C358 Refuse
The sun crested the horizon, heralding the end of another day.
The conflict at Absence Relic had been raging on, almost imperceptibly, for quite some time.
Within the splendid confines of Jade Tower, Old Cash appeared at ease, yet he was, in truth, extremely tense.
He had noticed that the elusive Earth Demon Bai Shang and the white-haired crone had stealthily resurfaced.
The sword intent that had been doggedly pursuing and besieging them must have been gradually neutralized by their efforts.
"What's our next move?"
Old Cash muttered, furrowing his brow in thought. His gaze shifted to Chi Hongyi, observing the woman in red, cradling her lute, still lost in her own realm.
Her lute, her garments, and the radiant skeleton beneath her clothes all served as her guardians.
Yet, her abilities were limited to self-preservation alone.
With Bai Shang and the old woman's return, Shen Feiqing's menacing presence, and the Silvermoon Queen's continued dominance, the scales were tipped heavily against them.
Victory was out of the question.
"Let's just drop it."
A hint of defeat in his voice, Old Cash spoke before Yan Qiling could interject, "It seems we're not destined for the secret realm. And as for the Asura in the Dark Domain below, should it awaken and wreak havoc, that's beyond our control now."
His words signaled a retreat, a clear sign he was bowing out of the fray.
Yan Qiling gave a dismissive snort, "You, along with Chi Hongyi and the Yellow Old Devil, were all duped by the Silvermoon Queen. Do you really think she'd let you three slip away without a fuss?"
"What can she do if I decide to leave?" Old Cash retorted, eyes wide with defiance.
Just then!
The Silvermoon Queen's slender silhouette above the pit began to tremble violently.
The Soul Sacrifice Diagram she wielded emitted an eerie hum as the spirits and souls within it seemed to be erased, dwindling rapidly.
Trails of gray smoke seeped from the corners of her eyes and her brow, streaming towards the diagram.
In that instant, the queen convulsed with a thunderous jolt.
The next moment, blood burst forth from Lee Yupan's silver eyes!
The Silvermoon Queen's true form, like a delicate porcelain figure, was being struck by an unseen mallet, fracturing and splattering droplets of blood.
It's difficult to fathom that a powerhouse at the Soul Wandering Stage, like her, with her Yin God sustaining injuries outside, would also have to endure such a blow to her physical form. This indicates an incredibly tight bond between her Yin God and her flesh and blood. Moreover, it suggests that her Yin God must have suffered a grievous wound!
"Your Majesty!"
Bai Shang and the white-haired crone let out piercing screams as they soared into the heavens.
The commander standing above the purple silk suddenly showed a look of horror and urgently asked, "Yu Pan, what's going on inside?"
Yan Qiling, who had been conversing with Old Cash, abruptly left the Jade Tower and floated alone, gazing intently at the pit below while employing a secret method to probe the depths.
Seconds later, Yan Qiling's face also darkened as he spoke solemnly, "Within the brown eyeball of the Asura in the Dark Domain, there's another soul consciousness that seems to be awakening rapidly! It's still subtle within Yu Yuan's body, likely just passing through. But inside that eyeball, a soul consciousness is growing wildly."
Old Cash, too, exited the Jade Tower and flew to his side, his voice laced with urgency, "Make it clear."
"Besides the sword soul, there's another massive consciousness joining the fray!" Yan Qiling pointed downward, "It's as if the sword soul is using Yu Yuan's arm to manifest a sword body and unleash the sword spell. This new consciousness is actually utilizing Yu Yuan's Heavenly Soul to materialize directly within the inner microcosm of the Dark Domain Asura!"
He was equally astonished in that moment. As the Artifact Soul of the Splitting Soul Staff, created by the master of the bronze coffin and a part of the Divine Soul Sect, he was no stranger to power.
When Yu Yuan was practicing the Soul Forging Technique, he had a vague awareness that both the technique's originator and his own master were prominent figures within the Divine Soul Sect.
Yet now, what shocked and puzzled him was the absence of a desolate mood emanating from Yu Yuan. This new consciousness seemed to differ from the path of the Soul Forging Technique's creator. Still, the emanating essence was unmistakably that of a venerable sage from the Divine Soul Sect, albeit one that seemed far more ancient and timeless.
