C579 Moon Soul Condensing into a Mountain
"Who might that be?"
Yu Yuan was brimming with curiosity, eager to discover who possessed the remarkable ability to transport a fragment from beyond the stars to this location.
"Just keep walking and you'll find out soon enough," Tan Yuan said with a warm smile. "Mr. Yu, rest assured, we mean you no harm, and we are indeed sincere in our intentions toward you."
"I don't believe you," Yu Yuan stated flatly.
"Believe it or not, you have to keep going, right?" Tan Yuan, standing next to the giant crocodile, glanced back at Zhang Manman and Zhang Miao, who were trailing behind, looking utterly miserable, and her thoughts took a sudden turn.
The overwhelming vitality of the crocodile subsided, no longer menacing.
Zhang Miao exhaled softly and managed a weak smile, saying, "Thank you."
"Don't mention it. The foundational practices of your Nightbane Sect are somewhat lacking," Tan Yuan offered her frank assessment. "You've focused too much on rapid advancement, neglecting many critical areas. Both your physical strength and Lunar Spirit are lagging behind other sects."
"Enough. How we choose to practice is none of your concern," Zhao Jie said with a scowl. "Let's get on with it and meet the Sovereign of the Nightbane Sect."
"Very well," Tan Yuan replied, and they moved on.
Yu Yuan's face darkened with concern. "The Sovereign of the Nightbane Sect? That individual..."
He recalled hearing that the leader of the Nightbane Sect, a cultivator of the Unbound Stage, had drawn the ire of the Devil Palace, resulting in a purge by the Palace. The leader had been forced to flee the Everlands and seek refuge beyond our realm.
The Nightbane Sect referred to their leader as "Your Highness"!
Could it be that the Sect Master, who was supposed to be in hiding extraterrestrially, had made a return to the Everlands?
After all, this person was a cultivator of the Unbound Stage!
With this thought weighing on his mind, Yu Yuan's brows knitted together, and he followed Tan Yuan with a growing sense of unease.
It wasn't until he passed the carcass of the crocodile that he saw there were several disciples from the Forgeroses Sect, not just Du Huang.
These unfamiliar Forgeroses disciples were situated around the crocodile, sitting in meditation, employing their sect's body tempering mystique to draw in the thick vitality and essence, fortifying their bodies.
Du Huang was certainly among them.
Unlike other sects, the Forgeroses cultivators, who mastered the mystique of body tempering, did not abandon the refinement of their corporeal bodies after advancing beyond the Veil Breaking stage.
The Forgeroses, Terror Claws, and evilkind, regardless of their realm, never overlooked the tempering of their corporeal bodies.
This dedication was precisely why a commander from the Sunblessed Empire was able to defeat the Spirit Walk cultivators from the Thunder Sect and Winter's Bite with his bare fists in the Forgotten Ruins.
"I'm sorry," Du Huang said with a bitter smile, opening his hands in a gesture of helplessness.
Back in the Embers Sea, Du Huang had benefited from Yu Yuan's assistance. Seeing Yu Yuan coerced by his sect's elders and reluctantly entering the fray, he felt powerless to intervene.
"It's not your fault. Don't worry about it," Yu Yuan reassured with a wave of his hand, signaling no hard feelings.
Subsequently, he and Tan Yuan delved deeper, distancing themselves from the massive crocodile.
Before long, they stumbled upon more remnants of warships and Otherkin skeletons.
The earth was pockmarked with traces of brutal combat, exuding a chilling, battle-worn aura.
"An incredibly fierce battle took place here, involving Otherkin and human cultivators," Yu Yuan mused as he observed the scene.
Half an hour later, a luminous hill, radiating brilliant moonlight, suddenly came into view.
At first glance, it was overwhelmingly bright, almost painfully so, bringing him to the brink of tears.
"Hehe, look who it is."
The petite and graceful commander stood at the foot of the hill and initiated the conversation, "You thwarted my plans back in the Forgotten Ruins. Who would have thought we'd meet again deep in the marsh?"
Yu Yuan, struggling with the discomfort in his eyes from her raspy voice, couldn't look directly at her and didn't respond right away.
He gently activated the power within him, using the refined spiritual energy from the little world of the Golden Sanctum to covertly shield his eyes. When he looked again, the discomfort had lessened, and it was bearable.
At that moment, the sword spirit concealed within Yu Yuan's arm bones could no longer contain its excitement, as if greeting an old friend after a long separation. Yu Yuan steadied his spirit, paying no mind to Shen Feiqing or the others at the base of the small mountain; his gaze was fixed solely on the mountain bathed in moonlight.
