C773 True Enemy!

Yu Yuan's brow furrowed, and he lapsed into a sudden silence.

He had struck a deal with the skeletal being: he would exert every effort to aid its rise to Ghost King status. In return, it would assist him in amassing a host of ghosts to infuse the Evil Cauldron with Evil Qi, propelling the cauldron's continual advancement.

Together, they had fought side by side on numerous occasions, each time emerging victorious with ease.

Through the skeletal being, he had also reaped substantial benefits from the conquests of the Titled Ghosts, amassing a wealth of Evil Qi.

However, their streak of success came to an abrupt halt when they encountered Luohou, an ascendant Ghost King, and suffered a crushing defeat.

Since that fateful encounter with Luohou, the once unspoken bond between them had all but dissolved.

The skeletal being, gravely wounded, retreated to its domain to recuperate, drawing upon the rich Yin Qi of the underground. Word of its vulnerability spread quickly, prompting a mobilization among the many ghosts that harbored fear for the skeletal being.

Yu Yuan was under no obligation to come to its rescue.

Luo Yue had cautioned him, pointing out the skeletal being's mysterious origins and the Ghost Kings' aversion to it. Aligning himself with the skeletal being would only make his path through Horror Land more treacherous.

Yet, inexplicably, he felt a kinship with the skeletal being, a sense that it was destined for greatness in the current era of Horror Land.

This sentiment persisted even after learning that Luohou was once a close disciple of the Ghost King in a past life.

It was a peculiar feeling, difficult to comprehend, but his innate affinity for the skeletal being remained steadfast.

"The skeletal being may not be able to avoid this predicament," Ann Ziqing said, her smile fading as she adopted a grave tone. "In its territory, the emergence of the Yin Sunflower Essence has sent many ghosts into a frenzy."

She elaborated on the situation.

The Dark Mountains, long ago refined by the skeletal being, began producing the Yin Sunflower Essence. The skeletal being regarded these mountains as its eyes, maintaining a spiritual connection with them.

The Yin Sunflower Essence harvested from the mountains it had personally cultivated was particularly potent and shone like stars.

She informed Yu Yuan that the Yin Sunflower Essence was a substance of legend, irresistibly alluring to all manner of spirits and ghosts. Numerous Titled Ghosts were converging on the Dark Mountain where the skeletal being practiced its cultivation, intent on forcing it out to harness the Yin Sunflower Essence for themselves.

The white bones emerged to do battle, only to suffer further injuries under the relentless assault of numerous ghosts of equal strength.

Eventually, the white bones withdrew to the sanctuary of his Dark Mountain.

Thanks to the Yin Sunflower Essence, the Dark Mountain underwent infinite transformations, becoming as impregnable as a fortress. Despite the ghosts' bombardment, it remained steadfast and unbroken.

Soon after, Cao Jiaze of the Profound Sky Sect arrived, commanding a grand palace crafted from the Heaven Palace Seal, descending upon the domain of the white bones.

The future Sect Master of the Profound Sky Sect relayed a message to the Titled Ghosts about the Dark Mountain where the white bones took refuge.

He revealed that the white bones' Dark Mountain was linked to seventeen others he had smelted into a fan-shaped array, creating a mystical formation.

All eighteen Dark Mountains nurtured by the Yin Sunflower Essence were part of this scheme.

Should the Dark Mountain harboring the white bones prove indestructible for the moment, the strategy was to shatter the other seventeen, one by one, thereby significantly diminishing their collective power.

Ultimately, the white bones' stronghold would also succumb.

"There are eighteen in total, each infused with the Yin Sunflower Essence. They must all be shattered to break the white bones' hiding place," murmured Yuan Lianyao, her expression growing increasingly peculiar. "Yu Yuan, you may have unwittingly become an accomplice to tyranny."

With a somber expression, Yu Yuan nodded. "I've inadvertently become the knife that strikes at the white bones!"

Upon entering the white bones' territory and discovering the presence of the Yin Sunflower Essence atop a mountain, he used the Evil Cauldron to annihilate the external ghosts. Meanwhile, he refined the essence within himself using the Evil Body Refining Skill, in tandem with the Ghosting Arts, causing the mountains to collapse in succession.

If each mountain was a conduit to the white bones' consciousness, his very eyes, then the white bones were essentially watching him dismantle his own foundation, step by step.

Previously, the white bones had been gravely wounded by Luo Yue, his half-disciple, and now he faced fresh injuries inflicted by his peers on his own mountain.

How desperate and stifled must the white bones feel, hidden within the Dark Mountain with their inherent pride?

Currently, in pursuit of the "essence of the Yin Sunflower," he had inadvertently become an accomplice, just like those specters, destroying Dark Mountain and forcing the white bones into the open.

What would the white bones feel if they knew the truth?

