C808 Strength!
Zhu Zhen was an entity at the level of a Primordial Spirit!
Anyone aware of Mo Yan's true identity could instantly deduce the owner of that hand, which materialized out of thin air within a spatial corridor. Those unaware of the hand's owner could still infer the level of power from the fierce clash with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. Even the dimmest observer, witnessing the weaker ghosts being driven into the earth's depths, could glean some insight.
Moreover, the palace that had transformed from the Heaven Palace Seal and floated in the sky had plummeted, crashing down forcefully. The dense black cloud, conjured by the Black Staff and enveloping the three Ghost Kings, also settled into the ground.
Some even looked up to see the perpetually gloomy sky showing signs of clearing, hinting at the emergence of the sun, moon, and stars.
The ghosts wailed in utter despair.
The eternal darkness of the Horror Land's sky served as a natural sanctuary for souls and spirits. Esteemed figures understood the will of Horror Land—the source of the Yin Vein—which sheltered the ghosts.
Should the firmament tear and the fierce sunlight pour through, it could wreak havoc on the Horror Land's inhabitants, obliterating countless vulnerable ghosts in an instant. It's akin to human cultivators who haven't reached the Soul Wandering Stage, unable to separate their Yin God from their physical form.
Lower-tier ghosts wouldn't dare leave the safety of Horror Land to roam the outside world. If the dark sky were to split open and the sun's rays invade, the alien light would devastate Horror Land, spelling doom for the weaker ghosts.
No one anticipated that the mere appearance of a hand in the spatial corridor could nearly puncture the heavens.
Thankfully, normalcy was restored in a mere moment.
The sky remained dark and overcast.
The spatial corridor, miraculously formed with the aid of the Soul Transformation Pool and the source of the Yin Vein, vanished swiftly after Mo Yan and the Devil Blade disappeared without a trace.
Now, the only thing left floating was the Evil Cauldron.
"Yes, yes..."
Yuan Lianyao of the Red Devil Sect watched everything unfold in silence. When she finally spoke, she found herself involuntarily stuttering.
Yu Yuan's face was somber as he gave a slight nod. "Yes, it's him."
Yuan Lianyao's eyes widened in alarm, her ethereal Yin God form seeming to falter as if drained of strength.
That was Zhu Zhen!
The Devil Palace's second-in-command, a peak expert who had cultivated a Primordial Spirit, standing at the pinnacle of the Boundless Land hierarchy!
Incredibly, he had wielded a mighty divine power to alter the heavens and earth, forcing his way into an unstable spatial corridor to whisk away Mo Yan and the Devil Blade.
"There's no need for excessive concern. We are in Horror Land. Even he cannot overturn the Great Dao here," Yu Yuan said, regaining his composure after a deep breath. "Rest assured. If a mere Primordial Spirit Stage cultivator could control everything, Horror Land would have fallen long ago."
For eons, Horror Land had remained autonomous, beyond the reach of even the five greatest supreme sects, including the former Divine Soul Sect.
This was due to the Yin Vein deep underground, safeguarding this realm and forbidding any power from tainting it.
Yu Yuan's mind raced.
He reached out through the Styx, now brimming with water as the white bones had ascended to a Ghost King, silently communing with the Yin Vein's source.
The source assured him that Zhu Zhen lacked the power to influence the grand scheme of Horror Land.
In this bizarre and perilous place, the only one who could truly command the elements and act with impunity was the Mingdu Ghost King, born of this very land.
He engaged in another covert exchange with the Yin Vein's source.
"Qianqiang Ghost."
His gaze suddenly fixed on the ancient ghost resembling a golden-armored colossus.
Thanks to the emergence of the Soul Transformation Pool and a spatial tunnel, the Qianqiang Ghost, spared from the Luohou Ghost King's assault, quivered.
The segments of golden armor instinctively drew close.
This towering figure had, in an astonishingly brief moment, diminished significantly.
For reasons unknown, the very soul essence of the Qianqiang Ghost chilled under Yu Yuan's scrutiny.
"Impossible! What is there for me to fear? A mere fledgling Yin God, still green behind the ears, kill me? Even Luohou only managed to wound me!"
