C823 Guardian
The deep blue canopy created by the Soul Altar seemed sentient as it surged directly toward Luo Yue.
The already dim sky was obscured by an eerie blue, and an oppressive force that shrouded the land caused everyone's Lunar Spirit to shudder.
Visitors from Euwrea felt their souls on the brink of succumbing to the deep blue, their Lunar Spirits uncontrollably drawn to it.
Such was the might of the Soul Altar!
"We must leave!"
Luo Yue, transformed into a beam of multicolored light, was making her way to her domain as she called out loudly.
Her soul vibrated, and the spiritual bond with her River Styx was inexplicably severed upon the Soul Altar's emergence.
In that instant, she realized that the Tears of the Azurefiend, unleashed by Cao Jiaze, could indeed constrain her!
Knowing she was outmatched, Luo Yue quickly implored Yu Yuan to flee, hoping at least he could make it out.
Yet, when she turned and saw Yu Yuan coughing up blood, his face a mask of shock, she understood that her junior brother was likely to share her dire straits.
The Soul Altar drew ever closer...
Luo Yue's soul consciousness began to waver, each attempt to refocus her thoughts proving increasingly difficult.
Even the notion of swift escape came in fits and starts.
Her flower basket, like a kite severed from its string, drifted from her grasp. She came to a halt, suspended in the air, utterly bewildered.
Then, the dark blue sky calmly enveloped her, following White Bone.
The cultivators from Euwrea, who had been panicked moments before, now gazed up at the sky with eyes shining, their spirits lifted as they watched the dark blue expanse.
Elsewhere, as the Altar of Rebirth spun wildly, Yu Yuan, overwhelmed by his uncontrolled vitality, vomited blood. He stared in disbelief at the familiar Blood Altar and the Spawn of Chaos beneath it, which had once ensnared both him and the Abyssal Leviathan.
The Blood Altar, nestled within the void, remained unscathed by the harsh, chilling winds.
In the Land of Terror, where it should have been countered by the frigid Yin winds, the Blood Altar stood unaffected, shielded by the Spawn of Chaos.
The "Spawn of Chaos," teeming with innumerable streams of psionic power, cosmic energy, bone dust, magic power, and deadly toxins, was the most chaotic and bizarre amalgamation of energies in existence. It enveloped the Blood Altar, granting it the freedom to move at will within the Land of Terror.
Suddenly, Yu Yuan realized why his Altar of Rebirth had been experiencing such strange vibrations when he neared the Ossuary.
It was the Blood Altar's doing!
More specifically, it was the Blood Altar, shrouded by the Spawn of Chaos, that was causing the disturbance!
The Altar of Rebirth within him, crafted from the Sunsorrow of a giant beast, shared a mysterious connection with the Blood Altar within the Spawn of Chaos.
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 had held him in such high regard upon their first meeting, attempting to persuade him to join the Ebon Star, desiring him to become a key supporter.
"Tears of the Azurefiend!"
Yu Yuan, with a grimace, fiercely spat out these words while wiping the blood from his lips.
He was still baffled as to how the Blood Altar, propelled by Hei Xun and accompanied by the Pale Reaper, the Crane Rider, and the woman from the Rainbow Ocean, had ended up in Cao Jiaze's possession.
"Yu Yuan, I've always wanted to thank you," Cao Jiaze said, standing with his hands clasped behind him. The Blood Altar above him was barely visible, emitting an overwhelming presence that Yu Yuan found suffocating. "Without you, I would have struggled to acquire the so-called Tears of the Azurefiend."
"The Abyssal Leviathan, the Tears of the Azurefiend, and the Crucible of Evil—all these mystical items surfaced because you unleashed the Abyssal Leviathan."
"You are the link that connects these three enigmatic entities."
"Had the Tears of the Azurefiend not fled to the extraterrestrial, had they remained forever suppressed beneath the Embers Sea, I would never have had the chance to obtain and assimilate them. Interestingly enough, the Pale Reaper was a cultivator from our Ebon Star. He seized the opportunity to depart and delve into the depths of the extraterrestrial Star River, aiming to summon back the eight loyal followers of Dhoreus."
The sect master of the Ebon Star has recently shifted his stance on Dhoreus. He's given his silent consent for Dhoreus to ascend as a God of Ghosts, a being never before seen in the Land of Terror. Moreover, the Pale Reaper, originally a cultivator of the Ebon Star, has always held the sect master in high regard. With the Pale Reaper acting as a mediator, the sect master was able to locate the Tears of the Azurefiend.
Cao Jiaze left much unsaid.
Yet, from his succinct account, all those present could infer the unfolding events.
