C815 Fighting Against the Gods

On the fringe of White Bone's domain, at the base of the neither tall nor short Shadow Mountain, Dhoreus's imposing phantom emerged from the hovering River of Souls, revealing itself for all to see.

Nine spheres of Yin Qi, each the size of a fist, swelled and suddenly burst, sending ripples through the fabric of space.

The Pale Reaper and eight other ancient ghosts, with Rhutar at the helm, emerged from the Yin Qi explosion. As the phantom descended, they all prostrated themselves at the feet of Dhoreus.

"I have failed you," Rhutar lamented, his head pressed to the earth as he humbly drew in the Yin Qi from the ground with his hair. The other Spectres, including the Pale Reaper, did not dare lift their heads.

Behind Dhoreus, the River of Souls flowed like the River Styx, detached from the earth. His grand phantom stood before it, an embodiment of the death deity.

Narrowing his eyes, he surveyed his uneasy subordinates. After a long silence, he commanded, "Stand."

One by one, the nine Spectre-level ghosts rose from their prostration, tentatively meeting the gaze of Dhoreus.

"Your Highness, you... you've emerged?" Rhutar, who had proven his loyalty over a millennium, was visibly moved to discover that Dhoreus before him was not merely a projection, but an actual convergence of his soul fragments.

"Wintermaw is dead, as is Black Staff. Their demise has granted me some strength," Dhoreus stated indifferently. "Your error lies in not ensuring the death of either Rahu or Taruer."

He cast a resentful glance back at the River of Souls, where strands of crimson sword light flickered like tiny bolts of red lightning.

"Had either one perished, I could have cast a spell from afar to shatter Yu Yuan's soul," Dhoreus grumbled, clearly displeased with his subordinates' performance. "Now, should they find me, I must continue to skulk in the shadows. I've hidden for over a thousand years; even one more day is agony!"

His gaze abruptly shifted to the heavens.

The body he had once refined was drawing nearer, so close that he could sense it even from the Land of Terror.

"Your Highness, after a thousand years of patience, what are a few more days?" the Pale Reaper asked with a sycophantic smile. "Once Your Highness's body returns and your soul merges with it, who in the Land of Terror could possibly evade your wrath?"

"Should either Taruer or Rahu perish, the fusion of my essence with this body will greatly accelerate."

Dhoreus, his face an impassive mask, surveyed his subordinates who were ignorant of the full situation. With an impatient gesture, he commanded, "Travel to Taruer's domain and watch him closely. Ensure he does not flee the Land of Terror. Should Tian Zang continue to resist my summons and depart once more, he will thwart my grand scheme!"

"As you command!"

The Spectres withdrew silently.

Whoosh!

The Lunar Spirit of Jiang Xingwen emerged from behind Dhoreus at Shadow Mountain. Her soul appeared weakened, her ethereal form languid and listless.

"Why must the Ghost King die?" Jiang Xingwen inquired.

Dhoreus spun around, taking her hand gently, and advised, "Do not concern yourself with such matters. Rest within Shadow Mountain. I am aware that you are unwell because of me. Trust in me; once I ascend to become the God of Ghosts, you shall be restored. I vow to you, at that time, I will take you soaring through the boundless Star River."

"Then, be it the subterranean forces or the primordial spirits of this realm, the Dark Deity, none shall hinder me."

"I believe in you."

...

Atop a modestly sized Shadow Mountain.

Yu Yuan sat in silent meditation at the mountain's base, momentarily setting aside all affairs.

Without resolving the skepticism and wariness of the Root of the Lunar Meridian, his actions in the Land of Terror would be constrained, his ambitions unattainable.

"The Lunar Spirit departs the vessel."

With this thought, a second Yu Yuan, composed of myriad Soul Power and remnant souls, gradually emerged from the acupoint on his forehead.

In a fleeting moment, this Yu Yuan became a spectral presence, hovering above his corporeal form.

He stood as a deity, a living Buddha, atop his physical body.

Yet, almost immediately, his Lunar Spirit began to wobble and tilt.

Freshly separated from his corporeal form, the Lunar Spirit struggled to adapt, finding even the simple act of stabilizing his phantom a challenging endeavor.

He began to study, learning to move freely in the form of his soul.

It took some time, but he was eventually able to stop at will, move to the left and right, and dart up and down with ease.

"There's a familiar feeling..."

In his past life, he had never embarked on the path of cultivation. His earthly soul had never been refined, so it was naturally impossible for it to condense into a Lunar Spirit, and he certainly hadn't experienced his soul leaving his body.

Yet now, as his Lunar Spirit emerged from his Mindscape, a sense of familiarity washed over him.

"Could it be true?"

Using his Lunar Spirit, he examined himself and noticed an extremely faint sword scar on the arm bone of his corporeal body. He also sensed the presence of the sword spirit.

