C865 Ancestor Remains

"He's actually managed to cultivate a Yin God," Yan Yu gasped in astonishment as she watched a ghostly soul shadow emerge from Yu Yuan's forehead.

When she had first met Yu Yuan, he hadn't even advanced to the Profound Break Stage. She found it hard to believe that in such a brief span of time, this young member of the Yu family had ascended to the Yin God Stage.

Now, he was at the same cultivation level as her.

She herself had reached the late period of the Yin God Stage and was on the cusp of breaking through to the Soul Wandering Stage. Yet, her progress paled in comparison to Yu Yuan's rapid advancement.

"Be careful!"

Suddenly recalling a crucial detail, she blurted out a warning to Yu Yuan, concerned he might be reckless.

Without reaching the Soul Wandering Stage, the Yin God would be exceedingly vulnerable once separated from the body.

Raging winds, ice, flames, sharp blades, and spiritual light could all inflict harm on the Yin God.

Except in rare places like the Horror Land, those who had just entered the Yin God Stage typically wouldn't risk detaching the Yin God from their physical form. This was usually done in the safety of a sealed cave, specifically for the purpose of refining the Yin God.

"As long as I'm here, there's no need to worry."

With a flick of his hand, Yan Qiling caused the space to ripple, enveloping the Yu family's domain in a vacuum.

The external wind, spiritual energy, light, and even the spiritual consciousness and soul thoughts of other cultivators were completely blocked out.

In this newly created environment, no danger could befall them unless a being more powerful than him managed to shatter the vacuum.

He was confident that at this moment, no one in the Silvermoon Empire or Darkmoon City would dare attempt such a feat.

"Go ahead and explore beneath the surface," Yan Qiling said with a radiant smile, glancing down at the ground. "I'm quite intrigued to discover what secrets lie beneath the Yu family's estate."

Yu Yuan's Yin God acknowledged both Yan Qiling and Yan Yu with a nod before plunging downward.

He effortlessly pierced through the earth's surface and vanished below, swiftly flying onward.

Soon, he came upon a white jade stone slab inscribed with innumerable spirit patterns. The slab was cool to the touch and unyielding, its many spirit pattern lines weaving into an intricate array.

A soft glow emanated from the white jade stone slab, sealing off all external forces.

"This is the place!"

He had detected this stone slab with his Spiritual Sense during his last investigation.

The difference now was that, unlike before when he could only sense it, his Yin God was present and able to meticulously observe every spirit pattern.

"Just as I suspected, many from the Blood God Cult, and some from the Ancient Desolate Sect too!"

His Yin God leisurely reached out with his ethereal form, brushing against the stone slab. In the instant of contact, the spirit patterns etched into the slab sprang to life with vivid energy.

Initially, eight arrays glowed with a deep crimson, as if channels of blood coursed through them.

Whoosh!

From the heart of the arrays, eight beams of blood-red light burst forth, tracing the essence of his Yin God to locate his physical form standing upon the earth, and swiftly penetrated his chest.

Within the microcosm of his Qi and blood, the Life Altar was roused, beginning to rotate with a subtle grace.

Boom!

His physical form unleashed a tumultuous and powerful surge of energy. Wisps of flesh and blood essence, entwined with the eight strands of bloody light, burrowed back into the earth.

As the eight beams of blood returned to the array on the white jade slab, additional arrays sparked to life. The dense array of seals, like a series of shut doors, began to swing open one after another.

With a swift whoosh, Yin God Yu Yuan slipped through the stone slab and emerged in a white jade chamber.

The chamber held only a table of the same material, upon which lay several objects.

Yin God Yu Yuan hovered above the table, peering down curiously.

He examined a thumb-sized crystal brimming with countless minuscule points of light. Upon touching it with his Yin God, he was greeted by thousands of tiny characters floating within an immense void.

"The Mind Bending Evil Art, an original creation by Evil King Yu Xi, possesses the divine power to dominate the will. It is recommended for those with formidable mental fortitude to practice."

A notion settled into Yin God Yu Yuan, and he instantly recognized that the crystal held a profound secret technique, likely originating from his ancestor, Yu Xi.

Beside it lay a triangular silver token, each corner bearing the inscription "Evil King's Command."

The token's material was lustrously silver with a chilling sheen, yet it appeared unremarkable at first glance.

A dark green iron ring rested adjacent to the Evil King's Command. When he probed it with his Yin God, he immediately received a soul message: Astral Shield, Heaven Level Eighth Grade.

Heaven Level, Eighth Grade!

Yu Yuan's heart jolted with realization. This Astral Shield was no ordinary artifact; it surpassed Chi Nandou's Crystal Glass Bottle and Bone Devouring Shuttle by several grades.

