C1779 Ghost Tide

In his time, Jihui was renowned as a sage throughout the world.

Holding the Wraithbanner, Yu Yuan hoped to find a way to quell the impending surge of Voodoo Shades, spawned by the disturbance in the Lunar Meridian.

Yet, from Jihui's indifferent tone and demeanor, it was clear he had no concern for the overflow of Voodoo Shades; in fact, he seemed to relish their increasing numbers.

The fate of the Everlands' inhabitants, whether they would succumb to a fate akin to the Wraithlands, was of no consequence to Jihui.

If the Voodoo Shades were not swiftly eradicated, they would spread from the Serpent Spine Mountains to the neighboring Crimson Sun Empire and Silvermoon Empire.

Voodoo Shades instinctively prey on mortals and cultivators alike.

Mortals risked being eradicated en masse, their souls reduced to feeble ghosts, while powerful cultivators at the Lunar Spirit level, once slain by Voodoo Shades, were likely to become new ones.

Should this trend continue, the vast Everlands could indeed become a new Wraithlands.

Yu Yuan had a creeping suspicion that if the Everlands truly became the soul-infested Land of Terror as Jiang Xingwen described, the suppressed Root of the Lunar Meridian in the Land of Terror might be rekindled!

"Voodoo Shades, once consumed by the Crucible of Evil, can be easily transformed into Banes. The Soulforge Pool, taken by Taishi, can also process these so-called Voodoo Shades."

Jihui's ethereal spirit, housed within the massive flag, swayed like a demon with the flag's movements.

Ripples gently spread as slender space rifts emerged in the Serpent Spine Mountains, tearing through the Sundering Isles where Voodoo Shades roamed, cutting across the plaza of Abyssal Dawn, and briefly appearing within the domain of Binders of Shadows, controlled by Xuanli.

Each space rift shimmered with an eerie greenish-black light, emanating the Wraithbanner's enigmatic pull.

It was then that the scattered experts realized that Jihui, the God-King returned from the Abyss, possessed the power to effortlessly transport those transformed into shadowmancers to the deep valley where he resided.

He could cast each Voodoo Shade into the Origin Realm with ease!

Beyond his mastery of Mind Magic, the Jihui God-King had also deciphered the space rules. His grasp of the Everlands' profound meanings rivaled that of the Seven-Colored Dragon.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Not being crushed to death by Xuan Ge with an ancient tome, the Lunar Spirit underwent a complete metamorphosis into a Voodoo Shade. Like a ravenous beast that had been starved for eons, it caught the scent of blood and recklessly lunged toward the void crack.

This spectacle unfolded across the Sundering Isles, Abyssal Dawn, and various realms afflicted by the Voodoo Shade plague, particularly within the Abyssal Dawn.

Nearly every cultivator of the Abyssal Dawn, including those revered as Grand Elders, had their Mindscape tainted by the Voodoo Shade's spell, transforming them into fearsome Voodoo Shades. These once esteemed individuals streamed in succession into the space rift and vanished.

In an instant, the once vibrant Abyssal Dawn was shrouded in a silence as profound as death itself. Younger cultivators who had not ascended to the Lunar Spirit stage and were slain by their own peers lay in pools of their own blood. Their souls, carrying a mix of fear and confusion, were also swayed by the Wraithbanner.

Like the Voodoo Shades, they too charged toward the void crack opened by Jihui, only to be drawn to Skyreach Peak.

"Let the flesh and blood remain," murmured Jihui from within the Wraithbanner, and the Voodoo Shades that had traversed the space rift collapsed limply to the ground.

A horde of green Voodoo Shades, their spirited bodies radiating ferocity, surged toward the open Origin Gate.

Beside the newly erected Origin Gate, a chilling scene of scattered corpses spoke volumes of the calamity's brutality.

The Wraithbanner rippled in the wind, its ghastly patterns resembling a host of laughing ghosts, casting an eerie and terrifying aura around the obscured Jihui within.

"Monster!"

"He has plummeted into the Abyss, becoming a demon of its depths! He is no longer the Jihui God-King but an alien from the Abyss!"

"Perhaps Han Miaoyuan was correct; those so-called God-Kings from Boulderdawn are all extreme aberrations!"

Onlookers from Ebon Star, Sunlit Order, and Sword Sect, who had been intently observing the Wraithbanner, now felt a bone-chilling cold.

In their eyes, the once legendary God-King Jihui had turned into the very wellspring of sin in the Everlands.

"Master!"

Hovering in midair, Lianjing's brow was marked by a writhing orb of blood light.

She was shielded by Xuanli's vital energy, rendering the Voodoo Charms that surged from below incapable of breaching her Mindscape.

"The power of the new Voodoo Charms escalates with the strength of their victims!"

Lianjing, noticing Yuan Qingxi ascending with a ghastly pallor, urgently added, "When cultivators at the Solar Spirit Realm succumb to transformation, the Voodoo Charms born from them can erode peers of their realm. And for those of us in the Unbound Realm, should we fall prey to these charms during our transformation, even Old Yuan and I could be compromised!"

Several triangular Voodoo Charms, emanating a chilling green spectral light, drifted in the valley below like lost souls in search of sustenance.

These charms originated from an Unbound Realm cultivator of the Binders of Shadows!

A reclusive member of the Binders of Shadows, now a thrall to the Lunar Meridian, had consumed his Solar Spirit and dominant soul. In the throes of becoming a Voodoo Shade, he spawned several of these triangular spells.

