C76 Can You Not be too Close to Me?

Zhu Huan was drenched in blood, impaled by Zhao Yafu's Dragon's Edge that pierced through his chest and pinned him against the rock wall behind him. The onlookers were too late to intervene.

Four Lunar Lightnings detonated simultaneously—who would dare attempt a rescue? Thus, the group, having failed to persuade Yu Yuan, could only watch in horror as he ruthlessly and savagely executed Zhu Huan, the sole survivor of Wethtalos.

After his death, Zhao Yafu delivered an additional blow, her blade puncturing his heart and lungs.

Below, Lee Yuan's curses echoed angrily, buzzing in everyone's ears. Yu Yuan, however, remained unaffected by the shock of the crowd and coldly instructed, "Little Sister Zhao, check him thoroughly."

"Check for what?" Zhao Yafu asked, her gaze lost as she considered the body riddled with wounds, intending to retrieve her Dragon's Edge.

"Be cautious," Yu Yuan warned, his brow furrowed.

"With four Lunar Lightnings and his heart and lungs skewered, what should I be cautious of?" Zhao Yafu asked dismissively. "Oh, right, you mean to be wary of the others?" Her eyes shifted to the enraged Lee Yuan and the other Lee family members with malicious intent.

"Yu Yuan, you owe us a reasonable explanation!" Lee Yuan, after his initial outburst, tried to compose himself. "Without a satisfactory explanation, don't expect us to be polite!" He raised his left hand in a commanding gesture.

The Lee family members rose to their feet, encircling Yu Yuan and Zhao Yafu. A myriad of spiritual energy halos in bright yellow, light purple, and dark green emanated from them, casting an otherworldly glow as if they were deities.

Yan Lu, Su Yan, Zhan Tianxiang, and the other leaders displayed a variety of expressions, none too eager to take a stance.

"Why?" Han Hui of Asenalenor was the first to voice her confusion. "Why kill Zhu Huan? Despite my grievances with Asenalenor, with Feng Xin gone, he was the only one left alive. I could have accepted that—why couldn't you?"

"I believe that if Feng Xin and her group are dead, it's his doing," Yu Yuan stated with unsettling calmness. "He hasn't shown a trace of sorrow from the moment he arrived. He's too composed, too indifferent. And I'm certain that he harbors ill will towards all of us."

"I mean everyone, not just myself!"

Yu Yuan offered his conclusion.

Regrettably, it seemed that no one there was inclined to believe him.

"Do you have any evidence?" Lee Yuan demanded, his anger palpable. "Without evidence, your claims are mere speculation. And without proof, you won't escape the Lee family's retribution!"

"Evidence?" Yu Yuan stroked his chin, deep in thought for a few seconds, then instructed, "Zhao Yafu, search his body."

"Okay," Zhao Yafu acknowledged with a nod.

But then, in a sudden outburst, Yu Yuan yelled, "Watch out! Move!"

His finely honed heaven soul had detected a remnant soul lurking within Zhu Huan's corpse—a sinister and brutal soul force filled with loathing and cruelty!

Zhu Huan had been struck by four Lunar Lightning bolts and had his heart and lungs pierced. Surely he should be dead?

Only Lee Yu, who had reached the pinnacle of the Veil Breaking Realm, was qualified for the trial in the forbidden area.

Even Lee Yu wouldn't be capable of generating a remnant soul after such fatal wounds—unless he had ascended to the Lunar Spirit level!

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Silver bolts of lightning burst forth from Zhu Huan's body, targeting Zhao Yafu and everyone else in the pit.

This silver lightning consisted of hundreds of thousands of silver needles, finer than strands of hair, remnants of the exploded Lunar Lightning.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

The silver lightning penetrated the Lee family members' spiritual energy shields and sank into their flesh.

Two individuals were struck in the neck, chest, and forehead.

Zhao Yafu, however, in a moment of decisive action, released her grip on the Dragon's Edge just as she was about to seize it. She transformed into an ice-blue dragon shadow and soared towards an opening above the group.

Members of the Yan family were peering curiously through that very hole.

She vanished into it in the blink of an eye.

The moment she stepped in, the Lee family members encircling Yu Yuan and her began to howl in agony.

Without a word, Yu Yuan quickly backed away.

He moved to stand beside Su Yan.

After all, Su Yan had donned the Celestial Plume Raiment.

With the Celestial Plume Raiment's appearance, each feather radiated a brilliant and sacred light, making Su Yan seem like a goddess gracing the mortal realm, as though she were receiving the adoration of all mortals.

Yu Yuan was well aware that even the silver bolts from the Lunar Lightning couldn't penetrate the Celestial Plume Raiment that Su Yan wore.

