C529 The Hero Soul's Reversal

Lee Yuchan turned her head and saw Yu Yuan and Lee Yu gazing at her from the staircase. The moment her eyes met Yu Yuan's, the former imperial female general's gaze turned ice-cold. But that chill lasted only a moment before a wave of coldness swept over her entire being.

"Chi! Chi!"

Her wounded Lunar Spirit within the mud pellet acupoint showed alarming signs of tearing apart. Her complexion paled dramatically, fear nearly sending her soul scattering.

For reasons she couldn't fathom, Yu Yuan appeared to her as a demon devouring people. A formidable force radiated from him, one that clearly dominated and oppressed her, making it exceedingly uncomfortable for her to even employ her Shadow Curse.

Simultaneously, Yu Yuan felt a slight tremor. At the sight of Lee Yuchan, the Crucible of Evil, floating in the little world of his vitality, blazed with demonic light, becoming intensely luminous.

The Crucible of Evil seemed eager to break free from the acupoint, as if to suppress Lee Yuchan or take some other action. The cauldron spirit's thoughts emerged timely: "That woman! She possesses something I crave! The spell she practices is peculiar. It seems she's drawn in an abundance of Bane qi into her acupoint and soul sea. Yet, she can't refine or expel it, allowing it to accumulate and increasingly damage her spirit and mind."

Yu Yuan was taken aback.

The cauldron spirit, somewhat agitated, continued to clarify for him. After a moment of attentive listening, Yu Yuan grasped the meaning behind its words.

The spell Lee Yuchan practiced was derived from the Stormcrowned Emperor. This Shadow Curse drew upon the souls of soldiers who had perished in battle, refining them to enhance her cultivation.

These soldiers, having endured the most harrowing wars, were filled with emotions like despair, rage, madness, and bloodlust at the time of their deaths.

As Lee Yuchan harnessed the Shadow Curse to condense these emotions, they were naturally absorbed.

The Shadow Curse differed from the Soul Altar of the Blood Altar. The Soul Altar purified the soul, removing impurities, evil thoughts, and bizarre emotions, leaving only the purest Soul Power for the Star-Spawned Terror to consume.

The "Shadow Curse" lacked the ability to purify and instead absorbed everything indiscriminately. Consequently, the Stormcrowned Emperor, its creator, was consumed by violent and bloodthirsty forces, which eroded his spiritual wisdom. He descended into the path of the devil, transforming into a warmongering tyrant who incited wars across empires, resulting in the deaths of innumerable soldiers. For his brutal actions, the Stormcrowned Emperor was ultimately confined within the Moonfall Sanctuary, and the "Shadow Curse" was destroyed and banned from practice.

Lee Yuchan, standing before him, began to experience the drawbacks of the "Shadow Curse" after her breakthrough to the Lunar Spirit realm. The dying resentments and murderous auras of the soldiers she had slain and absorbed were now poisoning her Lunar Spirit, slowly consuming her from within. Amidst this turmoil, she lacked the time and energy to address the peril lurking within her Lunar Spirit. Hunted relentlessly by someone as vengeful as Chou Jihai, she had no choice but to engage in desperate battle.

This led to the sudden and catastrophic resurgence of the Lunar Spirit's hidden dangers, rendering her unable to wield her spells effectively in combat. In her last-ditch escape to Celestial Isle, she resorted to a forbidden Shadow Curse technique, which, while allowing her to evade capture, further compounded her injuries.

"So that's the situation," Yu Yuan mused after a brief exchange with the cauldron spirit. Glancing at the Soul Essence Pills, he shook his head and remarked, "The pills she's interested in will only provide temporary relief. They won't address the underlying issue."

"Then what?" Lee Yu asked, taken aback.

"This isn't the place for such discussions. Your aunt seems to have quite a few misconceptions about me," Yu Yuan reflected inwardly. "Tell her that I can assist with both her injuries and her hidden dangers. Alright, I'll step outside and wait for you there."

With that, he offered Lee Yuchan a distant smile and a nod from across the room before descending the stairs.

"Hmm!"

At the entrance of the Hall of Elixirs, a woman's eyes sparkled with recognition. "It's you!"

