C356 Lovelands!

"Forget it," the Silvermoon Queen sighed once more. Her grip on the Soul Orb intensified, and suddenly, a cascade of purple light poured out like a waterfall.

Countless resentful spirits and residual souls began to disperse swiftly from her grasp. She cast a deep gaze toward the shadowy expanse, and a Soul Voice from the Lunar Spirit reached out, indistinct to Yu Yuan's ears yet undeniably present. It seemed to be in communion with the Shura of the Dark Realm.

In a flash, the crimson sword light transformed into a river, illuminating the once darkened land. It was as though an unseen celestial canopy, a veil of mist obscuring the depths of space, had been violently torn asunder.

Yu Yuan suddenly realized that the so-called realm of darkness was merely his own perception, not reality. Or perhaps, it was an illusion cast by the Shura of the Dark Realm.

Now, with fresh eyes, he was astonished to discover a paradise in bloom, mountains enshrouded in spiritual energy, and meandering rivers. Even from a great distance, he could see the spiritual energy condensing into a thick mist, drifting in the sky like gossamer.

The mountains stood majestic and towering. Upon closer inspection, one could see the mountains gleaming, clearly crystallized from soulstone. The rivers winding through them were equally brimming with spiritual energy.

Exotic flowers and plants released intoxicating scents, vibrant in color and thriving in growth. Yu Yuan recognized some as rare specimens seldom seen in both the Land of Quiescence and Euwrea.

Others were species he had never encountered in his life, with large buds and heady aromas, some even bearing fruits that seemed to possess a life force of their own.

As the former head of the Order of Healing, he was intimately acquainted with the flora of the Everlands. The fact that he could not identify some indicated only one possibility — they were not native to the Everlands!

Gazing upon this world from afar, even Yu Yuan, in his ethereal soul form, felt his spirit swell with excitement. It was indeed a coveted sanctuary.

A land of purity, a sacred place for cultivation. Surely, anyone fortunate enough to practice their craft here, even a mortal of the most common talent, would swiftly progress, breaking through realms in remarkably short order.

For someone like him, at the Golden Sanctum stage and in dire need of vast divine force, this place was even more suitable for cultivation.

"No, it can't be. It just can't be possible!"

Golden Fiend, caught in the midst of the fray, was equally stunned by the sight of the flourishing flowers and the tangible treasure trove of spiritual energy that had suddenly emerged.

"Even if that eyeball had languished in the Forgotten Ruins for thousands of years, absorbing the rich divine force of this place, it could never reach this level! Such dense spiritual energy can only be found in select areas of the Land of Quiescence and Euwrea! If the Shura from the Dark Realm had perished here, not even ten thousand years would suffice to create such a spectacle!"

Golden Fiend shook his head in disbelief.

The extraordinary scene unfolding before him made it hard for him to maintain his composure.

Yu Yuan, who had traversed the Everlands, visiting renowned mountains and rivers and nearly covering the three continents, watched the area intently and was still taken aback.

Golden Fiend was correct; the Forgotten Ruins alone, even with the spiritual energy accumulated over thousands or even tens of thousands of years, could not have produced such a wonder.

The "Mysterious Realm" discovered by Shen Feiqing's master, hidden within the Forgotten Ruins, was truly astonishing.

Even the sects like Ethereal Void, Thunder Sect, and Winter's Bite, with their grand spiritual energy arrays, paled in comparison to what lay before them.

The Forgotten Ruins, part of the Aetherius Continent millennia ago, had never been home to any major sects.

This indicated that the spiritual energy of the Forgotten Ruins, even if not as scarce as it is now, was never considered a treasure trove.

The Shura's eyeball from the Dark Realm, having absorbed the spiritual energy of the Forgotten Ruins for eons, could not match the former glory of the Ruins.

And what of the scene before them, with such rich spiritual energy?

The strange land they now beheld might be small in size, but the richness of its spiritual energy nearly rivaled that of the three great upper sects of Euwrea.

Such a phenomenon was exceedingly rare, and if spoken of, many would doubt its veracity.

Once this Mysterious Realm is revealed, it wouldn't just be the lower sects that would be stirred—the upper sects, Shadow's Keep, and the Devil Palace would be equally disturbed.

