C353 Lunar Shade
Blood flowed like a river around the edge of the pit.
The dismembered limbs and hooves of the Blackfang Beast, along with the heads of soldiers and fragments of their armor, were strewn across the pit, staining the bottom red.
The thick scent of blood ascended into the sky like billowing crimson smoke.
Within the scabbard, the sword's will brewed, its radiance ceaselessly flowing.
Le Baixiong, a warrior on the cusp of achieving Spirit Walk and at the peak of the Lunar Spirit realm, had just escaped. He looked back at the pit, witnessing the horrific deaths of his comrades, his face etched with profound sorrow.
Obeying the Silvermoon Queen's command, the Terra Fiend Bai Shang and the white-haired crone, who were en route to the pit, shuddered with fear.
They reined in their advance, stopping just in time.
They had hoped to escape unharmed, to avoid disaster.
But suddenly, the sword's will surged anew!
"Chi! Chi!"
Strands of fresh sword's will transformed into cold lightning, shooting out from the scabbard once more.
Bai Shang and the white-haired crone became instantly alert. Before the sword's will could reach them, they dispersed like smoke, fleeing into the distance.
The white-haired crone's White Bone Crutch struck the earth with force.
Together with her crutch, she burrowed into the ground's depths, seeking refuge from the sword's will's onslaught.
The reborn sword's will pursued Bai Shang and the white-haired crone, flying off into the distance and penetrating the earth.
Relentless in its chase!
"Ah!"
A wail from the white-haired crone echoed from deep within the earth, indicating she was still being wounded beneath the surface.
The Silvermoon Queen, clutching the Soul Chart, came to an abrupt halt dozens of feet from the pit.
The queen, her true face concealed, bowed her head, scrutinizing the tumult within the pit.
She saw the soldiers of the Blackfang Legion slaughtered by the sword's will before they could even approach the pit.
She also witnessed Bai Shang and the white-haired crone, her long-time followers who had sworn fealty, fleeing at the hint of the sword's will.
A wave of panic surged through the Silvermoon Queen's heart. Clutching the Soul Chart, she no longer dared to proceed recklessly. Instead, she remained composed, immersing her Soul Echo within the Soul Chart.
The Soul Chart and the Soul Orb were interconnected, allowing her and Yue Fei to communicate through a mystique.
"Whoosh!"
The Soul Chart unfolded once more, teeming with wraiths and alien souls that continued to transfer energy into the Soul Orb, all under Yue Fei's command to alter the landscape within the Dark Realm Shura's eye.
The queen extended her hand, suddenly pointing at the scroll.
The moon's clear, cold light in the sky seemed to respond.
A radiant stream of moonlight infused the Soul Chart, leaving a crescent mark at the queen's fingertip.
With the crescent mark complete, her consciousness plunged into a deep connection with the Soul Orb.
...
High above.
Liu Ying, positioned over the Fallen Star Eyes, let out a piercing scream, pointing at the Silvermoon Queen in the mirror, "The spell she's casting is Lunar Shade! The queen of the Silvermoon Empire is implicated not only with the Terra Fiend and the rebels of Shadow's Keep but may also harbor unspeakable secrets with the extraterrestrial Moonfiend!"
"Lunar Shade?" Yuan Lianyao inquired, puzzled, "What's that?"
"It's a spell used by the Moonfiend beyond the stars, allowing them to communicate through the moon with remnant souls!" Liu Ying's expression grew stern, "Our Starmoon Sect, especially the Moon Sect lineage, has the deepest understanding of the extraterrestrial Moonfiend! Frankly, our Moon Sect has even adopted many of their spells and arcane techniques."
"Lunar Shade is a prevalent means of communication among the Moonfiend!"
"The Silvermoon Queen's mastery of this spell suggests she has secretly practiced the Moonfiend's arcane arts. And whoever can communicate with her through Lunar Shade must be someone who has similarly mastered it!"
"Or perhaps, it is the Moonfiend itself!"
With this revelation, Liu Ying's mind sparked with insight as she gazed down at the Fallen Star Eyes, her body quivering with realization.
"What's wrong?" Qin Yun inquired.
"Just now, the Fallen Star Eyes plummeted as if yanked by the Silvermoon Queen." Liu Ying pondered deeply before continuing, "The Fallen Star Eyes originated from the Moonfall Sanctuary and were forged from Lunar Meteorite. If the Silvermoon Queen is versed in the Moonfiend's mystique, then..."
She immediately grasped why the residual souls had vanished and why she could see a blank canvas alongside the Soul Chart. Yet, the Silvermoon Queen remained elusive. The Queen, adept in the Moonfiend's spells and wielding influence over the celestial moon, could also evade the scrutiny of the Fallen Star Eyes. After all, these eyes were crafted from extraterrestrial Moon Shards. It stood to reason that the Silvermoon Queen might have surfaced in the Forgotten Ruins long ago, but her Fallen Star Eyes failed to locate or sense her presence.
