C10 Crimson Soul Spell!

Yu Yuan gradually came to consciousness.

The first sight that met his eyes was Yuan Qiufang, bare-chested in the secret chamber.

Observing the ice-silver chains that ensnared Yuan Qiufang, Yu Yuan's brow furrowed, and he instinctively inquired, "Are you also a captive of Winter's Bite? How long have I been here?"

Yuan Qiufang, who had just settled down, wore a bizarre expression upon hearing these words.

"Hu!"

A crimson beam erupted from the crown of his head like a geyser.

Within the beam, numerous fiery spell symbols swirled around a fierce and malevolent flame sprite.

Yuan Qiufang gasped and growled, struggling to suppress the fire toxin and cling to his sanity.

"Ah, a practitioner from the Ruby Hand," Yu Yuan realized, taken aback. "But how weak you must be. To practice the Ruby Hand's spells at the Subtlety Stage and yet succumb to the fire toxin?"

He shook his head, feeling sorry for the man before him. "For a Ruby Hand member to be overtaken by the fire toxin, compromising your upper elixir field is one thing, but to be captured and imprisoned by Winter's Bite is quite another level of disgrace."

The Ruby Hand, a prominent devil sect in the northern reaches of the Land of Quiescence, boasted a might that surpassed even Winter's Bite.

Sects like Winter's Bite, one of the seven lesser sects of Euwrea, wouldn't dare cross the Ruby Hand in the Land of Quiescence.

Even on the Aetherius Continent, Winter's Bite's cultivators would tread lightly around disciples of the Ruby Hand.

In his past life, Yu Yuan belonged to the Order of Healing, also situated in the Land of Quiescence.

During his studies of poison pills, he frequently ventured north, forging deep connections with many from the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep.

He had friends within the Ruby Hand, so he recognized the fiery spell symbols within Yuan Qiufang's light pillar at a glance—the Crimson Soul Spell, a hallmark of the Ruby Hand.

"You, you?"

Yuan Qiufang nearly choked on his own blood, feeling an intense sense of humiliation.

This man, whom his daughter had described as the simpleton of the Yu family, was now looking at him as if he were nothing but a disgrace.

"Hmm, how did he know about the Ruby Hand, and how did he know that I was practicing the Crimson Soul Spell and had been afflicted with the fire toxin?" Yuan Qiufang, delirious from the fire toxin's torment, forced herself to calm down and demanded, "Who are you?"

"My name is Yu Yuan."

"Yu Yuan?" Yuan Qiufang inhaled sharply, his eyes darting around as a sudden thought struck him. "I heard you were brought back to life recently?"

"Yes." Yu Yuan nodded and pressed on, "Who from Winter's Bite brought me here?"

He had assumed that after eliminating Yin Jue, someone from Winter's Bite had personally taken him captive and secretly transported him to Asvetaesi.

He had been desperately trying to think of a way to get Winter's Bite to 'cool their heels' and not be so quick to kill.

"I wasn't captured by Winter's Bite. I bound myself with ice silver and cold iron because I was suffering from the fire toxin and feared losing control," Yuan Qiufang explained after a moment of reflection. He then tentatively inquired, "I heard you've concocted a Channel Opening Pill and... another type of poison pill?"

"It's not Winter's Bite?" A wave of relief washed over Yu Yuan. A spark of realization hit him, "Last time, it was you who probed with spiritual sense?"

"Yes, it was me." Yuan Qiufang admitted, looking expectantly at Yu Yuan. "Since you're familiar with the Ruby Hand and the dark arts I practice, and you know I'm afflicted with the fire toxin, do you... have a solution?"

"Absolutely!" Yu Yuan interjected before he could finish, "I currently have a method that can temporarily suppress the fire toxin, allowing you to leave this stone chamber for a short while."

"Truly?" Yuan Qiufang was ecstatic.

"Truly." Yu Yuan affirmed, then added, "Cough, since you've reached Subtlety, you must be aware of a Guru from Winter's Bite present in or around the city, right?"

"I am aware," Yuan Qiufang confirmed.

"I'll teach you a technique to temporarily suppress the fire toxin, enabling you to step out of this stone room for a brief time," Yu Yuan said thoughtfully. "However, you'll still experience the aftereffects for a considerable duration. The fire toxin isn't something that can be eradicated quickly; it requires extensive preparation."

However, Yuan Qiufang was thoroughly roused, his eyes ablaze as if flames were surging within their depths. "You can cure my fire toxin?"

"I've already told you, I can cure your fire toxin," Yu Yuan replied with a confident smile. "But before that, I need you to do something for me."

"What is it?"

"Help me eliminate the visitor from Winter's Bite."

"Alright! I promise you, she'll be dealt with first!" Yuan Qiufang quickly agreed. "Tell me, is there a way to suppress the fire toxin for a short time? I can remove these ice silver chains while I'm lucid, but I must return here before I lose my sanity."

"Pay close attention. You need to channel the ice energy from the ice silver chains into these specific acupoints..."

Yu Yuan spoke in a hushed tone. In response, streams of icy light coursed through the acupoints within Yuan Qiufang's body.

As Yuan Qiufang, a practitioner of the Crimson Soul Spell, directed the frigid strange power into acupoints such as the Jade Pillow, Heaven's Column, and Light's Reception, he suddenly felt a chilling sensation that momentarily quelled the tumultuous confusion in his mind, allowing him to maintain clarity.

His eyes brightened with newfound confidence, and he began to believe that Yu Yuan truly possessed the means to rid him of the fire toxin.

