C811 Demon Breaking
Specks of "Sun Essence Fire" fell into the darkness, incinerating an entire world and consuming all the dark demonic energy within it.
Everyone gathered, ghosts included, was taken aback by the sheer power of the "Sun Essence Fire" that had erupted from Yu Yuan's palm.
In a short span, the dark realm crafted by the Black Staff Ghost King vanished without a trace.
At that moment, a few remaining sparks of "Sun Essence Fire" descended upon the massive black staff.
The sparks, like red-hot needles, pierced the staff, burning a tiny hole through it.
Then, a miraculous sight unfolded.
Those few sparks and that minuscule hole triggered the turbulent demonic energy still residing within the staff.
The dark demonic energy within worked tirelessly to fill the hole, striving to halt the "Sun Essence Fire" from penetrating deeper into the staff.
The towering black staff, akin to a peristele, underwent a sudden transformation.
Its color swiftly shifted from black to a grayish-brown.
As the dark demonic energy drained away in a frenzy, the staff, once refined by the Black Staff Ghost King, saw its grade plummet and its material suffer damage.
Eventually, the "Sun Essence Fire" sparks burned out completely.
The dark demonic energy that the staff harbored was nearly depleted in the process.
Whoosh!
A white bone morphed into a streak of silver-white lightning and slipped into the staff through that tiny hole.
Crack! Crack!
The colossal staff began to show fractures following Bai Gu's entrance.
"Bai Gu!"
The roar of the Black Staff Ghost King thundered from the immense staff.
In that instant, the onlooking spirits and humans had an epiphany.
The Black Staff had not vanished from Horror Land when a soul was dragged into the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area.
He was alive!
Not only alive but cunningly concealed within the staff, biding his time for an attack!
"Let's have our final battle inside the artifact from your past life. Qianjie, if you dare, join me in combat," Bai Gu's voice, brimming with pride, echoed from within, "But be warned, without the dark demonic energy to counterbalance, can you endure my Soul-Burning Flame?"
Crack!
The staff, now a vast expanse of gray-brown, began to fracture further as Bai Gu made his entrance.
"I'll keep my distance and watch from the outside. As for getting involved inside? I'm not one to crowd around."
Crash! Crash! Crash!
Stones that were meant to entrap the skeleton crumbled to the ground, and Qianjie's souls emerged, swirling before the onlookers.
"The Black Staff likely practiced the Black Heaven Devil Spell."
Aboard the Roam Ship, Yellow Old Devil from the Babel Chamber of Commerce wore a grave look. "Even if the Black Staff isn't a practitioner from the Devil Palace, he certainly has ties to that individual." He refrained from using the name, opting instead for "that individual" as a euphemism.
Yet, upon hearing "Black Heaven Devil Spell," everyone in the cabin understood exactly who he meant.
Zhu Zhenchi, the Devil Palace's second-in-command, had mastered the Black Heaven Devil Spell, using it to forge his Primordial Spirit.
The scepter's concentrated dark devil energy, which left the skeleton powerless, spoke volumes.
"That realm of darkness, known as the Black Heaven Devil Realm, was surprisingly shattered by a mere few Sun Essence Fire," Yellow Old Devil mused, adding, "With the Black Heaven Devil Realm breached and part of the Black Staff's soul taken to the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area, he's unlikely to stir up any more trouble."
Shen Yan from the Sword Sect furrowed his brow, murmuring, "The kid does have some skills."
Swoosh!
Luohou Ghost King, with a flower basket in hand, swiftly appeared beside Yu Yuan. She playfully bumped him with the basket, her face beaming, "You've truly lived up to my trust. I knew you'd find a way to break the Black Heaven Devil Realm!"
"Black Heaven Devil Realm?" Yu Yuan exclaimed in astonishment.
"The Black Staff must have once followed Mo Yan's father, learning the Black Heaven Devil Spell under his tutelage," Luohou said, her tone slightly uneasy as she spoke of Zhu Zhenchi. "The dark devil energy that surged within the scepter was likely a gift from the Black Staff Ghost King, gathered from a dark abyss beyond the skies and infused into the scepter."
"The release of the dark devil energy gave birth to the Darkness World, an enigmatic realm of shadows."
The spectral flames of the bones can only annihilate intangible souls. Within the Darkness World, such light naturally stands no chance against the distinct dark devil energy, unlike soul energy. Yet, the Sun Essence Fire that emanated from your palm possessed such fearsome might—I could never have anticipated it."
She lavished Yu Yuan with unabashed praise.
"Chaos Roc!"
