C330 Not the Same Person

His fingers brushed against another world.

It was a realm of darkness, ice, silence, and desolation.

This was the so-called Dark Domain, the birthplace of the Asura from the Dark Domain.

It bore no resemblance to the place Shen Feiqing had described—a land abundant in spiritual energy, dotted with exotic flora and rich in spirit mines.

The bone in his arm was searing hot as the refined spiritual energy from his lower dantian's spiritual sea was rapidly siphoned away.

The spiritual energy coursed through his arm, intertwining with the sword light, making it increasingly crystalline.

His veins glowed like red crystals, with streaks of crimson lightning darting within.

"Chi!"

A spatial fissure, fine as a hair and dazzlingly bright, suddenly cascaded down his arm.

Yu Yuan's complexion drained of color.

Before he could even react, the fissure contracted again, penetrating his skin and transforming into an odd force within the sword light.

Zhou Cangmin, Xu Zixi, Yan Qiling, and the others watched with eyes wide in amazement.

Yu Yuan's arm was actually drawing in the power of space, incorporating the spatial crack triggered by Shen Feiqing's retaliatory strike into his very being.

This startling transformation was beyond their wildest thoughts.

"Is everything okay?"

Even Yu Yuan was startled. He quickly connected with his inner senses and discovered his arm was unharmed. The spatial crack, now further reduced, seemed to solidify into a sharper sword intent, blending with the sword light in his arm to amplify the might of his next strike.

After the first came the second, then the third!

"Chi! Chi!"

The terrifying spatial rifts, spawned by Shen Feiqing and wielded by her to slay Bai Shuang and obliterate Jiang Moyan, shrank into brilliant white lightning, striking Yu Yuan's arm one after another.

With each additional rift absorbed, Yu Yuan's arm swelled with an even more formidable sword intent.

Shen Feiqing, deliberately keeping her distance, had an unreadable expression beneath her mask, but her exposed eyes swirled with a chill.

The spatial rifts merging into Yu Yuan's arm... they were once hers.

"In the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area, Yu Yuan's connection with the Heaven Sealing Soul Transformation Formation meant that each swing of his sword carried the formation's dread power," Yan Qiling declared, hovering midair with a grave tone. "But from what I sense, the sword spells he cast within the Forbidden Area, drawing upon the Soul Transformation Pool and the formation, paled in comparison to the strength of his next sword."

Zhou Cangmin nodded in agreement, "Indeed, the next strike of the sword was breathtaking."

Masters of their caliber could both see and sense the transformation of spatial rifts into sword intent, converging into Yu Yuan's hand as it pointed towards the Dark Domain Asura's eye. The overwhelming sword intent radiating from his arm was so intense that merely witnessing it caused discomfort to their eyes and souls.

What level of cultivation had they achieved?

Their eyes and souls felt parched and stung just from observing. One could only imagine the immense power of that sword.

"Yu Yuan is merely a conduit for the sword," Xu Zixi interjected. "The real driving force is the sword sheath and the spatial rifts, the strange powers previously infused into his arm. At this moment, Yu Yuan has temporarily become the sword itself, bearing the ancient sword intent to vanquish his foe."

Lau Ying of the Silver Moon Sect stumbled, nearly losing consciousness.

Her garments shimmered with a mesmerizing starlight.

The sun blazed overhead.

A majestic flow of star energy, like a cascading waterfall, fell from the Fallen Star Eyes, enveloping her and alleviating her unease.

Yan Qiling gave her a sidelong glance and huffed, "Girl, mind your gaze. With your level of cultivation, you shouldn't fixate on that sword intent. Don't strain your eyes and soul."

Both he and Zhou Cangmin were affected; Lau Ying was no exception.

Lau Ying's near faint was due to her prolonged focus on Yu Yuan's hand, attempting to perceive the sword intent through her secret methods with her eyes and soul.

"A wise piece of advice. You'd do well to shut your eyes and use the Fallen Star Eyes to see," Zhou Cangmin advised.

Bathed in the star energy's waterfall, Lau Ying's vitality and spiritual energy swiftly returned. Within a few breaths, she was restored to her former state.

Her rapid recovery was due to her lesser strength and cultivation level, which, with the aid of the Fallen Star Eyes, allowed her to heal quickly.

