C1898 It Was a Joyous Occasion

Elsewhere, in the Origin Realm, an incursion from the Mindscape was underway. The vibrant, dreamlike depths of the sea churned with a multitude of ghost spirits, infiltrating the quiet expanse of the Origin Realm.

These ghost spirits hailed from various origins. Some were loyal to Han Qi, while others did not pledge allegiance to any God of Ghosts, being simply the solitary spirits and wandering ghosts of the Wraithlands. They had flocked here upon hearing that the Origin Gate, situated within the Wraithlands, was to be linked with the Origin Realm by Youyu, eager to prey upon the alien souls of the Abyss.

Many Abyss alien souls, unable to escape the Origin Realm in time, fell victim to the ravenous ghosts. Yet, the consumed souls were mostly feeble, barely enough to whet the appetites of their ghostly predators.

The formidable and fearsome Evil Gods seized the opportunity of Youyu's invasion and Jihui's strategic withdrawal to evacuate early.

The waves of the Mindscape rose higher, gradually engulfing the Origin Realm as Youyu's will spread far and wide. Yu Yuan's once dark green Lunar Spirit, through a period of tempering, had ascended to the status of Ghost King. In his vicinity, no ghost dared draw near.

Youyu, sovereign of both the Origin Realm and the Mindscape, had spared no effort in Yu Yuan's creation. To facilitate the metamorphosis of Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit, any ghost venturing too close within the Mindscape would be indiscriminately sacrificed by him.

Fearing misfortune, the ghosts learned to keep their distance from Yu Yuan, ensuring they remained unseen by Youyu's watchful gaze. This state of affairs persisted until Yu Yuan's elevation to Ghost King.

Now, as a newly minted Ghost King, Yu Yuan, alongside the ruler Youyu, approached another doorway within the Origin Realm—an open Origin Gate.

Recently, Jihui, locked in a retreating battle, had made his stand at this very Origin Gate. With a hastily summoned Wraithbanner, he clashed with Youyu's soul before vanishing into the gate.

Yu Yuan informed Youyu that within the Origin Gate lay two paths, either of which might lead directly to the Abyss—or possibly emerge near the Abyssal Gate.

His Solar Spirit Body, along with the Lizard, Abyssal Leviathan, and the little spinosaurus, should be located at the Abyssal Gate, awaiting the arrival of the Dark Phoenix.

The Lunar Spirit's information was delayed since he couldn't communicate with the Solar Spirit, leaving him uncertain about subsequent events.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Shadow energy from the Mindscape shrouded the area near the Origin Gate. Youyu pondered deeply before casting a thought, like a pebble, into the Origin Gate.

It disappeared without a trace, silent and without response.

Youyu's expression remained unchanged as he confidently stated, "That's not the Abyssal Gate. Beyond it lies the Abyss itself."

"Don't be hasty to enter!"

Yu Yuan, who had reached the Ghost King level with the aid of Wraithbinding and the complete necromancy techniques taught to him by Youyu, sensed danger and cautioned, "Let me think this through."

The Evil Gods of the Abyss, having only sent fragments of their souls into the Origin Realm, should not appear so feeble.

Jihui, an expert in soul and space magic who had wrested control of the Origin Realm from the Origin Deity, seemed to be fighting Youyu half-heartedly.

He was convinced that neither Jihui nor Youyu had fought with their full might.

The Origin Realm, seen as a pivotal bridge by both Jihui and the Abyss, was succumbing to the influence of the Mindscape, and neither the forces of Jihui nor the Abyss put up much of a fight.

The fall of the Origin Realm seemed all too easy, almost trivial.

Moreover, Jihui had not destroyed the Origin Gate, which led directly to the Abyss, upon his retreat!

"If the other side is indeed the Abyss, plunging in unprepared would pit you against a multitude of its formidable denizens."

Yu Yuan shook his head, observing Youyu's indecision, and spoke gravely, "In the Origin Realm, within your Mindscape, you, as a God of Ghosts, wield immense power. But once you descend into the Abyss, you'll be confronting the flesh-and-blood Evil Gods of the Abyss."

"Within the Abyss itself, you'll be powerless against the many Evil Gods."

"I have a feeling that Jihui left the Origin Gate open intentionally, possibly as a trap for you to walk into," Yu Yuan expressed with growing concern. He urged Youyu to remain calm and not to impulsively plunge into the Abyss through the open Origin Gate.

Moreover, the Youyu before him was merely a soul without a physical form.

