C752 The Second Healing

"Innate?" Yu Yuan was deeply shaken.

"His path to becoming a Ghost King will be fraught with difficulty," Luo Yue mused, gazing in a particular direction. "The Black Staff, Wintermaw, and other Ghost Kings might even intervene personally."

Yu Yuan's face fell. "Could that really happen?"

"There's a problem with White Bone's origins," Luo Yue stated gravely.

"What kind of problem?" Yu Yuan asked, taken aback.

"White Bone isn't from the Land of Terror, and it's possible he's not even from the Everlands," Luo Yue explained with a grave expression. "The white flames emanating from his skeletal form are unfamiliar to me. His bones are unlike those of ordinary people; they don't seem to be from our realm."

She couldn't have been more clear.

"An extraterrestrial visitor!" Yu Yuan gasped, the realization hitting him. Following Luo Yue's line of thought, he surmised that White Bone, who had emerged from the Moonfall Sanctuary, was likely a once-imprisoned magnate like the Indigo Wraith, who had somehow escaped the sanctuary and infiltrated the Land of Terror.

"In my perception, he's a disruptor," Luo Yue said, furrowing her brow. "His presence is actually undermining the rules of the Land of Terror! The flames he carries threaten to consume all the souls and ghosts here, as if intending to purify the entire place."

"The implications of White Bone becoming a Ghost King are daunting to consider."

At this point, Luo Yue was visibly concerned and fearful. She cast a glance at the iridescent Shadow Mountain behind her, which had been transformed into a spectrum of colors, drawing a measure of reassurance from it.

Once Luo Yue learned that Yu Yuan was her "junior brother," she shared all she knew with him without reservation.

Yu Yuan later learned from Luo Yue that a significant upheaval was imminent in the Land of Terror. The powers associated with the Ghost King were growing restless, each hoping that the Ghost King they favored would seize the opportunity to rise to dominance in the Land of Terror—aiming to reach the exalted realm of the God of Ghosts.

The God of Ghosts is the most revered entity in the Land of Terror, rumored to be able to connect with the Root of the Lunar Meridian and subtly influence the cycle of life and death in the Everlands, wielding the power to govern reincarnation.

Every sect or power would wish for the God of Ghosts, born in the Land of Terror, to be aligned with their interests.

Qignas had the clandestine support of the Devil Palace behind him.

Taruer, the Ghost King, had evolved from the demon soul of an archdemon, which naturally drew him closer to Shadow's Keep.

Razses, the Ghost King, and Ann Wen, the father of Ann Ziqing, were close friends, with the backing of Colddeath.

Thoaos was rumored to have ties with Winter's Bite sect in the Euwrea continent, but he never confirmed such connections himself.

Tian Zang, the Ghost King, was the most enigmatic of the five. He appeared to have no past dealings with any sect, having been born in the Land of Terror and ascended from the most minor soul to become Tian Zang, the Ghost King.

Out of the five Ghost Kings, four had affiliations with various sects.

After ascending to Ghost King, Luo Yue contemplated whether to align with a faction to advance on the Path into Shadow.

She had taken note of Yu Yuan's Spirit Magic, which originated from Boulderdawn, and entertained certain ideas.

Alas, Yu Yuan confirmed that his presence in the Land of Terror was not on Boulderdawn's behest, nor was he there to select a spokesperson for them.

Luo Yue was slightly disappointed, yet she wasn't overly disheartened.

Shortly thereafter, she led Yu Yuan to a Shadow Mountain, taller than the one where she practiced, "The female general is inside Shadow Mountain. I've made some arrangements there; it's not easy for ghosts and spirits to detect." Luo Yue elaborated.

With a gentle shake of her flower basket, a section of the dark brown Shadow Mountain burst into iridescent light.

A cave entrance, just wide enough for a single figure, emerged bathed in dazzling light.

"In truth, I'm not as acquainted with her as you might think," Yu Yuan admitted, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"I've heard that the Shadow Curse she practices can backfire on her," Luo Yue said with a slight smile. "I took a liking to her, so I made sure she could practice there undisturbed. I've also placed a wall around her because her current condition is quite delicate."

