C822 Accepting the Wood Soul Core

Luo Yue touched her fingertip to Chu Yao's forehead.

Strands of iridescent light traveled down her finger, zipping into Chu Yao's soul like electricity.

Astonishment gripped the onlookers as the next scene unfolded.

Chu Yao's Yin God began to dissolve as if it were a wax figure exposed to flame.

A peculiar pill, thumb-sized and etched with tree patterns, materialized within the mind of Chu Yao's Yin God, disintegrating alongside it.

In a short time, Chu Yao was reduced to a puddle of wax inside the flower basket.

"Accepting Wood Soul Pill."

From within the Evil Cauldron, Yu Yuan witnessed the emergence of the thumb-sized enigmatic pill and understood the gravity of Cao Jiaze's earlier words.

Why the panic if death eludes you?

Cao Jiaze's words had led Yu Yuan to believe that Chu Yao's demise, similar to Li Yuchan's, wouldn't be true death, given that his physical form existed beyond this realm.

Unexpectedly, Cao Jiaze's implication was that the Chu Yao before them was merely a soul housed within the "Accepting Wood Soul Pill," ingeniously using a bait-and-switch tactic to remain undetected.

Chu Yao had merely lost a rare pellet; his Yin God was untouched.

The "Accepting Wood Soul Pill" was of an exceptionally high tier, crafted only by Divine Level alchemists. Conveniently, Zhong Chichen was such an alchemist, and Chu Yao was his favored son-in-law.

"Just a pellet!"

Luohou's brows knitted as she gazed at the waxen puddle in the flower basket, a sense of being duped washing over her.

"The Medicine God Sect's members are all death-fearing cowards, each cherishing their own lives above all else. You're well aware," Cao Jiaze said with a light laugh. "Upon sensing Yu Yuan's approach and informing Chu Yao, as well as you and the White Bone Lord, he had already devised and enacted his plan."

The cultivators from the Heavenly Source Continent, who had admired Chu Yao for his supposed valor in joining Cao Jiaze's fight, inwardly cursed.

They could never have imagined Chu Yao pulling off such a stealthy switch, leaving behind only a decoy—a shadow crafted from the "Accepting Wood Soul Pill."

Cao Jiaze, having discerned the ruse, chose neither to intervene nor to alert them.

What does this mean?

Chu Yao's life is highly valuable. You don't want to cross Chu Yao, so you're pulling us into a death match with the White Bone Lord and Luo Yue?

Those people harbored deep resentment, yet they were too afraid to speak up.

"You're the real Luo Yue. He found out through the pellet and knew you made a move against him," Cao Jiaze said, gripping the miniature Heaven Palace Seal, squinting his eyes. "His methods for preserving his life are second to none. Once he left, his whereabouts became unknown to me."

"What's the point? Even if he knows who I am, what can he do?" Luo Yue said with a sneer, looking at Cao Jiaze and the other cultivators from the Heavenly Source Continent. "After advancing to a Ghost King, I stopped worrying about hiding my identity. Chu Yao, his master, and my dear junior brother can't touch me until they reach the level of a Primordial Spirit."

"As long as I'm in Horror Land, if they dare to come after knowing who I am, I'll be waiting."

In Horror Land, the Ghost King reigns supreme.

Outside of this realm, my combat power increases by a notch, roughly equivalent to the Unrestrained Stage. As a Ghost King, I can instantly retreat to the Styx of the Boundless Land if things turn sour.

Zhong Chichen, the current leader of the Voodoo Cult, hasn't even ascended to a Primordial Spirit. Once I leave, I can easily slip away.

If those two dare to venture deep into Horror Land without knowing any better, they'll be walking right into my trap.

With that in mind, why should I fear revealing my identity?

Whoosh!

The White Bone transformed into a streak of lightning, shooting directly at Cao Jiaze.

Simultaneously, clusters of bone-white flames drifted towards the Heavenly Source Continent cultivators.

The White Bone had grown impatient, eager to eliminate the threat once and for all.

"White Bone!"

The Yin God cultivators were well aware of the dread inspired by the white flames. Seeing them approach, they fled desperately.

Their true fear was the White Bone.

