C760 Collapse

Whoosh!

In a blink, Yu Yuan materialized again within the cauldron, immediately noticing the empire's female general who practiced the "Martyr Spell" teetering on the brink of danger.

Lee Yuchan's Yin God was shaking uncontrollably.

With each tremor, a torrent of emotions—cruelty, bloodlust, despair, and hatred—permeated her Yin God's psyche like a virulent contagion.

Upon closer inspection, Yu Yuan observed clusters of black, dark purple, and grayish-brown soul energies swirling within the Yin God's cerebral region, reminiscent of a person's shadowy soul aspects.

The "Martyr Spell," with its promise of quick gains, had gradually drawn the vile thoughts and dregs that once diffused through Lee Yuchan's Yin God into the very core of her soul.

"She's become too reliant on us."

Yu Yiyi's thoughts echoed in Yu Yuan's mind, "She's aware that we can counter the Martyr Spell's backlash, which emboldens her to indiscriminately absorb any suitable soul nourishment. She should've sought your aid long ago, yet for some reason, she abruptly reversed her decision."

Though Yu Yiyi remained within the cauldron, she was acutely aware of the subtle shifts transpiring outside.

"Master, the malevolent thoughts flooding her mind, the soul filth she's consumed and refined—if not promptly addressed, she'll spiral into madness," Yu Yiyi warned, "The Sky Shocking Emperor faced similar turmoil at life's end, often succumbing to irrational frenzy. I fear she's destined for the same plight."

Positioned at the cauldron's heart, Yu Yuan gazed at Lee Yuchan's Yin God and gently inquired, "General Lee?"

"Leave me be!"

Lee Yuchan's soul form quivered violently, her composure utterly shattered. Her eyes were wide with a fierce, chilling ferocity, "Spare me your condescending pity! Remember, at the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area's threshold, you, Yu Yuan, were a mere nobody!"

Yu Yuan, taken aback, responded, "General Lee, you're under the thrall of the backlash. You need to retreat into the cauldron's sanctuary."

"So my death would please you?" Lee Yuchan's voice was charged with emotion, "Your feigned benevolence on Babel Island and within Dark Mountain, using this cauldron to purge my tainted thoughts—was it out of pity? I don't need your pity! If not for you, my Lee family would never have been reduced to this!"

"I once admired you, believing you acted for the greater good of the Boundless Land!"

"And how are you any different from my sister? Where do you get off? What gives you, Yu Yuan, the right to look at me with such disdain?" A glint of resentment flashed deep within her brows.

"The Lee family owes you nothing! From the outset in the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area, Lee Yu has held you in high esteem! And when you lingered there, it was Lee Yu, it was I who secretly protected the Yu family! Without me, without Lee Yu, the Lim family would have devoured your Yu family bones and all!"

"If anyone is owed, it's you, Yu Yuan, who owes me!"

"Don't think that just because you've grown stronger, you can put on airs!"

"..."

The once revered imperial female general, one of the Silvermoon Empire's most beautiful flowers, on par with Yuan Lianyao, was now consumed by spite and fury. Her most private grievances and rage spilled out in a torrent of accusations aimed at Yu Yuan.

Yu Yuan stood there, utterly baffled by her outburst.

"Master, this ungrateful woman should be left to her own fate," Yu Yiyi's voice resonated with a chilling indifference. "Master, you've saved her time and again. It's one thing for her not to recognize your kindness, but to criticize and speak ill of you is another."

"Master, she'd make a perfect fiend. With your approval, I'll take her down."

Yu Yiyi, upon first taking form, had recognized that Lee Yuchan's Yin God, practicing the Martyr Spell, was rife with extreme fanaticism—a prime candidate for a fiend, with potential for high rank.

Recently, as Lee Yuchan was about to depart, she had let slip a hint of murderous intent, having recognized the general's potential to be shaped into a fiend.

Lee Yuchan, sensing the looming threat, had kept his distance.

