C1779 Ghost Tide

In his time, Wisdom Divine King was renowned as a sage of great intellect.

With the Soul Summoning Flag in hand, Yu Yuan hoped to find a way to quell the impending Asura tide brought on by the Yin Meridians.

Yet, from Wisdom Divine King's words and his current demeanor, it was clear that he was indifferent to the Asura's proliferation; in fact, he seemed to relish the prospect of more Asura emerging.

The fate of all living creatures, whether they would succumb to a fate akin to that of ghastly spirits, was of no concern to him.

If the creatures that had transformed into Asura were not swiftly dealt with, they would spread from Jade Peak to the neighboring Rainier and Silvermoon Empires.

The Asura would naturally prey on mortals and practitioners from the various empires.

Mortals could face extinction on a massive scale, their souls reduced to feeble spirits and ghosts. Meanwhile, powerful cultivators who had reached the Yin God Stage might, upon being slain by Asura, become new Asura themselves.

Continuing down this path, the vast expanse of the Ocean could indeed become a realm of dread.

Yu Yuan had an inkling that if the Ocean truly became the realm of spirits and ghastly creatures as Jiang Xingwen had described, and was suppressed at the source of the Yin Meridians in Horror Land, it might experience a resurgence.

"Asura, once consumed by the Evil Cauldron, can easily be turned into Evil Demons. Even the Soul Transformation Pool, which Taishi took away, can refine these so-called Asura."

The ethereal ghost of Wisdom Divine King, within the colossal green-black flag, swayed like a demon with the flag's movements.

Ripples gently spread as slender spatial fissures manifested across Jade Peak, tearing through the Crack Archipelago where Asura roamed, cutting across the Taiyuan Sect's plaza, and suddenly appearing under the control of Xuanli at the Ghoul Glyph Sect.

Each tear in space shimmered with a greenish-black glow, accompanied by the enigmatic pull of the Soul Summoning Flag.

It was at this moment that the scattered powerhouses came to a startling realization: the Wisdom Divine King, returned from the abyss, possessed the effortless ability to gather those turned Asura and bring them to his secluded valley.

He could cast each Asura into the Origin Realm at will!

Beyond his mastery of the secret arts of the soul, the Wisdom Divine King had also unraveled the mysteries of spatial laws. His grasp of the cosmic secrets of the vast void was surely on par with that of the Seven-colored Dragon.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Those who were not crushed to death by Xuan Ge with the ancient tome underwent a complete metamorphosis from Yin God to Asura. Like ravenous beasts starved for eons, they caught the scent of blood and mindlessly hurled themselves toward the gaping rifts in space.

This spectacle unfolded across the Crack Archipelago, the Taiyuan Sect, and various other realms afflicted by the Asuras.

The Taiyuan Sect was particularly affected.

Nearly every practitioner there, including the so-called Grand Elders, had their souls and consciousness tainted by the Asura Curse, transforming into fearsome Asuras.

These once-venerated figures lined up to vanish into the spatial rifts.

In a mere moment, the once lively Taiyuan Sect fell into a hush as profound as the grave.

Younger cultivators who had not attained the Yin God Stage, slain by their own transformed brethren, lay in pools of their own blood. Their souls and remnants, gripped by terror, were inexplicably drawn to the Soul Summoning Flag.

Like the Asuras, they too charged at the void torn open by the Wisdom Divine King and were taken to the Ascension Mountain Range.

"Leave your corporeal forms behind."

The voice from within the Soul Summoning Flag spoke softly, and the Asuras that had passed through the rift collapsed limply to the ground.

A horde of sinister, green Asuras, composed of pure spirit, surged toward the open Origin Realm Gate.

Beside the newly erected Origin Realm Gate, the ground was littered with lifeless bodies, a silent testament to the brutality of the disaster.

The Soul Summoning Flag billowed, its ghastly patterns rippling as if a host of demons were cackling, casting an indescribably ominous and terrifying aura around the Wisdom Divine King.

"Fiend!"

"He has descended into the abyss, becoming a demon of its depths! He is no longer the Wisdom Divine King, but an aberration from the abyss!"

"Han Miaoyuan may have been correct; those so-called Divine Kings from the Divine Soul Sect are all extreme aberrations!"

Observers from the Profound Sky Sect, the Primordial Yang Sect, and the Sword Sect, stationed on the distant moon, watched the Soul Summoning Flag intently, shivering with a bone-deep cold.

In their eyes, the Wisdom Divine King, a figure of legend, had become the very embodiment of sin!

"Master!"

From the Ghost Wizard Sect's ranks, Lianjing hovered in midair, a pulsating orb of bloodlight at her brow. She was shielded by Xuanli's blood energy, which rendered the Asura Talismans that surged upward ineffective, unable to breach the protective glow or infiltrate her spirit.

"The power of the new Asura Talismans scales with the strength of their victims!" Lianjing exclaimed. Noticing Yuen Qingxi ascending with a ghastly pallor, she urgently added, "When Yang God Stage practitioners succumb to transformation into Asuras, the talismans they spawn can corrupt peers of their realm. And should an Unrestrained Stage cultivator fall prey to these talismans, the resulting Asura could ensnare both myself and Elder Yuan!"

Several triangular Asura Talismans, emanating a chilling green spectral light, drifted in the valley below, like lost spirits in search of sustenance. These talismans originated from a formidable Unrestrained Stage practitioner of the Ghoul Glyph Sect.

A reclusive member of the Ghoul Glyph Sect had, unbeknownst to all, become a thrall to the Yin forces. In consuming his Yang God and primary soul, he birthed several triangular glyphs upon his transformation into an Asura.

