C1460 Colorful Lake
Beneath the surface lay the Foul World.
Yu Yuan's Yin God soared alongside the white bone clutching the scroll and Yuen Qingxi.
The vicious souls and demons that should have been howling everywhere were instinctively filled with fear and gave them a wide berth.
The white bone never unfurled the scroll. Along the way, he would sporadically ask questions as they occurred to him.
Yuen Qingxi always remained deferential, answering any question the white bone had thoroughly and in great detail.
Neither the white bone nor Yuen Qingxi concealed anything from Yu Yuan, allowing him to uncover numerous secrets.
Yuen Qingxi revealed that the white bone had perished in the conflict among gods, demons, and monsters...
Yet, the white bone had long ago prepared a contingency with the Ghost Wizard Sect's secret arts. After his demise, this contingency sprang into action, transforming into the Sect's anomaly—the Asura.
He transmuted his residual spirit into the Asura, his most adept form, to continue his existence in the world.
Initially, the Asura was exceedingly feeble. After lying dormant for tens of thousands of years, it abruptly awoke in Horror Land.
Gradually, it evolved and amassed power, eventually becoming the Ghost King, Youling.
Youling was the Asura crafted from his lingering spirit.
To evade detection and prevent mishaps, the Asura sealed all its past life's memories, etching them onto the unopened scroll.
The Asura emerged in Horror Land after tens of thousands of years, partly waiting for the era and sway of the Divine Soul Sect to wane.
Moreover, it required an extensive period to engrave its former memories and experiences onto the scroll.
At the moment of emergence, Youling was a blank slate, a true newborn.
Starting from the lowest creatures of Horror Land, he gradually grew in strength, ascending to a Ghost King capable of challenging Mingdu!
It is worth noting that the fabled Mingdu, born at the source of the Yin Meridians, was exceptionally favored.
That Youling, from the same era, posed a threat to Mingdu speaks volumes of his formidable power.
Youling was well aware that the Horror Land could not spawn ghosts or gods in that era, so he resolutely chose to reincarnate.
This led to the rise of the Evil King, Yu Xi.
From his birth to his reincarnation, because he had not ascended to godhood, Yuan Qingxi did not present the painting to Youling, nor did he attempt to awaken him.
For the consequence of awakening was singular and grim—death.
Only after the Evil King had transcended to the Primordial Spirit and ventured into the Outland Star River did Yuan Qingxi obey his command and discreetly locate him.
Yet, destiny proved inescapable, and he perished nonetheless.
"That despicable Zhu Zhenxuan, that damned traitor! The Ghost Wizard Sect made him who he was, and though he was one of us, he betrayed us and turned his blade against us!"
Yuan Qingxi spewed his curses with venom.
The Yin God within the Dragon Slash Platform stirred at his words.
Zhu Zhenxuan, the second-in-command of the Devil Palace, had his origins in the Ghost Wizard Sect!
One of the Devil Palace's Primordial Spirits was, in fact, once affiliated with this enigmatic sect!
"He was once with us?"
Even Bai Gu was taken aback. In his past life as Yu Xi, the Evil King, he recalled Zhu Zhenxuan's malice and antagonism and had surmised that Yun Hao had allied with him. Yet, the revelation that Zhu Zhenxuan was part of the Ghost Wizard Sect was unforeseen.
"Because he was privy to our knowledge, and because of his exceptional talent, we entrusted him with too many secrets. That's how he knew you were once one of our leaders. My oversight was grave; my failure to plan meticulously led to your demise beyond the heavens seven hundred years ago."
Yuan Qingxi was consumed by deep self-reproach.
"I understand," Bai Gu acknowledged with a subtle nod, his gaze devoid of any discernible emotion. It seemed as though he had been privy to so many secrets that nothing could surprise him anymore.
"This lifetime is different! You are unbeatable in the Horror Land and here!"
"Here, no Primordial Spirit can vanquish you! Moreover, with the Divine Soul Sect and the five paramount forces at an impasse, we find our opportunity!"
Yuan Qingxi's gaze was ablaze with fervor.
