C91 Practicing Cultivation in Pain

"Van Ning!"

Under the icy moonlight, Lee Yu and his contingent caught sight of the young master of the Van family.

There stood Van Ning, alone amidst the silver-white expanse, his clothes billowing in the biting wind.

Stripped of his disguise, his usual striking features were restored, his unique aura blending with the moonlight, giving him an ethereal, otherworldly charm.

Young women from prominent families and those from distant cities gazed upon him, their eyes shimmering with enchantment.

"I've been waiting for you."

Van Ning exhaled softly, his eyes brimming with sorrow. "I am the sole survivor of the Van family. Not long ago, I encountered Zhan Tianxiang, Han Hui, and Yu Yuan from Darkmoon City. Yu Yuan found me bothersome and sent me away. Alas, I feared I would never escape the forbidden lands."

He spoke with a heavy heart, his words laced with poignant exaggeration.

After finishing, he turned his attention to Lee Yu and the others.

Lee Yu remained stoically detached, not even offering a single acknowledgment.

"Yu Yuan really is unlikeable!" Lee Yuan huffed in disdain. "If not for him, our group would have been more secure."

Yan Lu of the Yan family, arms crossed, chimed in, "While Yu Yuan may be a loner, he's undeniably skilled. He's willing to leave even us behind, so what does that say about you?"

"I see no issue with him choosing not to associate with you," Su Yan stated plainly.

Lim Zhuyun remained silent, biding her time.

Van Ning was taken aback.

He had expected a chorus of criticism against Yu Yuan, with Zhan Tianxiang and Han Hui also being dragged into the fray. Yet, aside from Lee Yuan of the Lee family, the reactions of the others were not as he had anticipated.

Quickly, he pieced together that Yu Yuan must have had some significant interactions with them. He inquired, "Have you and Yu Yuan come across those anomalies?"

"Reluctantly, I must admit that without Yu Yuan, we would have been in dire straits," Su Yan spoke up once more. "After all, Lee Yu was absent at the time, and we were hard-pressed to fend off those bizarre spirits."

Yan Lu, Lim Zhuyun, and many others gave a subtle nod.

In their hearts, they recognized Yu Yuan's prowess.

—But they disdained his personality.

"Van Ning, if you join us, you must follow my lead," Lee Yu finally declared. "If that doesn't suit you, you're free to go your own way."

Lee Yu often shied away from taking the lead, reluctant to be the figurehead and tackle thankless tasks. But this situation was an exception. Everyone there represented the empire's future, and with the threat of alien invaders, that future could be wiped out. As the new beacon of hope for the Lee family, it was his inescapable duty to step up and guide everyone to safety. He was also aware of certain things about Fan Li, recognizing him as a potential threat—a single bad apple that could endanger many lives. So, he showed no courtesy.

He even thought that if his family's reputation weren't at stake, he might have made the same decision as Yu Yuan—to expel Fan Li!

"Boss Lee, what are you saying?" Fan Li chuckled nervously, "I'll follow your lead, of course. How could Yu Yuan ever match up to you? He can't command me, but you certainly can."

"That's reassuring," Lee Yu responded, his tone cool and detached.

...

The nights in the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area grew ever more bitter. The rampant Spiritual Qi, now wild and uncontrollable, howled with the cold winds, ravaging the land and all life within it. The group, pressing on toward the entrance of the forbidden area, found their journey increasingly arduous. They had to stop frequently to rest and meditate, seeking shelter in caves for grueling cultivation sessions.

Those who had attained the Yellow Court Stage, like Zhao Yafu, Zhan Tianxiang, and Han Hui, were still managing to cope. They didn't need to pause as often, drawing on the energy of Spirit Stones to replenish their depleted reserves. This was the privilege of Spirit Accumulating Stage cultivators.

In the cave where Yu Yuan was, a gut-wrenching roar erupted, reminiscent of a Demonic Beast from the northern Quietus Continent being flayed and deboned. The tumult soon subsided into silence.

