C351 Lunar Movement

In the outside world, the Silvermoon Queen, wielding the Soul Chart, attacked Qi Hongyi with movements that flowed like water, filled with a wondrous rhythm and beauty. A radiant light burst forth from her other hand, coalescing into rings. These rings, cold and bright as the moon's edge, cast a faint moonlight. The dark night sky seemed to suddenly fill with new moons encircling Qi Hongyi, creating a strange and otherworldly realm from which she could not escape.

Qi Hongyi, cradling her lute, found her Mindscape inundated with an overwhelming mix of soul spirits and remnant souls. This influx threw her thoughts into disarray, clouding her spiritual sense and preventing her from unleashing her array of spells. If a cultivator of the Unbound Realm were to peer into her soul sea, they would see numerous bat-like phantoms flitting through the depths of her mind, pulling at her remnant soul and siphoning away her Soul Power.

Beneath her crimson gown, her jade-like skeletal form began to seep a deep red fluid from within its bones. The lute she held responded to the Silvermoon Queen's assault by emitting a halo of iridescent light. Its strings lashed out with bolts of lightning, striking at the "moons" and shattering the rings.

The skeleton and the lute, sensing Qi Hongyi's peril, acted on their own to break free and protect her. Yet, Qi Hongyi's brow remained furrowed, her expression one of agony. The soul is the cornerstone of being; when it descends into turmoil and wisdom is obscured, the ability to focus thoughts is lost, and with it, the self.

Without her guidance, the skeleton and the lute, with their inherent wondrous spells and formidable power, were rendered incapable of action. Meanwhile, the Silvermoon Queen appeared at ease, the Soul Chart in her grasp no longer striking Qi Hongyi. She glanced intermittently towards the pit below.

"The Soul Chart is connected to the Soul Orb," Qin Yun of Midnightshields remarked from above the Fallen Star Eyes. "You may not sense it, but the residual souls and resentful spirits within the Soul Chart are vanishing silently. And just moments ago, the Soul Orb slipped into the brown eye of the Shura within the Dark Realm, burrowing deep within."

"Yes, the Silvermoon Queen must be transferring the residual souls and evil spirits from the Soul Chart to the Soul Orb," Liu Ying nodded in agreement. "She had the Soul Chart wrapped up during her fight with Qi Hongyi, likely to avoid drawing attention. And with Yan Qiling and Tong Laoqian being preoccupied with Shen Feiqing's attacks, they couldn't be concerned with anything else."

"As for Ms. Xu..." Liu Ying let out a sigh, "It seems Ms. Xu has no intention of meddling in the pit any longer. She originally came to the Moonfall Sanctuary alongside the state preceptor to assist Shen Feiqing. Shen Feiqing's goal was to awaken the Shura from the Dark Realm, but the state preceptor and his Lunar Spirit have already fled from the Silvermoon Queen's assault."

"It appears she has no reason to remain."

Below, Bai Shang, the Terra Fiend, the white-haired demon snake, and the other officers of the Blackfang Legion were all eyeing the situation hungrily.

Xu Zixi was left without any further support.

Under these circumstances, if Zixi continued to defend Yu Yuan, it would be a death wish.

"After this conflict, what will become of us and the Silvermoon Empire?" Yuan Lianyao asked, a bitter smile on her lips as she massaged her temples. "The emperor's supposed friendship with the Ruby Hand seems to have been nothing but a facade."

The Silvermoon Queen and Shen Feiqing had long been in cahoots, with Bai Shang and the white-haired demon snake plotting behind the scenes, aiming for the Forgotten Ruins not overnight.

So, what was the significance of the Empire's honeymoon phase with the Ruby Hand?

The state preceptor and Lord Faang Yao had assured her that the Silvermoon Queen would look after her well, as the Silvermoon Empire needed the Ruby Hand.

But now, Yuan Lianyao felt that the empress had no need for the Ruby Hand at all.

With the High Oracle, the top Hellbreed of the Ruby Hand, being pursued by the empress, wasn't it clear that the Empire and the Ruby Hand had effectively turned on each other?

Caught in the middle, what was the Yuan family to do?

And what of the Yu family? What of Yu Yuan?

The empress, single-mindedly conspiring with demonic spirits to awaken the Shura in the Dark Realm, was bound to make the Silvermoon Empire a target for all the major powers.

The possibility of a vast empire crumbling into dust was real, and the families entrenched within it could not escape the fallout. The thought weighed heavily on the Blazing Red Lotus, casting a shadow over the future of the empire and her own prospects.

"Yu Yuan, can you avert this disaster?" she pondered, her beautiful eyes frequently darting downwards.

The mirror on the desk no longer showed Yu Yuan's reflection; instead, it was fixed on Xu Zixi. Gazing down from the sky, she realized she could see nothing at all.

...

"Feiqing, I'm leaving," declared the Python Queen, Xu Zixi, looking up with an apologetic expression. Peering into the pit where Yu Yuan, immersed in the Dark Realm Shura Eye, she said, "You might not hear me, but my concern for Cangmin brought me here. The Mysterious Realm holds no interest for me."

She sensed that Yu Yuan's three souls of heaven, earth, and man were intact. Yet, his consciousness was likely already fused with the sword spirit and sword's will, absorbed into the Shura Eye of the Dark Realm.

Given the current circumstances, it seemed unlikely anyone could stop the Silvermoon Queen and Shen Feiqing. It was possible the Dark Realm Shura would awaken at the height of his powers, plunging the Sunblessed Empire, Silvermoon Empire, and Crimson Sun Empire into turmoil, with countless lives lost across Aetherius. The Forgeroses, Dragon Lake, Thunder Sect, and Winter's Bite might not be spared from the upheaval.

