C80 I Can Feel It!

Many were unaware that Yu Yuan's final strike, channeling the essence of the sword spirit and using his arm as a blade, vanquished the alien soul. Only Yan Lu, Su Yan, and Zhan Tianxiang, who had been in close combat with the alien soul and possessed a heightened sensitivity to souls due to their spells and weapons, discerned the truth. Realizing Yu Yuan's significant contribution, they understood the extent of his efforts in the battle.

Yu Yuan had decisively exposed Zhu Huan and eliminated him with four Lunar Lightnings. When Zhu Huan rose again, Yu Yuan advised the others to target the soul with specialized weapons and spells, and ultimately, he struck down the fleeing alien soul from a distance. Indeed, Yu Yuan was the battle's greatest hero!

The three esteemed prodigies, Yan Lu, Su Yan, and Zhan Tianxiang, recognized this fact. This is why they felt discontent when Lee Yuan sought to hold Yu Yuan accountable after the conflict. Their initiative in extending an olive branch to Yu Yuan was also rooted in this recognition.

If there were any ulterior motives... Should there be more than one alien soul, they would still need to depend on Yu Yuan. It was crucial for Yu Yuan to keep his spiritual energy and mental state at their peak, advantageous for facing a second alien soul. All he would need to do is deliver a final, lethal blow.

The trio was well aware of this, though it remained obscure to others. Observing Zhan Tianxiang from Sillserine and Yan Lu from the Yan family proactively showing goodwill towards Yu Yuan simultaneously, everyone found it inexplicably astonishing.

"Cough, cough," Yu Yuan coughed softly, declining the kindness of Zhan Tianxiang and Yan Lu. "There's no need. I really can't accept a pill from the Su family." With that, he cast a glance at Su Yan.

Su Yan, the treasured daughter of the Su family and a princess of the imperial alchemical lineage, couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. Few were privy to the Su family's suppression of the Yu family. Given the Yu family's insignificance, they hardly drew the attention of others. Consequently, the fact that Su Yin had ceased purchasing medicinal herbs from the Yu family was not widely known beyond the Yuan and Zhao families of Asvetaesi.

Yan Lu and Zhan Tianxiang were also in the dark about the specifics. Yu Yuan's remarks left them inwardly astonished. They looked at Su Yan and then at the other Su family members, who appeared somewhat embarrassed. It became clear that the Yu family, once closely aligned with the Su family, likely harbored a rift with them.

Zhan Tianxiang let out a sly chuckle. "The pill I have wasn't purchased from the Su family."

"Forget about it," Yu Yuan declined again, expressing his gratitude. "I appreciate the gesture, but I actually have a pill that can do the job as well."

With that, he suggested, "It's getting crowded down here. Let's head up."

Without paying mind to the astonished looks from those around him, he made his way up the stone steps.

Zhao Yafu had already emerged from another cave and retrieved the Dragon's Edge. Seeing him set off, she quickly followed, caressing the blade with a pained expression. "Ah, it might need some time to be restored."

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

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

Zhan Tianxiang squinted, pondering deeply for a moment. Then he conceded, "Hearing you say that, I'm starting to think it might indeed be more comfortable up there."

"Do you mind if we join you?"

He looked up at Yu Yuan, his face beaming with a radiant smile.

Yu Yuan shrugged nonchalantly. "Sure, why not?"

"Great." Zhan Tianxiang nodded, then instructed his people, "Don't all clump together at the bottom. Come with me; we'll practice our cultivation in the upper cave."

The citizens of Sillserine clearly held him in high regard and promptly heeded his call.

Zhan Tianxiang stayed close behind Yu Yuan, ascending the same staircase with swift strides until he caught up.

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

As they distanced themselves from the pit below, Zhan Tianxiang waited until their conversation could no longer be overheard before speaking in a hushed tone, "Do you believe there's no chance of survival down there?"

Yu Yuan continued his ascent, his back to Zhan Tianxiang, "Frankly, I suspect that the invader isn't just the alien soul inside Zhu Huan. Whoever's lurking within him is likely just waiting—for their accomplices or their leader to arrive."

Zhan Tianxiang's face darkened dramatically.

He stared at Yu Yuan's retreating figure and came to a halt. "Are you suggesting that our being corralled at the bottom of the pit was orchestrated by the intruders?"

