Chapter 335

Chapter 335: Abyss of the Dark Moon

"The dark moon Mark… Yan Yunyu was in trouble."

The speaker was Blood Cherry, her expression grave as she stared at the dark moon.

Having fought Black Wolf before, she knew firsthand the terrifying power of the dark moon Mark.

In the battle’s early stages, though Black Wolf possessed Refining the Evil strength, ruthless tactics, and vast combat experience, Blood Cherry had held her own using her magical blade Blood Cherry.

But when the dark moon Mark appeared, everything changed instantly.

Empowered by the Mark, Black Wolf’s strength surged. He gained bone-chilling magic that froze spells and bypassed defenses, invading both body and spirit. Blood Cherry’s blood blades shattered under its frost. Worse was the Mark’s strange ability—it pulled at a cultivator’s spiritual awareness like a vortex.

Staring at the Mark made one’s soul resonate with the dark moon’s abyss. Victims felt themselves endlessly falling through infinite emptiness. The false tranquility masked true danger: the deeper the fall, the slower one’s thoughts became. During their fight, this eerie pull had cost Blood Cherry an eye—an injury still unhealed due to lingering dark moon energy.

"Never look directly at that Mark," Blood Cherry muttered. "Linger too long, and the abyss steals your memories and emotions. There’s no return."

Around her, the crowd gasped as the dark moon Mark glowed anew. Whispers spread:

"Forbidden power again! Without it, they’d never defeat us!"

"Exactly…"

Southern prodigies scowled, accusing northern scholars of hollow victories through forbidden means. Northern voices in the Four Seas Tavern fired back. One scholar sneered, "Jealous? Take some forbidden power yourself! We’ll share—any volunteers?"

The challenge silenced the crowd. All knew forbidden power’s price. Even dormant, Black Wolf suffered constant chill and soul-plummeting dread during sleep. His brutality stemmed from the Mark’s torment.

Southern prodigies quickly changed the subject: "Yan Yunyu might still win. That spiritual weapon binds Black Wolf—can he break free even with the dark moon?"

This statement stirred the hearts of many.

However, their hopes were quickly shattered.

Even more frustratingly, it wasn’t the northern people who crushed their delusions, but Blood Cherry who also wielded a spiritual weapon.

“It’s tough. With Yan Yunyu’s current power, she can’t fully utilize her spiritual weapon. Black Wolf still has chances to break free.”

“Most crucially, the dark moon’s cold aura freezes the magic within Yan Yunyu’s Infinite Chains, rendering the spiritual weapon useless.”

High-grade spiritual weapons couldn’t be damaged even by metamorphosis stage cultivators at full strength, let alone those in the Refining the Evil stage.

Being indestructible and nearly indefensible, spiritual weapon wielders often dominated battles through sheer superiority.

However, though spiritual weapons endured, they remained tools requiring magic to function.

The magic within them didn’t grant Immunity to All Methods.

Previously, this flaw mattered little since ordinary cultivators couldn’t penetrate spiritual weapons to drain their magic.

But forbidden power differed. By rank, forbidden power surpassed spiritual weapons, enabling it to invade magical tools and erase their magic.

Without magic, spiritual weapons became mere dead objects – useless against Black Wolf.

As Blood Cherry shook her head ruefully, Black Wolf indeed began corroding Yan Yunyu’s Infinite Chains with his cold aura, exactly as predicted.

Truthfully, he didn’t even need conscious effort. His chilling aura naturally corrupted everything around him, turning surroundings frigid and lifeless. A mere Refining the Evil stage cultivator’s magic couldn’t withstand this erosion.

With chains binding him, his aura spread even faster.

Confident his passive aura alone would extinguish Yan Yunyu’s magic, he ignored the chains entirely. Sneering, he advanced on her while declaring, “I’m invincible channeling the dark moon! Your chains can’t hold me!”

As he spoke, his aura violently surged. He prepared to shatter the magic-drained chains and charge Yan Yunyu directly – though capable of ranged attacks, he relished tearing enemies apart barehanded.

He also knew close combat made rescue attempts nearly impossible.

“…”

Black Wolf’s plan seemed perfect until his first step froze his triumphant expression.

His explosive momentum… did not break the chains.

Still oblivious to the impending disaster, he felt only embarrassment at failing to instantly break free. Salvaging his pride, he growled, “Heh. Blocked my first strike? Not bad. But this trick won’t keep me trapped.”

“BREAK!”

Roaring, he abandoned attacking to focus wholly on channeling magic. He aimed to obliterate Yan Yunyu’s magic within the chains using his cold aura.

He even envisioned transmitting his chill through the Infinite Chains to attack Yan Yunyu directly. Though difficult, he trusted the dark moon’s supreme power to succeed.

“Hmm!”

The dark moon mark on Black Wolf’s forehead darkened ominously as he shouted, compelling involuntary attention from onlookers.

Noticing this, the crowd murmured while defending themselves: “Black Wolf’s serious now. Yan Yunyu’s finished.”

“No shame in losing. Forcing him to use forbidden power already exceeds expectations.”

“It was indeed a glorious defeat… After today, no one will look down on her again.”

Even now, the crowd remained convinced Black Wolf would win.

Their belief stemmed from two reasons: Yan Yunyu had no prior reputation, while the forbidden power’s might was undeniable.

Moreover, Yan Yunyu hadn’t shown any traits of a true expert during the fight.

Her entire strategy relied on the nimble, ghostly Infinite Chains – she herself displayed no remarkable skills.

She’d even recoiled multiple times from killing intent, retreating fearfully when Black Wolf charged.

Such performance made it hard to believe she could reverse the situation.

After unleashing forbidden power, the crowd saw Yan Yunyu as the clear underdog.

But just as they thought this, something bizarre happened in the fighting arena.

Black Wolf roared fiercely, face contorted in apparent exertion.

Yet despite his dramatic display, he couldn’t break free from the Infinite Chains’ restraint.

This alone might have surprised observers, but what truly puzzled them was Black Wolf’s utterly placid aura despite his furious act – as still as a windless lake.

The contradiction sparked jeers:

“What’s Black Wolf doing? Where’s his big move?”

“Is this a joke?”

“We’re being cheated…”

Cultivators’ power surges usually create disturbances – rippling air, blazing energy, oppressive pressure. At minimum, their aura should intensify.

Black Wolf showed none of this. Though shouting about unleashing power, he remained perfectly calm – no energy surge, not even a combat stance. He might as well have been strolling through a garden.

The anticlimax frustrated spectators craving a fierce duel.

“Stop fooling around, Black Wolf!”

“Torment your prey later – we have meals waiting!”

Even the northern scholars grew impatient, shouting reminders. They still didn’t grasp the severity.

The truth struck moments later when Black Wolf finally spoke again – but the arrogant fighter now wore pure terror.

“What’s happening? My power won’t respond! Move! WORK!”

The panic-stricken man strained desperately, yet his aura kept fading instead of rising. Bound by the Infinite Chains, both his energy and the dark moon emblem were being silenced by some special force.

The corrupting chill faded. The moon’s hypnotic glow dimmed behind ethereal mist. Within breaths, Black Wolf’s aura vanished completely – leaving him feeling like an ordinary person in the crowd’s perception.

The fighting arena plunged into instant silence.