C1897 The Traitors of the Wraithlands

As Kaiya spoke, her gaze was fixed on the bubbling springs before her. Her remnant soul materialized, transforming into a specter within the water.

The specter swelled rapidly with the spring water, taking the form of numerous figures resembling Kaiya, yet imbued with a thick aura of shadow energy.

In an instant, the gray expanse was populated with dozens of Kaiyas.

Only one was her true flesh-and-blood form; the rest were entirely crafted from shadow energy.

"The Mind Magic I acquired from the Root of the Lunar Meridian in the Everlands encountered no resistance when wielded in the Wraithlands," Kaiya said with a low chuckle. In a mere moment, the springs leading to a tributary below became her eyes, allowing her to perceive many wonders.

"The Lunar Meridian's tributaries are numerous, stretching across the Star River. Some are extended by me, others secretly refined by Wagner. Their purpose is to guide the souls of beings from the outer world to find their way into the Wraithlands after death."

Matina, an enchantress of the evilkind, ran her sharp-nailed fingers through her cascading black hair.

Strands of pale Soul Power emerged from her fingertips, vanishing into the fine hairs.

Far off at the Levi River, disobedient spirits and ghosts locked in battle were suddenly consumed by pale flames, silenced and reduced to nothingness.

"The three tributaries of the Lunar Meridian arranged by Kaiya, having been infused with her devil soul power, can now be sensed in the Wraithlands," Matina remarked nonchalantly, implying she could locate them with precise knowledge of their whereabouts.

"Welcome," Kaiya intoned, her dark will in motion, causing the specters she had refined in the springs to vanish like bursting bubbles.

At that moment, Yu Yuan and Wagner, both Gods of Ghosts, departed the Ghost Ship and descended onto the grayish-white land Matina had consecrated.

The moment his feet touched the cool earth, streams of pure shadow energy seeped into his body from beneath his soles.

His real body, previously opened by the Root of the Lunar Meridian and once containing the Acupoint of the Shadow Moon Essence, readily absorbed the shadow energy.

A sense of coolness spread throughout him, his soul settled into tranquility, and a smile graced his lips.

"Hmm?"

He let out a soft exclamation when he noticed a dense surge of shadow energy infiltrating the Shenque acupoint on the Dragon Slaying Stage he had left behind.

Inside the Dragon Slaying Stage, Ji Ningshuang was in the midst of refining her Solar Spirit Body, diligently merging her heaven soul with vital energy. Her face registered surprise as she proactively began to draw in the shadow energy.

"It seems there's yet another formidable presence lurking in the shadows."

Matina, youthful yet with a bewitching allure, cast a glance at Yu Yuan's chest acupoints, as if detecting traces of Ji Ningshuang's presence.

Boom!

Wagner landed with a thud. Remarkably, he had chosen not to ride the Skeleton Horse within Matina's domain, a gesture that seemed to convey his respect for her.

As soon as he came to a halt, he bowed deeply to Matina.

"There's no need for such formalities between us, as we are both Gods of Ghosts," Matina said, gently shaking her head.

"I owe you a debt of gratitude from before my ascension to God of Ghosts, and it's something I've never forgotten," Wagner replied earnestly.

On the Ghost Ship, Yu Yiyi clutched the Crucible of Evil, her gaze fixed anxiously on the towering ancient tree.

She refrained from summoning the nine mightiest Bane or approaching the tree as Wagner had done, aware that the multitude of ghosts nestled within the tree's foliage were far more powerful than those within the Crucible of Evil.

There were tens of millions of them, with dozens at the Ghost King level!

She felt that the enchantress, the Wraithlands' God of Ghosts, could easily extinguish her and all the strongest Bane on that ashen expanse.

Yu Yiyi, not daring to venture closer, remained on the Ghost Ship, cautiously sharing her apprehensions with Yu Yuan.

Fernand gave a wry smile and advised, "Let's not intrude upon the discourse of such esteemed beings."

Even the Skeleton Horse, its eye sockets ablaze with green ghostly flames, seemed to agree, nodding subtly. It clearly possessed a keen intelligence.

The subtle nod from the Skeleton Horse made Yu Yiyi realize that even this single creature could potentially deal her a devastating blow.

"The Wraithlands are truly a place of terror, as are its malevolent spirits."

Yu Yiyi shed her haughtiness, no longer underestimating the Wraithlands or its ghostly inhabitants.