"Your practice of the Ruby Hand's spell means your body's fiery energy will eventually dissolve the ice-cold strange power within your acupoints. However, it will take some time to melt, and during this period, you'll retain your spiritual wisdom," Yu Yuan observed carefully before adding, "You have roughly half a day to move freely. When you act, the fire toxin will cause you pain but won't send you into a frenzy."

"So, please keep your promise."

"Ha! We've already pinpointed her hiding spot!" Yuan Qiufang laughed heartily. "That Lyu Yue was wounded not long ago. It will be easy for me to kill her!"

With a series of cracks, the ice silver chains fell away from his body. He strode to the center of the chamber, stomped his foot, and a stone path emerged. "Come with me!"

Seizing Yu Yuan's arm, the two vanished into the stone pathway.

After attending to some affairs within the city, Yuan Lianyao gracefully entered the secret chamber, eager to discover what secrets her father had extracted from Yu Yuan.

"Where is he?"

Upon entering the icy chamber and finding it deserted, she was taken aback. Noticing the central stone path was now clear, her face paled, "Oh no! What is he up to? The last few times he left, it nearly cost me my life!"

Without hesitation, she hastened into the stone path, determined to locate Yuan Qiufang and forcibly bring him back.

She feared that Yuan Qiufang might once again commit a grave error, unleashing unspeakable crimes within Asvetaesi.

Before losing his spiritual wisdom, her father was far from benevolent. If he succumbed to madness and violence, the havoc he could wreak in Asvetaesi was enough to make her skin crawl.

...

Outside the city lay a barren hill.

Within the shadowy, frigid cave, Lyu Yue was surrounded by mounds of Ice Shards. Dozens of silver-white poisonous pythons twisted among the shards, absorbing and expelling the frosty spiritual energy, their satisfied hisses filling the air.

Lyu Yue eyed the serpents, their silver-white scales glinting, and murmured, "I can't afford any more delays. I must deal with the Yu family swiftly to aid their advancement at the sect."

She had been nourishing several pythons poised for evolution with her own vitality, hoping they would evolve immediately upon returning to Winter's Bite.

The more advanced the pythons became, the greater their intelligence and the more they could reciprocate, enhancing her own strength.

Suddenly, the pythons began to slither restlessly.

Lyu Yue's expression chilled as she dispersed her icy spiritual sense outward.

"Ah!"

The next moment, she let out a piercing scream.

Her spiritual sense, once released, had plunged into the stone cave like diving into lava!

The agony of her spiritual sense being scorched was unbearable, instantly alerting her to the presence of an equally formidable, or perhaps even more powerful, intruder.

"I am Lyu Yue of Winter's Bite. May I ask who you are?" she called out urgently.

"Hu!"

Like a raging inferno, Yuan Qiufang, with Yu Yuan in tow, burst into the stone cave!

The rocks at the entrance were shattered by the intense heat of Yuan Qiufang's blazing flame energy.

"Greetings to the Guru of Winter's Bite." Once settled, Yu Yuan, braving the intense heat emanating from Yuan Qiufang, bowed respectfully to Lyu Yue amidst the Ice Shards. "I hail from the Yu family, my name is Yu Yuan. Oh, and in case you don't recall, I am the 'foolish Yu family boy' that Yin Jue repeatedly attempted to eliminate at your behest."

Lyu Yue's complexion drained of color in shock.

Glancing between Yu Yuan and Yuan Qiufang, she realized that their intentions were far from friendly.

"How does the Yu family have such a formidable ally?" she wondered in panic. As she started to resent the Lin family for their role in her predicament, regret flooded her thoughts. Hastily, she pleaded, "Listen, let me explain!"

"You've been offended," Yuan Qiufang said with a wide, mocking smile.

Within the crimson light erupting from his crown, tiny spell symbols, like scintillating stars, burst forth.

The enigmatic flame spells, brimming with intense magic power, rained down around Lyu Yue like fiery sparks.

The dozens of silver-white pythons she had nurtured were instantly set ablaze, emitting desperate shrieks before succumbing to death.

With each death, Lyu Yue cried out in agony as if struck by a heavy blow, begging for mercy, "Fellow Daoist of the Ruby Hand, please, I beg your forgiveness! I truly had no knowledge of the Yu family child's connection to your Ruby Hand!"

"Whether you knew or not is irrelevant," Yuan Qiufang said, offering no explanation as he swept his hand through the air, conjuring a massive flame.

"Chi! Chi!"

A blade, forged purely of intense flame energy, descended in a swift chop.

"It's too hot in here; I'm stepping out," Yu Yuan said, turning his back on the scene and exiting the cave.

Inside, Lyu Yue's screams reached a crescendo before cutting off abruptly.

Before his fall from grace, Yuan Qiufang had been at the pinnacle of Subtlety, even attempting to break through to the Lunar Spirit level.

After his setback, he was demoted to the middle phase of the Subtlety realm. Yet, as someone who had once reached the Lunar Spirit realm, his combat prowess remained superior to that of a typical practitioner in the same phase of Subtlety.

In Yu Yuan's view, Lyu Yue had only recently advanced into the Subtlety realm.

Moreover, Lyu Yue had recently been afflicted by a backlash from the Ruby Parasite. She had also been depleting her own vitality to nurture a silver-white poison python, which further weakened her combat abilities.

Trapped in the cave by Yuan Qiufang, what chance did Lyu Yue have of escaping?