The sword spirit, in his vision, suddenly magnified.

A small crimson orb of light, within which remnant souls and sword spells intertwined.

The interwoven remnant souls were the sword spirit.

When he attempted to connect with it, he was astonished to discover that the sword spirit, like a startled bird, had taken refuge, hiding within a node of his bone.

The remaining sword spirit from the Moon Slayer Cultivator was exceedingly wary of his Lunar Spirit that had separated from his body.

The sword that had once cleaved the moon had split into three parts: the blade was missing, and both the sword spirit and the sheath had come into his possession. The sheath concealed the sword's will and power, while the sword spirit was imprinted on his arm bone.

Previously, whenever he sensed the sword spirit, it had never behaved in this manner.

"Fear..."

Yu Yuan's mind raced back to the Soulforge Pool that had manifested above him not so long ago, recalling how the sword scars and will had been enveloped by dark Soul Power.

The Soulforge Pool had broken free from the influence of the Moon Slayer Cultivator's sword will, regaining its freedom and original state.

"Is the sword spirit's fear due to my connection with the Soulforge Pool? Is it afraid of the Soulforge Pool, or is it me?"

"Or perhaps, another version of myself?"

He scrutinized his Lunar Spirit form and his physical body, searching for any sign that might validate the theory of the Root of the Lunar Meridian.

He scrutinized the Lunar Spirit, the heaven soul, and the dominant soul over and over again, but to no avail.

As time slipped by, he remained at the base of Shadow Mountain, relentlessly pondering and observing, desperate to uncover an answer and ascertain the truth.

How much time had passed, he couldn't tell.

In the midst of his fruitless contemplation, he once again became aware of the presence of the Root of the Lunar Meridian. Suddenly, he found himself uncontrollably plunging into the depths of the earth.

In a flash, he found himself back at the River Styx.

This time, however, it was not his soul that was integrated with his body, but his Lunar Spirit that had descended.

His real body was still atop Shadow Mountain.

To his astonishment, he noticed that the River Styx, which carried the waters of the afterlife, had widened considerably, and the currents within surged with increased ferocity.

He quickly deduced that the expansion of the River Styx was due to the demise of Black Staff and the halting of the flow from the two Ghost Kings' rivers, a consequence of their deaths at the hands of White Bone.

White Bone, executing the will of the Root of the Lunar Meridian and having been rewarded, had caused his own stretch of the River Styx to expand significantly.

This implied a substantial amplification of White Bone's power.

"Lie down."

The command from the Root of the Lunar Meridian echoed in the space, wordless and devoid of any remnant soul.

Yu Yuan, however, grasped the intent with clarity. He knew the Root of the Lunar Meridian was instructing his Lunar Spirit to recline in the very spot once occupied by the Shade King, White Bone's former self.

Should his soul lie down in the River Styx?

He hesitated.

The Root of the Lunar Meridian, unlike ordinary life, was shrouded in doubt. To comply fully with its wishes and lie down in the River Styx was to venture into the unknown.

If indeed he had lived three lifetimes, and if his unknown first life bore a grudge against the Root of the Lunar Meridian, what then?

The River Styx was under its dominion, capable of wielding the formidable rule of the Land of Terror. By entering the River Styx willingly, he would be surrendering control of his life and death to the Root of the Lunar Meridian.

Moreover, it was merely a minor Lunar Spirit.

Yu Yuan remained motionless.

"If you too seek the truth, then lie down," the Will of the Root of the Lunar Meridian emerged once more.

"No."

Seemingly compelled by an unknown force, Yu Yuan chose to refuse the will of the entity behind the Land of Terror.

"The agreement is null and void. I shall depart from the Land of Terror. As for Dhoreus, you'll need to find someone else to confront him." Yu Yuan's soul, in the form of a Lunar Spirit, hovered in this realm, exuding an air of disdain for all creatures and a lofty indifference to all rules as he declared, "Even you cannot coerce me into doing anything against my will."

For reasons he couldn't quite articulate, when the Root of the Lunar Meridian, godlike, commanded him to comply, he rebelled instinctively.

His inner self rebelled against being commanded by anyone or anything from on high.

I am the one who gives orders to others; no one has the right to command me.

Not even the sovereign of this realm, the primordial spirit of the Everlands, the Demon God from the extraterrestrial Star River, nor the cosmic giant beast could compel me to obey.

Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit drifted upwards, pausing above the River Styx, and with an icy gaze upon the river, he stated firmly, "Send me away. Otherwise, I'll find my own way out."

"It was with my assistance that you were able to condense your Lunar Spirit."

"No, you merely accelerated the formation of my Lunar Spirit. Without you, whether here or elsewhere, I would have still formed the Lunar Spirit. This process is unchangeable by anyone."

Yu Yuan and the Root of the Lunar Meridian continued their dispute.

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