C1914 The Deep Influence
The two Undead Lords were deep in conversation, oblivious to anyone else's presence.
They seemed to have forgotten that atop the ancient tree, suspended over the Crucible of Rebirth and shrouded in a dense fog of shadow energy, Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit was still engaged in its refining ritual.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
The female Undead Lord, a transparent figure, was surrounded by fine, lightning-like beams of light, as if ready to dissect Yu Yuan's memories spanning three lifetimes.
Its featureless face appeared to scrutinize Yu Yuan with a cold indifference.
"I haven't given my consent."
Yu Yuan's eerie form, taking shape from the Shadow Moon Essence and droplets of pure shadow energy, confronted the third elder, asserting, "Until I give the nod, no one is to delve into my life's journey."
"This isn't a negotiation. I intend to proceed," the female Undead Lord stated to Yu Yuan, her voice utterly emotionless.
The delicate beams of light targeted Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit, extracting something before suddenly generating a bizarre pulling force.
Whoosh!
Yu Yuan's other self, lost in contemplation within the Thornsnare, was drawn forth by the power of the summon.
It seemed the true target was Yu Yuan's real body!
The aim was not to unearth secrets from the Lunar Spirit, but rather to excavate memories from Yu Yuan's dominant soul!
The Undead Lord in the guise of an ancient tree was unable to penetrate the mysteries veiled within Yu Yuan's dominant soul, ignorant of the trials faced by Yu Yuan's Taiyin soul in his first life.
Yet, this peer, the master of the Crucible of Rebirth, was clearly versed in such matters.
Perhaps this companion's dominion in the Wraithlands was even tied to this knowledge.
"Fear not, you will feel no pain. I seek only to witness the narrative of your three lifetimes. Your Lunar Spirit has ventured into the Abyss, and you're aware that the human race's roots in the Everlands stem from there."
"If Jihui had the audacity to send you back, he must trust that you will align with the Abyss."
"We must understand what your dominant soul has endured. We will use your past to predict your future choices, to see if you will eventually side with the Abyss."
"So..."
As the female Undead Lord spoke, the enigmatic light, akin to a sculptor's chisel, had already manifested within Yu Yuan's Mindscape.
The moment the carving knife materialized, Yu Yuan found his real body immobilized by an unfamiliar rule of the Wraithlands. He was rendered motionless in an instant, and his connection to the Dragon Slaying Stage, the Lunar Spirit, and the external world abruptly ceased.
Both incarnations of Yu Yuan bristled with anger, their expressions turning icy as they readied themselves to strike back. "Don't be nervous, I'm just looking," the Undead Lord murmured, his transparent, ghostly form transitioning from the outside into Yu Yuan's Mindscape, standing before the towering phantom of the dominant soul.
At that moment, Yu Yuan, on the cusp of becoming a God of Ghosts, saw an explosion of gray meridians across his body. They were no longer limited to three but had multiplied into the hundreds. Each new gray meridian established a spiritual connection with a corresponding Path of Undead in the real world.
Despite his physical presence deep within the Wraithlands, through the meridians within his Lunar Spirit, he could perceive the Otherkin of the Star River engaged in battle. Upon their deaths, their souls would join the myriad tributaries, elusive to the living, converging like the Levi River towards the Crucible of Rebirth, with undead souls from all corners flooding into the Wraithlands.
The initial trio of Lunar Meridian branches originated from the vast Root of the Lunar Meridian in the Everlands. The subsequent multitude of Paths of Undead, however, were forged by the Gods of Ghosts born within the Wraithlands. Wagner had his paths, as did Matina, along with those established by earlier Gods of Ghosts.
As the gray, nebulous meridians within Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit took shape, it seemed as though all the Paths of Undead within the infinite galaxy had come under his dominion. He now had the power to determine the fate of souls from worlds beyond!
In a flash of insight, he realized he had tapped into the domain of another Undead Lord. He also came to understand that the three Undead Lords, embodying the supreme will of the Wraithlands, were named One, Two, and Three, each with their distinct duties. The one tasked with managing the Crucible of Rebirth and overseeing the pivotal cycle of life and death was the third ruler, manifesting as a female form.
The entity that took the form of an ancient tree could move at will within the Wraithlands, vigilantly overseeing the Thornsnare and ensuring the continuity of the ghosts there. This entity was also charged with selecting the God of Ghosts and served as the Second Dominator.
The Second and Third Undead Lords, bound by the laws of Primal Vitality, were eternally confined to the Wraithlands.
