C1783 Calm down the Ghost Tide

In the Bloodbrawlers' mountainous domain, the shadowmancers gazed at the enormous spell that had undergone another transformation with a fervor akin to a shot of adrenaline.

As Ji Ningshuang spoke, the once vibrant light in the eyes of the souls, now mere puppets of the Lunar Meridian, began to dim.

Yu Yuan saw clearly as streams of greenish-gray smoke drifted from their Mindscape.

The streams fed into the Soul Nexus, where the count of Voodoo Charms surged to ninety-six!

The Lunar Meridian, held at bay by the Soul-Capturing, exploited the souls of the Voodoo Shades, dooming all unprotected ghost spirits to tread once more the path to their demise.

Invisible to the naked eye, slender soul threads akin to tributaries of the River Styx materialized near the enigmatic Voodoo Charm.

Wherever the charm was present, these rivers and soul threads would emerge.

"We..."

In the Land of Terror, Razses, Luo Yue, Taruer, and the three Ghost Kings witnessed the resurgence of a multicolored aura within them, and their vestiges of reverence for the Lunar Meridian vanished.

Even they, due to the Voodoo Charm's abrupt mutation, felt the resurgence of the slave seal's grip.

Every Ghost King, including the Spectre and Celestial Shade present in the Land of Terror, bore this slave seal, which wrested control from their grasp.

Youyu had bequeathed the strength to counter the slave seal, yet he hadn't eradicated it, for fear of alerting the Lunar Meridian.

Whenever the slave seal stirred, the prismatic Soul Power left by Youyu would activate, aiding them in their resistance against the Lunar Meridian and staving off chaos.

Nevertheless.

There were more ghosts, those not graced by Youyu's favor or unwavering in loyalty, now fleeing the Land of Terror in droves.

Their trajectory suggested a desperate pilgrimage toward the Bloodbrawlers, toward that peculiar spell.

"Stop them!"

With a flick of the Soul Locking Diagram, Razses employed the Horcrux at his command to intercept the ghosts hell-bent on a suicidal march toward the Bloodbrawlers, forcibly confining them within the scroll.

After a moment's hesitation, Luo Yue and Taruer joined the fray, setting out on a path of defiance against the Lunar Meridian.

From that moment, they had irrevocably parted ways with the Lunar Meridian, brandishing their Divine Weapons against the persistent, haunting presence of the subterranean Lunar Meridian.

"Jiang Xingwen?"

Xuanli's face grew somber as Yu Yuan recounted how the female cultivator from Abyssal Dawn had been the first to invoke the Voodoo Shade spell. "Perhaps it was her arrival, her conveyance of the Lunar Meridian's will, that led the reclusive cultivator from the Binders of Shadows into corruption," she mused.

"She met with him?" Yu Yuan asked, astonished.

"Yes."

Xuanli gestured toward the frigid remains of the Unbound cultivator. "He was also at the Unbound Stage. Since I brought together the Binders of Shadows and the Poison Cult, he only visited me once. He spent his days in a lightless cave, etching the numerous spells he'd collected. Jiang Xingwen had visited and met with him once, not long ago."

"Just the one time!"

As the head of the Bloodbrawlers, Xuanli considered the Unbound cultivator one of his own. Each Unbound cultivator was invaluable. Persuaded by Jiang Xingwen and after clandestine dealings with the Lunar Meridian, the Voodoo Charm within his Lunar Spirit was triggered following the surge of the Voodoo Shade.

He transformed into a Voodoo Ghost, nearly allowing the triangular Voodoo Charms to seep into the Mindscape of Lianjing, Yuan Qingxi, and others.

"Jiang Xingwen won't escape responsibility."

Yu Yuan shook his head, realizing that at the heart of the Root of the Lunar Meridian, all beings from the Everlands were expected to offer their Soul Power when needed. Jiang Xingwen had become its most fervent disciple, yet when cornered by Soul-Capturing, it would not hesitate to sacrifice her.

It was like the time it engaged in a Soul Battle with Soul-Capturing in the deep pool, summoning all the ghosts from around the world. Without Youyu's foresight, Razses, Luo Yue, Taruer, Yuan Qingxi, Lianjing, and even Xuanli would have ultimately been fodder for sacrifice.

Now, it was Jiang Xingwen's turn.

"Moreover, there are three other Unbound cultivators with hidden Voodoo Charms in their minds."

Ji Ningshuang raised her gaze to the now-complete Voodoo Charm. Having ascended to the pinnacle of primordial spirit, she utilized the spell to perceive the world and pinpointed three powerful cultivators who could pose a threat.