Reflecting on the absence of Sun Essence Fire in the Yellow Court Little World, she was swamped by a whirlwind of emotions. The refining of the eight specks of Sun Essence Fire, and how the Chaos Roc used them to pinpoint his location, enabling Lim Zhuyun to launch her ambush, was overwhelming.
The Sun Essence Fire, originating from the Chaos Roc, proved invaluable in melting the Giant Beast Amber and aiding in the construction of the Life Altar.
In alchemy, the Sun Essence Fire revealed its boundless utility.
Now, in combat, the unleashed force of the Sun Essence Fire was nothing short of miraculous.
The Darkness Devil Realm, conjured by Zhu Zhenyi from the dark devil energy of the outer domain's Darkness Abyss, was utterly consumed by the Sun Essence Fire. One could only imagine the might of the Chaos Roc in its prime.
Now free and soaring through the cosmos, should the Chaos Roc return to its zenith, wouldn't its power be unimaginably fearsome?
Somehow, just the thought of the Chaos Roc weighed on him like a colossal mountain, stealing his breath.
"You?" Yu Yuan turned his gaze to the Luohou Ghost King, deliberately steering the conversation away from the Chaos Roc.
"How did I arrive?" The Luohou Ghost King's smile was enigmatic as she cast a sidelong glance at Qianjie's gathering spirit. "The white bones have entered that staff. Barring any unforeseen events, the Black Staff is likely to share the fate of the Cold Abyss—perishing within the staff, just as one would at the Ice Stone Tombstone."
"I'm here because I feared Qianjie might hesitate to enter the staff and meddle in the soul battle between the white bones and the Black Staff, opting instead to target you."
She paused, her eyes narrowing at the coalescing souls around Qianjie, and lightly tossed the flower basket in her hand. "Qianjie, I hold you in high esteem as an elder. As long as you refrain from striking first, I shall remain silent."
The Kalpa Ghost King remained silent, his scattered souls still coalescing among the myriad stones.
At this juncture, it was a golden opportunity for the Luohou Ghost King. Should she strike now, Kalpa would be caught off guard.
"Kalpa Ghost King."
A chill crept onto Yu Yuan's lips. With the so-called "Black Heavenly Devil Realm" fading away, the massive scepter began to succumb to the ravages of white bones. His previously bottled-up emotions eased considerably, and he pondered over the means to obliterate Qianqiang Ghost King and Mingdu.
The image of Li Yuchan's soul being torn asunder by Qianqiang Ghost haunted him, each recollection a thorn in his heart.
He couldn't quite articulate why the demise of the female general's Yin God left him feeling so deeply suffocated and distressed.
"Who exactly are you?"
Out of the blue, the will of the Yin Vein Origin emerged once again from the Styx deep underground.
This time, the will was rife with doubt and inquisition, unleashing a barrage of complex thoughts and confusions in an instant, flooding his consciousness.
Yu Yuan's spirit was rocked. He sensed the skepticism of the Yin Vein Origin, aware that a misstep in his response could cost him its trust and patronage.
Worse still, the Yin Vein Origin might leverage other forces to eliminate him first.
The white bones were one such force at the Yin Vein Origin's disposal.
What was happening?
With this thought, an even greater wave of doubt from the Yin Vein Origin crashed over him, brimming with enmity.
He furrowed his brow, dissecting the will of the Yin Vein Origin as if bracing for battle, striving to unravel the source of its anxieties and doubts.
After a moment, Yu Yuan's face took on a grave cast.
"Who am I, indeed?"
The Yin Vein Origin's skepticism stemmed from the Soul Transformation Pool's unwavering support, from the entirety of the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area's benevolence, including the Evil God statue and all the concealed restrictions that seemed overly congenial towards him.
As the Soul Transformation Pool suppressed the residual sword intent and power of the Chopping Moon cultivator, preventing it from manifesting its wonders, the pool's affection appeared inexplicably excessive.
Through meticulous analysis, the origin of the Yin Meridian arrived at a conclusion that was beyond belief.
—Yu Yuan had not merely lived two lifetimes, but three!
Before Hong Qi, there was another individual!
This person managed to deceive everyone, including the overseer of the cycle of rebirth at the Yin Meridian's source, leaving no trace to be found.
The initial step was to be reincarnated or reborn as Hong Qi. In that previous existence, since he failed to embark on the path of cultivation, neither the Yin God nor the Yang God were formed, preventing any awakening. Thus, all memories from his past life were obscured.
Hong Qi appeared to be an anomaly, or perhaps he was compelled into hiding. The exact circumstances remain unknown to the Yin Meridian's source.
One thing, however, was certain: the Yu Yuan of today was indeed in his third incarnation!
