C852 Array of Unholy Might
The Dark Herald within the Silver Rainbow Shuttle was shrouded in shadows, her gaze fixed intently on Yu Yuan.
Yu Yuan lifted his head, meeting her stare across the void.
A single glance was all it took for his Lunar Spirit to sense the scrutiny of an ancient, dark deity.
An insidious power sought to penetrate his Mindscape, prying into his deepest insecurities.
"Cough! Cough!"
Chou Muge of the Skyblight Cult cleared his throat with an awkward cough.
The soulful surveillance from the Dark Herald of the Devil Palace vanished cleanly in the wake of Muge's interruption.
Yan Qiling, standing nearby, gave Chou Muge a wry smile.
His look seemed to suggest Muge's concern was unnecessary. Given Yu Yuan's capabilities and the nature of his spirit, how could he be troubled by the Dark Herald's mere soul searching?
"We meet again."
Yu Yuan, with a furrowed brow, greeted the Dark Herald with a small bow and a fist clasped in his palm.
He was no stranger to this enigmatic Dark Herald from the Devil Palace. His first journey from the Aetherius Continent for training in the Embers Sea was aboard this very Silver Rainbow Shuttle.
He had encountered the Dark Herald again in the Sundering Isles.
Sometimes, he felt as if he should have known her from a past life.
Since the Dark Herald had never truly shown her face, he had never seen her and thus remained uncertain of her true identity.
"Stop trying to ingratiate yourself!" The Dark Herald's voice was icy.
"Yu Yuan!"
Lost in thought, he was jolted back to reality by the stern call of Yun Hao, the current patriarch of the Skyblight Cult.
Yu Yuan's spirit trembled with the force of the shout.
It was as though a legion of ancient Evil Gods had emerged from the mountainous depths of the Skyblight Cult's domain, towering in the spiritual energy clouds, exerting their pressure upon him.
He instantly recognized that Yun Hao, wielding the Skytaint Orb and commanding the Array of Unholy Might, could amplify his every word and gesture with the power of the rune circle.
With just a shout from Yun Hao, the formidable might hidden within the mountains bore down upon him.
He felt his soul diminish to the insignificance of dust, utterly inconsequential.
It seemed that Yun Hao could dictate his life and destiny with a mere utterance.
This stark realization hit him—his level of cultivation was far too inferior to Yun Hao's.
The Crucible of Evil, suspended in his chest, spontaneously emitted a dark shield of magic power, safeguarding his brow and aiding him in withstanding the verbal onslaught of Yun Hao's words. The cauldron's ebony surface writhed with glyphs. Upon closer inspection, it seemed as though thousands of sentient Banes were awakening from their long slumber, exuding malevolent thoughts to counter Yun Hao's piercing stare. Yu Yuan's demeanor returned to a tranquil state. His previously sluggish thoughts now flowed with ease, swift as lightning.
Yun Hao feigned ignorance of Lee Tihai's actions, seemingly punishing him by ordering him into solitary contemplation. It was likely that, given a few years for the incident to be forgotten, he would concoct another excuse to reinstate the man. Even so, Chou Muge continued to respectfully refer to the Evil King as his mentor, invoking the Evil King's name in demanding that Chou Muge surrender his mother's soul, and with a righteous air, sought to banish him from the Yu family. Then, as if on cue, the Dark Herald appeared, intent on detaining Yu Yuan and returning him to the Devil Palace. It was an impeccable strategy, without a single oversight. Yu Yuan inwardly commended the plan.
"Muge, entrust the Glazed Lamp to me; I will take good care of her," Yun Hao, with his prominent brows and large eyes, implored earnestly, a flicker of sorrow in his gaze. "The Evil King is my mentor; I will not allow his kin to endure any further hardship!"
Chou Muge, having advanced to the late period of the Solar Spirit Realm, was visibly troubled, caught in a dilemma. Yun Hao, under the noble pretext of caring for his mentor's kin, rightfully requested the three Glazed Lamps. Unless Chou Muge wished to sever ties with the Skyblight Cult immediately, he had no choice but to comply and return the lamps to Yun Hao. Moreover, Yun Hao, claiming his place as part of the Yu family, ousted Yu Yuan.
Should Yu Yuan be taken by the Dark Herald and subjected to interrogation, it would spell utter defeat for them. "Give them to me," came a gentle voice. In that moment, the striking Yan Qiling offered a slight, lipped smile. Chou Muge's complexion drained of color as he abruptly flared his sleeves. From within the Bracelet of Holding, concealed in his sleeve, a breach opened in the little world, and a hand emerged, deftly seizing the three Glazed Lamps.
