Chapter 635: Gray-Haired Elder's Deal

"Get out, you!" Xu Yang was furious. Although he no longer had the Asura Divine Sword, which significantly reduced his instantaneous burst power, Xu Yang's inherent strength was immense. With a heavy stomp, he forcefully blasted the zombie puppet gripping his ankle tens of meters deep into the ground.

However, just as Xu Yang was about to leave this troublesome place, he noticed countless burrows within a hundred meters around him, from which too many zombie puppets had emerged. They emitted eerie, bewildering cries and continuously tightened their encirclement around Xu Yang.

"Moonlight! It's truly moonlight! After tens of thousands of years, we've finally awaited this day! With the moon's radiance, we can escape this sunless world!"

The leading elder was entirely enveloped in a chilling gray aura. Even his ancient, wrinkled skin was a daunting silver-gray. He appeared to be the leader of these zombie puppets.

"Who are you?" Xu Yang's voice was cold. "And what do you mean by waiting for moonlight?" His gaze fixed on the mysterious elder, and a murderous aura rapidly began to gather around him.

"We are the Desolate Servants of the Moon," the elder replied. "Long ago, the Angel Yuexiu, driven by love, consumed the moon and fell to demonhood. She perished alongside the God-King Fenghuo Wuji, who deeply loved her. After that, the Divine Prince was forever imprisoned in an unknown place. Just before his soul was sealed by angelic power, he unleashed the Moon Spirit Curse across Night Cold Mountain! All living beings who witnessed that war were transformed into desolate servants. Their purpose was to guard the soul of God-King Fenghuo Wuji until the day the moon's radiance returned. In reality, the Divine Prince cast this curse to make us immortal and everlasting, eternally serving as soul-servants to the God-King. However, we never imagined that your arrival would allow us to sense the moonlight once more!"

Xu Yang heard another part of the secret concerning God-King Fenghuo Wuji and this divine mountain. He was clearly more excited than before.

"So, you're saying the moonlight above my head attracted you?"

"Precisely. We are grateful for your blessing and will eternally remember your kindness! However... we ask that you completely offer your Lunar Origin without reservation."

The elder remained exceptionally polite throughout. Yet, Xu Yang clearly detected an undeniable certainty in his voice. The elder's words left no room for negotiation, making it seem as if Xu Yang would be a sinner if he didn't hand over his Lunar Origin.

"Heh, are you trying to morally blackmail me?" Xu Yang scoffed. "Why should I unconditionally give you my original power? If possible, I can illuminate your path with moonlight, but if you intend to strip me of my power, you're dreaming."

The elder slightly clasped his hands and respectfully explained to Xu Yang, "Without the augmentation of your internal origin power, we can never achieve true transcendence in our souls. The curse seal, naturally, cannot be fully lifted. Therefore, we are compelled to do this."

After saying this, the elder silently issued an order to those around him. All the zombie puppets, which had previously paused, moved again, continuously tightening their circle around Xu Yang.

"Very well, you've forced my hand," Xu Yang declared. "I originally had no intention of eliminating you. After suffering for so many years, I saw no need to add fuel to your fire. But if you make this wrong choice and become my enemies, then you can only blame merciless fate."

Xu Yang's fists conjured two incredibly brilliant streams of Phoenix Fire. Even without activating his divine realm profound meaning, these two Phoenix Flames alone were enough to give these guys a run for their money.

*Boom!* Both fists struck simultaneously. Xu Yang's immense power instantly shattered a zombie puppet, utterly annihilating its body and spirit.

However, Xu Yang quickly realized that only their physical bodies were shattered. After their exposed heads disintegrated, a flawless silver soul flame appeared! Little did he know, this immortal soul flame was the complete manifestation of the Moon's Curse upon these souls.

"So that's how it is. As long as the curse remains, their souls will be immortal!"

Seeing his newly acquired "trophies" immediately revert to their original zombie puppet forms under the leading elder's manipulation, Xu Yang decisively adjusted his combat strategy. He focused all his power on the elder before him.

"I understand now," Xu Yang said. "Only by conquering you can these zombie puppets be stopped."

The elder, however, burst into laughter. "Indeed, that logic holds true. But regrettably, with your divine connection severed by the Investiture of the Gods Jade, you cannot possibly defeat me. The reason lies within me!"

After speaking, the elder suddenly peeled back the outer layer of his torso. Inside, three formidable soul-origin giant bones, burning with reddish-purple soul flames, emitted terrifying and daunting energy fluctuations.

"With these three bones," the elder continued, "you are no match for me and cannot possibly destroy me. Young man, regardless, your appearance has given us hope to break free from this curse. Whether you are willing or not, you are our benefactor. Therefore, I will not eliminate you; I will merely extract the Lunar Origin from your body. As a token of gratitude, I will grant you one wish."

Hearing the elder's words, Xu Yang suddenly conceived a way to defeat his enemy.

As the saying goes, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained!" Judging by the current situation, the gray-haired elder controlled the spiritual state of everyone around him, ensuring they kept the area tightly sealed. Thus, the only breakthrough point had to be the elder himself. Moreover, due to the presence of his divine-grade soul-origin giant bones, his physical body could not be destroyed by attacks from powers below the divine level. This meant that the only way Xu Yang could defeat the elder was to enter his soul world!

He remembered that his own soul possessed color, which was another of his formidable trump cards. If he could execute this plan, he would surely achieve his objective.

"I can sense your sincerity," Xu Yang said. "If you put it that way, it might be possible to help you break free from the curse. However, you must allow me to delve deeply into the entire history of this world. I want to know everything about the ancient God-King Fenghuo Wuji, Sword Immortal Yun Wangji, and also what you mentioned about Yuexiu and the Divine Prince!"

The elder chuckled softly. "No problem. If you trust me, I will immediately grant this wish for you. All the answers you seek are within my soul world."

As the elder spoke, he suddenly sent forth an eerie green soul light, gently pushing it towards Xu Yang. Xu Yang didn't hesitate. He directly received the soul light with his palm. A warm and cool sensation spread throughout his body, and his vision blurred for a moment. His thoughts began to drift uncontrollably.