C775 Not Caring about the Consequences!
Boom!
Guided by Yu Yuan's intent, the massive, dark cauldron crashed into the crevice.
Silver light splashed out, scattering specks of bright silver that filled the confined space.
"Shadow Moon Essence!"
Yu Yuan, inside the cauldron, cried out in surprise, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
Yuan Lianyao's eyes shone as she cheered, "There must indeed be wonders hidden here!"
The ghost, shaped like a Fox Monkey and loyal to White Bone, was also stirred, "Lord White Bone had good reason to send me!"
"Once more!"
Yu Yuan didn't rush to refine and absorb the Shadow Moon Essence that had sprayed out. Instead, he called out loudly for the cauldron spirit, Yu Yiyi.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Crucible of Evil struck the silvery crevice repeatedly, causing more Shadow Moon Essence to burst forth.
The flecks of Shadow Moon Essence, combined with the dense yin energy, formed a misty silver halo that enveloped both the Crucible of Evil and the Fox Monkey ghost.
It was like a defensive shield that had been ready for ages.
"White Bone must have had a contingency plan!" Yu Yuan grew more exhilarated as the silver halo solidified, continuing to direct the cauldron spirit.
Yu Yiyi, meanwhile, relentlessly pounded the crevice with the renowned Crucible of Evil, causing even more Shadow Moon Essence to splash out.
The flying Shadow Moon Essence naturally blended into the silver halo.
Boom! Boom!
Deep underground, Yu Yuan was oblivious to the earth-shattering changes his actions were causing in White Bone's domain.
Shadow Mountains that lacked Shadow Moon Essence began to mysteriously crack.
Then, they collapsed thunderously.
Not all the Shadow Mountains in White Bone's territory, numbering in the dozens, had been refined by White Bone or produced Shadow Moon Essence.
The souls residing within the ordinary Shadow Mountains, which were not targeted by external ghosts and not under White Bone's command, had initially escaped disaster.
But now, these Shadow Mountains were inexplicably crumbling to pieces.
White Bone's domain, once marked by its uneven terrain due to the Shadow Mountains, was becoming flat as each mountain crumbled.
In the Land of Terror, the leveled plains of the Ossuary appeared eerily out of place.
The unusual activity in the Ossuary, with the sudden collapse of the Shadow Mountains, swiftly caught the attention of the most formidable ghosts.
Outside the silver circle formed by the Shadow Moon Essence and dense Yin Qi, a delicate figure suddenly materialized from nowhere.
"Ms. Jiang!"
Upon the figure's appearance, Yuan Lianyao immediately felt something. Her Lunar Spirit was outside the Crucible of Evil, and her face registered shock. "How did you get here?"
Before she could finish, five indistinct and massive phantoms materialized behind Jiang Xingwen.
Yu Yuan, who was still directing Yu Yiyi to keep bombarding, felt a jolt in his heart and swiftly turned around.
Without mentioning it, he recognized one of the five vague and massive phantoms—it was his former half-disciple.
Now the Ghost King Rahu!
The Ghost King Rahu's phantom was ethereal, her true face not revealed, as if merely a projection. She gazed intently at Yu Yuan through the bright silver circle, her mouth opening as though speaking, seemingly trying to persuade him.
Regrettably, Yu Yuan couldn't hear a thing.
The bright silver circle, crafted from the Shadow Moon Essence and refined Yin Qi, blocked the aura, voice, and remnant soul of the newly ascended Ghost King Rahu from reaching him.
The other four phantoms, equally elusive, were perceived by Yu Yuan as beings on par with the Ghost King Rahu.
"They are Razses, Black Staff, Taruer, and the four Ghost Kings of Wintermaw."
Jiang Xingwen's figure was the most distinct. Girded with the River of Souls, her voice could penetrate the silver circle, allowing her to converse directly with Yu Yuan. "Apart from Tian Zang, all the Ghost Kings of the Land of Terror have detected the disturbance here and have projected a sliver of their souls."
Yu Yuan's face grew somber. "What's the matter?"
"Yu Yuan, I don't know all the details. However, I am here to make a request on behalf of all the Ghost Kings present," Jiang Xingwen stated gravely.
"What is it you're asking of me?" Yu Yuan asked, taken aback.
