C740 The Ghost King Came out of Seclusion
Beneath the imposing Dark Mountain, the Kyara Demon Blade had swelled to ten times its size, drawing in the vast Yin Qi from the mountain's depths.
Within the blade, the Artifact Soul, wounded by Yu Yuan's earlier strike, was gradually healing.
Mo Yan's Yin God emerged, suddenly visible on the blade's mirror-like surface.
Crack!
A slender fissure split the side of the thousand-foot Dark Mountain, and a pitch-black ghost, having shrunk to a fraction of its size, wriggled free from the crevice.
In the blink of an eye, it resumed its colossal stature, a hundred-meter-tall behemoth suspended in the void.
The multitude of ghosts dwelling on Dark Mountain prostrated themselves, their voices thundering in unison, "Congratulations to the Ghost King on his emergence!"
Whoosh!
Amidst the violent tremors of Dark Mountain, a massive black staff burst forth from the earth near the Kyara Demon Blade.
The towering ghost descended gracefully before the staff, its eyes—dark as twin suns—fixated upon it, murmuring, "We have not met in a very long time."
"Greetings, Black Staff Ghost King!" Mo Yan greeted with a respectful bow.
The Black Staff Ghost King before him had once been a formidable Unrestrained Stage cultivator among humans, one who had even manifested his Aspect. Following his demise, his Yang God shattered, his primary soul dissipated, leaving only a strand of Yin God to flee.
After a tumultuous journey, this wisp of Yin God reached Horror Land, and over centuries, it evolved into the Black Staff Ghost King.
Mo Yan was aware that his father had exerted considerable effort behind the scenes to facilitate the Black Staff Ghost King's entry into Horror Land.
And it was for this reason that the Black Staff Ghost King, now ruling over Horror Land, permitted him to purify the Artifact Soul of the Kyara Demon Blade on Dark Mountain and to refine his own Yin God.
The Black Staff Ghost King, who had once cultivated his Aspect, had embraced the path of the ghosts. Upon ascending to Ghost King, his form shifted to resemble his former Aspect—a hundred meters tall, shrouded in darkness, an enigmatic and shadowy presence like a Demon God from the abyss.
The Black Staff, a lifelong companion artifact, was presented to him by Mo Yan's father as a celebratory gift on the day he ascended to Ghost King.
"Just stay put, I'm heading to Cold Abyss's territory," commanded the Black Staff Ghost King.
Mo Yan's expression shifted subtly. "This early?"
"We'll test the waters and see if Cold Abyss has made any progress over the years," the Black Staff Ghost King said, gazing into the distance. "Tianzang and Qianjie have already clashed. Initial Spirit has emerged from seclusion. I've always clashed with Cold Abyss, so it's only natural for us to meet."
With those words, his immense ghostly form, clutching the Black Staff, soared into the sky with a howl.
A legion of nearly ten thousand visible soul spirits followed in his wake.
In Horror Land, there were five Ghost Kings: Tianzang, Qianjie, Initial Spirit, Black Staff, and Cold Abyss.
Ghost Kings were distinct from lesser ghosts; they had no hierarchy nor a definitive ranking.
To outsiders and the internal ghostly beings alike, the five Ghost Kings were considered equals, each the pinnacle of power in this realm.
Historically, the Ghost Kings had engaged in numerous duels, yet none could best the other, let alone to the death.
After countless battles, they reached an impasse and gradually ceased their conflicts.
This time, however, the turmoil in the outside world, with its endless surge of lost souls and the deaths of cultivators, had altered the source of the Yin Veins, presenting the Ghost Kings with a fresh opportunity.
This chaos rippled through Horror Land, shaking all five Ghost Kings to their core.
"Lord Black Staff, you made a promise to me!" Mo Yan called out suddenly.
"The White Bone matter can wait. I'll deal with Cold Abyss first," the voice of the Black Staff Ghost King boomed from afar. "Don't meddle with White Bone; he's not to be underestimated."
Mo Yan acknowledged with a grunt and held his peace.
...
"Black Staff has emerged!"
Meanwhile, deep within Horror Land, in the domain of the Initial Spirit Ghost King.
A ghost in the form of a white fox relayed the news to the Initial Spirit Ghost King, adorned in a dragon robe and golden crown, "My lord, Black Staff is marching his forces toward Cold Abyss's territory!"
Inside the Mindlock Diagram, the Initial Spirit Ghost King nodded and stated, "Understood."
At the mountain's base, Ann Ziqing, clad in her purple divine armor, listlessly overheard the Initial Spirit Ghost King conversing with his followers. Her spirits were low.
"Another matter to report: with the aid of Yu Yuan, the White Bone outside has slain the eighth-ranked Cyan Spectre, followed by the ninth-ranked Jade Spring Spectre, and the eleventh-ranked Red Python Spectre," the white fox continued, "Wielding the Evil Cauldron, Yu Yuan arrived in his true form and, by joining forces with White Bone, they achieved victory with remarkable ease."
