C1916 Killing His Way Back
Whew! Whew! Whew!
The fully unleashed Shinra Net began absorbing wandering souls from celestial races, their expressions vacant as they merged into the Grim River.
These lost souls, once they entered, were drawn to the Grim River. Having long since lost their sentience, most were reduced to faint soul energy within its depths.
Among them, there was a surprisingly large number of humans.
Not just ordinary folk, but also the souls of deceased cultivators had made their way through the Shinra Net, descending into the fourteen channels of the Grim River.
The souls of these cultivators, though fragmented, were much more distinct in the Demon Realm and possessed a richer soul energy.
The emergence of cultivator souls marked a revolutionary moment for the Demon Realm!
The Demon Realm's longing for the reincarnation of all living creatures had always been unfulfilled, as the paths for the undead were never completed due to the source of Yin energy sinking into the vastness.
Yet, the Demon Realm never ceased its efforts, always aspiring to incorporate the beings of the Hao Yue Realm into its cycle of reincarnation.
Now, something inexplicable had occurred, and it seemed that the Demon Realm had finally taken control of the reincarnation of the Hao Yue's living creatures!
"It must be Yu Yuan!"
Andrea's gaze shifted from the human souls emerging from the Shinra Net, and she found herself staring intently at the heavens once more.
She could almost see Yu Yuan's silhouette.
She surmised that Yu Yuan's Yin God, which had been seized by the ancient vine, must have undergone a transformation significant enough to deeply impact the Demon Realm and alter its dynamics.
She was eager to discover the cause.
...
Out in the starry expanse.
Xuanli of the Ghost Wizard Sect, along with Yuen Qingxi, and the newly ascended Ghost Kings Luo Yue, Qianjie, and others, were aboard a dilapidated Dark Elfkind starship.
Their destination was the Delude Devil Abyss, intending to use its starry portal to reach the Plover Realm within the Oblivion Starfield.
The Plover Realm was connected to the Gray Domain, and they sought to consult the Divine King of the Divine Soul Sect to ascertain the current state of affairs beyond their realm.
Suddenly.
Xuanli, Luo Yue, and Qianjie, almost simultaneously, sensed an ethereal will emanating from a distant point in the cosmos.
It beckoned to them like a guiding beacon.
The Ghost King, with the aid of his Mindlock Diagram, also detected a faint trail of the undead, seemingly directing him towards the final resting place of his soul.
"The Demon Area!"
The fledgling Ghost King's demeanor shifted subtly as he touched his forehead, pondering deeply. "The enigmatic Demon Area seems to be signaling us."
"There's its presence!"
Xuanli, far from elated, was instead seized by a chilling unease and exclaimed, "It's that entity! It has escaped the vast expanse and the confinements of Shehun!"
Xuanli believed it to be the origin of the Yin Meridians.
"No, something's not quite right."
Moments later, he gently shook his head, his face grave and serious, "It's not the same entity, or at least not entirely!"
"We sense it... a summons." Luo Yue and Qianjie stated in hushed tones.
The two Ghost Kings gazed at Xuanli, their eyes seeking guidance, wondering if he wished to alter their path and head toward the beacon-like destination.
"It's too distant, far beyond our reach. Without the Galaxy Crossing, it's uncertain how long it would take us to arrive there with our current speed," Xuanli hesitated before adding softly, "We'll stick to the original plan and continue towards the Delude Devil Abyss."
...
Whoosh!
Yu Yuan's ghostly form was no longer bound by the void of the Demon Area. With a mere thought, he abruptly materialized at the Origin Realm Gate.
Before the gate lay the remains of Youyu, Wagner, and Matina—three fellow ghosts and gods.
Upon his arrival, he observed the three who had ascended to ghostly divinity like himself, his eyes betraying a hint of wonder.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The colossal ancient vine and the Undead Ruler, manifesting in a female form, materialized beside him.
Wherever he went, the two Undead Rulers would follow, eager to unravel the mystery of his condition.
His ability to appear anywhere within the Demon Area astounded the Undead Rulers, making his true nature even more elusive.