Luo Yue spread her hands helplessly, "Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do to help her."

Yu Yuan paused for a moment before asking, "Is she in trouble again?"

"The Shadow Curse is a sinister form of Spirit Magic. Even its creator, the Stormcrowned Emperor, suffered frequent backlashes in his late period and descended into madness. How could she possibly be immune?" Luo Yue spoke as if it were to be expected. "Her Lunar Spirit ventured into the Land of Terror, and like a great shark entering the ocean, she voraciously consumed numerous lower-tier ghost spirits, substantially nourishing her soul."

"Unfortunately, the Shadow Curse is just that, and not the more refined Spirit Magic practiced by the Boulderdawn sect."

Luo Yue gently shook her head and gestured towards the cave entrance. "Go inside, and you'll see for yourself."

"What about you, Senior Sister?" Yu Yuan inquired with curiosity.

"I'll stay here," Luo Yue replied as she settled down at the base of the mountain. "I have some things to ponder. You go and lend her a hand. The name she mentions most is yours, Yu Yuan. I've always been curious; despite her words being laced with resentment when she speaks of you, why does she bring you up so often?"

With a slight smile and a wink, she teased, "Junior brother, it seems you've accumulated quite a few emotional debts."

"It's not at all what you're imagining," Yu Yuan replied, feeling the onset of a headache. Realizing further explanation would be futile with his former half-disciple, he maneuvered the Crucible of Evil, now reduced in size, and zipped into the Shadow Mountain cave.

Descending further and further, he soon arrived at a spacious and bright stone hall where he found Lee Yuchan.

Lee Yuchan sat with her Lunar Spirit in meditation, her proud and icy presence at the center of a tumultuous soul vortex. Within it, hundreds of souls shrieked, their piercing cries filled with loathing, vengeance, and murderous thoughts.

The souls, varied in size and shape, were caught in the whirlpool's relentless flow. Lee Yuchan's Lunar Spirit, taller and more valiant than that of an average woman, occasionally cast off wisps of remnant soul as it withstood the vortex's rotation.

Her expression, one of intense suffering, suggested her soul was enduring the relentless erosion of the vortex's force.

Yu Yuan stood within the Crucible of Evil, glancing down briefly to understand that the former general of the Silvermoon Empire was using the Shadow Curse to purge her soul of its impurities.

She must have endured a backlash, realizing that if she persisted, her Lunar Spirit would suffer greatly, leaving her no choice but to cleanse her soul.

"The Shadow Curse's accumulated soul filth and evil thoughts are ideal for evil convergence," the cauldron spirit's voice echoed in Yu Yuan's mind. "This woman, Lee Yuchan, who practices the Shadow Curse, can be of use to me. She seeks to purify and rid her soul of its malevolent thoughts. Even if she cannot transform into an evil spirit, she remains a most nourishing feast for the Bane. Hand her over to me!"

"Alright!"

With a whoosh, the refined Bane within the Crucible of Evil surged forth, clawing its way toward Lee Yuchan.

In the midst of her cultivation, Lee Yuchan's Lunar Spirit turned a ghastly shade, and upon looking up, she was so terrified she nearly lost her soul.

"It's me, Yu Yuan!"

At the sound of his name, Lee Yuchan's unstable Lunar Spirit miraculously settled.

Positioned at the vortex's core, her slender eyes brightened, dispelling their initial bewilderment.

She gazed intently at the silhouette within the cauldron, her lips parting as if to speak, yet ultimately, she remained silent.

The Crucible of Evil was well-versed in cleansing the Shadow Curse's malevolent thoughts and strange powers.

In due time, the Bane released by the cauldron spirit had their fill and returned to the cauldron, leaving the Empire's female general free from the torment of her sinister thoughts.

"Take care."

Yu Yuan, from inside the cauldron, offered a respectful fist-and-palm salute, bid farewell, and then directed the Crucible of Evil to soar away.

Lee Yuchan was left alone in the stone hall, her expression a complex tapestry of emotions.

"Bastard!"

Much later, the general, renowned alongside Yuan Lianyao, whispered a curse under her breath, her head bowed in her Lunar Spirit form.

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