C1516 Spectral Palace
The long wind howled around the cold and silent Devil Palace. Two majestic palaces, each tens of millions of feet tall, stood proudly in this realm, unwavering for millennia. They were revered by the people of the Quietus Continent and considered sacred by all practitioners of dark arts.
Nestled between the highest palaces, a series of smaller buildings dotted the mountain landscape, with numerous towers and caves punctuating the peaks and slopes. Cultivators from the Devil Palace would spend years in these austere abodes, delving into the mysteries of the Devil Spell, forging their bodies, and safeguarding their true forms in secluded sanctuaries during battles with Yang Gods.
Atop a greyish-brown peak, Yan Lu, who had attained the Soul Wandering Stage, and a few close associates were deep in contemplation over the esoteric meanings of a fragmented Devil Spell. Abruptly, his Yin God, Heavenly Soul, and primary soul felt an overwhelming oppression. His mind, once a freely flowing sea of consciousness, seemed to solidify in an instant. The same inexplicable paralysis struck his companions.
Confused, the group looked up. Above the iron-grey palace of Zhu Zhen, two vast, mysterious rivers materialized from thin air—one crystalline, the other murky. They intertwined above the palace, cradling a massive dark green palace at their confluence. This palace, possibly the mobile abode of the Nine Underworlds' sovereign, had been concealed at the earth's core for eons, occasionally haunting the darkest recesses of nightmares.
Countless souls, ghosts, and Earth Demons that should have been in service to Zhu Zhen within the iron-grey palace walls were now writhing desperately. They were attempting to merge with the enigmatic palace suspended above.
Around this palace, the Devil Palace's disciples of the Zhu Zhen faction had erected numerous smaller structures. Some engaged in lively discussions, others meditated in silence, many crafted Magic Tools, and some sparred in secret chambers...
Then, without warning, Puff! Puff! Puff! Cultivators at the Yin God Stage, Soul Wandering Stage, and Yang God Stage, regardless of their activity, experienced the sudden and catastrophic implosion of their soul's sea of consciousness.
They perished in the blink of an eye.
Wisps of lingering malevolent and demonic thoughts drifted like tendrils of smoke, intertwining with the two celestial rivers.
Yan Lu and his companions were petrified, too terrified to move an inch.
Indeed, they were frozen in place.
A dreadful realization rose within each of them...
Should they dare to move, to attempt aid, they would meet the same fate.
Their souls would be extinguished in an instant.
Howls of anguish filled the air!
For millennia, the souls of Earth Demons and other malevolent spirits, once confined by Zhu Zhenxiao within the palace walls, pillars, and the pitch-black earth, had been transformed into myriad ghastly patterns. Now, it was as though they had been granted absolution, summoned by their deities, and empowered to break free from their bonds.
The spirits swarmed towards the enigmatic palace above, eagerly integrating themselves into it.
The majority of these spirits, whose wisdom and sentience had been sealed away, were revitalized as they soared skyward. From the palace at the confluence of the rivers, a deluge of Yin Sunflower Essence rained down upon them.
Desperate to consume the Yin Sunflower Essence, their dormant spirituality and memories were rekindled, infusing them with newfound vigor.
"Zhu Zhen Xiao! Your end has come!"
"Traitor! You should die a thousand times over!"
"Haha! Our god has returned!"
"..."
Between the two palaces, the spirits, ghosts, and formidable entities, some towering hundreds of feet tall, were enveloped in a magnetic field that twisted the very soul, bellowing at the palace below.
They were either members of the Ghost Wizard Sect or fierce, newly born Earth Demons.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two Unrestrained Stage cultivators loyal to Zhu Zhen Xiao emerged—one bursting from the palace and the other from the neighboring mountainside—revealing their colossal dharmas.
One dharma stood three thousand feet tall with eight massive arms, harboring the terror and malevolence of tens of thousands of the deceased.
