C794 The New Comprehension of the Sword Spell!
In Cuion's realm, the souls of ghosts that had been offered up to the River of Souls burned out like magnificent fireworks.
Yet, harnessing the power of these burning souls, Dhoreus, the Ghost King, conjured an ethereal projection of himself within the River of Souls.
"Your Highness, Dhoreus!"
The Pale Reaper and eight other ancient ghosts, who had sworn fealty to him a millennium ago, prostrated themselves in reverence.
To these ghosts, Dhoreus was akin to a deity!
Jiang Xingwen stood by, her lips curled in a soft smile, gazing at him with deep affection.
Dhoreus, cloaked in an aura of commanding presence, materialized his projection and remarked with a grin, "Yu Yuan remains uncorrupted by his inner demons. He truly is remarkable."
The Pale Reaper, his elegant features framed by his billowing white robe, added, "I encountered him once in the Embers Sea. The boy is indeed exceptional. His audacity in taking the Crucible of Evil from Mo Yan, striking a bargain with the Abyssal Leviathan, and stealing numerous Sunsorrow from the giant beasts was nothing short of astonishing."
Dhoreus offered a knowing smile, yet remained silent.
Having discovered the true identity of Hong Qi from the Root of the Lunar Meridian, Dhoreus had no intention of divulging this revelation to any soul or ghost.
Together with the Pale Reaper and his eight lieutenants, he sought to uncover the mysteries of the extraterrestrial Star River.
Though his physical form was beyond the stars and his spirit concealed within the River of Souls, he dared not leave the Land of Terror, leaving him largely ignorant of the affairs beyond the Star River.
Fortunately, his eight loyal subordinates had once waged war alongside him in the extraterrestrial realms and continued to roam abroad.
Upon their return, they eagerly shared tales of the Everlands' turmoil and the intricate power struggles of the distant starry skies.
Dhoreus mostly listened, interjecting only when a topic piqued his interest.
After much time had passed, not just Dhoreus, but also the Pale Reaper and the eight ancient ghosts, were suddenly taken aback.
Together, they turned their gaze towards Dhoreus, their expressions fraught with urgency.
"Your Highness?"
Their eyes brimmed with inquiry.
"It was beyond my expectations."
Dhoreus, appearing as a projection, gave a silent chuckle. "Yu Yuan's condensation of the Lunar Spirit has restrained the Way of Heaven, leading the Colddeath girl's Glacial Storm Seal to unleash a barrage of lightning."
He shook his head gently. "I assumed that after forming the Lunar Spirit, he would only draw a minor amount of the lightning that hovered outside the Land of Terror. Unexpectedly, the Glacial Storm Seal was right there, and the Way of Heaven he activated was excessively violent."
As he spoke, the gathered ghosts' expressions shifted.
The Pale Reaper and the eight ancient ghosts, privy to certain secrets, understood the implications.
"The Lunar Spirit Yu Yuan has forged is likely extraordinary; otherwise, it wouldn't have stirred up such a disturbance," Dhoreus mused. "Only a potent and unique Lunar Spirit born in the Land of Terror could unleash such fearsome calamity thunder. I had believed he would handle it with ease and didn't give it much thought."
"It appears that as one wave settles, another rises."
Dhoreus found himself amused.
He had provoked Yu Yuan's inner demon, doubting Yu Yuan's ability to transcend it. Once Yu Yuan had successfully shattered his inner demon, Dhoreus believed Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit was unstoppable and ceased his commentary.
He was aware that condensing a Lunar Spirit in the Land of Terror would invoke suppression by the Way of Heaven.
The Heavenly Dao forbids living creatures from the outside world to bind the Lunar Spirit in the Nether Reaches.
He had thought Yu Yuan, being young, would achieve a modest Lunar Spirit and face only mild suppression from the Way of Heaven. With the Root of the Lunar Meridian's protection, the process should have been straightforward.
But now, the thunderous intimidation triggered by Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit formation exceeded his predictions, presenting him with a delightful surprise.
"Your Highness, the battle at Wintermaw?" White Bone inquired.
"Wintermaw is merely a jumping jack. Unless something unforeseen occurs, Youling will soon obliterate him," Dhoreus said, his voice dripping with scorn. "How could someone who advanced to Ghost King by leeching off the Frozen Hellscape's power possibly stand against Youling?"
"Your Highness, who are our true adversaries?" inquired the man in the white robe, seeking guidance.
"Youling, Razses, and Tian Zang," Dhoreus replied with a smile.
"Razses? Tian Zang?"
"Razses was once under my command. Even as a ghost, his wisdom was extraordinary. I foresaw his rise to Ghost King, and time has proven my judgment right," Dhoreus said, nodding slowly and speaking at a measured pace. "Don't underestimate Razses. His combat strength is beyond my current estimation."
The man in the white robe looked serious. "Your Highness, is he still willing to follow you?"
"If I ascend to the God of Ghosts, he will surely obey. But if I fail, his loyalty is uncertain," Dhoreus replied with detachment.
"And Tian Zang?" Jiang Xingwen interjected.
Within the River of Souls, Dhoreus turned to her with a tender look before responding, "Tian Zang's absence indicates his supreme confidence."
"He hasn't returned?" Jiang Xingwen exclaimed in surprise. "Wasn't it said that Tian Zang never left the Land of Terror, remaining in seclusion for an extended period? And there were reports of him being seen recently!"
