C805 Chasuo Kingdom!
The Crucible of Evil stirred, prompting Dhoreus' eight white-robed subordinates and the Ghost King Rahu to follow its lead. It was a case of the domino effect—one move setting everything in motion!
Rahu, deceptively delicate in appearance, witnessed the once formidable and endlessly shifting array of souls ripped apart by the hasty actions of the ancient ghosts. A spark of excitement flashed in her eyes. With a gentle smile, she extended her fair, slender hand and casually tossed the flower basket forward.
The basket, brimming with a rainbow of light, descended upon the leading Rhutar Ghost King like a sunburst of vibrant colors. Thousands of splendid rays transformed into blades of lightning, encircling Rhutar like an army in full charge.
Rhutar roared in fury, his form swelling into a towering, golden-armored giant, exuding an aura of indomitable strength.
Puff! Puff! Puff!
Assailed by a thousand rays, the ancient Spectre, who had previously shredded the Lunar Spirit of the female general Lee Yuchan, found his seemingly impregnable golden armor disintegrated in an instant.
His golden form burst apart, fragments of armor scattering as Rhutar sustained injuries from the encounter. Fortunately, the seven other Spectres of equal rank were quick to fill the gap, their howls piercing the air as they devoured the remaining electric light.
This reprieve allowed Rhutar time to regather his residual soul, his golden armored form restored to its original state. Yet, the evidence of his wounds was visible to all—the reassembled golden body still traced with streams of multicolored light.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Between Rahu and the eight ancient ghosts, the flower basket continued to burst, sending out beams of brilliant light that shot in every direction. The dazzling radiance, devoid of White Bone's purifying strange power, was pure, unadulterated sharpness!
It seemed that any ghost, soul, or spirit could be instantly pierced by the light.
Rahu, the Ghost King, stood resolute between the flower basket and the dense black clouds, thwarting the ghosts intent on pursuing Yu Yuan. "White robe, stop skulking in the shadows and barking orders. If you dare, step out and challenge me openly, just as you did in the past," Rahu taunted with a confident grin. "I'll even allow you to join forces with the other eight! Today, I'm eager to find out how many Spectres I can take down when it's one against nine!"
Her words were the epitome of arrogance.
The flower basket she hurled into the air shimmered like a colorful sun suspended in the sky, emitting beams of light as it moved, delivering targeted attacks and pressures to various spectres.
Those paying close attention could discern the trajectory of the flower basket, noting its strategic strikes against the ancient spectres, effectively thwarting the eight ghosts' attempts to reassemble into a fan-shaped formation.
Rahu had clearly exploited a vulnerability exposed by their previous rash actions.
She then ensured they had no opportunity to regroup.
With just the flower basket in hand, the Ghost King had the eight subordinates of Dhoreus at her mercy, leaving them tied up in knots and with severe headaches.
How could they afford to spare a thought for "attending to" Yu Yuan or preventing him from slipping into the black cloud?
"You all!" "Pfft!"
The man in white robes barely got his shout out before Rahu's piercing gaze crushed it. The sound of his remnant soul was pulverized, rendering him incapable of issuing any further commands.
As a result, the ghosts that had once rallied around the eight ancient spectres near the black cloud could no longer hear his voice, nor the voices of the eight ghosts.
Many ghosts were terrified by the Spiritrend sword's will emanating from within the sword sheath.
Even those ghosts who had once served the eight felt an instinctive premonition that any attempt to obstruct the Crucible of Evil at this juncture would be met with annihilation by the sword's will.
Death was the only thing waiting for them.
They too feared death, especially an untimely and meaningless sacrifice.
With no subsequent orders from the white-robed man or the eight ghosts, they feigned ignorance and watched helplessly as Yu Yuan drew ever closer to the black cloud.
"Cao Jiaze?"
The elder from the Ebon Star, seeing Yu Yuan on the brink of entering the black cloud and the eight ancient spectres, including the white-robed man, being single-handedly intercepted by Rahu, urgently sought guidance.
He adjusted his stance, facing Yu Yuan and the black cloud, with his back to Cao Jiaze, and made a calming gesture, signaling him to remain patient and watch the unfolding events.
With no other option, the elder fell silent once more.
Regardless of their sect affiliations, no one dared to contradict Cao Jiaze, and they all continued to observe the situation with disciplined attention.
"Shadowblade! The Chasuo Kingdom!"
Beneath the expansive black clouds, the serrated, broad Devil Blade, with Mo Yan concealed within, seemed to carve out a nightmarish vista teeming with malevolent spirits as Mo Yan's soul-piercing incantations echoed.
Countless evil ghosts appeared to be yanking on massive, elongated chains from the deepest pits of purgatory.
The chains stretched from the void in the heavens to the bowels of hell, with ghastly figures—black-bodied, crimson-haired, and green-eyed—either grasping the chains with spectral hands or entwined around them, all howling as they tugged the chains downward.
The gravitational field shifted, causing everything from physical objects in the sky to souls and even psionic powers to irresistibly plummet.
Even the black clouds conjured by the Ghost King Qignas with his devilishly unpredictable powers descended a notch.
Onlookers soon realized that the so-called chains of death were tethered to the Crucible of Evil in the sky!
Below, Mo Yan wielded the Shadowblade, invoking its most potent dark arts to ensnare the Crucible of Evil, intent on dragging both the artifact and Yu Yuan down with it.
"The Chasuo Kingdom, also known as the Death Realm, the Realm of Evil Ghosts, and the Purgatory of Death."
