C1503 There Was Another Hidden Reason

"Ghost Wizard Sect, Youyu..."

Ann Wen, clad in a vibrant red robe with skin so pale that even his subdermal blood vessels were visible, muttered under his breath.

His robe was embellished with blood-red jade, and on his hand, he sported a Universe Ring crafted from chicken blood stone. Blood snake earrings dangled from his ears.

He was a vision in sinister red.

Perched atop a shattered cliff, he gazed out at a landscape dotted with palaces, where scarlet banners fluttered in the breeze. Below, disciples poured buckets of blood into pools that dotted the area.

In the blood-red, mist-enshrouded ponds, numerous men and women practiced the Blood Refining Technique in the nude.

This was the stronghold of the Blood God Cult.

"It's been quite the task to keep this hidden from me."

Ann Wen chuckled eerily as he faced Horror Land.

"What's so amusing?"

Ann Ziqing had rushed over, shocked after hearing the news from the Babel Chamber of Commerce.

"That old coot, Yuan Qing, has been deceiving me for years," Ann Wen grumbled.

"Yuan Qing?" Ann Ziqing echoed, taken aback.

"Yes, the very Yuan Qingxi the Babel Chamber of Commerce spoke of. I've had dealings with him before, conducted business behind the scenes. He's privy to many secrets and possesses a collection of ancient artifacts—all of them treasures," Ann Wen remarked offhandedly. "Do you know why I rescued the Initial Spirit Ghost King?"

"It wasn't just a coincidence?" Ann Ziqing asked, astonished.

When she visited Horror Land to purify her Yin God, it was the Initial Spirit Ghost King who had hosted her. Before advancing to a Ghost King, the Initial Spirit had recognized the potential in the white bone and had even taken her on a tour of Horror Land.

The Initial Spirit Ghost King's generous hospitality was undoubtedly due to Ann Wen's prior assistance.

The word outside was that the Initial Spirit had ventured away from Horror Land in his early years and attracted the attention of the Thunder Sect and Spirit Void Sect's powerhouses. He nearly met his end at their hands, but Ann Wen's timely intervention saved him from certain doom.

Subsequently, the Initial Spirit was a guest at the Blood God Cult for a time. Thanks to Ann Wen's aid, upon his return to Horror Land, he smoothly ascended to the rank of Ghost King.

The Initial Spirit was the youngest Ghost King of his time.

"Yuan Qing, no, I mean Yuan Qingxi, that old coot, struck a deal with me to rescue the Initial Spirit. This old coot has been reincarnating multiple times in an attempt to extend his life. Before the Initial Spirit became a ghost, he was likely the great-grandson of that old coot. The Mindlock Diagram that the Initial Spirit wielded was also given to him under the old coot's arrangement."

"The Mindlock Diagram is an artifact of the Ghost Wizard Sect, and the old coot is the sect's patriarch, with the Initial Spirit being his great-grandson."

Ann Wen narrowed his eyes, a cold smirk playing on his lips.

"The Initial Spirit is a descendant of Yuan Qingxi?" Ann Ziqing was dumbfounded.

"Well, since Yu Xi is actually Youyu, and the old coot is Youyu's lapdog, I'm afraid he's out of my reach," Ann Wen mused, gazing toward Horror Land. "The Fiend Sect, Ghost Wizard Sect, and Voodoo Cult might not be intimidating on their own, but if those three sects join forces, along with Youyu and the old coot..."

"Tsk tsk, Zhu Zhenqi is certainly in for a rough time!"

Ann Wen couldn't help but revel in schadenfreude, his mouth twisting into a bizarre grin. "Zhu Zhenqi was planning to confront me at the Blood God Cult, and I had been preparing for it. Now that he's aware my old friend is Youyu, I bet he's losing sleep over it."

...

Within the Dark Mountain, as luminous as silver, lay Horror Land.

Yuan Qingxi, his body enshrouded by a scroll, stooped and bowed his head as he reported to Youyu on the Ghost Wizard Sect's current state and the number of survivors within the spacious stone hall of the cave.

Whoosh!

The woman from the Ghost Wizard Sect, draped in the Ghost Feeding Diagram, whom Yu Yuan and Loong Jie had previously encountered at the bottom of the sea, stepped inside after being granted permission.

