C637 The Strange Scene in the Forbidden Area!

After six months, the prodigious young woman from the Starmoon Sect had blossomed into even greater beauty.

Bathed in moonlight, Liu Ying appeared as if she were a fairy stepping right out of the lunar glow. Upon entering the room, her sweet smile unfolded.

"Wow, you've reached Subtlety too?"

Liu Ying's slight complaint was followed by a subtle use of her spiritual sense to gauge Yu Yuan's level of cultivation. She noted his significant progress, "How did you manage to cultivate so quickly? It's as if you breezed right through the Veil Breaking phase."

Yu Yuan flashed a radiant smile, "I'm a natural talent."

Deep down, he was well aware that his swift leap over the Veil Breaking barrier was not without the aid of the Blood Altar.

"You..."

With a look of astonishment, Yu Yuan inquired, "Which stage of Subtlety are you at?"

"The late period of Subtlety. My master has already begun preparations for me to condense my Lunar Spirit." Liu Ying arched her brows, a look of triumph on her face, "You may cultivate quickly, but I'm not far behind. As long as I put in the effort, I encounter almost no bottlenecks. My breakthroughs in cultivation levels happen seamlessly."

She was undoubtedly a cultivation prodigy. Even when she had been less diligent, her cultivation level never lagged.

Having traversed the Forgotten Ruins and the Embers Sea, she recognized her need for a higher cultivation level. With a bit more dedication and the nurturing of the Starmoon Sect, she had risen from Veil Breaking to the late period of Subtlety in just a year or two and was now preparing to condense her Lunar Spirit.

Her pace of cultivation was on par with Yu Yuan's.

"Lately..."

As Yu Yuan was about to offer his compliments, Liu Ying swiftly drew closer, placing her pale wrist gently on the back of his left hand.

Caught off guard, Yu Yuan heard Liu Ying whisper, "Can you feel it?"

"What?" Confusion spread across Yu Yuan's face.

Liu Ying closed her eyes, regulating her breath. In a dreamlike tone, she revealed, "Something in the Moonfall Sanctuary seems to be calling out to me. Specifically, it's calling to the Fallen Star Eyes."

"In recent days, I've felt restless during my cultivation. I've always been able to sense the presence of this call. It took me a long time to realize it was coming from the Moonfall Sanctuary. I haven't even mentioned this to my master. I've heard about your unique connection to the Moonfall Sanctuary, so I came to you for answers."

Yu Yuan felt a jolt in his heart and exclaimed, "When did this begin?"

"About half a month ago," Liu Ying responded.

"Half a month ago!"

Yu Yuan was even more astonished. Upon reflection, he realized that it was precisely half a month ago when the Evil Statue had been transported to the Moonfall Sanctuary via the space tunnel opened by Yan Qiling.

The Evil Statue had been crafted in the Sword Prison!

The Sword Prison itself was the whetstone used by the cultivator known as Moon Slayer, originally a piece of the extraterrestrial Moon Soul!

The Fallen Star Eyes that Liu Ying wielded also originated from the Moonfall Sanctuary, being the largest and most extraordinary Moon Shard to have descended into the forbidden area!

Both shared the same lineage. The Sword Prison, being the Moon Soul, could be regarded as the essence of the Moon Shard!

"I don't know why, but standing next to you, holding your hand, brings peace to my heart."

With her eyes still closed, Liu Ying was deeply attuned to her senses. She soon noticed that the calls that would usually reach her ceased mysteriously whenever she made contact with Yu Yuan.

Yu Yuan furrowed his brow in deep contemplation.

He had compelling evidence to believe that the Fallen Star Eyes, under Liu Ying's command, were being influenced by the Evil Statue, sculpted from the Sword Prison!

The Evil Statue, with its spiritual intent, remotely affected the Fallen Star Eyes, instilling a response in Liu Ying!

When the evil soul of the statue entered his Mindscape and encountered his three souls of heaven, earth, and man, it abruptly altered its demeanor, opting to dominate with its own volition.

Could it be that the Evil Statue was also able to sense his presence through the Fallen Star Eyes and Liu Ying?

Moved by this thought, Yu Yuan discreetly activated the Soul Forging through Enlightenment technique, attempting to establish a connection with the Soulforge Pool.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

His spiritual sense, unique to him, burst forth from the mud pellet acupoint and, as if by magic, infused into the sleeve where the minuscule Fallen Star Eyes resided.

Boom!