The triangular Voodoo Charms targeted Yuan Qingxi, Lianjing, and cultivators like Lin Tianming of the Unbound Realm!

Thankfully, the seasoned members of the Bloodbrawlers, well-versed in the traits of the Voodoo Charms, had sensed the danger early and taken to the skies in time.

Otherwise, the outcome would have been dire!

"Do not hinder those transformed into shadowmancers as they surge toward the space rift opened by Jihui. Let them pass! They are already deceased, transformed into malevolent entities. Until we devise a means to handle them, allowing them into Jihui's Origin Realm might not be detrimental," Xuanli decisively commanded, permitting the shadowmancers to assault the space rift.

"Yuan Qingxi, Lianjing, relay a message to the Skyreach Consortium! Inform them that when Unbound Realm cultivators become shadowmancers, the Voodoo Charms they spawn will first seek out cultivators of their own realm! The Unbound Realm harbors the mightiest cultivators in the Everlands. Should they fall victim to the Voodoo Charms, it could spell the end for the Everlands!"

As the leader of the Bloodbrawlers, Xuanli issued a few commands before suddenly declaring, "I need to see Yu Yuan!"

"Yu Yuan?"

Yuan Qingxi and Lianjing were taken aback.

They were puzzled as to why Xuanli was so adamant about meeting Yu Yuan during such a perilous time. Could Yu Yuan possibly have a solution to the Voodoo Shade crisis?

...

"What do we do?"

In the midst of the chaos, Xuan Ge, exhausted from his efforts, had just escorted dozens to the Dragon Slaying Stage. He gestured towards the Voodoo Shades, "Should we prevent them from entering the space rift? There's no chance of saving them if they go through. Yet, if we don't eliminate them, they'll pose a threat to others."

"Maybe..."

Xuan Ge paused briefly before suggesting, "Entering the space rift to reach the Origin Realm under Jihui's control might not be such a bad idea."

He had also witnessed the Wraithbanner on the platform and overheard the conversation between Yu Yuan and Jihui.

"If they can't be saved, then we must act swiftly to destroy them. Utilizing Jihui's Origin Realm and the summoning power of the Wraithbanner could be our solution."

Xuan Ge voiced his stance quietly, his heart filled with trepidation, wary of inadvertently provoking Yu Yuan.

"I'm working on a plan."

Yu Yuan's expression was somber as he gazed towards the Moonfall Sanctuary, counting silently to himself, "One, two, three, four, five!"

With a whoosh, the Crucible of Evil that he had cast into the Ashlands returned from a junction within the Domain Channel back to the sanctuary, then made its way directly towards the Serpent Spine Mountains.

In a flash, the Crucible of Evil arrived at the location of Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit, its opening facing downward.

Jiang Xingwen let out a cryptic smile, seemingly anticipating what was to come. Without any resistance, she sat down where she was, "Death doesn't scare me. My Lunar Spirit bears a mark. If it can escape, if it can be free, it will revive me, and I will emerge as a new Ghost King under its command!"

"Still the Ghost King who reigns over the Voodoo Shade!"

The Crucible of Evil descended upon Yu Yuan, swiftly enveloping Jiang Xingwen, the disciples of Abyssal Dawn, the Su family, and then flew towards Yu Yuan himself. In no time, Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit was restored, and as the Crucible of Evil diminished in size, he effortlessly held it in his left hand.

"Master!"

"Greetings, Master!"

"Greetings, Master!"

Apart from Yu Yiyi, the Frost Queen and the other formidable Banes, now with their spiritual wisdom restored, emerged from the great cauldron, bowing deeply before him.

"Go!"

At his command, the Banes howled as they surged forth, targeting the Shadowmancers.

"I'm not vying with you for sustenance; I simply don't wish to see your plans succeed."

The Banes launched their assault on the irredeemable Voodoo Shades, while the Dragon Slaying Stage shrank in an instant, now held in his grasp as he activated the power of spatial teleportation.

Yu Yuan crossed over to Skyreach Peak, standing before the deep valley, his gaze fixed upon the swaying Wraithbanner.

Here, in the Everlands, the exalted beings and Dark Deities had convened to discuss the eradication of the Origin Gate, leading to the deaths of Ji Tianyu and Yuwen Hao, and the divine ascension of Zhong Chichen and Loong Jie.

"Jihui was correct; unless you can break the Voodoo Charm, you won't be able to avert this disaster."

The Demon Lord's Ebon Meditation Mat glided towards him, and he materialized above it, massaging his brow as he squinted at the newly constructed Origin Gate with a smirk. "I can sense it—my dark soul is being revered by the Darklords of the Abyss. They revere me as the new Dark Deity!"

"Haha!"

Tan Xiaotian's laughter boomed unrestrained. "Jihui has done me a great favor, allowing me to truly connect with the dark creatures of the Abyss. In this situation, if he devours some of the Voodoo Shades that you can't handle, he's actually helping everyone out. So, don't interfere with him, and please, don't stir up trouble, alright?"

The Demon Lord's chuckle was tinged with menace as a dangerous gleam shone from the depths of his obsidian eyes. "The rise of the Voodoo Shades is also due to Boulderdawn's mishandling of the Lunar Meridian. It's a problem of your own making."

"So, I'm here to take care of it."

With those words, Yu Yuan reached out towards the Wraithbanner. "Hand it over. This flag was allocated to you back then; it was never your personal property. It belongs to Boulderdawn. Now that you're part of the Abyss, the Wraithbanner should rightfully be returned."

Jihui chuckled softly and stated crisply, "No."

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