"Fate has a funny way of bringing enemies together," Yu Yuan said with a wry smile, facing Zhang Miao and Zhang Manman who had just entered. Shaking his head slightly, he addressed Zhang Miao, "What's the matter? Planning to take another shot at me on Celestial Isle? You've got quite the nerve."

Many onlookers were intrigued by the pair of sisters.

In public, Zhang Miao remained shy, concealing her true self well and avoiding conversation with Yu Yuan.

Zhang Manman challenged, "What are you implying? What have we done to you?"

Yu Yuan chuckled dismissively and strode past the sisters, exiting through the door.

Once he was gone, Zhang Miao turned to watch him leave, her eyes darkening with a cold intensity.

"I'd advise you to keep a low profile on the island," Gao Qin casually remarked, eyeing Zhang Miao. "It would be wise not to get any ideas."

Zhang Miao replied in a hushed tone, "I wouldn't dare violate the Chamber's rules."

Gao Qin nodded in approval, "Good to hear."

The sisters were no strangers to Celestial Isle; their backgrounds and connections were a mystery to most, but Gao Qin had them figured out.

"Is Lee Yu upstairs?" Zhang Manman inquired with a smile. "Lee Yu and I go way back, even before we arrived at the Sundering Isles. I'm here especially to see her."

Gao Qin paused, quickly piecing together the situation.

With the Lee family's downfall, Lee Yu had lost his support. Rejected by the Ebon Star, he had become a prime target for the Nightbane sisters.

Initially, the sisters had set their sights on Lee Yu but seemed hesitant to act. Now that they knew of his rejection by the Ebon Star, any lingering doubts they had were likely gone. With Lee Yuchan injured and unable to defend herself, the younger sister grew bolder.

"As for Lee Yu..." Gao Qin frowned, "I wouldn't normally intervene, but it seems he's quite close to the man who just left."

Zhang Miao's gaze turned icy.

An irritated Zhang Manman exclaimed, "Not him again!"

...

Upon leaving the Hall of Elixirs, Yu Yuan's first sight was Chou Jihai, huddled close to Tong Laoqian, murmuring in hushed tones.

Chou Jihai looked startled when he noticed Yu Yuan quickly exiting the Hall of Elixirs.

After a brief moment, Chou Jihai respectfully bowed to Yu Yuan.

Then, without a backward glance, he departed.

Tong Laoqian, with a beaming smile, gestured invitingly, "Yu, you're finally out! I've been waiting for you on the island for ages. You have no idea how agonizing it was!"

Yu Yuan replied, "After I emerged, I intended to look for you, but I ran into an acquaintance along the way, which held me up for a bit."

"Was it that young man from the Lee family?" inquired Tong Laoqian.

"Yes." Yu Yuan nodded, approaching Tong Laoqian's side. "What did Chou Jihai have to say to you? Are you acquainted with him?"

"I knew his wretched master. As for him, he's somewhat of a junior to me," Tong Laoqian said candidly. "Chou Jihai inquired about you. He also wanted me to pass along a message, hoping you wouldn't shield Lee Yu and Lee Yuchan."

Yu Yuan smirked, "Why should I do him any favors?"

"He's willing to pay for Lee Yu and Lee Yuchan's lives," Tong Laoqian chuckled. "If you stay out of it, he's ready to offer you a thousand Soul Crystals."

Yu Yuan smiled wryly, "His vendetta against the Lee family runs incredibly deep."

A thousand Soul Crystals was no trifling sum—it could buy an entry-level earthly spiritual weapon on Celestial Isle, suitable for those in the Subtlety and Lunar Spirit states.

Chou Jihai was clearly going to great lengths and sparing no expense to ensure the demise of Lee Yu and Lee Yuchan.

"Lee Yu and Lee Yuchan are no ordinary members of the Lee family; they're worth the price," Tong Laoqian said with a grin. "But I made it clear to him that I have no sway over you."

"Let's discuss the favor you want to ask of me," Yu Yuan prompted.

"This isn't the best place to talk," Tong Laoqian said, scanning the area. "I've temporarily rented a small spot here on Celestial Isle."

"Alright." Yu Yuan nodded, about to suggest they move to the new location when he caught sight of Lee Yu exiting the Hall of Elixirs with a grim expression.

Zhang Manman was trailing behind him, chattering incessantly.

Yu Yuan's eyes narrowed as he remarked, "Those sisters are truly exasperating!"

...