C749 Ghost King's Original Face

Rahu, with her feet firmly planted on the ground, lifted her left foot and brought it down with a thunderous stomp.

Boom!

Beneath her, the earth erupted in a cascade of seven-colored ripples.

The ripples fanned out like the dazzling surface of a lake, emanating from her spirited body and rapidly spreading in every direction.

Yu Yuan's face registered a subtle shift in expression.

With his Third Eye perpetually open, he witnessed strands of seven-colored arc light penetrating deep into the earth.

Below the surface, the arc light cascaded like a babbling brook, plunging downwards.

Splash! Splash! Splash!

The crisp, pleasing sound of flowing water echoed once more from the base of the iridescent Shadow Mountain behind Rahu.

As the water's melody filled the air, the dormant power deep within the earth and the halted cosmic order resumed their natural flow, moving unhindered and smoothly.

"The sound of the River Styx in the Underworld is a balm for my soul, always soothing to hear, no matter the time," Rahu murmured, her gaze intoxicated as she looked down and listened with her soul to the water's song. "The River Styx connects to the Root of the Lunar Meridian. The Root is a deep sea of Yin Qi, and what lies beneath Shadow Mountain is but a river leading to it."

"In the vast Land of Terror, only six possess the boon of a River Styx."

With a slight smile, Rahu pointed downward with her other hand. "Kid, why do you think that girl, Jiang Xingwen, is fleeing?"

Yu Yuan's expression darkened as he replied, "She realizes she's no match for you."

"Not entirely," Rahu countered, shaking her head. "The River of Souls she wields can only hold back the River Styx temporarily, not indefinitely. While I was engaged with White Bone, I might have been too distracted to maintain a connection with the River Styx. But once White Bone is defeated, I'll have the energy to commune with the River Styx."

She paused briefly.

Then she resumed her explanation, "Jiang Xingwen's River of Souls may constrain the River Styx, but once I've dealt with White Bone, I can focus all my energy on the River Styx to confront her. She's eager to escape because if she lingers, she may no longer have the chance to leave, even if she wishes to."

After finishing her piece, Rahu, who had set the River Styx flowing once more, came to a halt.

She refrained from further speech, instead gazing at Yu Yuan with a hint of hope in her eyes.

At that moment, Yu Yuan experienced an odd sense of insight.

He realized that Rahu was looking at him with his 'Third Eye', but in truth, she seemed to be seeing something else entirely.

Though Rahu was clearly conversing with him, the underlying message seemed intended for someone else who wasn't there at all.

"I am aware that the Senior is present."

Rahu paused, speaking with a restrained and uneasy tone, "Upon this youngster's arrival, I employed my initial Spirit Magic to probe and detected an unusual scent behind Shadow Mountain. If I'm not mistaken, the Senior must be in the Star River beyond our world, using his soul as a vessel to observe the happenings within the Everlands."

She was completely off the mark.

Rahu, harboring her misconceptions, believed Yu Yuan's 'Third Eye' was the work of a Boulderdawn luminary, employing a sophisticated soul technique from a great distance to scrutinize the cosmos from the vastness of the Star River.

Legend has it that not only the Boulderdawn's mighty, but any who attain the Primordial Spirit Realm, including the Dark Deity of the evilkind, possess such powers.

Their real bodies, situated deep within the cosmos, could peer into the Everlands from afar, using their hand-chosen disciples, sacred relics, or the sect's grand formations to convey their will through other objects.

Rahu was convinced that Yu Yuan was merely an instrument of a Boulderdawn heavyweight.

It was this very concern that stayed her hand; she could have easily shattered Yu Yuan's soul after breaking the White Bone, but she dared not.

"This is..."

Yu Yuan wore a look of bewilderment. He was tempted to correct her mistake, but considering Rahu's formidable nature and the fact that her misjudgment had spared him, he truly didn't dare to clarify.

Clarifying might well lead to Rahu extinguishing him on a whim.

"What must I do to earn your sect's esteem?" Rahu asked, her tone tinged with despondency as she let out a bitter sigh. Then, she tossed the flower basket skyward.

The basket hovered, opening downward, as if a splendid canopy had materialized out of nowhere.