Even as a Primordial Spirit, the Evil King Yu Xi would meet his end if encircled by the peak warriors of the Outland Star River.
The Ghost White Bone stood fearless before the other supreme beings in both the Horror Land and the Foul World before him.
This is why Yuen Qingxi had presented the scroll.
He aimed to prevent his true awakening from being discovered, which could lead to his misfortune once again.
"Based on your words, Zhu Zhenxiong should have known that I am the leader of the Ghost Wizard Sect. I had announced my identity as Yu Xi to the outside world when I was on the verge of becoming a ghost..."
"Why then did he and those who wish for my death not show up in the Horror Land?" Bai Gu inquired further.
"The Divine Soul Sect has returned, and the demise of the Ghost Wizard Sect was their doing. I personally believe that the five supreme forces might also relish the thought of you, the Ghost Wizard Sect's leader, drawing your blade against the Divine Soul Sect," Yuen Qingxi elucidated.
Bai Gu uttered an "Oh" and lapsed into contemplative silence.
Throughout their conversation, he never glanced at the Dragon Slash Platform or Yu Yuan.
Yu Yuan, having lost contact with his true form, remained silent from start to finish, like an outsider, merely listening.
And so, they reached the location where the Evil Cauldron was ensnared.
The lake, permeated with a foul aura, displayed seven colors as if mixed with seven different paints, creating an oddly beautiful sight.
Above the Colorful Lake hung a thick, toxic miasma, teeming with innumerable Earth Demons.
A grotesquely swollen demon, resembling a small mountain within the Colorful Lake, was covered in revolting tentacles.
These tentacles entwined the Evil Cauldron, pinning it down in the Colorful Lake, the demon appearing to be comprised of numerous Devil Souls' consciousnesses.
He was engaged in a monologue, arguing and debating with himself.
At what seemed to be the head of the demon, a figure sat with bowed head, as if lost in thought.
The Dragon Slash Platform halted at the lake's edge, the Evil Cauldron visible ahead, ensnared by countless tentacles. Yet, at that moment, his Yin God frustratingly failed to sense Yu Yiyi.
Still, he was certain that Yu Yiyi was there, inside the cauldron.
The waters of the Colorful Lake, a sediment of poison and filth, were the distilled essence of the Foul World's abilities. The miasma clouds floating on the surface were akin to those of the Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea.
He began to suspect that the pervasive miasma clouds of the Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea were actually rising from the Colorful Lake.
While pondering this, his Yin God gazed upward from the Dragon Slash Platform and noticed that the miasma above the lake seemed to form a direct path to the surface.
"Could it be that the Iridescent Cloud Miaspace Sea is above us? Is this the vast and mysterious forbidden territory?"
The thought involuntarily crossed his mind.
"Sir."
At that moment, Yuen Qingxi approached the Colorful Lake. He observed the bloated Earth Demon and the enigmatic figure lost in contemplation. "I require an item."
His demeanor, as he spoke, reverted to its usual cold and haughty nature.
It seemed that only in the presence of white bones would he soften, revealing a semblance of humility.
Beyond that, Yuen Qingxi had never bowed to anyone, nor had anyone ever managed to make him speak with anything less than his full pride.
Not the Primordial Spirits, not the Demon Gods.
Not even the Earth Demon before him, despite being a staunch ally.
"Yuen Qingxi, what is it that you desire?"
"You're not after the Evil Cauldron, are you?"
"We went through great lengths to obtain it, and now you simply demand it?"
A cacophony of voices erupted from the mass of tentacles on the corpulent demon, as if a multitude were speaking and challenging Yuen Qingxi together.
With an impassive face, Yuen Qingxi reiterated, "The Evil Cauldron is what I seek."
"Give it to him."
The contemplative stranger uttered softly, head bowed.
"Oh, very well."
The bulky demon, with all its mouths, echoed the sentiment. It then unwound its tentacles from the Evil Cauldron, revealing it.
Yu Yuan and Yu Yiyi instantly reconnected.
"Run! We must hurry!"
Yu Yiyi's piercing scream rang out.
