C817 Obey
In the Moonfall Sanctuary, thousands of Star-Spawned Terrors roared and clashed with the powerful souls within this forbidden area. The Evil Statue, forged in the Sword Prison, loomed like a mountain range suspended in the sky.
As soon as the Sky Fiends emerged from the subterranean passages into the Moonfall Sanctuary, they were instantly driven mad by the Evil Statue's influence, becoming violent and losing their spiritual wisdom. Similarly, the spiritual wisdom of the Terra Fiends, magnates, and archdemons, imprisoned here for millennia, was equally warped.
The sanctuary had become the Everlands' most tumultuous and deadly battleground. Souls perished, Sky Fiends were obliterated, and archdemons were reduced to bone and ash, their golden and dark red blood raining down to form multicolored rivers.
The carnage spilled beyond the sanctuary's bounds. Sky Fiends and evil creatures fleeing the area were swiftly cut down by the cultivator alliance led by the Sunlit Order, leading to yet more desperate combat.
Warriors of the Lunar Spirit, Spirit Walk, and Solar Spirit realms fell in battle one after another. Numerous fierce Sky Fiends, Terra Fiends, and evilkind powerhouses managed to break free, vanishing in an instant.
Cultivators from Euwrea urgently contacted their sects, calling for reinforcements to thwart the Sky Fiends' mischief. Alas, the Everlands and beyond were rife with similar crises. The five major sects, overwhelmed and stretched thin, struggled to maintain control.
The infamous Soulforge Matrix had been temporarily deactivated, allowing entry from the outside and exit from within. However, the cultivators from Euwrea dared not venture too deeply, focusing instead on intercepting the escaping Sky Fiends and evil souls.
Above, the Soulforge Pool churned with dark Soul Power at its base. The energy of the Sky Fiends and evil souls, extinguished in the sanctuary's brutal skirmishes, was absorbed by the pool, which amassed and harnessed their Soul Power.
When the souls of the deceased dissipated, they would ultimately be drawn into the subterranean Lunar Meridian. This channel, also known as the River of the Dead, originated in the Land of Terror. The souls of fallen mortals and cultivators alike would converge into the Lunar Meridian, thereby empowering its source.
The Land of Terror was notorious for the frequent emergence of new Ghost Kings.
Yet within the Moonfall Sanctuary, the existence of the Soulforge Pool meant that the souls of all who perished were consumed and refined by it.
The souls of all beings, once governed by the Cosmic Order—the laws of Heaven and Earth—were ruthlessly shredded by the Soulforge Pool.
"The lynchpin of the Soulforge Matrix, the central hub of the formation, is the Soulforge Pool itself—a Divine Artifact!"
Yan Qiling was among the rare few within the forbidden area whose minds had not been corrupted by the Evil Statue.
His eyes shone brightly as he sat within an oval-shaped crater, gazing up at the Soulforge Pool.
This crater once held a massive silver aerolite.
He was aware that the Starmoon Sect had taken the aerolite, blending it with dozens of their rare treasures to create the Fallen Star Eyes, now possessed by Liu Ying.
Whoosh!
The former empress descended like a silver moon into the crater, her gaze icy. "My sister perished in the Land of Terror?"
"It was merely her Lunar Spirit," Yan Qiling clarified.
"Who is responsible?" inquired the Silvermoon Queen.
"It appears to have been an ancient Spectre named Rhutar, once a subordinate of Dhoreus," Yan Qiling explained, spreading his hands. "Don't look at me like that. I did my best to open the spatial passage twice, but the duration was too brief to gather much information."
"The Land of Terror, once ruled by Dhoreus a millennium ago!"
The Silvermoon Queen spoke of this figure without a trace of fear, her spirit combative. "Next time you open the spatial passage, please inform me first. I will send my Lunar Spirit to slay the Rhutar Spectre."
"Have you lost your mind?" Yan Qiling's face grew somber. "As just a Lunar Spirit, you might not stand a chance against Rhutar in the Land of Terror. If he dares to emerge, you could easily dispatch him. But in that cursed place, your odds are slim."
"My affairs are not your concern. Just notify me," the Silvermoon Queen demanded, her tone laced with lethal intent.
"Yu Yuan is here; he'll handle it," Yan Qiling abruptly shifted the conversation.
