C1757 Soulcapturing's Identity

Deep within the Star River, adjacent to the resplendent Sacred Lake, Pei Yuling bathed in its waters. Above him floated the Mirror of the Infinite, his soul consciousness extending like octopus tentacles into the lake's depths.

Beneath the surface lay a hidden Origin Gate, unknown to most.

In the Voidweaver's sacred land, amidst the lake shimmering with spatial light, Pei Yuling communicated with beings from the Origin Realm and the Abyss.

Suddenly, every Voidweaver clansperson in the vicinity experienced a momentary lapse in focus, as if their soul consciousness had been permeated by an enigmatic external force.

Even Pei Yuling, deep in meditation, looked startled and felt his mind cloud over.

Whoosh!

A striking man with iridescent eyes appeared mysteriously on the flat land. His lips curled into a subtle smile, and with calm, kind eyes, he silently observed the Voidweaver elders.

"Patriarch!"

"Patriarch Rovi!"

The sight of him stirred the Voidweavers into a frenzy, some moved to tears.

Before them stood Patriarch Rovi, long thought to have perished in the Everlands.

Pei Yuling, momentarily taken aback, gripped the Mirror of the Infinite and declared, "Rovi is dead; this cannot be him. It must be Zhong Chichen, the Chronowyrm!"

Since the Ashlands incident, Zhong Chichen had been locating and destroying Origin Gates throughout the Star Rivers, absorbing the space magic that formed them.

Now, the last remaining Origin Gate was concealed within this magnificent Sacred Lake.

Pei Yuling was aware that the Chronowyrm would eventually come seeking him. He and the Evil God of the Origin Realm had an unspoken agreement to lay in wait, ready to ensnare Zhong Chichen in their trap.

Despite the man bearing Rovi's likeness, soul, and the essence of his being, Pei Yuling remained unconvinced. He could not accept that this man was truly Rovi.

"A human has consumed the lifeblood of their ancestors and you now hail them as your new master?"

Rovi frowned, his voice and gaze seemingly possessing a bewitching power. Shaking his head, he commanded, "Kill him."

At his command, Pei Yuling was instantly demonized in the eyes of all the Voidweaver people, transformed into a revolting, monstrous outcast.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

More than a dozen elders, their bloodlines reaching the eighth level, along with two ninth-level elders, immediately unleashed their bloodline mysteries. They conjured spatial lightning from the Sacred Lake, ruthlessly striking at Pei Yuling.

The Mirror of the Infinite, like a sacred shield, positioned itself before Pei Yuling, intercepting the spatial lightning.

His soul's consciousness, adrift in the Origin Realm, urgently sought communication with its inhabitants, desperate for support and answers.

"He is the God of Ghosts, Youyu."

"The Voidweaver have succumbed to the illusion he crafted with his Mind Magic. You lack understanding of Mind Magic; you cannot shatter his Soul Illusion!"

"And him, he seeks entry into the Origin Realm!"

Whispers of souls echoed in Pei Yuling's mind.

"Who are you? You don't sound like the Origin Deity."

Youyu was taken aback, not expecting anyone to penetrate his disguise so swiftly, let alone recognize his use of the Mirage of the Mind.

The Soul Illusion, combined with the soul stone in his possession, convinced all the Voidweaver members that he was indeed the return of Rovi.

Pei Yuling, skeptical, could not pinpoint any inconsistencies and even mistook him for Zhong Chichen.

"Youyu, if you're so eager to enter the Origin Realm, why all the subterfuge? Step aside, Pei Yuling. Let the preeminent God of Ghosts from the Everlands explore the mysteries of the Origin Realm," the person said with a chuckle.

Their speech was in the classical tongue of the Everlands, tinged with an ancient resonance.

Deep within the Everlands, having absorbed and refined Rovi's soul and stripped away his memories, Youyu finally located the sacred grounds of the Voidweaver.

He had surmised that the Origin Gate must be concealed within this sacred site and had come to test his fortune.

His hunch proved correct, and he also encountered Pei Yuling, who had long pledged allegiance to the Origin Deity. Amidst the splendor of the Sacred Lake, he heard a voice that did not belong to the Origin Deity.

Youyu suddenly became cautious. He had the impression that the speaker was intimately familiar with him and was aware of his recent tribulations.

