C383 Talisman Break!
Lee Yuchan's forehead suddenly shone as if the sun and moon had burst forth, and lightning crackled around her.
The array within the Stormcage Rune was instantly activated under the intense gaze of Yu Yuan.
The empire's female general turned sharply towards him as he bellowed.
With a single look, Lee Yuchan's mind thundered, and a fearsome storm brewed within the Mindscape of her mud pellet acupoint, wreaking havoc in her little world.
The lower elixir field harbored spiritual energy, the middle elixir field contained vitality, and the upper elixir field housed the three souls.
Her Earthly Soul, having transformed into a Lunar Spirit, unleashed the Shadow Curse.
The residual souls of fallen soldiers entwined with her Lunar Spirit, making it loom as large as a mountain, exuding a chilling and malevolent aura.
This Lunar Spirit sought to break through the heavens, to tear free from the confines of her flesh!
But before the Lunar Spirit could even graze the sky, it shattered into pieces in an instant.
A crescent moon and a blazing sun, linked by a dense web of lightning, materialized within her mud pellet acupoint.
The sun and moon, forged from lightning, possessed immense power capable of annihilating souls.
After the abrupt disintegration of her Lunar Spirit, Lee Yuchan conjured the Shadow Curse once more, defiantly reappearing in the mud pellet acupoint and gazing up at the celestial lightning with a resolute demeanor.
In that moment, she wholeheartedly accepted Yu Yuan's assessment as truth.
The rune that had been affixed to her forehead was the true scourge, suppressing her soul and leaving her bound; neither her spiritual sense nor her vitality could flow freely.
"Where is Yu Yuan?"
This thought sparked a shift in her spirit and consciousness, and her mental will snapped back into focus.
Emerging from her stupor, she found herself still bound to the stone pillar, with Yu Yuan standing before her.
Yet, between them stood another figure, Van Chaoguan.
"The Lee family is indeed steeped in sin. It's not just Lee Yupan; you, an imperial general, are cut from the same cloth," Van Chaoguan, with his striking features, shook his head and sighed deeply. "Now I see that you dared to practice the Shadow Curse, the very technique that made the Stormcrowned Emperor renowned!"
"Shadow Curse!" Lin Hanyu's face turned pale.
"Indeed, the Shadow Curse!" Van Chaoguan inhaled sharply, eyeing Lee Yuchan with caution. "Your repeated survival against the Crimson Sun Empire in battle must be due to the Shadow Curse! Your frequent provocations and assaults on the Crimson Sun Empire, leading to devastating losses on both sides—could it all have been for the sake of your cultivation?"
"No wonder," he mumbled under his breath. "You managed to form your Lunar Spirit before me, which I found odd. The spells I practice from Colddeath are known for their rapid breakthroughs. If you've outpaced me, it's not due to exceptional talent, but because you've been cultivating the forbidden Shadow Curse!"
"Your sister has allied herself with the Terra Fiend, the Shadow's Keep traitor, and the Moonfiend. You're not far behind, secretly practicing the Shadow Curse and sacrificing the souls of soldiers from both nations to further your own ends."
"Your sister must be aware that you're practicing the Shadow Curse, right?"
Van Chaoguan speculated with ease, "This is perfect. I was concerned that killing you and Lee Yu might bring trouble. Someone vouched that Lee Yupan's collusion with the Evil Demon was solely her doing, and the Lee family was oblivious."
"Now that you've taken up the Shadow Curse, no matter how we deal with you or the manner of your death, we'll have a ready explanation."
Van Chaoguan looked at the emaciated female general, her form withered by the blood bond, with an air of certainty, as if victory was already in his grasp.
But the unexpected occurred in the blink of an eye!
"Chi!"
Sparks of lightning erupted from the edges of the Stormcage Rune on Lee Yuchan's forehead.
A flash of crimson sword light streaked between Yu Yuan and Lee Yuchan, striking the Stormcage Rune and causing the charm to flare brilliantly, instantly dimming the engraved sun and moon.
As the crimson sword light reached the Stormcage Rune, five distinct sword's wills emerged.
Inside Lee Yuchan's mud pellet acupoint, within her soul sea and little world, five beams of sword light pierced through, transforming into a vast river, a vibrant rainbow, a jade-like green leaf, a sharp string, and a heavy stone.
Each manifestation, a creation of the sword's will, descended toward the sun and moon formed of lightning within her soul sea's little world.
