C762 The Empire's Twin Walls

A radiant red lotus throne glided through the air, shimmering with vivid brilliance. At its heart, Yuan Lianyao's Yin God took her seat, her stunning visage etched with bewilderment.

She had been lured by a mysterious bloody light, which led her astray from her intended path to this desolate and odd location. The light captivated her because it occasionally morphed into the likeness of Yu Yuan.

"Odd, what connection does that bloody light have with Yu Yuan?"

Yuan Lianyao's suspicion was piqued since Yu Yuan's true form had reached the small world of blood and Qi, where a mystifying altar stood. She feared that Yu Yuan had encountered trouble during his travels.

Bai Gu had returned gravely wounded and was tight-lipped about the ordeal, revealing only that Yu Yuan was visiting the domain of the Luohou Ghost King.

Upon learning that Luohou had ascended to become the sixth Ghost King of Horror Land, and with Bai Gu's defeat and injuries, she worried that Yu Yuan might be Luohou's captive. Driven by concern, she planned to venture into Luohou's territory under the banner of the Red Devil Sect, hoping to rescue Yu Yuan from the Ghost King's clutches.

Bai Gu allowed her to depart without objection, cautioning her to stay vigilant. Unbeknownst to her, Bai Gu had dispatched her to avoid the impending convergence of malevolent spirits seeking trouble.

Her journey was fraught with concern for Yu Yuan, fearing for his safety, and thus the bloody light had easily led her astray.

Then, out of nowhere, she beheld the Evil Cauldron suspended in midair!

"It really exists!"

Yuan Lianyao's eyes sparkled with excitement as she quickly maneuvered her lotus throne closer.

Standing beside the somber cauldron, Ann Ziqing, clad in purple divine armor, gave a slight smirk and chuckled, "Not too late after all."

With a whoosh, the crimson lotus throne arrived. Yuan Lianyao leaned in and cried out with unexpected delight, "Yu Yuan, it's truly you!"

Her gaze then drifted beyond the Evil Cauldron to Ann Ziqing standing behind it, her warmth fading to frost, "You're here as well?"

Her disdain for the Blood God Cult's priestess was palpable. Much like Yu Yuan, she believed the woman to be full of guile, harboring a host of malevolent tactics, which naturally made her unwelcome in Yuan Lianyao's eyes.

"I just happened to bump into her," Ann Ziqing said, her smile crinkling her eyes.

"Yu..."

Before Yuan Lianyao could continue, she noticed Yu Yuan's labored breathing. His face was flushed, his body trembling slightly, and his eyes, wide with desire, were clouded with confusion.

"What's wrong with you? Are you hurt?" Her face darkened as she turned her glare on Ann Ziqing and accused, "It's always you! Nothing good ever happens when you show up!"

"This has nothing to do with me. City Lord, can you please not blame me for everything?" Ann Ziqing pleaded, her face the picture of innocence.

"If not you, then who?"

"You're about to find out!"

"Whoosh!"

A chilling, spectral figure emerged from Yu Yuan's forehead, fluttering as if caught in a dance, exuding a rare seductiveness that Yuan Lianyao had never witnessed before.

"Lee Yuchan!"

Unable to contain herself any longer, Yuan Lianyao's soul shadow quivered intensely as brilliant red flames burst forth from the lotus platform beneath her.

Both hailing from the Silvermoon Empire, they had been pitted against each other since childhood, compared in beauty, grace, and the pace of their cultivation.

Despite the endless comparisons, neither could be declared the definitive victor. They were both regarded as the two most distinguished women in the nation by the elite of the Silvermoon Empire.

Lee Yuchan, sister to the Silvermoon Queen, had always had access to more resources, which allowed her to ascend to the Yin God Stage first.

Yuan Lianyao had been slightly behind, initially resentful until Yuan Qiufang caught the eye of Faang Yao and was taken under the wing of the Red Devil Sect, propelling the Yuan family's fortunes skyward.

In time, she too condensed her Yin God and reached the late phase of the Yin God Stage, matching Lee Yuchan, who had taken an unorthodox path with her cultivation of the Martyr Spell.

