C350 The Third Shadow!

Within the Soul Orb, the formidable Moonfiend, Yue Fei, who had wreaked havoc in the Moonfall Sanctuary, astonishingly materialized.

She revealed to Yu Yuan that the Moonfiend Clan had long been intertwined with the Silvermoon Empire.

Yue Fei claimed to be the third shadow behind the Silvermoon Queen herself!

Both Yu Yuan and the Golden Fiend were astounded by this revelation.

Yu Yuan, in particular, was taken aback.

He vividly recalled that deep within the forbidden area, Yue Fei, known as the mightiest of Moonfiends, had broken free from the grasp of the Sky Fiend Indigo Wraith, only to be consumed and assimilated by the creator of the Shadow Curse, the Stormcrowned Emperor.

In the clutches of the Stormcrowned Emperor, Yue Fei had little power to resist.

In the forbidden area, the Soul Orb held by Lee Yu had absorbed other Moonfiends and various souls, yet it was not supposed to contain Yue Fei.

She was meant to have been processed by the Stormcrowned Emperor.

So why did the phantom of Yue Fei surface within the Soul Orb?

"Surely, you're not Yue Fei, are you?"

Yu Yuan's consciousness focused on the wraith within the Soul Orb and inquired, "If you were her, you'd remember me."

"I am her," the Yue Fei within the Soul Orb responded immediately, "but she is not me. To put it another way, she is merely a fragment of me, a portion that was suppressed in the forbidden area."

"I, for various reasons, left the forbidden area long ago. With the aid of the Silvermoon Empire and the Lee family, I gradually regained my strength."

"The trials conducted by the Silvermoon Empire in the forbidden area are also connected to me. My other fragment, the residual soul, had a chance to be reclaimed and reintegrated with me. But because of you, the Stormcrowned Emperor, the Sky Fiend, and the Indigo Wraith, my wish remained unfulfilled, and I was left incomplete."

"Nevertheless, it's of no consequence."

"The memories of the residual soul refined by the Stormcrowned Emperor remain linked to my true self. Once I return to the celestial realm, I will seek out the Stormcrowned Emperor and reclaim the part I've lost!"

Yue Fei, residing in the Soul Orb, nonchalantly disclosed these hidden truths.

Yu Yuan's expression underwent a dramatic shift upon hearing the news. After a brief moment of contemplation, he pieced together the likely scenario. Many years ago, adventurers who ventured into the Moonfall Sanctuary must have taken something with them upon their departure. Among those items was Yue Fei, now trapped within the Soul Orb.

Yue Fei had managed to regain her strength within the Silvermoon Empire, but as a Moonfiend, she kept her true identity hidden. She entered into a pact with either the Silvermoon Queen or an ancestor of the Lee family. She assisted the Lee family in ascending to the pinnacle of power in the Silvermoon Empire, aiding the Silvermoon Queen in becoming an empress.

The Lee family's ancestor and the current empress, in turn, helped her mask her identity and aura, aiding in her recovery and bolstering her power. The residual soul she had lost, which she could not reclaim due to the Soulforge Matrix, was her object of desire.

The Lee family's current empress had vowed to assist her in retrieving that residual soul, to temporarily disable the Soulforge Matrix, allowing Yue Fei to become whole once more. The loosening of the Soulforge Matrix was also connected to this promise.

However, unforeseen events began to unfold. Yu Yuan, aligned with the sword's will, became an enforcer of the Moonfall Sanctuary. Meanwhile, the Sky Fiend, Indigo Wraith, Stormcrowned Emperor, and the Terra Fiends, Fides and White Walker, emerged one by one. Ultimately, the formidable entity within the bronze coffin was roused and broke free.

These interconnected events spiraled beyond the expectations of both the Silvermoon Queen and Yue Fei, leading to dire and frightening consequences. The weaker part of Yue Fei was consumed and refined by the Stormcrowned Emperor.

The Stormcrowned Emperor and the Sky Fiend Indigo Wraith were then taken beyond this world by the entity from the bronze coffin.

"I understand now," Yu Yuan said, having thought everything through. He gazed once more at Yue Fei's wraith within the Soul Orb and inquired, "You were brought here by Her Majesty, weren't you? What does she intend for you to do?"

