C336 The Casualties Were Painful

Yan Qiling's expression shifted abruptly.

As Yu Yuan disclosed the origins of the white-haired crone, a surge of joy and a rush of exhilaration filled Yan Qiling's heart.

The sword spirit's awakening signaled that Yu Yuan's power-charged sword would soon be unleashed.

With its release, the lingering spiritual wisdom and soul of the Dark Realm Shura would be utterly obliterated, erasing any chance of resurrection.

If the Dark Realm Shura remained absent, the schemes of Shen Feiqing, Bai Shang, and the white-haired crone would fall through.

However, as the sword spirit stirred to life and the sword neared its full form, Yu Yuan's arm was bleeding profusely.

Yan Qiling was deeply concerned that before the sword spirit could release its full sword light and sword's will, Yu Yuan's spirit might shatter, scattering his remains across the sky.

Should that occur, they would surely perish in the Forgotten Ruins, and the platinum-level Dark Realm Shura would make their descent.

"You'd better find a way to lend him your strength. You're the only one I can think of!"

Yan Qiling shot a look at Yu Zhu and, without waiting for any response, he pulled at the fabric of reality, warping time and space to bring Bai Shang before him.

The area around Yan Qiling and Bai Shang erupted in a kaleidoscope of light as space crumbled into numerous indentations.

Unfamiliar psionic powers gushed from these spatial cavities.

Yan Qiling, adept in space magic, fragmented into countless wraiths, darting about as if constructing an intricate sealing formation.

The Terra Fiend Bai Shang stood isolated in the fractured space, clad in humble sackcloth. His eyes squinted, head bowed, seemingly in anticipation of something.

Suddenly, a resplendent golden light appeared.

Wang Jinlin, a disciple of the Ethereal Void Sect, was astride the Shadowgold, his face etched with terror as he stood upon his glaive.

"Liu Ying!"

Upon drawing closer and spotting Liu Ying, Wang Jinlin let out a startled cry.

Liu Ying, with her Fallen Star Eyes poised for flight, was taken aback by his sudden appearance and asked in bewilderment, "What brings you here?"

"I didn't want to come either—it was him!"

Wang Jinlin pointed at the Shadowgold Spirit Sword pinned beneath his foot.

Just as Liu Ying was about to respond, she caught sight of the Terra Fiend Bai Shang giving Wang Jinlin an impassive glance.

"Run!" Liu Ying kindly urged.

Wang Jinlin was visibly shaken.

Without uttering a word, Bai Shang raised his hand and reached out towards Wang Jinlin through the air.

Wang Jinlin's bones shattered, and his once robust corporeal body slumped lifelessly over the Shadowgold Spirit Sword.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

His middle elixir field burst open, and his vital essence, a vivid red, fused with the Shadowgold.

In a flash, his forehead split open, and a series of tiny characters emerged as golden runes, only to be crushed by Bai Shang from afar.

With the destruction of the golden runes, Wang Jinlin's three souls, no longer shielded, burst forth from his mud pellet acupoint like a spectacular firework display.

Targeted by Yan Qiling, Bai Shang shot upward, transforming into a streak of light that soared towards the Shadowgold Sword.

Wang Jinlin's body, now a bloodied mass, rolled towards the space sealed by Yan Qiling.

Upon entering, the body burst apart, with broken bones and flesh raining down, all imbued with the force and mark of Chong Xiao.

The already unstable space was further agitated by the presence of the dead body.

Meanwhile, Bai Shang, holding the Shadowgold Divine Sword, allowed his remnant soul to penetrate and dissolve the seals placed by Chong Xiao, making the sword's radiance tenfold more brilliant than before.

Liu Ying let out a soft sigh.

The overwhelming cosmic energy from the Fallen Star Eyes flooded into her, and she knew she couldn't stay a moment longer. This young woman, upon whom the Starmoon Sect had pinned great hopes and who was being groomed to lead the Star Sect, had her acupoints twinkling like a constellation.

Transforming into a ray of starlight, she swiftly descended into the Fallen Star Eyes and steered the massive aerolite to ascend to even greater heights.

Only at an altitude unreachable by cultivators below the level of the Solar Spirit could she ensure her safety.

With Wang Jinlin's demise, she realized that if she were to confront the Trolls and magnates surrounding the pit, her modest level of cultivation could easily lead to a fate similar to Wang Jinlin's.

The beloved disciple of the Ethereal Void Sect, Chong Xiao, met his end at the hands of Bai Shang, all because of a Shadowgold sword that Bai Shang could wield.

To possess a treasure is to invite danger upon oneself.

Should Shen Feiqing, Bai Shang, or the white-haired crone set their sights on her for possessing the Fallen Star Eyes, wouldn't she be doomed?

"Wang Jinlin is dead, just like that?"

