C784 The Gloom Raider Passed By!
A thick fog, brimming with cold air, enveloped a massive ice tombstone as the fierce wind howled around it. Deep within the fog, countless icy glimmers intertwined with remnant souls, coalescing into a vague phantom.
*Crack!*
The dense fog swept by, crystallizing ice particles that fused onto the surface of the tombstone.
As the ice tombstone soared, it gradually grew larger and more imposing.
Nearly ten thousand formidable ghosts trailed the billowing cold fog, flying through the sky with an awe-inspiring presence.
"Thoaos!"
"Thoaos's forces are bearing down on us! By the looks of it, they're targeting White Bone's domain!"
"The Ghost King! Like the peak powerhouses of Wintermaw, are they too lusting after White Bone's territory and the Shadow Moon Essence?"
"It seems White Bone may be in dire straits!"
Many ghosts on Shadow Mountain were abuzz with talk of Thoaos as the cold fog passed by.
These ghosts, who dwelled on Shadow Mountain, were unaware that White Bone had ascended from a Spectre to the realm of Ghost King.
They believed that the sudden emergence of Shadow Moon Essence within the Ossuary had drawn the attention of the Spectres and now Thoaos.
They were astonished that Thoaos had personally taken action, even bringing along the ice tombstone.
After all, they had heard that White Bone had been defeated by Rahu and subsequently challenged by several formidable Spectres, leaving him wounded after the battle.
Trapped by his own cultivation on Shadow Mountain, White Bone dared not reveal himself.
Was such a weakened White Bone worth Thoaos's effort to muster an army and march against him?
...
Half a day later.
From Rahu's domain, a slender figure with a flower basket radiated a spectrum of light, transforming into a dazzling rainbow as she made her way towards the Ossuary.
"Rahu! The Ghost King Thoaos!"
"The newly risen Ghost King Rahu has ventured out of her jurisdiction, heading towards the Ossuary, just like Thoaos!"
"With Wintermaw and Rahu both on the move, what on earth has transpired in White Bone's domain to cause such a momentous upheaval?"
Curiosity piqued, numerous ghosts and spirits, some recklessly brave, converged towards the area.
The appearance of Thoaos, the Ghost King, was enough to send shockwaves through them. The enigmatic Rahu, newly ascended to Ghost King, piqued their curiosity even further.
As a result, many of the stronger ghosts and spirits from various domains began to stir.
The territory under White Bone's control had become the most striking region within the Land of Terror.
...
Once the domain of Cuion.
At the base of a dark mountain, Jiang Xingwen sat withered, having dispersed all the ghosts and spirits that once clung to her.
She gazed at the object known as the River of Souls belt, lying silently before her, her face shadowed by gloom, her eyes flickering between anger and confusion.
After what seemed like an eternity.
Swoosh!
Jiang Xingwen's Lunar Spirit slipped into the belt, entering the inner sanctum of the River of Souls.
Deep within the river, a formidable soul emerged abruptly, towering like a mountain.
He was a tall human male clad in green heavy armor, his features set in determination, his deep black eyes captivating with their serene and mysterious glow.
The man exuded an aura of grandeur and authority, as though he had been born to rule the world, never to bow before another.
"Dhoreus?" Jiang Xingwen murmured with a tinge of bitterness.
His presence was so extraordinary that even she, in her Lunar Spirit form, felt an urge to prostrate herself before him.
She was convinced that any ghost in the Land of Terror, upon sensing his aura, would willingly align themselves with him.
With a heavy sigh, she realized how insignificant and powerless she was upon truly encountering his soul within the River of Souls.
"How could I ever claim to be his master?"
Bitterness filled Jiang Xingwen's heart as she looked up at him, her emotions a complex tapestry.
The imposing man suddenly knelt down, his face softening into a tender smile as he gazed at her.
Even in his crouched position, he towered over Jiang Xingwen's Lunar Spirit.
