Everyone was completely focused and in position on that early evening. On the north side of the mountain, Idris was alone until Ruri finally emerged from within and sent a message to the whale at the top. Everything was ready.
She moved next to Idris, who looked at her apprehensively, but Ruri just smiled slightly to comfort him. The attacks always began close to midnight when the Yin was strongest, making it easier to conceal them. Everyone waited until, shortly before the expected time, two Fey approached the area and everyone sighed in relief.
"Finally, you’re back," Ruri said, looking at them as they approached from the north where their positions were.
"Sorry, I was stopped by the Elders and had to get into a long discussion," Kisala said lightly, sighing as she recalled the annoying scene.
Ambry murmured dryly, "I couldn’t resolve things diplomatically… those stubborn old folks… anyway, they shouldn’t cause problems for now."
Idris and Ruri nodded, and the group was complete again. "You should stay behind me since you didn’t prepare properly. Idris will position himself at a distance to attack when I give the signal; I’ll lead the charge, and you two will cover me carefully."
Ruri spoke, and at the same moment, the whale’s message confirming the enemies’ approach sounded.
This time, the entire area around the mountain changed; the laws seemed to freeze, and the air grew heavy. Alm and Bruno sensed the enemies: only four demons coming from four different directions.
They wondered what the enemy’s plan was. They couldn’t send stronger or more numerous cultivators. A few dozen was the limit; otherwise, it would be impossible to sneak onto the planet and attack without causing major disturbances.
Sending only the elite demons seemed foolish. The previous night made it clear that their soul power was ineffective. The Soul Eaters specialized in large-scale battles with many deaths and souls to devour; without that available, their power was limited, and sending only the strongest wouldn’t make much difference.
’The solution was to send something beyond elite, with abnormal power impossible for common cultivators to fight against. They’re Empyreans... four of them, and they must all have their manifestations awakened,’ Bruno commented lightly, without emotion.
Surely, the enemies received information that their main group consisted of several Empyreans. But they knew all were newly ascended and assumed they were the common type of Empyrean without knowing how to use their powers. The Yinblood sect didn’t have anything to help them evolve in that regard, so sending these demons with their manifestations would be an effective move.
A manifestation reflected the cultivator’s desire. It didn’t correspond to laws or common logic; each manifestation could be completely unique with unpredictable power. These four must already be considered invincible in the same realm, but using their manifestations simultaneously would still have a powerful surprise effect.
For that branch of the Shadow God to use these renowned and relatively rare disciples, they were taking a big risk. Hence, they created several layers of security and were confident they would win.
’There are only four, one in each direction. Retreat to the mountain; we have to gather them together and can’t attack them separately,’ the whale ordered through the array, and the group leaders sent out their orders.
Everyone moved toward the mountain as quickly as they could. All the dozens of beasts assumed human form and everyone stopped at the foot of the mountain, encircling it.
Everything was silent and dark. Everyone gripped their weapons and looked toward the forest, alert. It took only a few seconds for a scarlet aura to emerge from the darkness, coming from the four directions.
Everyone saw the four demons emerge with light steps; they didn’t even try to hide. They were four bluish male figures, almost three meters tall, without horns or any common demonic features. They observed the groups and smiled grimly, licking their lips as if eager to devour their souls.
No words were exchanged, but everyone saw a golden mark light up on the foreheads of these demons. Immediately, the laws around them stirred; an Empyrean’s domain was absolute. Then, Ruri, Corin, Rehvka, Kaiyka, Zaimo, Quirio, Calirer, and even Runula, whose Empyrean status was unknown to the sect, stepped forward. Golden marks also surfaced on their foreheads.
The glow was similar, the fluctuations too, but their marks emitted a subtly different sensation. The demons instinctively sensed this, but were unconcerned; until one of them stepped forward, saying, "I’ve never devoured the soul of an Empyrean; this will be fun, kakakaka..."
The whale’s main group smirked sarcastically; the beasts and Fey behind them went pale, never feeling so oppressed in the presence of an Empyrean’s aura. All the environmental laws, their internal runes, and even their thoughts were being suppressed just by their presence.
"With just you guys?"
Ruri spoke emotionlessly, stepping one pace ahead. At that moment, the demons’ eyes glowed ominously; then a sudden wave of power surged forth and two shadows appeared behind Ruri, attacking with explosive force that soared into the sky.
BOOM!
All the beasts widened their eyes, and the whale’s group grimaced. It all happened so suddenly. A wave of power surged, Ruri was attacked, and simultaneously the demons roared and launched their own attack.
It was a coordinated move, meant to be an undefendable strike. Coming from a blind spot, traitors would attack one of the most powerful, causing a disturbance. With the sudden shift, everyone would be thrown off balance, then the demons would attack together, ensuring victory without giving any chance.
But... a cloud of dust rose to the sky, creating a dark mist. Four golden stars pulsed, and an invincible soul power struck from all directions. The demons couldn’t properly see their front, but they smiled and pierced through the front line with their weapons...
Until something strange happened; their golden power refused to leave their bodies...
Then, all four felt their world swallowed by oppressive darkness. They completely lost spatial awareness; the only thing they could feel was the ground beneath their feet. In that instant, they felt something that made their hearts beat like drums; all the laws and connection to celestial laws... they couldn’t feel anything.
At the same time, the world above their heads illuminated. They belatedly realized they were no longer in the Black Forest, as above them, a divine violet covered the horizon. In the center, a full silver moon filled their eyes; around the moon, a sacred ring marked the magical moment of the Paraselenic event.
