C71 The Shadow Shrouded Them

Lee Yuchan gracefully descended.

She landed on a Moon Shard, once engraved with sword-shaped patterns, now standing at the bottom of a pit.

The Moon Shard had long since shattered into mere fragments of stone scattered everywhere.

In addition, the ground was strewn with corpses.

These bodies belonged to Gao Hong and the trial-takers from Erhokadi.

Lee Yuchan inhaled deeply, quelling the rage within her. After a thorough examination, her mood grew even more somber.

Each Moon Shard that had fallen from extraterrestrial origins was incredibly durable.

It seemed unlikely that the young cultivators participating in the forbidden area's trial could have shattered the Moon Shard so completely.

Even Lee Yu would struggle with such a feat.

Thus, she was nearly certain an accident had occurred.

"One Pearl of Illusion after another bursts, yet the trial continues."

She mulled over the situation, her brow furrowed. "Perhaps we need to terminate the Moonfall Sanctuary trial prematurely. These individuals are the future pillars of the Empire; we cannot afford to lose them all here."

With a whoosh, she vanished from the spot, ghostlike.

...

The moon shone like a gleaming silver disc.

Feng Xin led the way across the expansive, silver-white wilderness, heading in a specific direction with seven followers maintaining a distance behind her.

Half an hour later, Feng Xin reached a secluded chasm and leaped down without hesitation.

"Boom!"

A Pearl of Illusion burst into dust at the very moment she descended.

"Phew!"

She reappeared in a cavern, her gaze vacant as she addressed the three trial-takers from Lellon in a gentle voice, "Have you seen Yu Yuan from Asvetaesi or Van Le from the five great families?"

"Feng Xin? What do you want with them?"

"We haven't seen them. What's it to us?"

The three trial-takers, who had ventured away from the main group to delve into the mysteries of the forbidden area, were visibly perplexed.

"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"

Three streaks of eerie green light pierced their foreheads, vanishing into their minds.

The trio from Lellon City collapsed, lifeless.

Feng Xin lingered not a moment longer, sparing no further glance at their bodies. She soared out of the cave like a fluttering wisp of green phantom flame.

She quickly positioned herself ahead of her seven followers and set off towards her next objective.

"Brother Yu, we've lost contact with two of our kin."

Within the forbidden area, a trial-taker of the Lee family stood before Lee Yu, who was meditating, and reported in a hushed tone.

Since entering the forbidden area, Lee Yu had been devoted to his cultivation.

He seemed uninterested in the fortunes of the forbidden area, the wonders of the Moon Shard, or the inscriptions in the caves.

The Lee family's group was somewhat disorganized, simply moving freely within a five-mile radius centered on Lee Yu.

Neither he nor any member of the Lee family was concerned about encountering any accidents or troubles.

The Lee family was the imperial family, the foremost among the five great families, and the most powerful force in the empire.

And Lee Yu was the strongest of the new generation, a peerless genius who was the first to break through to the Veil Breaking Realm, the empire's pride!

With Lee Yu at the helm, what did it matter if the Lee family members were scattered within five miles or even ten?

Who would dare to cross the Lee family and seek to trouble them?

It was with this assurance that Lee Yu felt there was nothing to worry about in the initial months.

He believed that only in the latter two months, when the divine force became wildly chaotic and the outside world could no longer discern the happenings within, rendering killings untraceable, would he need to be truly vigilant.

"Lost contact?" Lee Yu responded with slight impatience, "You mean they just haven't been found yet, right?"

"Per our arrangement, they should have returned to report to you within half a day," the man explained. "All the other teams have done so. Only the missing team has been gone for over a day without any word. We've even sent out search parties within a certain range."

"And they've turned up nothing."

Lee Yu's concern grew. After a moment's thought, he said, "It seems there might indeed be something amiss. But let's not worry too much; there are others keeping watch over the areas we cannot see."

His aunt was still out there, and with the Veil of Illusions, what was there that could remain hidden?

Over the past few months, who would have the audacity to harm members of the Lee family right under their watchful eye?

Despite some lingering doubts, Lee Yu remained unfazed.

Time flew, and another half-day whizzed by.

The two missing members of the Lee family still had not returned, and there was no word of their whereabouts.

One of the Lee family members who had gone out searching fortuitously encountered Yu Yuan and his group from Asvetaesi. Due to his suspicions, he led Yu Yuan and his companions to meet with Lee Yu.

"Lee Yu."

At the bottom of the pit, Yuan Ting, Zhao Yafu, and the others were visibly tense upon seeing him once more.

The preeminent figure of the empire's younger generation, a Veil Breaking prodigy of the Lee family!

Facing such a person, even the self-assured Zhao Yafu couldn't help but feel dwarfed and slightly uneasy.

Only Yu Yuan approached Lee Yu with a leisurely stride, stopping just short of him to inquire, "Why were we brought here by your family's insistence? What's the reason?"

He glanced around and added, "Surely it's not to invite us to unravel the mysteries of this place with you?"

Lee Yu was taken aback, marveling at how the Yu family's young master showed no fear of him or his esteemed status.

Recalling his aunt's words about the young master's peculiar three souls, he decided to heed her advice and said, "Two members of our Lee family have mysteriously vanished. We've searched for some time to no avail. Since you were in the vicinity, have you seen anyone else?"

"No," Yu Yuan shook his head.

"Hmm," Lee Yu nodded, then gestured dismissively, "Let them go."

"Brother Yu?" someone questioned.

"It's alright, they're likely not involved," Lee Yu responded nonchalantly. "Besides, no one would dare to harm our people within the forbidden area."

"Farewell," Yu Yuan said with a smile, and he, along with an uneasy Yuan Ting and the others, took their leave.

Some time later, Yu Yuan, having parted ways with the Lee family, once again encountered a familiar face—Su Yan from the Su family!

Su Yan was evidently agitated. Upon seeing him, she immediately asked, "Yu Yuan, have you come across anyone from the Lee family?"

"I've just seen them," Yu Yuan said, his eyes narrowing in surprise. "What happened?"

Su Yan, whom I had encountered in Asvetaesi, had always been composed, seemingly at ease with any situation.

Her urgency this time took Yu Yuan aback.

"Someone from the Lee family has died! We unexpectedly discovered the bodies of two members of the Lee family!" Su Yan inhaled sharply before continuing, "And we've lost someone from our family as well!"

"What?" Yuan Ting exclaimed, his face draining of color.

Zhao Yafu asked, "Did the people from the Su family and the Lee family start killing each other over some rare treasure?"

She considered this the most likely scenario.

"No, that's not it," Su Yan shook her head. "The people from the Lee family, as well as our own, were murdered by someone else."

"An outsider has breached the forbidden area!"

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