C615 Actual Self Was in Charge!

Carved from the Sword Prison and utilizing the space tunnel crafted by Yan Qiling, one could traverse from the Godsblight Marsh to the Moonfall Sanctuary.

The statue vanished in no time.

Yu Yuan, perched atop the Crucible of Evil beneath the celestial clouds, felt the shadowy hue in his eyes fade away gradually.

It seemed as though, with the departure of the Evil Statue, a soul that had taken up residence within Yu Yuan was also making its silent exit.

And indeed, this was the case...

Moments later, Yu Yuan, emerging from his stupor, steadied his turbulent thoughts, and his gaze cleared.

He watched intently as the space tunnel, prompted by the Evil Statue's departure, began to close.

He could sense the peculiar shifts within the Moonfall Sanctuary, the ascent of the Soulforge Pool from the earth's depths, and the presence of four ancient black characters meant to suppress the passage to the extraterrestrial realm.

Regardless of the distance between him and the Moonfall Sanctuary, they could forge a mystical bond at certain times.

A wry smile tugged at the corner of Yu Yuan's mouth as an inexplicable sense of strangeness welled up inside him.

Whether it was President Lyi, Zhan Yun, Zhongli Dapan, Loong Jie, Xi Quan, or others, they were all convinced that the soul of the Evil Statue had infiltrated his being.

This was no mere mental domination like that wielded by the Ghoul King or Qi Hongyi.

Instead, the soul of the Evil Statue had descended into his Mindscape, much like the Sky Fiend had possessed Lin Zhuyun, erasing his soul to take its place!

Only Yu Yuan was aware that the soul of the Evil Statue had indeed slipped into his Mindscape.

Yet, contrary to what President Lyi, Zhongli Dapan, and Xi Quan believed, it did not seek to obliterate his soul and assume his identity completely.

In fact, upon entering his Mindscape and the mud pellet acupoint, the soul of the Evil Statue underwent an instantaneous transformation.

Yu Yuan himself couldn't fathom why the soul of the statue, upon entering his Mindscape and beholding his true soul—the overlapping three souls of heaven, earth, and man—suddenly became meek and submissive.

The foreign soul, emanating from the Evil Statue, regarded his own soul with reverence within his Mindscape.

After a brief spell of vertigo, Yu Yuan discovered that the soul of the Evil Statue had quietly merged with his heaven soul.

The consciousness of the Evil Statue was in constant communication with him, pleading for his cooperation to fulfill its purpose—entering the Moonfall Sanctuary.

Throughout this time, he maintained a lucid mind, observing the actions of the Evil Statue's soul from an alternate perspective.

Rather than being possessed by the statue, it was more accurate to say that after seeking his consent, the statue entered his Mindscape and cautiously made its way into his heaven soul, acting beneath his watchful eye.

He had the power to halt the Evil Statue's soul at any moment, should he choose to do so.

He was aware that the soul of the Evil Statue would act on his command.

The soul of the Evil Statue, using his body, had temporarily entered his heaven soul, and with every action taken, it sought his approval...

He was the true director of this play!

The reason Loong Tianxiao, bound by the Nagas' totem-pole and barely clinging to life, managed to survive and escape was due to a single thought he harbored. The soul of the Evil Statue, temporarily residing in his heaven soul, utilized the connection between the statue and the earth beneath their feet to perform an arcane technique, aiding Loong Tianxiao's release.

Loong Tianxiao's narrow escape from disaster was a minor experiment, a test of loyalty.

He sought to confirm whether the soul of the Evil Statue that had taken up residence in his heaven soul would truly heed his desires.

The outcome left him thoroughly pleased.

He had the ability to control the unrivaled sword light within the sword sheath from the extraterrestrial realm, preventing Zhongli Dapan, Loong Jie, Xi Quan, Green Willow, and others from emerging, thanks in part to the Evil Statue's soul.

Yet, more crucially, the sword spirit within his arm bone affirmed that he remained himself!

He was the true master, the one issuing commands!

The soul of the Evil Statue, having entered his Mindscape and temporarily slipped into his heaven soul, was in fact at his beck and call, a sword wielded by his hand!

With this understanding, he was able to unleash the sword light and sword's will within the sword sheath because the soul had settled within the heaven soul.

The sword spirit recognized its true owner and, knowing he was still its master, cooperated accordingly.

Subsequently, the Artifact Soul of the Crucible of Evil, as if startled, implored him to respond and cooperate with the soul of the Evil Statue. It was Yan Qiling who opened a space tunnel.

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 had not been overtaken by the Evil Statue, which is why he responded and was able to solidify the space tunnel.

All subsequent actions were taken with the soul of the Evil Statue seeking his consent, carefully executing each step under his watchful eye until the Evil Statue forced its way into the space tunnel.

