C813 If You Don't Get Lost You Die!!

Above Yu Yuan, the Soulforge Pool shone with an extraordinary brilliance.

Yet...

The Crucible of Evil, with its thunderous motion, had unmistakably targeted Rhutar's trail. Suddenly, Yu Yuan found the gap between him and the ancient spectre widening inexplicably.

It was as if a mysterious force was stretching the space between them.

The chase should not have been so prolonged, but as Yu Yuan pursued, Rhutar seemed to drift further away, as though bolstered by some divine power.

Chasing left him feeling disoriented and nauseous, an extremely unpleasant sensation.

"Dhoreus!"

Rahu, who had not joined White Bone and Yu Yuan, looked on with grave concern.

In the Land of Terror, the only artifact capable of altering spatial positions and enabling teleportation was the River of Souls.

Unexpectedly to Rahu, Dhoreus had managed to wield the River of Souls from afar, casting spells to aid his eight lieutenants and the Pale Reaper in their smooth escape.

She squinted, observing the ripples in the space ahead of Yu Yuan and White Bone.

Each wave that spread out took Yu Yuan and White Bone even farther from Rhutar and the Pale Reaper.

All Yu Yuan and White Bone could do was stand by, powerless, as they watched them vanish.

Before long, the eight spectres and the Pale Reaper had disappeared without a trace.

Eventually, the peculiar influence of space magic faded. Yu Yuan turned back, his face clouded with frustration, steering the Crucible of Evil.

"The power of Dhoreus is on the rise. His ability to manipulate this place with the River of Souls indicates he has gained from the deaths of Black Staff and Wintermaw," White Bone paused in the void, his emerald eyes reflecting a hint of concern.

Yu Yuan, puzzled, inquired, "So Dhoreus has grown stronger from the demise of Black Staff and Wintermaw?"

White Bone affirmed with a nod, "I struck directly, thus I received some of the power. Dhoreus, on the other hand, is unique. He did nothing, yet he grew stronger from the Ghost King's fall."

Rahu, the Ghost King, and the other spectres present pondered deeply upon hearing the exchange between Yu Yuan and White Bone.

As Yu Yuan drew near, White Bone cast a casual glance towards Ann Ziqing.

Beneath Ann Ziqing, the Ghost King, draped in the Soul Locking Diagram, had his expression turn peculiar at White Bone's words. At that moment, various Ghost Kings who had ventured into the Ossuary, including Wintermaw and Black Staff, had fallen in battle, while Taruer had fled. White Bone, with his unexpected might, had outstripped Razses, Tian Zang, and Rahu, earning the title of the strongest Ghost King in the current Land of Terror!

The remaining observers now saw White Bone in a new light.

"Lord White Bone!"

"Lord White Bone, we wish to follow you and pledge our loyalty!"

Suddenly, numerous ghosts with impressive auras flocked to White Bone, bowing and scraping. Many of White Bone's former forces had been slain by Spectres, and the survivors had scattered to other domains. The number of ghosts still loyal to him was pitifully small.

Having witnessed White Bone's dominant ascent, the Celestial Shades and Spectres had come to a decision.

"Leave my territory," White Bone commanded, a dangerous flame alight in his emerald eyes, his voice as cold as an ice tombstone. "I am not like Dhoreus. I have no need for dependents."

The ghosts, about to plead, were struck by the fire in his gaze and overcome with fear. Lacking the courage to speak again and fearing White Bone's wrath might turn on them, they dispersed in a rush.

"I have witnessed Lord White Bone's formidable presence," Cao Jiaze of the Ebon Star said with a slight smile, bowing respectfully to White Bone. "I eagerly anticipate your confrontation with Lord Dhoreus."

With that, he strode off, releasing the Mark of the Celestials, which transformed back into a towering palace. All the Lunar Spirits from Euwrea entered the palace, which soared away on the breeze.

"He is very powerful," White Bone remarked, watching the palace ascend. He turned to Yu Yuan with a grave look. "I sense he will be your most formidable adversary. His vitality and energy are exceptionally refined and pure. At his will, he could undertake the refinement of the Solar Spirit at any moment."

A flash of cold lightning sparked in the depths of White Bone's green eyes. "Is he planning to refine the Solar Spirit here, in the Land of Terror?"

At these words, Ann Ziqing, the delegates from the Cloud Cruiser, and members of the Sword Sect all visibly tensed.

Whoosh!

After the Crucible of Evil landed, Yu Yuan retrieved the massive ice tombstone. He gestured to Chen Qingyan, "Come here. Carve out a piece of the inscription to take back with you."