This thought sent Yu Yuan's frustration soaring. He longed to immediately take control of the Evil Cauldron and race to the Dark Mountain, where the white bones were in cultivation. His plan was to eliminate all the Titled Ghosts and then explain to the white bones that his actions were unintentional.

"Young Master, in your current condition, going there would be tantamount to suicide," Ann Ziqing stated bluntly, laying bare the harsh reality. "You're only at the Penetrating Stage. The Evil Cauldron you wield is nowhere near its full Artifact potential. Your most formidable asset is your sword spell, but..."

She sighed softly, "But due to your insufficient cultivation level, you'd deplete your strength after just a few uses."

Whoosh!

Beneath the dim sky, a majestic palace stood, its presence as grand as the abode of a deity, echoing through the void.

A boundless divine glow emanated from the palace, leaving all the souls and spirits in awe, compelling them to steer clear.

Yin Gods moved about within the palace, their powerful presences resonating with laughter and conversation.

"Cao Jiaze!"

Ann Ziqing uttered the name with a mix of reverence and gravity, "Young Master, though you've met him, you can't fathom his terror. Cao Jiaze is hailed as the mightiest being beneath the Yang God. Not even Zhou Cangmin, who emerged so dominantly, could alter this fact at the peak of his Soul Wandering Stage."

"This man is poised to shift the entire dynamic of Horror Land. With him aiding the Cold Abyss Ghost King, I have no confidence in our chances."

She was tasked with aiding the Initial Spirit Ghost King in Horror Land, armed with the Ice Thunder Mark.

She considered the Initial Spirit Ghost King to be marginally more powerful than the Cold Abyss Ghost King. Yet, with Cao Jiaze's arrival and explicit support for the Cold Abyss Ghost King, the one previously deemed the weakest among the five great Ghost Kings suddenly became the most sought-after ally.

In an incredibly brief span of time, a multitude of ghosts and spirits that had long remained hidden emerged to pledge their allegiance to the Cold Abyss Ghost King!

These beings, comparable in stature to Black Sickle, had previously shunned the limelight, uninterested in vying for rankings among the ghosts, deeming it pointless.

Now, they surfaced, believing that the Cold Abyss Ghost King stood a very good chance of claiming dominion over Horror Land.

The Master of Horror Land!

Should the Cold Abyss Ghost King secure his position as the sole ruler of Horror Land, especially now with the Yin Qi at its peak, they could potentially ascend to the ranks of the Ghost Kings!

This ambition was the driving force behind their sudden emergence and early allegiance to the Cold Abyss Ghost King.

And the man responsible for the Cold Abyss Ghost King's rapid ascent was none other than Cao Jiaze of the Profound Sky Sect!

"Cao Jiaze!"

Separated by tens of thousands of meters, Yu Yuan felt a sudden resonance from the Life Altar within the microcosm of the Evil Cauldron.

"So it's him!"

Upon entering the domain of the White Bone Nether Ghost, he had sensed a disturbance at the Life Altar.

A formidable presence, brimming with blood Qi, had stirred the Life Altar, keeping Yu Yuan on high alert.

Now, he finally understood.

Simultaneously, the thoughts of the cauldron soul, Yu Yiyi, echoed in his mind.

"Master, Cao Jiaze, like you, has infused his body with the Yin Sunflower Essence cultivated from other mountains. His incarnation is also flesh and blood, and he has assimilated even more of the essence."

"At present, he may appear to be concealed within that palace, but in truth, he's likely no longer vulnerable to the harsh, cold winds outside."

"He should be capable of venturing out, treading this realm in his corporeal form."

Yu Yiyi let out a wistful sigh.

"He's probably more fearsome than Mo Yan," Yuan Lianyao remarked with a sense of awe.

"Mo Yan?" Ann Ziqing curled her lip dismissively, her voice tinged with sarcasm, "Mo Yan's success is all thanks to his father. Without his father's covert schemes, where would Mo Yan be today? Even with such a father, Mo Yan's achievements are quite modest, nowhere near being the top Demonic Seed in the Devil Palace."

Taking a deep breath, she continued, "Cao Jiaze, on the other hand, didn't rely on anyone. He fought his way up all on his own. Now, he's seen as the rightful heir to the leadership of the Profound Sky Sect! How can Mo Yan even begin to compare?"

Yu Yuan inhaled deeply and acknowledged, "He's indeed a formidable adversary."

"Young Master, please, don't see him as an enemy," Ann Ziqing pleaded, her expression filled with distress. "At least not right now. The gap between your powers is too vast. There's no need to feel downhearted, Young Master. You're much younger than he is. It's no disgrace to be where you are at this point."

Yu Yuan nodded in agreement, "I've made up my mind to take on the challenge at White Bone!"

"Ah!" Both Ann Ziqing and Yuan Lianyao's faces turned pale in shock.

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