C786 The Ghost from the Heavens Return to Your Homeland!

At the Soul Crossing River, the Mingdu Ghost King encountered Jiang Xingwen of the Taiyuan Sect, their Yin Gods meeting in a profound exchange. With heartfelt emotion, he unlocked the depths of Jiang Xingwen's heart, persuading the Taiyuan Sect elder to forsake all for him.

Clad in heavy green armor, the towering Mingdu Ghost King took on a human form, exuding a commanding presence with every gesture. Even Jiang Xingwen found herself spellbound by his charisma.

With a soft chuckle, the Mingdu Ghost King shared his arduous quest for enlightenment in Horror Land, recounting the perils he faced before rising to the throne of Ghost King and his ascent to power.

He confided in Jiang Xingwen his grand ambitions and his resolve to rival the Human Race's Primordial Spirits.

As Jiang Xingwen listened, she found herself increasingly enraptured.

Time lost meaning as the Soul Crossing River suddenly burst into a radiant silver glow. Beneath the surface, myriad silver strands wove together, creating a wondrous tapestry of life's cycles.

The Mingdu Ghost King's spirit stirred, tapping into the mystical essence of the river to collect distant messages from the Stygian waters far away. In an instant, he grasped the movements of the Cold Abyss Ghost King and the whereabouts of his fellow Ghost Kings.

Amidst this, an unusual ripple echoed through his heart lake, bringing a knowing smile to his lips. "Yu Yuan, you certainly have an interesting story," he mused.

"What?" Jiang Xingwen asked, puzzled.

"It's nothing," the Mingdu Ghost King replied with a noncommittal shake of his head. "Step outside for a moment. I must intervene to prevent Yu Yuan from breaking through. If he wishes to successfully refine his Yin God, he'll have to contend with me first."

"Understood."

Since the Mingdu Ghost King had bared his soul to Su Yan and pledged his commitment, her mentor, Jiang Xingwen, had aligned herself with his cause. She was prepared to scale mountains and dive into flames, to turn her back on the Taiyuan Sect and the Boundless Land, all without a second thought.

His word was law.

Whoever he desired dead, Jiang Xingwen would oblige.

As the undisputed sovereign of spirits and ghosts throughout the storied expanse of Horror Land, the Mingdu Ghost King wielded not only immense influence over spectral beings but had also profoundly affected Jiang Xingwen with his genuine affections.

Jiang Xingwen's Yin God heeded the call and withdrew from the Soul Crossing River.

"I require some Soul Spirits to willingly sacrifice themselves for my spellcasting," the Mingdu Ghost King intoned in a haunting rhythm as he traversed the Soul Crossing River.

In the outside world.

Ghosts, driven by fervent zeal and without a moment's hesitation, surged into the Soul Crossing River from miles away.

These were no ordinary ghosts; they were of the Heavenly Ghost caliber!

Jiang Xingwen, having just emerged, glimpsed several ghosts with auras as formidable as Nether Ghosts, her expression tinged with astonishment.

These ghosts exuded an aura of ferocity, ancient and vast, tinged with an odd scent of decay. They were the culprits behind the assault on the Babel Chamber of Commerce's Roam Ship, inflicting severe losses. It was only through her intervention that the survivors were rescued.

Now, these entities, more potent than Black Sickle Ghosts or Wang Chuan Ghosts, emerged abruptly from the shadows.

"To death, we pledge our allegiance to Mingdu!"

"For thousands of years, our oath has been unyielding; in life or death, we serve Mingdu!"

"We celebrate your emergence, Mingdu!"

Eight formidable ghosts knelt devoutly before the ethereal Soul Crossing River.

Their armors, adorned with the glimmer of countless stars, were of exotic make from the Outland Star River.

Among them, some wielded legendary blades feared throughout Horror Land.

Others shifted shapes ceaselessly, now women, now children, akin to the mighty Devaputra known for their transformations.

These eight ghosts were once under the command of the Mingdu Ghost King, predating even the Initial Spirit Ghost King. They had ventured with him from Horror Land to conquer the vast expanses of the Outland Star River.

Indeed, they had left their mark across the Outer Star River.

After Mingdu's demise at the hands of the Chopping Moon cultivator and the Soul Crossing River's return to Horror Land, many of the fierce ghosts who had followed him were vanquished.

Only these eight endured, some hidden in the forbidden realms of the Boundless Land, others in the depths of the Outer Star River.

Compelled by the resurgence of Horror Land and the fertile ground now ripe to elevate Mingdu to ghostly divinity, they heeded the summons of one individual and made their way back to their ancestral grounds—Horror Land—by various paths.

"Greetings, Your Highness of Mingdu. I pledge my lifelong service to you."

A white robe silently emerged from the depths of the earth. Within the hollow garment, a spectral figure gestured solemnly towards the "Soul Crossing River," his eyes brimming with genuine reverence and fervent adoration, as if he stood before the most exalted deity of this realm.

"White Coat Mercurial!"

Jiang Xingwen's form trembled at the sight, her disbelief palpable.

Back in the Ember Waters, alongside Heixun and several notorious figures of the Evil Tao, the White Coat Mercurial had burst forth from the Boundless Land into the Outland Star River. Now, he reappeared in Horror Land.

Before the "Soul Crossing River" and the Mingdu Ghost King within, he was the epitome of a zealot.