Chen Qingyan's face lit up with delight. "Thank you, Brother Yu!" She then turned to Shen Yan.

Shen Yan paused briefly before saying, "Go ahead."

With a smile playing at her lips, Chen Qingyan quickly left the Cloud Cruiser and made her way toward Yu Yuan.

Simultaneously, with a mere thought from Yu Yuan, Yuan Lianyao, who had been waiting in the little world within the cauldron, emerged and floated out lightly.

Informed by Yu Yiyi, the Blazing Red Lotus was aware that the conflict had subsided and was privy to the recent events.

Her eyes sparkled with an array of colors, and her radiant face beamed with a smile at Yu Yuan, though she remained silent.

At that moment, Chen Qingyan's Lunar Spirit and the Iced Wyrm Sword joined her.

"Yuanyuan, I'm relieved to see you're alright," Chen Qingyan said with a warm smile.

Yuan Lianyao, however, seemed somewhat distant, giving a slight nod but keeping her silence.

She could tell from Shen Yan's demeanor that apart from this pure-hearted young woman, the Sword Sect's Stardust Blade lineage held no goodwill toward Yu Yuan.

She doubted Chen Qingyan's affection for Yu Yuan would remain unchanged over time.

Yuan Lianyao had resolved in her heart that no matter Yu Yuan's future actions, even if he turned his back on the Everlands, she would stand by him.

"Are you able to wield the sword?" Yu Yuan inquired.

"It's challenging to control a sword with the Lunar Spirit in the outer world, but here, it's manageable," Chen Qingyan replied with a smile. As she drew the Iced Wyrm Sword she had tempered, it traced a dazzling trail of stardust, creating a radiant 'galaxy'. The eager sword's will inside seemed to sense another presence and its brilliance suddenly faded.

From afar, Shen Yan of the Stardust Blade lineage wore an expression of deep displeasure.

Chen Qingyan's delicate face registered shock as she glanced at the sword sheath in Yu Yuan's grasp and whispered, "Brother Yu, you might want to put away your sheath."

Within the Iced Wyrm, the sword's will she used to grasp the sword spell cowered before Yu Yuan's sheath.

The sword's will, deeply concealed in the sheath's base, originated from the Moon Slayer, the cultivator who had long suppressed the Stardust Blade lineage within the Sword Sect.

It wasn't until Ji Ningshuang's generation that the Stardust Blade lineage began to flourish.

"Is the sword's will within your Iced Wyrm not your own?" Yu Yuan asked, his brow furrowed.

"It's a legacy from the previous generation. My master infused the Iced Wyrm with its profound meaning through a mystique," Chen Qingyan replied, her head bowed. "I never anticipated that the sword's will of our predecessors would..." She trailed off, leaving her sentence unfinished.

White Bone abruptly looked up.

Yu Yuan, feeling a premonition, also looked up sharply, only to see the Soulforge Pool had vanished without a trace.

At that same moment, his connection to the Soulforge Pool through his Lunar Spirit was severed, as was the link between his heaven soul and the space beneath the Moonfall Sanctuary, where the words 'To Know All is to Suffer All' hung in ancient black script.

Moreover, his connection to the Root of the Lunar Meridian was cut off as well.

His expression turned grave as he realized that the Root of the Lunar Meridian must have closed after the temporary cessation of the battle, isolating him once again from the Moonfall Sanctuary.

"What's going on?" White Bone, his eyes gleaming with intelligence, was the first to detect that something was amiss. "Is there a problem between you and it?"

Yu Yuan surveyed his surroundings, hesitating before he chose not to respond immediately.

"First a ghost, now a human. Both have left my domain," White Bone stated icily, effectively expelling them.

"We..."

Ma Jianjiang of the Skyreach Consortium, aboard the Cloud Cruiser, attempted to speak.

Shen Yan of the Sword Sect looked at Chen Qingyan, as if to say he was waiting for her.

"Leave immediately," White Bone commanded sternly, his gaze suddenly fixing on Shen Yan and the others from the Sword Sect. "Leave, or die."

Ma Jianjiang's face turned pale, and without a moment's hesitation, he disregarded Chen Qingyan and swiftly piloted the Cloud Cruiser away.

The Cloud Cruiser vanished swiftly from sight. White Bone's gaze then shifted to Ann Ziqing, clad in purple divine armor. "What is your intention?" he inquired of the Razses Ghost King.

"I wish to have a discussion."

...