The other, with a girth as broad as a mountain, was entwined with rust-streaked chains, wildly gyrating as it surged toward the celestial palace.
Youyu, his frame gaunt, drifted from the palace and descended gently.
At that moment, every creature from the Vast Ocean who had attained a certain level of cultivation and understood the mysteries of the Yin Meridian source, especially those who had ventured to Horror Land, felt a shiver deep within their souls.
Youyu, with a scroll in hand, gave a slight flick toward two Unrestrained Stage cultivators from the Devil Palace.
The formidable Unrestrained Stage cultivators, their Yin Gods, Yang Gods, and primary souls, spiraled into chaos, turning on each other in a frenzied battle that left them mentally unhinged.
Their dharmas, struck by the scroll, shattered, scattering into a shower of green, cyan, purple, and black crystals.
Both Unrestrained Stage cultivators were slain in a single confrontation.
Within the palace, Zhu Zhen let out a mournful sigh, his gaze resting on his son, whose soul had already shattered beneath a corner pillar. "Enough. Let those who are uninvolved depart."
Youyu, clutching the scroll, gave a subtle nod.
Subsequently, the cultivators who had not yet formed their Yin Gods and were under Zhu Zhen's command all heard a forgiving voice within their hearts.
"Retreat," Zhu Zhen whispered.
The next moment, Youyu unfurled the scroll, and it seemed as though another Horror Land was slowly engulfing Zhu Zhen's palace like an encroaching tide.
The watching eyes from afar began to blur.
In the Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea, the once-clear images of Lau Ying, Yu Yuan, and Jiaang Miaojie on the moonstone platform were smeared with gray ink, their clarity lost.
"How could he strike at such a time?"
As the scene became obscured, Lau Ying seemed to snap out of a trance, her face etched with incredulity.
"The Spectral Palace!"
Jiaang Miaojie inhaled sharply, awe in her eyes. "Could that be the fabled Spectral Palace, capable of traversing between the realms of the dead and the Earth Demon?"
A spark of memory ignited within Yu Yuan.
This time, without needing Jiaang Miaojie's guidance, he recognized that the Spectral Palace Youyu had refined was indeed the prized relic of the Ghost Wizard Sect.
Youyu had previously been entrusted by Yu Yuan with a mysterious scroll known as the Spectral Diagram—a spatial container housing the Spectral Palace. Within the Spectral Diagram, the Spectral Palace sat, cradled by two rivers that connected to the source of the Yin Meridian. This allowed Youyu to navigate the realms of life and death, traversing the source of the Yin Meridian, Horror Land, Foul Land, and the Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea. The Spectral Palace was also the renowned Artifact of the Ghost Wizard Sect, with Youyu as its rightful master.
"Zhu Zhenxuan is likely facing his demise," Tianzang declared as his figure gracefully descended.
"Senior Tianzang!" Jiaang Miaojie and Yu Yuan exclaimed in unison, visibly startled.
"He detained me in the Spectral Palace to seek out Xuanli. And it seems he has indeed found him," Tianzang said with a wistful smile, turning to Yu Yuan. "Although Zhu Zhenxuan has risen to be the second-in-command at the Devil Palace, the foundational Great Dao he initially grasped was actually derived from Youyu."
Yu Yuan and the others were taken aback by this revelation.
"How so?" Lau Ying asked, clearly out of the loop.
"Zhu Zhenxuan was handpicked by Yuen Qingxi and had long been integrated into the Ghost Wizard Sect. The secret arts taught to him by Yuen Qingxi, including the Metaplasia Spell and various Soul Arts you're familiar with, all stem from Youyu. Yuen Qingxi nurtured him, hastening his advancement, with the intention of one day making him one of Youyu's lieutenants," Tianzang elucidated.
"Yuen Qingxi's aim was for Zhu Zhenxuan to assist him, ensuring the awakening of his master, Youyu. From start to finish, Yuen Qingxi never intended for Zhu Zhenxuan to succeed Youyu's divine position."
