C823 Guardian
The dark blue canopy, transformed from the spirit altar, seemed to possess its own will as it surged directly toward Luo Yue.
The somber sky was shrouded in deep blue, and a crushing pressure that enveloped the land caused everyone's Yin God to shudder.
Visitors from the Heavenly Source Continent merely gazed upon the dark blue expanse and felt their souls on the brink of collapse, their Yin Gods uncontrollably yearning to plunge into it.
Such was the might of the spirit altar!
"Move!"
Luo Yue, now a beam of rainbow light, called out with urgency.
Her soul vibrated, and the spiritual bond with her Styx was inexplicably severed upon the altar's emergence.
In that instant, she realized that the "Tears of Blue Devil" unleashed by Cao Jiaze indeed had the power to constrain her!
Aware of her own limitations, Luo Yue quickly implored Yu Yuan to flee, hoping at least one of them could make it out.
Yet, turning to see Yu Yuan coughing up blood, his face etched with shock, she understood that her junior brother was likely to share her inescapable doom.
The altar drew ever closer...
Luo Yue's soul consciousness wavered, each attempt to refocus her thoughts proving immensely challenging.
Even the desire to flee became sporadic and fragmented.
Her flower basket, like a kite severed from its string, drifted away. She came to a bewildered halt midair.
And then, the deep blue canopy calmly swept over her, swallowing her whole in its wake.
The cultivators from the Heavenly Source Continent, who had been in a state of panic moments before, now watched the sky with eyes gleaming, invigorated by the sight of the dark blue expanse.
Elsewhere.
Yu Yuan, reeling from the Life Altar's frenzied rotation and uncontrollable blood surge, spat out blood and stared in disbelief at the familiar Blood Altar and the Muddy Devil Embryo that had once ensnared both him and the Chaos Roc.
The Blood Altar, cradled by the Muddy Devil Embryo, sat undisturbed in the void, impervious to the harsh, biting winds.
The Blood Altar, from which a mighty torrent of Qi and blood flowed, should have been countered by the chilling, fierce winds of the Horror Land, yet it remained utterly unaffected under the Muddy Devil Embryo's safeguard.
The Muddy Devil Embryo, teeming with an endless array of peculiar energies such as star energy, bone powder, demonic energy, and soul power, was the most chaotic and bizarre amalgamation of forces in existence. It encased the Blood Altar, granting it the freedom to move at will within the Horror Land.
In an instant, Yu Yuan realized the cause of the strange tremors that had plagued his Life Altar whenever he neared the White Bone Territory. It was the Aura Altar's influence! More specifically, it was the Blood Altar wrapped within the Muddy Devil Embryo exerting its effect. His own Life Altar, forged from Giant Beast Amber, resonated with the Blood Altar hidden inside the Muddy Devil Embryo.
He could sense the Blood Altar, and in turn, the Blood Altar was aware of the anomaly within him. Perhaps this connection was why Cao Jiaze, upon their first meeting, held him in such high regard, attempting to persuade him to join the Profound Sky Sect and become his trusted lieutenant.
"Tears of Blue Devil!"
Yu Yuan, with a grimace, fiercely spat out the words as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He was still baffled as to how the Aura Altar, propelled by Heixun and accompanied by the White Coat Mercurial, the crane rider, and the lady from the Iridescent Cloud Miasma Sea, ended up in Cao Jiaze's possession.
"Yu Yuan, I've always meant to thank you," Cao Jiaze said, standing with his hands clasped behind him. The Blood Altar within the Muddy Devil Embryo loomed overhead, its presence casting an oppressive aura over Yu Yuan. "Without you, I would never have acquired the so-called Tears of Blue Devil."
"The Chaos Roc, the Tears of Blue Devil, and the Evil Cauldron—these three enigmatic artifacts surfaced because you unleashed the Chaos Roc."
"You are the thread that weaves through these three mysteries."
"Had the Tears of Blue Devil not fled beyond the heavens, had it remained forever suppressed within the Ember Waters, I would have had no chance to obtain and assimilate it. Ironically, the White Coat Mercurial was a disciple of my Profound Sky Sect. He seized the moment to depart, venturing deep into the Outland Star River, seeking to summon the eight loyal retainers of Mingdu."
"Fortunately, our sect master's stance on Mingdu has shifted. He's given his silent consent for Mingdu to emerge as a spirit in the Horror Land—an occurrence without precedent. The white-robed figure, a cultivator from our own Profound Sky Sect, has always held the sect master in high regard. Through his connection, the sect master was led to the Tears of Blue Devil."
Cao Jiaze left it at that.