Suddenly, the Fallen Star Eyes became akin to an additional eye for Yu Yuan, much like a Third Eye that could peer into the extraterrestrial, transporting him back to the Moonfall Sanctuary in a mere moment.

To his amazement, he saw the Soulforge Pool, suspended in the sanctuary's void, swirling with an ever-growing collection of soul spirits.

He saw the Evil Statue, once the Sword Prison, floating in the void like a mountain, with fragments of the Moon Shard orbiting around it. Ferocious and bizarre Star-Spawned Terrors flitted across the forbidden area, clashing with imprisoned soul spirits, Terra Fiends, and the malevolent entities of the Everlands.

A Sky Fiend, bearing a striking resemblance to the Indigo Wraith, seemed to be the commander. The Soulforge Matrix was in full operation, shrouding the Moonfall Sanctuary and preventing anyone from entering or leaving at will.

It appeared that the Evil Statue, a transformation of the Sword Prison, was orchestrating everything from the shadows, unleashing the Sky Fiend and numerous trapped evil spirits.

His thoughts shifted, and he glimpsed the four ancient and enigmatic black characters, "To Know All is to Suffer All," their light fading. Below them, a spatial tunnel linked to the extraterrestrial Star River, from which a Sky Fiend would occasionally emerge. Upon its cautious appearance, it was swiftly influenced by the Evil Statue, descending into madness and engaging in brutal combat with the souls and the sealed denizens of the Everlands.

The Moonfall Sanctuary was a place unseen by outsiders, rife with utter chaos.

With a whoosh, the Evil Statue, wrought from the Sword Prison, abruptly turned, revealing a side that radiated kindness and gentleness towards him. Her visage was exceedingly vague, as though she had sensed his covert observation and offered a faint smile—a gesture of amity.

With a thunderous crash, Yu Yuan's spiritual sense withdrew from the Fallen Star Eyes, jolting him awake. He immediately felt Liu Ying, whose wrist lay on his hand, shudder with terror, her eyes snapping open in the next instant.

"I-I saw it! I saw everything!" Liu Ying's words tumbled out incoherently. Her hand suddenly clutched Yu Yuan's arm tightly, her grip intensifying until her nails nearly pierced his skin.

Yu Yuan, unfazed, fixed his gaze on her and asked, "What did you see?"

"Everything! All of it!" Liu Ying's mind was in turmoil. "I saw the Sky Fiend roaming! I saw the Soulforge Pool, a stone statue with two faces, and I even saw that statue smile at me! That smile was so peculiar. It seemed to be signaling to me, as if it was the one calling out to me!"

Yu Yuan inhaled deeply, aware that Liu Ying, as the possessor of the Fallen Star Eyes, had witnessed everything just as he had.

"I'll be heading to the Scarlet Dunes very soon!" Yu Yuan blurted out.

"Why?" Liu Ying asked, confused.

"Keep what you've just seen to yourself. Can you promise me that?" Yu Yuan implored earnestly.

"I can," Liu Ying agreed, though she was visibly perplexed.

She didn't understand why Yu Yuan needed her to keep such a dreadful secret, yet she instinctively trusted him.

Her experiences in the Forgotten Ruins and the Embers Sea had cemented her trust in Yu Yuan—right or wrong was irrelevant.

"Return to the Starmoon Sect for now. I need to speak with the folks at Shadow's Keep and let them know I'm off to the Scarlet Dunes," Yu Yuan said, releasing her hand.

"I'm sorry, I scratched you," Liu Ying apologized, noticing the marks where her grip had been too tight.

"It's just a scratch, nothing serious. I have urgent matters to discuss with Shadow's Keep," Yu Yuan reassured her.

Liu Ying, understanding the gravity of the situation, nodded and said, "If you're going to the Scarlet Dunes, count me in! Just let me know before you leave."

"Sure, but I'll be leaving shortly."

Yu Yuan had seen the anomalies at the Moonfall Sanctuary and knew that once the Soulforge Matrix was fully operational and the Evil Statue was in place, the three upper sects, the Devil Palace, and Shadow's Keep would soon turn their attention there.

They would discover that the space tunnel was open and that numerous Sky Fiends had already poured in.

Many were aware that he had acquired the sword spirit of the Moon Slayer cultivator, which gave him the ability to influence the Soulforge Matrix, and that he could surely gain entry.

He needed to vanish for a while; otherwise, the upper sects, the Devil Palace, and Shadow's Keep would compel him to venture into the Moonfall Sanctuary.

This time, he had no intention of being anyone's pawn.

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