C747 Rahu!
Yu Yuan regarded the situation with solemn respect.
Unexpectedly, after freeing himself from the constraints of the flower basket, White Bone chose to engage in a solo battle with Rahu, the Ghost King. He forbade both himself and Jiang Xingwen from joining a fight that was far from being evenly matched.
From any perspective, White Bone was the underdog.
Yet White Bone's decision to confront the challenge head-on deeply moved Yu Yuan. He had an epiphany that White Bone's true purpose in summoning him was to use the Moonfall Strike to contain the iridescent Shadow Mountain. He was to sever chunks of rock from the mountain with his peerless sword light, and as the stones tumbled to the ground, fulfilling White Bone's wish, satisfaction was his.
Yu Yuan did not disappoint White Bone's expectations. He exerted all his might to cleave the rocks, which, once separated from the iridescent Shadow Mountain, were quickly transformed by White Bone into formidable blades to be wielded in battle.
White Bone likely hadn't anticipated that Rahu would evolve into the Rahu Ghost King, with the Shadow Stream emerging at the base of Shadow Mountain. It was fortunate that Jiang Xingwen arrived just in time, wielding the most enigmatic Horcrux of the Land of Terror—the River of Souls—thereby preventing the waters of the Shadow Stream from flowing.
With the Ghost King reliant on the mountain and river, and both elements now restrained, Rahu, the newly ascended Ghost King, was left to combat White Bone with only the powers he had refined.
This outcome was not only within White Bone's expectations but was also one he was prepared to accept.
"As you wish," Jiang Xingwen said with a gentle curtsy, her slender waist entwined with the River of Souls as she gracefully stepped back. She offered Rahu a smile and added, "Lord Rahu, I shall leave you to it."
With a whoosh, she retreated thousands of meters in a heartbeat, arriving at a smaller Shadow Mountain in the blink of an eye.
"The River of Souls grants you the ability to traverse the Land of Terror instantaneously," the Ghost King Rahu remarked, a note of surprise in her voice. She had finally grasped why Jiang Xingwen had the audacity to confront her and meddle in her conflict with White Bone.
Armed with the River of Souls and the power to teleport, Jiang Xingwen had no fear of Rahu's assault. Besides, Rahu still had White Bone to contend with.
"I respect your will!"
Yu Yuan's expression was solemn as he nodded across the distance to White Bone. He also maneuvered the Crucible of Evil, gradually distancing himself from the iridescent Shadow Mountain.
Boom!
White Bone's form radiated a resplendent divine light, exuding an aura of sanctity that seemed untouchable. Encircled by star-like, silver-white stones, White Bone formally set foot in Rahu's forbidden area.
In an instant, White Bone transformed into a colossal skeletal giant, stepping onto Shadow Mountain. The silver-white stones he had covertly refined cascaded down like a milky way towards the treasure mountain.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
A succession of seven-colored rainbows burst forth from Rahu's flower basket. These rainbows resembled celestial bridges leading to another Star River, dazzling and enigmatic.
The iridescent rainbows soared skyward, intercepting the descending silver-white stones. Rahu's figure shimmered as she withdrew into the iridescent Shadow Mountain. The mountain, which had just settled into the ground, miraculously morphed into a giant woman clad in colorful garments.
Upon closer inspection, it was no longer a mountainous form but one with a head, limbs, facial features, and subtle expressions—it was unmistakably Rahu's likeness!
Rahu's soul had merged with the iridescent Shadow Mountain, using it as her corporeal form to metamorphose into a divine being!
This spectacle left Yu Yuan, Jiang Xingwen, and the few mighty souls secretly observing the conflict utterly astounded and ashen-faced.
...
"Rahu!"
From the depths of the Land of Terror, where the Yin Qi was thickest, at the most towering Shadow Mountain, exclamations of astonishment echoed.
Nearly all the souls that had evolved into Spectres and remained alive had heard the Ghost King's thunderous roar.
"Rahu! Rahu! Rahu!"
This name reverberated throughout every nook and cranny of the Land of Terror in mere moments!
Countless ghosts and spirits were jolted, quivering with trepidation and unrest.
"Rahu has forged a new Way of Ghosts!"
Within the ice tombstone, Thoaos's visage appeared, marked by extreme shock. "Black Staff, do you still believe we can maintain control over the situation?"
The Ghost King, hovering above the immense Black Staff, was suddenly enveloped in silence.
Having reached the Ghost King level, both of them could discern the minutiae of Rahu and White Bone's battle anywhere in the Land of Terror with pinpoint accuracy.
