C935 The God of Light
Nestled within the Serpent Spine Mountains lay the Sacred Hands' grand edifices.
Chu Yao, with a stoic expression, sat resolutely in front of the grand palace, flanked by several Solar Spirit Realm experts and herbalists, their presence wafting with the scent of medicinal herbs.
Before him, the herbalists and cultivators of the Sacred Hands knelt in submission.
Those who had refused to kneel were now nothing but skeletons.
"The former sect master of the Sacred Hands, Shi Yuxuan, trespassed into the Moonfall Sanctuary and conspired with extraterrestrial demons," Chu Yao stated methodically, listing Shi Yuxuan's transgressions.
He then declared, "Effective immediately, Shi Yuxuan is no longer the sect master of the Sacred Hands. I, Chu Yao, will assume his duties temporarily. Once the Moonfall Sanctuary is breached and the extraterrestrial demons are vanquished, I will select a successor with distinguished military achievements to become the new sect master."
After a brief pause, Chu Yao asked, "Are there any objections?"
Silence enveloped the crowd.
"Very well," Chu Yao nodded in approval. "We will not engage in direct combat, but we will be tasked with concocting pills to aid and heal the wounded warriors."
He glanced up as the Golden Ship sailed overhead.
Lingxu, at the ship's prow, seemed to catch Chu Yao's eye and acknowledged him with a nod.
Chu Yao returned the gesture with a respectful bow.
...
Amidst the crimson peaks of the Red Mountain.
Feng Pu, Tang Zheng, Van Heqing, and Mo Baichuan were in hushed conversation when the Golden Ship, carrying Lingxu, came into view, drawing their attention.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, Lingxu appeared alone on the Red Mountain.
As a late-period Unbound practitioner and a sect master, Lingxu's presence commanded silence from those gathered.
"Welcome, Sage," greeted Feng Pu, breaking the silence.
Tang Zheng, Van Heqing, and the others remained composed and silent.
"What of the Starmoon Sect?" Lingxu inquired with a frown.
Tang Zheng, representing Churchsor Hill, responded tersely, "At present, no elders or disciples from the Starmoon Sect are involved."
"I heard that Liu Ying was recently detained in the Moonfall Sanctuary," Van Heqing interjected. "The girl has returned, but it's uncertain whether her soul has as well. Everyone is aware of her significance to the Starmoon Sect. Their absence here might be due to these considerations."
His implication was that there was a significant chance Liu Ying's Lunar Spirit had been captured by the adversary, holding it as leverage over the Starmoon Sect.
The Starmoon Sect feared the death of Liu Ying's Lunar Spirit, which is why they refrained from dispatching any masters to the area.
"Isn't there a rumor that the enigmatic Sect Master of the Moon Sect is in the extraterrestrial Star River, assaulting his primordial spirit with the aid of the Boulderdawn Sect?" Lingxu inquired.
"Without evidence, such claims are baseless," Van Heqing countered.
"True or false, time will reveal all," Lingxu said, glancing skyward. "If the Moon Sect's master succeeds in refining his primordial spirit, the balance of power among Euwrea's upper sects will shift from three to four."
Lingxu's expression grew icy with the weight of his words.
The Ethereal Void Sect, once the foremost among the seven lower sects, was led by Lingxu, who was in the late Unbound Stage and aspired to refine his own primordial spirit. However, it seemed the Moon Sect's leader might preempt him with Boulderdawn's support.
Meanwhile, the Ethereal Void Sect had suffered greatly. Sages Chong Xiao, Tianjing, and Yingye had perished, and two others had been gravely wounded in an ambush on their way back to the sect. Consequently, the Ethereal Void Sect's standing plummeted, trailing behind the Starmoon Sect and the Thunder Sect.
Had it not been for the sudden alliance of the three great upper sects, the Devil Palace, and Shadow's Keep at the Moonfall Sanctuary, which forced those plotting against the Ethereal Void Sect into hiding, their losses would have been even more severe.
