C1451 The Legend of the Current Generation!
Thousands of years ago, there was the Ghost King Youling; seven hundred years prior, the Evil King Yu Xi; and in the present day, the God of Ghosts known as White Bone.
Incredibly, they were all the same individual—a living myth!
The moment the jade-like white bones touched the ground, they transformed into a tall, striking man with a relaxed demeanor and a somewhat haughty expression.
This human form of White Bone was the spitting image of the Ghost King Youling that Yu Yuan had encountered in the Land of Terror by the River Styx, which mirrored the underworld's own Styx.
Having ascended to the status of a God of Ghosts, he exuded an air of mystery and novelty. Within his new form, it seemed as though streams of Lunar Meridian were flowing.
His body bore no scent of flesh and blood. Beneath his pallid skin pulsed the Shadow Moon Essence, with the Lunar Meridian serving as his veins!
Upon his sudden appearance, Fiendpeak, located hundreds of miles away, along with the numerous demons and devils comprising the Myriad Demons Circle, hastily withdrew deep into their ranks, seemingly too intimidated to show themselves.
Whether demon or ghost, any soul-form entity was naturally overpowered by his presence.
Elsewhere, the Skyblight Cult's experts, compelled to evacuate Fiendpeak and return to their domain, sensed an immense will, akin to the vast ocean, manifesting high above their lands. It observed the earth below with an indifferent gaze.
The Skyblight Cult's experts, who had reached the Divine Level of Solar Spirit, felt their spirits shaken, a premonition of impending disaster overwhelming them.
The current leader of the Skyblight Cult, upon sensing this dominating will, instantly sought refuge within the Skytaint Orb.
He dared not reveal himself or even exhale, for fear of attracting attention.
In the midst of the desert, White Bone's mouth quirked in a wry smile as he mused to himself, "Some things never change; they only dare to scheme in the shadows."
He shook his head, lamenting, "Under your leadership, the Skyblight Cult will never rise to become an upper sect, forever unable to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Ruby Hand."
He was referring to Yun Hao.
Most people couldn't hear his murmurs, but many cultivators within the Skyblight Cult heard them with crystal clarity.
"Who is it?"
"Who whispers in my ear? And who is the person he speaks of?"
In the forbidden areas of the Skyblight Cult, several cultivators opened their eyes, their expressions subtly shifting.
Among them, an elderly woman with white hair discerned the voice and, trembling, knelt in her sealed cave dwelling.
With her forehead touching the ground, she spoke with a quivering voice, "Is it you? Are you the one... watching over this land, once made splendid by your presence?" The old woman murmured and wept softly as she spoke.
Her quiet sobs and the peculiar reactions of the many Solar Spirits within the Skyblight Cult were observable from the Dragon Slaying Stage. Gazing at the imposing and handsome ancestor of the Yu family before him, Yu Yuan pondered the appropriate way to address him.
Thousands of years ago, the Shade King, a contemporary of Dhoreus, realized that the Land of Terror at the time was not conducive to becoming a God of Ghosts. Thus, he resolutely chose to be reborn as a human.
Subsequently, the Skyblight Cult witnessed the rise of the most powerful Evil King in its history!
Evil King Yu Xi had advanced to the primordial spirit level but fell victim to a plot and was ambushed by the Otherkin, meeting his end in the extraterrestrial Star River.
It was rumored that the one who betrayed his location was his hand-chosen disciple, the current sect master of the Skyblight Cult—Yun Hao.
Yet, Yu Yuan had faintly heard that Yun Hao was merely a pawn, also manipulated by others...
With a whoosh, Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit left the Dragon Slaying Stage for the first time, transforming into a wraithlike spirited body that stood upon the luminescent platform.
He dared to let his Lunar Spirit depart from the Dragon Slaying Stage because White Bone had arrived. With the presence of White Bone, a being at the Divine Level of a God of Ghosts, he believed no force could vanquish him in an instant.
White Bone's arrival bolstered his confidence, allowing his Lunar Spirit to venture forth from the Dragon Slaying Stage.
In the next moment, he felt an immense surge of shadow energy emanating from White Bone, as profound and boundless as the depths of the ocean.
Confronted with White Bone, his Lunar Spirit seemed to be directly facing the Root of the Lunar Meridian itself!
Yu Yuan had just come to understand the immense oppressive force that a Divine Level skeletal form could exert on spirited bodies and ghosts. He realized that White Bone wasn't exerting this pressure intentionally.
Narrowing his eyes for a closer look, Yu Yuan utilized the vantage point of the Dragon Slaying Stage to observe the delicate streams of the Lunar Meridian weaving beneath White Bone's skeletal structure.
White Bone harnessed the power of the Root of the Lunar Meridian, allowing him to manipulate the shadow energy anywhere within the vast Everlands.
Take, for instance, Grec, the Great Demon God of the Blood Fiend, who embodies the Root of the Solar Meridian, traversing the Star River.