"Just a soul, lingering in the River of Souls," the man said in a gentle sigh, his deep gaze locked on Jiang Xingwen. His eyes shone with profound affection, causing her soul to tremble. "The moment you stumbled upon me and brought me out, I could have ended your life. You should realize how effortlessly I could have done so."
"Why didn't you strike?"
Jiang Xingwen hung her head, unable to meet his gaze, afraid to look too long into the expression in his eyes.
Having cultivated for a hundred years and possessing the combat prowess of Spirit Walk, Jiang Xingwen had made a name for herself within the Abyssal Dawn. She never imagined that she would feel fear when facing a Ghost King who had perished in the Land of Terror.
It was his power that she feared.
"You might find this hard to believe," the man said with a self-deprecating laugh, "I don't understand it myself. Maybe it's because I was gravely wounded by the cultivator known as Moon Slayer, leaving only a residual soul, too fragile? Ever since you summoned me, ever since my memories began to coalesce, I've known... I've known that I could never harm you."
Even as just a residual soul, unable to depart via the River of Souls, the man radiated an overwhelming presence.
His commanding aura, masculine and expansive, was starkly different from the ghosts of the Land of Terror.
Anyone facing him would find it hard to associate him with the ghosts of that place, unable to sense that he was once the ruler of all those spirits—the Dhoreus.
"I..." Jiang Xingwen suddenly felt disoriented.
"Once I am free, once my body returns from the extraterrestrial Star River, let's traverse mountains and rivers, explore the vastness of the Star River together. How does that sound?" he proposed with deep affection.
His voice was infinitely more persuasive than the seductive chants of the Sky Fiend.
This elder of the Abyssal Dawn, Su Yan's mentor, had forgotten her original intent, her purpose for venturing into the Land of Terror, and was even close to forgetting her own identity.
She merely bowed her head, whispering in a voice as faint as an insect's, "Please, don't deceive me."
"How could I?"
The Dhoreus beamed, his entire phantom seeming to glow, "With you by my side, facing Youling, Yu Yuan, and any petty villains, what is there to fear?"
Jiang Xingwen gazed at him, her mind reeling, her heart screaming, "What kind of man is this!"
...
At the Ossuary, amidst the rubble of a collapsed Shadow Mountain, there lay a cave leading underground.
A grand palace, crafted from the Mark of the Celestials, glided through the low sky and came to a steady halt ten meters above the ground.
Cao Jiaze of the Ebon Star Sect leaned over the white jade railing and observed, "That individual, from the mountain where he was concealed, made his way to a hidden place beneath the surface."
Behind him, a host of Lunar Spirit experts from Euwrea wore expressions of utter confusion.
Everyone had been anticipating the moment Shadow Mountain would crumble, yet without any warning or explanation, Cao Jiaze had maneuvered the floating palace to these shattered ruins and uttered such mysterious words.
Whoosh!
A Devil Blade, filled with the howls of countless vengeful souls, swiftly arrived at the scene.
Once it came to a stop, Mo Yan, with a hint of slyness, extended his hand from the center of the blade, greeted Cao Jiaze with a cupped fist, and chuckled, "I am the envoy of the Black Staff."
"Devil Palace! Mo Yan!"
Recognizing him, some called out these two names from behind Cao Jiaze, stirring a wave of commotion.
Zhu Zhenlin, the second-in-command of the Devil Palace and the sole offspring of the top-ranked Hellbreed, was a name well-known.
Then, a streak of purple lightning traveled thousands of miles in a blink, arriving abruptly.
"Colddeath's Ann Ziqing!"
Many cultivators from Euwrea beheld the stunning figure in the purple divine armor with even more resentment than they had for Mo Yan.
"I am here on behalf of Razses, the Ghost King, to make the first move."
Ann Ziqing declared her allegiance, her gaze falling to the cave entrance as she let out a soft sigh.
She was already privy to the events unfolding below through the Ghost King Razses. At that very moment, Razses was also hastening to the scene, aided by the Soul Locking Diagram.
"White Bone is actually the Shade King!"
As she reflected on this revelation, she pondered how Yu Yuan, sharing a common enemy with White Bone, might avoid the impending danger.