When Zhao Dongsheng had the Lunar Lightning delivered, he made sure to caution Yu Yuan that prodigies like Lee Yu, Yan Lu, and Su Yan each possessed invaluable treasures.

For the Lunar Lightning to be effective against them, it would have to catch them unawares and detonate instantaneously.

If they had time to prepare, if they weren't in close proximity, they could deploy their life-saving treasures, rendering the Lunar Lightning incapable of harming them.

They were shielded by their treasures, unlike Zhu Huan, who was left riddled like a honeycomb from the attack.

Yet, Zhu Huan was still alive!

"Zhu Huan!"

Lee Yuan from the Lee family had been indiscriminately struck by the silver lightning in his waist and knees. His rage at this moment far exceeded any he had felt before.

Suddenly, he believed Yu Yuan's earlier statements.

If Feng Xin were dead, Zhu Huan would undoubtedly be involved, and Zhu Huan harbored ill will towards everyone!

Otherwise, the silver lightning that erupted from his body should have targeted only Yu Yuan and Zhao Yafu, not everyone in the vicinity.

Ironically, it was the Lee family members, who had closed in to encircle Yu Yuan, who ended up shielding him from the splattering silver lightning.

"You see, didn't I tell you?" Yu Yuan, standing to the left of Su Yan, opened his hands, his face the picture of innocence and grievance. "I warned you to be extra cautious, I pointed out that Zhu Huan was up to no good, but no one would listen."

He maintained a casual demeanor throughout.

Everyone around him was on edge, their hearts weighed down by the gravity of the situation. They couldn't fathom how Zhu Huan was still among the living.

Below the Lunar Spirit Stage, even those at the Subtlety Stage would likely not survive such grievous injuries.

At the Veil Breaking Stage, with the middle elixir field adjacent to the heart and lungs, how could anyone survive having their heart and lungs impaled by the Dragon's Edge? And with hundreds of silver lights piercing through his forehead and neck, what chance was there for life?

Why was Zhu Huan still alive? How had he managed to expel those silver lights and cause the Lee family further losses and injuries?

"Who are you?"

Han Hui from Asenalenor signaled for utmost caution before scrutinizing Zhu Huan. "He's different. He looks the same, but everything else has changed."

She remembered Zhu Huan as someone irritable and crude, always spewing profanities.

But this Zhu Huan was unlike the one she had known before.

He was too calm, too detached, and too silent.

At first, she assumed his demeanor was due to the severe injuries he had sustained, which had shattered his mental state.

But now, upon closer inspection, she realized there were too many inconsistencies about him. From his demeanor to his actions, he was completely unrecognizable!

"He's been impaled by a blade, and the remnants of Lunar Lightning within him have all erupted at once."

Yu Yuan sidled up to Su Yan, his shoulder brushing against her feathers, and said, "Fellow talents of the empire, I'm certain of one thing: his body is likely dead, but his soul is peculiar. So, when you engage him, don't focus on inflicting physical harm or destroying his corporeal body. Instead, consider how to target his soul."

"Could you keep your distance, please?" The young woman from the Su family wrinkled her nose in annoyance and turned to face him. Her displeasure was evident in her beautiful eyes and on her exquisite face.

She shifted a step away.

Yu Yuan chuckled awkwardly and, unabashed, edged closer again. "Susu, I'm well aware of the power of your Celestial Plume Raiment. You've said it yourself—we need to stand united against a common enemy. Now that the enemy has emerged, and I was the one who exposed him, shouldn't we work together?"

Su Yan steeled herself and gave a reluctant nod. "I suppose so."

"All of my Yu family members are up there, and my own power is quite limited," Yu Yuan lamented with a mournful expression. "Now that I've outed Zhu Huan, he's sure to target me first. Since we're allies, and your Celestial Plume Raiment is so incredibly potent, could you possibly extend your protection to include me as well?"

Su Yan's brow furrowed as she regarded Yu Yuan, who had shed all pretense of dignity. Recalling the resolve and madness he exhibited when he dispatched Zhu Huan, she felt overwhelmed. It was as if he were two different people.

"What's the deal with this guy? How did he figure out something was off with Zhu Huan? And how could he dare to act so rashly, without a shred of evidence?" she wondered to herself.

With these thoughts in mind, Su Yan stepped aside, giving Yu Yuan a wide berth before he could approach her again. She then said with a mix of embarrassment and irritation, "Don't move! The Celestial Plume Raiment's protective range is more than sufficient to keep you safe from where you stand."

"Ah, such a miserly woman," Yu Yuan remarked, halting in his tracks. "At a time when life and death hang in the balance, we shouldn't be overly concerned with maintaining propriety between the sexes."

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