The White Bone before him was the spokesperson for the Root of the Lunar Meridian, a keen edge wielded by the source against all outside forces!
In the Everlands, he feared neither the supreme Primordial Spirit nor the Dark Deity. He could traverse the world with impunity, and even venturing into the extraterrestrial Star River, he remained among the most exceptional of beings.
Yu Yuan felt the full force of his presence.
"What's on your mind?" White Bone inquired, a smile in his voice.
"How should we interact, and what should we call each other?" Yu Yuan asked, a hint of awkwardness in his tone.
"As equals, as friends. We need not concern ourselves with familial bonds," White Bone replied with a liberating ease. "You, too, have been reborn, so let's not bother with worldly formalities."
"That suits me fine."
Yu Yuan nodded, feeling immediately more at ease. "Your death in a past life and my own failed reincarnation may well have been orchestrated by the same sinister hand."
White Bone's smile widened. "It appears that since advancing to the Solar Spirit, you've become more perceptive. I've refrained from confronting that worthless disciple and from settling scores with the Skyblight Cult because I'm well aware he's merely a pawn."
"A fool remains a fool, even centuries later."
"He's fully aware that he's being manipulated, that he's made mistakes, yet he lacks the wisdom to repent or make amends. Instead, he's obsessed with covering his tracks, with wiping the slate clean, all the while fearing me, uncertain whether I've truly perished. Thus, he doesn't dare act against me directly, preferring to unleash the vicious hounds he's nurtured to do his bidding."
White Bone gazed at the Skyblight Cult with a look of disappointment as he spoke. His words were intended for Yu Yuan and also for certain individuals within the Skyblight Cult.
Yu Yuan understood completely.
Yun Hao, deeply fearful of his master, had been beguiled and used to commit heinous acts. His ingrained fear left him uncertain whether his master had truly perished, and so, he had tacitly permitted Lee Tihai's existence.
White Bone, also known as the Evil King Yu Xi, was profoundly disappointed in his disciple. Yet, he recognized that Yun Hao was not the instigator and still harbored affection for the Skyblight Cult, which stayed his hand from acting against them.
His sudden appearance now was not to punish Yun Hao or to unleash his wrath upon the Skyblight Cult.
He was after the true mastermind.
"Bloodbrawlers?" Yu Yuan called out with intensity.
"There are traces of these people," White Bone confirmed slowly, pausing before adding, "And... others."
Looking skyward as he spoke, White Bone saw not a single cloud.
"Why would the Bloodbrawlers do this? It started with you, possibly others, then my former master, and now me. Could my senior brother be next?" Yu Yuan's expression darkened.
"We should confront them."
White Bone's gaze dropped to his feet, and a ghostly white glow began to emerge in the depths of his eyes. "I've come in person to join you in probing the so-called Defiled World."
Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit trembled. "Are you serious?"
According to the old dragon, the Defiled World, a place where even the highest Primordial Spirits and Dark Deities feared to tread, was fraught with danger.
The handful of Terra Fiends and the Bloodbrawlers' remnants exploited the unique nature of the Defiled World to vex even the most exalted beings.
White Bone was intent on taking him into the fray. Could he truly be fearless of the combined might of the Terra Fiends and the Bloodbrawlers' remnants within the Defiled World's depths?
"Have you forgotten my origins?"
White Bone smiled with pride as the many currents of the Lunar Meridian within him seemed to resonate with the soothing sound of flowing water.
Yu Yuan, too, acutely sensed a tributary of the Lunar Meridian underground, responding to the symphony of water within him, ready to infuse him with unending strength at a moment's notice.
In the Everlands, other Primordial Spirits and Dark Deities dare not venture into the Defiled World, but I harbor no such fear. I am the being best equipped to withstand the Defiled World. Its very existence is due to the Root of the Lunar Meridian, and I am an extension of its will."
White Bone paused before adding, "Furthermore, I am immortal in the Everlands at this moment. As long as the Root of the Lunar Meridian neither dries up nor shatters, I shall not perish."
"Unless..."
"Unless Wei Zhuo of the Thunder Sect manages to ascend to divinity. Only someone of a Primordial Spirit level who has mastered the secrets of thunder can pose a threat to me. Without such an individual, neither the Dark Deity of Shadow's Keep nor any human Primordial Spirit can truly vanquish me or cause my death."
"They could, at best, imprison me."
In that moment, White Bone's pride and confidence knew no bounds. It seemed as though without the natural adversary of a lightning Primordial Spirit, even if all the supreme beings of the Everlands united, they could not truly destroy him.
"Loong Jie is on his way. Do you need his assistance?" Yu Yuan inquired.
"Loong Jie? The old dragon?"
White Bone hesitated briefly, then shook his head. "His presence in the Defiled World would be of no benefit. He need not join us. Besides myself, perhaps only Wei Zhuo of the Thunder Sect could venture there."
"Very well, then I shall join you."
