C343 Lost Lands Evil Person

Many were startled in the ruins surrounding the pit.

Yan Qiling, locked in fierce combat with Bai Shang, had his expression change the instant Shen Feiqing emerged from the purple silk. At that moment, Shen Feiqing's aura had soared to the pinnacle of the Spirit Walk realm!

But that wasn't all. Yan Qiling was certain that the commander concealed within the purple silk had truly broken through! When she had arrived on the mid-lake island, the commander was only at the middle period of the Spirit Walk realm, comparable to Zou Jin of Winter's Bite. Her fearlessness in the face of death allowed her to withstand the assaults of Bai Shuang, Zou Jin, and Jiang Moyan without succumbing.

It was only after she utilized the Ancient Echoes of the Void mantra and the mysterious Phaseblossom to shatter the space rifts, turning the backlash into her own power, that her combat strength surged. Yet, at that time, it was merely her combat strength that had increased, amplified by the space rifts. Her actual realm remained in the middle period of the Spirit Walk.

Now, things were different. The commander stepping out from the purple silk had shattered the constraints of her realm, advancing to the late period of the Spirit Walk! Moreover, the formidable aura emanating from her suggested she had been immersed in this stage for many years, reaching the peak of the late period, with the potential to refine her heaven soul into a Solar Spirit.

Such presence and power made every observer's heart quake, and Yan Qiling was no exception.

Bai Shang, the Terra Fiend he was battling, remained stoic. His Spirit Sword, Shadowgold, had been permeated by his soul, transforming into a golden dragon covered in dense scales. The scales glittered with a captivating brilliance beneath the night sky.

Bai Shang, like a dragon-riding warrior, was exuberant as he shattered one little world after another, galloping through them with ease.

Yan Qiling sighed deeply, casting a subconscious glance at Xu Zixi. Just one look deepened his sense of helplessness. The seven giant pythons of the Python Queen, Xu Zixi, had each shrunk in size, struggling mid-air as their python souls merged with their bodies, engaging in a more intricate battle with the myriad tiny white snake remnant souls.

The white-haired crone, clutching her White Bone Crutch, wore a sinister smile. She would occasionally vanish into the earth, only to reemerge moments later. Her true form was that of a demon snake, and with a forceful strike of her sharp White Bone Crutch against the unyielding ground, she could create a void capable of swallowing anything whole. At other times, the ground beneath her became as impenetrable as the hardest ironstone, impervious even to dust.

The White Bone Crutch possessed the power to shake the very earth, its might inscrutable. In her battle with Xu Zixi, a single misstep could plunge them into peril. The Python Queen, a human adept in the arcane arts of Shadow's Keep, wielded a jade flute. Its haunting melody could enchant the hearts of men and pierce through souls, yet it was powerless to harm the crone.

Once a legitimate member of Shadow's Keep, the crone had been exiled for various reasons and later confined within Moonfall Sanctuary. She was well-versed in many of Shadow's Keep's enigmatic techniques. She herself had mastered several arcane skills, which she now used to counter Xu Zixi's moves.

Xu Zixi landed once more, and the ground beneath her seemed to transform into a realm from beyond our world. Just seconds after her arrival, the world spun around her, and she found everything below her neck encased in stone as unyielding as divine iron.

Without hesitation, Xu Zixi dispatched her Lunar Spirit into the jade flute. From its holes flowed streams of liquid imbued with potent demon energy. As soon as the liquid emerged, her Lunar Spirit merged with it, and in a flash, another Xu Zixi appeared, grasping the jade flute and directing it towards her real body, which had been trapped in the hardened earth.

Xu Zixi's real body suddenly became as pliable as if boneless, and she was effortlessly "pulled" from the ground. "The Shadow's Keep's art of demonization—you wield it with such finesse," the white-haired crone cackled, as she viciously plunged her White Bone Crutch into the earth once more.

A dozen sharp spikes, like lances, burst forth from the ground, impaling Xu Zixi's real body and leaving it bloodied and torn.

Imbued with the potent demon energy liquid, formed by the Lunar Spirit, Xu Zixi's real body was restored as she re-emerged into her original form, her bones once again saturated with demonic power. Yet, her demeanor betrayed an unmistakable weariness, worn down by the relentless arcane assaults of the Shadow's Keep.

Shen Feiqing, having just emerged from the purple silk, was too preoccupied to notice her.

Yan Qiling, too, paid her no heed.

All Xu Zixi knew was that the High Oracle had swiftly vanished into the distance after fading from the silk, but not before becoming the target of a haunting scroll painting, casting an indelible shadow over her heart.

At this juncture, the person she truly cared for was Zhou Cangmin.

Were it not for the white-haired crone's relentless pursuit, threatening to destroy her, Xu Zixi would have abandoned all else. Yu Yuan's fate, the head and eyes of the Dark Realm's Shura—none of it would matter. Her sole desire was to catch up to Zhou Cangmin, to safeguard his Lunar Spirit, disregarding all else.

If Shen Feiqing held no regard for their past, why should Xu Zixi concern herself with it?

