C739 Fallen Moon Slash!
Atop the mountain peak, the pattern on the spirit turtle's shell shifted subtly, revealing the visage of the Cyan Spectre.
Inside the shell, a voice sneered, "I recognize you, Yu Yuan! You've made quite a name for yourself in the outside world. But this is Horror Land! Just what level have you reached to so boldly claim you can shatter my shell, painstakingly fortified over centuries?"
The ranks of the Heavenly Ghost and ghost generals, many with keen intellects, exchanged puzzled glances.
One ghost, swift as an eagle and impatient by nature, cast urgent looks toward the white bone.
The white bone emitted a disdainful hum.
"A turtle shell is just that, no matter its strength," Yu Yuan chuckled, unwilling to squander time on banter. "Whether I can break it or not, I already have my answer."
He directed the sword sheath toward the turtle shell crowning the peak.
In a flash, the refined sword light sealed within his arm bone burst forth like crimson lightning, racing through his veins.
The multitude of sword intents nestled at the base of the sheath resonated, their excitement palpable.
Simultaneously, the sword soul lurking in the depths of Yu Yuan's arm bone, as if suddenly enlightened, formed a mystical bond with the Heavenly Soul that had long been honed by the Soul Forging Technique.
Yu Yuan jolted with realization.
His acute awareness told him that his Heavenly Soul had advanced significantly, especially after reaching the late Penetrating Stage, thanks to his relentless dedication to soul cultivation.
It wasn't the sword soul that had gained insight; it was his Heavenly Soul that had rapidly evolved, now able to decipher the sword soul's messages.
The sword soul remained unchanged; the transformation was within his Heavenly Soul!
In the following moment, the thick spiritual energy he had amassed within the Yellow Court Little World was abruptly drawn out.
Next came the mighty, life-infused Qi and blood from the profound gateway within his middle dantian.
Finally, strands of Spiritual Sense from his three souls were also coaxed forth.
These three forces converged into a maelstrom of electric current, flooding the sword sheath from his arm's meridians.
"Optimus Nine Slashes, the fourth strike: Fallen Moon Slash!"
The message of the sword soul struck Yu Yuan's Heavenly Soul like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, detonating with a force that shook his very essence.
Yu Yuan's eyes blazed with a radiant light, as if in an instant, he had grasped the profound subtleties of the sword spell.
His soul and sword intent became one, transforming him into the embodiment of the Chopping Moon cultivator. Alone in the vast expanse of the Outland Star River, he reached the realm of the Moon Demon Clan and relentlessly slashed at the moon, again and again.
A brilliant scarlet sword light burst forth from the sheath!
Atop Dark Mountain, it seemed as if scarlet rivers had woven together, creating a tapestry of electric brilliance. The sword intent, fierce enough to rend all things, was being cultivated within these scarlet streams.
"What in the world is this?"
From within the massive turtle shell, the Cyan Spectre recoiled at the sight of the sky's transformation and the streams of sword intent solidifying into rivers. "Bones, have you brought someone who has forsaken the Boundless Land into our fold? Aren't you afraid of retribution from the three upper sects, the Devil Palace, and the Demon Palace?"
The White Bone Nether Ghost replied with an icy tone, "Fear? No."
Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!
The nurtured crimson sword light suddenly plummeted, targeting the Cyan Spirit Turtle's shell, honed over centuries.
"Fallen Moon Slash!"
Yu Yuan silently invoked the technique, feeling streams of his Spiritual Sense infuse the crimson sword light, each wisp striking down with precision.
The space within Horror Land was electrified with a divine crimson brilliance, its unmatched sharpness descending from the heavens.
Sharp sword lights danced in the half-space above the mountain peak, throwing the natural elements into disarray and warping the currents of time and space.
This sword spell, a legacy of the Chopping Moon cultivator, once executed, radiated a sword intent so profound that it seemed to be in perfect harmony with the Great Dao, enveloping the surrounding lands for miles in its embrace.
Not only were the Cyan Spectre's minions overwhelmed, but even the higher echelon ghosts under White Bone's command trembled, their souls nearly cleaving in two as they experienced the sword spell's ferocity.
It appeared that merely perceiving the intensity of the sword intent was enough to wound their souls.
"Terrifying!"
The fly-like minion of White Bone, previously skeptical of Yu Yuan, now displayed terror in his eyes, instinctively retreating from the summit.
