C809 Opening the Door and Closing the Door
The black cloud that had swallowed White Bone and Taruer began to surge and then slowly ascend once more. White Bone appeared to be constrained by Taruer; when Qignas revealed himself, White Bone remained motionless and silent.
Whoosh!
The towering figure of Qignas, the Ghost King, stood a hundred meters tall, his hands clutching the Black Staff. His eyes, like twin dark suns, bore into Yu Yuan with an intense gaze. The rising black cloud reached only as high as his chest.
At this moment, most of Qignas's form was shrouded within the black cloud, with just a fraction visible outside, exuding an imposing aura. At first glance, Qignas resembled a Demon God emerging from the shadows, the dense black cloud around him another manifestation of magic power—distinct from the Soul Power of the Land of Terror.
"The Black Staff was once a cultivator of the Unbound realm in the Land of Quiescence. Though not of the Devil Palace, his practiced spells align with those of the Devil Palace and Ruby Hand," Shen Yan from the Sword Sect softly elucidated to Chen Qingyan aboard the Cloud Cruiser.
"The black cloud you see is pure magic power, emanating from the Black Staff, likely collected by the staff itself. I've heard that this Black Staff was a gift from a figure within the Devil Palace after his ascension to Ghost King. The magic power within it may also have been gathered from the extraterrestrial realms with that figure's aid."
In the Land of Quiescence, cultivators from factions like the Devil Palace, Ruby Hand, and Taintborn can harness a broader spectrum of power. Beyond the spiritual energy of the Everlands, they can refine different forces within unique and secret locales.
Places that nurture Terra Fiends abound with magic power, and the extraterrestrial Star River harbors even more sources of this energy. Known also as magic aura, magic power is distinct from the Everlands' spiritual energy; it's not as pure and often requires further cleansing and purification upon absorption.
Yet, for some cultivators who practice specific dark arts, this impure power is precisely what they need. The Devil Palace possesses several rare and potent dark arts with formidable drawbacks and risks of backlash. These arts involve tempering the body with magic power and using it to supplant the divine force, channeling it into the Golden Sanctum acupoint.
The dense black cloud formed by the magic power within the Black Staff carried an aura of darkness, a testament to the dark arts Qignas had mastered in life. Now, as a Ghost King, he could still wield this power with ease.
This magic power, not being Soul Power, rendered White Bone's purifying white flames ineffective. Even the sacred light that emanated from White Bone's body could not pierce the black cloud.
Qignas's boldness in challenging White Bone, becoming the second Ghost King to do so since the fall of Wintermaw, stemmed from the mysterious magic power concentrated in his Black Staff.
"Yu Yuan, I'll shatter your magic power barrier first, then we can talk," Qignas declared, grinning as he swung his infamous Black Staff within the swirling black cloud. With a mighty heave, he brought the staff down on the Crucible of Evil.
The dark demonic light burst forth from the staff, as imposing as a towering stone column.
Boom!
The indestructible magic power shield, wielded by Mo Yan, shattered under the impact of Qignas's Shadowblade, exploding into fragments.
Even the Crucible of Evil was sent tumbling through the air by the massive blow of the black scepter.
Yu Yuan narrowly escaped disaster by shrinking his form and taking refuge within the little world inside the crucible just as the giant scepter bore down on him.
"Kid, hiding in the crucible won't save you," Qignas sneered menacingly. His towering figure shrank abruptly, transforming into a wisp of light that streaked towards the mouth of the Crucible of Evil.
His intent was clear: to penetrate the little world within the crucible and eliminate Yu Yuan.
Inside the little world, Yu Yuan watched from his refuge as hundreds of newly formed Bane were reduced to ash by Qignas's staff at the bottom of the stairs. At the top of the crucible, Yu Yiyi's phantom appeared slightly blurred.
"Qignas is indeed the Ghost King, the most formidable force in the Land of Terror," Yu Yiyi lamented with a sorrowful expression. "Master, I'll protect your female companion. You'll have to figure out how to handle Qignas yourself." Her words were a clear admission of their dire situation, with no strategy to counter the Shadowblade.
"I understand."
Yu Yuan turned to the panic-stricken Yuan Lianyao with a slight smile. "Stay inside, and don't come out again."
He then cautioned Yu Yiyi, "Make sure she doesn't leave!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he vaulted upwards, instantly transitioning from the interior of the Crucible of Evil to the outside world.
In his corporeal body, he stood on the frigid earth, the biting wind brushing against him. Yet, having refined the Shadow Moon Essence, he felt no discomfort whatsoever.