Their minds began to cloud, their internal laws were suppressed, the blessing of celestial laws was completely severed. The four felt caged, trapped like turtles in a jar.
Breaking their thoughts, their gazes were instinctively drawn upwards. Floating there, they saw a slender feminine figure and noticed her grayish horn pulsating. It resonated with their bloodlines, and the four widened their eyes in synchrony.
"This... you..." One of them murmured, but was interrupted. The demoness opened her eyes, and the violet skies trembled.
Her horn pulsed, her eyes lit up with infinite spiritual power; then the golden rune on her forehead connected everything. The shadow of a crimson manifestation appeared on Calirer’s back.
The demons were horrified, feeling their souls forcibly drawn out of their bodies.
The demonic female figure smiled faintly, "Come... satisfy my hunger..."
"NO!"
One of them roared, but his body trembled, and he fell to his knees, falling silent forever. All four collapsed, their souls torn from their bodies.
Calirer nodded, and everything converged towards her. She felt it merge with her soul, a dense power flowing through her. However, she paused and then nodded again; four fragments emerged from her body and floated away.
At the same time, the whale appeared among the fallen four. He stored them in inventory, satisfied. Their bodies weren’t fully dead; only their souls had been removed. Their bloodline, divine QI, and everything else in them were perfectly preserved. It was an extraordinary gift, made possible only by the combination of Ruri’s Dao and Calirer’s techniques.
After storing them, the whale looked at Calirer and saw the soul fragments she had expelled. Bruno smiled faintly; the Soul Eaters’ techniques could sinisterly destroy and devour an entire soul, which is why he refused to let Alm use such a technique, as he would have no compassion.
This demoness, on the other hand, only devoured 70% of the souls and released them. When they were in the other universe and accepted to take her with them, Bruno, knowing her kindness, explained that ordinary souls destroyed and turned into fragments could not reincarnate, as she already knew. But when he reached the state of Wuji and felt the cosmic river where souls waited to reincarnate, all these soul fragments were outside the river, coming together, forming a new soul again. (Chapter 510)
He knew Calirer wouldn’t want to devour souls using her technique, unless the enemy deserved it in extreme cases. After explaining that it wasn’t a complete death and that only consciousness would likely be destroyed forever, she reconsidered, and her parameter dropped. If it was someone who wanted to kill her family, she wouldn’t hesitate to devour them, but she wouldn’t do it completely, releasing the soul without devouring it.
Calirer was that kind of person, the opposite of what was thought of a demon. She fought for herself and for those she loved; if she could avoid killing anyone, she would, even if it harmed her. But if she had to do it to protect them, she would.
It all ended very quickly, and the Dao of the Moon Goddess was canceled by Ruri. Only the enemies, the whale, and Calirer were taken to him; it took only a few seconds and both reappeared... alone... Everyone looked at them stunned; only Kaiyka, among them, knew what it was like to be inside that terrifying world.
Ruri appeared in front of the whale, and they held her in their arms. She was completely exhausted, but made an effort to stay awake and turned towards where the two unconscious Feys were. Idris stood beside them, visibly nervous.
"You can rest, they will be fine," the whale said gently. Ruri heard and sighed in relief, closing her eyes and falling asleep on their back.
The whale moved towards them; this was the worst-case scenario they imagined and exactly what happened. The two largest Fey clans, along with numerous Elders and High Elders of the sect, had no qualms about seeking benefits; they were not trustworthy.
Alm and Bruno would not make the same mistake that led to Liumi’s death again. Previously, if someone had intentions of betraying them, they would immediately sense it, so they always trusted their instincts. But they learned they couldn’t trust their newfound allies, as they could be used against them imperceptibly. The allies themselves might not be aware or have any intention, which didn’t matter, so they couldn’t sense.
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And that’s exactly what they did: they placed a slave seal on their bloodline. They returned with false memories, and it was only activated when the eyes of the demons glowed.
In their previous universe, this method was so difficult and resource-consuming that they would consider it impossible. But here, the level of cultivators and overall power was several times greater; doing this was simple with the help of an Empyrean from that sect.
Alm and Bruno had already prepared everything anticipating this betrayal. Ruri gave the opening for them to attack, and through the runic seal on their clothing, they were restrained. Ruri’s clothes had a storage seal, where laws of the land and mental power were left in the plane. The laws of the land defended and exploded, creating a dust cloud, while mental power spread covertly on all sides.
It obscured the demons’ vision and disturbed their minds. Meanwhile, Idris, positioned near them, was the one who brought them down.
It all happened in two seconds and was planned in advance to be swift and surprising. As they attacked and the demons advanced, their senses were quickly suppressed by the dust cloud. Then hidden around the mountain, a simple spatial formation was activated by Ruri.
The demons were unable to properly see or sense due to the dust cloud and manipulation of mental power. But the main reason was that they didn’t perceive any danger coming from the formation. It merely subtly moved them, bringing them closer together. It was the opportunity for Ruri to activate her Dao and trap them completely.
Now, Alm and Bruno knew they couldn’t trust any Fey clan, or anyone else in the sect. Only those who were in their group the whole time could help them. In the future, they would have to infiltrate these clans because of the seals, but the plans would be more complicated than expected.
As for the enemies of the demon sect, they would have no idea how these four died. As soon as they were trapped in the other world, all contact with them ceased and they disappeared as if sucked into the void.
’I loved the gift; let’s see what the next move will be,’ Bruno commented lightly.