C342 Fighting a Bloody Battle

Yu Yuan's spirit plunged into the depths of immersion.

Engulfed once again by a thick white mist, he felt transported to a different realm altogether.

The night was liquid, stars glittering like a scattered treasure, with one star barely catching the eye.

That was the Fallen Star Eyes.

At that moment, the Silver Moon Sect's maiden found herself unable to discern the unfolding events clearly.

Through the vision granted by the Fallen Star Eyes, she could only make out Yu Yuan shrouded in fog, his presence elusive. Though he was right beneath her, it was as if he existed in a separate dimension.

On the floating island, Yu Zhu lay unmoving in her own pool of blood.

Yet, the tiny isle began to draw in the sparse spiritual energy of the Absence Relic.

Beyond the spiritual energy, the miasmas, toxic smog, and other lethal vapors from the perilous areas of the Absence Relic seemed to answer a call, converging towards the island suspended in the air.

Within the blood pool, the luminescent green blood, as if sentient, flowed back into her slender frame.

Her petite, frail silhouette began to stir, struggling, inching towards healing.

Led by Lih Baixiong, the Tusk Troops relentlessly pursued the empire's elite, now scattered in the wake of the Cloud Sail's destruction.

Caught in a haze, Lau Ying stumbled upon a scene of dismembered remains.

The deceased was Yang Yinquan of the Taiyuan Sect, a Yin God Stage cultivator and a well-known benevolent figure on the Heavenly Source Continent, with ties to the luminaries of the Sword Sect and Profound Sky Sect.

Yang Yinquan was dead, yet the identity of his killer eluded her.

At the Yin God Stage, Yang Yinquan should have had ample means to flee, with a substantial hope for survival.

But Lau Ying couldn't even glimpse his Yin God.

Later, she realized that numerous Yin Gods, slain by the Tusk Troops and previously cleaved by Shen Feiqing's spatial rifts, had inexplicably vanished.

Someone, it seemed, was lurking unseen, evading the gaze of her Fallen Star Eyes, harvesting the fragmented souls.

Unease crept into Lau Ying's heart.

Bathed in the dappled moonlight, Su Xiangtian and Su Yan made their way toward the Divine Might Empire, to the far side of the Absence Relic.

The thunderous hoofbeats of the Tusk Beasts had ceased, their rhythm no longer pounding like war drums against their hearts. Su Xiangtian came to a slow realization: the commander of the Tusk Troops and Her Majesty the Empress had long been in cahoots, possibly for years, or even longer, exchanging secret communications.

The Empress had assured them she wouldn't slay father and daughter, and as if on cue, the pursuing Tusk Beasts fell silent.

This indicated that Lih Baixiong, leading the Tusk Troops, was also in league with the Empress.

It was only after the Empress's command, relayed by Lih Baixiong, that the Tusk Troops had halted their chase.

"Father, why don't we join forces with the disciples from the Taiyuan Sect?" Su Yan asked, her brow furrowed with worry. "Mr. Yang is the most advanced in his cultivation, a match for that brutal general. Wouldn't our odds of survival be greater with him and the Taiyuan Sect?"

Su Xiangtian let out an internal sigh, keeping to himself the grim reality that the Empress had personally executed Yang Yinquan and captured his Yin God.

"Sticking together makes us an easy target. It's better if we go it alone," he said, glancing at the resplendent night sky. "After tonight, if we're still alive, we'll flee to the Divine Might Empire. From there, we'll find another way to get you to the Taiyuan Sect. And after that... you must never return."

He had made up his mind. As the current head of the Su family, he was duty-bound to remain in the Profound Sky Continent to await news.

His daughter, however, needed to be sent to the Taiyuan Sect for her cultivation, away from the turmoil of the empire.

The Empress's collusion with dark forces in the Absence Relic couldn't be kept secret forever. It was bound to come to light, and when it did, the whole world would know.

What then would become of the Silvermoon Empire? Could the Lee family face ruin?

As for the Empress, whom he had always held in high regard, what path would she choose? What desperate measures might she take? He couldn't begin to guess.

Yet as the trusted patriarch of the Su family, he had responsibilities to uphold. He couldn't simply take refuge in the Taiyuan Sect alongside his daughter.

He was resolute in his decision to stand his ground on this continent and eventually make his way back to the Silvermoon Empire.

...

Three warriors clad in black armor rode atop Tusk Beasts, each wielding a scarlet spear. They sat motionless, guiding the spears with their spiritual consciousness.

