C520 Thousand Miles away

Streams of sword light in hues of scarlet, red, yellow, green, and blue burst forth from the sheath!

The sword's will enveloped the heavens and the earth in an instant, saturating the space with its omnipresent force.

The bird-like green flames that swooped in were effortlessly penetrated by the sword light.

The Frozen Flames, originating from the Frozen Hellscape, couldn't endure the sword light's slashing and tearing. Upon contact with the sword light, the palm-sized flames shattered into innumerable flickering green sparks.

In a flash, the sky was filled with green fireflies, scattering like a fine mist over the sea.

Each "raindrop" was a minuscule green flame, carrying within it the chill of Arctic Breath.

Whoosh!

The sword sheath, in Yu Yuan's grasp, transformed into a broad streak of lightning. With a crackling sound, it drew forth a ribbon of light, confronting the cold moon's thorny projection.

The sea's surface was a web of intersecting sword light, with waves of sword's will rising in succession amidst the piercing cold wind. The dazzling dance of ice and electricity erupted in a spectacle!

The area between Yu Yuan and Lin Zhuyun became perilously dangerous. Any cultivator at the Veil Breaking Realm who stumbled in would be instantly reduced to a spray of gore.

The magnificent tableau of interlacing light, cold currents, and sword light burst forth before Celestial Isle, Healing Island, and Forge Isle, capturing the rapt attention of numerous cultivators.

Shadows ascended from the islands, gazing into the distance with keen interest.

Various artifacts, shining with blinding brilliance and resembling Spirit Birds and giant beasts, soared from Forge Isle.

Atop these artifacts stood the counselors and forgers of the Artifact Sect, their curiosity piqued by the unfolding battle below, their excitement palpable, yet they showed no desire to intervene.

Boom!

Suddenly, the cold moon shattered, breaking into countless Ice Shards that, upon touching the sea, coalesced once more.

A new cold moon crystallized anew!

Beneath the blazing sun, the cold moon loomed, exuding a ghostly chill that shrouded the sea in a veil of white mist and darting cold light.

The sword sheath that had left Yu Yuan's palm hovered motionless in the air.

Then, with a thunderous roar, the Mindscape of Yu Yuan, Tong Laoqian, and Yuan Lianyao trembled violently.

Recently, within their Mindscape, the cold moon that had been silently suspended shattered into pieces.

Their frozen thoughts, spiritual sense, and remnant soul were suddenly reanimated, functioning with ease.

The clash between the cold moon and the sword sheath shattered the icy seal on their three souls of heaven, earth, and man.

Upon regaining consciousness, Yu Yuan's heart cried out in anguish.

The sword light concealed within the sword sheath he had acquired from the Forgotten Ruins had been nearly depleted by the recent strike, rendering it unlikely to serve as his lifesaving weapon in the future.

The sword light and sword's will could not be replenished or condensed anew.

Desperately, he reached out with his mind, attempting to recall the sword sheath and wield the sword once more.

At that moment, the sky was filled with green flames that devoured each other like a swarm of fireflies, coalescing into intense, burning clusters.

Lin Zhuyun's face was ashen, her eyes, usually indifferent to life, now sparkled with a hint of excitement and greed as she gazed intently at the sword sheath.

Yu Yuan paused, feeling a sudden chill in his heart as he called out to the sword sheath.

Then, his expression changed dramatically as he realized, "She has ulterior motives!"

"What?" Yuan Lianyao exclaimed in surprise.

"Do you remember touching the sword sheath with your spiritual sense back in the Forgotten Ruins?" Yu Yuan asked urgently, trying to awaken the dormant sword spirit within his arm bone while communicating with the cauldron spirit. "At the base of the sword sheath, there's a chilling force that was infused after the Dark Realm Shura's destruction!"

Yuan Lianyao shuddered with the memory. "Yes, I remember!"

After the Shura's residual soul consciousness was dispersed in the Dark Realm, she had used her spiritual sense to detect the intense cold at the base of the sword sheath, which nearly shattered her spiritual sense.

The ice power settled at the base of the sword sheath was potent enough to freeze the three souls of heaven, earth, and man in cultivators. It seemed to originate from the Shura of the extraterrestrial realm, a chilling force forged in the depths of the frigid Dark Realm.

This ice energy was firmly suppressed at the base of the sword sheath by the intertwined sword's will and sword light, preventing any escape.

Lin Zhuyun followed the Abyssal Leviathan's command, unleashing a brutal slaughter on Demon's Scar. It now appears that her primary objective was to acquire the ice energy suppressed by the sword light at the base of the sword sheath!

As a practitioner of the Winter's Bite Sect's spell, wielding the "Frozen Flames" and having been bestowed a "cold moon" by the Abyssal Leviathan, she harbored an intense longing and greed for the chill emanating from the base of the sword sheath.

This force seemed capable of propelling her to new heights, enhancing her strength and realm.