Many of the weaker ghosts, their soul shadows already indistinct, were becoming even more blurred and ethereal.
On the brink of vanishing into the cosmos, White Bone huffed and barked, "Fool, stop trying to perceive the sword intent's power and its path!"
The moment his words fell, a crimson sword light streaked down like a shooting star.
"Crack!"
The Cyan Spectre's once-praised massive turtle shell was suddenly riddled with holes by the crimson sword light, instantly killing all the ghostly spirits hidden within upon contact.
"Ah!"
The Cyan Spectre's agonized wails echoed as the sword light descended.
"Fallen Moon Slash, the fourth strike..."
Feeling his spiritual energy, life force, and consciousness ebbing away, Yu Yuan was overcome with weakness. He realized he was struggling to sustain the Fallen Moon Slash's full might.
An image abruptly flashed through his mind.
A towering figure stood in the expanse of the galaxy, relentlessly swinging his sword, cleaving the grand moon into fragments that plummeted toward the Boundless Land.
The fragments landed with precision in the forbidden area, forming a pattern upon impact and becoming a part of the Heaven Sealing Soul Transformation Formation, quelling the malevolence within.
"Did I grasp the Fallen Moon Slash because I resonate with the formation? Or is it because I was the first to endure the hardships of cultivation in the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area?" Questions involuntarily arose in Yu Yuan's mind.
He then realized that the forbidden area was so named because of the sword spell wielded to cleave the moon, known as the Fallen Moon Slash.
The act of moon slashing wasn't achieved with a single stroke but rather through a relentless series of cuts, each one continuing the onslaught, fragmenting the moon into pieces.
"Optimus Nine Slashes!"
Seizing the moment, the Heavenly Soul communicated with the arm bone sword soul. His wisdom, having been honed by the Soul Forging Technique, seemed to surge, and he faintly discerned that beyond the "Fallen Moon Slash," there were eight more slashes.
"Optimus Nine Slashes: Spirit Destruction, Soul Severance, Star Shatter, Fallen Moon, Sun Split, Evil Banish, Demon Quell, Devil Startle, Deity Extinguish!"
The names of the nine slashes suddenly became clear to the Heavenly Soul, revealing for the first time the legacy of the Chopping Moon cultivator—the Optimus Nine Slashes.
Yu Yuan had only managed to grasp the "Fallen Moon Slash" so far.
Moreover, his current spiritual energy, vitality, and spiritual awareness weren't sufficient to fully execute the "Fallen Moon Slash."
After just a short time, he felt disoriented and weak.
In that instant, his sword soul retreated into hiding, severing the connection with his Heavenly Soul.
"Let me handle the rest. You take some time to recover," said the Ghost Bone Specter, his voice carrying a hint of softness. He then ignited with ghostly white flames and plunged into the perforated turtle shell.
Looking down, Yu Yuan immediately noticed the holes from the "Fallen Moon Slash" ablaze with the same eerie white fire.
"Ghost Bone! Spare me a lifeline!" the Cyan Spectre bellowed.
But the Ghost Bone Specter ignored him, using the purifying fire from the White Bone Sacred Spirit Art to incinerate the lingering ghostly souls within the shell.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The Cyan Spectre's underlings, attempting to flee the shell, were promptly targeted by the Ghost Bone Specter's followers, who were ready and waiting to continue the slaughter.
Within the shell, the Cyan Spectre continued to shriek, but the white flames had already engulfed the space, focusing primarily on entrapping him.
The Ghost Bone Specter remained indifferent to the other ghostly spirits, determined only to prevent the Cyan Spectre from escaping.
As Yu Yuan pondered the intricacies and origins of the "Optimus Nine Slashes," considering the significance of each slash, the "Evil Cauldron" seized the moment to ensnare ghost after ghost with its siren call.
Many who were loyal to the Ghost Bone Specter, upon seeing the Evil Cauldron approach, grinned obsequiously.
"The Lord has favored it; such fortune! Please, Lord, graciously accept it!"
"You foolish thing, why not willingly enter the cauldron and let the Lord transform you into an Evil Demon? Would you rather I slay you and consume your meager spirit?"
"My Lord! If this ghost has caught your eye, I'll part with it for your sake!"
Intelligent ghosts and spirits, in the midst of hunting down the Cyan Spectre's remaining forces, quickly knew to yield their captured prey to the approaching Evil Cauldron.
They would no longer harbor the same reluctance they felt on their journey here.
...
