C1444 The Revival of the Ghost and the Demon
Yu Yuan was extremely agitated.
He couldn't fathom what sect or formidable individual in the vast Everlands would dare to seize the Crucible of Evil from his grasp.
The five paramount forces had been exceedingly cautious, knowing that the Wintermaw was in his possession. They turned a blind eye to his actions, provided he didn't overstep too much, as if they had implicitly consented to his emotional outbursts.
The lower sects of Euwrea and the second-level forces of the Land of Quiescence had likely been informed as well, steering clear to avoid any conflict with him.
At this moment, he felt as though he could stride unchallenged across the Everlands!
It was common knowledge that the Crucible of Evil was a rare treasure refined by Yu Yuan himself. Yet, someone had the audacity to attempt to assassinate Yu Yiyi and steal the cauldron while he was distracted.
Did they think he was dead?
His remnant soul and spiritual sense suddenly coalesced, and he summoned the power of the Dragon Slaying Stage with renewed focus.
To his astonishment, he discovered that the soul thread connecting him to the cauldron and Yu Yiyi was shrouded in a fog-like haze, becoming incredibly indistinct.
He sensed that both the cauldron and Yu Yiyi were ensnared by something, slowly being dragged deeper into the earth's bowels.
The deeper it went, the fainter the bond between him and the cauldron spirit grew...
He rose abruptly, ready to put aside the matters of the Sundering Isles and the covert machinations of the Bloodbrawlers. He needed to hasten to the territories of the Skyblight Cult and the Terror Claws.
It was then that he perceived the arrival of distinguished visitors.
Razses, donning an imperial crown and a dragon robe, along with the ever-smiling Taruer, materialized in his palace, granted entry by his spiritual consent.
"Bloodbrawlers..."
Razses, bearing the visage of a young emperor, cut straight to the chase: "The resurgence of the Bloodbrawlers is certainly not a development the Land of Terror wishes to witness. The Bloodbrawlers were notorious for their command over ghosts, and one of their sinister practices involved the domestication of such spirits."
"I've also come bearing a directive from Lord White Bone to inform you of a matter."
Lord White Bone has been in deep seclusion for an extended period, teetering on the brink of ascending to the status of God of Ghosts. His breakthrough was a direct result of sensing that you had unearthed two fragments of the Dragon Slaying Stage from the depths of Moonfall Sanctuary."
"The Dragon Slaying Stage, shattered into three pieces, was excavated by you and subsequently transported to the Star River in the extraterrestrial realms."
"As one fragment ascended from the earth, the rules and constraints that had barred Lord White Bone from becoming a God of Ghosts abruptly vanished. The moment you levered out the other piece, Lord White Bone perceived the awakening of the ferocious Terra Fiends that had slumbered in the bowels of the Everlands for millennia."
Razses spoke with solemn gravity.
Yu Yuan and Taruer were visibly moved by his words.
"After you departed the Everlands with the two pieces of the Dragon Slaying Stage, I sensed the resurgence of the Bloodbrawlers. Lord White Bone also confirmed that the Terra Fiends had awakened and were now clandestinely wreaking havoc."
Razses went on, "The Dragon Slaying Stage in Moonfall Sanctuary, once split into three, was left untouched by the five paramount powers. This was because, in addition to subduing the Nagas of the Everlands, it also bound the ghosts, the Bloodbrawlers, and the lineage of the Terra Fiends."
"All ghosts within the Everlands owe you their gratitude for lifting their seals, with Lord White Bone reaping the greatest benefit."
"The Bloodbrawlers and the Terra Fiends have gained significant freedom as a result."
Razses disclosed the hidden truth.
Reflecting on the events, Taruer spoke with a peculiar look, "It does seem that way. When he pried the two pieces of the Dragon Slaying Stage from Moonfall Sanctuary, I felt an unexpected lightness. It was as if an immense, invisible boulder pressing down on my soul had been suddenly removed."
"Lord White Bone believes that not only he, but we too, may one day ascend to the God of Ghosts," Razses said, his eyes alight with longing. "However, we must be wary of the Bloodbrawlers. This sect is our archenemy! The nefarious arts and Spirit Magic they practice were devised from their inception to counter us and to dominate beings such as ourselves."
"Bloodbrawlers!" Taruer cried out in alarm.
