C2014 The Second Yu Yuan

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Drawn to the Dragon Slaying Stage, the ice energy that had fallen from the extraterrestrial Star River turned into a faint white mist as soon as it neared the Fireheart Mountains.

The Frozen Hellscape, Wintermaw, Winter's Bite, and the Land of Terror—regions filled with various forms of ice energy—suddenly stilled.

Not a whisper of ice energy stirred.

Beneath the surface, invisible to the eye and undetectable by the soul, a force greater than the fundamental rules of the Everlands sealed away every location that could channel ice energy and had even the faintest resonance with Yu Yuan.

This force concealed the hidden rules of ice within these lands.

At that moment, it seemed as though the entire Everlands were echoing the call of the Fireheart Mountains, feeding the flames and bolstering their might.

"Ugh!"

Wuran of the Devil Palace, his eyes leaking strands of flame, clutched at his face, crying out in agony as he and other dark adepts made their way to join Cao Ji and Lu Hongpeng of the Sword Sect.

"Don't use Divine Sense to probe the Fireheart Mountains!"

Before Wuran could regroup with the other two Most Highs, blood had already begun to seep from the corners of his eyes.

Lu Hongpeng and Cao Ji, who had intended to extend their Divine Sense beyond the fierce flames to scout the interior of the Fireheart Mountains, halted their efforts, heeding Wuran's cautionary words.

The two exchanged startled glances with Wuran and asked, "You?"

"I looked with the Eye of the Soul!"

Wuran, still reeling from the experience, kept his hands over his eyes and brow, blood seeping through his fingers as sparks of fire sputtered out. He spoke with a tremor of fear, "We're dealing with a power that is beyond our comprehension!"

"I warned you to leave it be, but you wouldn't listen."

The Wraithbanner, infused with a primal essence and the intelligent soul of Jihui, drifted in from Skyreach Peak and came to rest before the trio of Most Highs.

"For millennia, this hidden fire at the Heart of the Everlands has been its guardian."

"Thanks to this fire's presence, the Root of the Lunar Meridian, the Dark Phoenix, the Demon God Bertain, and all manner of otherworldly spirits and extraterrestrial powers have been kept at bay."

"It is only because of this that the Root of the Lunar Meridian, the Dark Phoenix, and the Great Demon God Bertain can slumber in peace."

Jihui's phantom emerged from the Wraithbanner, draping it around himself like a cape. "Remember this: Primal Anima akin to Earthfire is beyond your comprehension and sensing abilities."

As he spoke, he extended his hand to Wuran's bleeding forehead and commanded, "Release your grip!"

Wuran jolted as if he had heard the Voice of the Heavens echoing through his Mindscape.

Subsequently, Wuran obediently released his hand.

Jihui's intangible finger pressed against the wound on Wuran's forehead, smoothing out the fissures at the corners of his eyes and erasing the blackened scars within his mind, one by one.

"Thank you for reaching out."

Once Wuran's eyes regained their light and he could perceive Jihui's presence, he bowed slightly in gratitude.

"Sir..."

Jihui turned his back to Wuran, Lu Hongpeng, and Cao Ji, "Sir, upon your return to the Everlands, you should not depart again. Remember, when the time comes for you to awaken, I, Han Miaoyuan, Lin Daoke, Tan Xiaotian, and all the mightiest of our human race shall pay homage to you."

"Since ancient times, he has been the True God of our people, our spiritual mainstay."

Jihui's voice was a soft chant.

Wuran, Kong Banbi, Chen Qingyan, and the cultivators from the Sunlit Order were left bewildered by Jihui's enigmatic words.

They were all at a loss as to the identity of the 'master' Jihui mentioned.

...

Deep within the fiery Fireheart Mountains.

After eons of silence, the Blazing Fire, forever concealed at the Heart of the Everlands, reached out through Yuan Lianyao's form towards Yu Yuan.

He sought a share of the life dew.

His thoughts, whenever they arose, would fill the entire world. Without speaking, Yu Yuan understood his desires and knew what he sought.

The towering flames crackled fiercely, consuming the light barrier of the Dragon Slaying Stage and assimilating its power.

Yu Yuan, encased in the heart of the ice barrier, found his dominant soul obscured, rendering him unable to cast any spells.

In contrast, a phantom from the distant Wraithlands was swiftly gaining clarity through the void. At that moment, he understood with crystal-clear certainty why the Primal Vitality of the Wraithlands had chosen his Lunar Spirit and granted him the powers and authority of the Undead Lord—it was for this very moment! It was to ensure that upon his future return to the Everlands, he would be able to confront the entity beneath the earth with the tenacity of his soul!

The Primal Vitality had long been aware that once the Primal Soul from the Abyss finished eroding the Primal Soul of the Everlands, it would turn its malevolent attention toward it. If it remained passive, it would face the same fate as the Everlands' Primal Soul—total corruption by that abomination.

"I've already said no, and I mean it. Don't even entertain the thought."

Confronted with Yuan Lianyao's body, now a vessel for its indomitable will, Yu Yuan realized he couldn't employ the mystique associated with his dominant soul. He promptly adapted his strategy and mindset. Neither the might of the Fireheart Mountains nor the searing power of the blazing fire could sever his spiritual connection with the Lunar Spirit. The phantom within his Mindscape still perceived the Path of Undead.

He had the power to command the nearby Path of Undead!

"Undead, bridge the Way of Heaven!"

