C812 Who Am I

Who are you?

The will of the Root of the Lunar Meridian articulated itself with precision through the Styx below.

Its conjecture left Yu Yuan paralyzed, as if struck by lightning.

"Before Hong Qi, did I, have another life?"

Yu Yuan stood there, his mind a blank slate, completely still.

The shock of this revelation was overwhelming, leaving him utterly bewildered.

How could this be possible?

He pondered deeply but came up empty-handed. He had never sensed any memories in his soul other than those from Hong Qi's life.

Yet, according to the Root of the Lunar Meridian, neither the Soulforge Pool nor the Evil Statue from the forbidden area should have been able to approach him.

Merely practicing Wraithbinding and Soul Forging through Enlightenment couldn't account for those supernatural occurrences. Unless, of course, the Soulforge Pool and the Evil Statue were aware of his hidden past.

Bizarre images began to flood his thoughts.

He remembered fainting in the Shura's little world within the Dark Realm. He thought of the time a colossal phantom seemed to have appeared. Yu Zhu and Golden Fiend had informed him in their own ways that during his unconsciousness, a mysterious event had occurred, leading to the destruction of the Shura's residual soul.

He also recalled the Evil Statue, crafted from the Sword Prison, which had invaded his Mindscape with its malevolent intent.

Surprisingly, it was his own will that prevailed. Not only did the statue fail to possess him, but it also obediently submitted to his will, responding to the movements of his mind.

Furthermore, when Yan Qiling transported the statue to the Moonfall Sanctuary, he could sense a certain reverence the statue held for him.

"Could it be that..."

This thought sparked another memory of the Root of the Lunar Meridian's skepticism.

The Root of the Lunar Meridian, a wondrous entity governing the cycle of life and death for all beings in the Everlands, had seen through every detail of his transformation from Hong Qi to his current self during their initial communication.

According to the Root of the Lunar Meridian, it was impossible for any creature in the Everlands to evade its purview.

It was the deity of reincarnation!

And yet, it had just suggested that he had lived three lifetimes, but it could find no trace of his first.

A reincarnation that could elude the cosmic order to such an extent that even it could not trace it was the very reason for its suspicion and palpable hostility.

"I..."

The moment the thought crossed his mind, he sensed the presence of the Root of the Lunar Meridian. With a sense of resignation, he said, "I can't tell if your deduction is true or false. I'm completely unaware, without the slightest inkling. My memories are confined to Hong Qi and nothing more."

He attempted to clarify things to the Root of the Lunar Meridian, hoping to gain its recognition and alleviate its doubts and hostility.

The Will of the Deep within the subterranean Styx listened in silence.

A considerable time passed without a response.

It seemed as though the Root of the Lunar Meridian was reassessing the situation, pondering what kind of being could deceive it, reincarnating within its domain without detection.

"Yu Yuan, Yu..."

Rahu murmured, her brow furrowed in concern.

Yu Yuan snapped out of his reverie.

"Why haven't you reacted at all after I've been speaking to you for so long?" Rahu scolded, giving him a sidelong glance. "The battle isn't over yet. What's on your mind?"

Her words jolted Yu Yuan back to reality, realizing that no one had picked up on his communication with the Root of the Lunar Meridian.

"Dhoreus!"

He suddenly grew concerned about Dhoreus lurking in the shadows, wondering if the once ruler of the Land of Terror had detected his exchange with the Root of the Lunar Meridian.

"The Black Staff is finished."

Rahu said softly with a smile, gesturing towards the massive staff, "I can feel that the Styx within the Black Staff's domain has ceased to flow, just like the one in Wintermaw."

When a Ghost King perishes, the Styx bestowed upon him by the Root of the Lunar Meridian dries up.

For instance, the Styx that once belonged to the Shade King ceased to flow after his reincarnation.

Later, when Youling returned in skeletal form and reclaimed the title of Ghost King, the Styx began to flow once more.

Yu Yuan looked over to see the massive staff had unexpectedly shattered into segments.

Within the fragments of the staff, white flames still burned, consuming something.

"Wasn't there a soul that the Black Staff sent into the Moonfall Sanctuary?" Yu Yuan suddenly questioned.

"It must have been eradicated earlier," Rahu replied, her gaze filled with a hint of trepidation. "The absence of water in the River Styx within the Black Staff's domain signifies his absolute demise. The River Styx wouldn't run dry as long as even a shred of soul remained. Do you understand?"

Rahu found it odd. "You infused a part of the Black Staff's soul into the forbidden area. Are you unaware of the sheer terror emitted by the Soulforge Pool's aura?"

Even she was silenced by the mere emergence of the Soulforge Pool.

"I understand," Yu Yuan acknowledged with a slow nod.

Crack!

The top of the enormous scepter shattered, revealing White Bone, who wielded a sharp awl. He stood amidst the debris of the scepter, his voice cold and merciless as he declared, "Taruer!"

Yu Yuan scanned the area, only to discover that Taruer, who had been amassing souls, had vanished without a trace.

"Taruer has fled back to his domain," Rahu stated, addressing both Yu Yuan and White Bone.

"He's gone back?"

"With Wintermaw and the Black Staff falling one after the other, the Land of Terror has never seen such a rapid succession of Ghost King deaths. And White Bone, his power has not waned after slaying the two Ghost Kings. On the contrary, it continues to climb. Taruer, sensing doom, likely broke the pact with everyone and retreated to his territory to hide."

Rahu saw the situation with crystal clarity. "With Taruer on the run, White Bone is powerless to stop him. He could even leave the Land of Terror temporarily to avoid this mess."

"Now that Taruer has fled, the rest should be straightforward," Yu Yuan said with a grim smile. "All that's left are Dhoreus's eight underlings and the Pale Reaper."

As if in agreement, White Bone declared, "I'll handle it."

Yu Yuan turned to see that the Pale Reaper and the eight ancient ghosts had dispersed, each heading in different directions.

"As soon as His Highness returns from beyond, your end will come," the Pale Reaper's voice echoed as he departed. "Wintermaw and the Black Staff were unworthy of the title Ghost King! Once they're gone, we will rise and claim the title for ourselves. Just wait."

With those final words, the Pale Reaper vanished into wisps of white smoke.

"Rhutar!"

With an icy glare, Yu Yuan unleashed the Crucible of Evil from his grasp and stepped forward.

The cauldron spirit immediately targeted Rhutar, soaring through the void.

Surprisingly, as the Crucible of Evil roared to life, the Soulforge Pool hovering above Yu Yuan's head began to stir in unison.

"This is too peculiar."

Cao Jiaze of the Ebon Star had been closely monitoring the Soulforge Pool. As he observed it springing to life, his brow furrowed in concern. "According to our sect leader, the pool is the lynchpin of the 'Soulforge Matrix.' This formation, once belonging to the Boulderdawn Sect, harbors an immensely profound Soul Power."

Cao Jiaze rubbed his eyes, a sense of regret in his voice, "This shouldn't be happening."

He was reassessing the situation, pondering deeply over the kind of enchantment Yu Yuan possessed that enabled him to command the Soulforge Pool's allegiance from a distance.

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