This time, Zhan Tianxiang didn't rush to check on him. Instead, he and Han Hui stood at the entrance of another cave.

"Is Yu Yuan practicing the Devil Spell?" Han Hui couldn't hold back her curiosity any longer. "For someone at the Spirit Accumulating Stage, normal cultivation shouldn't be this agonizing, right? Legend has it that only the Devil Spell and Demon Spell bring such excruciating pain during cultivation."

"I'm sorry, I can't provide an answer," Zhan Tianxiang said with a smile.

"Is he going to slow us down too much?" Han Hui's brow furrowed slightly. "Lately, we've all been looking out for him. After each cultivation session, he's left heavily injured and barely clinging to life, which has actually slowed our progress."

"At first, that was certainly the case," Zhan Tianxiang shifted the conversation with a smile. "But now, he's not holding us back at all. In fact, it's the other Spirit Accumulating Stage cultivators from my Shadowhall and your Eastgriffin who are slowing us down."

Han Hui asked with a hint of surprise, "Does he really need your help just to keep moving?"

"There are some things you don't know about, and there's no need for you to," Zhan Tianxiang said with a grin to Han Hui. "Believe me, he's better adapted to this brutal environment than anyone. I'd even say that anyone below the Yellow Court Stage wouldn't stand a chance against him in the Forbidden Area—they'd be dead for sure."

Han Hui gave him a disbelieving look. "What are you talking about?"

Zhan Tianxiang offered no further explanation.

Throughout this time, after each of Yu Yuan's cultivation sessions, it was Zhan Tianxiang who would carry Yu Yuan and keep up with the main group, not Zhao Yafu.

He understood more than anyone that Yu Yuan had never once called upon a trace of Spiritual Qi to shield himself.

The rest, including Zhan Tianxiang and Han Hui, had to channel their Spiritual Qi to guard their dantian and flesh, to avoid inadvertently absorbing the violent and tainted Spiritual Qi that could damage their organs and bones.

Yu Yuan, even when severely injured and on death's door, was supported by Zhan Tianxiang as they moved forward. At times, his wounds would still ooze blood.

Yet, Yu Yuan never tapped into his spiritual energy to fend off the chaotic and violent Spiritual Qi, nor did he carefully protect his own body.

The chaotic Spiritual Qi, harmful to everyone present, infiltrated his flesh and bones without eliciting any response from him—as if he were completely immune.

What did that imply?

As long as he was in the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area, he wouldn't need to split his focus to resist the invasive chaotic Spiritual Qi.

Moreover, Zhan Tianxiang had a growing suspicion that Yu Yuan might be capable of absorbing and purifying the wild and fearsome Spiritual Qi of this uncontrollable land, stripping away the dross and seizing its purest essence.

"I'm fine," Yu Yuan's voice was faint, barely a whisper, as if he was on his last breath.

Without a moment's hesitation, Zhan Tianxiang burst into his cave, taking in the sight of Yu Yuan, battered and bleeding from wounds across his chest and abdomen. "You're far tougher than I am," he commended.

"We must be marked," Yu Yuan stated abruptly.

"What?" Zhan Tianxiang's face turned pale.

Yu Yuan bowed his head, examining his arms as he felt the searing heat of the sword's energy. "Figures like Zhu Huan and Loh Ling are probably skulking around nearby. They know where we are, they know we're here."

Zhan Tianxiang, his initial surprise giving way to a look of bemusement, asked, "How do you know that?"

"Just a feeling."

"I despise your 'feelings' the most because they always turn out to be true."

Zhan Tianxiang grumbled, eyeing Yu Yuan, who was severely injured from his training, "Are you up for it? Can you manage one final strike?"

"I can hold on for a bit longer. It shouldn't be a problem," Yu Yuan replied.

"There's something I need to discuss with you," Zhan Tianxiang said, taking a deep breath. He began to recount the legend of the empire's impending change over the course of the long, cold night. "That entity, it should be called the Moon Demon."

"Moon Demon!"

​