The Crystal Glass Bottle was rated Heaven Level Two, and the Bone Devouring Shuttle, merely Heaven Level Three.

Any item of Heaven Level would be considered a prized treasure for sects like the Fiend Sect and the Red Devil Sect, cherished even more than their most talented disciples. Such treasures are passed down through generations as invaluable heirlooms.

The Astral Shield, a Heaven Level Eighth Grade artifact, was undoubtedly a renowned treasure within the Fiend Sect.

His gaze shifted to a wooden puppet with indistinct features. Carved from wood and no larger than the size of a palm, it was impossible to discern whether it represented a male or female figure. With just one glance, he was overwhelmed by a terrifying sensation, as if his very soul was on the verge of being consumed by this tiny puppet.

"The Soul Wood Puppet, a Heaven Level Seventh Grade artifact, has the power to control a cultivator's body, their Yin God, and other aspects of their being. Once the Yin God is trapped within, it becomes nearly impossible to break free."

Another stream of detailed information about the Soul Wood Puppet flowed into Yu Yuan's mind as effortlessly as beans spilling from a bamboo tube, causing his expression to shift dramatically.

He recalled whispers of this object from three centuries prior when he was known as Hong Qi. The Soul Wood Puppet was an infamous and malevolent treasure of the Fiend Sect. Rumors had long circulated that a millennium ago, a formidable Fiend Sect expert wielded the puppet to manipulate those at the Yang God Stage and Unrestrained Stage, bending them to his will for heinous deeds.

Before Yu Xi, the Evil King, rose to notoriety, the Fiend Sect's sinister reputation was largely tied to the Soul Wood Puppet. Once Yu Xi ascended to become the sect's master, this vile artifact was seemingly sealed away in secrecy, forbidden from reemerging.

Yet, to Yu Yuan's astonishment, seven hundred years later, the very same object lay within the Yu family's subterranean chamber.

"Eh! Another Universe Ring!"

A smile played at the corners of Yu Yuan's lips as he extended a tendril of his soul consciousness, which effortlessly merged with the ring. Inside, he discovered numerous pellets, modestly graded armor, and stacks of spiritual jade.

"What's this?"

He paused, his attention caught by a few thin sheets of paper nestled within the ring. The elegant script on them read:

"I am Yu Ying. Whoever you are, being able to read these words means you are a descendant of the Yu family and have successfully condensed your Yin God. The Yu family..."

As Yu Yuan's soul consciousness absorbed the text, he slowly pieced together the unfolding story.

The Evil King Token, Astral Shield, Soul Wood Puppet, Universe Ring, and the treasures within the ring were all bequeathed to the Yu family's descendants by her.

More precisely, they were left by Evil King Yu Xi for his future kin.

With the assistance of the Blood God Cult, she unearthed these items and covertly extracted them, later sealing them beneath the Yu family estate.

During that time, Yun Hao from the Fiend Sect got wind of her actions and dispatched Lee Tihai to pursue and intercept her.

Thanks to the Blood God Cult's aid, she managed to evade Lee Tihai's assault, went into hiding, and stashed the items underground at the Yu family's home.

She couldn't risk a prolonged stay; once the task was complete, she departed swiftly.

She impressed upon Yu Cann the significance of these treasures, cautioning that only an exceptionally talented descendant who had formed a Yin God should attempt to uncover them.

For if the family were too feeble, the buried relics would spell nothing but doom for the Yu clan.

"No wonder the Fiend Sect has been relentlessly tracking her whereabouts without giving up," Yu Yuan mused. In a flash, he noticed the objects on the table being drawn into the Universe Ring. Eight streams of blood-red light pierced the stone and entered the ring, instantly forging a soul bond between him and the ring.

In that moment, the ring became his.

"My great aunt was favored by Ruan Lengling, the Ancient Desolate Sect's elder, who imparted her with the ways of cultivation. Tragically, Ruan Lengling perished in the Outland Star River soon after, and what should have been my great aunt's initiation into the Ancient Desolate Sect led her to a life of solitary cultivation instead."

"Ruan Lengling..."

Yu Yuan mulled it over, then a realization dawned on him. "Considering the lineage of Tan Yuan and Du Huang's ancestors, it seems Great Aunt Yu Ying and Tan Yuan were once fellow sect disciples. It's just uncertain whether Great Aunt Yu Ying has eluded the Fiend Sect's pursuit, whether she's still alive or not."

With these thoughts, he searched the stone chamber thoroughly. Finding nothing further, his Yin God soared outward.

And with it, the Universe Ring emerged from the earth.

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