C80 Feeling in the Air

Few were aware that Yu Yuan had used the essence of the sword soul, transforming his arm into a blade to vanquish the foreign soul. Only Yan Lu, Su Yan, and Zhan Tianxiang, having previously engaged in close combat with the soul and honed their Spiritual Spells and weaponry, were sensitive enough to discern the truth.

It was only upon uncovering this truth that they realized the extent of Yu Yuan's contribution to the conflict.

Yu Yuan had unmasked Zhu Huan and decisively obliterated him with four Silver Iron Lightnings. When Zhu Huan rose again, Yu Yuan advised the others to target the soul with specialized weapons and spells, ultimately destroying it as it attempted to flee.

Indeed, Yu Yuan was the true hero of this battle!

This knowledge is what caused Yan Lu, Su Yan, and Zhan Tianxiang, the esteemed scions of Heaven, to bristle at Lee Yuan's post-battle scrutiny of Yu Yuan's actions.

Their overtures of friendship toward Yu Yuan, symbolized by extending an olive branch, were motivated by this recognition.

And if there were any ulterior motives...

Should there be more souls to contend with, they would still need to depend on Yu Yuan.

Yu Yuan's optimal spiritual and mental readiness was crucial for any forthcoming encounters. When facing the next soul, just one lethal strike at the critical moment would suffice.

The trio was well aware of this, though it remained a mystery to everyone else.

The sight of Zhan Tianxiang from Shadowhall and Yan Lu from the Yan family openly extending their goodwill was met with astonishment by all.

"Cough, cough."

Yu Yuan cleared his throat lightly. In response to the kind gestures from Zhan Tianxiang and Yan Lu, he declined, "There's no need. I cannot accept a pill from the Su family."

With that, his eyes briefly met Su Yan's.

Su Yan, the treasured daughter of the Su family and a princess among the Empire's alchemical elite, couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt.

The Su family's suppression of the Yu family was not widely known.

The Yu family's lack of prominence meant that few paid them much heed. Hence, when Su Yin decreed a halt to the purchase of the Yu family's medicinal herbs, only the Yuan and Zhao families of Darkmoon City were in the know; the rest of the Empire's families remained oblivious.

Yan Lu and Zhan Tianxiang were also in the dark about the specifics. Yu Yuan's remarks left them both inwardly astonished.

They glanced at Su Yan and then at the other Su family members, who were visibly uncomfortable. It was clear that the Yu family, once considered the Su family's subordinates, had likely grown distant from them.

Zhan Tianxiang chuckled, "The pill I have wasn't purchased from the Su family."

"Let's drop it," Yu Yuan declined again, "I appreciate the gesture, but I've got a restorative pellet of my own."

He continued, "The crowd's thick down there. We should head up."

Without regard for the astonished onlookers, he made his way up the stone steps.

Zhao Yafu had already come down from another cave and retrieved the Dragon-shaped Blade. Seeing him set off, she quickly followed, tenderly caressing the blade, "Ah, it might need some time to be restored."

"Younger Brother Yu," Zhan Tianxiang mused before asking, "Why are you so set on going up?"

"It's less crowded up there; more comfortable," Yu Yuan replied offhandedly.

Zhan Tianxiang squinted, pondering for a moment, then surprisingly agreed, "Hearing you say that, I'm thinking it might indeed be more comfortable up there."

"Do you mind if we join you?"

He looked up at Yu Yuan with a beaming smile.

Yu Yuan shrugged, "Suit yourself."

"Great," Zhan Tianxiang nodded, then instructed his kin, "Let's not all huddle at the bottom. Follow me up, and we'll practice in the caves above."

The Shadowhall folks clearly had great faith in him and promptly tagged along.

Zhan Tianxiang stayed close behind Yu Yuan, taking the same steps swiftly upwards.

Before long, he had caught up.

Yu Yuan led the way, with Zhan Tianxiang trailing behind, both moving in silence up the staircase.

As they distanced themselves from the pit below, Zhan Tianxiang waited until their conversation would be out of earshot before he whispered, "Do you believe there's no chance of survival if we stay down there?"

Yu Yuan didn't look back, continuing his ascent, "Frankly, I suspect there's more than one invader, not just the alien soul inside Zhu Huan. The one inside him is likely just waiting for his allies or their leader to arrive."

Zhan Tianxiang's face darkened dramatically.

He paused, staring at Yu Yuan's retreating figure. "You're suggesting that our being corralled at the bottom of the pit was orchestrated by the intruders?"

