C792 A Strange Phenomenon Appeared!

The silver-white Holy Mountain loomed over the tempestuous cold winds like a towering colossus, its presence a bulwark against the world's malevolence.

Beams of silver-white divine light, brimming with the sanctified power to purify all filth, shone upon the souls and specters. In mere moments, they were reduced to dust.

This Dark Mountain, renowned for its white bones, exuded an aura that clashed starkly with the surrounding realm.

The silver-white Dark Mountain had twisted the laws of frigidness, overpowering the Yin Cold Heavenly Dao!

The cold windstorm raged on, yet the body of the Cold Abyss, forged from a colossal Ice Soul Crystal, was riddled with fissures and gaping voids.

Infinite light permeated the white bones!

The Cold Abyss Ghost King's shrill wails pierced the souls of all who heard, bringing about unbearable headaches.

Despite the pain, onlookers strained their eyes and focused intently on the gleaming icy figure within the heart of the storm.

"Cold Abyss..." came the sorrowful whispers from the shadows of the majestic palace, as the Yin Gods and spirits lamented.

Whether they were fond or averse, the Cold Abyss Ghost King of Horror Land was the chosen one.

He stood alone as the only Ghost King to forge an alliance with the Heavenly Source Continent, open to Cao Jiaze's assistance.

Horror Land, nestled within the Quietus Continent, had Ghost Kings who naturally bonded with the local cultivators.

This kinship allowed factions like the Devil Palace, Red Devil Sect, and Blood God Cult to infiltrate and either secure the Ghost King's position or elevate a phantom to royalty.

The sects of the Heavenly Source Continent had certainly considered Horror Land, yet the Ghost Kings there remained indifferent.

Even the Netherworld Ghosts seldom engaged with the sects of the Heavenly Source Continent.

Cao Jiaze, poised to become the next master of the Profound Sky Sect, wielded the Heaven Palace Seal and had earned the Cold Abyss Ghost King's endorsement—a distinction of unparalleled glory!

Upon his return, he would be held in even higher esteem by all cultivators of the Heavenly Source Continent.

Should Cold Abyss truly ascend to the status of a Ghost God within Horror Land and seize dominion over this realm, Cao Jiaze would indeed find himself advancing another bold step on the Heavenly Source Continent and across the vast expanse of the Boundless Land.

But now...

"Nephew?"

An elder from the Profound Sky Sect, a generation above Cao Jiaze yet of equal standing, emerged from a gathering of Yin Gods to stand behind him.

His gaze was tinged with a frosty edge, clearly harboring lethal intentions toward the white bones.

Without turning, Cao Jiaze kept his eyes fixed below, his voice cool and detached, "Just keep watching closely. Spare yourself any futile thoughts."

The tone was akin to a reprimand from a superior to a junior, brimming with disrespect.

Yet, the elder, whose rank was higher, showed no sign of taking offense.

Stirred by Cao Jiaze's tone and demeanor, the elder nodded sharply and withdrew.

"His expression, his poise, they suggest everything is still under his command, not a hint of chaos!"

The elder, well-acquainted with Cao Jiaze, could discern from the subtlest of cues that his junior had contingencies in place to steer the situation.

"Lord Black Staff?"

Ann Ziqing of the Blood God Cult barely parted her lips, her neck arching gracefully as she gazed up at the massive black cloud overhead, "Lord Cold Abyss seems to be faltering. If you remain indifferent, I fear you'll be left to confront the white bones alone when you finally decide to intervene."

At her words, a multitude of eyes swiftly turned towards the black cloud.

The Black Staff Ghost King, whose presence had been formidable, fell into a sudden silence after the Silver White Dark Mountain was summoned and the icy shell of the Cold Abyss Ghost King shattered.

No longer did he taunt the white bones or exude aggression.

It was as though the Black Staff Ghost King himself had vanished from the heart of the black cloud.

"And what of Chu Ling?" In response to Ann Ziqing's probing, the Black Staff Ghost King countered with his own question, "I'm aware you can reach him. What's his stance?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" retorted Ann Ziqing with a flick of her lips.

Among the Ghost Kings, whether already present or yet to arrive, all were privy to the precise whereabouts of their peers.

Luohou in the heavens and Qianjie, concealed within an ordinary Dark Mountain, were convinced that both the Cold Abyss and the Black Staff before her were well aware of the situation.

Ghost Kings could exchange thoughts instantaneously, unhindered by any delay. "You know full well the First Spirit resides deep underground. You could have directly initiated a conversation. Why come to me?" Ann Ziqing's face was marked with displeasure.

"I did ask, but there was no reply!" retorted the Black Staff Ghost King with a cold huff.

"Then he's yet to make up his mind," Ann Ziqing said, spreading her hands in a gesture of uncertainty. "If he hasn't decided, what could I possibly know?"

Crack! Crack! Crack! Tiny fragments of Ice Soul Crystals burst forth from the storm, showering down like a fine drizzle.

At that moment, the Ice Concubine, stationed beside the Evil Cauldron, with the lower half of her body ablaze with ice-blue flames, seemed to exert a mystical pull on the crystals.

The shattered Ice Soul Crystals surged toward the Ice Concubine like a starry galaxy imploding.

"Shards of the Ice Soul Crystal!" A cultivator from the Cold Yin Sect, eyes alight with avarice, couldn't resist the lure of the fragments and flew out of the grand, enigmatic palace.

Cao Jiazhe chose to ignore the scene, his lips curling into a slight, icy smirk.