Luo Yue, carrying her basket, hadn't anticipated the White Bone's sudden attack. Instinctively, her gaze fell upon Yu Yuan inside the Evil Cauldron.

Yu Yuan remarked, "If he refuses to leave, then we're at an impasse."

He had forewarned the White Bone Lord and obtained his consent before the assault commenced.

"Niece Cao!"

The elder from the Profound Sky Sect, witnessing clusters of stark white flames scattering in every direction, grew frantic as the White Bone King, the instigator, targeted Cao Jiaze.

This was no ordinary foe—it was a Ghost King!

Moreover, having vanquished Black Staff and Cold Abyss, this Ghost King now reigned as the most formidable entity in Horror Land. Not even Unrestrained Stage cultivators from beyond stood a chance against him.

What of Cao Jiaze, then?

Despite his faith in Cao Jiaze, he couldn't help but feel a surge of panic, and he bellowed into the void, "Mingdu, where are you hiding? Your followers, your white-robed warriors—why aren't they coming to his rescue?"

"Niece Cao is the future of our Profound Sky Sect. Should any harm befall him, you can forget about ascending to the realm of a Ghost God."

He was convinced that only Mingdu's swift intervention with his nine ghostly lieutenants could snatch Cao Jiaze from the clutches of the White Bone.

"Cao Jiaze..."

Yu Yuan narrowed his eyes, standing within the Evil Cauldron, watching every move with intense focus.

He, too, was curious. What gave the Profound Sky Sect's fearless future Sect Master the audacity to aid Mingdu in breaking through to the Ghost God Realm within Horror Land?

Soul Wandering Stage's peak prowess wasn't enough, nor was the Heaven Palace Seal, even with its ability to morph into a palace!

Cao Jiaze must have another ace up his sleeve.

"Ah, why must you push me to such lengths?" Cao Jiaze lamented, shaking his head with a look of utter resignation. "I was reluctant to reveal my last resort, fearing the uproar might startle others. Oh, White Bone, I recognize your stature as the Ghost King, second only to the once supreme ruler, Mingdu."

"But surely, you don't believe yourself to be invincible in Horror Land, do you?"

"In the vast expanse of the cosmos, amidst the sprawling starry sky, there are indeed forces capable of restraining even you, White Bone."

"Take this, for instance."

A sapphire, clear as crystal and shaped like a teardrop, materialized above Cao Jiaze's head, emitting a blinding brilliance that was utterly mesmerizing and shrouded in mystery.

Its splendor was beyond the power of words to convey.

The teardrop sapphire underwent a sudden transformation, dividing into three distinct parts.

One azure fragment morphed into a dark blue expanse of sky, from which a bizarre force capable of engulfing the souls of all beings emanated, bearing a striking resemblance to the aura of the Soul Transformation Pool.

As the dark blue sky unfolded, the White Bone King, Luo Yue, and all the Yin Gods felt an immediate sense of entrapment.

The White Bone King, in his haste to confront Cao Jiaze, failed to pull back in time and plunged headlong into the abyss.

In an instant, he vanished into the dark blue sky, like a droplet merging seamlessly into a blue lake, causing nary a ripple.

Cao Jiaze let out a scoff and turned his gaze to Luo Yue. "Your turn."

The dark blue sky surged forth, swooping down on Luo Yue, who blanched with terror.

Puff!

Inside the Evil Cauldron, Yu Yuan coughed up blood uncontrollably as the Life Altar within his body spun too rapidly, overwhelming him.

His eyes, bloodshot, were fixed on the artifact that had split into three.

"The Tears of Blue Devil!"

Indeed, it was the very same Tears of Blue Devil he had encountered at the sea's depths in the Ember Waters, the Aura Altar of the Blue Devil Clan.

Initially a single teardrop, the Tears of Blue Devil had separated into an altar, a blood sacrifice altar, and a Muddy Devil Embryo.

Having already fled the Boundless Land and dispatched Heixun, the man in white, and several devils to the stars, the Tears of Blue Devil now surfaced in Cao Jiaze's possession.

It appeared that Cao Jiaze had even managed to refine it into his divine weapon.

How had this come to pass?

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