C580 Sword Prison

The sword qi was thick and forbidding on the small, gleaming mountain, a barrier against the magnate of the Everlands.

The Nightbane's sect master, Shen Feiqing, was Yan Qiling's mentor, and Yan had only managed to deduce the existence of three other ninth-level giant dragons.

Surely there were more unknown ones!

The master of this place, though speaking with a seemingly gentle tone, insisted that Yu Yuan visit the Sword Prison to release those who were bound. His demeanor left no room for refusal.

Yu Yuan's brow furrowed as he gazed at the Sword Prison in the distance. "I fear I lack the ability," he said.

"If you lacked the ability, you wouldn't have shown up in the Marsh," the owner, cloaked in a white robe and whose face remained unseen, replied with a hearty laugh. "Yu, I'll be frank. When the Sword Prison was established here, I made preparations as soon as Feiqing spoke of the Forgotten Ruins and you carrying the Divine Sword's sword spirit."

At these words, Yu Yuan's expression darkened. "The request from Shadow's Keep... could it be?"

"You're correct," affirmed the enigmatic master.

Yu Yuan instantly realized that Shadow's Keep's task for Xu Zixi, urging her to visit the Godsblight Marsh, was connected to the master of this place.

This indicated that the master wielded tremendous hidden power, enough to covertly sway the decisions of Shadow's Keep.

Even the Python Queen might have been kept in the dark, simply executing orders.

It made sense now why Tan Yuan could discern his true identity and understand his origins.

His arrival had been orchestrated by the master here, and once Tan Yuan brought him before the master, everything became clear.

"So, if it was he who had someone from Shadow's Keep command Ms. Xu, then could it be that the real body of the Silvermoon Queen, confined by Shadow's Keep, is...?" Yu Yuan pondered, his mood growing heavier. The enigmatic force lurking within the depths of the Godsblight Marsh seemed even more formidable than he had anticipated.

Chen Liangquan had shattered the Shadowflame Blight Array, rescuing the queen's Lunar Spirit through bizarre means.

Likewise, the master here might also have the power to extract the Silvermoon Queen's real body from Shadow's Keep's clutches, potentially allowing the queen, whose might once reverberated across Aetherius, to reemerge in her full and true form.

"Yu, you really shouldn't resist us," the white robe whispered as it fluttered in the breeze, slowly approaching Yu Yuan atop the silvery hill. "With the sword sheath in your grasp and the sword spirit within you, you'll be perfectly safe entering and exiting the Sword Prison. The sealed Sword Prison traps those poor souls inside, but you—you can comprehend and collect the sword's will and sword light with that sheath. It will be immensely beneficial to you!"

His voice, rich with seduction, coaxed Yu Yuan persuasively.

Yu Yuan stood on the hill, his spirit wavering as he listened, as if he were sinking into a wondrous dream. Unaware, he began walking toward the hilltop.

Yan Qiling's expression turned icy. "Isn't this a bit too underhanded?"

With a piercing whistle, Yan Qiling's call cut through the air, reaching deep into Yu Yuan's spirit.

Yu Yuan, advancing step by step toward the hill, was suddenly jolted by a sharp pain in his mind. Snapping out of his stupor, he fixed a sharp, cold gaze on the white robe. "Did you cast a bewitching spell on me?"

"I was merely helping to solidify your resolve," replied the enigmatic figure within the white robe, chuckling, unfazed by Yu Yuan's irritation. "Go to the Sword Prison, gather the pervasive sword's will and sword light. Once the seal is broken and the captives are freed, I assure you, you'll leave the Marsh unscathed."

He paused before adding, "You've already aided numerous alien souls and Sky Fiends in escaping from the Moonfall Sanctuary. Having done it once, why not do it again and bring relief to those suffering within the Sword Prison?"

"You've released beings like the Stormcrowned Emperor and the Sky Fiend Indigo Wraith. Why not free all those from the Sword Prison who have suffered in the Everlands?"

"I am a magnate; I won't stoop to petty squabbles with you. Moreover, I genuinely hope you'll consider joining us, becoming part of our fold."

The master clearly held Yu in high regard.

After Yan Qiling shattered the bewitching sound, he patiently laid out his proposal.

Yu Yuan remained steadfast. "Do what you will—kill or mutilate me, it makes no difference. I refuse to set foot in Sword Prison!"

"Why would I kill you?" The mysterious host was slightly irritated. "From my perspective, you're destined to join our ranks eventually! You may not grasp our actions now, thinking them utterly reprehensible, but I'm confident that in time, you'll come to understand and see the truth."