Looking up, Yu Yuan saw the flower basket above him expand immeasurably, with iridescent light unfurling from its base like a magnificent and enchanting tapestry draped over his head.

"I want what I'm about to say to remain a secret, for the other five in the Land of Terror might sense even the slightest disturbance here and overhear my words," Rahu said, after ensuring their privacy. "The flower basket above creates a small space, isolated from the Land of Terror, hidden even from the prying eyes of the five Ghost Kings."

Yu Yuan remained silent, nodding his understanding.

"I'm aware of the recent events in Afnetalos. I know that the lad survived outside the city with the aid of Zu Ann. If your sect can welcome Zu Ann, then surely you can welcome me too. I have a past with Zu Ann, and like him, I am despised by the three upper sects, the Devil Palace, and Shadow's Keep."

As Rahu bowed her head, unseen by Yu Yuan, she subtly altered the contours of her face.

With a little extra effort, one could easily change their spirited body's appearance, form, and even assume a completely different identity.

The soul, however, remains immutable, eternally unaltered.

Soon after, Rahu lifted her head, revealing a new visage.

This new face of Rahu was a touch more delicate and lovely than before. Her slender frame was unchanged, but now there was a distinctive mark on her forehead—a bright red date-shaped imprint.

It was as if the red date mark had been with her since birth, located at the mud pellet, like a natural Third Eye that Rahu was born with.

This was Rahu's true face!

Rahu began to speak, ready to explain to Yu Yuan—or rather, to the Boulderdawn expert she presumed was behind him—about her connection with Zu Ann and why she was shunned by the three upper sects, the Devil Palace, and Shadow's Keep.

"Luo Yue!" Yu Yuan abruptly called out.

Startled, Rahu, the Ghost King, trembled, and her words halted abruptly.

She stared at Yu Yuan in disbelief, the name "Luo Yue" resonating in her mind.

How long had it been?

Nearly a century?

Since her Lunar Spirit entered the Land of Terror and she began practicing necromancy, no one, living or ghost, had uttered that name in her presence.

It had been an eternity, so much so that she had come to believe she was indeed the Rahu Ghost King of the Land of Terror.

Then, out of nowhere, an unfamiliar young man appeared, conjuring up her true form from the depths of her memory and uttering her original name. The shock was inescapable.

"S-senior..."

The Rahu Ghost King stuttered, her soul shaking so violently that she struggled to form coherent sentences.

She was convinced that it must have been someone from the Boulderdawn sect behind Yu Yuan who had recognized her and uncovered her past.

This only solidified her belief!

Overwhelmed by her astonishment, she failed to notice that Yu Yuan, facing her within the Crucible of Evil, was experiencing similar violent tremors. His chest heaved just as intensely, his face a mirror of her own disbelief.

After speaking the name "Luo Yue," Yu Yuan fell silent, his mind whisked back over three centuries.

Back then, a peculiar little girl was sent by the Poison Cult to attend to him.

She was the link between him and the Poison Cult.

The girl, with a birthmark like a red date on her forehead, was the hand-chosen disciple of the Poison Cult's leader!

While he delved into the intricacies of poison pills, she was the one who obediently supplied him with an array of venomous creatures, poison pills, and deadly magical ingredients for his experiments.

He didn't mind her silently observing and learning from his work. If she ever had questions, driven by her insatiable curiosity, he would explain with patience.

This didn't sit well with his herb slave, Du Jing, who harbored a deep resentment towards the girl, leading to numerous conflicts.

He invariably took the girl's side, chastising Du Jing instead.

Though he and the girl never formally acknowledged a master-disciple relationship, it existed in all but name.

That girl from years past was now the Rahu Ghost King—Luo Yue.

Later, through Zu Ann and Xie Bin, he learned of the events that unfolded in Luo Yue's life after his reincarnation.

Having spent time with him and gained a profound understanding of medicinal arts, Luo Yue, upon his disappearance, returned to the Poison Cult and naturally ascended to the position of sect master.

Luo Yue served as the leader of the Poison Cult for several decades before her junior brother succeeded her.

Once Luo Yue was deposed from her leadership role, she vanished without a trace and was never seen again.

The details of what transpired remain a mystery, and it is unknown whether Luo Yue is dead or alive.

...