Initially indifferent, Ann Ziqing's attention sharpened at the mention of Yu Yuan by the white fox.
"White Bone could have triumphed without Yu Yuan's assistance," the Initial Spirit Ghost King remarked with unruffled composure within the grand palace of the Mindlock Diagram. "Even before the White Coat Mercurial departed, I regarded White Bone as the second strongest. His defeating the eighth, ninth, and eleventh spectres is no surprise to me."
"My lord, you hold White Bone in such high esteem?" exclaimed the white fox, astonished.
"White Bone is biding his time. His true target is the one at the top," the Initial Spirit Ghost King mused, then added, "If White Bone emerges victorious in that battle, given the current concentration of Yin Qi in Horror Land, the conditions would allow for the emergence of a sixth Ghost King."
"You mean to say that White Bone might swiftly ascend to become the new Ghost King?" the white fox asked in amazement.
"The number of Ghost Kings in Horror Land is intimately linked to the source of the Yin Meridians and the Boundless Land," the Initial Spirit Ghost King elucidated. "As more people and cultivators perish in the outside world, the Yin Qi from the Yin Meridians' source intensifies, giving rise to more ghostly beings."
"And this surge can also facilitate the birth of a new Ghost King."
"At its zenith, Horror Land boasted eight great Ghost Kings! Back then, the outside world was far less tumultuous than it is now. The era of the eight great Ghost Kings often coincided with conflicts between Quietus Continent and Heavenly Source Continent, leading to upheaval among the great empires of Profound Sky Continent."
"Even so, there have only ever been eight great Ghost Kings, and the source of the Yin Meridians remained essentially unchanged."
"This time, with the return of the Divine Soul Sect, the incursion of the Heavenly Demons, and the influx of various races, along with the Earth Demons and Great Demons causing havoc, the turmoil surpasses the warfare between the Quietus Continent and the Heavenly Source Continent. In the midst of this chaos, as the Yin Qi intensifies, we may not only witness the birth of a new Ghost King but also the emergence of a legendary ghost deity, the likes of which have never been seen before!"
The Initial Spirit Ghost King's eyes sparkled with intensity as he spoke these words, deep within the Mindlock Diagram.
Standing at the pinnacle of Horror Land, his ambition was to ascend to the status of a ghost deity!
Only as the sovereign of Horror Land could he leave this realm and boldly confront any being.
Once he attained the stature of a ghost deity, not even the Primordial Spirit masters from the three upper sects, the Devil Palace, or the Demon Gods could touch him!
...
The Evil Cauldron roared through the void, ensnaring soul after soul, ghost after ghost.
The minions loyal to the White Coat Mercurial had grown accustomed to the Evil Cauldron's workings and knew exactly how to assist. Whenever they spotted an enemy marked by the Evil Cauldron, they would step aside without hesitation.
A slender red python, no thicker than a strand of hair, was gradually ingested by the White Coat Mercurial.
Within its mouth blazed a bone-white flame, slowly dissolving the lustrous red serpent.
The luminescent green in the White Coat Mercurial's eyes shone even more fiercely!
He cast a subconscious glance at the Evil Cauldron soaring through the air, relentlessly hunting its quarry, inwardly rejoicing at Yu Yuan's support, which enabled him to vanquish three spectres in rapid succession.
Within the cauldron's inner realm.
Yu Yuan's eyes gleamed as he observed the thick swarm of evil spirits at the cauldron's base, then raised his gaze to behold even more above.
Whoosh!
Another soul was snatched and dragged into the cauldron, descending to the bottom to undergo the transformation into an evil spirit.
"We're nearing five thousand evil spirits now!"
The voice of the cauldron soul thundered through this miniature cosmos.
"If we can condense a hundred thousand evil spirits, even the weakest and lowest among them, I'll be able to reclaim my place among the Artifacts!"
"The formation of one hundred thousand evil spirits was the very condition that elevated the cauldron to the status of a Divine Artifact in the past! Only with such a force can the most formidable soul arrays be fully deployed."
"Master! Please, linger in Horror Land a bit longer, gather more souls and spectral beings!"
"Your collaboration with the White Bone is mutually beneficial. As he advances towards becoming a Ghost King, you'll have the opportunity to continuously condense evil spirits!"
The cauldron soul erupted in jubilation.
Yu Yuan gave a slight nod, his gaze fixed on the numerous evil spirits being refined. A genuine sense of delight washed over him. "White Bone's next conquest should be the Nether Ghost that stands before him. The upcoming battle is crucial! Victory will secure his place as the sixth Ghost King of Horror Land!"
"I shall aid him in his ascension to the throne!"