This mountain was a colossal Moon Soul, the very essence of an extraterrestrial moon's spirit. The silver mountain, a hundred zhang tall, was riddled with caves, resembling a hornet's nest at a glance. Sword light and sword's will poured forth from it, identical to those branded on his sword spirit within his arm bones—all originating from the Moon Slayer cultivator.
The mountain, forged from Moon Soul, exuded an unending sword's will, as if it could vanquish all beings and subjugate countless races, instilling fear in the hearts of demons. The space around the mountain occasionally flickered with sharp, erratic lights, as if struggling to contain the mountain's presence, threatening to shatter under the relentless surge of sword light.
An elder, adept in space magic, tirelessly cast spells to maintain the stability of the area, preventing a catastrophic rupture. Nearby, a small sedan hovered, awaiting something at the foot of the mountain.
Shen Feiqing and Du Jing were also at the mountain's base, maintaining a distance between them. Du Jing appeared both surprised and puzzled upon seeing Yu Yuan, but in his Lunar Spirit form, he refrained from speaking out, his demeanor reserved.
From the other side of the mountain, Chen Qingyan's presence from the Sword Sect was palpable. She called out in a burst of elation, "Yu Yuan, is that you? Have you come? It's me, Chen Qingyan!" Her voice was a delightful sound, bringing a slight smile to Yu Yuan's lips amidst the oppressive atmosphere. "This girl..." she seemed blissfully unaware of the dire fate that awaited her in captivity.
With a whoosh, Zhao Jie, upon spotting the mountain, left Zhang Manman and Zhang Miao behind, transforming into a streak of light. She swiftly approached Shen Feiqing, knelt on one knee, and called out reverently to the mountain, "Disciple Zhao Whisperling has arrived to pay homage to her Master!"
"Who would be so audacious as to rob the Sword Prison from the extraterrestrial realm?" Yan Qiling inhaled deeply, speaking with a gravity he had never before employed. "The inmates of the Sword Prison are beyond redemption, confined within the Star River of the extraterrestrial. Now that the Sword Prison has been plundered and transported to the Everlands, it's quite the audacious move!"
"Sword Prison?" Yu Yuan exclaimed in surprise.
"It's a prison established in the extraterrestrial Star River, overseen by the Sword Sect, detaining cultivators who have fled the Everlands and were apprehended by the three upper sects, the Devil Palace, and Shadow's Keep," Yan Qiling explained with a knowing glance. "The creator of the Sword Prison, its first guardian, is the Moon Slayer—the very cultivator you're familiar with."
Yu Yuan was visibly shaken. "Him?"
"Moon Slayer—when fragments of the moon plummeted into the Moonfall Sanctuary, they completed the Soulforge Matrix. His goal was to acquire the Moon Soul to hone his blade. Those fragments of the moon are mere commonalities; the moon's true treasure is this small hillock before us," Yan Qiling said, pointing.
"The Moon Soul, the moon's internal core, first served as his whetstone, where he honed his blade and refined his sword spell, pursuing unparalleled swordsmanship. Subsequently, the Moon Soul was transformed into the Sword Prison, a place to suppress those he deemed traitors."
"Shen Feiqing's master, the leader of the Nightbane Sect, and..."
Yan Qiling glanced at the hovering sedan chair and speculated, "And likely the ninth-level ancient dragon from the Nagas, all presumably incarcerated within the Sword Prison, doomed to eternal darkness."
Yu Yuan listened, utterly astonished.
"Mr. Yan is quite knowledgeable."
A white robe materialized, billowing above the Sword Prison crafted from the Moon Soul.
Though the robe was empty, a gentle voice emanated from it, "The individuals confined within the Sword Prison are all from the Everlands, our own kin. They were imprisoned due to their dissent with the upper sects, the Devil Palace, and Shadow's Keep."
"Even after they capitulated and fled the Everlands, they were relentlessly pursued and captured. Isn't that taking things a bit too far?"
Yan Qiling huffed, "These words should be directed at the upper sects, the Devil Palace, and Shadow's Keep."
"Greetings, Master!" Tan Yuan called out softly.
"Master? You're the master here?" Yan Qiling huffed with a hint of sarcasm. "Hiding your true self and skulking in the shadows, showing only a soul fragment to deceive and bewitch—this is your idea of hospitality?"
"It's not that I'm unwilling to meet, but there are compelling reasons for my discretion. I ask for your understanding, Mr. Yan." The soul fragment cloaked in white offered an apology before turning to Yu Yuan, "I must trouble you, Mr. Yu, to make a journey to the Sword Prison. Attempt to break the seal and free those unfortunate souls."
