C736 Death
Between the mountains that pierced the sky like swords, majestic palaces sprang up one after another.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Gargantuan Cloud Cruisers, resembling giant beasts of the air, descended onto the expansive squares before the palaces or roared into the sky, departing over the mountains.
Numerous visitors of varying realms strolled through the many palaces. This was the stronghold of the Skyreach Consortium.
On a verdant mountaintop, numerous caves had been carved out, each just large enough for one person. From a distance, the mountain resembled a honeycomb, with the overgrowth of plants acting as natural veils draping over the cave entrances.
A soft, mystical glow circulated around the mountain, as if spiritual energy had transformed into a nourishing liquid for both body and soul.
"Ah! Ah! Ah!"
Two harrowing screams suddenly erupted from a pair of adjacent caves. In the tranquil night, these cries were shockingly jarring.
At the summit, a woman, radiant as a rainbow, floated gracefully in front of the two caves. Her displeasure was evident as she chided, "Lin Yue, Faang Yingzi, what are you two wailing about?"
The faint light at the cave entrances slowly withdrew into the caves as the walls faded, revealing Lin Yue and Faang Yingzi. Both were ashen-faced, their lips quivering, their eyes devoid of any spark.
Qin Yan, embodying the Solar Spirit Body, stood at the cave's threshold. She projected a strand of her remnant soul like a lightning bolt, piercing through Faang Yingzi's mud pellet acupoint and into his Mindscape.
She observed that Faang Yingzi's heaven soul and dominant soul remained intact and brimming with remnant soul energy. Yet, what remained was a detached and fleeting Lunar Spirit shadow, as elusive as a reflection in water or the moon in a well, fading steadily.
Puff!
The Lunar Spirit shadow transformed abruptly, akin to a deity stripped of divine power, undergoing a mysterious metamorphosis. The remnant soul, along with the heaven soul and dominant soul, began to dilute from their refined state, losing their purity and shifting towards spiritual sense.
Witnessing this, Qin Yan understood the gravity of the situation, her expression turning frosty. Only upon the death of the Lunar Spirit, descending into Subtlety, would the remnant soul dilute into spiritual sense.
This meant that Faang Yingzi's Lunar Spirit had perished in the Land of Terror.
"Lady Qin Yan, please advocate for us!"
Lin Yue, with his white beard and silver eyebrows, appeared to have aged decades in mere moments. His hair, devoid of any shine, fell listlessly as he slumped to the ground, defeated. "I dedicated a hundred and thirty years to cultivating my Lunar Spirit from Subtlety to Spirit Walk! For the sake of the Skyreach Consortium, I braved the perils of the Land of Terror, only to be reduced back to Subtlety in an instant. I cannot come to terms with this!"
Beside him, Faang Yingzi was also in tears, his face a mess of snot and tears.
Qin Yan remained silent for a moment before responding, "The Land of Terror is unlike any other place. The bond between the Lunar Spirit and the real body is severed there. Without knowing what transpired, I will need time to conduct an investigation."
"Please, seek vengeance for us!"
Both men cried out together.
...
Ma Jianjiang steered the Cloud Cruiser away from White Bone's domain and headed towards the realm of another Spectre.
The Cloud Cruiser docked before a Shadow Mountain, which, while not as impressive as White Bone's, was still quite remarkable.
The mountain, cloaked in shades of gray and black, was home to numerous visible ghosts.
"Greetings, Lady Caiyi!" Ma Jianjiang called out with his Lunar Spirit from within the vessel.
"Here I come."
A ghost, strikingly beautiful and clad in vibrant garments, descended from the mountain's peak, her approach as graceful as drifting clouds.
Her attire bore a resemblance to the garb of the Taintborn, bright and conspicuous.
Indeed, this Colorful Cloak Spectre originated from the Taintborn Sect. Her true name forgotten, and no longer acknowledged by her former sect, she embraced her new path in necromancy, presenting herself in this vibrant cloak. Upon her ascension to the rank of Spectre, she became known as the Colorful Cloak Spectre.
She stood seventh among the sixteen Spectres of the Land of Terror.
With a whoosh, a massive green tortoise, a soul in form, emerged behind the Spectre.
The green tortoise, large enough to cover half the mountain peak, descended like a slow-moving emerald cloud.
"Azure Spirit Ghost!" exclaimed Ma Jianjiang.
Before his arrival, he had thoroughly researched the Ghost Kings and titled Spectres, familiarizing himself with their appearances and auras.
Ranked eighth, the Azure Spirit was once an eighth-level archdemon, ultimately slain by the Shadow's Keep. A remnant of its demon soul fled, secretly entering the Land of Terror, where it cultivated in its soul form to become the Azure Spirit now before him.