It might even aid her in breaking free from the Everlands sooner to reach the Star River in the extraterrestrial domain!

Her mind, possibly corrupted by the Abyssal Leviathan, had undergone a dramatic transformation, making her insatiably bloodthirsty and unable to maintain her presence in the Everlands.

The repercussions of her rapidly increased power would incessantly torment her soul and body. The cost she would incur was sure to be unimaginable!

The icy stream within the sword sheath originated from the Dark Realm, home to the Shura. Presumably guided by the Abyssal Leviathan, she was to harness this power within herself, continuing to amplify her strength in search of a resolution.

"Hu!"

Out of nowhere, a crystal-clear stream burst forth from Celestial Isle, transforming mid-flight into a woman with a slightly dusky complexion.

She was enveloped in mist, seemingly in harmony with the hidden power of the surrounding sea.

Upon her arrival, the ocean's depths churned into tumultuous whirlpools.

A silver-white trident, reminiscent of an ancient Water God's weapon, soared from the heart of the storm, aiming for Lin Zhuyun suspended in the sky.

In an instant, a cold moon morphed into an immense, solid ice shield, intercepting the trident's assault.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Ice shards scattered as the moonlight burst forth, the trident thwarted by the cold moon ice shield.

Lin Zhuyun stood atop the expanding ice shield, steering the cold moon toward the sword sheath.

Swoosh!

Strands of frosty silk shot from her palms, seeking to ensnare the sword sheath and draw it to her.

"One of the three great guardians of Celestial Isle!"

At that moment, Tong Laoqian, witnessing the woman with the Solar Spirit Body approach, watched the silver-white trident emerge from the sea. His surprise gave way to excitement as he repeatedly glanced upward, unable to contain his astonishment.

He looked up at the blazing sun that hadn't yet set.

His concern was that the Abyssal Leviathan might repeat its old trick, using the Eye of the Burning Sun to connect with the sun and once again unleash beams of solar fire from afar.

Not even the Solar Spirit could withstand such an inferno.

Tong Laoqian also feared that Divine Thunder falling from the sky might split and strike the Crucible of Evil, obliterating all three of them in an instant.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Hundreds of clusters of green flames, rallied once more, were driven by Lin Zhuyun's intent, surging mightily toward the sword sheath.

Inside the sheath, the remnants of sword light and sword's will struggled to suppress the internal chill.

Should those green flames penetrate the sheath again, the blade left in the Everlands by a great cultivator to restrain the platinum skull of a Dark Realm Shura might well be lost to him.

"Yu Yuan!"

Tong Laoqian's face changed, and he urgently called out.

But once the sheath left his hand, it was already dozens of meters away. The slightest use of his spiritual sense immediately turned his body ice-cold, his consciousness blurring and stiffening.

This indicated that the sword light within the sheath could no longer contain the icy surge at its base!

"What's the meaning of this, Shadow's Keep and Forge Isle?!" Yuan Lianyao turned around furiously, her gaze fixed on the two islands flanking Celestial Isle. "The Skyreach Consortium has made its move. Why haven't the guardians of the Artifact Sect and Order of Healing shown any sign of action?"

Tong Laoqian also looked on, his teeth clenched in frustration, "They're hanging us out to dry!"

The guardians of the Artifact Sect and Order of Healing were clearly watching the conflict closely, yet they remained leisurely on the sidelines, showing no intention of intervening.

"The Order of Healing and Artifact Sect have always been this way," Yu Yuan sighed.

He was well aware that the cultivators maintained by these sects were only concerned with their own safety, each one detached and indifferent, rarely involving themselves in the affairs of others.

The loyal cultivators of the Order of Healing and Artifact Sect were mostly independent, their allegiance tied only to the pills and artifacts they valued.

The cultivators lacked absolute loyalty to both the Order of Healing and the Artifact Sect, serving merely for monetary gain and not willing to lay down their lives for either organization.

As a result, despite their esteemed status in the Everlands, and the fact that other sects sought their favor, the Order of Healing and the Artifact Sect typically maintained neutrality during times of great turmoil.

Even the formidable powers of the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep paid little heed to the stances of the Order of Healing and the Artifact Sect.

Ultimately, these two groups excelled in the arts of medicine and forging rather than combat. Without a peak Primordial Spirit Realm cultivator to assert their influence, they could not sway the balance of power in the realm.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A cluster of verdant flames and the shimmering ice threads unleashed by Lin Zhuyun converged upon the sword sheath.

The sword light and sword's will within could no longer contain the chilling surge from below. The spiritual connection between Yu Yuan and the sheath seemed to shatter into nothingness, leaving no sense of its presence.

A gleam of excitement flashed in Lin Zhuyun's icy gaze, her voracious longing for the sword sheath now undisguised, her breath quickening with anticipation.

"Humph!" A cold, sharp exclamation echoed from the elongated Sword Island, trailing behind Celestial Isle.

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