Wheel and the Primal Body.

In secret, he reached out with his remnant soul to communicate with Yu Zhu.

But the moment his soul stirred, Zhou Cangmin and Xu Zixi instantly became alert and turned their gaze toward him.

"You don't need to hide anything," the High Oracle said with a smile. "I brought you here because I knew she would be nearby."

Xu Zixi looked around and expanded her remnant soul's reach.

With a mere thought, the seven pythons concealed within her silver cape made a subtle appearance.

Instantly, seven strands of soul consciousness stealthily shot out from her body in every direction, soaring into the sky and delving into the lake's depths to scout for any movement.

Moments later, the seven remnant souls swiftly reconvened. Xu Zixi's brow furrowed as she expressed her astonishment, "Nothing."

Despite her advanced cultivation and the intricacies of her Spirit Magic, she detected no abnormalities, no trace of Yu Zhu's presence.

Zhou Cangmin stated with gravity, "She's here."

"And you? What about you?" Xu Zixi inquired, puzzled.

Shaking his head, Zhou Cangmin replied, "I'm unable as well."

Xu Zixi was genuinely taken aback. "Could there be creatures in the Forgotten Ruins that escape your soul's detection?"

"When she chooses to conceal herself, she becomes undetectable, even to the Fallen Star Eyes," Zhou Cangmin explained, glancing skyward. "Liu Ying managed to discern the link between Yu Yuan and her because Yu Yuan revealed himself. She is seamlessly integrated with this world. When she's determined to hide, no one can find her."

Xu Zixi grew increasingly astonished.

Yu Yuan then called out nonchalantly, "It's alright, come on out."

The serene lake surface rippled, and threads of mist gathered silently, coalescing into a form.

Yu Zhu's petite figure emerged from the depths of the mist, ethereal as a dream.

It was only upon her manifestation that the stirrings of her vitality and soul became perceptible.

Yu Zhu, dark and slender with a plain face, stood amidst the lake's misty haze. Her lively eyes sparkled as they fixed on Yu Yuan.

Yu Yuan smiled, "You've made progress."

Warmth filled Yu Zhu's eyes, and her eyebrows arched joyfully, clearly delighted by his commendation.

In that moment, both Zhou Cangmin and Xu Zixi regarded Yu Zhu within the mist with an air of profound wonder, deeply moved.

Xu Zixi, in particular, was astounded.

As Yu Zhu made her presence known, the seven pythons hidden within her silver cape suddenly emerged, fierce and formidable!

The pythons writhed within the cape, agitated and anxious.

Xu Zixi was acutely aware that only the seven pythons could instinctively detect imminent danger. They became restless and emerged to protect her only when they sensed she was in peril. Yet, during her battle with the deep-sea horned dragon, the pythons had not exhibited such unusual behavior.

A dark green luminescence seeped from Yu Zhu's body amidst the smoke. Around the crystal-clear lake, a gentle white mist arose from the surrounding shrubbery, enveloping the area in a veil of white. This dark green glow spread across the lake's surface, creating the illusion of an enormous mirror.

Within this reflective surface, the scenery began to reveal itself. The commander of the Blackfang Legion, clad in black heavy armor, wore a mask that bore numerous fractures. Her armor was dented and uneven, as if it had been gouged by blades and hammered by fists.

Shen Feiqing hovered above the mirror-like dark green lake, unarmed, as she was bombarded by massive, glacier-like prismatic pillars. Thunder balls, brimming with apocalyptic force, rained down like artillery shells from the heavens.

The seventh-level Silverfrost Dragon transformed into a towering woman, her body sheathed in silver scales. With dragon horns crowning her head, she engaged in close combat with Shen Feiqing, their clashing heavy armor and the overwhelming vitality they wielded causing the space around them to collapse intermittently. Their seemingly effortless punches, when struck into the void, triggered waves of energy that shook the Forgotten Ruins to its core.

