"Indeed, that is true. But as long as I can step into the Ghost Witch Realm, the Soul-binding Spell will naturally be lifted. That is why I resolutely came here," Xi Ying smiled slightly, explaining.

Yuan Ming immediately understood and hurriedly asked, "If that's the case, is there anything I can help with?"

"There's no need for you to act right now. Besides, we currently lack some essential conditions; just the two of us find it difficult to accomplish anything. But rest assured, I have a capable ally, and once he arrives, we can further our plans," Xi Ying gently shook her head and said softly.

"An ally? Who is it?" Yuan Ming's curiosity was piqued.

Xi Ying smiled mysteriously but did not reveal the answer directly: "Once he arrives, you will naturally know."

Having said that, she let Wang Fulong return to the Shura Palace, then privately taught Yuan Ming the mnemonic for the eighth layer of the Moonlight Technique, and thereafter started cultivating together with Yuan Ming.

...

A day later.

In the Purple Cloud Space, four rays of light suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Before long, four people from the Bright Moon Palace appeared within this Purple Cloud Space.

Led by Xizhuang Yuan, who looked around, a trace of delight appeared on her face but she unexpectedly noticed Yuan Ming and Xi Ying not far away.

"Yuan Ming! Xi Ying! What are you two doing here?" She was surprised, with a hint of anger.

"Is she the ally you mentioned?" Yuan Ming did not answer her question but instead turned to Xi Ying for an answer.

"No," Xi Ying shook her head.

Xizhuang Yuan's gaze also turned to Xi Ying, noticing she had reached the Late-stage Life Witch cultivation, her heart suddenly understood.

"So that's it, I never thought you would know the secret of the Purple Cloud Heavenly Palace. This is extremely confidential within the palace; who exactly told you? Quickly confess!" Xizhuang Yuan sternly questioned, raising her hands as if about to act.

At this moment, a practitioner from the Bright Moon Palace in a white robe suddenly stepped forward, placing his hand on Xizhuang Yuan's shoulder.

Xizhuang Yuan was taken aback and quickly turned her head, only to meet a pair of eyes flickering with strange spirit light.

In just a moment, Xizhuang Yuan's body went limp, the brilliance in her eyes vanished, clearly trapped in an illusion unable to extricate herself.

This sudden change left everyone except Xi Ying in shock.

"Senior Brother Xu, what are you doing!" Another practitioner from the Bright Moon Palace beside Nan Shangfeng reacted with disbelief.

The male cultivator in white did not answer but glanced back at them.

Soon after, Nan Shangfeng and the remaining practitioner from the Bright Moon Palace also fell, similarly trapped in illusions.

Only then did Xi Ying step forward to greet: "Senior Xia, you have finally arrived."

Yuan Ming was taken aback, and after taking a closer look, he saw the male cultivator in white gently wipe his face, which quickly transformed into the appearance of Xia Jie.

"Little friend, it's been a long time," Xia Jie smiled slightly at Yuan Ming in greeting.

"So it's Senior Xia. Since we parted back then, I've often thought of you. How have you been lately?" Yuan Ming stepped forward and greeted respectfully.

"After healing the injury to my Divine Soul, I am no longer troubled, now my strength is fully restored. I couldn't be better. But you, back then I only intended to help you achieve Life Witch status to aid in my healing. Unexpectedly, after all these years, you've come this far, far exceeding my expectations," Xia Jie praised.

"Senior, you flatter me," Yuan Ming replied modestly, then asked, "Senior, have you come to the Wentian Secret Realm for the Purple Cloud Heavenly Palace as well?"

"More or less, yet this place is just secondary. What I'm truly after is the Bright Moon Soul Bone within her," Xia Jie pointed to the fallen Xizhuang Yuan.

"What is the Bright Moon Soul Bone?" Yuan Ming asked in confusion.

"Let me explain," Xi Ying chimed in at this moment.

Yuan Ming looked at Xi Ying, his eyes growing more puzzled, but Xi Ying paid no mind and began to narrate everything in detail:

"It all starts with the founding of the Bright Moon Palace. Actually, in the ancient era, the Chuyun Realm had no Soul Cultivator lineage, until millions of years ago when the Bright Moon Palace's founder, Immortal Shuanghua, accidentally discovered a skeletal remains with no trace of life. Yet, it did not decay and would draw any who approached into an illusion. Back then, even after reaching the Mahayana stage, Immortal Shuanghua was still trapped in the illusion for ten thousand years before breaking free."

"Just a skeletal remains that could trap a Mahayana being for ten thousand years, could it be..." Yuan Ming said incredulously.

"According to Immortal Shuanghua's deductions afterward, the owner of the remains must have surpassed the Ghost Witch in cultivation during their lifetime, reaching the legendary Witch God Realm. Although they had fallen, their lifetime's legacy remained with their body. Immortal Shuanghua eventually conceived the Moonlight Technique through studying the soul power operation method of these remains, thereby establishing the Bright Moon Palace. Henceforth, the Bright Moon Palace's generations of development, be it cultivation techniques or magical skills, all came from research on the remains." Xi Ying revealed the Bright Moon Palace's greatest secret to Yuan Ming.

Hearing about this ancient secret left Yuan Ming utterly shocked.

Xi Ying allowed Yuan Ming some time to process, and once he accepted these truths, continued explaining.

