C743 Sixth Ghost King!
Emerging from the depths of the Mindlock Diagram, the Initial Spirit Ghost King appeared, his eyes ablaze with divine light, gazing intently into the distance. Within the depths of his gaze shimmered a Dark Mountain, bathed in a seven-colored, lucent aura.
"The place where Luohou undertakes his austere cultivation!"
The astute white fox caught sight of this and cried out in astonishment, "Sir, are you... observing the clash between Luohou and the white skeleton?"
Encased in purple armor, Ann Ziqing's brows knitted as she softly called out, "Initial Spirit, what's the situation over there?"
Yu Yuan was fighting alongside the white skeleton, but her true concern lay with Yu Yuan's fate.
"From this moment forward, refrain from referring to Luohou as a mere ghost," the Initial Spirit Ghost King said, his mouth curving into a delighted smile, "For she is now the Luohou Ghost King! The sixth sovereign to rise from the Horror Land!"
"What?!" The white fox was thunderstruck.
Ann Ziqing's face transformed with alarm. She swiftly engaged the array within her purple armor and, like a streak of violet lightning, dashed toward the domain of the Luohou Ghost King.
"As for Yu Yuan, if he seeks death alongside the white skeleton, he has no one else to blame," the Initial Spirit Ghost King remarked, unperturbed, gesturing casually.
"Mindlock Diagram!" The scroll soared from the majestic Dark Mountain, arriving in an instant, ensnaring the fleeing bolt of purple lightning and forcibly detaining Ann Ziqing.
"I made a promise to your father to keep you safe in the Horror Land."
The Initial Spirit Ghost King paid no heed to Ann Ziqing's protests, continuing to chuckle with a grin, "The time has come, haha, it truly has begun! The emergence of the sixth Ghost King signifies that my predictions were accurate! As the Yin Qi surges in this realm, the rise of a new Ghost King will surely bring even more astonishing developments!"
Far from unsettling him, the advent of the Luohou Ghost King was the very outcome he had long anticipated.
Howls echoed within the Mindlock Diagram as the formidable ghosts unleashed their earth-shattering cries, their frenzy matching the Initial Spirit Ghost King's excitement.
...
"Luohou has ascended to Ghost King!"
Deep within the Horror Land, the Black Staff Ghost King felt the tremors of change and jolted in response.
Before the Dark Mountain stood an Ice Stone Tombstone.
Interwoven with chilling light, a spectral figure emerged from the tombstone, declaring, "There's no mistake! Beneath the Dark Mountain, where Luohou practices, a stream flows."
The speaker was none other than the Cold Abyss Ghost King, one of the five formidable Ghost Kings. His eternal slumber was marked by the Ice Stone Tombstone.
Despite the Black Staff Ghost King's extensive efforts to seek him out, the Cold Abyss Ghost King couldn't be bothered to engage. He remained indifferent to the Black Staff Ghost King's clamor outside, refusing to make an appearance.
His followers were well-acquainted with his disposition and didn't believe he feared the Black Staff. They understood that the Cold Abyss Ghost King saw no point in a battle with the Black Staff, as it would yield no victor, and thus he had no interest in even addressing the matter.
Yet, stirred by the unexpected developments involving Luohou, the Cold Abyss Ghost King emerged from within the Ice Stone Tombstone.
"Only those souls who rise to the rank of Ghost King can curry favor with the source of the Yin Vein, receiving a stream of Yin Qi in return," declared the Black Staff Ghost King, his massive form hovering like a hill in the sky, his tone grave. "The emergence of a sixth Ghost King signals that the outside world must be in utter disarray."
"Isn't this the very opportunity we've been awaiting for years?" cackled the Cold Abyss Ghost King from within his tombstone.
"Indeed it is!" The Black Staff Ghost King bared his teeth in agreement.
...
Elsewhere, Jiang Xingwen emerged from Dark Mountain, gazing at the verdant jade belt known as the Soul Crossing River encircling her slender waist. She murmured softly, "Luohou has advanced ahead of time!"
"What? Luohou has transformed into a Ghost King?"
"Has Lord Luohou ascended to become the sixth Ghost King?"
"Why so soon?"
Her words sent ripples of shock through her loyal followers, enlightened by the wisdom of the Soul Crossing River.
"Join me as we venture into the domain of the Luohou Ghost King!"
With a mere thought from Jiang Xingwen, every ghost within the Soul Crossing River and Dark Mountain heeded her call. In moments, nearly five thousand corporeal ghost spirits swarmed around her, forming a dense throng.
"Master, with Luohou's rise to Ghost King, we must proceed with caution!"
"Master, even with the Soul Crossing River at your command, challenging a Ghost King is no small feat! Please reconsider!"
"Master, please, take a moment to think this through!"
The Heavenly Ghosts, upon witnessing Jiang Xingwen rallying her forces to march on the Luohou Ghost King's realm, urgently counseled her, fearing she might encounter grave danger.
"I've made my decision!"
With those words, Jiang Xingwen charged ahead, soaring toward the domain of the Luohou Ghost King.
Her followers, with sighs of resignation, reluctantly kept pace.
The Ghost King!
The pinnacle of power in Horror Land, nearly invincible in this land rich with Yin Qi.
Only fellow Ghost Kings could possibly stand a chance; all other soul spirits and ghosts were no match.