With this thought, a surge of Soul Power within his Mindscape converged on the phantom capable of escaping the earth's will's confinement. In a mere moment, his Lunar Spirit supplanted the dominant soul, assuming control over his true form.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The myriad Paths of Undead beyond the Everlands and the still-thriving tributaries of the Lunar Meridian deep within the heart of the Everlands seemed to be infused with an immense surge of ice energy. Astonishingly, all the Paths of Undead and the tributaries of the Heart of the Everlands could communicate with the Dragon Slaying Stage. The crystalline barrier emanating from the Dragon Slaying Stage expanded outward, even amidst the fierce flames.

Within this glacial shield, a specter, as if forged from the souls of the departed, began to materialize, propelled by the Path of Undead and the Lunar Meridian's flow. Yu Yuan's physical form was now devoid of any discomfort. Meanwhile, not far from him lay the ominous Land of Terror.

With the disappearance of the Root of the Lunar Meridian, a figure materialized in the depths of a long-dry subterranean pond.

Another Yu Yuan.

This Yu Yuan, his form aglow with a silvery radiance and refined by the purest Shadow Moon Essence, had manifested where the Root of the Lunar Meridian once was, deep beneath the surface.

Following him, Youyu, the God of Ghosts, also emerged. Together, they had journeyed from the Wraithlands.

"A familiar world, a familiar place, familiar faces."

Youyu materialized at the bottom of the parched pond, retrieving the soul stone and tossing it gently onto the pond's floor. "Ghosts who believe in me, your new sanctuary awaits. You may return," he declared.

The tributaries of the Lunar Meridian, connected to the pond, were instantly suffused with the radiant light of the soul stone.

The ghosts and spirits hidden across the Everlands, unsettled by the relentless blazing fire and the world's growing heat, all heard Youyu's call.

They rejoiced, singing praises to the name of Youyu, the God of Ghosts, and poured into the Lunar Meridian's tributaries in droves.

Guided by the soul stone's light, they traversed countless miles in an instant.

They swarmed toward the wondrous stone resting at the pond's bottom, each merging with it in turn.

The soul stone, seemingly a direct conduit to the Wraithlands, offered them passage to the Path of Reincarnation and the choice to pursue necromancy further.

"The ghosts that lack the power to break free from the confines of heaven and earth, unable to venture into the outer world, are now your charge to organize and unite."

Yu Yuan, with his tangible form from the Wraithlands, left these words with Youyu before abruptly setting off toward the Fireheart Mountains.

Moments later, Yu Yuan appeared before Jihui and the three Most Highs, outside the raging flames.

"Yu Yuan!"

"He's emerged!"

"He's actually broken free from the earthfire's seal!"

The cultivators intently observing the situation around the fiery blaze were astounded by Yu Yuan's sudden emergence, pointing and exclaiming in disbelief.

"He is not alone!"

Wuran of the Devil Palace, his eyes just acclimating to the external light and heat, employed Spirit Magic and discovered within Yu Yuan's body, veins that mirrored the legendary Levi River.

From the depths of Yu Yuan's meridians, a faint chorus of wails from countless ghosts could be heard, a stark contrast to his previous aura.

"Wraithbanner," Yu Yuan remarked, his eyes settling on the flag behind Jihui with an odd glint. He smiled and continued, "The crafting of this flag, its very creation, drew upon the power of numerous Root of the Lunar Meridian and the necromantic insights of the Lunar Meridian. However, it's of no use to me."

With a swift gesture, he reached out and grasped the air. A myriad of delicate gray-white strands materialized on the surface of the Wraithbanner, revealing the highest secrets of necromancy—the essence of souls reincarnating, the pathways for the Undead to return to their origin, and the arcane techniques for erasing and tracing soul memories—all through the numerous gray-white threads of the Yin Rule.

The spiritual link between Jihui and the Wraithbanner was severed in an instant. The ghosts and spirits that Jihui had drawn into the flag, now unbound by his will, departed one by one as if answering the summons of a God of Ghosts.

Whoosh! The sound of thousands of ghosts, along with some alien souls from the Abyss, descended upon the earth like an uncountable flock of crows and sparrows. They streamed along the Root of the Lunar Meridian, converging upon the soul stone bestowed by Youyu, as if on a sacred pilgrimage.

Jihui couldn't help but chuckle, "My lord, you are destined to return. All that you have bestowed upon me will once again be mine."

"And..." Jihui glanced downward, "It's awake."

"Now that it has awakened, even if the Primal Vitality of the Wraithlands is involved, it cannot cross over. It merely grants you the Demonic Vessel and the shadowforce. What difference can that make?" Jihui clapped and laughed heartily, undeterred, "For the Primal Vitality to think it can use you to counter it is nothing but a pipe dream."

No sooner had he spoken than the soul stone in Youyu's possession soared from the depths of the Land of Terror. It drew together many ghosts and souls from the Everlands, as well as the alien souls from the Wraithbanner, before a foreign consciousness infused it.

The soul stone in Youyu's hand suddenly flew out from the depths of the Land of Terror, gathering the souls of many ghosts and the alien souls from the Wraithbanner, all while being infused with a consciousness from beyond.

"Youyu, you should not have returned," Han Qi said, materializing quietly with a shake of his head and a smile. "In the Wraithlands, since you and Yu Yuan gained the support of its will, I was powerless against you."

"But now that you've entered the Everlands, it's out of your hands!"

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