Shen Feiqing, a practitioner of the Forgeroses' spells, altered the fabric of reality with each gesture. The space in her vicinity would alternately expand and contract, with time accelerating and decelerating unpredictably. The colossal prismatic pillars, before even nearing her, were shattered by a mere pat from her gloved hand, sending a spray of ice and shards across the sky.

Even as the pillars burst, Shen Feiqing found the leisure to counter the piercing thrust of a dragon horn with her palm, then twisted space and performed a void shift, scattering the massive thunder balls in all directions like scattered pearls.

This former prodigy of the Forgeroses, a cultivator of the "Ancient Echoes of the Void," continued to battle fiercely against the Silverfrost Dragon and the formidable warriors of Winter's Bite and the Thunder Sect. Her combat prowess remained as abundant and potent as ever.

Gazing upon the scene reflected in the lake, one might assume she was holding her own.

Yet, as the High Oracle and Xu Zixi observed for some time, their expressions grew increasingly grave.

Their keen insight allowed them to detect numerous issues, evident from the state of Shen Feiqing's Blackfang Armor and the anomalies in the surrounding void.

Yu Yuan, with his limited cultivation experience and having not embarked on the path of cultivation in his past life, missed many of these subtleties.

"Wow, impressive, truly impressive," he exclaimed with genuine admiration. "If I'm not mistaken, she must be practicing the 'Ancient Echoes of the Void,' right? This spell is so domineering that it carries a terrifying backlash, which is why the Forgeroses have long deemed it a forbidden technique."

"You're familiar with the Ancient Echoes of the Void?" Xu Zixi asked in surprise. "After the decline of the Forgeroses, they became the least of the seven lower sects in Euwrea, and the once-renowned Ancient Echoes of the Void became obscure. You've spent many years in Asvetaesi and never visited the other two continents; how do you know of it?"

Zhou Cangmin commented, "The mantra is indeed powerful, but it places an immense strain on the physical body."

Yu Yuan nodded in agreement. "That's right. Legend has it that the Ancient Echoes of the Void fuses vitality and the remnant soul, altering space, blending soul and spiritual energy, and even slightly influencing the passage of time. The further one advances in this technique, the greater the power at higher realms, and it doesn't require the use of items."

"In reality, items are akin to the cultivator's corporeal body, which serves as their foundation."

"Yet, each use inflicts significant harm upon oneself. The corporeal body often cannot withstand the warping of time and space, and when the backlash erupts, it can cause severe injury in an instant."

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Yu Yuan sensed trouble brewing.

The Silverfrost Dragon, along with the masters of the Thunder Sect and Winter's Bite, were playing a game of attrition.

They were all aware that the leader of the Blackfang Legion, who practiced the Ancient Echoes of the Void, would not endure the wear and tear. They anticipated the moment when she would suddenly falter.

"You seem to know quite a bit," Zhou Cangmin said with a stern expression as he glanced at the Lakeheart Mirror. After a brief hesitation, he pointed towards it and said, "Ask her if there's anything unusual about this location."

As he pointed, the scene within the Lakeheart Mirror shifted.

A stranger, likely from the Forgotten Ruins, silently emerged on the lake's surface.

The fierce battle involving the Commander, the Silverfrost Dragon, and the formidable fighters from the Thunder Sect and Winter's Bite, vanished in an instant.

Dawn had broken, and the first rays of the sun were about to spill over the horizon.

The myriad stars began to fade, leaving only one star still gleaming.

Of course, it wasn't an actual star, but Liu Ying's Fallen Star Eyes, which appeared to be gradually drawing closer to the mid-lake island.

Yu Yuan was observing the unfamiliar location on the lake's surface and was just about to notify Yu Zhu when he noticed the anomaly in the sky.

"Don't pay any attention to Liu Ying," the High Oracle said with a furrowed brow. "She's shrouded in white smoke and can't see us. All she sees is an expanse of vagueness."

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