The Silvermoon Queen's lips twisted into a scornful sneer. She was poised to heap scorn upon them, lamenting that if it hadn't been for Yu Yuan's meddling in the Forgotten Ruins, she, Chen Liangquan, Zhongli Dapan, and the rest wouldn't have been so grievously delayed, spawning needless complications.
Yan Qiling had no desire to dwell on such a worn-out subject and simply stated, "He was clueless before."
Suddenly, Yan Qiling, the Silvermoon Queen, and a host of formidable evil spirits and Sky Fiends all turned their attention to the Soulforge Pool.
The Soulforge Pool, floating mid-air, exuded an aura that made every soul quiver. It spewed forth specks of ink-colored luminescence, and from within its walls, beams of sword light burst forth.
This time, even without Yan Qiling's assistance, the space was breached, revealing a luminous fissure akin to a blade's edge.
Streams of sword light and ink-colored Soul Power poured into the fissure.
"It's invading the Land of Terror!"
Yan Qiling's face drained of color, his scalp tingling with horror, and he was too frightened to think straight. "It's clashing with the Cosmic Order of the Land of Terror. Its invasion could trigger unforeseeable cataclysms in both the Land of Terror and the Moonfall Sanctuary!"
The Silvermoon Queen was equally taken aback. "It has already subdued that individual's residual sword force and could easily evade Yu Yuan's control. Why this madness?"
Yan Qiling remained silent, offering no answer to her query.
"Was Yu Yuan not chosen by the sword spirit, but by it?" Lee Yupan pressed on.
Yan Qiling maintained his silence.
"What is really happening?"
"For now, neither you nor I have the clearance to know."
...
Deep within the underworld, Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit hovered over the expansive Styx, sensing the disturbance from the Soulforge Pool millions of miles away.
He detected an enticing signal...
The Soulforge Pool's tumultuous activity seemed to be beckoning him back to the Moonfall Sanctuary.
His Lunar Spirit and real body were aware of the upheaval in the outside world. They knew that his Lunar Spirit had once again reached out to the Soulforge Pool, which had forcefully shattered its seal without the consent of the Root of the Lunar Meridian, launching an assault on the Land of Terror with an invasive intent.
At that moment, the silent will of the Root of the Lunar Meridian once again made itself known.
This time, the message from the Root of the Lunar Meridian was straightforward. It wished for him to sever the connection with the Soulforge Pool of his own volition and to cease any attempts at sensing the Soulforge Pool.
The original pact remained unchanged. The Root of the Lunar Meridian no longer inquired about his past identity or his true intentions within the Land of Terror.
Furthermore, there was no need for his Lunar Spirit to recline upon the Styx, allowing the Root of the Lunar Meridian to probe into his history.
He even detected a reluctant acquiescence in the will of the Root of the Lunar Meridian, as if the unseen sovereign of this realm was somewhat at a loss.
Powerless against the domineering encroachment of the Soulforge Pool.
"Alright."
Yu Yuan accepted the terms with crisp resolve.
The very next moment, he ceased all efforts to concentrate or deliberately sense the presence of the Soulforge Pool.
Abruptly, the Land of Terror, which had been quaking, fell silent once more.
No longer did sword light pierce the somber heavens, nor did the dark Soul Power surge forth; tranquility swiftly reclaimed its reign.
Whoosh!
Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit was abruptly cast out, materializing before White Bone, Rahu, and the Ghost King Razses.
"Yu Yuan!" exclaimed Rahu, her eyes wide with astonishment, "What caused those bizarre forces in the sky?"
Yu Yuan shot Razses, the Ghost King, a brief frown but offered no reply.
Razses, donning an imperial crown and bearing the visage of a child, gazed intently at him and declared, "I will remain an observer in the conflict between you two and vow not to intervene."
With those words, Razses whisked Ann Ziqing away with a flick of the Soul Locking Diagram.
"The greatest fear in Dhoreus is that my flames will consume the Land of Terror," White Bone mused, his green eyes flickering mysteriously, "It appears Dhoreus has misjudged their adversary."
He regarded Yu Yuan in silence.
A wry smile crossed Rahu's face as she remarked, "For some reason, the recent tumult made me feel as though the Land of Terror was on the brink of annihilation."
White Bone, Razses, and the Ghost King were all aware that the cataclysmic tremors had been triggered by Yu Yuan.
...