Aboard the Nimbuswing, Su Yan blinked, observing the turmoil below. In a dreamlike voice, she said, "But he was Chong Xiao's esteemed disciple."

"Down there, who would fear Chong Xiao?" Yang Yinquan's face was etched with gravity. "General Lee!"

Lee Yuchan, snapped out of her reverie with an "Ah!" and looked at him, bewildered.

"The Nimbuswing is under the Silvermoon Empire's command, and it was the Lee family elder who brought us aboard," Yang Yinquan said, his unease growing. "If you're unaware of the full picture, I urge you to have the Nimbuswing's pilot take us away from this place at once!"

Currently, the ship was filled with Silvermoon Empire's elite and members of the Abyssal Dawn, including Yang Yinquan.

Lee Yuangui had brought them here and traded Wei Feng to Bai Shang. Now it was clear that Bai Shang, the Terra Fiend, bore a grudge against humanity and had just slain Wang Jinlin.

Wei Feng was brought because of her unique lifeblood. But what about the rest of them?

A thread of soul thought from the High Oracle reached them, "The Shura's residual soul in the Dark Realm is gathering, requiring many deceased souls. You are alive only because the Shura's residual soul has not yet broken free from within the eyeball."

Yang Yinquan looked on in horror.

Zhou Cangmin, clad in white, plunged into the floating purple silk with a pillar of soul light, seeking Shen Feiqing.

That was his final word of caution before he entered.

"Leave this place immediately!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Yinquan could no longer afford to hesitate. He bellowed at Lee Yuchan, "If you can prove that your sister's actions are unrelated to the Lee family, then your family can distance itself from this affair and survive!"

Lee Yuchan was at a loss, uncertain of what choice to make.

"The Silvermoon Empire must not fall!" Yuan Lianyao exclaimed.

The others around her tried to convince Lee Yuchan.

The Nimbuswing was a key asset of the Lee family. Every voyage required a Lee family member on board to oversee its operation; the Empress would have it no other way.

With Lee Yuangui's death, Lee Yuchan was the only one left who could control the Nimbuswing, and she was also the Empress's sister.

"I understand."

After a brief moment of hesitation, Lee Yuchan nodded subtly and made her way to a corner of the ship. There, she employed a mystique to manipulate the rudder, setting the long-stationary Nimbuswing back into motion.

"Where to?" she inquired.

"To the Sunblessed Empire! Since your sister has allied with Bai Shang, there must be other plans afoot in the direction of the Silvermoon Empire!" Yang Yinquan declared.

"Understood," Lee Yuchan acknowledged.

Boom!

A barrage of radiant beams erupted from beneath, striking the Nimbuswing that had just taken flight.

The Nimbuswing, a vessel lavishly crafted by the Silvermoon Empire, followed the fate of the Golden Ship, trembling and teetering as it began to plummet.

Inside the Nimbuswing, panic ensued with everyone screaming and hurling curses.

Hidden among the dense forest, on the rugged terrain, lay several ballistae once mounted on the Golden Ship.

After the Golden Ship's destruction, these ballistae had been salvaged, concealed deep within the woods, aimed at the Nimbuswing to unleash a vicious assault as the ship soared.

Wei Wujiang, of the Wei family from the Sunblessed Empire and a hand-chosen disciple of the Thunder Sect's Sect Master, was now at the mercy of Le Baixiong.

The once proud and haughty young man now appeared pale, with blood at the corner of his mouth.

Le Baixiong, a member of the Blackfang Legion, forced his head down onto a ballista, compelling him to load soulstones and fire upon the Nimbuswing.

Any attempt at protest was met with a swift and brutal response from Le Baixiong, leaving Wei Wujiang's cheeks fractured.

Surrounding them, the Blackfang Legion soldiers, harboring no love for the Sunblessed Empire or the Wei family, radiated a fierce desire for violence. Their eyes, visible beneath their masks, glinted with a bestial and ruthless light.

"The Commander has issued a covert directive: Every person aboard the Nimbuswing must be eliminated, irrespective of gender or affiliation with any sect!"

Le Baixiong, with a swift motion of his hand, struck like a blade, severing Wei Wujiang's neck and decapitating the now expendable Wei Wujiang. "After this battle, the Commander will ascend to divinity! With the cultivation level of a Solar Spirit and your exceptional talent, you will surely cleanse this disgrace and exact a fitting retribution from both the Sunblessed Empire and the Forgeroses!"

The warriors of the Blackfang Legion roared in unison, their fervor ablaze.

Devoted to Shen Feiqing as their deity, they followed her commands implicitly. If Shen Feiqing decreed they should live, they lived; if she ordered their death, they would embrace their end without a moment's doubt.

At Le Baixiong's command, they mounted their Blackfang Beasts and set off in pursuit of the survivors on the Nimbuswing, indifferent to the reasons, unconcerned with morality.

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