"Moonfiend? So, in addition to dealing with the Terra Fiend and colluding with the Shadow's Keep, she's also in cahoots with the Moonfiend?" Qin Yun scoffed. Bai Shang, the Terra Fiend, and the white-haired crone from the Shadow's Keep, though not human, were both natives of the Everlands. By definition, they were creatures of this realm. The Moonfiend, however, belonged to a Sky Fiend clan, not a species from the Everlands. To the cultivators of Euwrea and the Land of Quiescence, fraternizing with Sky Fiends was a graver sin, utterly unforgivable.
"She dares to rouse the Shura from the Dark Realm; what wouldn't she dare?" Liu Ying gave Qin Yun a sidelong glance, seemingly thinking he was overreacting. "The Silvermoon Queen is leading the Silvermoon Empire and all her allies down an irreversible path."
...
Shen Feiqing ceased her battle with Tong Laoqian. When Le Baixiong was reduced to nothing but a cloud of blood mist, and her troops were obliterated in an instant, the commander's eyes reddened with fury. She had personally built this loyal cadre, a vital force for her future ambitions. In a mere moment, her elite were decimated. How could her heart not ache?
With a roar of rage, she returned to the purple silk, gliding on the flying carpet towards the pit. "No!" The disembodied Le Baixiong, now a Lunar Spirit, sent a Soul Voice piercing through the sky into Shen Feiqing's mind. She turned a deaf ear. "Wait! Just wait!"
Pointing at the Soul Chart and invoking the Lunar Shade, the queen was equally startled and let out a shout. The Silvermoon Queen's shout proved far more effective than Le Baixiong's. The commander, whose eyes had reddened from the deaths of her subordinates, halted in midair. She stood over the purple silk, glaring at the Silvermoon Queen with blood-red eyes, "You promised there would be no complications!"
"I did promise," the Silvermoon Queen didn't deny it, addressing Shen Feiqing with a calmness as unyielding as a mountain, "You take care of the exterior; leave the ones below to me! I've said I can handle it!" She was referring to Tong Laoqian, Qi Hongyi, and Yan Qiling. After Bai Shang and the white-haired crone had fled, Shen Feiqing was needed to reinforce their position.
As Shen Feiqing hesitated in her anger, she suddenly noticed a slender wraith leisurely drifting from the queen's brow towards the Soul Chart, causing her to visibly pale. The others, including Yan Qiling and Tong Laoqian, were similarly taken aback. In the heavens, Liu Ying, Yuan Lianyao, and Qin Yun were all deeply shaken.
"The real body!"
"It's the Silvermoon Queen herself, not just her Lunar Spirit!"
"We assumed this vessel was merely a decoy. It's hard to believe it's actually the queen's corporeal body!" The crowd was astounded.
Upon the Silvermoon Queen's arrival, her visage blurred, casting an ethereal aura that led many to mistake her for a Lunar Spirit inhabiting another shell. They believed the true queen was still overseeing from the shadows of the empire. Only when her Lunar Spirit emerged from her brow and merged with the Soul Chart did they realize that the queen holding the Soul Chart was indeed her real body.
"Leave it to me!" The queen, still possessing her heaven soul and dominant soul, assured Shen Feiqing with grave solemnity. The shock had brought Shen Feiqing a sense of calm.
...
Within the little world inside the Shura Eye in the Dark Realm, Yu Yuan's consciousness, which had encountered the cluster of scarlet sword light, began to expand in an enigmatic and sudden burst.
The crimson sword light vanished as if by magic.
Yu Yuan, who was initially merely a consciousness, slowly transformed into his Heaven Soul.
As he practiced the Soul Forging through Enlightenment technique and reached out to the peculiar space at the bottom of the Soulforge Pool, his Heaven Soul mysteriously traveled into the extraordinary space before him.
Incredibly, his Heaven Soul, not yet having achieved the Lunar Spirit state, was able to leave his body and delve deep into the Mysterious Realm – a truly astonishing feat!
Even more astounding was the rapid expansion of Yu Yuan's Heaven Soul.
An immense Soul Power, seemingly boundless as the ocean, surged into his Heaven Soul.
Golden Fiend, who had entered in spirit form as well, gazed upon the nearly tangible Yu Yuan and was overwhelmed by the fearsome aura emanating from Yu Yuan's phantom. He was utterly astonished.
"How is this possible?"
An Earthly Soul could solidify into a Lunar Spirit, while the metamorphosis of a Heaven Soul signified a Solar Spirit.
Yu Yuan, who had been practicing the Soul Forging through Enlightenment for some time, had a Heaven Soul that was nowhere near the transformation into a Solar Spirit. Yet now, Yu Yuan's Heaven Soul bore a wave of soul energy so powerful that it left even the Golden Fiend feeling breathless!