"It's merely an intuition," Yu Yuan paused and turned to face him. "I suspect the intruders find it bothersome to hunt us down throughout the forbidden area, preferring not to kill us one by one. They seem to have devised a strategy to draw us out, to converge in one place for a swift and thorough annihilation."

Zhan Tianxiang's visage turned ominously grim at his words.

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

"Yet your hunches tend to be quite precise," Zhan Tianxiang managed a smile, though it looked more pained than bitter. "It's bizarre, our luck in encountering an enemy invasion. So, given your suspicion that the intruders aim to wipe us out, what's your plan?"

"What else can we do? If the intruders are truly powerful enough to obliterate us all..." Yu Yuan showed no sign of discomfort. "Then perhaps scattering and fleeing through the upper caverns might offer us a slim chance of survival."

He had never intended to stand with the people of Asvetaesi and defend to the death alongside those below.

After all, what purpose would such a last stand serve?

"Why not just tell them outright?" Zhan Tianxiang pressed.

"I've told you, I don't know the nature or the number of our foes, or the extent of their might," Yu Yuan said, his brow furrowed. "All of this is pure conjecture on my part, utterly unsubstantiated. Moreover, I'm not Lee Yu; I lack the persuasive power to make others believe in me."

"If everyone congregates underground, with only a few of you above, and if the invaders do emerge with the power to kill us all..." Zhan Tianxiang let out a disdainful snort, his voice laced with dissatisfaction. "The majority of the invaders will surely target those massed at the pit's bottom first, since there are more targets there. And if there's only one invader, the logical choice would be to strike at the pit's bottom first."

"By splitting up and escaping through various tunnels, our chances of survival would be significantly higher, wouldn't they?" Zhan Tianxiang was visibly upset.

Putting himself in Yu Yuan's shoes, he conceded that if he had the same level of confidence in his instincts, he too would make a similar choice to seek a path to survival.

What does the life or death of others have to do with me?

If their demise could secure my survival, why shouldn't I pursue it?

Besides, those people never showed me any kindness, nor did they afford me the respect I deserved!

Yet, the one faced with this choice was Yu Yuan, and the ones to be sacrificed were Zhan Tianxiang and his companions from Sillserine. Understandably, he was displeased.

"Think what you want," Yu Yuan said nonchalantly. "There's a pit below us. Should a formidable invader come, they'd be trapped like a turtle in a jar, with no escape. Lee Yu probably didn't anticipate the complexity of the situation before he left. If he, or someone like Van Le, were here, they'd surely have a more foolproof strategy."

Zhan Tianxiang scoffed, "Are you implying that I'm less capable than Lee Yu and Van Le?"

"You, Yan Lu, and Su Yan seem to be lacking in wits," Yu Yuan retorted, unconcerned about provoking him. "If you were truly clever, you wouldn't have been so easily bested by Zhu Huan, who harbors an alien soul."

With that, Yu Yuan dismissed the conversation and quickened his pace.

Soon, he joined Yuan Ting and Yu Feifei at a higher elevation.

"Are you all okay?" Yu Yuan inquired.

"We're fine, all good here," Yu Feifei replied, peering out from the cave entrance. "Why are there members of the Yan family here? And did you have a fight earlier? We couldn't see from this distance, but it sounded like there was a battle, 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 down by Yan Lu and the others. No need to worry," Yu Yuan responded dismissively. He surveyed the cave they were in, and upon discovering a passageway that led elsewhere, he finally eased up. "Zhan Tianxiang, you and your group should find a different spot. Stay away from us."

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

With the information from Yu Yuan, Zhan Tianxiang was left with much to ponder.

He was secretly relieved that his proactive approach and shameless insistence on tagging along had paid off, allowing him to hear Yu Yuan's "gut feelings."

"Brother Yu, there's, there's someone else coming." Zhao Yafu, trailing at the back of the group and still perched on the stone steps outside the cave, looked up to see a line of people emerging. "Brother Yu, it's your fiancée's family, the Lin family," she said.

Seconds later, her face underwent a sudden change.

Simultaneously, Zhan Tianxiang, who had poked his head out, also adopted a dark expression.

In the Lin family's procession, both Zhao Yafu and Zhan Tianxiang spotted an outsider whose attire clearly set him apart.

This outsider gave both Zhao Yafu and Zhan Tianxiang a sense of déjà vu.

Like Zhu Huan, he was from Wethtalos and had been seen standing to the left of Feng Xin at the entrance to the forbidden area.

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