In fact, once he emerged from the shelter of the Crucible of Evil, he experienced an exhilarating sense of freedom, like a fish returning to the vast sea.
Looking up, he noticed the phantom of the Soulforge Pool still hovering overhead.
Qignas, after striking with his Black Staff and seeing Yu Yuan seemingly vulnerable, stepped out from the black clouds. He abandoned the staff, transforming into his soul form, and as a beam of soul light, he hurtled towards Yu Yuan.
"He, he..."
"That Yu Yuan, just like you, is actually exposed in his corporeal body and remains unharmed!"
"How is that possible?"
Cao Jiaze and the other Lunar Spirit guests from Euwrea watched in disbelief as Yu Yuan stepped out of the Crucible of Evil and tucked it into his sleeve.
Cao Jiaze had always been in their midst, and they had all witnessed him infuse the Shadow Moon Essence into his body.
They all knew that Cao Jiaze could brave the fierce winds of the Land of Terror and walk in his true form.
This extraordinary ability was the reason they held Cao Jiaze in such high esteem and reverence.
None of them had anticipated that Yu Yuan could move about freely in the Land of Terror, just like Cao Jiaze, unaffected by the bone-chilling winds.
"Just as I suspected."
Cao Jiaze laughed lightly, showing no sign of surprise, as if he had anticipated this turn of events all along.
"Yu Yuan!"
Ann Ziqing, Chen Qingyan, and the other spectators were taken aback as Yu Yuan was knocked down by a single blow from Qignas. The Crucible of Evil fell into the distance, and Yu Yuan reappeared in his true form, causing a stir among them.
But what astonished them even more was yet to come.
Yu Yuan looked up at the ethereal Soulforge Pool, seemingly unaware that Qignas's soul had transformed into a streak of ghostly light, aiming straight for his spiritual consciousness.
"He really dares to emerge from that black cloud of magic power. Does he actually believe the power of the Ghost King is unbeatable?"
Yu Yuan looked up at the sky, scoffed, and talked to himself.
Whoosh!
The Soulforge Pool that materialized above him suddenly began to spin faster.
The force that had nearly swallowed both Mo Yan and the Shadowblade's soul intensified manifold in an instant!
Simultaneously, the space tunnel that had vanished before swiftly reappeared!
Qignas, who was initially aimed at Yu Yuan, was yanked by the pull of the Soulforge Pool and dragged into the space tunnel. Accompanied by the Flowing Light Psionic Power, he was directly transported to the Moonfall Sanctuary.
This all occurred in the blink of an eye. Before anyone could grasp what was happening, Qignas had vanished into the space tunnel.
Yu Yuan inhaled deeply, keenly aware of Yan Qiling's presence emanating from the space tunnel.
The first time the space tunnel emerged, Zhu Zhenlin's intervention caused the space tunnel connecting the Land of Terror and the Moonfall Sanctuary to collapse.
This time, Zhu Zhenlin did not intervene.
Yu Yuan had seen Yan Qiling, with the assistance of the Untamed, open a vast space tunnel in the Godsblight Marsh and send the Evil God statue into the Moonfall Sanctuary.
He was aware that Yan Qiling was currently in the Moonfall Sanctuary.
As he attempted to establish a connection with the Soulforge Pool, Yan Qiling in the Moonfall Sanctuary sensed him and coordinated with him remotely.
The Root of the Lunar Meridian, like the Untamed before, had opened a gateway for him!
The Soulforge Pool that appeared in the void was merely a coordinate, a projection.
Yet, once Yan Qiling opened a passage, that projection would become reality.
The might of the Soulforge Pool, once actualized, would increase exponentially!
What could a mere Ghost King from the Land of Terror, who would struggle to rank among the top ten Evil Devils of the past, do against the now far more formidable Soulforge Pool?
With a resounding boom, the space tunnel vanished once more.
Yan Qiling's message reached Yu Yuan just before the space tunnel faded.
He informed Yu Yuan that with his spatial mastery and strength, he could only open the space tunnel one more time. He advised Yu Yuan to reserve it for a critical moment when confronting Dhoreus.
...
This morning, I watched an NBA game, Lakers vs. Blazers. As a die-hard LeBron fan, Old Ni was completely absorbed in the match and couldn't spare a moment to write.
In the afternoon, after hastily finishing a chapter, I called up a few of the old gang to brave the scorching 36-degree sun for a half-court, four-on-four basketball game. Every time I watch a match, I get this crazy urge to hit the court myself. I guess it's that old competitive spirit flaring up—though I have to admit, I'm not as young as I used to be. These days, that fiery passion for the game only sparks a handful of times a year. I hope you all can understand!