With the Boulderdawn closing in and numerous powerful beings from the extraterrestrial realms arriving, the three great upper sects, possibly including the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep, realized that the Land of Terror was on the brink of transformation. They aimed to secure this unique territory, intimately connected to the souls of all living beings in the Everlands, within their grasp.
Dhoreus was their prime choice.
It was they who had previously directed a Moon Slayer cultivator to severely wound Dhoreus in the Extraterrestrial Star River.
Now, they were the ones intent on elevating Dhoreus to the status of a God of Ghosts.
The Pale Reaper served as their conduit to Dhoreus, and upon revealing their intentions, he promptly turned his back on Hei Xun and the Crane Rider, betraying their small coalition by disclosing the location of the Tears of the Azurefiend deep within the Star River.
Subsequently, it is possible that the sect master of the Ebon Star took matters into his own hands.
The outcome remains unknown, but the Pale Reaper successfully rallied Dhoreus's eight lieutenants to the Land of Terror, and the sect master of the Ebon Star managed to seize the Tears of the Azurefiend, secretly bringing it back.
The Land of Terror operates under its own cosmic order, where only those at the pinnacle of the Spirit Walk realm can navigate without being constrained by the Way of Heaven.
Cao Jiaze, with his unmatched courage, intellect, and resolve among the new generation of the Ebon Star, and being at the zenith of the Spirit Walk realm, was the ideal choice.
Thus, the sect master of the Ebon Star appointed him to support Dhoreus in the Land of Terror.
The sect master also bestowed upon him the Tears of the Azurefiend, enabling him to assimilate it into his being. This granted him the power to stand fearless against White Bone in the Land of Terror, to negotiate with Dhoreus, and to ensure Dhoreus adhered to the rules.
He served as both an aide and a guardian.
Whoosh!
The Soul Altar transformed into a deep blue canopy, successively engulfing White Bone and Luo Yue before drifting over Cao Jiaze's head. He glanced up and said, "Believe it or not, I was content just watching. I had no intention of intervening unless absolutely necessary. Yu Yuan, thanks to an unexpected twist of fate, you've granted me the Tears of the Azurefiend, for which I'm quite thankful."
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Yu Yuan's heartbeat accelerated, pounding several times faster than normal. The Blood Altar, shrouded by the Spawn of Chaos, radiated a demonic power that nearly drove him mad, luring him deeper into the Land of Terror.
This power brought back memories of the Blood Pool on Acora Island in the Sundering Isles, which had once drawn him in with an irresistible force.
The Blood Pool, filled with the lifeblood of an archdemon, had sparked a deep yearning within him.
He had resisted the urge and left decisively.
Yet, in comparison, the Blood Altar before him made the Blood Pool seem insignificant.
His eyes suddenly turned a blood-red, and his sanity shattered. He was oblivious to whatever Cao Jiaze was saying, as he charged toward the blue shadow of the Spawn of Chaos.
Swoosh!
Yu Yiyi, the cauldron spirit, called out repeatedly, but to no avail. Taking matters into her own hands, she flew into his Zigong acupoint.
As Yu Yuan stepped into the blue shadow, the Crucible of Evil vanished.
"You really left me no choice," Cao Jiaze said with a hint of resignation, watching him disappear into the blue shadow. He then addressed the visitors from Euwrea who had reconvened, "So, whether you stay or go, your actions have no bearing on me."
With the Blood Altar at his command and the Shadow Moon Essence refined, allowing him to walk in his true form, whom should he fear?
"Brother, what of White Bone, Luo Yue, and Yu Yuan?" inquired a member of the Ebon Star sect earnestly.
The rest of the group looked on with anticipation.
They were all eager to learn the fate of the three who had been swallowed by the altar.
"They won't die," Cao Jiaze said with a slight frown. "The Soul Altar, located within the Land of Terror, cannot destroy the Ghost King. White Bone and Luo Yue are merely confined for the time being. I trapped them to gain time for Dhoreus."
Regarding Yu Yuan...
Cao Jiaze wore a peculiar look. "He's not the Ghost King from the Land of Terror. He's here in the flesh. Whether he can survive at the Blood Altar is up to his own skills."
With a dismissive wave of his hand, he seemed disinterested as he signaled for everyone to carry on with their tasks.
"What about Dhoreus?" inquired the elder from the Ebon Star.
"Once Dhoreus's body returns and he regains his strength, my task will be complete once he successfully ascends to become the God of Ghosts," Cao Jiaze stated flatly, watching the fusion of the Soul Altar and the Blood Altar. "It would be ideal if Yu Yuan would obey me."