"Back then, Immortal Shuanghua revered the remains' owner as the Bright Moon Goddess, and the remains continued under this name. About three million years ago, the then Bright Moon Palace Master, Moon Shadow Hermit, developed a new method. He extracted two bones from these remains and transplanted them into the bodies of the then Saint Heir and Goddess of the Bright Moon Palace. He named these bones Bright Moon Soul Bones. After transplantation, they could deepen a cultivator's connection with the Bright Moon Goddess' remains. With the Divine Map Game Painting divine skill, divine maps could be inscribed on the original bones, thus borrowing power from the Bright Moon Goddess."

"Borrowing power from the Witch God? Such a powerful divine skill—shouldn't it be used by the Bright Moon Palace Master who has reached the Ghost Witch stage? Why give it to the Saint Heir and Goddess?" Yuan Ming was both surprised and somewhat perplexed.

"Because borrowing power doesn't come without a cost. The amount of power you can borrow is closely linked to the number of divine maps inscribed on your bones. The more divine maps inscribed, the greater the power borrowed. But concurrently, you'll gradually be assimilated and eroded by the remains. If the soul bone isn't timely removed, the transplant recipient will become part of the remains, providing nourishment for its resurrection." Xi Ying gently shook his head.

"Resurrection?" Yuan Ming's eyes widened.

"Indeed, that's correct. After Moon Shadow Hermit developed the Secret Technique, several Saint Heirs and Goddesses excessively borrowed power from the Bright Moon Goddess to resist formidable enemies, ultimately becoming nourishment for the remains, causing them to grow small pieces of flesh about the size of a pinky finger. Therefore, there's a hypothesis within the Bright Moon Palace that suggests if provided with enough nourishment, the deceased Bright Moon Goddess might one day resurrect." Xi Ying stated solemnly.

"Isn't transplanting soul bones very dangerous? Why do people in the Bright Moon Palace still use this method? Aren't they afraid of the Bright Moon Goddess truly resurrecting?" Yuan Ming frowned deeply, filled with concern.

"This issue is also a subject of debate within the Bright Moon Palace's upper echelon. But for now, it seems at least a cultivator at the Peak of Dharma must turn into nourishment for remarkable changes in the remains to occur. Moreover, as long as excessive power isn't borrowed and the soul bone is timely transferred to the next Saint Heir or Goddess, the hazards aren't really significant." Xi Ying explained.

"I see, so your goal is to use the soul bones to summon the Bright Moon Goddess's power to help yourself break through, right? But wait, shouldn't this be a top secret of the Bright Moon Palace? How do you know about it?" Yuan Ming mused, nodding, but soon his brow furrowed again.

"It's all because of this." Xi Ying said as he gently turned over his right hand and revealed the Soul Suppressing Kettle.

Seeing the familiar Soul Suppressing Kettle, scenes from the past flashed rapidly through Yuan Ming's mind. A hint of nostalgia appeared in his eyes, but he still felt perplexed by Xi Ying's intentions.

"Have you heard of the name Tan Hua? He was an active Soul Cultivator over ten thousand years ago, and this kettle is his Innate Spiritual Treasure, containing a strand of his Residual Soul Origin. After I broke through to the Late-stage Life Witch, I refined this origin and acquired part of his memories. These secrets were discovered this way." Xi Ying didn't keep Yuan Ming in the dark.

"I've heard of Tan Hua. However, rumors say he once challenged the Bright Moon Palace, but according to what you just stated, he should've been a member of the Bright Moon Palace." Yuan Ming nodded, recalling relevant information.

"The rumors aren't false; he was indeed the Saint Heir of the Bright Moon Palace, but something happened, forcing him to defect. The memories I obtained don't cover this part, so I don't know the specific reason, only that he stole the Moon God Pendant, one of the Moon God's Three Treasures, when he fled the Bright Moon Palace. He roamed the Chuyun Realm for many years afterward and participated in the last realm domain war." Xi Ying said.

"Oh, I see. Then he vanishing later probably means he died in the realm domain war, right?" Yuan Ming speculated.

"You're correct. He was severely defeated by a Ghost Witch from the Demon World back then, suffered irreparable injuries, and shortly after returning to the Chuyun Realm, he perished. His body and Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Soul Suppressing Kettle, were taken by his disciple. After many years of wandering, his disciple unintentionally entered a secluded world, contemplating claiming it for himself, and subsequently settled there, establishing a cult feared by the world. You're likely very familiar with his name." Xi Ying looked at Yuan Ming with a meaningful expression.

"Wu Yue God." Yuan Ming also quickly uttered the name that had troubled him for a long time.

"What happened afterward, you already know. The Soul Suppressing Kettle eventually fell into my hands, and upon learning everything, I informed Senior Xia Jie, which led to today's collaboration." Xi Ying explained.

While Xi Ying clarified things for Yuan Ming, Senior Xia Jie cast a spell and chanted a mnemonic to separate the soul bone.

He rubbed his palms together, and two bright white spirit lights emerged instantly, enveloping his hands like gloves.

Next, he lifted his right hand slightly, and the unconscious Xizhuang Yuan hovered in mid-air in the shape of a "大" character.

Xia Jie stepped forward and lightly tapped Xizhuang Yuan's head. In an instant, all the bones within Xizhuang Yuan's body glowed with a striking white light, visible even through clothes and flesh.

Among them, the most striking was Xizhuang Yuan's right pinky finger.

Against the backdrop of the white light, only the front joint of this pinky finger exuded a deep blue luster resembling moonlight—faint yet mystical.

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