Every sect and power within the Everlands would devise strategies to claim this Mysterious Realm and the Dark Realm Shura's eye for themselves.

With such abundant divine force, it would be feasible to cultivate spiritual herbs, establish chambers for intense cultivation, and even refine special Psicrystals and Psionicrystals.

"Many are mistaken about one thing," the Silvermoon Queen began again. "They believe the inner world of this eye has formed by accumulating the spiritual energy from the Forgotten Ruins." She paused. "When the Moon Slayer cultivator shattered his body and extinguished his soul, the phenomena within his eyes had already taken shape."

"It was precisely because he had traversed various realms after leaving the Dark Realm, amassing such a wondrous Mysterious Realm, that he caught the attention of the Moon Slayer. His body perished, his path ended, but his residual soul clung on, merging with his own eye. After several ordeals, it ended up here, suppressed by a sword sheath."

"Do you understand why he didn't perish entirely?"

The empress uttered a light snort, her face etched with scorn.

"Because his residual soul became one with this world. To destroy his soul would mean to destroy the entire world. That person couldn't bear to obliterate everything, so he chose to suppress it with the sword sheath, preventing any escape."

"Could the master of the sword spell have been unaware that the Shura's eye in the Dark Realm could autonomously consume spiritual energy?"

"That person wanted him to survive in the Forgotten Ruins, for this world to persist, for him to remain undestroyed."

"What that person truly sought, what he plotted, was no different from our own desires—he coveted this Mysterious Realm! He aimed to create a heavenly sanctuary for the Sword Sect, a place for disciples to practice, to harvest spiritual herbs, and to gather spirit stones."

At this, the Silvermoon Queen allowed herself a soft laugh.

"Those with the talent for cultivation and loyalty to me will be brought here. I will take this eye into the extraterrestrial realm. In decades, perhaps centuries, the cultivators here will see their realms soar to astonishing heights. By then, the Everlands may have undergone significant changes, and my Lee family, along with those loyal to me, will wield control over all empires across Aetherius."

Lee Yupan spoke with the authority of a monarch, her voice commanding and assertive.

Deep within that otherworldly place, the spiritual energy, thick as water, miraculously surged within the Soul Orb under her control.

The aura of the Silvermoon Queen soared wildly; the mountains and rivers depicted on her silver garments glowed luminously.

The crimson sword light manipulated by Yu Yuan hadn't even come close before it was obliterated by the sweeping spiritual light emanating from the Soul Orb.

For some inexplicable reason, the Silvermoon Queen appeared to be the sovereign of heaven and earth.

In this place, she was as naturally attuned to the spiritual energy and the Cosmic Order as Yu Yuan was in the Moonfall Sanctuary, and Yu Zhu in the Forgotten Ruins.

If she were a dragon lying in wait, this place would be the very depths in which she concealed herself.

Within the little world inside the Shura's eye in the Dark Realm, all the rich spiritual energy was hers to command, morphing at the whim of her mind.

Conversely, Yu Yuan began to feel an overwhelming sense of oppression and discomfort as the bizarre spectacle deep within the eye unveiled itself.

This sensation alerted him that he was an outsider here; the local heavens and earth repelled him, brimming with hostility and malice.

Unable to harness the divine force of this land and devoid of vitality, as merely a heaven soul, his capabilities were limited to the strength of that soul alone.

Yet, the heaven soul was linked to the subterranean expanse of the Soulforge Pool, where the hidden Soul Power resided.

Additionally, there were the wisps of sword's will at the bottom of the Soulforge Pool.

"You shouldn't have allowed my Lunar Spirit to step in," she said.

The empress smiled, her hand gesturing towards the sky, and the dense divine force underwent a sudden transformation.

In a curious turn, it coalesced into a sphere and then formed into a massive, radiant crescent moon.

From the soulstone-built mountains and rivers, streaks of light burst forth, infusing the crescent moon aloft.

It was as if Lee Yupan had conjured the pristine crescent moon from nothingness in an instant.

She reached out towards Yu Yuan, giving a gentle tug.

And the celestial moon plummeted abruptly!

​