C582 Shake Hands

Yu Yuan's smile shone brilliantly.

Chen Qingyan hesitated briefly before confidently placing her fair, jade-like hand into Yu Yuan's palm with grace.

Her hand was slightly cool, and she felt a touch of embarrassment when it met Yu Yuan's warm palm, aware that many eyes were upon her.

Her reputation was immense throughout the Everlands. As the most talented cultivator of her generation within the Chen family of Aetherius, the future pillar of the Sword Sect, and a potential primordial spirit, she couldn't avoid the spotlight even if she wished to.

Despite her celestial beauty, Qingyan was inexperienced in matters of the heart, untouched by gossip, and still possessed a rare innocence.

Yet, in this moment, circumstances compelled her to willingly place her hand in the palm of a young man her age.

Qingyan found it odd, but to her surprise, she felt no discomfort once her hand rested in Yu Yuan's. Instead, her heart settled into a peaceful calm.

"How strange," she thought to herself.

Yu Yuan's grip tightened reassuringly, his smile growing more radiant. He looked up at the Sword Prison, crafted from Moon Soul, and with a mere thought, the sword sheath burst forth.

He grasped the sword sheath firmly in his other hand, and invisible strands of sword's will began to seep out from its base, like water weaving through fingers.

"Huff, huff, huff!"

The silver mountain trembled as the boundless sword's will awakened!

The Sword Prison was bathed in a blinding silver light, too intense for onlookers to bear.

The sword's will hissed as it permeated the surrounding world.

Previously, the Sword Prison had been an immovable boulder, defensively guarding its territory. But with the emergence of the sword sheath, it became menacing and restless, like a dire beast roused from an ageless slumber, casting a fierce and chilling gaze upon them.

Tan Yuan and Shen Feiqing felt a shiver run through them, their faces betraying their unease.

"Crack!"

A sword's will tore open a gleaming space rift, spilling strange light from within.

The elder, tasked with holding the fabric of space together beneath the grey expanse, looked alarmed and urgently exclaimed, "Master, let him enter quickly!"

The sword's will, emanating from the Sword Prison, was being drawn by the sword sheath and began to chaotically surge about.

Such uncontrolled sword's will could lead to numerous disasters and unforeseen consequences.

The elder was well aware that this little world was extremely unstable due to the Sword Prison's presence, and it was perilously close to collapsing at any moment. That's why he had invited Yan Qiling to join him in maintaining control over the space.

Yan Qiling had yet to offer assistance, and the Sword Prison's disturbances were causing him a great deal of distress.

"Chi! Chi! Chi!"

Other strands of sword's will, imbued with the power to annihilate all life in the cosmos and subdue the might of devils and alien souls, stealthily advanced from the gleaming silver mountain toward Tan Yuan, Shen Feiqing, Zhao Jie, and Du Jing.

Du Jing, Zhang Miao, and Zhang Manman, being the weakest, either had their Lunar Spirit flickering like a candle or their three souls shivering, instinctively distancing themselves.

Tan Yuan, Zhao Jie, Shen Feiqing, and the floating carriage also wisely increased their separation.

Many eyes, filled with alarm, naturally fell upon Yu Yuan.

Indeed!

Yu Yuan, holding the sword sheath and harboring the soul of the Divine Sword known as Moon Slayer, was the key to unlocking the Sword Prison. He was the pivotal element that could alter the dire circumstances!

Their hearts swelled with anticipation, struggling to contain their inner excitement, their breathing growing more rapid.

Those imprisoned within the Sword Prison were either their sect's unparalleled masters, their once earth-shattering mentors, or the ancient forebears of their diminished clans!

Should they escape the Sword Prison and return to the Everlands, they could regain their lost realms and power, and accomplish great feats!

Moreover, those confined within the Sword Prison were far beyond their current knowledge!

"Yu, the sword sheath is out; let's not delay any further, shall we?"

The host, seeing the sword's will threatening to leave the mountain and press towards the sword sheath in Yu Yuan's grasp, could no longer remain indifferent and finally urged him on.

Yu Yuan nodded in agreement, recognizing that he must venture into the Sword Prison to put the man's mind at ease.

Holding Chen Qingyan's jade hand in one and the sword sheath in the other, he made his way toward the small mountain.

