C1455 The Ancestor of the Bloodbrawlers!
Evil spirits drifted in, resembling a procession of pitch-black flags, with Du Jing among them.
Amidst these spirits, an elderly man exuded an aura of wisdom, his long hair and gray-white robe billowing as one. A smile graced his lips, reminiscent of a contented elder eagerly heading to the market.
A legion of evil spirits trailed behind him, akin to Gloom Raiders and Demon Generals under his command.
From his back, numerous slender gray lines extended, tethering the floating spirits above him.
At a glance, these spirits seemed like kites he had set aloft, maneuvered to rise or descend by the gray lines he held.
Bound by these threads, all Voodoo Shades, such as Du Jing, were inescapably under his dominion.
The old man, his hair and beard a silvery gray, was not a Lunar Spirit, but rather possessed a corporeal body.
His ability to traverse the Defiled World in his corporeal form, unscathed by its corrupting forces, attested to his immense strength.
Indeed, even the lecherous dragon dared not roam the Defiled World in his formidable draconic form.
The old man walked with a serene confidence, unfazed by the imminent encounter with the God of Ghosts and White Bone, entities unprecedented in the annals of the Everlands.
Du Jing, now a Voodoo Shade, wore a look of bewilderment as if his spiritual wisdom had been momentarily stripped away.
"When I went to Celestial Isle, I encountered Du Jing. In pursuing him, I found myself sinking deeper and deeper..."
Yu Yuan observed the old man from the Dragon Slaying Stage while Luo Yue recounted her ordeal.
Luo Yue and Du Jing had known each other for three hundred years, having both served under Yu Yuan. He held Luo Yue in high regard, imparting extensive knowledge of leechcraft and instructing her in the art of potion-making.
Du Jing, relegated to the role of herb slave, was never privy to the deeper secrets of leechcraft, a fact that sowed seeds of resentment within him.
Luo Yue continued to recount how she was drawn to Du Jing and led into the Defiled World by the Terra Fiend when an elderly man with the air of a sage suddenly appeared before Yu Yuan and White Bone.
Upon seeing the old man, a memory from three hundred years ago crystallized in Yu Yuan's mind.
He vividly recalled seeking his master's advice on a pill's magic item combination late one night. It was in his master's alchemy chamber that he had first encountered the old man now before him.
At the time, his master had not disclosed the old man's identity, merely describing him as a venerable expert freshly returned from the extraterrestrial realm.
The old man had merely offered him a knowing smile before taking his leave.
Since that encounter, the old man had vanished from his life, never to be mentioned by his master again.
Little did he expect that...
Three centuries later, in his new life, he would once again come face to face with this dignified, otherworldly old man in the underground Defiled World.
Du Jing had been transformed into a Voodoo Shade, a mere puppet at his command.
This confirmed that the individual before him was indeed a remnant of the Bloodbrawlers!
Yu Yuan was convinced that this old man was the same entity who had possessed Qu Yun and inscribed the secret magic circles in the forbidden area.
The elusive puppeteer, the remnant of the Bloodbrawlers, was none other than the old acquaintance of his master!
"Is it you?" Yu Yuan, enveloped by the Lunar Spirit and standing within the white light screen of the Dragon Slaying Stage, asked with composed certainty, "Are you the one who plotted against the leaders of the Order of Healing?"
"I am Yuan Qingxi of the Bloodbrawlers, one of the original founders. I look forward to your guidance." The old man with the sage-like presence replied with a slight smile, bowing gracefully.
In his left hand, he clutched a scroll bound with a hemp rope, from which a thick aura of Yin Qi emanated.
"Let me be frank; indeed, I was responsible for the harm that befell both your master and you. It was your master who unilaterally reneged on our agreement, betraying our trust first," Yuan Qingxi confessed before earnestly offering his explanation.
"Your master's rise to lead the Order of Healing and its subsequent prosperity was not without my behind-the-scenes support. Yet when we needed him, when we sought his assistance for our cause, he flatly refused."
Yuan Qingxi let out a sigh, "In this world, where can you find a deal that's all gain and no pain?"
"He burned his bridges after crossing the river. Since he refused to cooperate with us, naturally we can't let him have his way in everything."
