C740 Ghost King Came out of Seclusion
At the base of the imposing Shadow Mountain, the Shadowblade had expanded to ten times its size, drawing in the vast Yin Qi from the depths of the mountain.
The artifact soul within the Devil Blade, having been wounded by Yu Yuan's earlier sword strike, was now slowly healing.
Mo Yan's Lunar Spirit emerged suddenly from the mirror-like surface of the blade.
Crack!
A slender fissure split the side of Shadow Mountain, and a diminutive black ghost squeezed through the crevice.
In an instant, it regained its original size, transforming into a towering, hundred-meter-tall entity, hovering in the void.
The ghosts dwelling on Shadow Mountain prostrated themselves in reverence, exclaiming in unison, "Congratulations to the Ghost King on his emergence!"
Whoosh!
A massive Black Staff burst forth from the earth near the Shadowblade as Shadow Mountain quaked intensely.
The colossal ghost gently descended before the staff, its black, sun-like eyes fixated on it as it murmured, "It has been ages since our last encounter."
"Greetings, Qignas!" Mo Yan greeted with a respectful bow.
The Qignas before him had once been a Unbound cultivator of the Human Race, a formidable being who had manifested his Divine Visage. Following his death, his Solar Spirit shattered, and his dominant soul dispersed, leaving only a sliver of his Lunar Spirit to flee.
After a tumultuous journey, the Lunar Spirit reached the Land of Terror, where, over centuries, it evolved into the Qignas now before him.
Mo Yan was aware that his father had exerted considerable effort behind the scenes to facilitate Qignas's entry into the Land of Terror.
For this reason, the Qignas of the Land of Terror had granted him permission to purify the Shadowblade's artifact soul on Shadow Mountain and to refine his own Lunar Spirit.
Qignas, who had once manifested a Divine Visage, had shifted his practice to necromancy and ascended to the status of Ghost King, now embodying the visage of his former Divine Visage.
Standing a hundred meters tall, shrouded in darkness, he exuded an aura of mystery and shadow, resembling a Demon God from the abyss.
The Black Staff, an item that had accompanied him throughout his life, had been presented to him by Mo Yan's father as a congratulatory gift upon his ascension to Ghost King.
"Just stay put; I'm heading to Wintermaw's territory," Qignas commanded.
Mo Yan's expression shifted subtly. "This early?"
"We'll test him first to see if Wintermaw has made any progress over the years," Qignas said, gazing into the distance. "Tian Zang and Taruer have already clashed. Razses has emerged from seclusion. I've had issues with Wintermaw since the early days, so it's only natural for us to meet."
As he finished speaking, his massive ghostly form, clutching the Black Staff, soared into the sky. Nearly ten thousand visible ghost spirits followed in his wake.
In the Land of Terror, there were five Ghost Kings: Tian Zang, Taruer, Razses, Qignas, and Thoaos.
Ghost Kings differed from Spectres; there was no hierarchy among them, nor was there a definitive ranking.
To outsiders and even among their own, the five Ghost Kings were regarded as equals in combat prowess, each one a paramount force in this realm.
Historically, the Ghost Kings had engaged in numerous duels with no clear victor or fatalities.
After so many inconclusive battles, they gradually ceased their conflicts with one another.
This time, however, the tumult of the outside world, with its endless surge of lost souls and the deaths of cultivators, had altered the Root of the Lunar Meridian, presenting the Ghost Kings with fresh prospects.
The ensuing chaos rippled through the Land of Terror, stirring all five Ghost Kings.
"Lord Black Staff, remember your promise to me!" Mo Yan called out suddenly.
"There's no rush with White Bone; I'll speak with Wintermaw first," Qignas's voice resonated from a great distance. "Don't provoke White Bone; he's not one to be taken lightly."
Mo Yan acknowledged with a grunt, holding back any further words.
...
"Black Staff has emerged!"
Simultaneously, deep within the Land of Terror, within Razses's domain.
A white fox-shaped ghost relayed to Razses, who was adorned in a dragon robe and a golden crown within the Soul Locking Diagram, "My lord, Black Staff is leading his forces towards Wintermaw's territory!"
Razses, within the Soul Locking Diagram, nodded and responded, "I'm aware."
Ann Ziqing, clad in her purple divine armor, stood at the base of the mountain, listlessly overhearing the conversation between Razses, the Ghost King, and his followers. Her mood was far from cheerful.
"There's more news. With Yu Yuan's assistance, White Bone first took down the eighth-ranked Azure Spirit, followed by the ninth-ranked Spectre, and then the eleventh-ranked Ixldir," the white fox reported. "Yu Yuan, wielding the Crucible of Evil and in his real body, teamed up with White Bone, leading to a string of victories."