The moment when the White Coat pledged his loyalty to the Mingdu Ghost King remained a mystery to all.

"Greetings, Miss Jiang."

Before departing, the White Coat Mercurial, who outranked even the White Bone among the spectral ranks, gestured to the eight ancient spirits and explained, "I encountered these venerable ghosts on my journey through Horror Land and into the Outland Star River. It was they who conveyed the will of His Highness Mingdu."

With his explanation, Jiang Xingwen's understanding crystallized.

The ancient ghosts that had ambushed the Babel Chamber of Commerce were, in fact, early followers of Mingdu.

Having once departed with Mingdu, they now returned from beyond the heavens, drawn back by the cataclysmic shift in the Horror Land's Yin Qi and Mingdu's summons, rallying once more behind him for battle.

Whoosh! The sound echoed as legions of ghosts, including Heavenly Ghosts, heeded Mingdu's call. With elation, they journeyed to the Soul Crossing River to embrace death, aiding Mingdu in a ritual of sacrifice.

The sway of the Mingdu Ghost King in Horror Land was nothing short of astonishing.

The return of the eight ancient ghosts and the White Coat's undisclosed allegiance signaled that even without making his presence known, he remained an indomitable force in this world.

From the current lineup alone, the likes of Initial Spirit, Black Staff, Cold Abyss, Qianjie, Tianzang, and Luohou, these so-called Ghost Kings, paled in comparison to Mingdu.

Who could fathom the number of formidable ghosts, akin to the man in white robes, lurking in the shadows?

"Mingdu..."

Jiang Xingwen gazed once more upon the Soul Crossing River, her heart and soul swelling with emotion. The man within its depths appeared so grand, so radiant.

Within the river, ghosts and Heavenly Ghosts met their end with valor.

Soul lights of various hues blossomed along the riverbed, transforming into enigmatic soul talismans linked to the Styx, aiding Mingdu in his spellcasting.

All the ghosts, the Heavenly Ghosts, understood that their demise was for Mingdu, and they trusted he would not let their sacrifice be in vain.

Legend had it that Mingdu possessed the power to resurrect ghosts within Horror Land!

For those under his command, death in Horror Land was not the end, as long as Mingdu deemed them worthy. With a mere exertion of his power, he could grant them rebirth.

This very promise drove legions of ghostly spirits to vie for Mingdu's favor.

In battles against other spectral foes, they harbored no fear of death, each one eager to catch Mingdu's eye and earn the chance for posthumous revival.

"My will, traverse the Styx!"

Deep beneath the earth, within a silvery microcosm.

Yu Yuan, having forged a clandestine pact with the origin of the Yin Meridian and earning its favor, once again set about refining his Earth Soul. He was instantly flooded with a deluge of pure Yin Qi, channeling into his Consciousness Little World.

Wisps of spiritual awareness coalesced, knitting together into a singular soul thought.

The process unfolded with remarkable ease, free from any hindrance.

Abruptly, Yu Yuan sensed an alien consciousness, as if projected across the void, manifesting beside him on the Styx.

Opening his eyes, he beheld a towering figure clad in cyan heavy armor within the river, his features set with determination, his presence commanding enough to make all beings kneel. "I am Mingdu."

The man's smile was a blend of unspoken confidence and nonchalance. "Yu Yuan, your arrival in Horror Land was orchestrated to culminate in the forging of the Yin God—to thwart my ascension to Ghost God!"

"Mingdu!" Yu Yuan's spirit trembled with the revelation.

He sought to connect with the consciousness of the Yin Meridian's source, only to find that the entity, with which he had previously conversed, had vanished without a trace.

"It's unable to come at the moment."

Discerning his intentions, the Mingdu Ghost King maintained his smile and said, "Don't bother trying to affect me. What you see before you is merely a projection, devoid of any soul power."

While speaking, his gaze briefly settled on the sword sheath Yu Yuan had called forth.

With the sword sheath in hand, Yu Yuan had silently summoned the sword soul, signaling that he was aware of his adversary's vulnerability and was ready for combat.

"I've come to tell you one thing: you, Hong Qi, were meant to die." The Mingdu Ghost King abruptly dropped his smile, emphasizing each word, "Hong Qi, in your quest for cultivation, how many sins did you commit in your later years? The lives lost to the poisons you concocted are too numerous to count!"

"Driven by selfish desires, you became a blight upon the Boundless Land, a pathogen in the way of evil!"

"Your senior brother, your direct disciples, the three great upper sects, the warriors of the Demon Palace and the Demon Palace—they all wished for your demise. Why shouldn't they have their wish?"

"Because, quite simply, you deserved to die!"

His words resonated powerfully, echoing through Yu Yuan's Consciousness Little World, where thunderclaps boomed and divine lightning rent the fabric of existence.

"If you aspire to reach the Yin God Stage, you must first conquer this heart calamity!" the Mingdu Ghost King scoffed.

Advancing to the Yin God Stage is akin to a rebirth through tribulation. A single misstep could spell eternal damnation, obliterating both body and spirit!

From afar, the Mingdu Ghost King wielded his spectral projection, each word and gesture becoming a demon in Yu Yuan's psyche, detonating within his Consciousness Little World and laying down treacherous trials on his journey to the Yin God.

"You've been given two lives, yet you've only pursued cultivation once. I'm eager to see if you possess the strength to vanquish this inner demon and successfully solidify the Yin God!"

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