C889 The Soul Net Covered the Sky
"Stay put in the carriage!" Wen Xin commanded, her expression severe as she shot Yu Yuan a menacing glare. "Whatever you have to say can wait until later!"
"Got it!"
Yu Yuan quickly withdrew into the carriage.
The conflict between the Wen family and Dragon Lake had nothing to do with him, and he was well aware that the Ethereal Void Sect was likely scouring the globe for him.
He had no intention of revealing himself prematurely because of the Wen family and putting himself at risk.
"Could it be that those villains from Dragon Lake have come back?"
Startled by Wen Xin's words and still reeling from the shock of Yu Yuan's bloodline awakening, Wen Lu asked anxiously, "What do we do? I'm worried that Nana and the others won't be able to cope!"
Lately, every time she awoke, she noticed fewer of her clansmen around her.
She had a premonition that their disappearances were all because of her.
Her kind heart ached at the thought of people continually dying on her behalf.
"Don't make an appearance. Don't distract them," Yu Yuan instructed firmly.
Patterns of refined iron, small in size but glowing with spiritual energy, lit up inside the carriage. The carriage, fortified by the rune circle, boasted significant defensive capabilities, likely enough to withstand attacks from anyone below the Lunar Spirit level.
Yu Yuan silently approved.
Wen Lu's carriage was evidently more robust and better defended than Wen Xin's.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Before long, heavy footsteps resonated like a drumbeat.
Without any prior negotiation, Yu Yuan soon heard the cacophony of weapons clashing, limbs striking, and spiritual energy swirling in battle just outside the carriage.
He listened impassively, his mind occupied with another matter.
Wen Lu's Shadowkin bloodline was peculiar, with the ability to enhance the vitality of nearby plants and aid in the growth of medicinal herbs.
Such a gift was invaluable to the Sacred Hands and any family involved in cultivating herbs.
"I wonder if her bloodline talent is sustainable and how much potential remains untapped," Yu Yuan mused, stroking his chin, considering further observation.
If Wen Lu proved to be of significant value, he wouldn't hesitate to entice her to join the Sacred Hands or come to Thylethlume.
"Now that I've reached Veil Breaking, I'm certainly qualified to venture into the Land of Quiescence."
Suddenly, a suffocating and terrifying power descended out of nowhere.
Yu Yuan's expression darkened slightly, his eyes flickering as he quickly suppressed his scattered thoughts, bowing his head without further contemplation.
"I hope the Shadowfruit proves effective..."
Outside the carriage, Wen Xin, engaged in battle, Wu Dong, providing support, and the three Dragon Attendants who had reached the Subtlety level, along with their invited allies, all turned pale at this development.
"Could it be that the green dragon has arrived nearby?"
Clutching the Dragon Head Staff, Wen Xin's face turned ashen. She glanced at the carriage where Wen Lu was concealed and said with a grim look, "Girl, Nana is of no use. I'm afraid I can no longer protect you."
She ceased her attack, letting the spiritual energy coursing through the Dragon Head Staff surge chaotically.
Knowing the formidable power of the green dragon, she was engulfed in despair, lacking even the courage to fight.
Meanwhile, a man with a robust build and a dark green dragon tattoo on his neck glanced fearfully at the sky, hastily signaling with his eyes for his lower-ranked subordinates to stand down.
"Has the Wen family garnered the favor of some mighty being? This level of remnant soul coverage can only be that of a Solar Spirit!"
He internally screamed in terror, too frightened to make a move.
The cultivators from the Wen family and the assailants from Dragon Lake, who had been locked in fierce combat, suddenly ceased, trembling and unsettled as they endured the dreadful pressure.
The forest fell silent, so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
"Shh!"
A streak of firelight sparked on the carriage carrying Wen Lu, as a piercing force, perceptible only to those in the Subtlety level, forcefully penetrated the numerous protective barriers surrounding the carriage.
In an instant, it slipped inside the carriage.
Yu Yuan kept his head bowed, utterly still.
Wen Lu looked up in astonishment, sensing an invisible eye scrutinizing her for a moment.
Beneath that gaze, she felt exposed, as if her soul, flesh, bones, and innermost thoughts were laid bare for all to see.
This oppressive sensation lasted only briefly before the discomfort vanished.
She exhaled a deep breath of relief.
