C782 The Attack!
In the depths of the Underworld, the Shade King lay motionless in the River Styx, his presence all but vanished.
As traces of Shadow Moon Essence departed from his form, the once formidable Ghost King, who had reigned supreme over the Land of Terror, saw his flesh slacken and his stature diminish.
The Shadow Moon Essence and refined Yin Qi had been the secrets to his undecaying form over countless millennia. Now, the ebbing of his power had brought about this decline.
Yu Yiyi occasionally watched, noting the subtle transformations in the Shade King. She remained emotionally detached, her thoughts consumed by how long it would take her master, Yu Yuan, to evolve the earthly soul into a Lunar Spirit in this secluded realm.
Time slipped by silently, like water through one's fingers.
After what seemed an eternity, Yu Yuan's chest acupoints burst forth with a brilliance that took even Yu Yiyi by surprise.
More Shadow Moon Essence streamed out from the Shade King, vanishing into Yu Yuan like a swarm of fireflies, leaving the once majestic and ethereally handsome Shade King looking as though he had withered under the relentless march of time.
Yu Yiyi's brow furrowed slightly.
She saw the Ghost King's skin turn ashen, resembling the desiccated bark of an ancient tree, its sheen and otherworldliness faded away.
In that instant, the Bane within the cauldron, as if sensing the overwhelming Yin Qi, unleashed a cacophony of screeches.
The Bane were desperate to break free and vie with Yu Yuan for the rich Yin Qi of this domain.
Yu Yiyi's expression was icy as she let out a contemptuous huff.
The waters of the River Styx murmured and cleansed the Shade King's body.
Suddenly, a formidable and terrifying force pervaded the little world, instilling an instinctive fear and unrest in Yu Yiyi. She glanced at the babbling River Styx with a hint of panic.
The sounds of the river morphed, echoing as if in hushed conversation.
After a moment of stunned silence, unease filled Yu Yiyi's eyes. She bowed respectfully toward the River Styx, then, with the same grace as Yuan Lianyao, she steered the Crucible of Evil and glided away.
"You, what's wrong with you?"
Outside, Yuan Lianyao covered her mouth in shock as she watched the Crucible of Evil emerge.
Her mind was swirling with questions...
After stepping out of the little world, she encountered White Bone, now a Ghost King, and met the newly ascended Rahu Ghost King, leaving her utterly bewildered and without a chance to seek answers.
Suddenly, the same Crucible of Evil that had expelled her also departed from the little world.
The Crucible of Evil, suspended in midair, revealed no sign of Yu Yiyi. It seemed she was concealing herself within an inner chamber, reluctant to reveal her presence at this critical juncture.
In contrast, White Bone's emerald eyes glowed with an otherworldly light. "He must have truly begun."
"What?" Yuan Lianyao was perplexed.
"When he began to forge his Lunar Spirit, he stirred the consciousness of the Root of the Lunar Meridian," White Bone explained, as if privy to all secrets. "A person like him, attempting to attain the Lunar Spirit in the Land of Terror, would inevitably draw the attention of the Root of the Lunar Meridian. Consider the River Styx an extension of its will, repelling any beings it deems foreign."
With that, White Bone cast a sidelong glance at the Crucible of Evil.
The implication was clear: the cauldron spirit Yu Yiyi, Frost Queen, Blood Moon, and all the Bane within the cauldron were unrecognized by the Root of the Lunar Meridian and had been cast out during Yu Yuan's true formation of the Lunar Spirit.
"White Bone, what else do you know?" Yuan Lianyao inquired.
"He's exceptionally unique, far beyond what you might imagine. He entered the Land of Terror wielding the Crucible of Evil while in the Subtlety stage, all for this very moment," the White Bone King asserted with certainty. "He himself may not realize that his path was preordained."
"It was Zu Ann!" Rahu Ghost King interjected.
She had privately conversed with Yu Yuan, who had shared that it was Zu Ann from Skyreach Peak who had advised him to venture to the Land of Terror to escape calamity.
With White Bone's revelation, she instantly grasped that Zu Ann's plans were even more profound.
"Zu Ann, it was his doing all along. That explains everything..."
White Bone nodded subtly, the gleam of wisdom sparkling in his eyes. "There's no need for alarm. In that small space, he's condensing the Lunar Spirit, which will benefit him for a lifetime. Throughout the extensive history of the Land of Terror, only a few have managed to transform their earthly soul into the Lunar Spirit using their flesh and blood as a conduit."