Then, he swiftly took them out.
The three Glazed Lamps, which held Yu Yuan's mother captive, were snatched away in an instant.
Chou Muge couldn't see how Yan Qiling managed it. It seemed as though the moment he uttered, "Give them to me," the Glazed Lamps were in his possession.
"A master of space magic!"
Chou Muge quickly came to realize that the striking man before him was a rare and highly skilled practitioner of space magic from the Everlands.
"The independent cultivator Lee Tihai, whom you've enlisted, failed to inform you of my identity as Yan Qiling."
The man, dressed in black and white, wore a subtle smile. After scanning his surroundings, his gaze settled on Yun Hao from the Devil Palace. "I am Yan Qiling, adept in space magic, hailing from the Moonfall Sanctuary."
"Oh, and I should mention, I'm part of the Boulderdawn Sect."
Upon hearing "Boulderdawn Sect," many of the less powerful cultivators in Eshvehona were bewildered.
Lyu Geng, the Dark Herald, and several other formidable beings who had attained the Spirit Walk realm, reacted with shock.
"Mr. Yun, you lack the authority to banish Yu Yuan under the pretense of being half a Yu family member," Yan Qiling said with a slight smile. "What makes you think you're qualified?"
"Were you the one who fled back from the catastrophic conflict in the Star River beyond our world?" His smile was provoking. "Dark Herald, are you here to console him or to hold him accountable? If I'm not mistaken, you're not affiliated with Zhu Zhenlin, so you must be here to ascertain what transpired?"
"Boulderdawn Sect remnants!"
Yun Hao erupted in rage, interrupting Yan Qiling with a bellow before he could finish speaking.
Boom! The ground thundered!
The mountains that housed the Skyblight Cult trembled as myriad divine rainbows burst forth from their peaks like a wild stampede.
In a mere moment, the Skyblight Cult's Array of Unholy Might was activated.
The divine rainbows morphed into tangible shields, spears, bolts of lightning, and a downpour of light, manifesting within the expansive sea of clouds.
Whoosh! The sounds filled the air!
From within the Skytaint Orb, imprisoned Banes and goasts emerged, fusing with the shields and spears as if suddenly endowed with corporeal forms, transforming into extraordinary Divine Weapons and Divine Generals.
Thousands of artifacts, Divine Thunder, and a shower of light converged to create a peculiar entity, radiating a blinding brilliance. It stood like a Divine Weapon or Divine General, triumphant from the palaces beyond the Nine Heavens, behind Yun Hao amidst the deep expanse of the cloud sea.
A rule proclaiming my supreme dominion over this realm, where all things heed my command, transformed into minuscule bolts of orderly lightning, encircling Yun Hao.
In the Unbound realm, akin to a world presided over by a deity, power and combat prowess are amplified.
As the Sect Master of the Skyblight Cult, the Skytaint Orb and these mountains are where his Dao is merged, the very foundation of his inexhaustible strength.
Within this domain, he can alter the cosmic order and draw endlessly from the Spiritvein beneath the earth to replenish his combat strength.
His soul, a mere particle of his consciousness, can extend over every blade of grass and twig.
At this moment, he has mobilized the Array of Unholy Might, and it seems he is determined to prevent Yan Qiling from spouting nonsense and tarnishing his illustrious image.
Moreover, since Yan Qiling is a master of space magic, Yun Hao intends to use the Array of Unholy Might to suppress the heavens themselves!
He will ensure that Yan Qiling cannot use spatial techniques to flee from Eshvehona right under his watchful eye.
"I had no intention of fleeing," Yan Qiling's smile suddenly burst into unbridled radiance. "Yun Hao, and you, Dark Herald. Ten thousand years ago, during the era when the Boulderdawn Sect reigned supreme over the Everlands, you only caught wind of snippets and likely didn't believe them. Now that they have returned, I boldly reveal my identity within the Skyblight Cult because I have no plans of escape."
Yu Yuan, beneath the Crucible of Evil, felt the overwhelming pressure of the Array of Unholy Might and was filled with trepidation.
Upon arrival, Yan Qiling assured him that everything was under control, claiming their strength was formidable and there was no need for worry, though specifics were left unsaid.
Now, he was both anxious and filled with anticipation.
He wondered if Yan Qiling truly possessed such formidable power to act with impunity within the Skyblight Cult.