Qianqiang Ghost shook his head, attempting to dispel the fear lurking within his heart through this gesture.
He had never truly believed that Yu Yuan, who had shattered the lightning tribulation and ascended to the Yin God Stage, was all that formidable.
The Mingdu Ghost King's cautiousness toward Yu Yuan stemmed solely from the scabbard the latter possessed, an artifact of the Chopping Moon cultivator who had once dominated the Outer Star River.
It was because of that scabbard, and the sword soul spell it contained, that the Mingdu Ghost King's sword force was constantly eroded, day and night.
Nothing more.
Qianqiang Ghost himself had not been afflicted by the Chopping Moon cultivator's sword force and was unafraid of Yu Yuan wielding the scabbard's power to severely damage his soul.
"Yu, you saw me shred that girl's Yin God. What are you going to do about it, huh?"
To combat the strange terror within, he postured aggressively, taunting Yu Yuan from a distance with a menacing display that bordered on the ridiculous.
"What can I do?"
Yu Yuan murmured, his head bowed in contemplation.
"Longevity doesn't guarantee wisdom, nor does it ensure one can escape misfortune."
Cao Jiaze lay on the ground, clutching the luminous Heaven Palace Seal, standing firm on the earth in his mortal form.
The Yin Gods who had descended with him were astonished to see no trace of the palace that had sheltered them for days. It was now compressed into the palm of Cao Jiaze's hand.
His true form, laid bare to the biting cold winds, remained undaunted by the gales that could flay flesh from bone. His eyes, replete with restrained divine light, were fixed intently on the Soul Transformation Pool.
The spatial corridor that had attempted to whisk away Mo Yan and the Devil Blade was gone, yet the Soul Transformation Pool remained steadfast behind Yu Yuan!
Real or illusion, the murky soul energy swirling at the bottom of the pool stirred a profound unease among all the specters and souls present.
"Yu Yuan."
Beneath the Evil Cauldron, a colossal Black Staff towered like a dark monolith.
Clouds of black mist billowed endlessly from the staff, as a formidable soul shadow slowly rose from its prostrate position.
As it rose, a tumultuous black fog swirled around it, and a surge of dense, black demonic energy whipped up waves as vast as the ocean!
"Black Staff!"
"Black Staff Ghost King!"
The remaining specters, once subdued by Zhu Zhen's mere hand, lay prostrate on the ground.
Now, nearly all that remained were Heavenly Ghosts and Nether Ghosts, a mere few hundred in number.
They levitated off the ground once again, their gaze fixed on the terrifying soul shadow escalating within the churning black clouds.
"It's difficult for me to justify your treatment of Young Master Mo Yan."
Within moments, the soul shadow, now as tall as the massive black scepter, finally stood upright and addressed Yu Yuan, "He brought me the scepter, which I bound to my life. I promised to keep his son safe. A fair exchange, now botched because of you. You've put me in quite the predicament."
"You've long since ceased to be human. Black Staff, your bold appearance has indeed surprised me."
Yu Yuan's gaze drifted from the Qianqiang Ghost to the Black Staff Ghost King, now standing as tall as the Evil Cauldron. "Ghost King, you may well be the supreme force in Horror Land, but be aware that there are powers within the Boundless Land capable of countering the Ghost King's might!"
"Yet, you've been well shielded. As long as you remain within Horror Land and refrain from venturing out, those forces won't touch you."
"But should the deity that shelters you fling open the gates to those powers, everything will change!"
The confidence Yu Yuan drew from the Soul Transformation Pool hovering overhead was palpable.
Unbeknownst to all, the Soul Transformation Pool that had emerged was not merely consuming the diminutive Raksasa realm.
It was also engulfing the spirits and ghosts before him.
The frenzied energy emanating from the Soul Transformation Pool felt to Yu Yuan like it could consume the entire Horror Land!
Every Yin God born here or arriving from foreign lands was marked by the Soul Transformation Pool!
Should the Soul Transformation Pool truly reach its destination, hovering not over the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area but over Horror Land as it is now, Yu Yuan sensed that this world would be on the brink of a cataclysmic transformation!