"Success would mean gaining the recognition of the Root of the Lunar Meridian, becoming a cherished being of this realm, much like Dhoreus."
It was clear that he, like Yu Yiyi, understood the profound mysteries of the Land of Terror and was aware of the significant advantages that awaited human cultivators who successfully transitioned to the Lunar Spirit in this world.
His vision went beyond the immediate, hinting at the presence of a grand figure like Zu Ann, who had orchestrated everything from behind the scenes.
"Here, break through to the Lunar Spirit!" Rahu commanded.
...
In Yu Yuan's Mindscape, the earthly soul, now separated from the heaven soul and dominant soul, resembled countless slender anacondas voraciously drawing in Yin Qi and refining it.
He meticulously observed every minute shift within the earthly soul.
Initially, the spiritual sense within the ephemeral spirited body was like aimless, drifting fog. Yet, through the practice of Wraithbinding, the absorbed Yin Qi grew increasingly abundant. Dozens of strands of spiritual sense intertwined and continuously refined until they became as lucid and flowing as water within the earthly soul.
This process bore a striking resemblance to the purification and condensation of spiritual energy within his Golden Sanctum in the little world.
"Dozens of strands of spiritual sense, now condensed into a single remnant soul. Spiritual sense is akin to mist, while the remnant soul resembles water," Yu Yuan mused, deeply engrossed in his sensations. With a single thought, he grasped a crucial truth.
Spiritual sense could only perceive the external environment and visualize the body's internal organs and acupoints, lacking any offensive capability.
At best, it could be channeled into a scabbard, merging with spiritual energy and vitality to facilitate the flow of these forces.
However, spiritual sense alone could not serve as a blade to strike at an opponent's soul. Its mist-like nature was too dispersed and unrefined, rendering it ineffective as a weapon.
The concept of the remnant soul is distinct.
Remnant soul, also known as Soul Power, shares similarities with vitality and spiritual energy. It has the ability to infiltrate an enemy's Mindscape, manifesting as either a razor-sharp blade or a bolt of lightning to strike directly at the opponent's soul.
The formation of the remnant soul is a prerequisite for engaging in a true Soul Battle!
The metamorphosis of the Lunar Spirit involves the complete replacement of spiritual sense with Soul Power within the spirited body.
The remnant soul circulates at a much faster rate. Whether infusing objects, projecting outward, or conducting self-examination, it operates at a speed more than tenfold that of the spiritual sense.
Refining spiritual sense into remnant soul marks a monumental transformation.
"The transformation of the earthly soul is indeed a process like this. One can only appreciate its intricacies through direct experience."
Yu Yuan's spirit swelled with excitement, his entire focus and consciousness converging on the earthly soul within the mud pellet acupoint, observing every subtle shift that occurred.
Eventually, his focus shifted. He noticed that the heaven soul had ceased its active consumption of Yin Qi and refrained from any unnecessary actions.
The heaven soul was simply employing a different intent to oversee the practice of Evil Body Refining, steadily integrating the Shadow Moon Essence into itself.
The sound of the River Styx suddenly intensified, thundering in his ears and jolting him awake.
Reluctantly, he opened his eyes.
It was then that he realized the Fox Monkey-shaped ghost, Yuan Lianyao, and the Crucible of Evil had departed during his deep meditation.
He and Yu Yiyi were still unable to establish a mental connection, unable to sense each other's presence.
"When did they leave?"
With a whoosh, the tall, lithe, and strikingly beautiful form of the Ghost King emerged from the River Styx.
Before his very eyes, the Ghost King's body, once brimming with Shadow Moon Essence, transformed into ash and smoke in midair, gradually fading away.
The Shade King, whose body had been sealed for untold years, now dissipated into nothingness.
A small fraction of the Shadow Moon Essence within the body was gathered by White Bone, propelling its advancement to Ghost King, strengthening its skeletal form even further.
Another portion of the Shadow Moon Essence merged into Yu Yuan's body, aiding in the creation of seven new acupoints within his chest.
Additionally, some residual Yin energy, dispersed throughout the little world and mingled with the shadow energy emanating from the River Styx, continued to be absorbed and refined by Yu Yuan.
Yu Yuan's gaze suddenly fixed on the River Styx with intense focus.
It was as if millions of thoughts were racing through the waters, swift as bolts of lightning.
"The Root of the Lunar Meridian!"
...
