C734 White Bone's Plea

When White Bone spoke those words, both Yu Yuan and Yuan Lianyao were inwardly stunned. Only Ann Ziqing, who had traveled from afar, and the ghost in the form of a white fox, remained composed, seemingly having anticipated this outcome, showing no sign of surprise.

"Lord White Bone?" Yuan Lianyao ventured to inquire.

A gleam of pride shone in the depths of White Bone's emerald eyes. Seated in a snow-white palanquin like a deity, he presided over his palace. "Within my domain, every subordinate under my command has been tempered by me, serving as my eyes."

"In those Shadow Mountains, the ghosts that draw from the Yin Qi can hear my Soul Echo."

"My will can be transmitted to those Shadow Mountains without any obstruction."

With just a few words, White Bone revealed the profound secrets behind his power.

Yu Yuan felt a jolt in his heart and couldn't help but exclaim, "That scholar-like ghost betrayed you and brought Cuion here. Didn't you see it coming?"

White Bone nodded gently. "I saw everything."

If parts of the Shadow Mountains within his territory had been transformed into his eyes, then he would have been aware of Cuion's arrival on his lands the moment they appeared.

From start to finish, Cuion's movements had unfolded under his vigilant gaze.

It's no wonder that when the army encircled the Shadow Mountain, he could still idly toy with pebbles, utterly unfazed.

And it's no wonder he was able to collude with Ann Ziqing and the white fox, laying the groundwork with the Glacial Storm Seal for a trap of thunderous fury.

As the palanquin hovered aloft, a tempest of lightning erupted, with torrents of electric fury pouring into the vessel.

All was within White Bone's grasp.

"Lord White Bone is truly impressive," Yu Yuan commended.

Observing White Bone's serene posture, he had an epiphany: even without Jiang Xingwen's intervention or Ann Ziqing's strategy, White Bone was fully capable of overpowering Cuion and his followers.

White Bone's invitation to Jiang Xingwen was not only an offer of goodwill but also a chance to assess the authenticity and potency of the River of Souls through a calculated test.

Furthermore, Ann Ziqing had the backing of a Ghost King allied with the Colddeath, a figure acquainted with White Bone.

Thus, Cuion's demise was also a gesture of respect from White Bone to the Ghost King.

His subordinates had already been dispatched to Cuion's domain when he discovered her presence. Seizing the opportunity, he began to encroach upon her territory and eliminate her followers.

Before Jiang Xingwen's arrival, he stealthily pilfered some of Cuion's treasures.

"Cuion and White Bone being enemies is sheer folly."

Jiang Xingwen offered her thanks with a respectful gesture before bidding farewell to Yu Yuan. She then reclaimed the River of Souls and, with her powerful followers in tow, gracefully departed.

"It's the River of Souls, the very same that once allowed Dhoreus to dominate the Land of Terror!"

The ghost in the form of a white fox shivered as it explained to Ann Ziqing standing beside it.

Jiang Xingwen and the White Bone ghost took their leave of Yu Yuan, yet they completely disregarded Ann Ziqing. It was as if Ann Ziqing, who had accompanied the white fox, was utterly invisible.

Ann Ziqing felt no resentment. She was too astounded by the River of Souls, exclaiming, "That artifact has actually emerged!"

The River of Souls, a wondrous Horcrux, shared a profound link with the Root of the Lunar Meridian. Legend had it that after Dhoreus vanished, it returned from the external realm on its own.

Since then, it had lain dormant deep underground, never to resurface.

Even Razses, the Ghost King of the Land of Terror, along with the other Ghost Kings, revered the River of Souls and had once sought to possess it.

Regrettably, not one of them could ever detect its presence.

Who could have imagined that a female Lunar Spirit on a Spirit Walk would somehow gain mastery over the River of Souls and claim this Horcrux for herself?

There's a belief that divine items only emerge when great upheavals are about to unfold.

The River of Souls is the divine item of the Land of Terror!

After vanishing for so many years and eluding all the Ghost Kings, it has now surfaced at this critical juncture and fallen into Jiang Xingwen's hands. Could this not be an omen?

"The turmoil in this realm is likely far from over," Ann Ziqing remarked, her voice tinged with mirth.

"Are you Ma Jianjiang?" White Bone inquired, turning his gaze to the deacon who had survived aboard the Cloud Cruiser. "Please ensure the cargo is delivered back to my Shadow Mountain. My subordinates there are ready to receive it, and the agreed-upon price stands."

"Alright, alright."

Ma Jianjiang, feeling as though he had been pardoned, paid no mind to Lin Yue and Faang Yingzi, and promptly steered the merchant ship away.

Yu Yuan let out a sly chuckle and waved farewell.

"Don't worry, I'm clueless about everything!" Ma Jianjiang called out loudly.

"No matter, the Chamber of Commerce will find out sooner or later. It doesn't bother me," Yu Yuan said with a shrug.

Lin Yue and Faang Yingzi, in the outside world, were supposed to be at the Spirit Walk realm. Both had reached the Lunar Spirit state, while their real bodies remained in the Chamber of Commerce's unique sanctuary.

Like Jiang Xingwen, they were seated in a special region, engaged in cultivation.

The Land of Terror was unlike any other place. Lin Yue and Faang Yingzi's Lunar Spirits, unable to maintain contact with their real bodies' heaven soul and dominant soul, existed independently.

Yet, if their Lunar Spirits perished in the Land of Terror, they would certainly sense it immediately.

For a Spirit Walk realm warrior, the loss of a Lunar Spirit meant an instant demotion by two levels in their cultivation.