In another carriage, Qin Yun and Qi Yunhong remained. One was deep in slumber, his snores echoing loudly, while the other sat with eyes closed, lost in thought, seemingly oblivious to the events that had unfolded.
When the overwhelming pressure that could make even a master of Subtlety tremble and consider kneeling vanished...
Qi Yunhong bolted upright from his feigned slumber, and Qin Yun's eyes snapped open. They exchanged glances, their earlier tranquility and drowsiness nowhere to be found.
"Who was it?" Qin Yun's voice was rough with strain.
"Tianjing," Qi Yunhong huffed, a note of disdain in his tone. "That old cur's remnant soul and vitality swept over me, nearly scared the life out of me. The Starborn's Shadowfruit is indeed wondrous; the old dog's remnant soul passed by in a flash without taking a closer look."
"Tianjing, in the late period of the Solar Spirit Realm, that was a close one!" Qin Yun exclaimed, thumping his chest in relief.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The Dragon Attendants, equally terrified, had been in the midst of battle but, unclear on what had transpired, retreated hastily without uttering a single threat.
They withdrew to understand what had occurred and to determine which faction the fearsome remnant soul belonged to.
A hundred miles away...
A gaunt old man stood with his hands clasped behind him atop a barren hill. His pervasive remnant soul surged back like a receding tide, pausing in his Mindscape for a few seconds before expanding once more.
"A half-blood girl. I detect the scent of the Shadowkin lineage. Her cultivation is too feeble, and her bloodline has only just awakened."
Tianjing spoke to himself, not particularly concerned.
His current predicament was that, despite two days of searching, he had yet to locate Yu Yuan.
He and Chong Xiao had scoured the nearby lands with their remnant souls, centering on the Midnightshields' territory, meticulously searching every nook within a five-hundred-mile radius.
Oddly enough, there was no sign of any disturbance.
The families affiliated with the Crimson Sun Empire, who had dealings with the Ethereal Void Sect, were all mobilized, scouring the world for any trace.
Even faced with pressure from the sect, Liu Xu, the Crown Prince, had covertly instructed the Empire's cultivators to seek out Yu Yuan and his companions in every major city.
Unless they had access to a spatial artifact, it would be impossible for Yu Yuan and the others to vanish so swiftly and silently.
Yet, as of now, the search had yielded nothing.
"Someone of significance at the Moonfall Sanctuary has taken notice. If we can't locate Yu Yuan soon, we'll lose our chance to eliminate him," Tianjing said, his gaze darting around in frustration.
He and Chong Xiao, upon learning of Qu Jing's demise, had resolved to assassinate Yu Yuan with utmost haste.
Subsequently, they planned to retreat swiftly to the Ethereal Void Sect and take refuge within the sect's protective circle.
By doing so, even if the Boulderdawn Sect sought retribution, as long as they remained within the protective formation, they needn't be overly concerned.
It was beyond their imagination that Yu Yuan and his companions had vanished without a trace within the Crimson Sun Empire's territory.
"Qi Yunhong, even if he were to come back to life, he couldn't possibly refine the Spectral Umbrella so quickly. Moreover, if he dared to attempt refining the Spectral Umbrella, I would surely sense it!"
"Where could they be hiding?"
The more Tianjing pondered, the more agitated he grew.
...
A still unsettled Wen Xin lifted the carriage curtain and stepped into the compartment where Yu Yuan and Wen Lu were seated.
"Someone was watching me in secret for a moment," Wen Lu said anxiously as soon as Wen Xin entered. "It must have been a powerful individual, far beyond our own abilities."
"Thankfully, it wasn't that green dragon. I was afraid it was him," Wen Xin's tone had softened considerably, and her demeanor towards Yu Yuan was less confrontational. "Had it been that green dragon, I would likely be dead. And you, you would have been taken alive to Dragon Lake and subjected to torment."
Yu Yuan, aware of the true situation, kept silent about the seeker of his remnant soul being after him.
Instead, he turned to Wen Xin and cleared his throat before speaking, "Your true destination isn't Flamehold City, is it? Let me take a guess—you're planning to defect to the neighboring Silvermoon Empire, aren't you?"
Wen Xin was taken aback, "Young lady, why do you reveal everything to him?"
"I didn't say anything," Wen Lu protested, her face etched with distress.
