C71 The Shadow Enveloped

Lee Yuchan gracefully descended.

She alighted upon a Moon Fragment, once etched with sword-shaped patterns, now lying at the pit's bottom.

That Moon Fragment had long since shattered into mere stones, strewn about the area.

Moreover, the ground was littered with corpses.

These were the bodies of Gao Hong and the trial participants from Deermead.

Lee Yuchan inhaled deeply, quelling the rage within her. After a thorough inspection, her mood grew increasingly somber.

Each Moon Fragment that had plummeted from the heavens was exceptionally durable.

It seemed unlikely that the young cultivators attending the Forbidden Area Trial could have shattered them.

Even Lee Yu would struggle with such a feat.

Thus, she was nearly certain an accident had occurred.

"Clam beads bursting one by one, yet the trial persists."

She mulled over the situation, her brow furrowed. "Perhaps we should halt the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area 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, as if a specter had slipped away.

...

The moon hung like a gleaming disc.

Fong Xin, leading the way, marched in a determined direction across the vast, silvery expanse.

Her seven followers maintained a gap behind her.

Half an hour later, Fong Xin reached a secluded chasm and abruptly leaped down.

"Boom!"

A clam bead burst into dust precisely as she descended.

"Whoosh!"

She reappeared in a cavern, her gaze vacant as she addressed three trialists from Darkmoon City in a gentle tone, "Have you seen Yu Yuan from Darkmoon City, or Van Ning from the five major families?"

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

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

The trio, having separated from the main group to delve into the mysteries of the forbidden area, were perplexed.

"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"

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

The Darkmoon City cultivators instantly collapsed, lifeless.

Fong Xin lingered not a moment longer, sparing no glance for their bodies. Like a wisp of green will-o'-the-wisp, she soared out of the cave.

Quickly, she settled before her seven followers, ready to pursue her next objective.

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

Deep within the forbidden area, beneath one of the caverns, a Lee family trial participant stood before Lee Yu, who was seated in meditation, and reported in a hushed tone.

Since his arrival, Lee Yu had been immersed in cultivation, seemingly indifferent to the fortunes of the forbidden area, the enigmatic Moon Fragment, or the inscriptions within the caves.

The Lee family's team was somewhat lax, loosely gathered within a five-mile radius centered on Lee Yu.

Neither he nor the other Lee family members were concerned about encountering any mishaps or difficulties.

As the imperial family and the foremost among the five great families, the Lee family was the empire's most formidable power.

Lee Yu, the latest and greatest of his generation, had already reached the Profound Break Stage, making him the empire's pride.

With Lee Yu at the helm, the Lee family had little to fear, whether scattered across five miles or even ten.

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

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

He believed that caution was only necessary later, when the spiritual energy of the world would turn turbulent and chaotic, rendering the killings within undetectable to those outside.

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

"Our agreement stipulates a check-in every half day at most," the man clarified. "All the other teams have complied. But the missing team—it's been a full day with no word. We've even conducted a search within a certain range."

"And found nothing," he concluded.

Lee Yu's concern deepened. After a moment's reflection, he said, "This could indeed be something unusual. But let's not worry too much. There are others beyond our sight who are keeping watch."

His aunt was still out there, and with the Mirage Water Curtain in place, what could possibly go unseen?

In the previous months, who would have dared to harm a member of the Lee family under her watchful eye?

So, despite some nagging doubts, Lee Yu remained unworried.

Half a day had swiftly slipped by.

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

In a twist of fate, one of the Lee family members searching for them stumbled upon Yu Yuan and his companions from Darkmoon City. Suspicious, he led Yu Yuan and the group to meet with Lee Yu.

"Lee Yu."

At the pit's bottom, Yuan Tine, Zhao Yafu, and the others were visibly tense upon encountering him once more.

The Empire's most esteemed youth, a prodigy at the Profound Break Stage, the pride of the Lee family!

Faced with such a figure, even the self-assured Zhao Yafu couldn't help but feel dwarfed and somewhat unsettled.

Only Yu Yuan approached Lee Yu with an air of nonchalance, stopping just before him to inquire, "Why were we, brought by your Lee family, so insistently summoned to meet you? What's the purpose?"

He glanced around curiously and added, "It wouldn't be to invite us to join you in unraveling the mysteries of this place, would it?"

Lee Yu was taken aback, marveling at how the Yu family's young master showed no fear of him, no regard for his status and position.

Recalling his aunt's words about this man's peculiar third soul, and the need to be wary, Lee Yu responded, "Two from our Lee family have vanished without a trace. We've searched extensively but to no avail. Since you were in the vicinity, have you encountered anyone else?"

"No," Yu Yuan replied with a shake of his head.

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

"Brother Yu?" someone questioned.

"It's alright, they're likely not involved," Lee Yu said with an easygoing demeanor. "Besides, no one would dare harm our people within the forbidden area."

"Until next time," Yu Yuan said with a smile, then departed with the uneasy Yuan Tine and the others.

Some time later.

Yu Yuan, having parted ways with the Lee family, once again crossed paths with another acquaintance—Su Yan from the Su family!

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

"Just did," Yu Yuan replied, his eyes narrowing as he too felt a surge of surprise. "What's the matter?"

Su Yan, whom I had encountered in Darkmoon City, had always been composed, handling every situation with apparent ease.

Her urgency caught Yu Yuan off guard this time.

"Someone from the Lee family has died! We unexpectedly stumbled upon the bodies of two members of the Lee family!" Su Yan inhaled sharply before continuing, "And we've suffered losses as well—someone from our family is dead!"

"What?" Yuan Ting's face drained of color in shock.

"Did the Su and Lee families start slaughtering each other over some rare treasure?" Zhao Yafu speculated, considering it the most probable explanation.

"No, it wasn't like that," Su Yan corrected, shaking her head. "Members of the Lee family, as well as our own, were murdered by someone else."

"There's been an intrusion into the forbidden area!"

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