"Well, well, the Young Master hasn't changed, always flirting with danger—and women."

Ann Ziqing, draped in her purple divine armor and accompanied by her white fox, approached with a playful smile and halted a dozen meters away. Her dazzling eyes briefly swept over Lee Yuchan's Yin God. "It's been a while, yet I see you've added another lady to your entourage."

Yu Yuan, already in a sour mood, furrowed his brow and asked, "What brings you here again?"

After their last unpleasant parting, he had thought it highly unlikely they'd cross paths again in Horror Land.

Yet, not much time had passed before the Blood God Cult's goddess reappeared, acting as though nothing had transpired, which struck Yu Yuan as odd.

"Is she plotting against me once more?"

The thought naturally surfaced in Yu Yuan's mind.

Their previous encounters had left him with an overabundance of suspicion towards Ann Ziqing, keeping him constantly on alert to avoid being duped by her.

"Just passing through," Ann Ziqing said with unruffled poise, her stunning face betraying no hint of irregularity. Even in her spirit form, her eyes were captivating. She pursed her lips and offered a faint smile. "I merely came to greet you after spotting the Evil Cauldron from a distance."

"Fine, you've said your hello. Let's leave it at that," Yu Yuan dismissed, gesturing for her to be on her way.

A shadow passed over Ann Ziqing's eyes as she hung her head, her voice wistful, "Young Master, do you really dislike me that much?"

"It's not dislike; I just don't want to court trouble," Yu Yuan replied, not bothering with further explanation. "I've got things to attend to. Do whatever you need to do, just not here in front of me."

"I happen to enjoy lingering in your presence," Ann Ziqing retorted with a cold huff.

"Suit yourself," Yu Yuan responded, his face a mask of indifference.

"She's not like the one from the Red Devil Sect. That one realized her feelings for you quite some time ago," Ann Ziqing shifted the subject, nodding towards Lee Yuchan's Yin God. "This one's a bit slow on the uptake, still unaware of her own heart. Despite being older than me, she's quite the fool."

"What are you insinuating?" Yu Yuan demanded, his anger rising.

"Whether I'm spouting nonsense or not, you'll find out if you try," Ann Ziqing's lips curled into a sly smile. "Young Master, no need for thanks. As your maidservant, it's only natural that I look out for your best interests."

With those words, a flash of blood-red light sparked in her eyes.

A peculiar sigil materialized deep within her blood-red pupils, abruptly surfacing with intensity.

With the emergence of the mark, a blood-red aura enveloped a hundred-mile radius, casting a mysterious energy that could contort souls and alter wills over Yu Yuan and Lee Yuchan.

In the imperial female general's mind, a cluster of dark red, symbolizing deep-seated desires, flared to life and magnified boundlessly.

Yu Yuan abruptly noticed Lee Yuchan's Yin God and spirit shrouded in a seductive dark red glow.

Before he could comprehend what was happening, the female general, notorious for her icy demeanor and merciless tactics, had transformed. Overwhelmed by the tidal wave of desire in her psyche, she launched an attack straight at his forehead.

"Master, watch out!" Yu Yiyi cried out in alarm.

The blood-red mark on Ann Ziqing's forehead seemed to instantly detect Yu Yiyi's presence, her expression tinged with surprise. "In such a brief span, the cauldron soul has taken form and developed its own consciousness!"

She gestured towards the Evil Cauldron from a distance, and a blood-red halo clung to the cauldron like a membranous film.

Sizzle sizzle!

The dark demonic light interwove with the blood-red halo, effectively suppressing Yu Yiyi's powers.

Moreover, Ann Ziqing conjured the Ice Thunder Mark, its chilling gleam and internal lightning scattering like stars.

"Little one, don't interfere with my plans," Ann Ziqing said with a gentle laugh. "You've only just come into being. If you don't wish to revert, then behave."

Within the Ice Thunder Mark, innumerable ice crystals brimming with ferocious thunder proved to be the nemesis of Evil Demons.

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