From the Forgotten Ruins, a similarly ravaged jade palace soared into the sky, emerging from obscurity.

In comparison to the ruins where Yu Yuan and the others were, this palace, constructed from various jades, lacked grandeur. It was overly intricate and lavish, almost to the point of being trivial.

Yet, under the nocturnal glow, this broken edifice was resplendent, its jade surfaces gleaming with an ethereal light.

The jade palace made a beeline for the chasm.

At the forefront of the palace stood a rotund elder, draped in a robe adorned with a collection of copper coins from nearly every dynasty of Aetherius.

With a contented smile, he clutched a bronze flagon, gazing into the distance.

Laughter echoed from within, from the chambers of white, green, red, and purple jade, as if from the women of his household.

The commander, draped in purple silk, with an air of commanding presence, shifted her gaze as the jade palace ascended.

She withdrew her attention from Yu Yuan below, turning instead to the ascending jade palace, her Fallen Star Eyes reflecting the scene.

Liu Ying and Yuan Lianyao gazed in awe at the resplendent jade palace that had materialized within the reflective surface of the table. Their eyes were fixed on an elderly man who was leisurely sipping wine from a bronze flagon, surrounded by various copper coins.

The table's surface mirrored a series of opulent dwellings crafted from white, green, red, and purple jade, each echoing with the laughter of soul spirits. There were no signs of life, only the Undead.

"You didn't notice this Fallen Star Eyes before? Wasn't there another magnificent palace hidden deep within the Forgotten Ruins?" Yuan Lianyao asked, her surprise evident as she turned to Liu Ying. "Isn't it said that this artifact can reveal all things in heaven and on earth?"

"That palace, too, has been transformed into an artifact; it's certainly no ordinary object," Liu Ying replied, her pale complexion betraying the gravity of the situation. She continued to watch the old man closely. "This elder, I recall my master mentioning him—he's quite renowned. But he shouldn't be here, in the Forgotten Ruins. Give me a moment to think."

Yuan Lianyao's face tensed slightly. Liu Ying's master, the leader of the Star Sect within the Starmoon Sect, wouldn't have spoken lightly of someone. The individuals he mentioned were always of consequence.

Despite the distance and her status as less than a Lunar Spirit, Yuan Lianyao couldn't discern the old man's level of power. Yet, the fact that he had refined such a splendid edifice was telling of his extraordinary nature.

Yuan Lianyao's current concern was whether this elder, who had appeared so abruptly, was an ally or a foe.

"Here comes another," Liu Ying said with a wry smile, manipulating the table's mirror to reveal a different scene.

A towering woman in a long red dress, nearly three meters tall and cradling a lute, came into view. Her flowing red hair was striking, and though her visage was delicate and lovely, her hands clutching the lute were nothing but white bone.

With a gentle tap from Liu Ying, the mirror showed that beneath the woman's dress was a skeletal form, pure white like jade, devoid of flesh and organs.

The woman in red, her dress billowing, darted across the night sky like a bolt of lightning. She seemed to be heading in the same direction as a high-ranking military officer, distinguished by his purple silk attire.

"Since ancient times, both the Sunblessed Empire and the Silvermoon Empire have pursued traitors and harbored all manner of malevolent cultivators. These outcasts, shunned by both nations and the orthodox path, sought refuge in the Forgotten Ruins to continue their practices. However, ever since the Ethereal Void constructed their teleportation circle, the cultivators from the seven lower sects began to frequent the area, and those unsavory characters have since vanished from sight."

Liu Ying was privy to the details of the situation.

"Their fear stems from the seven lower sects, the likes of Solar Spirits such as Chong Xiao, and even more so from the top-tier cultivators of the Unbound realm."

"My guess is that they've caught wind of the teleportation circle being temporarily out of commission. Like rats scurrying out of hiding, these characters have sensed the tremendous upheaval in this place and have all emerged."

"It's just unclear whether they share the same nature as the commander, the Terra Fiend Bai Shang, and the queen of your Silvermoon Empire."

While Liu Ying was talking, another figure appeared in the reflective surface of the table.

Suddenly, a massive yellow gourd materialized in the night sky.

The gourd resembled two connected mountains, one taller and larger than the other.

Perched atop the smaller "mountain" was a towering yellow apparition, a hundred meters tall. Yet, even at that size, it seemed miniature next to the yellow gourd.

This yellow apparition gave off the impression of being not a being of flesh and blood but rather a condensed soul.

The apparition burst forth and gazed at the soaring jade palace. With a casual wave of its hand, it grasped at the air, and the laughter from the group behind the old man clutching the bronze flagon ceased instantly.

The silence was deafening!

Undeterred, the yellow apparition continued to snatch at the air, capturing more than a dozen spirits and devouring them with relish.

The old man adorned with copper coins turned and shot a stern look at the apparition, saying, "Don't forget what you owe. You'll need to replenish me with some new souls later."

"Consider it done," the yellow apparition replied with a hearty laugh, as if basking in the sunlight after a long absence, utterly untroubled. "With that accursed teleportation circle gone, what is there left to fear?"

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