Should this trend continue, the Forgeroses Sect, led by Zhongli Dapan, would soon overtake them. The thought that the Ethereal Void Sect's two centuries of accumulated wealth and prestige could be obliterated in a mere six months was unbearable for Lingxu. How could he stand it?
In the battle for the forbidden area, he was determined to prove himself once more—to validate the strength of the Ethereal Void Sect!
"As soon as the contingents from the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep have gathered, we'll break through that grand formation," Feng Pu declared, gazing skyward. "A simultaneous war will erupt both extraterrestrially and internally. After this conflict, the sects will be ranked anew, and the Ethereal Void Sect might just reclaim its position as the leader of the lower sects."
Upon hearing these words, all eyes turned toward Spiritual Master Lingxu, each gaze heavy with significance.
...
On the fringes of the forbidden area, amidst the rubble of collapsed peaks, Yu Yuan stood with the Crucible of Evil levitating above him. He peered into the various pits, attempting to unleash his remnant soul to unravel the enigmas that lay within.
Tian Zang, in his soul form, watched him with a smirk that was not quite a smile. "Kid, the artifact soul of your cauldron appears to originate from the Moonfall Sanctuary, which is why your soul spirit can penetrate it," he chuckled. "But as for you, even though you've earned the sword spirit's recognition and have a slight connection to the Soulforge Pool, it doesn't guarantee you access underground."
"Remember, the wonders of the Moonfall Sanctuary extend far beyond just the Soulforge Pool."
He was cut off mid-sentence as his expression abruptly shifted. He could see, clear as day, the remnant soul released by Yu Yuan. It was just like Yu Yiyi's, effortlessly slipping into a crevice in the rocks.
"This..."
Tian Zang's mocking laughter ceased abruptly.
In the next instant, he witnessed a scene that left him utterly astonished. As the remnant soul streamed into a crevice like a dark, teal rivulet, a phantom identical to Yu Yuan emerged, drifting from the third eye on his forehead.
"The Lunar Spirit has left the body! And it was that very thing that triggered it!"
Tian Zang's face contorted with dismay. "Why has this happened? Could it be that the cauldron spirit of the Crucible of Evil truly hails from the Moonfall Sanctuary, and is it one of the imprisoned demons? No, my memory holds no such demon!"
The former Sky Fiend Youqian, now known as Ghost King Tian Zang, was utterly confounded, unable to fathom the mystery.
With a whoosh, Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit, as if guided by instinct, slipped into a fissure in the stone.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Deep underground, the sound of a rare stone shattering echoed abruptly.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
From deep within the earth, hundreds of feet below, a faint rumbling could be heard.
Simultaneously, thousands of miles away.
A group of giant dragons, led by Loong Jie, pursued Green Willow, the Grand Leader of Shadow's Keep, to the edges of Godsblight Marsh. They intercepted and encircled him, determined not to let Green Willow escape into the vast swamp unscathed.
Within the marsh, even cultivators at the level of Primordial Spirit and the Dark Deity of Shadow's Keep dared not cause trouble.
Dozens of emerald streams were relentlessly entwined by the giant dragons, thwarting every attempt by Green Willow's clones to enter the territory of the Untamed.
The dragons from Dragon Lake had learned from Loong Jie that if any of the emerald streams reached Godsblight Marsh, it would mean Green Willow had successfully eluded them.
In the marsh, he had a method for his other clones to instantly reunite using the art of Veilwalk.
Aoao! Aoao!
Suddenly, the ancient blood of the old dragons began to boil, and their Dragon Souls shuddered with a violent tremor. An invisible force seemed to descend from nowhere, tearing at their Dragon Souls, suppressing their dragon blood, and causing their bodies to stiffen, hindering their movements.
The giant dragons were immobilized in midair for several seconds.
During this brief pause, the green streams took the opportunity to flow into Godsblight Marsh.
Inside the marsh, all the streams merged into one, successfully reforming into the true serpentine form of the archdemon Green Willow.
Green Willow, battered and bruised, with a flash of light in his vertical pupil, cast his gaze toward the distant Moonfall Sanctuary. In the ancient tongue of the evilkind, he whispered, "There's a disturbance at the Dragon Slaying Stage."
