C1876 The Erosion of Origin Realm

Mighty waves surged to the heavens beneath Youyu, each one crafted from the rich and dense shadow energy that rolled forward in layers, relentlessly eroding the space of the Origin Realm.

In that vast and dreamlike deep sea, numerous ghosts and souls, whom Youyu had guided from the Wraithlands, gazed around with curiosity. They seemed particularly fascinated by the Abyss within the Origin Realm, their excitement palpable.

The Mindscape, under Youyu's command, bore little resemblance to the Origin Realm. While the Origin Realm was a desolate void devoid of any cosmic energy, merely a meeting ground for Evil Gods, the Mindscape, shaped by the Mirage of the Mind's Hex Stone and refined by the God of Ghosts, had undergone a profound transformation in the Wraithlands, now brimming with a thick Yin Qi. It was akin to the Land of Terror.

Yet, neither the Origin Realm nor the Mindscape could accommodate flesh and physical matter. They were ephemeral, not true worlds, only accessible to souls and consciousness.

Upon seeing Yu Yuan, Youyu, in his spirited body, reached out to him with a solemn and earnest invitation, "Join me in my Mindscape. This sea... it too holds a part of you." With those words, the ethereal Mindscape burst into a dazzling array of light.

The vast and wondrous ocean seemed to be suddenly imbued with vibrant hues, transforming into a place of beauty teeming with life, a stark contrast to its former ghostly chill.

The ghosts within the Mindscape were momentarily disoriented, as if they had been transported elsewhere.

Yu Yuan, wandering the Origin Realm as a Lunar Spirit, was bathed in the radiant light, feeling an inexplicable warmth and a sense of familiarity. It was as though the very essence of the Mindscape's creation was intertwined with his being.

"Your Lunar Spirit can undergo transformation and pursue the Path into Shadow. Allow me to assist you," Youyu offered, unconcerned with why Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit was in the Abyss or his connection to Jihui. Standing atop the shadow energy waves, Youyu paid no heed to the grotesque Evil Gods of the Abyss.

"Come!" he commanded, releasing a sphere of murky shadow energy.

This sphere crossed the boundary between the Mindscape and the Origin Realm, materializing instantaneously in the void of the Origin Realm before soaring towards Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit.

A dark cloud, seemingly summoned to escort Yu Yuan, loomed ominously.

"Jihui!" The Realm Devourer's shriek resonated with profound anxiety. "The encroaching Mindscape appears to inherently suppress the Origin Realm! This bizarre sea feels as though it was crafted specifically to consume the Origin Realm! You are not the Origin Deity, and your grip on the Origin Realm is insufficient!"

"The Origin Realm is on the brink of collapse!" exclaimed the Soulreaver, equally alarmed.

The four Darklords in the service of Tan Xiaotian, witnessing the waves at Youyu's feet composed of pure shadow energy, were struck with terror.

Upon their arrival in the Origin Realm, they had to sustain their presence by drawing strength from the ghosts and souls they carried. Yet, Youyu's Mindscape was already infused with shadow energy, indicating that the ghosts within could replenish their power amidst battle.

As the master of the Mindscape, could Youyu not effortlessly recharge his own strength?

The Evil Gods, including Jihui, who had descended with only a fraction of their souls, lacked this capability. Engaging in combat with an aberrant God of Ghosts like Youyu, within the Origin Realm and Mindscape where flesh and blood could not tread, was sheer folly.

Furthermore, they sensed that even Jihui might be powerless to halt Youyu's advance.

Consequently, the once vivid souls of the Evil Gods began to fade rapidly.

Yu Yuan instantly realized that the Evil Gods, whose real bodies remained in the Abyss, were cutting their losses and retracting their soul energy.

In a whoosh, while Yu Yuan was still bewildered, Youyu's dark cloud enveloped him, dragging him toward the Mindscape.

"This Mindscape is our crowning achievement; the Mirage of the Mind is merely an instrument," Youyu declared.

With the dark clouds now dissipated, Youyu reached behind him, as if invisible ghostly hands were summoning the evil spirits of the evilkind.

With a thunderous boom, the lingering spirits of the deceased enchantresses were stripped of their consciousness by Youyu, leaving behind nothing but strands of pure Soul Power.

"Come, absorb it using the Wraithbinding," Youyu commanded.

Brought forth by the dark cloud, Yu Yuan, still in a haze, activated the Wraithbinding. His Lunar Spirit transformed into a vortex, generating a formidable pull that wildly expanded outward.