Initially indifferent, Ann's attention sharpened at the mention of Yu Yuan.
"White Bone didn't need Yu Yuan's help to win," Razses declared with unshaken composure within the grand halls of the Soul Locking Diagram. "Even before the Pale Reaper departed, I regarded White Bone's combat prowess as second only to his. His victories over the eighth, ninth, and eleventh-ranked Spectres are no surprise to me."
"My lord, you hold White Bone in such high regard?" the white fox exclaimed in astonishment.
"White Bone is biding his time. His true target is likely the top-ranked adversary," Razses mused within the diagram. "Should White Bone triumph in that battle, given the current concentration of Yin Qi in the Land of Terror, it would be sufficient to allow for the emergence of a sixth Ghost King."
"Do you mean to say that White Bone might swiftly ascend to become the new Ghost King?" the white fox asked, taken aback.
"The quantity of Ghost Kings in the Land of Terror is intimately connected to the Root of the Lunar Meridian, as well as to the Everlands," Razses elucidated. "As more people perish in the outside world, especially cultivators, the Root of the Lunar Meridian gathers more Yin Qi, giving rise to an increase in ghostly beings."
"And that surge can facilitate the birth of a new Ghost King."
"At its zenith, the Land of Terror was ruled by eight Ghost Kings! Yet, even then, the world beyond was not as tumultuous as it is now. The presence of eight Ghost Kings often coincided with conflicts between the Land of Quiescence and Euwrea, leading to upheaval among the great empires of Aetherius."
"Despite such times, only eight Ghost Kings ever emerged, and the essence of the Root of the Lunar Meridian remained unchanged."
On this journey, the Boulderdawn sect returned, only to find the Sky Fiend invading and the Otherkin flooding in, along with the Terra Fiend and archdemons causing chaos. The turmoil this time far surpasses the strife between the Land of Quiescence and Euwrea. During this period, with the strengthening of the Yin Qi, not only is there the potential for new Ghost Kings to emerge, but there's also the possibility of creating a God of Ghosts, the likes of which have only been mentioned in legends!
As Razses uttered that final sentence, his eyes, deep within the Soul Locking Diagram, suddenly shone brightly.
Having reached the pinnacle of existence in the Land of Terror, his goal was to ascend to the status of a God of Ghosts!
Only by ruling the Land of Terror could he break free from this realm and confidently challenge any being.
Once he attained the stature of a God of Ghosts, not even the primordial spirits of the upper sects, the Devil Palace, or the Dark Deity of the Shadow's Keep could touch him!
...
The Crucible of Evil roared through the void, drawing in the souls and ghosts one by one.
Those loyal to White Bone had long since grown accustomed to the Crucible's methods and knew how to cooperate. Whenever they saw an enemy targeted by the Crucible of Evil, they would graciously step aside.
A scarlet python, as thin as a strand of hair, was gradually ingested by White Bone.
Within White Bone's mouth, a white flame burned, slowly dissolving the bright, red, hair-like python in its blaze.
The emerald glow in White Bone's eyes grew even more brilliant!
He glanced at the Crucible of Evil soaring through the sky, capturing its prey, and felt a secret relief that Yu Yuan had lent his strength, enabling him to slay three Spectres in a short span.
Within the little world of the cauldron.
Yu Yuan's eyes gleamed as he observed the dense "evil spirits" at the base of the cauldron. Looking up, he saw even more "Bane."
Whoosh!
Another soul was snatched and pulled into the cauldron, descending to the bottom to undergo the transformation into an "evil spirit."
"Five thousand Bane have now been formed!"
The voice of the cauldron spirit thundered throughout this secluded realm.
"Given 100,000 Bane, even if they are the weakest and most inferior, I can reclaim my status as a Divine Artifact!"
"The formation of 100,000 Bane was the initial condition for the cauldron to ascend to a Divine Artifact! Only with one hundred thousand Bane can the most powerful Soul Nexus be completely activated."
"Master! Please, stay in the Land of Terror a bit longer and gather more souls and ghosts!"
"Your collaboration with White Bone is mutually beneficial. As he strides toward becoming the Ghost King, you can seize the chance to constantly refine more Bane!"
The cauldron spirit exulted.
Yu Yuan gave a slight nod, his gaze fixed on the numerous evil spirits being refined. He felt a sincere sense of delight, "White Bone's next target should be the Spectre ranked above him. The upcoming battle is crucial! Should he emerge victorious, he will ascend as the sixth Ghost King of the Land of Terror!"
"I shall aid him in claiming his throne!"