If she had been at the Soul Wandering or Yang God Stage, even with the Fallen Star Eyes' aid, recovery would not have been as swift.

"Thank you for the guidance, senior."

Lau Ying acknowledged the advice with grace. Her lashes flickered as she obediently closed her eyes.

She stepped back, maintaining her distance from Yu Yuan and the pit, her consciousness immersed in the Fallen Star Eyes.

The Fallen Star Eyes, having descended significantly, became her third eye. It took over her actual vision, offering a high-altitude view to monitor Yu Yuan's every action.

"Cloud Sail is closing in fast. Yu Yuan might not even get to swing his sword before they arrive."

With her eyes closed, she whispered a reminder, informing them of the current situation.

"Feiqing, if Cloud Sail shows up, you handle the interception," Zhou Cangmin instructed, turning to address the female commander. "The spatial rift that was meant to merge with your flesh has been absorbed by Yu Yuan's arm, fueling the power of his sword. You won't suffer any backlash now. With your strength, keeping Cloud Sail at bay should be a breeze, right?"

Yan Qiling, Yu Zhu, and even the Python Queen, Xu Zixi, all turned their attention to her.

After a brief contemplation, Shen Feiqing replied, "Understood."

Boom!

With a forceful stomp, her slight figure shot up towards the heavens.

She vanished into the sky in a flash, like a streak of lightning.

The tremors of the earth lingered on.

"Hu!"

Yan Qiling's hands wove together, creating subtle ripples in the pit's space, imperceptible to the eye but detectable by the soul.

"She's out of earshot now."

Yan Qiling, with a grave expression, turned to the White-robed Imperial Advisor. "Imperial Advisor, was it really wise to send the commander away?"

Yu Zhu, Xu Zixi, and the rest awaited Zhou Cangmin's response.

"My knowledge of the Asura from the Dark Domain is limited, but I do understand Feiqing a bit more," the White-robed Imperial Advisor acknowledged with a nod. "She tends to extremes. You're suggesting she might be aware that the Asura's residual soul and consciousness haven't been fully extinguished. Given her nature, it's entirely possible she has some unspoken agreement with the Asura."

"Cangmin, do you... also suspect something's amiss with Feiqing?" Xu Zixi asked urgently.

"Feiqing's actions aren't meant to harm us," the White-robed Imperial Advisor clarified. "She undoubtedly has her reasons. Perhaps she's aiming to assassinate the Divine Might Empire's Monarch, or maybe she wants the current master of the Ancient Desolate Sect to pay dearly as vengeance for her master. Or it could be for a reason we're unaware of."

"But if she actually went through with it, the Asura would have been resurrected. And after drawing upon the spiritual essence of the Dark Domain for millennia, he would indeed possess the power of a white gold rank."

"Then..."

The White-robed Imperial Advisor, revered and feared across the Silvermoon Empire, Rainier Empire, and Divine Might Empire, let out a deep sigh.

"The Commander didn't intervene with Cloud Sail."

Lau Ying, with her eyes closed, suddenly looked alarmed and said, "She's vanished! Despite my constant vigilance with the Fallen Star Eyes, she slipped away in an instant!"

"I knew it!" Yan Qiling said sternly, "Your friend has been toying with us all along, playing us all for fools!"

Zhou Cangmin shook his head with a wry smile, "The very scenario I dreaded has unfolded."

"Cangmin, we cared so much for her, and yet she kept us in the dark about everything!" Xu Zixi complained, "If she could neutralize the backlash with the Void Spiritual Plant and even planned to turn the tables on Bai Shuang, Zou Jin, and Jiaang Moyan, why all the secrecy? After Yu Yuan uncovered her ruse, she still struck a deal with us to explore the secret realm together."

"But how did she manage that?"

"We're still in the dark about her motives. We can't even be sure if the secret realm information she shared is authentic."

"We're completely clueless about her true intentions in the Absence Relic!"

Xu Zixi, brimming with frustration, had already come to a decision.

"Mr. Yan is correct. What the Commander truly intends might just be to awaken the Asura of the Dark Domain." Yu Yuan, still in the cavern, his finger poised above the brown iris, unleashed a sword intent so formidable it seemed capable of slicing through the fabric of time itself. "She and Bai Shang are likely allies."

"Furthermore, I can sense that the Asura of the Dark Domain is indeed still alive, his lingering will concealed within his eye!"

​