C615 True Self!
The statue, hewn from the Sword Prison, traversed the spatial corridor crafted by Yan Qiling, journeying from the Desolate Swamp to the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area.
In no time, the statue had vanished.
Yu Yuan, perched in the Evil Cauldron beneath the celestial veil, felt the shadowy hue in his eyes recede incrementally.
As the malevolent effigy departed, it seemed as though a soul spirit residing within Yu Yuan was also slipping away in silence.
And indeed, this was the case...
Moments later, Yu Yuan emerged from his reverie, his turbulent emotions settling, his gaze returning to lucidity.
He watched intently as the spatial corridor began to close, following the statue's exit.
Through it, he sensed the enigmatic shifts within the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area, the ascent of the Soul Transformation Pool from the earth's core, and the four archaic black characters buried deep underground, anchoring the gateway to other realms.
Despite the distance separating him from the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area, there were moments when a mysterious connection could be forged between them.
A wry smile played on Yu Yuan's lips, accompanied by an inexplicable sensation stirring within.
Whether it was President Lyi, Zhan Yun, Zhongli, Loong Jie, Xi Quan, or others, they were all convinced that the soul spirit of the evil statue had infiltrated him.
This was no mere psychic domination like that exerted by the Yin Corpse King or Chi Hongyi.
The statue's soul spirit had descended into his Consciousness Little World, much like the Devaputra's possession of Lim Zhuyun, erasing her soul to take its place!
Only Yu Yuan knew the truth: the statue's soul spirit had indeed slipped into his Consciousness Little World.
Yet, contrary to what President Lyi, Zhongli, and Xi Quan believed, the statue's spirit did not usurp his body and obliterate his soul to transform into him.
In fact, upon entering his Consciousness Little World and the Niwan acupoint, the spirit underwent an instant transformation.
Yu Yuan himself couldn't fathom why the statue's soul spirit, upon encountering his True Soul—a fusion of the three human souls—suddenly adopted a posture of humility and submission.
The foreign spirit, having emerged from the evil statue, now gazed upon his own soul with reverence within his Consciousness Little World.
After a spell of dizziness, Yu Yuan realized that the spirit of the statue had silently slipped into his Heavenly Soul.
The statue's spirit was in constant communication with him, pleading for his cooperation to fulfill its purpose—to enter the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area.
Throughout the entire process, he remained lucid, observing the statue's spirit's actions from an alternate perspective.
It wasn't so much that the statue had seized control of him; rather, the statue's spirit had entered his Heavenly Soul with his consent, acting cautiously under his watchful eye.
At any moment, he had the power to halt the statue's spirit's actions.
He was aware that the spirit would comply with his commands.
The spirit of the statue, using his body, had temporarily taken residence in his Heavenly Soul, seeking his approval with each action it took while embodying his essence...
He was the true director of this play!
Loong Tianxiao's narrow escape from death, while bound by the Nagas' totem pillar, was due to a single thought from Yu Yuan. The Divine Statue's spirit, temporarily residing in his Heavenly Soul, utilized his body and its connection with the earth beneath to cast enigmatic secret arts, aiding Loong Tianxiao's release.
Loong Tianxiao's survival was a minor experiment, a test of loyalty.
Yu Yuan sought to confirm whether the Divine Statue's spirit, now within his Heavenly Soul, was genuinely obedient.
The outcome left him thoroughly pleased.
His ability to wield the boundless sword light within the sword sheath from beyond the heavens, preventing Zhongli, Loong Jie, Xi Quan, Lvliu, and others from emerging, was indeed influenced by the Divine Statue's spirit.
Yet, the decisive factor was the sword soul within his arm bone, which recognized that he remained its true owner.
He was the sovereign, the commander-in-chief!
The Divine Statue's spirit, having ventured into his Consciousness Little World and taken temporary refuge in his Heavenly Soul, was in fact at his beck and call, a sword wielded by his hand!
With this understanding, the spirit of the statue residing within his Heavenly Soul was able to unleash the sword light and sword intent contained within the sword sheath.
The sword soul's allegiance to its master, its ability to discern identity, ensured that it knew he was still its rightful lord, thus securing its cooperation.
Subsequently, the Artifact Soul of the Evil Cauldron, as if startled, implored him to engage and collaborate with the spirit of the evil statue. It was Yan Qiling who forged a pathway through space.
As he and Yan Qiling brushed past one another, it was through his own consciousness that he communicated with Yan Qiling, assuring him that he remained himself.
Yan Qiling was aware that he hadn't been overtaken by the evil statue, which is why he responded and was able to solidify the spatial passage.
The subsequent actions were all taken with the statue's soul seeking his consent, meticulously executed under his watchful eye, until the statue wedged itself into the spatial passage.