Thus, in Matina's domain, only four stood: Matina, Wagner, Yu Yuan, and Kaiya.

Originally, these two Gods of Ghosts were on a mission to pursue Youyu within the Wraithlands. Youyu, having originated from the Everlands, bore an aura that carried the mark of a deserter." Kaiya began to elucidate as soon as Yu Yuan paused.

The so-called deserter was the Root of the Lunar Meridian from the Everlands, a will that emerged in the Wraithlands and was also referred to as the Undead Lord by the two Gods of Ghosts.

Kaiya's arrival marked a pivotal turn of events.

Carrying the essence of the Everlands just like Youyu, Kaiya traveled through the Thornsnare with Han Qi. The ensuing battle caused such a disturbance that Matina took immediate notice and decided to intervene.

Matina, a God of Ghosts, had covertly departed the Wraithlands multiple times with the intention of retrieving the deserter, the Root of the Lunar Meridian.

Regrettably, Matina dared not venture into the Everlands, and the deserter never left its confines.

Through numerous covert investigations, Matina became convinced that the Primal Soul concealed within the Everlands, having merged with a supreme treasure from the Abyss, had suffered corruption.

This included the deserter as well!

Matina surmised that the deserter, who remained hidden in the Everlands, had also been tainted by the Will of Everlands, which explained the growing estrangement from the Wraithlands.

The deserter was initially tasked with a mission to the Everlands, but the absence of the Everlands' soul from the Wraithlands indicated a betrayal of its origin.

During their confrontation, Kaiya mentioned the Project New Everlands.

The Project New Everlands aimed to establish a new Everlands within the Ashlands, breaking free from the original's constraints and redefining the cycle of life and death for all beings.

Matina quickly recognized that the individual behind the plan understood the anomalies within the Everlands just as she did.

She shared her findings and theories with Kaiya, revealing that the Primal Soul of the Everlands had undergone a transformation.

She also suggested that the architect of Project New Everlands and the once-thriving Boulderdawn could have perished due to the will of the Everlands.

Following their discussion, Kaiya voluntarily severed her connection to her origin, a gesture that earned Matina's trust unequivocally.

Matina was quite intrigued by the Project New Everlands and volunteered to personally guide a Lunar Meridian in the Ashlands on Tyria, the main planet. This Lunar Meridian, once established, would synchronize the cycle of life and death for all beings in the New Everlands with the Wraithlands. This meant that the souls for new life in the New Everlands would come from the Wraithlands, and those who passed away would be reborn in the Wraithlands, undergoing a cleansing process similar to that of the intelligent extraterrestrial species.

An unspoken agreement was reached between them, turning foes into friends. Meanwhile, Youyu, after a fierce battle with Wagner, stumbled upon a concealed Origin Gate within Han Qi's domain. The existence of the gate bore Han Qi's signature, leading the two native Gods of Ghosts to suspect that Han Qi had secretly been in contact with the Origin Deity. They immediately ceased their pursuit of Youyu to confront Han Qi, forcing him into hiding.

Subsequently, Youyu promised to use a rare treasure in his possession to link the Wraithlands with the Origin Realm through the Origin Gate, and he had already taken the initiative.

"Han Qi has vanished. I'm not sure if he's hiding somewhere in the Wraithlands, has ventured to the Origin Realm, or perhaps even left the Wraithlands and returned to the Everlands," Wagner grumbled. "They're all Gods of Ghosts from the Wraithlands; finding him when he's determined to hide is indeed a challenge."

Before meeting with Yu Yuan, Wagner had been searching for Han Qi without success. "What's the situation outside?" Kaiya inquired. "There's quite a stir."

Yu Yuan explained that the supreme beings of the Everlands had converged in the Ashlands, coercing him with promises and threats to return as the Solar Spirit. Taishi, in a fit of rage, declared that he would shatter the Everlands in three years. Moreover, the Astral Tiger and Yu Zhu had been stripped of their primal essence, breaking free from the constraints of their alien beast bloodlines, with Yu Zhu no longer able to ascend to godhood without her original source.

"It's thrilling, even more so than within the Wraithlands," Kaiya said, her face alight with excitement.

"Youyu, aware of your arrival, he..." Matina's brow quivered, and the ashen continent floating in the void seemed to momentarily connect with a realm under Han Qi's control.

Boom!

A familiar "Origin Gate" suddenly materialized, with thousands of ghosts and specters frantically rushing into its depths.

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