Cao Jiaze of the Ebon Star sect recited the intricate dark arts invoked by the Shadowblade with a hint of gravity in his voice, "Mo Yan's journey to the Land of Terror wasn't just for the refinement of his Lunar Spirit; more crucially, it was to harness the Yin Qi energy for the Devil Blade, to summon the mighty Ghost King, and to manifest the formidable dark arts of the Chasuo Kingdom."
"The Shadowblade and the Crucible of Evil are both Divine Artifacts. By his father's design, Mo Yan was meant to wield both. Combined, they would render him invincible! In the race for the Hellbreed, he would outmatch the previous contenders and emerge as the strongest candidate for the next Demon Lord!"
"Regrettably, the Crucible of Evil fell into Yu Yuan's hands by a twist of fate."
Cao Jiaze allowed himself a slight smile before continuing, "Both the Crucible of Evil and the Shadowblade were demoted from Divine Artifacts. With the Crucible of Evil in Yu Yuan's possession, it has begun to regain its past splendor, and the cauldron spirit is on the path to awakening and resurgence. Unexpectedly, the Shadowblade, notorious across the Star River, has also been awakened by Mo Yan's relentless forging."
Throughout the extensive history of the Everlands, a considerable number of Divine Artifacts have come into existence.
Yet, many of these Divine Artifacts have suffered damage or degradation following the demise of their owners, with some even shattering beyond repair in the heat of battle.
Only a handful of Divine Artifacts have remained unscathed, retaining their status, and these are almost exclusively held by the five preeminent sects.
The Shadowblade and the Crucible of Evil are two such artifacts that had ascended to divine status, only to fall from grace due to their owners' defeats or deaths.
The Shadowblade's fame eclipses that of the Crucible of Evil in the extraterrestrial Star River, while the Crucible of Evil's infamy has grown more prominent within the Everlands due to the destruction of its sect.
Each possesses its own unique wonders, and should they come into the possession of one individual, they could offer mutual support.
Mo Yan was destined to wield both downgraded Divine Artifacts, and he was on track to become the most dazzling new star of the Devil Palace!
Yu Yuan's arrival in the Embers Sea and his acquisition of the Crucible of Evil cast a shadow over Mo Yan's once bright future, fueling his animosity towards Yu Yuan.
"Chasuo Kingdom!"
Ann Ziqing of the Colddeath Sect, observing the eerie spectacle beneath the black clouds and sensing the tumultuous surge of evil spirits, felt a sudden tightness in her chest and began to worry for Yu Yuan.
As the heir apparent to the Colddeath Sect, she was aware of the Shadowblade's formidable power, as her father, Ann Wen, had informed her.
The Shadowblade's most fearsome aspect is its ability to conjure a realm teeming with evil spirits, akin to the mythical Death Realm. Any creature ensnared within it would endure excruciating torment, their flesh and soul devoured by the spirits, leaving nothing behind, not even bones.
Mo Yan, having acquired the Shadowblade and refined it in the Embers Sea, had yet to unleash the Chasuo Kingdom.
In his last battle with Yu Yuan, he had not managed to manifest the Chasuo Kingdom, resulting in his defeat and retreat to the domain of the Qignas.
With the aid of the Qignas, he invested more time and finally succeeded in forming the Chasuo Kingdom.
"Surely, I should be able to break free from these chains, right?"
Ann Ziqing's confidence wavered as she watched the Crucible of Evil being tugged at, swaying and continuously descending. She grew increasingly anxious, contemplating whether to unleash the Glacial Storm Seal and obliterate the Chasuo Kingdom that Mo Yan had so laboriously crafted.
"The Glacial Storm Seal as it stands can't shatter his Chasuo Kingdom, since a third of the Divine Thunder is no longer contained within," the Razses Ghost King's voice echoed once more, tinged with disappointment and regret. "If Yu Yuan can't overcome this challenge, then perhaps it's his time to perish."
"Master!"
"Yu Yuan!"
Yu Yiyi and Yuan Lianyao, sensing the cauldron's descent and the shifting gravitational forces, along with the eerie essence emanating from the barely visible Chasuo Kingdom, were all trying to communicate with Yu Yuan.
Yu Yuan stood at the cauldron's brink, hand on his sword, ready to draw it, as the newly condensed Lunar Spirit within his Mindscape stirred to life. Looking down, he saw a horde of identical evil spirits with green eyes, yanking at chains with a frenzied and ferocious gaze. Their mouths appeared to drool with avarice.
"Chasuo Kingdom..."
The words of Cao Jiaze, Yuan Lianyao's caution, and Yu Yiyi's vigilance all alerted him to the perilous nature of the Death Realm unleashed by the Shadowblade. The cauldron spirit, Yu Yiyi, had also warned that once the cauldron fell into it, they would be at the mercy of another.
Without entering the Chasuo Kingdom, Mo Yan could freely wield the Shadowblade and venture into the Crucible of Evil's little world. But if he did so, both he and the Devil Blade would undoubtedly meet their demise.
Yet, if Yu Yuan were to plummet into the Death Realm below, the cauldron might remain unscathed. However, Yu Yuan's soul and corporeal body would suffer the gnashing and gnawing of the malevolent spirits. Even Yu Yiyi was uncertain of her ability to protect him within the vile dominion crafted by the Devil Blade.
"Sink down!"
With a serene expression and a heart devoid of panic or fear, Yu Yuan conveyed his intent with a single thought.
"Ah!"
"Sink down!"
As Yuan Lianyao and the cauldron spirit cried out in alarm, Yu Yuan firmly repeated the command.
Whoosh!
Relying on years of trust, the cauldron spirit didn't ask any further questions. It went along with the pull of the chains, plummeting swiftly downward.