Still, the grand scheme of the Everlands would remain fundamentally unchanged. Even a platinum-level cultivator from the Dark Realm, at the pinnacle of power, would have to flee to the stars when the cultivators from the Land of Quiescence and Euwrea turned their attention to him.

Shen Feiqing and the Silvermoon Queen might also vanish into the extraterrestrial realms. Yet, such events would not wreak havoc on the Everlands or alter the fate of the three continents and the human race. The dominance and prosperity of humanity in the Everlands, shining brightly in the extraterrestrial expanses, would not be reversed by these events.

With these thoughts, Xu Zixi gave the white-haired crone a nod and swiftly took her leave. In her heart, she harbored a deep resentment for the crone from Shadow's Keep. Upon her return, she vowed to uncover the crone's true identity and, once her own power had grown, to settle the score for today's encounter.

A cultivator like her enjoyed a lengthy lifespan, unconcerned with fleeting triumphs or setbacks.

The demon snake, leaning on its White Bone Crutch, let out a low, cold laugh upon realizing Xu Zixi was resolute in her departure. "Girl, once you're back at Shadow's Keep, relay a message for me," it said. "Tell those at the Keep that I will gradually return their kindness."

Beneath the dense white hair of the crone, her eyes brimmed with boundless loathing. Her hatred for Shadow's Keep ran deep to the core. Xu Zixi, however, ignored her completely.

...

Within the Dark Realm, a Shura's eyeball contained a miniature universe.

The Soul Orb, adrift and trembling, released countless wraiths to be consumed and refined by the Shura's residual soul. The fragmented Ice Shards appeared to coalesce in the shadowy depths.

A frigid, brutal consciousness, filled with animosity towards humanity and the Everlands, swelled rapidly in power, beyond Yu Yuan's comprehension.

Yu Yuan watched as the streams of crimson sword light, heavy with fearsome sword's will, vanished into the darkness. It was as though a mysterious cavern was engulfing and refining everything in its path. Sword's will and sword light could be reassembled, but the loss of the sword spirit would deal a severe blow to Yu Yuan, potentially shattering his very thoughts if he were drawn in. Should the Shura awaken, Yu Yuan's real body would be the first to be obliterated.

An ominous sensation flooded Yu Yuan's consciousness, stirring a growing sense of unease. In this state, he attempted to employ the Soul Forging through Enlightenment technique to reach out to the peculiar space at the bottom of the Soulforge Pool, deep within the Moonfall Sanctuary.

This unique space at the pool's base, crafted by the Boulderdawn Sect, was designed to contain the passage to the extraterrestrial realm. It seemed to be part of the Soulforge Pool, yet it existed independently.

When the Moonfiend manifested, its sword sheath was thrust into the platinum skull, and the concealed sword's will was what sealed the Moonfall Sanctuary, crafted by the celestial Moon Slayer.

Yu Yuan came to the realization that the Shura and Moonfiend of the Dark Realm were intricately connected to the Moonfall Sanctuary, essentially being one and the same.

Given this connection, could the Soulforge Pool at the bottom of the Moonfall Sanctuary, with its four ancient black characters "To Know All is to Suffer All" and the immense Soul Power it concealed, be harnessed for his own use?

Even if it couldn't, was there a chance his remnant soul could elicit a response?

He had already discerned a truth: the individual who etched the sword scars on the walls of the Soulforge Pool was one and the same.

This person was very likely from the Sword Sect.

Yet, the creator of the Soulforge Pool and the architect of the Soulforge Matrix was undoubtedly a great cultivator of the Boulderdawn.

The creator of the "Soul Forging through Enlightenment" technique, whose words floated in the singular space at the bottom of the Soulforge Pool, was also from the Boulderdawn.

As Yan Qiling had mentioned, the one concealed within the bronze coffin was a prominent cultivator of the Boulderdawn.

Could he seek assistance from this Boulderdawn cultivator when his sword force and sword spell were hindered by the Shura in the Dark Realm?

Holding onto this thought, he reached out with his heart, calling to the Boulderdawn cultivator.

Within the internal world of the Dark Realm's Shura, his real body's three souls of heaven, earth, and man instinctively resonated, practicing "Soul Forging through Enlightenment" and transmitting his thoughts.

Then, after what seemed like an eternity, he was astonished to discover a profoundly deeper connection with the singular space at the bottom of the Soulforge Pool!

...

In the night sky, the Silvermoon Queen of the Silvermoon Empire was the first to sense a response.

Her indistinct visage, shrouded in moonlight, suddenly brightened.

At that moment, the slender queen became like a magnet for moon energy, drawing the crescent moon in the starry sky towards her.

Liu Ying, the guardian of the Fallen Star Eyes, shuddered, her face awash with terror.

She had the unsettling feeling that the artifact, bestowed and meticulously refined by the Starmoon Sect, was being tethered by massive ropes, pulling it inexorably towards the earth.

It was the Silvermoon Queen who was tugging at these ropes, dragging the Fallen Star Eyes down to the ground!

"Feiqing!"

The Silvermoon Queen called out, clutching the Soul Chart tightly. She turned to the commander who had stormed into the Jade Tower, single-handedly taking on both Tong Laoqian and Yan Qiling, and said gravely, "Yu Yuan, this situation is more complicated than we anticipated. He has acquired more than just the Moonfall Sanctuary; he's also obtained the sword spell of the Moon Slayer deity!"

The aura emanating from Yu Yuan within the singular space of the Soulforge Pool shattered her composure.

The term "Boulderdawn" was a great taboo throughout the Everlands!

Due to her early connections with the Moonfiend Clan, she was aware that the spirit magic Yu Yuan wielded belonged exclusively to Boulderdawn!

Before its fall, Boulderdawn was feared by all souls as the Star-Spawned Terror, the most dreaded sect in existence!

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