"The empress and Commander Shen have plans, and you, Zhou Cangmin, are in their way," Yue Fei replied.

"Golden Fiend!" Yu Yuan projected his intentions from within the red sword light's core. "Could you lend me your strength? Help me ensure that this extraterrestrial fiend vanishes from this place forever?"

Before the arrival of the Soul Orb, Golden Fiend had already been made aware of the nature of this place and the intentions of Shen Feiqing and the Silvermoon Queen. Yue Fei, acting on behalf of the Silvermoon Queen, along with Shen Feiqing, aimed to summon the Shura from the Dark Realm, a notion that Golden Fiend found utterly nonsensical.

Yu Yuan, with his mastery over the sword light, could deliver a catastrophic strike to any soul form. Yet, Yue Fei, who had arrived with the Soul Orb, was naturally encased in a protective barrier due to its presence.

"Curse those extraterrestrial demons for daring to wreak havoc in our realm!" Golden Fiend, within the confines of the little world, transformed in an instant into a towering demonic figure, stretching hundreds of feet into the sky, and reached out to seize the Soul Orb.

Within the Soul Orb, Yue Fei's phantom let out a soft chuckle.

Whoosh! The Soul Orb swiftly took flight, heading towards the gathering of the Shura's residual souls in the shadowy depths of the Dark Realm. From within, streams of dark wraiths and vengeful spirits began to emerge.

Like a celestial maiden scattering blossoms, they materialized within the interstices of the crimson sword light. Some of these spirits had been gathered by Lee Yu in the Moonfall Sanctuary, while the origins of many others remained a mystery.

Yu Yuan, however, recognized several residual souls within this realm. They were unmistakably nobles from the Silvermoon Empire who had once sailed with him on the Nimbuswing. Among them were also individuals like Liu Wei of Winter's Bite and Lei Xiao of the Thunder Sect.

To Yu Yuan's astonishment, even the lingering spirit of the venerable General Lee Yuangui had surfaced from the Soul Orb. Countless vengeful spirits, many bearing ancient and distant auras as if they had perished centuries ago, were the residual souls of the Empire's bygone era, now released from their imprisonment.

The number of wraiths and resentful spirits now far exceeded those initially summoned by Lee Yu with the Soul Orb. Deep within the darkness, the fragmented consciousness and spiritual wisdom of the Shura from the Dark Realm stirred with excitement, like a shark starved for eons at the sight of a school of fish approaching.

How could a shark on the brink of death not be wildly thrilled at the prospect of a feast delivered right to its jaws?

Beneath the onslaught of the crimson sword light, the Shura's residual soul, concealed within his own eyeball, was thoroughly outmatched and powerless to fight back.

Without any unforeseen events, the lingering thoughts and spiritual wisdom of the Shura from the Dark Realm were certain to be obliterated.

But now, with the intrusion of the Soul Orb and the emergence of countless ghosts and vengeful spirits, it was as though the Dark Realm Shura had been infused with fresh Soul Power, granting him an augmented strength.

"Damn it!"

Golden Fiend intended to strike, but as he watched the Soul Orb drift away, unleashing myriad ghosts and vengeful spirits for the Dark Realm Shura to consume and refine, he hesitated.

"This thing's residual soul is trapped by the sword sheath and can't break free. His eyeball can effortlessly absorb the immense spiritual energy from the Forgotten Ruins, yet it cannot take in souls."

"Without a soul, his residual soul cannot be re-refined. Over time, it will even begin to deplete."

"For years, no matter how much spiritual energy the little world's eyeball has absorbed, his residual soul has only grown weaker. In this little world, no matter how dense the spiritual energy, it cannot strengthen his residual soul. Spiritual energy and Soul Power are fundamentally different forces. But now, with the additional supply of Soul Power, he can endure the depletion and even begin to grow stronger!"

Golden Fiend was in a state of alarm.

The Dark Realm Shura, once fated to die, had his residual soul revived thanks to the Soul Orb.

The battle was no longer a foregone conclusion in favor of the crimson sword light; the outcome had become uncertain.

A platinum-level Dark Realm Shura, akin to a human cultivator at the Unbound Stage, could become an insurmountable foe once he regained his strength and his soul coalesced—who could stand against him?

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