A cool crescent moon and a fierce sun burst forth, scattering into a sky filled with lightning and thunder!
Outside, the Stormcage Rune on Lee Yuchan's forehead and the sun and moon engravings on the charm vanished into nothingness.
The mysterious talisman from the Thunder Sect had developed fine cracks, revealing its imperfections and weaknesses. This caused the intricate spell formations within to become completely ineffective.
Lee Yuchan's Lunar Spirit, having reassembled itself, was no longer obstructed and burst forth from her forehead.
Her vitality was depleted, her body withered and emaciated, her life force barely flickering.
Yet her disembodied Lunar Spirit showed no signs of weakness; it retained its combat prowess!
"Hu!"
Her Lunar Spirit underwent a sudden transformation, unleashing the frenzied, bloodthirsty Soul Power of soldier remnants, which coalesced into a tempest of souls, hurling forth soul blades.
Van Chaoguan and Lin Hanyu both grunted, compelled to refine their spiritual sense and summon their weapons, desperately fending off the assault.
Lee Yuchan, disregarding the decline of her physical body, allowed her Lunar Spirit to flit between Van Chaoguan and Lin Hanyu, at times diving into their bodies, at others striking their acupoints with the soul blade.
The disparity in their levels of cultivation was vast. In the realm of Subtlety, the Lunar Spirit was at a disadvantage.
Yu Yuan, who had come to her aid in her moment of recklessness, was now seated on the ground, drenched in sweat.
He had managed to shatter the Stormcage Rune with a burst of sword light, but it had taken a significant toll on him.
What's more, the blood bond between him and Lee Yuchan remained intact, unaffected by the breaking of the Stormcage Rune.
Lee Yuchan's vitality continued to seep into the blood-red thread that had pierced him!
His flesh and body were still enduring the onslaught of that blood-red thread!
"Do you need help?"
Yan Qiling's voice echoed from his Heart Lake.
Having rapidly advanced in strength since leaving the Moonfall Sanctuary, this enigmatic being had accompanied him to Asvetaesi, covertly ensuring his safety as a way to repay the assistance Yu Yuan had provided in the Forgotten Ruins.
Qin Yun had been entrusted to the care of the Yu family by Yan Qiling. As Lin Hanyu and Van Chaoguan had surmised, Yan Qiling was indeed just outside the hall.
He had noticed Yu Yuan's dire physical condition and offered his help, eager to aid Yu Yuan in healing his wounds and freeing him from Van Chaoguan's blood bond.
As long as the blood bond could be unraveled, both he and Lee Yuchan's corporeal body would be out of danger.
Lee Yuchan had exhausted her vitality, but with proper care and the aid of a pill, she could fully recover.
However, if the depletion of vitality continued, Lee Yuchan would lose it all. Her corporeal body would succumb to death, rendering the return of her Lunar Spirit futile.
Yu Yuan himself faced the risk of his internal organs and bones shattering, which would obliterate his three souls simultaneously.
"The Colddeath Sect's arcane blood bond..."
Yan Qiling received no response. Yu Yuan sat cross-legged on the ground, regulating his breath. Suddenly, he invoked the "Nine Glories Wheel" once more. At the Golden Sanctum acupoint in his lower abdomen, nine intense balls of light, each the size of a fingertip, burst forth.
From the little world within the Golden Sanctum, pure spiritual energy cascaded out, violently rushing through his meridians.
The Nine Glories Wheel unleashed its full might, and the fifth-level spiritual energy was propelled by it. Under the escort of dazzling radiance, it forcefully surged into the blood-red filament.
Simultaneously, several strands of sword light hidden deep within his arm bone were also stirred to life.
Yu Yuan's heaven soul saw clearly as the sword light combined with his own rampant spiritual energy, transforming into a red crystal chain that cleaved through the blood-red filament.
The thread that had infiltrated his flesh and blood suddenly shattered, turning into tiny blood-colored particles that escaped from his body.
The so-called "blood bond" between him and Lee Yuchan was severed in that instant.
The golden threads that had entwined around Lee Yuchan, along with the shimmering silver fish, sensing danger or perhaps realizing Lee Yuchan had no more vitality to offer, swiftly detached from her body and darted into Van Chaoguan's sleeves, vanishing within.
"It seems my assistance is no longer necessary."
Yan Qiling's murmured words echoed once more in Yu Yuan's Heart Lake, tinged with a hint of regret.