The spears transformed into three bloodthirsty dragons, encircling and assaulting Yuan Lianyao.

The Tusk Beasts fixed their bloodthirsty gaze on Yuan Lianyao.

Streaks of blood flickered in the eyes of the Tusk Beasts, weaving into bolts of lightning that surged towards Yuan Lianyao.

"Chi! Chi!"

Sparks erupted around Yuan Lianyao's alluring form as her spiritual sense was ruthlessly shattered.

Her spiritual sense, at the late stage of the Penetrating Phase, infused the fiery red lotuses, which fought against the spear-turned dragons.

The destruction of her spiritual sense sent sparks scattering in all directions.

The fiery red lotuses suddenly spiraled out of control, failing to shield her any longer.

Panic flashed in Yuan Lianyao's beautiful eyes, and her luscious red lips lost some of their color.

The three Tusk Troops encircling her—two at the late stage and one at the middle stage of the Penetrating Phase—specialized in combined attacks, trapping her within this region, making escape seem impossible.

It was only in the heat of battle that she recognized the formidable reputation of the Tusk Troops.

A spear thrust through her left shoulder, then forcefully recoiled.

Her once graceful and light movements became labored as she grappled with the pain. The dark spiritual power that had burst forth from the spear branched out like countless tendrils through the flesh of her shoulder.

The pain was so intense that it made her scalp tingle and her soul shudder.

Beneath their ferocious masks, the eyes of the Tusk Troops soldiers were icy and devoid of emotion, resembling wild beasts more than men.

Yuan Lianyao sensed impending doom.

A dazzling column of light cascaded down like a waterfall, enveloping her.

She looked up in astonishment.

The next moment, she was lifted by the radiant column, ascending amidst a swirl of tiny starlight, soaring into the sky.

As the column ushered her into the Fallen Star Eyes, she saw the young lady from the Silver Moon Sect, her complexion even paler than Yuan Lianyao's, with a smile more pained than tears.

With just one look, she could tell that the girl before her was seriously injured.

"Why did you save me?"

Yuan Lianyao, having narrowly escaped death, plopped down and, while speaking, pulled out a jade-green pellet exuding a rich floral scent and swallowed it whole.

"I believe you're very important to Brother Yu," Lau Ying stated.

Yuan Lianyao paused, then offered, "There are many others below being pursued by the Tusk Troops. Do you want to join them?"

Lau Ying shook her head.

"Zhan Tianxiang and Zhao Yafu of the Zhao family are among those being hunted," Yuan Lianyao pointed out.

"The Tusk Troops haven't relentlessly pursued those two," Lau Ying responded, "The girl from the Zhao family carries the Iron Plate of the White Divine Tiger. That plate serves as her amulet. Neither the Tusk Troops nor anyone else would dare trouble her if they wish to avoid misfortune."

Yuan Lianyao had never truly visited the Red Devil Sect and was thus unaware of the Demon Palace's intricacies.

As the future leader of the Star Sect, Lau Ying's master had shared many secrets with her, so she understood the significance of the iron plate Zhao Yafu wore around her neck.

With the iron plate at her throat, should Zhao Yafu face a threat to her life, the demonic energy within would erupt.

"What a fortunate girl," Yuan Lianyao remarked with a hint of envy.

Just then!

Above the cavern, the purple silk ribbon floating beneath the night sky burst into brilliance.

The captain, who had been concealed within for quite some time, now stood boldly atop the magnified ribbon of purple silk, which glowed with dazzling light and a spectrum of colors, its mystery profound.

Shen Feiqing still donned the grim and fearsome mask.

Her fists clenched, she radiated an aura that shook the heavens.

Beneath her feet, the purple silk revealed a majestic purple phoenix poised for flight.

Thick purple luminescence, like a rainbow, streamed from the silk, as the phoenix emerged, linking to her with bolts of purple lightning.

The captain's vitality churned like molten magma, a formidable and terrifying force.

She slowly bowed her head, gazing downward, her eyes locking onto Yu Yuan.

In the Middle Period of the same stage, fierce beasts roamed, and the crafting of pellets became an art form, practiced by the skilled hands of those like Yu, Zhan Tianxiang, and Zhao Yafu of the Zhao family. The White Divine Tiger, a majestic Sky Tiger, roamed the lands near the Demon Palace, a symbol of power and grace.