Before Luohou ascended to Ghost King status, they believed Jiang Xingwen, guardian of the Soul Crossing River, would soon be ready to contend.
But now, with Luohou at the zenith of Ghost King power, what could Jiang Xingwen hope to achieve?
Was she seeking her own demise?
Her loyal subordinates couldn't fathom her actions and held little hope for this venture.
...
Where the mountain meets the water, that is the Ghost King.
The sound of a stream trickling at the base of the seven-colored, luminous Dark Mountain revealed a shock that the green depths of his eyes could not conceal.
Before the Luohou Ghost King, the white bones grew increasingly restrained.
"Bone, go back to your own realm. You're no match for me."
What was astonishing was that after revealing the unique river of the Ghost King, this newly risen Luohou Ghost King was not domineering. She refrained from attacking and even amiably advised, "You're quite clever, and I'm aware of your own path to advancement. I've long recognized your quest for ascension between life and death."
"But you're too late."
With that, the Luohou Ghost King gestured with a wave of her sleeve, signaling Bai Gu to depart swiftly.
Yu Yuan, within the Evil Cauldron, stood there dumbfounded, struggling to grasp the situation.
He could never have anticipated that this top-ranked ghost would silently achieve Ghost King status and maintain silence about his success.
It wasn't until Bai Gu sought him out that he demonstrated his might, urging Bai Gu to leave without fuss.
"I..."
Bai Gu the ghost began to speak, the green glow in his eyes intensifying.
Simultaneously, his alabaster skeletal frame ignited with an even more intense and fiery white blaze, the divine power of purification radiating from his entire being.
"Bai Gu, don't be deluded," the Luohou Ghost King said with a hint of chill in her tone, "Challenging a Ghost King in the guise of a mere ghost is unwise! You should realize that the stream at the base of the mountain I draw from provides me with an unending source of strength. In my domain, before my mountain and river, to challenge me, Luohou, is to court death. Do you understand?"
"I only know that if I retreat today, I'll never surpass you in this lifetime," declared the White Bone Ghost King, his voice growing as resolute as his gaze. "If I turn my back now, my journey to becoming a Ghost King ends here. If I'm too scared to fight, too intimidated by the ranks of Ghost King and Ghost, then I don't deserve to be the next Ghost King!"
"Heh, heh."
The Luohou Ghost King smirked, her lips curling into a knowing smile. "There's a chasm between Ghost and Ghost King that's not easily crossed. You know this, White Bone, yet you choose to be so obstinately defiant."
"So be it, I shall grant your wish."
With a flick of her wrist, she tossed the basket she was holding.
The moment the empty basket took flight, it transformed into a bizarre microcosm, teeming with ghosts that surged forth and engulfed White Bone in an instant.
"Cyan Spectre, Jade Spring Ghost, Red Python Ghost, and White Coat!"
Yu Yuan, standing within the cauldron, gasped in astonishment, his face a picture of incredulity.
As the basket closed in and devoured White Bone, a swarm of ghosts emerged, seizing his arms, neck, and encircling his white jade torso, dragging his legs, pushing him from behind...
Among these spectral beings were the Cyan Spectre, Jade Spring Ghost, Red Python Ghost, and even the White Coat Ghost that Yu Yuan had previously encountered.
The White Coat Ghost was ranked among the top two Ghosts!
More astonishing still was the revelation that not just one, but three White Coat Mercurials had materialized from the basket!
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the other ghosts were also present in multiples.
Two Red Python Ghosts, and shockingly, four Ash Dowager Ghosts had emerged from within the basket!
The most numerous unnamed ghost appeared in seven identical forms!
"White Coat, having challenged Luohou three times and suffered defeat, yet each time his power significantly increased afterward..."
A thought streaked through Yu Yuan's mind like lightning, leaving him momentarily stunned before a realization dawned on him. "Could it be that every ghost who challenges Luohou has a soul shadow secretly imprinted by her? With each defeat, they unwittingly lose a portion of their strength to Luohou's basket?"
"Those who enter the basket, are they forever unable to best her, eternally subdued by her hand?"
"White Coat has suffered three defeats and realizes that his trio of soul shadows has been devoured by the flower basket. He's acutely aware that his chances of becoming a Ghost King are gone, which is why he left Horror Land in resignation to seek opportunities elsewhere, right?"
Yu Yuan felt he had uncovered the truth!
It made sense why the Luohou Ghost King, after her advancement, accepted every challenge from the spectral beings without hesitation.
She would even spare the defeated, allowing them to return for another challenge.
Yet, those who lost would come back after years, even decades, of growing stronger, only to be defeated once more.
With each battle, she siphoned a fragment of the vanquished's soul shadow, ensuring that those who lost once, their soul shadows captured by the flower basket, would never have a chance at victory again.
Once the soul shadow was within the basket, she could easily decipher the intricacies of her opponent's soul technique and discern their strengths and weaknesses through a secret method.
Knowing both herself and her enemy, she could swiftly bolster her own power. Why wouldn't she?
From within the flower basket, a chilling cry erupted, "Yu Yuan! Aid me in shattering the Dark Mountain!"
"Young man, if you simply stand by and watch, I'll spare you any trouble out of respect for the Divine Soul Sect," the Luohou Ghost King uttered with a cold huff, "But if you dare to destroy my Dark Mountain, you'll have only yourself to blame!"