"I heard Cuion is dead?"
The Colorful Spectre descended, gesturing for two of her Celestial Shade subordinates to approach the Cloud Cruiser. "Don't be nervous. I'll trade the Skyreach Consortium's delivered goods at a fair rate. Since you've already encountered White Bone, I'm eager to know if the news of Cuion's death is fact or fiction."
"Cuion has indeed perished," Ma Jianjiang confirmed, nodding. "She met her end in Lord White Bone's domain. But that's all I can disclose."
"Is White Bone still in his territory?" bellowed the Azure Spirit.
"He is," Ma Jianjiang answered.
"Excellent!" The Azure Spirit's spirits lifted. "There are items in Cuion's territory I've long coveted, which she stubbornly refused to part with!"
"Prepare to head to Cuion's territory!" the Colorful Spectre exclaimed.
Ma Jianjiang observed the two Spectres brimming with combativeness, keeping to himself that Jiang Xingwen had already, with White Bone's assistance, claimed Cuion's domain.
...
The Silver Peaks towered majestically, their holy radiance as if a Holy Mountain set starkly against the backdrop of the Land of Terror. Strong Celestial Shades and ghosts continuously returned from afar, entering the Silver Peaks to draw upon the vast Yin Qi for their refinement.
White Bone's followers were pleasantly surprised during their absorption of Yin Qi. They discovered that the Yin Qi they could draw from the same location on Shadow Mountain was now denser and more refined than before. This revelation led them to the exciting conclusion that their master's power had surged anew!
The quantity of Yin Qi each Spectre could extract from the Root of the Lunar Meridian was intrinsically linked to the mountain owner's might. The more formidable the Spectre, the greater the Yin Qi they could harness, and the reverse was equally true.
This place seemed to be the Land of Terror, where an eternal rule prevailed—a gift from the Root of the Lunar Meridian to the realm's powerful ghosts and spirits.
The Ghost King would always seize the most Yin Qi, to the benefit of all his followers.
The subordinates of White Bone, upon returning from Cuion's domain, sensed the change in Yin Qi and immediately knew their master had grown stronger after the battle with Cuion.
Yet, at the very bottom of the mountain, there lingered two unfamiliar presences.
The formidable ghosts and spirits detected the presence of Yu Yuan and Yuan Lianyao, but since White Bone offered no explanation, they dared not inquire, pretending to be unaware.
In the cavernous underground chamber, Yu Yuan sat cross-legged on the ground, his eyes shut tight, with strands of spiritual sense cascading to the floor.
The Yin Qi, like a stream, followed his spiritual sense into his Mindscape, flowing through the three souls of heaven, earth, and man.
Yu Yuan looked peaceful, feeling his three souls greedily soaking up the Yin Qi.
The consumed spiritual sense became refined and solidified, rejuvenating his weary spirit.
In his palm, he clutched a Soul Crystal.
Threads of spiritual energy were naturally drawn out and funneled into the Golden Sanctum acupoint, replenishing the spiritual energy spent in his previous sword strike.
Time ticked away.
While Yu Yuan was deep in cultivation at the base of White Bone's Shadow Mountain, he could sense a Yin Qi nearly three times more potent than that of Liu Linzhi's, accelerating his cultivation pace accordingly.
"Lord White Bone, what did you discuss with Yu Yuan?"
In another corner of the vast stone chamber, Yuan Lianyao sat elegantly on a lotus throne, watching White Bone on a white jade bed engulfing the Yin Qi below, and couldn't resist asking.
The white jade bed seemed to amplify the gathering of Yin Qi, providing him with an overwhelming flow.
White Bone's spectral green eyes glanced at Yuan Lianyao, then he said, "He has agreed to assist me in my quest for the Ghost King throne."
His eyes shone with excitement and anticipation as he spoke.
Yuan Lianyao, brimming with curiosity, wished to confirm this with Yu Yuan, but since he had expended a great deal of spiritual energy and was focused on recovery, she had yet to pose her question.
Upon hearing White Bone's Spectre mention that Yu Yuan had agreed to help him ascend to the throne of the Ghost King, Yuan Lianyao was left dumbfounded.
How could Yu Yuan possibly possess the strength to aid White Bone in becoming the Ghost King within the Land of Terror?
Not even the Ruby Hand possessed such capability!
Yet, observing White Bone's demeanor and the gleam in his eyes, he appeared to be utterly convinced. What was the meaning of this?
"The things Yu Yuan can provide, the Ruby Hand cannot," White Bone declared once more. "I, White Bone, am indebted to Lord Faang Yao. I've been repaying his kindness in installments, and soon I'll be even. Once this affair is concluded and you're safely on your way, my debt will be settled."
"Ah!?"