A Yin God from the Cold Yin Sect, his body a silvery brown, suddenly morphed into a gleaming Prisma, attempting to gather the crystal shards.

Puff! The ice crystals, ejected from the Cold Abyss, pierced the Prisma like dagger-sharp blades.

The Yin God cultivator from the Cold Yin Sect let out a wrenching cry of agony.

Witnessing his severe injury, the other Yin technique practitioners were shocked into retreat, hastily withdrawing back into the safety of the palace.

Only the Ice Concubine, emerging from the Evil Cauldron, extended an arm as pristine as freshly fallen snow.

In her palm, a cluster of ice-blue flames sparked to life, growing more intense. The fragments of Ice Soul Crystals, drawn to the flames in her hand, flocked like birds to their nest, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

"Why? Why?" demanded a cultivator who practiced the ice-cold techniques, upon returning to the palace, his voice tinged with frustration.

Cao Jiaze remained silent.

Chu Yao of the Medicine God Sect, after a moment's hesitation, spoke up, "The Ice Soul Crystal, refined by the Cold Abyss Ghost King, holds the intense cold power of the Nether Abyss. She managed to collect it while the Ghost King was preoccupied because she shares the same aura of the Nether Abyss, having grasped some of its profound secrets of extreme cold."

At his words, the other ice technique cultivators suddenly fell in line.

"Moreover, since you all chose the Cold Abyss Ghost King, isn't it somewhat unethical to seize the ice crystals from his body while he's wounded?" Chu Yao added.

His comment made the crowd visibly squirm with discomfort.

Whoosh!

The tiny Ice Thunder Mark in Ann Ziqing's palm burst forth, transforming into a sphere of lightning-wrapped extreme cold and shooting out.

"Ice Thunder Mark!"

Deep within the palace, a practitioner from the Thunder Sect fixed his gaze on the Ice Thunder Mark.

Confusion spread across Ann Ziqing's delicate features as she whispered, "Could it be...?"

As expected.

Some Ice Soul Crystal fragments, on their way to the Ice Concubine, were snatched mid-flight by the diminutive Ice Thunder Mark.

"The crafting of the Ice Thunder Mark also involved the Ice Soul Crystal!" she realized in a flash.

"Ann Ziqing, the Ice Thunder Mark is a revered treasure of our Thunder Sect!" a Thunder Sect cultivator accused, pointing at her, his words laced with indignation, "Clouds Sect and Thunder Sect are kin! By taking our artifact and causing chaos in Horror Land, you're outright challenging our Thunder Sect!"

"Challenging?"

Ann Ziqing's lips curled into a smile as she nodded earnestly at him, "Consider it a challenge then. What are you going to do about it?"

Crack!

With her words still hanging in the air, a barrage of fierce lightning erupted from the Ice Thunder Mark!

All manner of spirits and specters, including the Yin Gods within the palace, recoiled in terror at the transformation of the Ice Thunder Mark, too frightened to utter a word.

Lightning and thunder, the nemesis of all spectral beings!

In Horror Land, save for a rare few ghosts who had solidified their forms, any ethereal spirit that came into contact with such fearsome lightning would perish instantly.

The Ice Thunder Mark, a prized treasure of the Little Clouds Sect, had obliterated countless devaputras and demons in the remote reaches of the Outland Star River.

The fate of the ghosts in Horror Land, struck by the unleashed lightning from such a relic, was not even worth contemplating.

"Ann Ziqing!"

Inside the grand palace, Cao Jiaze, who had maintained his composure until now, couldn't contain his frustration and bellowed.

With a furrowed brow and a displeased gaze, he looked down at Ann Ziqing and commanded, "Stand back and do nothing!"

Chu Yao, his face stern, also warned, "Don't bring trouble upon the Blood God Cult!"

"No, this isn't right!"

Clad in purple divine armor, Ann Ziqing watched, her anxiety mounting as lightning bolts uncontrollably shot from the Ice Thunder Mark. "I didn't command this!" she protested.

Her face was a storm of gloom and indignation. She hadn't made a single move, so why was this happening?

She was still torn, wrestling with the decision of whether to align herself with Chu Yao or stand resolutely with Yu Yuan at the critical moment.

She hadn't made up her mind and, like the Initial Spirit Ghost King, was still watching and waiting, in no rush to act.

The Ice Thunder Mark's flight was an accident, against her wishes.

Whoosh!

Mid-conversation, the first bolt of lightning streaked through the cavity left by the seated skeleton, plunging deep into the earth.

"What!?"

Cao Jiaze, Chu Yao, the Black Staff Ghost King, Mo Yan, Ann Ziqing, and all who witnessed the trajectory of the bolt cried out in astonishment.

The lightning's descent into that subterranean chasm had an unknown purpose.

Almost simultaneously, the various Ghost Kings who had covertly entered the White Bone Territory sensed a subtle shift throughout Horror Land.

The Dark Mountains within their domains could no longer draw the Yin Qi from beneath the earth.

The Styx rivers, fed by the source of the Yin Meridians and intimately connected to them, ceased their flow.

An anomaly had manifested in the heavens!

All because of a single lightning strike!

"Yu Yuan has forged a Yin God. In Horror Land, by reaching the Penetrating Stage, he has transformed the Earth Soul into a Yin God. At the moment of the Yin God's creation, it must face the Great Dao's balance and endure the baptism of the lightning tribulation!"

The voice of the Initial Spirit Ghost King echoed from the deep recesses beneath the earth.

...