Suddenly, they would plummet from the Spirit Walk Realm to the Subtlety Realm.

If one had an earthly soul imprint in their Mindscape or preserved in an unusual vessel, they could gradually refine a new earthly soul and embark on the path of cultivation once more.

Without it, the destruction of the Lunar Spirit signified an incomplete earthly soul, making it nearly impossible to refine anew.

In such a case, their journey in cultivation would end at the Subtlety Realm, with little hope of advancing further.

The demise of the Lunar Spirit would cause severe damage to the real body, just as the loss of the Solar Spirit would. The principle is the same.

"You all stay out here; I'll go inside and have a word with him."

After Jiang Xingwen departed, White Bone gently pointed towards Yu Yuan.

Yu Yuan, taken aback, asked, "Me?"

White Bone gave a slight nod.

Yuan Lianyao and Ann Ziqing, along with the white fox, were taken aback, a sense of bewilderment stirring within them.

White Bone was friendly with Faang Yao and had come here to escort Yuan Lianyao. It seemed odd that he wouldn't communicate directly with her.

He was acquainted with the Ghost King and knew of Ann Ziqing's connection to him. It was with Ann Ziqing's assistance that they had managed to defeat Cuion.

Shouldn't I have said something to Ann Ziqing?

Why did it have to be Yu Yuan?

"Oh, okay then."

Yu Yuan was intrigued by this ghost, short in stature with skin as white as jade, exuding a holiness akin to that of a deity. He agreed to the request.

White Bone was the first to dart into the diminutive Shadow Mountain, followed by Yu Yuan, who steered the Crucible of Evil deeper inside.

It was the same palace where Yuan Lianyao had practiced her arts. Upon re-entering, Yu Yuan immediately noticed a thick Yin Qi rising from the earth, sealing the entrance tightly.

The Yin Qi seemed to be drawn by White Bone's power, serving as a sort of isolation barrier.

This Spectre, shrouded in mystery, brimming with wisdom, and possessing exceptional combat prowess, got straight to the point after completing his task, "Yu Yuan, I hope you can assist me in ascending to the throne of the Ghost King."

"Ghost King!"

Yu Yuan was startled, his eyes sparking with intensity as he exclaimed, "Master White Bone, you are currently the second-ranked Spectre. I'm aware of your ambition to advance to Ghost King. I understand that this is a necessary step in your journey, a shared aspiration among all Spectres. But..."

"Why do you need my help?"

"Aren't you allied with the Ruby Hand? The Ghost King supporting Ann Ziqing holds more sway. What skills or strength do I possess that could possibly aid you?"

The power displayed by White Bone was astonishing, making Cuion seem insignificant in comparison.

Moreover, White Bone's intelligence was exceptional, possessing all the prerequisites to become a Ghost King.

Yet, aside from wielding the Crucible of Evil and having access to my real body, I fall short compared to Ann Ziqing and Jiang Xingwen.

Yu Yuan was puzzled.

Whoosh!

The underground chamber within Shadow Mountain came alive as ghostly figures danced across the smooth, reflective rock walls, revealing a vivid scene.

A ghost in the form of a Fox Monkey, leading a horde of other ghosts, surged from a grey-white mountain, pursuing the Crucible of Evil with fervor.

Yu Yuan took one glance and cried out, "That Fox Monkey?"

During his initial foray into the Land of Terror, while probing a Shadow Mountain, he had encountered the ghost in the guise of a Fox Monkey.

After their encounter, he was besieged by a swarm of ghosts. He resorted to using Wraithbinding, which incited the ghosts to pursue him relentlessly, like they were injected with adrenaline. It wasn't until the cauldron spirit alerted him that he managed to shake them off.

The incident that occurred three months prior had left a profound impact on him.

"My subordinates," White Bone declared.

Upon hearing this, Yu Yuan took notice of the ghostly figure shaped like a Fox Monkey, its eyes a vivid green, mirroring those of White Bone.

The scene on the rock wall subtly shifted, revealing that after escaping the clutches of the ghostly entities, the Fox Monkey-shaped spectre had returned to the summit to convene with a gathering of pale, ghostly figures.

To ensure Yu Yuan could see clearly, the ghostly figures gradually became more defined, ultimately taking on a skeletal form.

"That's you!" Yu Yuan exclaimed in shock.

He recalled the cauldron spirit mentioning that the Fox Monkey-shaped ghost was relatively weak, but its master was exceedingly powerful and not to be trifled with.

This was the very reason the Crucible of Evil had steered clear of Shadow Mountain, to avoid an encounter with the master of the Fox Monkey ghost.

"It's a part of me," the White Bone Wraith clarified. "As I mentioned earlier, many Shadow Mountains within my domain have been assimilated by me, transforming them into my eyes. I wasn't on that particular Shadow Mountain at the time, but upon detecting your peculiar scent, I cast a spell to dispatch a fragment of my soul there."

"Therefore, what manifested was the white, ghostly shadow, not my skeletal form."

White Bone elucidated.

Yu Yuan nodded in understanding, "I never imagined that you would be the first one I'd encounter in the Land of Terror. You must have been watching me for quite some time, haven't you?"

White Bone did not refute, "Given that the Spirit Magic you practice is from Boulderdawn, how could I afford not to be cautious?"

Yu Yuan's face took on a startled expression.

"I wasn't born in the Land of Terror; I'm an outsider as well," White Bone confessed, performing an exaggerated deep breath within the stone chamber to compose himself before continuing, "I hail from Moonfall Sanctuary."