C603 Ghoul King!
Within the mist, a group had gathered around the massive carcass of a crocodile, using the residual vitality within to forge and temper their bodies with the mystique of the Forgeroses. Suddenly, their faces registered shock.
"Puff!"
Du Huang violently coughed up a mouthful of blood, laced with traces of death aura he had absorbed.
In a mere moment, the remaining vitality, not yet fully dissipated from the crocodile's body, underwent a transformation. Influenced by an unknown power in the blink of an eye, the vitality morphed into a dense death aura.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Streams of white death aura burst forth from the crocodile's body, flowing like rivers of mist into the depths of the fog.
Du Huang's face drained of color as he realized the gravity of the situation. "Someone has used a formidable spell to reverse the crocodile's vitality!"
It wasn't just their location; streams of white death aura were surging skyward from various directions. In a brief span, the crocodile was completely devoid of vitality.
Du Huang quickly understood that the crocodile, being dead, was bound to lose its vitality over time, transforming some of it into death aura. This process should have been gradual, and in the unique conditions of this world, it might not have occurred at all.
Tan Yuan had led them here to cultivate using the crocodile, to harvest its vitality for their physical refinement, likely because they could control the crocodile and prevent the vitality from altering post-mortem.
But now...
Du Huang gazed into the distance, deep in thought, before addressing his companions, "The Sword Prison must have opened. The Ghoul King, once confined there, has broken free."
"The Ghoul King?" A Forgeroses disciple exclaimed in alarm.
"Yes, a formidable Evil Demon from the Everlands, who centuries ago, rose from the dead within an ancient tomb, amassing death aura to augment his power," Du Huang explained gravely. "It is said that the Ghoul King could instantly transform the residual vitality of the newly deceased, whether human or Fellbeast, into death aura for his cultivation."
"He was so notorious for his slaughter that the five great sects issued a decree for his execution. Upon hearing this, he fled into the Star River, beyond our world."
In the extraterrestrial realm, he remained unable to escape, ultimately being found and confined within the Sword Prison.
Du Huang, witnessing the dense white death aura slowly streaming through the air toward the mist-shrouded depths, surmised through Tan Yuan that the Sword Prison must have been opened.
"We must go, leave this place at once," Du Huang commanded.
...
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Billowing clouds of dense white smoke enveloped Qi Hongyi, who cradled the lute, plucking its strings with deliberate strokes.
The lute's music alternated between the high-spirited clash of battling armies, the mournful wails of desolation, and the surging tides of fighting spirit and battle intent.
The smoke clouds converging on Qi Hongyi abruptly transformed into a horde of specters and skeletons, as if intent on swallowing her whole.
Deeper within Qi Hongyi's Mindscape, an endless array of skeletons amassed into mountains and seas of the dead, besieging her soul.
The Ghoul King, having broken free from the Sword Prison, vanished into the pallid mists of death aura.
The phantom was lost without a trace.
"The Ghoul King must have entered the depths of that red-clothed girl's soul," someone deduced.
Xi Quan, listening to Yan Qiling's sharp warning, Yu Yuan's astonishment, and Chen Qingyan's soft gasp, furrowed her brow and remarked, "Many Otherkin corpses were also dragged here, providing the Ghoul King with an unexpected boon."
The Ghoul King could harness the dead, whether they were cultivators, archdemons, or Otherkin from the Star River's depths.
The Ghoul King's strength was drawn from these very corpses.
Watching the death aura billow forth from every direction toward Qi Hongyi, Xi Quan understood that the Ghoul King was swiftly regaining power.
Given the Ghoul King's level of cultivation and combat prowess, it was effortless for him to conceal himself within the death aura. He could easily infiltrate Qi Hongyi's Mindscape and launch a direct assault on her soul while she remained oblivious.
Yet...
Xi Quan glanced at Yan Qiling and the silent master hovering above the Sword Prison, a shadow of foreboding darkening her Heart Lake.
She was increasingly beset by an ominous premonition.
After Yan Qiling's initial outburst, she fell into a sudden silence and stealthily positioned herself beside Yu Yuan.
Zhan Yun, the Nightbane Sect's leader, regarded him with a cold, wary eye and stated, "In business, one must maintain a proper demeanor. I haven't even named my price yet, so don't be in such a hurry."
"Business?" Yan Qiling took a deep breath, paying no mind to Zhan Yun. Instead, he turned to Yu Yuan and said, "Later, when you find a chance, leave. Try to stick with me. I'll do my best to escort you for a while."