"All the souls and specters of the Demon Area are originally ethereal spirits. Even these spirit bodies can seek out unique bones and materials to forge their own corporeal forms, much like the Devaputra."
"But the bodies crafted in such a manner cannot achieve a perfect alignment with the soul."
The leaves of the ancient vine tree, like so many watchful eyes, observed Yu Yuan as he scrutinized the other three specters with a complex gaze.
It found Yu Yuan increasingly enigmatic.
Brimming with questions it longed to ask, the tree was uncertain of how to voice them.
It watched as Yu Yuan stood still before the Origin Realm Gate, seemingly absorbing an influx of memories and knowledge.
"Only Yin Gods who have ascended in the Demon Realm can refine a Yin Body that naturally resonates with their soul, as Wagner and Matina have done. Youyu, though a Yin God, embarked on his divine path in the vast seas. His body, while containing the essence of the Yin Sunflower, lacks purity."
"This is a weakness for Youyu."
"And you..."
"Your Yin Body appears even more extraordinary than Matina's. The numerous paths of the departed souls from beyond have become the meridians of your Yin Body, granting you dominion over the cycle of life and death for all living creatures."
The ancient vine tree whispered, its Soul Sound tinged with a trace of apprehension.
"I must go back in and retrieve the others."
Yu Yuan, possessing a unique physique, suddenly turned to face the two Undead Rulers who had followed him from the Reincarnation Furnace. With a smile, he said, "It seems you are unable to leave the Demon Realm. But as I have become a Yin God of the Demon Realm and received the authority of the foremost ruler, then..."
"I should be the one to cross over."
With those words, his soul departed from his body.
The Sea of Hearts and the Origin Realm are vast expanses for consciousness and souls, accessible only to the profoundly mysterious Origin in its ethereal form.
The Ghost God’s Soul that left his Yin Body also carried with it a network of gray meridians, aligning with the pathways of the undead.
With a swift motion, he, now a Ghost God, returned once more to that realm.
The Sea of Hearts, shrouded by a dark azure firmament, was still being infused with the power from the abyss, blending with the Origin Realm and the Sea of Hearts.
The moment his Ghost God’s Soul materialized in this world, the Sea of Hearts began to surge tumultuously.
"The Sea of Hearts was created to contend with the Origin Realm. It was one of my... concepts."
The epiphany dawned on him.
Whoosh!
Yu Yuan, who had just ascended to Ghost God status, immediately sensed the vast expanse of the Evil God Temple upon exiting the Origin Realm Gate. Disregarding spatial distances, he reappeared inside the temple.
Youyu was within the massive column of lightning, at times shattering into hundreds of ghosts, and at other times reassembling, still desperately resisting.
Matina and Wagner, now ghostly spirits, seemed to weave through the strands of the Grim River, locked in combat with several Evil Gods.
The Grim River, sovereign over the cycle of life, held wondrous uses for those in the Abyss under its control, but its might was significantly diminished against the Evil Gods of the abyss.
The capricious Grim River could only reveal its true strength by unleashing the power of tainted souls, a force that made the Evil Gods wary.
"Yu Yuan!"
"My lord?"
Andrea and the being of Extreme Intelligence cried out, halting their actions.
Andrea, transformed into a cluster of peculiar purple flowers that burned like flames, drifted passively throughout the solemn hall, forced into a defensive stance.
She had lost her soul connection with her counterpart in the Demon Area.
Unbeknownst to her, she was unaware of the events that transpired after Yin God Yu Yuan departed and returned to the Demon Area.
Her Devil Soul memory remained fixed at the moment before Yin God Yu Yuan's departure, when the enigmatic hall was forged by the Extreme Intelligence.
"I have come to take them back to the Demon Area."
Yin God Yu Yuan, standing firmly within the Evil God Temple, gazed at the Extreme Intelligence with an air of commanding dignity.
Beneath him, the ground, as if real earth, appeared on the verge of shattering.
The robust pillars supporting the Evil God Temple wobbled under the assault of the deep blue sea's waves.
The astonishing bolts of lightning that had been bombarding Youyu transformed into a dark green glow with just one glance from him.