In that instant, the Evil Statue infiltrated his Mindscape, briefly entering the soul of his heaven soul before re-emerging into the Evil Statue.

Together with the Evil Statue, he returned to Moonfall Sanctuary.

"It entered my Mindscape, glimpsed the overlapping of my three souls of heaven, earth, and man. Could it have discerned that the Soul Forging through Enlightenment I practice originates from Boulderdawn, and that the cauldron spirit of the Crucible of Evil is also derived from Boulderdawn? Coupled with my close relationship with Yan Qiling, is that why it recognized and acknowledged me?"

Yu Yuan, now fully lucid, remained transfixed in the void, lost in contemplation.

He was puzzled as to why the Evil Statue, feared by Zhongli Dapan, Loong Jie, Xi Quan, and Green Willow, and revered by President Lyi, would so drastically alter its demeanor upon entering his Mindscape.

He was acutely aware that the soul of the Evil Statue had initially intended to possess him, to erase his soul's imprint and use his body for its own purposes.

In such a scenario, he would at best lose his sense of self, at worst, his soul would be shattered.

Yet, upon entering his Mindscape and witnessing the confluence of his three souls of heaven, earth, and man, the soul of the Evil Statue abandoned its previous plan, opting for a different approach.

This new strategy was one of entreaty, caution, and trepidation, as if terrified of displeasing him.

Why would the Evil Statue, deemed by President Lyi as the foremost fiend of Sword Prison, whose mere presence could shift the fate of the entire Aetherius, resort to such measures?

"Yu Yuan?"

Yan Qiling approached, his expression visibly more relaxed after the departure of the Evil Statue. "Has that entity left your body?"

Yu Yuan snapped back to reality, nodding with an odd look on his face.

"Why can you maintain your clarity of mind and hold on to your sense of self? How can you still communicate 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 subtlety.

Yu Yuan paused, taken aback. "What do you mean?"

Yan Qiling refrained from mentioning the Soul Forging through Enlightenment, likely fearing that those below might overhear something they shouldn't.

But Yu Yuan had already grasped the implication of his words...

The Evil Statue wouldn't spare him simply because he practiced Soul Forging through Enlightenment or due to his ties with Boulderdawn. It wouldn't allow him to retain his mental clarity.

What Yan Qiling didn't realize was that it wasn't just about being mentally clear; the soul within the Evil Statue was perpetually in a state of fear.

"Let's not dwell on this for now."

Yu Yuan shook his head, not eager to delve into the origins of the statue at this moment. Instead, he looked down at the Abyssal Leviathan that had mysteriously emerged from below.

The one-eyed elder known as Ming Kun had slain Qi Hongyi and subjugated the Ghoul King, now brazenly confronting President Lyi with a questioning smile.

With his real body located in the distant extraterrestrial Star River, a mere soul fragment of President Lyi had used the Evil Statue's gift to manifest a clone. Once the Evil Statue had departed through the space tunnel, he seemed to relax completely.

It appeared that he had accomplished his primary objective.

Whatever ensued, he would remain invincible; even the death of his soul fragment would cause him no real harm.

President Lyi conversed with the Abyssal Leviathan in a casual tone, though it was a veiled confrontation.

As Yu Yuan gazed down, the Abyssal Leviathan's crimson eyes flashed with an eerie light, and it suddenly looked up.

Yan Qiling's spirit shook. After a brief hesitation, he stealthily slipped into the Crucible of Evil and exclaimed, "This place is no longer safe. Yu Yuan, we must make a swift escape!"

With the Evil Statue present, Yu Yuan still possessed the power to fight.

But now, with the Evil Statue dispatched to Moonfall Sanctuary and President Lyi's desires fulfilled, the Yu Yuan before him was indeed himself.

President Lyi had previously held Yu Yuan in high regard, believing him to be the embodiment of the Evil Statue's will. He had regarded Yu Yuan as the statue itself.

Now that the statue had departed and the soul had dissipated, President Lyi was puzzled as to why Yu Yuan had not perished.

Naturally, he was indifferent to the fate of Yu Yuan.

"I was pleased to see you return the statue to the Moonfall Sanctuary. But make no mistake, that young man is mine!" The Abyssal Leviathan said with a slight smile to President Lyi, "The one I've chosen is off-limits to you. And as for the Sky Fiend with whom you have a history, well..."

"I'm already here, and as you well know, in your current state, you're incapable of doing anything."

"The only way you could possibly aid the Sky Fiend in escaping would be for your true self to return to the Everlands."

With a swoosh, the Abyssal Leviathan soared into the sky, aiming for Yu Yuan through the opening created by the Evil Statue.

Meanwhile, with the assistance of Yan Qiling, Yu Yuan had already begun to make his escape.

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