The triangular Asura Talismans targeted Yuen Qingxi, Lianjing, and other Unrestrained Stage cultivators like Lin Tianming. Thankfully, the seasoned members of the Ghost Wizard Sect, such as Yuen Qingxi and Lianjing, were well-versed in the traits of these talismans and had sensed the danger early enough to take flight.

Otherwise, the outcome would have been catastrophic!

"Do not hinder those transformed into Asuras as they rush toward the fissure in space. Let them pass! They are already dead, transformed into a different kind of malevolence. Without a solution to handle them, allowing them into the Origin Realm overseen by the Wisdom Divine King might not be such a bad idea," Xuanli decisively commanded, permitting the Asuras to surge through the spatial rift.

"Yuen Qingxi, Lianjing, immediately contact the Babel Chamber of Commerce! Inform them that the Asura Talismans birthed by Unrestrained Stage cultivators will prioritize targets of their own realm! The Unrestrained Stage represents the pinnacle of power in the Vast Expanse, second only to the supreme. If they fall victim to the Asura Talismans, it could spell the end for the Vast Expanse!"

As the current leader of the Ghost Wizard Sect, Xuanli issued a few commands before abruptly stating, "I want to see Yu Yuan!"

"Yu Yuan?"

Yuan Qingxi and Lianjing were taken aback.

They couldn't fathom why Xuanli was so determined to meet with Yu Yuan during such a perilous time. Could Yu Yuan possibly have the means to quell the surge of the Asura outbreak?

...

"What do we do?"

Suspended above Jade Peak, Xuan Ge, weary from his relentless efforts, had just escorted dozens to the Dragon Slash Platform. He gestured towards the transformed Asuras, "Should we prevent them from entering the spatial rift? There's no chance of saving them, but if we don't eliminate them, they'll go on to harm others."

"Maybe..."

Xuan Ge paused briefly before suggesting, "Entering that spatial rift, venturing into the Wisdom Divine King's Origin Realm, might not be a bad idea after all."

He had also caught sight of the Soul Summoning Flag on the Dragon Slash Platform and overheard the dialogue between Yu Yuan and the Wisdom Divine King.

"If they can't be saved, then we must act swiftly to eliminate them. The summoning power of the Soul Summoning Flag, along with the Wisdom Divine King's Origin Realm, offer another solution for handling them."

Xuan Ge spoke softly, his voice tinged with apprehension, wary of inadvertently provoking Yu Yuan.

"I'm working on a solution."

Yu Yuan, with a somber look, turned his gaze towards the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area, silently counting, "One, two, three, four, five!"

Whoosh!

The Evil Cauldron, previously cast into the Gray Domain, emerged from a junction within the Realm and made its way back to the Forbidden Area before heading straight for Jade Peak.

In a flash, the Evil Cauldron arrived above Yin God Yu Yuan, its mouth aimed downward.

Jiang Xingwen gave a sinister smile, seemingly anticipating what was to come. Without any resistance, she simply sat down, "I have no fear of death. My Yin God bears a mark. Should it manage to escape and gain freedom, it has the power to resurrect me, transforming me into a new Ghost King under its command!"

"And still the Ghost King reigning over the Asuras!"

The Evil Cauldron descended, encapsulating both Jiang Xingwen and the disciples from the Taiyuan Sect and the Su family, then made its way towards Yin God Yu Yuan.

Yu Yuan's Yin God swiftly returned to its rightful place, and once the Evil Cauldron had shrunk, he dragged it along with his left hand.

"Master!"

"Greetings, Master!"

"Greetings, Master!"

Apart from Yu Yiyi, the Ice Concubine and the now sentient Asura emerged from the cauldron, each paying their respects with a deep bow.

"Go!"

At his command, the Asura surged forth, targeting the irredeemable Asura.

"I'm not competing with you for sustenance; I simply don't want to see your wishes fulfilled."

The Asura launched their assault on those Asura who were beyond redemption. Meanwhile, Yu Yuan effortlessly shrank the Dragon Slash Platform and held it in his hand, triggering the power of spatial teleportation.

He transitioned to the Ascension Mountain Range and gazed up at the Soul Summoning Flag fluttering at the entrance of the valley.

It was here that the highest beings and Demon Gods from the vast expanses had convened to discuss the elimination of the Origin Realm Gate, leading to the demise of Ji Tianyu and Yuwen Hao, and the deification of Zhong Chichen and Loong Jie.

"Wisdom Divine King is correct; only if you can break the Asura Talisman can you avert this disaster."

The Dark Cushion of the Demon Lord glided towards him, and he materialized above it, massaging his temple and squinting at the newly erected Origin Realm Gate with a smirk. "I sense it; my Dark Soul is revered by the Abyss's Dark Lords, who now serve me as the new Evil God!"

"Haha!"

Tan Xiaotian's laughter boomed, "Wisdom Divine King has done me a great favor, allowing me to truly connect with the dark beings of the Abyss. In this situation, his consumption of a few Asura that you can't handle actually helps lighten the load for everyone. So, let's not interfere with his work, shall we?"

The Demon Lord's chuckle was tinged with menace, a dangerous gleam flickering in his obsidian eyes. "The rise of the Asura Tide is also a consequence of the Divine Soul Sect's failure to properly manage the Yin Meridians."

"That's precisely why I'm here to handle it."

With these words, Yu Yuan reached out for the Soul Summoning Flag, "Give it up. This flag was allocated to you, not a personal belonging of yours. Since you've joined the ranks of the Abyss, the Soul Summoning Flag should rightfully be returned."

Wisdom Divine King Yu Yuan smiled softly and replied crisply, "No."

...