Yuan Lianyao had long harbored a grudge against the female general she'd been compared to all her life. Their relationship had always been tense, never once warming into friendship.

While she ruled over Darkmoon City, Yuan Lianyao had several open and covert conflicts with Lee Yuchan, with no clear victor emerging from their encounters.

At this moment, witnessing the Yin God depart from Yu Yuan's sea of consciousness, Yuan Lianyao struggled to articulate the complex emotions stirring within her.

"How is she present in Yu Yuan's Consciousness Little World? What could possibly be the nature of their soulful exchange?"

"Could this woman be vying for Yu Yuan's attention?"

These thoughts flooded her mind, igniting a fury within her akin to a blazing red lotus.

"Yu Yuan!"

Conversely, as Lee Yuchan exited Yu Yuan's Consciousness Little World, her Yin God swiftly regained its composure, her gaze icy and furious as she stared down Yu Yuan.

The intimate entwining of their souls replayed in her mind like a series of vivid paintings.

Each image brought her a sense of shame she had never known, an awakening foreign to her life's experience.

She couldn't fathom what had transpired, feeling only that Yu Yuan had taken liberties with her, gaining an unwarranted advantage.

It was then that the cauldron soul's Soul Sound emerged from the cauldron beneath her: "Don't play coy after reaping the benefits! You're unaware of the significant dilemma you've just resolved!"

Lee Yuchan, poised to confront Yu Yuan with accusations, paused as Yu Yiyi's voice echoed in her ears. Recalling her recent ordeal, a chill ran through her, prompting her to rein in her spirit, wary of rash actions.

The dark cauldron beneath her seemed like a chilling abyss, ready to swallow her whole.

She swiftly mastered her emotions, setting aside her impulse to challenge Yu Yuan. Instead, she pondered the cauldron soul's message, and then... she attempted to engage the "Martyr Spell."

With a subtle stirring of her heart and soul, her icy eyes suddenly blazed with clarity.

For the first time, she intimately sensed the flow of soul consciousness within her as she practiced the spell, encountering no obstructions.

Previously, her soul power would face blockages at nine critical points, accumulating impurities and malevolent thoughts.

But now, with the pathways of the spell slightly realigned, every wisp of her soul power seamlessly traversed the entire realm of the Yin God, free from any stagnation.

Even the malevolent thoughts that had once swarmed her mind, driving her to madness, had been cleansed away entirely.

"How could this be?" she whispered to herself in disbelief.

She hadn't pieced everything together yet, but the dramatic transformation of the Martyr Spell made her understand the cauldron soul's words—that she had resolved a significant issue.

From now on, the practice of the Martyr Spell would no longer accumulate evil thoughts, preventing the backlash of inner demons!

Her soul quivered slightly as she fought to contain her excitement, no longer finding the heart-fluttering scene embarrassing.

Whoosh!

In the Consciousness Little World, Yu Yuan's Heavenly Soul and his main soul had fused, turning the prior bewitching reverie into a distant memory upon awakening.

"Was it a dream? It seems... it wasn't a dream after all!"

His gaze sharpened, becoming lucid as he observed the bewildered general. With a mere thought, he realized that the Heavenly Soul's Soul Forging Technique had subtly guided Lee Yuchan's Martyr Spell through the pathways of the Ghosting Arts.

The Martyr Spell's creator, the Sky Shocking Emperor, must have been aware of the Ghosting Arts' marvels, and even the development of the Martyr Spell was somewhat intertwined with it.

Only with this connection could the flaws of the Martyr Spell be corrected.

From this point forward, the new Martyr Spell that Lee Yuchan practiced, while still not on par with the Ghosting Arts, would no longer be plagued by the mental confusion of backlash after each cultivation session.

"Yu Yuan!"

Yuan Lianyao couldn't contain herself any longer and called out loudly to her beloved, who had just awakened and was staring blankly at Lee Yuchan.

"Ah!"

Yu Yuan's head throbbed with pain upon seeing Yuan Lianyao, at a loss for words.

A quick glance to the side revealed Ann Ziqing smirking triumphantly. "It's your mischief again!"

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