In that instant, the statue infiltrated his Consciousness Little World and briefly merged with his Heavenly Soul before returning to its own form.
Together with the statue, he made his way back to the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area.
"It ventured into my Consciousness Little World and glimpsed the overlay of my three souls. Could it have discerned that the Soul Forging Technique I practice is from the Divine Soul Sect, and that the cauldron soul of the Evil Cauldron also originated there? Coupled with my connection to Yan Qiling, is that why it acknowledged and accepted me?"
Yu Yuan, now fully lucid, hovered in the void, lost in contemplation.
He was puzzled as to why the evil statue's spirit, dreaded by Zhongli, Loong Jie, Xi Quan, and Lvliu, and held in high esteem by President Lyi, underwent such a drastic shift in demeanor upon entering his Consciousness Little World.
He was acutely aware that the statue's spirit had initially intended to possess him, to erase his soul's imprint and use his body for its own purposes.
In that scenario, he would have been at risk of losing his identity or, worse, his soul scattering to the winds.
Yet, the moment the evil statue's spirit entered his Consciousness Little World and beheld the confluence of his heavenly, earthly, and human souls, it reversed its earlier decision and chose a different course of action.
This alternative approach was one of entreaty, of cautiousness, of trepidation, and of fear that he might not acquiesce.
Why would the evil statue, deemed by President Lyi as the foremost fiend of the Sword Prison and whose mere presence could alter the fate of the entire Profound Sky Continent, resort to such measures?
"Yu Yuan?"
Yan Qiling drifted closer, his expression noticeably more at ease after the departure of the evil statue, "Has that entity left your body?"
Yu Yuan snapped back to reality, his face contorted in a peculiar way as he nodded.
"Why can you keep your wits about you, safeguard your identity? How can you still converse with me? Yu Yuan, pardon my frankness, but even with your unusual abilities, it shouldn't be possible for you to manage this," Yan Qiling remarked, his tone laced with insinuation.
Yu Yuan paused, a flicker of realization crossing his face. "What are you implying?"
Yan Qiling had deliberately avoided mentioning the Soul Forging Technique, wary of eavesdroppers who might overhear something they shouldn't.
Yet Yu Yuan had grasped the subtext of his words. The evil statue wouldn't spare him simply because he practiced the Soul Forging Technique or due to his ties with the Divine Soul Sect.
Unbeknownst to Yan Qiling, Yu Yuan's clarity of mind wasn't as straightforward as it seemed; the spirit within the evil statue was in a perpetual state of alarm.
"We'll leave that topic for another time," Yu Yuan said, shaking his head. He didn't press for details about the statue's origins at that moment. Instead, he peered down at the Chaos Roc that had mysteriously emerged from the depths below.
Ming Kun, the one-eyed elder who had slain Chi Hongyi and dominated the Yin Corpse King, now faced President Lyi with a smug grin, pressing him with questions.
President Lyi's true essence was distant, situated in the Outer Star River. A mere fragment of his soul had used the evil statue's gift to conjure a doppelgänger. Once the statue had vanished through the spatial corridor, he seemed to breathe easier.
His primary objective appeared to have been met. Whatever unfolded next, he was poised in an invincible position; the demise of his soul's fragment or clone would cause him no real harm.
With an air of nonchalance, President Lyi engaged in what seemed like a casual chat with the Chaos Roc, though it was more akin to a subtle duel of wits.
As Yu Yuan's gaze met the Chaos Roc's, a flicker of otherworldly light sparked in its crimson eyes, which suddenly lifted to meet his own.
Yan Qiling's spirit shook, and after a brief hesitation, he slipped silently into the Evil Cauldron, exclaiming, "This place is no longer safe. Yu Yuan, we must make a swift exit!"
With the evil statue present, Yu Yuan had possessed the power to contend. But now, with the statue dispatched to the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area and President Lyi's desires fulfilled, the Yu Yuan before him was just that—himself.
President Lyi's respect for Yu Yuan was initially rooted in the belief that Yu Yuan was an embodiment of the statue's will, virtually treating him as the statue itself. However, with the statue gone and its soul spirit dissipated, President Lyi found it puzzling that Yu Yuan had not perished. Nevertheless, he was indifferent to Yu Yuan's fate.
"I was actually pleased to see you return the statue to the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area. But make no mistake, that young man belongs to me!" The Chaos Roc said with a slight smile to President Lyi, "My chosen one is off-limits to you. And as for the Devaputra with whom you have a history, well..."
"I'm already here, and as you know, in your current state, you're powerless to act."
"The only way to free the Devaputra is for your true self to return to the Boundless Land."
With a whoosh, the Chaos Roc soared into the sky, aiming for Yu Yuan through the breach created by the evil statue. Meanwhile, with Yan Qiling's assistance, Yu Yuan was already making his escape.