To everyone's surprise, the Root of the Lunar Meridian turned out to be the First Dominator!
The First Dominator was unique among the trio of Undead Lords, as it was the only one with the freedom to leave the Wraithlands.
Known as the Undead Extraditor, this being bore the critical responsibility of forging the Path of Undead. After its descent into the Everlands, the God of Ghosts took up this mantle.
Had it not been for its desire for the Primal Soul and its deep entrenchment in the Everlands, it would have been the most liberated of the rulers.
Now, after Kaiya seized the Mind Magic it had mastered, it found itself confined to the depths of the Land of Terror.
"The scent of a defector."
"The authority and power wielded by the defector seem to have... escaped the Everlands?"
The second and third Undead Lords cried out in astonishment.
"Please leave me be."
Within the depths of Yu Yuan's Mindscape, his massive phantom turned a profound shade of purple, resembling an ocean in turmoil, exuding an air of boundless mystery and authority.
The third Undead Lord gazed at Yu Yuan's peculiar phantom, feeling a profound sense of its own smallness.
"Number Three, come out. It seems you can no longer strip away his memories."
The second Undead Lord's voice quivered, "Though I'm not sure what has transpired, his Lunar Spirit appears to have taken the place of the defector and is now undergoing a transformation into the First Dominator."
The female Undead Lord reflected for a moment before withdrawing in silence. The carving tools she had conjured vanished along with her.
As the leaves of the ancient tree fell, it seemed to be lost in deep contemplation. After some time, it fixed its gaze on Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit and mused, "The traitor's power and all the marks under his command are converging on his Lunar Spirit. How could the Everlands' restrictions and the will of the depths permit such an event?"
"Perhaps there's a disorder within the Everlands itself?"
Two Undead Lords engaged in a discussion.
...
In the Everlands, the Land of Terror loomed ominously.
Soul streams meandered throughout the Everlands, converging from the bowels of the earth toward the Land of Terror, coalescing into a deep pool.
The Shadow Moon Essence that once settled at the bottom of this pool had long vanished.
Now, the pool that symbolized the source of the Lunar Meridian was drying up.
The waters stilled, rapidly diminishing, while the essence of the Root of the Lunar Meridian exuded an ominous aura of death, as if it were inexorably approaching its fated demise.
Ghosts that had long hidden within Shadow Mountain, too fearful to emerge amidst the turmoil of the Everlands, now ventured out.
They gazed blankly at the sky, perpetually shrouded by clouds of shadow energy, as if witnessing the birth of a crack.
The emergence of this fissure suggested that soon, sunlight would break through.
Crack!
The grandest of the Shadow Mountains, the symbol of Youyu's supreme authority as a God of Ghosts, inexplicably fractured.
Following suit, Shadow Mountain, home to Razses, Taruer, Luo Yue, and other Ghost Kings, began to splinter.
Then, one by one, more Shadow Mountains fractured!
Next, the first rays of sunlight pierced through, dispelling the shadow energy fog that had lingered for eons, heralding a cataclysm for the sacred grounds of the Everlands' ghosts.
The terrified ghosts, witnessing the unfolding anomaly, wailed and fled as if doomsday had arrived.
"What's going on?"
Han Miaoyuan, Qin Luo, Zu Ann, and Mo Baichuan converged at the scene.
"Is it because Youyu perished in the extraterrestrial realm?"
Zu Ann, observing the fissures in Shadow Mountain and the soul-gathering pool's gradual desiccation, turned to Han Miaoyuan, "Could the demise of a God of Ghosts also be mirrored here in the Land of Terror?"
"Could the Everlands' cycle of reincarnation be disrupted?" Qin Luo voiced his concern.
"It's not the death of Youyu. The fall of a God of Ghosts wouldn't reduce the Land of Terror to this state," Han Miaoyuan said, massaging his temples, his own confusion evident. "I suspect the Root of the Lunar Meridian within our Everlands is on the brink of exhaustion."
Everyone turned pale with shock.
It was common knowledge that the Root of the Lunar Meridian originated from some mysterious place beyond our world. They were aware of its malevolent intentions and its nefarious schemes. Yet, it remained steadfast in the Everlands.
Why?
Because its existence was intricately linked to the cycle of reincarnation for all souls within the Everlands. It represented an essential order that could not be dispensed with. The consequences of its disappearance were unknown, leaving everyone without a viable solution.
Soul-Capturing merely confined it, stripping away its memories and arcane knowledge. Without an alternative, it was left intact.
Was it now on the brink of death?