At this moment, their vision was crystal clear.
"I'm not confident that I can defeat this newly ascended Ghost King Rahu," Qignas admitted after a moment, shaking his head with a bitter expression. "The new wave pushes the old in the River of Time. It seems this generation of Ghost Kings is stronger than ours."
"Could it be that denser Yin Qi has given rise to a more formidable Ghost King?" Wintermaw exclaimed, astonished.
Something seemed to strike Qignas, and his expression darkened abruptly.
...
"Get out of my way!"
The woman clad in vibrant garments spoke with a human tongue, her almond eyes flashing with lethal intent.
Her petite flower basket rose into the air, unleashing a barrage of iridescent light toward the towering White Bone Giant. The bizarre energy within the light wasn't solely comprised of Soul Power.
"This is truly astounding."
As the Crucible of Evil finally hovered before her atop the diminutive peak of Shadow Mountain, Jiang Xingwen marveled with a click of her tongue, "Both Ghost King Rahu and White Bone are anomalies in the Land of Terror. Rahu has thoroughly refined a Shadow Mountain, apparently aiming to use it to..."
Jiang Xingwen paused, searching for the right words, then her eyes brightened as she declared, "Forge a Solar Spirit Body!"
Yu Yuan was taken aback by her assertion. "How could that be?"
"The Solar Spirit differs from the Lunar Spirit. The Lunar Spirit is ethereal, while the Solar Spirit possesses a tangible form," Jiang Xingwen explained, her brow furrowed in thought. "For human cultivators, the formation of the Solar Spirit Body involves not only the aid of magic items but also the fusion of the heaven soul with the purest spiritual energy, creating a corporeal form of pure energy."
"This Shadow Mountain contains Yin Qi that Rahu has meticulously refined countless times through some arcane method, sealing it within the mountain to prevent it from escaping."
At that realization, Jiang Xingwen gasped, "That's why Rahu has never sought followers!"
Yu Yuan caught on, "You mean she doesn't want any ghosts bound to her, sharing the Shadow Mountain's Yin Qi?"
"Exactly!" Jiang Xingwen affirmed without a trace of doubt. "She's the top-ranked Spectre in the Land of Terror! With my dominion over the River of Souls, I understand that the Root of the Lunar Meridian naturally bestows more Yin Qi upon the mightiest ghosts."
Since she has been cultivating on Shadow Mountain, drawing in the Yin Qi from the Root of the Lunar Meridian into the mountain's depths, one would expect the mountain to gradually grow taller. Without any special circumstances or external forces, that's exactly what should happen.
It was she who refined the Yin Qi from beneath the earth into Shadow Mountain itself!
The Root of the Lunar Meridian underground continuously emits Yin Qi, which has been refined and purified countless times. It's akin to the spiritual energy of a Solar Spirit, which has been purified over and over, transforming from a gaseous state to a liquid, and ultimately crystallizing. Rahu has somehow managed to refine the Yin Qi to such an extent and merge it with Shadow Mountain!
The mountain now boasts an iridescent hue, a testament to its transformation!
When the soul entered Shadow Mountain, what was once a lifeless mass of rock became the Land of Terror, an entity akin to a Solar Spirit Body!
Jiang Xingwen was thrilled.
"Incredible! I'm in awe! Never before has a ghost achieved such a marvel in the Land of Terror! I'm genuinely impressed. I must concede that a ghost, using Shadow Mountain as its base, could actually create a physical form! Rahu, it's only fitting that you advance to become a Ghost King!"
In that moment, Jiang Xingwen couldn't help but shower Rahu Ghost King with praise, her demeanor suggesting she was on the verge of idolizing her.
After Jiang Xingwen's explanation, Yu Yuan was left astounded, then began to admire her deeply.
"No wonder this place has been the top-ranked Spectre in the Land of Terror for a century," Yu Yuan mused, nodding. "And no wonder she was the first to ascend to Ghost King status once the Yin Qi became abundant. If not for the Ghost King's emergence being contingent on the concentration of Yin Qi from the Root of the Lunar Meridian, she likely would have achieved it much sooner."
"I feel the same way," Jiang Xingwen concurred.
The extraordinary abilities demonstrated by Rahu Ghost King were beyond belief, even leading Jiang Xingwen to suspect that Rahu's true power, as a newly minted Ghost King, might rival that of the established five Ghost Kings.
"I hope White Bone can hold on," Yu Yuan sighed.
Jiang Xingwen shook her head, expressing her regret. "Against a Rahu like that, it's not just White Bone who would struggle—none of the Ghost Kings could prevail!"