Thus, Youyu refrained from entering hastily. The iridescent glow in his eyes faded to a dull gray and white, concealing Rovi's image and revealing his true form.

"A deep nightmare."

With those words, everyone, including Pei Yuling and all the Voidweavers, were plunged into a terrifying nightmare, severing their connection with the real world.

Youyu drifted to the edge of the resplendent lake and peered down at the Origin Gate within the waters, where he could barely make out a figure. However, the figure's true face was obscured, their soul still lingering in the Origin Realm.

"Who are you?"

As Youyu inquired, he reached out through the Dark Court to the Lunar Meridian, seeking its insight, wondering if it held any recollection of this voice. He suspected that this person might also be known to the Lunar Meridian.

"Ugh!"

Youyu's brow furrowed in surprise as he discovered that his connection to the Root of the Lunar Meridian had been severed. It wasn't due to any barrier or deception of his senses; there was simply no response from the Lunar Meridian.

"It..."

Youyu's mind raced as he tried to fathom what had happened.

"A new God-King from Boulderdawn has gone to the Everlands in secret, aiming to acquire something from the Root of the Lunar Meridian before solidifying his divine throne," the voice from the Origin Realm said with a light laugh.

"Soul-Capturing!"

Having encountered the Soul-Capturing God-King in the extraterrestrial Everlands, who had infiltrated the river he manifested and left both him and the Lunar Meridian powerless, Youyu now connected the dots from the speaker's words and instantly knew who had targeted the Lunar Meridian.

"The Taiyin has reached the Land of Terror. Are you going to feign ignorance and not return to the Everlands to rescue me, or will you head back immediately to confront both Taiyin and Soul-Capturing? Hehe, I'd wager that Yu Zhu from the Dark Star, unable to sense it just like you, won't be in a hurry to return to the Everlands either."

"That's because unless she takes the initiative to summon Yu Zhu and issues a clear command, Yu Zhu won't make a move."

"What about you?" the person asked, smiling.

"You're aware that he is Taiyin, and that you're in the Origin Realm. You really are still alive!" Youyu exclaimed, astonished.

"Well, I suppose I am alive, in a manner of speaking. I've just transformed into an Evil God of the Origin Realm. But honestly, it's not too bad," the person said, chuckling. "I want Han Miaoyuan and the Dark Phoenix dead. I want chaos to erupt in both worlds. I'm eager to witness the collapse and shattering of the Abyssal Gate."

"Youyu, I'll be waiting for you here. You can come now, or you can come another time."

"Next time it is, then."

With that, Youyu vanished abruptly.

...

Land of Terror.

Yu Yuan, the Lunar Spirit, effortlessly traversed the River Styx and soared to the underground.

He encountered Denise of the Starborn, her eyes ablaze with purple dark fire.

It seemed as though Denise had been overtaken by a Star-Spawned Terror.

Denise gave him a slight smile, the purple dark fire in her eyes intensifying as if his arrival was no surprise.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Broad rivers of souls from various directions merged into a deep pool, where pure souls resided and specks of Shadow Moon Essence appeared to be condensing at the bottom.

Root of the Lunar Meridian!

Upon glimpsing the deep pool, Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit felt an irresistible pull. He yearned to dive in and have the pool purify his soul.

This thought had barely formed when his Lunar Spirit darted towards the pool, beyond his control.

Suddenly, he snapped back to clarity and realized Denise had gently extended her hand, catching his soul.

"Why the rush to come here?" Denise's voice, rich and velvety, drifted leisurely from her lips. She didn't look at Yu Yuan's halted Lunar Spirit but instead gazed into the deep pool. "You might as well act as if you're oblivious. Or do you still harbor some affection for it, hoping to persuade me to relent?"

Turning to face him, her eyes—alive with swirling purple dark fire—sparkled with sly intelligence.

She gazed at Yu Yuan with a low chuckle, "I'm part of Boulderdawn, but do you have any idea why our sect from beyond the stars can genuinely earn the trust and support of the mighty Demon God, Bertain?"

"Why?" Yu Yuan asked, taken aback.

"She is a Sky Fiend!" The voice of the Lunar Meridian echoed from the depths.

"Because Bertain is my father," she revealed.

Then she gave Yu Yuan a playful wink.

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