"It's just a hunch," Yu Yuan replied, halting and turning to face him. "I suspect the intruders found it too troublesome to hunt us down across the forbidden land, preferring instead to lure us into one spot for a swift, clean sweep."

Zhan Tianxiang's visage turned ominously somber at those words.

"It's only a hunch, so try not to worry too much," Yu Yuan added.

"Your instincts tend to be spot on," Zhan Tianxiang managed a strained smile, more pained than any grimace. "Damn it, we had to face an invasion. So, given your suspicion that the intruders plan to wipe us out, what's your strategy?"

"What else can we do? If the intruders are indeed powerful enough to annihilate us all, then scattering and fleeing through the upper caverns might offer us a slim chance of survival," Yu Yuan admitted without a hint of shame. He had no intention of leading the people of Darkmoon City in a futile last stand.

After all, what was the point in a hopeless defense?

"Why not just tell them the truth?" Zhan Tianxiang pressed.

"I've told you, I don't know the enemy's numbers or how formidable they are," Yu Yuan said, furrowing his brow. "All of this is pure speculation without a shred of evidence. And I'm not Lee Yu; I don't have the power to persuade others to believe in me."

"If we all huddle underground while only a few stay above, and the invaders do show up with the might to kill us all..." Zhan Tianxiang snorted, his dissatisfaction clear. "The invaders will likely target the larger group at the pit's bottom first. And if there's only one invader, the logical choice would be to strike there first."

"By splitting up and escaping through different tunnels, our chances of survival would be significantly higher, wouldn't they?" Zhan Tianxiang said, his irritation palpable.

Putting himself in Yu Yuan's shoes, he understood that if he trusted his own instincts as much, he might make a similar choice for the sake of survival.

What did the lives of others matter to me?

If their deaths could secure my own life, why wouldn't I make that trade?

Moreover, those people had no good intentions toward me—they didn't show me the respect I deserved!

The one who made that choice was Yu Yuan, and the one to be sacrificed was Zhan Tianxiang, along with his companions from Shadowhall. Naturally, he was displeased.

"Think what you want," Yu Yuan said nonchalantly. "There's a pit below. If a powerful invader comes, it'll be like shooting fish in a barrel—inescapable. Lee Yu probably didn't anticipate the complexity of the situation before he left. If he were here, or someone like Fan Li, they'd surely come up with a more solid plan."

Zhan Tianxiang gave a cold snort. "Are you implying that I'm not up to par with Lee Yu or Fan Li?"

"You, Yan Lu, Su Yan, you're not exactly the sharpest tools in the shed," Yu Yuan retorted, unconcerned about provoking him. "If you were as clever as you think, you wouldn't have been so easily outwitted by Zhu Huan, who harbored an alien soul."

With that, Yu Yuan left him behind and quickened his pace.

Before long, he caught up with Yuan Tine and Yu Feifei at a higher level.

"Are you guys okay?" Yu Yuan inquired.

"We're good, all good," Yu Feifei replied, peering out from the hole. "Why are there people from the Yan family here? And did you guys have a fight earlier? We couldn't see from this distance, but it sounded like there was a skirmish, and we saw flashes of spiritual light."

Their position was too far from the bottom of the pit to see clearly.

"Some odd fellow was taken out by Yan Lu and the others. No need to worry," Yu Yuan responded dismissively. After surveying the cave and noticing a tunnel that led elsewhere, he finally eased up. "Zhan Tianxiang, you and your group should find a different spot. Keep your distance from us."

"Understood," Zhan Tianxiang replied, his voice heavy with concern.

Zhan Tianxiang's mind was burdened after hearing what Yu Yuan had to say. Nonetheless, he was secretly relieved that his proactive approach and shameless insistence on following had allowed him to catch a glimpse of Yu Yuan's "intuitive feelings."

"Brother Yu, someone else is approaching," Zhao Yafu called out, still suspended on the stone steps leading to the cave, not yet inside. She craned her neck to look at the figures emerging above them and added, "Brother Yu, it's members of your fiancée's Lim family."

Her face transformed in a matter of seconds.

Zhan Tianxiang, who peeked out just then, also had his expression darken.

The reason was clear to both Zhao Yafu and Zhan Tianxiang: among the Lim family group, there was an outsider whose attire set him apart.

This outsider was vaguely familiar to them. Like Zhu Huan, he was from Waning Moon City and had been seen standing to the left of Feng Xin at the entrance to the forbidden area.

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