With those words, the white robe that had been hovering in the air swiftly soared to the opposite end of the hill.

Whoosh!

Chen Qingyan, who had been held captive, appeared to be propelled by the white robe as she flew from the far side of the hill, quickly crossing over the summit to where Yu Yuan could see her.

Adorned in a light green dress, Chen Qingyan looked every bit the celestial being. Her eyebrows were knitted together, and she was ensnared by strands of golden lightning.

It had been a while since their last encounter, and Chen Qingyan, who had been in the early stages of Subtlety, had now advanced to the late stages. It seemed she was merely one step away from manifesting her Lunar Spirit.

Still quite young and remarkably talented, Chen Qingyan was seen by the Sword Sect as the most promising talent of her generation.

Suspended in the air and bound by the golden lightning, her beautiful eyes showed no trace of fear. Instead, they sparkled with clarity and vivacity, and she even wore a look of delighted surprise as she called out to Yu Yuan, "Were you lured to the Marsh under false pretenses?"

She gazed at Yu Yuan, who had noticeably grown taller and whose features had matured into a refined handsomeness, with a sense of wonder.

Back in the Serpent Spine Mountains, Yu Yuan, despite his modest level of cultivation, exuded an air of mystery. He often regarded her with the kind of attention one might give to a junior, which she found both peculiar and intriguing.

Since the events of Gloomhollow, after returning to the Sword Sect, she found herself involuntarily recalling Yu Yuan during her moments of respite from training.

Later, she made a point of gathering information about Yu Yuan within the sect. The more she learned, the more astonished she became, and her interest and concern for him deepened.

She was acutely aware of the pivotal role Yu Yuan had played in the Forgotten Ruins. Following that, there were his exploits in the Embers Sea, then the Sundering Isles, and finally, the title "God of Plagues" bestowed upon him by the Skyreach Consortium.

Even someone as radiant as she had to concede that Yu Yuan was incredibly adept at stirring up trouble, and his luck was astonishingly good. Without the backing of any major sect, he managed to survive in the most perilous places. Not only did he avoid death, but he also made successive breakthroughs, securing the Crucible of Evil and the cosmic giant beast's Sunsorrow, reaping immense benefits.

Looking at him now, the long-absent young master of Asvetaesi had reached the late stages of Veil Breaking. The intense vitality exuding from his body, the resilience he had developed, and the extraordinary fluctuations of spiritual energy within the Golden Sanctum's little world all deeply moved Chen Qingyan, stirring a sense of awe.

"I truly did not wish to resort to such measures."

As Yu Yuan and Chen Qingyan locked eyes, before they could even exchange greetings, the mysterious host of the place let out a resigned sigh.

With a crackle, strands of golden lightning, like minuscule spirit snakes, sparked as they surged into Chen Qingyan's eyes, ears, and nostrils, darting toward her corporeal body and Mindscape. In a moment, Chen Qingyan's stunning face, capable of bringing nations to their knees, contorted with agony. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound emerged.

"Master!" Tan Yuan cried out in alarm.

Shen Feiqing, Zhao Jie of the Nightbane, and Du Jing all showed signs of shock. Chen Qingyan's mentor was none other than the Grand Sword Immortal of the Sword Sect, a figure of the late Unbound stage who ranked even higher than Van Heqing among the Nine Great Sword Immortals. This Grand Sword Immortal was notoriously protective and vengeful, with methods both ruthless and cruel.

Even the audacious Shen Feiqing, Tan Yuan, and Zhao Jie felt a shiver of fear at the thought of that Grand Sword Immortal. Moreover, Chen Liangquan, who was on their side, had already sent a message asking them to show leniency. Chen Liangquan was one of their own and held in high regard by their host.

"Yu Yuan, if you refuse to enter the Sword Prison, she will die right before your eyes," the mysterious host in the white robe stated calmly. "I'm aware that the fate of Loong Tianxiao is of no concern to you. But from the moment you entered this place and heard her voice, your heartbeat has not been the same."

"I know you care about her deeply, don't you?"

As he spoke, more golden lightning vanished into Chen Qingyan's body.

After a long silence, Yan Qiling finally spoke in a soft voice, "Yu Yuan, she's truly going to die."

"I'm heading to the Sword Prison," Yu Yuan declared.

"That's more like it," the enigmatic figure in the white robe said with a smile.

"She's coming with me!" Yu Yuan insisted.

"If you can manage that, take her with you. I'll allow it," the master in the white robe consented.

"Good!"