The conversation between the two Ghost Kings sent shockwaves through Yu Yuan's heart, making him realize that the resurgence of ghosts, the Bloodbrawlers, and the Terra Fiend was all because he had removed two pieces of the Dragon Slaying Stage!
Holding the Dragon Slaying Stage, his mood began to darken.
He felt as though the Dragon Slaying Stage, forged from the World-Sundering Stone, had suddenly become much heavier.
Terra Fiend!
In an instant, he understood the identity of the entity besieging the Crucible of Evil and Yu Yiyi, dragging the cauldron into the depths of the earth.
It was the ferocious Terra Fiend from a bygone era, suppressed alongside the Dragon Slaying Stage deep within the earth!
Yu Yiyi, maneuvering the cauldron to gather malevolent souls and oddities near the Skyblight Cult and Terror Claws, must have disturbed one or several powerful Terra Fiends awakening from their slumber!
The Terra Fiend should have been the ideal sustenance for the Bane, but the awakened Terra Fiend was too formidable, its combat prowess surpassing Yu Yiyi's.
This Terra Fiend, older than the Terror Claws themselves, had been roused by the removal of the Dragon Slaying Stage pieces. Yu Yiyi had detected it through the cauldron, attempting to extract it like pulling a tooth from a tiger's mouth, but she stumbled in her efforts.
"I have urgent business!"
With a swift exclamation, his Lunar Spirit took residence within the Dragon Slaying Stage and soared from Celestial Isle.
The Dragon Slaying Stage, glowing with a murky white light and edged with colorful ripples, stirred spatial waves as it navigated the gaps between realms in the Sundering Isles.
Enveloped by his Lunar Spirit, the Dragon Slaying Stage was now en route to the Land of Quiescence.
"What's going on?"
"The Dragon Slaying Stage appears to have departed!"
"Has Yu Yuan finally decided to leave?"
Cultivators on the neighboring islands, who had been closely monitoring Celestial Isle, gazed upwards to witness a burst of iridescent light that, after a brief shimmer, vanished from their sight and senses, prompting a collective sigh of relief.
They surmised that with Yu Yuan's departure, the mysterious deaths on the Sundering Isles would cease.
"It looks like the people of these waters aren't too fond of me."
Yu Yuan, who had remained in place, snorted with a sullen expression on his face.
Soon after, Feng Zhong, Yin Xueqi, and Qi Lingyu arrived to inquire about the situation.
"Don't worry," he reassured them. "My Lunar Spirit has gone to scout the area. If I choose, my real body can instantly teleport to the Dragon Slaying Stage. For me, the Dragon Slaying Stage is like a movable teleportation array."
He encouraged everyone to stay calm and not to be overly concerned.
Razses and Taruer, who had hurried over, explained to the group the connections among the two Dragon Slaying Stages, the ghosts, the Bloodbrawlers, and the Terra Fiends.
Everyone listened with astonishment, clicking their tongues in wonder.
Elsewhere.
Whoosh!
The Dragon Slaying Stage, having traversed the Endless Space, materialized in a barren, lifeless desert, guided by precise positioning and sensing.
The vast desert was devoid of vegetation, flies, and birds.
Desolation and silence seemed to be the unchanging themes of this place.
Yet, through the Dragon Slaying Stage's senses, Yu Yuan detected numerous Terra Fiends stirring beneath the desert's surface.
He observed a grotesquely bloated Terra Fiend, its body covered in tentacles, entwining the souls of countless humans and evilkind, dragging them down into the earth.
The Crucible of Evil was enshrouded by the grotesque form of the bloated Terra Fiend.
"Young ones from Boulderdawn! Heh!" the faceless Terra Fiend communicated through its many tentacles, sending out soulful thoughts as soon as it sensed the Dragon Slaying Stage's presence. It was fearless.
"We owe you our thanks. Had you not moved the Dragon Slaying Stage, we would never have awakened!"
"But, it was because of your Boulderdawn that we were put to sleep! This foolhardy Crucible of Evil sought to refine us, to make us its soul nourishment!"
"Hehe, I'm curious to see who will consume whom first!"
The eerie Terra Fiend continued to vanish into the depths at an incredible speed, its retracting tentacles resembling thousands of bizarre soul serpents.