Upon entering, she immediately knelt down before Youyu, her voice soft and frail, "Lianjing pays her respects to Lord Youyu. Congratulations on your awakening."

"Stand," Youyu commanded, his tone detached.

Lianjing, the Ghost Wizard Sect's matriarch, then rose to her feet with a smile.

In that moment, Youyu learned from Yuan Qingxi that the Initial Spirit Ghost King under his command was indeed Yuan Qingxi's progeny.

Yuen Qingxi was well aware that the Mindlock Diagram could be remotely restricted by Lianjing, although it was merely a ploy to sow chaos intentionally. Having invested considerable effort to elevate Initial Spirit to the rank of Ghost King and bestowing upon him the Mindlock Diagram, Yuen Qingxi certainly had no intention of causing him harm. Moreover, the secret arts that Initial Spirit practiced were deliberately made accessible to him by Yuen Qingxi through alternative means.

The Initial Spirit, who had become the youngest Ghost King in Horror Land, consistently managed to turn peril into opportunity at critical moments, thanks in no small part to Yuen Qingxi's clandestine support. Unbeknownst to him, Initial Spirit was inherently a member of the Ghost Wizard Sect.

Similarly, Luohou, formerly the leader of the Voodoo Cult, owed her miraculous survival and subsequent cultivation in Horror Land to Yuen Qingxi's intervention. Luo Yue was handpicked by Yuen Qingxi to be a future member of the Ghost Wizard Sect.

Both individuals, as he had hoped, became close associates of Youyu, proving to be invaluable lieutenants under his command.

"The Ghost Feeding Diagram bears the imprint of my master. I implore you, Lord Youyu, to assist us in locating him. Despite the passage of tens of thousands of years, I am certain he still exists. Yet, despite my exhaustive search, his current identity eludes me," Lianjing respectfully presented the Ghost Feeding Diagram with both hands.

She had journeyed to Horror Land as a soul spirit, and even without the Ghost Feeding Diagram's protection, she remained unharmed. This was in contrast to Yuen Qingxi, who, being corporeal, required the protective embrace of the Ghoul Glyph Sect's artifact.

"Master, we've been without news of Xuanli. Given your ability to commune with the source of the Yin Meridian and your ascension to a Yin God, perhaps you could use the Ghost Feeding Diagram to unearth him," Yuen Qingxi said, his face alight with hope. "Hao Yue, we owe Xuanli a divine seat!"

With Youyu's return, and should Xuanli also reemerge as a Primordial Spirit, the Ghost Wizard Sect would boast two formidable leaders. The potential unification of the Voodoo Cult, Ghoul Glyph Sect, and Fiend Sect under their guidance... Yuen Qingxi could almost envision the grandeur of bygone days.

"I can find him."

The instant Youyu clasped the Ghost Feeding Diagram, he sensed Xuanli's lingering presence and was certain of it.

Yuen Qingxi and Lianjing were immediately thrilled.

...

In the Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea, Yu Yuan and Lau Ying, long-time friends, were catching up under the night sky, sharing tales of their adventures beyond the heavens.

Tan Junshan had departed, Chen Liangquan had left, and even the old dragon had rushed back to Dragon Island to inform the elders of the Naga that Zhong Chichen was their forebear, and he had successfully awakened.

The old dragon had preparations to make.

Du Yazi and the others were astounded to learn that Zhong Chichen was the reincarnation of the Space-time Dragon, their jaws hitting the floor. Yu Yuan then banished them, instructing them to return to the Medicine God Sect and await further news.

Lacking a leader, they had no choice but to comply and depart.

Without the need for the Ghosts Poisoning Array's protection, the humble huts where Yu Yuan resided became a sanctuary within the Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea, a place even the malevolent creatures dared not tread.

This gave Yu Yuan and Lau Ying ample time for leisurely conversation.

"Oh my, bathed in moonlight, such a romantic scene. I hope I'm not interrupting," said Ann Ziqing, arriving in a flowing purple gown under the chilly moonlight.

Her eyes danced with teasing and scorn. "My dear young master, I've been pining for your visit at the Blood God Cult for so long, and yet you never showed. It seems you've been too captivated by charming company to remember your way back."

"Witch An, what brings you here?" Lau Ying asked with a furrowed brow.

"I've come to fetch our young master."

Yu Yuan was about to respond when his attention was suddenly drawn to a shadowy figure skulking along the fringes of the Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea.

…