"In Yuen Qingxi's eyes, that divine position is eternally reserved for Youyu. Should his master remain dormant, Yuen Qingxi would willingly wait millennia if necessary."
"Zhu Zhenxuan, a prodigy in his own right, has already achieved such mastery—why would he simply concede?" Tianzang mused. "Particularly after realizing that practitioners from the Ghost Wizard Sect are constrained by the vast rules of the ocean. Hindered by the Dragon Slash Platform, unable to ascend to divinity without toppling it, he became even more determined to shatter the status quo."
Tian Zang disclosed the hidden truth.
Yu Yuan and Jiang Miaojie had some knowledge of the underlying situation. With Tian Zang's explanation, they understood why Zhu Zhenxi had committed betrayal.
The divine path originating from Youyu, if seized after overthrowing the Dragon Slash Platform, would belong to Youyu, not Zhu Zhenxi.
Without overthrowing it, constrained by his affiliation with the Ghost Wizard Sect and the doctrines he practiced, his path to divinity was also obstructed.
For him, both options were dead ends.
Without breaking away from the Ghost Wizard Sect to seek a new divine path at the Devil Palace, he would never reach the pinnacle, nor would he achieve the highest echelon.
His only choice was to rebel.
Only through rebellion could he shatter all constraints and carve out a new paradigm.
And so, he triumphed.
After his success, he was acutely aware that a portion of his Great Dao was derived from Youyu. Should Youyu awaken and ascend to supremacy, he would naturally dominate Zhu Zhenxi.
This was akin to the Space-time Dragon's existence, which tormented Huangyin and Xuanying with unbearable pain, yet they were powerless to change their fate.
Naturally, Zhu Zhenxi was unwilling to have a rival who would eternally overshadow him after achieving godhood.
Thus, the Evil King Yu Xi renounced the Ghost Wizard Sect's teachings and blazed a new divine path within the Fiend Sect, ascending to the highest realm. But just after being revived by Yuen Qingxi, he was besieged by several peak warriors from foreign lands and was slain shortly after regaining consciousness.
Zhu Zhenxi, aware that Youyu's awakening would place him under Youyu's control, dared not reveal himself.
Instead, he orchestrated a plot to eliminate his adversary, exposing Youyu's whereabouts and prompting the peak experts from beyond to unite in an attempt to slay him.
Now, Youyu has once again ascended to the highest rank.
He proactively sought out Zhu Zhenxi. Yu Yuan was not taken aback, as he anticipated such an encounter would eventually occur.
What puzzled him was the timing of this move.
"Taishi has not awakened, and Tianqi has not provided a definitive response. He clearly lacks understanding. Through Zhu Zhenxi, he intends to inform the Divine Soul Sect and the current esteemed beings of Hao Ran what Youyu now signifies."
Tianzang inhaled deeply, "With the Spectral Palace in his possession, he stands as the first enigmatic ghost and god since ancient times. He has mastered his original divine path, the second divine path blazed by the Evil King Yu Xi, and the current path of the ghost and gods. He has penetrated the essence of all three divine paths and has successfully ascended to godhood."
"The source of the Yin Meridian is at its strongest phase and has fully awakened."
"In the vastness of Hao Ran at this moment, I doubt anyone would dare to cross him."
As he spoke, Tianzang suddenly cast his gaze toward the heavens, adding, "Particularly now, as the true form of the Devil Lord has encountered some unknown ordeal beyond the skies and has yet to return."
"Tan Xiaotian isn't present?" Yu Yuan demanded.
"Indeed, Han Miaoyuan sent a clear message to his Devil Shadow Doppelganger at the Devil Palace. He was aware of the upcoming council. Yet, after so much time, his true form has still not returned." Tianzang withdrew his gaze, then turned his attention back to the Devil Palace, remarking, "The odds are not in Zhu Zhenqi's favor."
