C1758 No Room for Negotiation!

Was Soul-Capturing a Sky Fiend or Bertain's daughter?

Yu Yuan's spirited body trembled with shock as he stared into the purple dark fire blazing within Denise's eyes.

It made sense now!

The Soul-Capturing entity that had taken over Denise had the same presence as the great Demon God Reid, bound to a corporeal body, with the same purple soul fire raging in his eye sockets.

How could Soul-Capturing, a being of extraterrestrial origin and daughter of the mighty Demon God Bertain, ascend to the role of God-King within Boulderdawn?

Yu Yuan's mind raced to the Ionodios within the Annihilation Nebula, where Boulderdawn indiscriminately recruited beings from all extraterrestrial races, teaching them Spirit Magic and embracing them as part of their sect.

Perhaps the Boulderdawn, teetering on the brink of extinction, had been desperately short of members. Situated in a far-flung corner of the cosmos, they were unable to reach or attract human cultivators.

This dire situation compelled them to extend an olive branch to the Otherkin of the extraterrestrial realms, even including the Star-Spawned Terrors, once considered their fiercest adversaries.

If Boulderdawn's Spirit Magic was largely tied to his past life, and assuming Bertain had not deceived him, then his enlightenment and the founding of Boulderdawn were guided by Bertain's hand.

He was led by Bertain to develop a complete cultivation system for the primordial spirit. If the Boulderdawn's foundational practices originated from Bertain, then naturally, a Sky Fiend would encounter no difficulties in mastering them.

Soul-Capturing showed no interest in the Spirit Magic associated with Boulderdawn, simply because she had already received it from Bertain.

For her, the widespread arcane techniques of Boulderdawn held little allure—her father would be her teacher.

Instead, she was drawn to the unique and unrelated Spirit Magic, which led her to covet the arcane secrets of the Bloodbrawlers.

With Bertain's tutelage, any Spirit Magic inherited from the Bloodbrawlers was bound to be reinvigorated, shining anew under his guidance and inspiration.

Therefore, she was able to forcibly take control of three tributaries of the Lunar Meridian within the extraterrestrial Star River.

Bertain's original soul mark originated from the Everlands, so Soul-Capturing also bore the Everlands' soul mark.

She resembled Lianjing and Huangyin, akin to an ancient and pure Terra Fiend, which allowed her to merge with the essence of the Everlands!

Being Bertain's daughter and the most promising God-King of Boulderdawn, coupled with Taishi's persuasion and the allure of Project New Everlands, Bertain naturally agreed to facilitate an alliance between Boulderdawn and the extraterrestrial races.

So, was she still his junior sister?

The same thought arose in both Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit and his corporeal form hovering above the Land of Terror.

"What's wrong with the Sky Fiend?"

She laughed softly, gazing into the deep pool that signified the Root of the Lunar Meridian, as the purple soul fire in her eyes slowly disappeared. "You're the intruder and the thief. The Everlands, this wondrous land, is my homeland as well as my father's. After he left, wounded, you sneaked in, coveting the treasures beneath the earth."

"And you? You're no different from that vile entity in the Solar Meridian."

"One more thing! Though I am a Sky Fiend, I possess a corporeal body, the body of a human. If you and Dark Phoenix could create Yu Zhu, a fusion of Demon and Terra Fiend, then my existence is just as natural."

"How could either of you compare to my father?"

Soul-Capturing taunted with a sneer.

Atop the Dragon Slaying Stage, Yu Yuan's original form was taken aback. Upon discovering this astounding truth, he suddenly realized that her upcoming challenge against Lin Daoke might indeed hold the potential for victory.

She was not only the Soul-Capturing God-King and Bertain's daughter but also the offspring of a human and a Sky Fiend.

Truly an anomaly among anomalies!

Swoosh!

A miniaturized palace soared from the direction of the Devil Palace, halting midair over the Land of Terror.

Cao Jiaze emerged from it, alone, without any Ebon Star cultivators accompanying him.

"Cao Jiaze!"

Upon his arrival, the expressions of the three Ghost Kings soured, and they immediately went on the defensive.

Cao Jiaze, alongside Yu Yuan, had once honed their skills in the Land of Terror and had clandestinely supported Ghost King Dhoreus there. Their goal was to have Dhoreus lead the Land of Terror and ascend to the status of a God of Ghosts.

Regrettably, Cao Jiaze's efforts ended in defeat, and the Ebon Star Sect's schemes crumbled.

Xuanli, upon awakening, was revealed to have been duped by Han Miaoyuan, nearly manipulated into betraying the Colddeath.

As a former ancient leader of the Bloodbrawlers, Xuanli, along with Huangyin—a favorite of the Lunar Meridian—were nearly destroyed by Han Miaoyuan. Their ties to the Terra Fiend lineage were intrinsic.