So ancient, in fact, that it predated Yan Qiling's existence, even before he became an Artifact Soul or came into being.
During that era, the Divine Soul Sect must have been at its zenith!
It was a time when the Divine Soul Sect overshadowed the Sword Sect, Profound Sky Sect, and Primordial Yang Sect, commanding reverence from both the Demon Palace and Devil Palace!
Could this newfound awareness have originated from the Divine Soul Sect of that bygone age?
Perched atop the purple silk, Shen Feiqing gazed downward with an icy stare and demanded, "Yu Pan, what in the world is happening?"
Suspended within the silk, Wei Feng hung lifelessly, her vitality drained and death imminent.
The purple phoenix, conjured from her own blood, had vanished without a trace, its body significantly diminished in size.
Only Shen Feiqing was privy to the fact that the ethereal purple phoenix had been infused with pure demon blood through a secret technique known only to her and the Silvermoon Queen. By leveraging the soul sacrifice ball, it had been channeled into the inner microcosm of the Dark Domain Asura.
It had merged with the Yin God of the Empress.
Lee Yupan's Yin God had achieved physical form solely through the essence of the Demon Phoenix's blood.
It was no mere illusion!
Thus, the Yin God wielding the soul sacrifice ball was able to conjure a crescent moon within the Dark Domain's microcosm, harnessing the immense spiritual energy of that realm to fill the skies with lethal moonlight blades, and with a mere gesture, could resonate with the fundamental forces of Heaven and Earth.
Moreover, it used the world's laws to further oppress Yu Yuan and the sword soul.
Wai Feng, her demon blood nearly depleted, lay dying within the silk's secluded realm.
Her demon blood had always remained hidden within the silk, the soul sacrifice ball, and the Asura's ocular domain, never daring to fully reveal itself on the Profound Sky Continent for fear of alerting the Demon Phoenix.
Now, as Wai Feng's life ebbed away, the purple phoenix, stripped of its wings and rapidly shrinking, was on the brink of exhausting its demonic vitality.
After all the painstaking efforts to infuse Lee Yupan's Yin God with the potent demon blood and the subsequent recognition by the Dark Domain Asura, shouldn't she be invincible?
Within that secluded realm, who or what could possibly stand in her way?
Shen Feiqing was at a loss.
"Feiqing!"
With a mournful cry, the Silvermoon Queen, wielding the Soul Sacrifice Diagram, soared towards the Silvermoon Empire. "Don't ask for reasons. We... seem to have been defeated."
Bai Shang and the crone flanked her, their faces grim with foreboding.
Shen Feiqing stood frozen on the purple silk, her words leaving her in shock. Confusion filled her eyes, along with a refusal to accept the truth.
As the queen retreated, leaving even the Yin God unattended, Bai Shang and the old woman encircled her, silently offering protection. Yet Shen Feiqing, the esteemed general of the Divine Might Empire, remained defiant.
Her heart simply couldn't, wouldn't accept defeat.
"Failure is impossible! I refuse to believe it!"
With a fierce stomp, Shen Feiqing's delicate frame crushed the purple silk beneath her foot.
The greatly diminished purple phoenix transformed into a burst of purple radiance, merging into her being.
She withheld any trace of Demon Blood from the soul sacrifice ball, denying the queen's Yin God its pleasure. Instead, she shouldered the residual power herself.
Beneath her, within the silk's realm, the fading Wei Feng exploded into a cloud of blood at her command.
Wei Feng, of the Demon Phoenix lineage yet not purely demonic, was destined to be another prodigy of the Divine Might Empire's Wai family. Now, he was no more.
His flesh and spirit shattered within the silk, becoming the final surge of strength absorbed by Shen Feiqing.
"Whoosh!"
The purple silk aloft transformed into a vibrant cloak draping over her shoulders.
In that moment, she exuded an enchanting allure. "Let's see if those sword spells have the strength to take me down!"
She descended with purpose, her gaze fixed on Yu Yuan in the pit below.