The spirits of the enchantress kind transformed into pure Soul Power, along with the shadow energy from the Mindscape, coalescing and rushing into Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit.

Simultaneously, arcane techniques for cultivating the God of Ghosts were etched into Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit.

Earth Specter, Ghost Spirit, Celestial Shade, Spectre, Ghost King, God of Ghosts!

He suddenly understood that the Lunar Spirit of the human race in the Everlands, after undergoing a metamorphosis to an earthly soul, was akin to the level of an Earth Specter among ghosts.

His own Lunar Spirit, unrefined and untempered, was merely at the level of an Earth Specter.

Though the Wraithbinding technique was incredibly mysterious and his soul inherently powerful, the lack of a fundamental transformation meant that many marvels within his Lunar Spirit remained dormant.

At that moment, the complete arcane practice of the Path into Shadow took shape within his Lunar Spirit, precipitating an immediate breakthrough!

"Earth Specter, Ghost Spirit, Celestial Shade, it should be just so," Youyu murmured, seizing several formidable ghosts from the Mindscape behind him.

He dismantled the ghosts, born from the deaths of the Shadowkin and Starborn, erasing their sentience and memories, refining them into pure soul energy and shadow energy, which he then funneled into Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit.

He watched as Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit, having acquired the full cultivation techniques of the God of Ghosts, advanced from Earth Specter to Ghost Spirit, and then to Celestial Shade.

Now, as a Celestial Shade, it began its assault on the realm of the Spectre!

"It's just like you, mastering any soul cultivation technique in the world with ease, quickly grasping and perfecting each one," Youyu said, confident that within his domain, his words were safe from prying ears.

Across from him, he paid no mind to Jihui's hesitations or the debates with the Evil Gods.

In his view, the Origin Realm, used by the denizens of the Abyss for communication, was already his to claim. Whether Jihui resisted or complied, it would change nothing.

For he had known since refining the Mindscape in the Ashlands and recalling his past deliberations with Taiyin, that this day was inevitable.

The Mindscape was created for this very moment—to engulf and assimilate the Origin Realm!

"I shall elevate you directly to the realm of the Ghost King."

As the lifelong best friend of Yu Yuan, the formidable being who had ascended to the status of a God of Ghosts turned to regard a Shura and a soul of the Dawnbringers behind him.

Both souls, before their deaths, boasted ninth-level bloodlines and had attained the rank of Spectre in the Wraithlands.

"Spare my life, my lord!"

The two highly intelligent ghosts, upon being seen by Youyu, immediately sought to flee back to the Wraithlands.

"You were subordinates of Han Qi. I allowed you into the Mindscape to serve as the vanguard in the Abyss. Your services are no longer required."

Youyu gestured with a sweep of his hand.

As if meting out divine punishment, phantom thunder and lightning struck down from the heavens, reducing the spiritual wisdom and memories of the two Otherkin ghosts to dust.

The residual soul power was then seamlessly absorbed and refined by Yu Yuan through the art of Wraithbinding.

With a whoosh!

Having completed these actions, Youyu swiftly moved from his Mindscape to appear before Jihui.

The Darklord, sworn to Tan Xiaotian, had long since departed, leaving the Evil Gods of the Abyss so insubstantial they were nearly invisible, ready to vanish at the slightest breeze.

A mere glance from Youyu confirmed that the remnant souls of the Evil Gods were less than a fraction of their former selves.

Their destruction would not grieve the Evil Gods.

They left behind only a faint phantom, a vestige of their desire to vaguely perceive what he and Jihui were up to and to overhear snippets of their conversation.

"Begone!"

With the utterance of a single word, Youyu caused the lingering shadows of the Evil Gods to vanish completely.

Now, only he and Jihui remained in this desolate and surreal world.

"All I can do is aid his Lunar Spirit in solidifying to the level of a Ghost King. Whether he can receive a baptism like mine and ascend to the God of Ghosts realm, as Han Qi did, will depend on his own fortune."

While speaking, Youyu gazed upon the barren expanse of the Origin Realm as if surveying his own private domain.

"When the Origin Deity crossed the Abyssal Gate and nearly met his end, he had already contemplated assimilating the Origin Realm," Youyu remarked with a slight curl of his lip and a cold laugh. "It's no surprise that the Origin Deity was so intent on finding the Mirage of the Mind and securing the Mindscape in the Ashlands."

"Because he understood that if he failed to secure the Mindscape, it would, in turn, begin to erode the Origin Realm."

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