The mountain was enveloped in countless sword radiance and sword intent, with the pure moonlight from the Moon Soul trapped within, not a sliver escaping.

The aura and remnant souls of all the malevolent entities within were unable to seep out.

As he strode forward, Zhao Jie, Tan Yuan, Shen Feiqing, and others stepped aside to clear a path for him.

"The Commander's grace remains unchanged, which is truly heartening," Yu Yuan remarked as he was about to pass Shen Feiqing. He paused to glance at her and added, "I apologize for the troubles at the Forgotten Ruins."

While he spoke, tendrils of sword's will stealthily infiltrated the area.

Shen Feiqing let out a cold snort and, paying him no mind, drifted away.

The sword's will was too much of a hassle. Shen Feiqing was not keen on revealing too many of her secrets in this realm, nor did she wish to squander her hard-earned vitality without cause.

Once she was sufficiently distant, the sword's will ceased its pursuit and slowed to a stop.

The sword's will and sword light entwined around the Sword Prison were not meant to stray too far from it, lest they lose their ability to contain the malevolent entities and provide them with an opportunity to break free.

"It's done," Yu Yuan sighed with a hint of self-derision. Reaching the base of the small mountain, he looked up at its unimposing stature and murmured, "The Moonfall Sanctuary lies within, the Sword Prison without; both are strongholds guarded by the cultivator known as Moon Slayer. Having destroyed one and unleashed numerous evil souls and magnates, could this be the second?"

Suddenly, a silver streak of sword's will burst forth from a small stone cave, aiming straight for Chen Qingyan.

Yu Yuan was taken aback and quickly thought, "No!"

The sword's will curved into a semi-circle, wrapping around Chen Qingyan's neck.

Confused, Chen Qingyan felt her snow-white neck and asked, "What's going on? Is there something on my neck? I... ah!"

A golden spark, fine as a hair, shot out from her neck, wailing as it tried to flee.

The white robe suspended in the air began to stir, as though it were about to offer assistance.

But the silver sword radiance, a manifestation of the sword's will, fiercely thrust toward the golden lightning. With an extremely sharp and focused burst of sword light, it shattered the golden lightning into pieces.

Invisible to the naked eye, millions of tiny sword lights, tinged with a hint of crimson, shattered countless golden particles.

"Humph!"

The person within the white robe finally let out a cold, disdainful snort.

Yan Qiling's face broke into a smile as she lightly laughed and addressed the figure in the white robe, "Is such a ploy really necessary?"

As it turned out, the strands of golden lightning that had been used to bind Chen Qingyan earlier had not been fully retracted by the room's master.

A sliver of lightning, far more delicate and deeply concealed than the golden lightning, still lingered within Chen Qingyan's body.

Chen Qingyan herself had not detected it, believing she had completely removed the restraint and that she was out of danger.

But should that golden lightning remain hidden within Chen Qingyan's body, at a critical moment, a mere thought from that person could shatter Chen Qingyan's sanity, leading to her sudden and fatal collapse.

"Senior, isn't this a bit too underhanded?" Chen Qingyan exclaimed in frustration.

Yu Yuan also cast a glance over, "Senior, such actions really make it difficult to continue a candid collaboration with you."

The white robe rustled as its wearer let out a laugh, "Don't get me wrong. I was merely curious about the structure and layout of the Sword Prison. I wanted to keep an eye on her, to see it clearly through her."

"I'll come out and tell you."

Yu Yuan gripped his hand tightly, conveying a message to Chen Qingyan, then suddenly darted out, aiming for the nearest cave on the small hill.

The dense sword's will, numbering in the millions, seemed to rejoice as he took to the air.

The sword's will parted like water, creating a direct path to the cave, while also offering him covert protection.

Whoosh!

He and Chen Qingyan glided effortlessly into the first small cave.

Inside the modestly sized stone hall sat a woman with white hair. Her face appeared youthful, yet her vitality was depleted and her spiritual energy flickered weakly. Her eyes were piercing, but they lacked luster.

"Is your master doing well?"

She glanced at Chen Qingyan and spoke in a somewhat feeble voice.

Chen Qingyan, taken aback, asked, "Who are you?"

In the next moment, she felt Yu Yuan, whose hand she was holding, shudder violently.

"Yu Yuan, do you, do you recognize her?"

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