The three Ghost Kings were oblivious to the fact that the Root of the Lunar Meridian had long been in cahoots with Han Miaoyuan and the Dark Phoenix behind the scenes.

They blamed the Ebon Star Sect for their misfortunes, convinced it was all Han Miaoyuan's machinations, never suspecting any issues with the Lunar Meridian they revered.

"I came close to death."

Disregarding the Ghost Kings, Cao Jiaze maintained a distance between his palace and the Dragon Slaying Stage. With a wry smile, he spoke to Yu Yuan, "I truly have no ulterior motives. I simply wanted to come and see for myself."

Looking down, he gazed intently at the Land of Terror, a growing chill in his eyes. "I'm curious to see what's going to transpire between that thing beneath the ground and you, Yu Yuan."

Cao Jiaze and the Ebon Star Sect had detected anomalies in the Lunar Meridian, and the emergence of the Dragon Slaying Stage signaled that something was amiss.

Any other member of the Ebon Star Sect daring to appear here would likely be obliterated by Yu Yuan.

However, the Ebon Star Sect trusted that Cao Jiaze would not meet such a fate, so when he resolved to uncover the truth, they granted him permission with only a moment's hesitation.

"I've already been informed by the chamber of commerce."

Yu Yuan gave a slight nod, his eyes conveying an understanding of the truth. "If you wish to observe, then by all means do so. However, you must not descend, nor can you make an appearance in the Land of Terror."

"I wouldn't dare," Cao Jiaze said, his expression tinged with bitterness.

He feared a second attack from the Lunar Meridian beneath the Land of Terror. This was not the domain of the Ebon Star, but the Lunar Meridian's territory, and he doubted that even the pill could offer protection.

"Stand by me for support. I'll grab a few things and then leave," Soul-Capturing proposed to Yu Yuan beside the deep pool, his tone casual. "Not as this Lunar Spirit, but as your real body above. You see, it doesn't deserve much respect or kindness."

"You can either change your form to come down or keep watch from above. The Lunar Spirit is nothing but a hindrance here."

With a gentle upward flick, Soul-Capturing released the Lunar Spirit. In the depths of the silver-gray mist, countless stars sparked to life.

Exotic purple Shadowblooms unfurled amidst the mist-like clouds, colliding with the will of the Lunar Meridian.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit seemed to traverse through legions of Gloom Raiders and lost souls. It was as if he witnessed the cycle of life and death, souls descending into the Styx, purified of their corruption.

The pure soul soared toward the deep pool of the Lunar Meridian, while all manner of inner demons and vile desires were drawn toward the Defiled World.

The vision was filled with a wealth of knowledge—reincarnation, rebirth, the tempering and transformation of souls into ghosts, and more.

Before long, his Lunar Spirit had crossed the silver-gray sea of mist. Just before departing, he caught sight of a delicate purple silhouette emerging from Denise's forehead, gracefully descending into the deep pool.

A single stone caused ripples to spread a thousandfold. The deep pool, representing the Root of the Lunar Meridian, suddenly burst into thousands of soul fires.

Rules intertwined and shattered. A multitude of Mind Magic were etched and replicated, their hidden intricacies forcibly imprinted. The essence of Soul-Capturing began to disrupt the will of the Lunar Meridian within the depths of the pool.

From Yu Yuan's perspective, the divine apparition embodying the Soul-Capturing had already begun to strip away the arcane secrets of the Root of the Lunar Meridian.

There was no further opportunity for discussion.

Whoosh!

Once Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit had returned to his corporeal body, the entire Land of Terror quivered ever so slightly. Every ghost that had attained the level of a Spectre, especially those who had once encountered the River Styx within Shadow Mountain, experienced a stabbing pain in their souls.

The three Ghost Kings were no exception.

"We..."

Razses managed to utter only two words before a tremendous force of suction pulled him underground. In a flash, he merged with the River Styx, to which he could instantly teleport from any corner of the Everlands.

Luo Yue and Taruer didn't even have the chance to speak before they, too, were drawn into their respective sections of the River Styx.

Soon after, more Spectre-level ghosts active around Shadow Mountain in the Land of Terror were dragged down as if their throats had been seized.

First the Ghost Kings, then the Spectres, followed by the Celestial Shades.

Descending from the highest to the lowest, these ghosts, dependent on the Land of Terror for their existence, seemed to have their power siphoned by the underground Root of the Lunar Meridian, compelling them to join the fight against the Soul-Capturing.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

Spectres rich in Soul Power transformed into orbs of light, yanked into the depths by the Root of the Lunar Meridian to fend off the invasive will of the Soul-Capturing.

And in the blink of an eye, they were reduced to dust.

At this critical juncture, the ghosts born of the Root of the Lunar Meridian became both the weapon and the expendable force. Their fate was no longer their own to control.

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