He was no Great Demon God like Bertain, who could rely solely on his soul. In the unfamiliar Abyss, facing Jihui and an unknown number of Evil Gods, his prospects were grim.

"Trap..." Youyu pondered, murmuring to himself, and wisely refrained from any hasty actions.

However, as he was about to depart, he suddenly exclaimed in astonishment, "You've actually come to the Wraithlands." He gazed at Yu Yuan.

"Me?" Yu Yuan responded, puzzled.

"Let's go."

Without further explanation, Youyu, as the master of the Mindscape and Origin Realm, casually tapped Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit on the shoulder.

In an instant, time and space shifted.

The Origin Gate remained before Yu Yuan, but now, a multitude of ghosts surged forth from within.

Yu Yuan instantly realized that this Origin Gate connected to the Wraithlands, and that was where the other side led.

For Youyu, the Wraithlands were a haven compared to the horrors of the Abyss.

"We should get out of here first."

With a gentle nudge from Youyu, Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit narrowly missed colliding with the incoming ghosts.

Crossing through a lattice of temporal-spatial threads, Yu Yuan, whose Lunar Spirit had ascended to the rank of Ghost King, momentarily found himself disoriented before beholding his real body.

He also saw the familiar Kaiya, alongside the strangers Wagner and Matina.

A colossal ancient tree stood with a spring at its heart, while the nearby Shadow Mountains loomed, and the blood-yellow Levi River snaked in the distance.

As the Lunar Spirit emerged, a connection with its real body was instantly forged. Their shared experiences and memories merged into a stream of light, allowing both the real body and the Lunar Spirit to assimilate each other's journeys in mere seconds.

The real body learned of the Lunar Spirit's path of cultivation within the Mindscape and Origin Realm, while the Lunar Spirit became aware of the Will of Everlands having reclaimed its essence.

Youyu, who possessed the source, was also an unpredictable factor that warranted close attention.

"Has your Lunar Spirit attained the level of a Ghost King?"

Kaiya was mildly taken aback as she observed Yu Yuan emerging from the Origin Gate, inquiring with curiosity, "Where did you enter from? The Origin Realm?"

"Your real body has arrived in the Wraithlands, yet your Lunar Spirit remained in the Origin Realm?" Matina expressed her skepticism. "May I inquire who escorted you to the Origin Realm?"

"Jihui," Yu Yuan answered.

"Jihui?"

A shadow crossed Matina's face, and Kaiya and Wagner's expressions shifted subtly as well.

With a whoosh, a body refined with shadow energy and imbued with Shadow Moon Essence soared from a distant Shadow Mountain and settled at the Origin Gate.

The body belonged to Youyu. As soon as it arrived, the spirited body descended.

Youyu, now imbued with the essence of the Origin Realm, allowed his soul to sink into it, and the brain of this body, containing wondrous things, was activated.

It was a tombstone!

In the vast and daunting Land of Terror, Youyu had forged a new Way of Heaven for the God of Ghosts during his ascension, simultaneously amassing a source of power deep within the Everlands.

This source, after Youyu's transformation into a God of Ghosts, merged with his soul, creating a divine seat.

Youyu's divine seat, concealed within the specially cultivated body, took the shape of a dark tombstone.

While using his Mindscape to erode the Origin Gate, his God of Ghosts soul was separate from the tombstone, entering as a pure soul.

Now, as his soul returned from the Origin Realm and settled back into his body, it merged with the source-transformed green-black tombstone.

At the instant of fusion, the tombstone silently fractured, shifting from solid to liquid, then coalescing into a soul-like stream of air that enveloped Youyu's God of Ghosts spirited body.

Youyu was momentarily bewildered.

The green-black soul-like air, now enveloping Youyu's God of Ghosts soul, surged back into the Origin Gate.

It vanished in the blink of an eye.

The change came unexpectedly.

Yu Yuan's face turned pale as he suddenly realized that Youyu's essence had not been stripped away. It was likely because his soul and essence had been separated for an extended period.

Youyu hadn't shattered his godhood, nor had he forsaken his essence. He had merely set aside the godhood that emerged from his essence, focusing instead on the erosion of the Origin Realm.

He never anticipated that his grand vision would be thwarted just as his soul was reunited with his body.

"It's my fault. I should have warned him sooner."

Kaiya inhaled deeply, filled with remorse. "I didn't trust him and was always on guard, so I never told him the truth. Moreover, since his soul and essence were apart, I assumed there wouldn't be any immediate issues."

​