The elder from the Bloodbrawlers spoke in a nonchalant tone, revealing secrets as if they were mere trifles, "As for you..."
He paused, then smiled, "Since you can't cultivate and have no access to the Way of Heaven, I have no interest in you. Letting you delve into the study of deadly poisons, playing to your strengths and talents, was the right choice. In that regard, you haven't disappointed me. You've actually concocted several impressively potent toxins."
"Tsk tsk, our sect has gained quite a few insights from the poisons you've crafted."
Admiration filled his eyes.
This admiration stemmed from the terrifyingly powerful poisons that Yu Yuan had concocted during Hong Qi's final days.
The methods used to refine these poisons, and the pharmacology they implied, were precisely what the Bloodbrawlers needed.
"The schemes and strategies of the Order of Healing are trivialities, hardly worth mentioning, so I won't elaborate further."
Before Yu Yuan could pose any further questions, Yuan Qingxi gestured with his hand, signaling an end to the conversation.
His gaze then shifted from Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit and gradually settled on White Bone, the God of Ghosts.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl.
The glance from Yu Yuan to White Bone should have been fleeting, yet it stretched out for an eternity.
He took a considerable amount of time to prepare, to adjust his emotions, to face...
When he finally laid eyes on White Bone, his look and demeanor changed abruptly!
Looking at White Bone, a sense of reverence emerged, a deep respect that came from within!
Such a look and demeanor were akin to Qin Yun's gaze upon Yu Yuan, or Yu Yiyi's expression when she realized Yu Yuan was the dragon slayer.
Yuan Qingxi's fingers, clutching the scroll, clenched tightly and trembled.
White Bone, now a God of Ghosts transformed into a tall, handsome man, was taken aback by his unusual behavior.
Yuan Qingxi's demeanor, that heartfelt reverence and worship, made White Bone sense that something was amiss.
Back when he was the Ghost King, he had secretly probed into the truth behind his previous life's demise and suspected that Yun Hao of the Skyblight Cult had encountered members of the Bloodbrawlers.
The Bloodbrawlers were the hidden puppeteers, of that he was certain.
Yuan Qingxi, in his estimation, was likely the most powerful figure within the Bloodbrawlers.
Yet, Yuan Qingxi's first glance at him, filled with overt admiration and deep-seated respect, was oddly disconcerting.
"Let those who are not involved leave first."
Yuan Qingxi's voice quivered as he addressed White Bone.
He released the Voodoo Shades he controlled, similar to Du Jing, allowing them to drift away and gradually vanish from sight.
"Those not involved?"
White Bone paused, taken aback.
"Your subordinate, Ghost King Luo Yue, is also among the uninvolved," Yuan Qingxi said, using formal language.
"Return to the Root of the Lunar Meridian."
As White Bone spoke, Luo Yue had no chance to brace herself before she felt the pull of her corresponding River Styx within the Root of the Lunar Meridian.
Whoosh!
Luo Yue vanished in an instant.
White Bone, as the God of Ghosts of the Land of Terror, was an extension of the will of the Root of the Lunar Meridian. His pronouncements were as binding as the cosmic order itself, leaving Luo Yue, the Ghost King, powerless to defy him.
"Yu Yuan, perhaps you should..."
White Bone's demeanor became peculiar, seemingly in response to Yuan Qingxi.
"No, there's no need. He has gained the recognition of the Dragon Slaying Stage and is the successor of that individual. Thus, he is relevant and need not leave," Yuan Qingxi said with a slight smile. "In my past life, Hong Qi was but a minor character, inconsequential. But this life's Yu Yuan is a different story, ever since he became connected with the Dragon Slaying Stage."
Taking a deep breath, Yuan Qingxi knelt before White Bone, pressing his forehead to the ground and cradling the rolled-up painting in both hands.
"The Bloodbrawlers' most prized treasure! The breath of a deity!"
Yu Yuan was profoundly shaken.
He was convinced that the painting Yuan Qingxi presented to White Bone, poised to hand it over, was a treasure of even greater significance than the Soul Locking Diagram and the Spectre Binding Scroll.
This was because an extraordinary rule within the Dragon Slaying Stage seemed to stir, as if to prevent the painting from being unfurled.
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