"Please cease your efforts. Do not use the Crucible of Evil to strike at that fissure," Jiang Xingwen implored, bowing slightly. "You may not realize it, but your actions are causing the Shadow Mountains within White Bone's domain to collapse. This region, under White Bone's control, is on the verge of being shattered by your actions."
The other five Ghost Kings, Rahu included, appeared to be pleading for assistance.
"Ah!"
Yuan Lianyao cried out in alarm from within, "What's happening? Ms. Jiang, can this be true? Could Yu Yuan's transgression here really trigger a collapse of the mountain outside?"
"I'm still unclear about the specific cause," Jiang Xingwen replied, her expression one of distress as she repeatedly bowed to Yu Yuan. "Please, no more. I'm asking you to stop."
"White Bone..." Yu Yuan intoned gravely.
"White Bone?" Jiang Xingwen paused, perplexed. "What do your actions have to do with White Bone?"
"I'm doing this for White Bone," Yu Yuan explained, taking a measured breath. "Spectres from all over are swarming into White Bone's domain, seeking to eliminate him in his weakened state. Isn't that against the rules? I'm aware that some Ghost Kings behind you have had a hand in orchestrating this."
At these words, Jiang Xingwen turned to face a phantom that resembled a slab of cold iron.
This phantom signified Thoaos, the Ghost King.
Thoaos and she were engaged in a heated debate just outside the silver circle.
Razses, Taruer, and the Black Staff had joined the fray, their voices adding to the commotion, while Rahu, the newly anointed Ghost King, kept his silence, not uttering a single word.
Eventually, Jiang Xingwen clarified, "Yu Yuan is Cao Jiaze of Ebon Star and Chu Yao of the Order of Healing."
"Lord Yu Yuan!" the ghost, in the guise of a Fox Monkey, cowered behind Yu Yuan and Yuan Lianyao. Speaking softly from beneath the Crucible of Evil, it said, "You are White Bone's only hope. I can't foresee what will unfold, but without your aid, White Bone will perish."
Yu Yuan turned back to the fissure spewing forth Shadow Moon Essence, his gaze flickering with indecision.
Outside, Jiang Xingwen, the sole individual capable of conversing with him via the River of Souls, continued her entreaties for him to cease his actions.
She even presented Yu Yuan with terms on behalf of the Ghost Kings.
Initially, she proposed that if Yu Yuan desisted, he would henceforth have free rein throughout the Land of Terror, with the Ghost Kings ensuring no spectre would dare confront him.
Later, she added that upon White Bone's demise, twenty percent of the Shadow Moon Essence from the Shadow Mountain, where White Bone had been cultivating, would be reserved for Yu Yuan's own cultivation.
She also expressed her willingness to convince both Cao Jiaze and Chu Yao to allow White Bone to continue living.
The conditions laid out by Jiang Xingwen became increasingly outlandish.
Yu Yuan was baffled, yet he intuitively sensed that both Jiang Xingwen and the Ghost King who had arrived were frightened of something.
"If you're all so terrified, I'm eager to see what happens once I pierce the heavens!"
After a moment, Yu Yuan, driven nearly mad by his curiosity, came to a resolute decision. He disregarded Jiang Xingwen, the Rahu Ghost King, and the manipulations and threats of any ghosts.
"Smash! Keep smashing! When have I, Yu Yuan, ever backed down? Hahaha!"
He erupted into hysterical laughter, "Godsblight Marsh, Embers Sea, Moonfall Sanctuary. Ha, with all this in play, what's there to worry about? What's there to fear?"
The dark cauldron, following his command, slammed into the fissure once more.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
After the ninth strike, the cauldron appeared to have created an opening. With a swift "whoosh," it transitioned to another realm.
"Whoa!"
In the expansive, silver-gray little world, there was a parched riverbed.
Within the river lay a tall and handsome man.
Beneath his armpits, and extending from his hands, feet, and neck, were eighteen slender ravines.
The Shadow Moon Essence could faintly be seen coursing through these ravines.
The man, with his eyes shut and devoid of any soul's presence, radiated a gentle aura.
His body was saturated with Shadow Moon Essence. Despite the absence of a soul, he breathed steadily, and his heart seemed to be softly pulsating.
"A corpse without a soul?"