Yet, from his succinct account, all who were present grasped the gist of events.
As the Divine Soul Sect closed in, along with a surge of formidable beings from the Outland Star River, the three upper sects—along with the Demon Palace and the Devil Palace—recognized the imminent transformation of the Horror Land. They aimed to seize control of this unique realm, so intimately tied to the souls of all living in the Boundless Land.
Mingdu was their prime candidate.
It was they who had once commanded the Chopping Moon cultivator to grievously wound and nearly obliterate Mingdu in the Outland Star River.
Now, they were the ones intent on elevating Mingdu to the status of a ghost.
The white robe served as their conduit to Mingdu, and upon disclosing their intentions, he promptly turned his back on Heixun and the minor coalition of crane riders, divulging the location of the Tears of Blue Devil deep within the Star River.
Subsequently, it's possible that the sect master of the Profound Sky Sect took matters into his own hands.
The outcome remains unknown, but the white robe successfully rallied Mingdu's eight lieutenants to the Horror Land, and the Tears of Blue Devil were captured by the sect master of the Profound Sky Sect and covertly returned.
The Horror Land operates under its own set of principles and norms, where only those at the Soul Wandering Stage can navigate without the Great Dao's restraint.
Cao Jiaze, whether in terms of courage, intellect, or resolve, stands as the strongest among the new generation of the Profound Sky Sect. At the pinnacle of the Soul Wandering Stage, he is the ideal choice.
Thus, he was appointed by the sect master to support Mingdu in the Horror Land.
The Tears of Blue Devil were also bestowed upon him by the sect master, aiding in its internal refinement, rendering him fearless against the skeletal dangers of the Horror Land. This empowerment granted him leverage in negotiations with Mingdu and the ability to monitor Mingdu, ensuring adherence to the rules.
He served as both the aide and the guardian.
Whoosh!
The spiritual altar, transformed into a deep blue canopy, engulfed the white bones and Luo Yue one after another before drifting over Cao Jiaze's head. He glanced at it and remarked, "Believe it or not, I merely wanted to observe. I had no intention of intervening unless absolutely necessary. Yu Yuan, due to a twist of fate, you've led me to acquire the Tears of Blue Devil, for which I am quite thankful."
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Yu Yuan's heartbeat accelerated, pounding several times faster than normal. Wrapped in the Muddy Devil Embryo, the altar radiated a demonic power that nearly drove him mad with its allure.
This power brought back memories of the irresistible draw he felt toward the blood pool on Blood God Island in the Crack Archipelago.
The pool, filled with the essence of great demons' blood, had stirred an insatiable craving within him.
He had resisted, pulling away with firm resolve.
Yet, this Blood Sacrificial Altar before him made the previous blood pool seem insignificant by comparison.
His eyes flashed a sudden crimson, as his sanity shattered. Oblivious to Cao Jiaze's subsequent words, he lunged toward the shadowy Muddy Devil Embryo.
Whoosh!
Yu Yiyi, the cauldron soul, called out repeatedly, but to no avail. Taking initiative, she darted into the purple palace cavity within his chest.
As Yu Yuan stepped into the blue shadow, the Evil Cauldron vanished from sight.
"Indeed, you've left me no choice," Cao Jiaze said with a sense of resignation, watching him disappear into the shadow. He then addressed the visitor from the Heavenly Source Continent, "So, whether you stay or go, whatever you decide, it makes no difference to me."
Armed with the Aura Altar and having assimilated the Yin Sunflower Essence, he could traverse in his true form without fear.
"Uncle Master, what of Bai Gu, Luo Yue, and Yu Yuan?" inquired a member of the Profound Sky Sect earnestly.
The rest awaited the answer with bated breath.
They were all eager to learn the fate of the trio that had been consumed.
"They're not dead," Cao Jiaze said, his brow furrowing slightly. "The Spirit Altar, within the confines of Horror Land, cannot destroy a Ghost King. Bai Gu and Luo Yue are merely confined for the moment. My trapping them was simply to secure time for Mingdu."
"As for Yu Yuan..." Cao Jiaze's face took on an odd expression. "He's not the Ghost King from Horror Land; he's come in the flesh. Whether he survives at the Aura Altar is entirely up to his own skills."
With a dismissive wave of his hand, he signaled everyone to go about their business, clearly uninterested.
"What about Mingdu?" probed the elder from the Profound Sky Sect.
"Once Mingdu's physical form returns, once his power is restored, and once he ascends to the Ghost God Realm, my task will be complete." Cao Jiaze's gaze was impassive as he watched the merging of the Life Altar and the Aura Altar. "It would be ideal if Yu Yuan would obey me."