"The Tian Zang who was seen is an impostor, merely a shadow," Dhoreus said with a soft chuckle. "The real Tian Zang has not set foot in the Land of Terror for quite some time. His commands and intentions are relayed solely through that shadow. I suspect..."
"What?" the man in the white robe pressed.
"It's highly probable that Tian Zang has formed an alliance with Boulderdawn," Dhoreus stated icily.
"Boulderdawn!"
Both the man in the white robe and the eight ancient ghosts felt a shiver down their spines at the mention of the sect, overwhelmed by the immense pressure.
"The old guard has an innate affinity with Boulderdawn. Tian Zang has shown more than once his intention to forge a deeper connection with the sect since his rise to power in the Land of Terror," Dhoreus continued, his voice laced with dissatisfaction. "A turncoat. I'll have a stern talk with him upon his return."
"..."
In the silver-gray expanse of the little world.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Crimson sword lights sliced through the air, shattering the brilliant lightning into a shower of sparkling fragments.
Yu Yuan's body, bare and battered, miraculously healed from grievous wounds in the blink of an eye.
It was almost inconceivable that such horrific injuries could vanish so quickly, completely mended in the span of a heartbeat.
The "Altar of Rebirth" harbored a life force so vast, it seemed to commandeer the very essence of creation itself—its magic was beyond belief!
Yu Yuan continued to wield his sword relentlessly.
With each strike, a robust and serpentine Divine Thunder would burst apart, scattering a thousand points of light like rain.
His eyes shone with brilliance, his face alight with vigor.
"Lunar Spirit! Condense the Soul Power!"
For the first time, he truly grasped the formidable might of the crimson sword light, born from the melding of Soul Power with spiritual energy and vitality.
As each strand of Soul Power dissipated, an immense surge of Yin Qi would flood into the Mindscape, instantly replenishing the Lunar Spirit.
This nascent Lunar Spirit would, in mere moments, refine new Soul Power with the aid of the Yin Qi.
Blessed by the Root of the Lunar Meridian, the purest Yin Qi here could endlessly rejuvenate his remnant soul, offering an inexhaustible wellspring of power to perpetually forge Soul Power.
Thus, Soul Power was ceaselessly reborn!
With each loss, a new strand was rapidly crystallized.
It was the unity of Soul Power, vitality, and spiritual energy that could manifest the legacy of the Moon Slayer's sword spell.
Each cut felt instinctive, and through Soul Power, he could keenly perceive the seamless fusion of spiritual energy and vitality coursing through his veins.
The scarlet sword light, an extension of his remnant soul, could pinpoint the subtlest disturbances within the storm of lightning.
He understood the tempest unleashed by the Glacial Storm Seal—where the chill of ice would gather, when the thunder would burst forth, and when the shadowy lightning would strike—all discerned through the clarity of the sword light.
Navigating the calamity thunder, he also mastered the novel application of the sword spell, delving into the profound mysteries of the Moonfall Strike.
He gradually entered a state of transcendence, relentlessly swinging his sword to cleave through lightning and thunder in an endless cycle.
Only a stone's throw away.
With a swift whoosh, the Crucible of Evil returned, settling back into the gleaming silver circle of light.
"You?"
Yuan Lianyao, consumed with urgency, pointed at the crack and exclaimed, "Countless bolts of lightning and thunder are pouring in, and I can't hold them back!"
She was certain that Yu Yiyi, the cauldron spirit, could hear her and grasp her meaning.
"The Glacial Storm Seal from the extraterrestrial realm is beyond my aid," Yu Yiyi's voice, tinged with helplessness, emanated from within the cauldron. "The lightning is imbued with soul-destroying power that naturally counters the Bane. As a spirited body, and the Bane being similar, even risking my life to enter would be futile."
"Then why return?" Yuan Lianyao's tone was now less than friendly.
Ignoring her, Yu Yiyi directed the Crucible of Evil towards the exterior.
Without warning, a painting materialized, revealing grand palaces and swarms of ghosts within its frame.
A host of formidable ghosts rallied around one that resembled a young man.
Atop his head sat an imperial crown, and he was clad in a black dragon robe.
"The Razses Ghost King!"
Yuan Lianyao gasped, instantly realizing the Crucible of Evil's hasty return was likely a precaution against the Razses Ghost King. She feared he might intervene, joining forces with the lightning and thunder to deliver a devastating blow to Yu Yuan.
With a swift whoosh, the Razses Ghost King emerged from the Soul Locking Diagram, standing just outside the radiant circle. He gazed curiously at the cluster of lightning in the crevice, marveling, "A mere human cultivator, who has only bound a Lunar Spirit in the Land of Terror, has managed to cause such an uproar?"
He spared no glance for Yuan Lianyao nor engaged in conversation with the cauldron spirit or Yu Yiyi, simply muttering to himself.
After all, what interest would the Lunar Spirit Ghost King of the Ruby Hand sect hold for him?
The present Crucible of Evil pales in comparison to his "Soul Locking Diagram" in terms of value. Why would a mere cauldron spirit within it merit a second glance from Razses?
He had transcended his phantom existence, arriving in his true form!
Beyond the Shade King and his peers among the Ghost Kings, his allegiance had once been to the noble Dhoreus. Within the vast expanse of the Land of Terror, he deemed no other being or ghost worthy of his notice!
