C315 The Dragon Soul Was Stripped away

The battle raging around the lake was fierce and unrelenting, with cultivators falling every second.

The Taiyuan Sect, one of the seven lower sects on the Heavenly Source Continent, stood out as an anomaly.

They navigated the treacherous space, slaying cultivators caught in the rifts, while the Tusk Troops' onslaught seemed to deliberately bypass the Taiyuan Sect, including Yang Yinquan and his companions.

Amidst the chaos, Yang Yinquan, fraught with tension, was initially baffled by the unfolding events.

His confusion dissipated when he witnessed Shen Feiqing, clad in armor, ascend to the heavens and entrap the Seventh Level True Dragon from Hidden Dragon Lake with a meticulously woven net of light. It became clear to him that Shen Feiqing commanded the deadly spatial rifts.

The realization sent a jolt through him, and he was seized by panic.

Yet, he quickly noticed that the Taiyuan Sect's cultivators remained unharmed.

Yang Yinquan paused, processing the situation, then swiftly issued a string of commands to his fellow sect disciples, urging them to stay their hands.

"Father!" Su Yan's gentle call drew the attention of Su Xiangtian.

As the emerging patriarch of the Su family within the Silvermoon Empire, Su Xiangtian was brimming with uncertainty. "What is it?"

"Have you spotted Yu Yuan?" inquired Su Yan.

"I've kept a close watch," Su Xiangtian affirmed with a nod. "He and Lau Ying of the Silver Moon Sect were among the first to engage with Shen Feiqing. They were seated apart when we arrived. Judging by the current upheaval, I suspect Yu Yuan is involved."

A spark of realization flickered in Su Yan's eyes. "Father, you see things so clearly."

With a sigh, Su Xiangtian shared, "I had an encounter with him after you all escaped the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area. He was the same then as he is now."

"What was he like?" Yang Yinquan, overhearing the father-daughter exchange, couldn't resist asking.

After a brief hesitation, Su Xiangtian spoke plainly, "He was a law unto himself."

"Lawless? Him?" Yang Yinquan was taken aback.

"Father, I'm going to join Yu Yuan," Su Yan declared decisively. "I can't explain it, but I have a feeling that staying close to him is the safest option."

Su Xiangtian surprisingly gave his immediate consent.

Su Yan then bowed apologetically to Yang Yinquan of the Taiyuan Sect before dashing off toward Yu Yuan.

Almost simultaneously, Zhan Tianxiang and Zhao Yafu, who should have been aboard the Cloud Sail, plummeted from the sky, deftly navigating the unpredictable spatial rifts, and sped toward Yu Yuan with lightning speed.

"Yu Yuan!"

Next, Wai Feng of the Divine Might Empire's royal lineage approached after a sharp whistle.

Before long, the area around Yu Yuan was populated by Qin Yun, Yuan Lianyao, Lee Yuchan, Su Yan, Zhan Tianxiang, and Wai Feng, representing various empires and factions. Some were acquainted with Yu Yuan, while others were strangers.

Yet amidst the tumultuous and uncertain times, they all gravitated toward Yu Yuan's side.

On the ship, Van Yan of the Van family brooded, "How does a mere scion of the Yu family from Darkmoon City attract such an assembly of remarkable individuals?"

Lee Yuangui responded, "I'm at a loss as well."

Above them, numerous nobles of the Silvermoon Empire, who had only heard rumors of Yu Yuan or had recently seen him at the Absence Relic, looked on. Their families had no dealings with Darkmoon City and had either remained neutral or even turned against the Yu family when the Lim and Van families applied pressure.

Yet, witnessing the throng of distinguished figures rally to Yu Yuan, they suddenly reached a pivotal decision that would shape the Yu family's destiny.

"Bai Shuang will die."

Yu Yuan spoke with detached calm as he gazed down at two Soul Wandering cultivators from the Thunder Sect and the Cold Yin Sect under the night sky. "I fear these two elders will not escape their fate."

"How can this be?" Su Yan's face turned ghostly white.

She had just arrived to hear Yu Yuan's startling declaration, leaving her utterly astounded.

"Crack!"

As if to echo Yu Yuan's prediction, the Silverfrost Dragon, ensnared by the intertwining spatial rifts, began to rain down blood and flesh from above.

The dragon's howls, laden with sorrow and despair, signaled the end was near, its agonized cries a testament to its impending doom.

In a hidden corner, out of sight, the Dragon Servitors nurtured with Dragon Breath and Dragon Blood from Hidden Dragon Lake were systematically hunted down and slain by the Tusk Troops under Lih Baixiong's command. Those who managed to flee were swiftly found by the relentless spatial rifts and torn asunder.

The Silverfrost Dragon known as Bai Shuang was quickly reduced to pieces by Shen Feiqing, who wielded the interwoven spatial rifts with deadly precision. The dragon's remains plummeted into the lake, only to vanish without a trace in the blink of an eye, as if swallowed by mysterious spatial tremors emanating from the lake's depths.

Jiaang Moyan and Zou Jin, both formidable practitioners at the Soul Wandering Stage, were poised to intervene during Shen Feiqing's assault on Bai Shuang but were halted by a telepathic message from Feiqing herself. "Seeking the gate to the secret realm, are you? To pry open the door to that realm, a sacrifice of true dragon blood is essential!" This message echoed solely within the spiritual seas of Moyan and Jin.

Compelled by her words and their own quest for the secret realm, the two cultivators chose to stand by, witnessing Bai Shuang's demise at the hands of Shen Feiqing. They, too, could sense the unusual spatial disturbances beneath the lake's surface.

Reflecting on Shen Feiqing's choice to remain on the small island at the heart of the lake rather than venture deep into the Absence Relic, the two made their decision to observe from a distance.

At the lake's bottom lay an inconspicuous pebble. Yan Qiling, adept at creating miniature realms, manipulated streams of divine light with her hands. The light unfurled like a curtain, cleaving the waters below and obscuring the lake's depths from the prying eyes of the cultivators above.

The true lakebed was strewn with chunks of dragon flesh and droplets of silver dragon blood, like pearls scattered across the dark expanse.

Yan Qiling emerged from the pebble's shadow, standing at the lake's bottom, casting spells in rapid succession. With Yu Zhu's assistance, they began the delicate process of extracting Bai Shuang's essence from the remnants of flesh and blood. The dragon's spirit, fragmented within its corporeal remains by a bloodline secret technique, was mournfully wailed as it was meticulously reconstituted.

Silver strands of light, gleaming like threads of hair, soared from each drop of dragon blood and every piece of dragon flesh, intertwining like braids and weaving together.

Soon, a diminutive silver dragon materialized in Yan Qiling's palm.

"A Seventh Level dragon soul!"

With a reverent gesture, Yan Qiling clasped his hands and stowed the tiny silver dragon safely in his pouch.

He cast a lingering glance at the remaining dragon blood and the copious dragon meat.

Then, Yu Zhu's cold snort reached his ears.

"I get it. I'll only take what I need," Yan Qiling quickly assured, setting the tone before adding, "With you secretly aiding Yu Yuan, he's set to achieve great things in the Absence Relic. Did he know about the secret realm there all along? Is that why he specifically headed to the Jade Peak to enlist your services?"

Inside his small world within the pebble, Xu Zixi stared at the White-robed Imperial Advisor, taken aback by the revelation.

Zhou Cangmin's brow creased. "You might be onto something. That thin girl was indeed rescued from the Chilly Wind Valley by him. And right after the turmoil there ended, the struggle for the Absence Relic's secret realm began."

He too began to doubt, wondering if he was also unwittingly a part of Yu Yuan's calculated plans.

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