An elder from Winter's Bite, a counselor from the Sundering Isles Merchant Guild, and a reclusive elder from the Chen family of the Songbird Empire were all within her sights.

"When they transform into Voodoo Shades, they will become the very charms that Xuanli spoke of, capable of poisoning those at the Unbound Stage," Ji Ningshuang said with a scornful sneer. "As for the Lunar Meridian, those Unbound cultivators it sways make even better spell seeds."

"Give me their exact location, and I'll teleport there instantly using the Dragon Slaying Stage!" Yu Yuan declared with resolve.

"Hold on, this Voodoo Charm..."

A cold smile played on Ji Ningshuang's lips as she cast a glance toward the Land of Terror. "It's concealed within the spell and resonates with it. We must take the spell to the Land of Terror."

"Should I sever it?" Yu Yuan called out.

"I can handle it myself."

A look of pride finally washed over Ji Ningshuang's face, as if she held no regard for the Lunar Meridian: "For some reason, the ice magic I've mastered and the Ice Sword I've awakened seem to effortlessly shatter its Soul Power and arrays."

During the battle between Soul-Capturing and the Lunar Meridian, Jihui and Tan Xiaotian had ventured to the Fireheart Mountains, and Yu Yuan had summoned her back.

She had sensed the presence of the Lunar Meridian and the tumult of the battle from deep within the Frozen Hellscape. At that moment, she had a revelation.

If she were to confront the Root of the Lunar Meridian, the ice magic she wielded, particularly the aspects akin to the frost wyrm, would surely deal a heavy blow to the Root of the Lunar Meridian!

She harbored no fear of the Lunar Meridian even before it was suppressed, much less now.

The tip of the Stardust Blade pierced the Voodoo Charm, intricately constructed from ninety-six Soul Nexuses. Suddenly, the tip blazed with a burst of brilliant starlight. The soul threads linking the Land of Terror to the Lunar Meridian were obliterated by the radiant sword light.

"These are new soul threads, devoid of my power," Ji Ningshuang offhandedly remarked, her hand deftly maneuvering the sword with ease, as if she were painting in the void. "As the malevolent thoughts and energies of numerous ghosts converge, a Soul Nexus not of my making begins to reform. This externally forged Soul Nexus aims to erase my spiritual imprint and claim this Voodoo Charm for itself."

"Wishful thinking," she scoffed.

The Stardust Blade unleashed more blinding sword light, weaving through the Voodoo Charm that Ji Ningshuang had initially created, now being slowly eroded by outside forces.

With a slash, the sound of severing silver threads emanated from the enigmatic spell. "No need for translocation; it's unnecessary. We don't have to visit the other three domains."

Her wrist, as delicate as frosted glass, rotated slightly, directing beams of sword light infused with ice magic to precisely strike three newly formed Soul Nexuses.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

An elder from Winter's Bite, a counselor from the Skyreach Consortium, and an elder from the Chen family of the Songbird Empire were reduced to fragments.

Millions of miles away, these three cultivators, swayed by Jiang Xingwen to align with the interests of the Lunar Meridian, were obliterated in an instant.

"I shall quell this surge of the Voodoo Shade," Ji Ningshuang declared.

With many onlookers' eyes fixed upon her, she continued to brandish her sword, sending a shower of sword light cascading down upon the vast and enigmatic new Voodoo Charm.

With each descent of the sword light, someone beyond saving perished within the ranks of Abyssal Dawn, Sundering Isles, and Bloodbrawlers, their Voodoo Shade souls bursting like fireworks.

The sounds of souls being extinguished echoed like firecrackers, persisting for quite some time.

"Done," she stated.

After sheathing her sword, she gazed upon the desolate Voodoo Charm, now riddled and tattered due to her actions. "Two thousand seven hundred and thirty shadowmancers have perished. And those who bore the untriggered mark of the Voodoo Shade in their minds—I have slain them as well."

"Jiang Xingwen is the only one remaining. As long as she is unable to move about and continue implanting Voodoo Charms in the minds of others, the disaster will not persist."

"The entity has been subdued and lacks the strength to escape. It's incapable of initiating another Voodoo Shade surge."

Ji Ningshuang levitated, her sword poised in midair.

She was unconcerned about the possibility of the sects and powers she had decimated seizing the chance to stir up trouble.

Though she had indeed slain many, anyone she deemed a threat was swiftly and brutally executed, whether or not they had turned into a Voodoo Shade.

Xuanli's gaze fixed on her, his face darkening with each passing moment.

If the Way of Heaven indeed dictated a balance of forces, then "Stardust Blade" Ji Ningshuang was the bane of the Bloodbrawlers, the nemesis of Youyu and himself.

He could feel it deep within.

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