Boom!
Zhongli Dapan teleported in an instant, materializing beneath Yan Qiling, suspended in mid-air, and suddenly emerging in front of Zhan Yun.
He refrained from unleashing his fist intent or further restricting Yan Qiling. With a grave demeanor, he addressed him, "Mr. Yan, correct? I'm curious about the origins of the Sword Prison statue."
The master of the house fell silent. A statue, crafted from the essence of Moon Soul, had transformed into two immense figures. The abrupt transformation in Yan Qiling's demeanor unsettled Zhongli Dapan.
He held back from striking Yan Qiling, instead treating him with a newfound respect and even seeking his counsel.
He didn't know Yan Qiling's background or status, yet something instinctual told him that this peculiar individual must recognize the statue.
"Crack!"
In the chest of the statue, sculpted from the Sword Prison, there was a small cavity.
At the mouth of this cavity stood a statue made of greenish-brown wood, identical to the larger one carved from the Sword Prison.
Nestled in the chest of the stone statue, the wooden figure resembled a bizarre little heart.
Facing Yan Qiling, the wooden statue bore a gentle, benevolent smile.
Indeed, the statue was smiling, as evidenced by the subtle tug at the corners of its mouth.
As the wooden figure smiled, the stone statue, born of the sword spirit, echoed the gesture.
The collective smile sent shivers down everyone's spine.
"He was originally in the Moonfall Sanctuary. His presence alone had the power to shift the dynamics of the Aetherius Continent, which is why he was taken from the sanctuary and brought to the extraterrestrial realms," Yan Qiling remarked, gazing at the statue with a mix of fear and awe. "When his front faced the Aetherius Continent, there would be relative peace; empires would recuperate, refraining from waging wars."
"Conversely, if his back were to face the continent, nations would engage in frequent warfare, leading to the deaths of countless soldiers and civilians."
"His existence alone has the capacity to sway the fate of the Aetherius Continent at any moment. Peace and chaos hinge upon which side he shows."
Even while suppressed within the Moonfall Sanctuary, as long as he remains in the Everlands, he can still influence the fate of Aetherius. The formation within the sanctuary only prevents his escape; it does nothing to curb his ability to sway the continent's state of peace or war at its core.
Yan Qiling's voice carried an ethereal quality, as if he were speaking in a trance, his words laced with complexity.
"It's that accursed creation of Boulderdawn!"
The old dragon, who had outlived everyone present, began to shake violently upon hearing Yan Qiling's revelation.
His floating palanquin rocked tumultuously.
Loong Jie swiftly grabbed his daughter, Loong Yang, and with a glare of intense rage, he cast a glance at the suspended white robe. His claw radiated with a dazzling light.
With a swift strike of his claw, the palanquin took flight, speeding away.
"Loong Jie!" Zhan Yun exclaimed in alarm, "You wanted this young man, didn't you? Don't rush off; we can discuss the price!"
"To hell with negotiations!"
Loong Jie spat out curses, disregarding Zhan Yun's attempts to intervene, and hastily steered the palanquin away. He abandoned his demands for Zhao Yafu, intent only on departure.
"I had thought he truly wished to rescue us, to set us free. But what he truly sought to unleash was that monstrosity forged by Boulderdawn. We were merely incidental. Moreover, he saw us as slaves, intending to use that thing to control us!"
The old dragon's roars, filled with rage and panic, echoed discontinuously.
It was clear that the ancient leader of the Nagas understood the statue's origins and formidable nature, which is why he was desperate to flee.
Upon hearing the old dragon's words, Zhongli Dapan, Xi Quan, the fat old man, and the little green serpent from Shadow's Keep all showed signs of distress.
"Boulderdawn!"
They were unaware of the statue's history, but they were familiar with the sect's formidable reputation, having heard of it throughout the Star River. They recognized Boulderdawn as the dominant force that had long overshadowed the three great upper sects, Devil Palace, and Shadow's Keep, previously wielding immense power over the Everlands.
Whoosh!
The dense white death aura suddenly coalesced once again, unveiling the gaunt figure of the Ghoul King.
The Ghoul King and Qi Hongyi stood shoulder to shoulder behind the statue, having unexpectedly ceased their battle and now appeared unharmed.
They gazed upon us with a calm demeanor.
Surprisingly, their expressions were kind and benevolent, each wearing a gentle smile.
The atmosphere was ineffably eerie and unsettling.
