C828 Afraid of a Great Change in the Sky!

Yu Yuan had an intuition that Tian Zang was likely one of the top malevolent entities within the Moonfall Sanctuary.

Unlike the Sky Fiend Indigo Wraith and the Stormcrowned Emperor, Tian Zang should be capable of breaking free from the Soulforge Matrix, allowing him to come and go from the Moonfall Sanctuary at will.

Only with such freedom could Tian Zang return to the Land of Terror whenever he wished.

Once Dhoreus had conquered the world, he could retreat to the Moonfall Sanctuary. There, he could harness the power of various souls and Terra Fiend Evil Devils to further enhance his strength and expand his dominion.

With this in mind, he attempted to reach out to the sword spirit.

Regrettably, the sword spirit remained dormant within the Spawn of Chaos, offering no response.

The sword spirit was privy to the origins of the formidable evil devils in the Moonfall Sanctuary, having once resided in the Soulforge Pool and wielded control over the Soulforge Matrix.

Without the sword spirit's reaction, Yu Yuan couldn't confirm his suspicions.

"The Moonfall Sanctuary has many similarities to the Land of Terror," Taruer mused aloud. "The Sky Fiends that stray in, the Terra Fiends that are confined, and all manner of evil souls can be assimilated by Tian Zang. It's not easy to confront him within the Moonfall Sanctuary."

"We've lost control over that forbidden area," Cao Jiaze said with a hint of sorrow.

He was aware that not even the five greatest powers dared to tread into the Land of Terror.

The Soulforge Pool, having devoured a vast number of souls, had regained its pinnacle strength, overpowering the sword scar array and causing the Soulforge Matrix to evolve further.

With the advancement of the Soulforge Matrix, even masters of the primordial spirit faced peril upon arrival.

Moreover, it was uncertain if a Boulderdawn expert might emerge from the passage linked to the extraterrestrial Star River.

Should a Boulderdawn luminary of the Primordial Spirit Realm slip through that passage and harness the overwhelming might of the Soulforge Matrix, even the sect master of Ebon Star would struggle to contend.

Following another round of debate, Taruer requested, "Send me out."

"Alright."

Cao Jiaze, having received his answer, promptly removed the beehive from the Spawn of Chaos without further ado.

Cao Jiaze's phantoms vanished into thin air.

"My skeletal form is deteriorating, and my strength is fading," White Bone lamented, his once-clear eyes clouding over again. "Once Dhoreus returns to full strength, I won't stand a chance against him, even outside of this place."

Upon closer inspection, his luminous skeletal form was marred by the intrusion of gray, black, and dark purple substances, with hairline fractures appearing in the more fragile areas. The dimming glow of his eyes signaled the continuous drain of his Soul Power.

As the Soul Power ebbed away, he, the Ghost King, could swiftly recuperate once he left the Spawn of Chaos, with the aid of the Root of the Lunar Meridian. However, the damage to his skeletal form was not something that could be quickly mended.

"I'm in the same predicament," Luo Yue admitted with a sense of resignation. "The artifact that protects me is being destroyed. My spirited body is currently safe, but if the artifact fails, I won't last long in this forsaken place."

Yu Yuan exhaled a weary sigh, "I just feel overwhelmingly weak, but otherwise, I'm managing."

His physique, hardened by the Evil Body Refining Technique, could resist the onslaught of various psionic powers. As long as he refrained from using the technique or absorbing disparate energies, his body could naturally draw in minute forces within the Spawn of Chaos to repair itself and maintain a fragile equilibrium.

Yet, his feeling of weakness stemmed more from his soul. Unable to commune with the artifact soul, disconnected from the sword spirit, and having lost touch with the Soulforge Pool, he was also clueless about the location of the Root of the Lunar Meridian. Moreover, he was bombarded with a chaotic mix of distracting thoughts and eerie remnant souls, all flooding into his mud pellet acupoint, sapping his energy.

"We need to find a solution," Luo Yue suggested, then closed her eyes within the confines of the flower basket.

White Bone remained silent, lost in thought.

Days later, a palm-sized seashell clattered onto the Shadow Mountain where Jiang Xingwen and Dhoreus were situated.

Cao Jiaze, who had been meditating for an extended period, suddenly brightened, "It has arrived!"

As the shell vanished, the Shadow Mountain began to visibly ascend, inch by inch.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Deep underground, the long-dry River Styx began to flow once more.

The rules of the Land of Terror subtly shifted the moment the shell dropped.

Boom, boom!

The first to be affected were the two majestic Shadow Mountains within the domains of the Black Staff and Wintermaw, which suddenly crumbled and broke apart. The Shadow Mountains in their territories shrank in height.

The ghosts and spirits that had once pledged allegiance to the Black Staff and Wintermaw fled the Shadow Mountains in terror, gazing bewilderedly at the bizarre transformations.

They watched as the Shadow Mountains either collapsed or diminished, feeling the Yin Qi grow scarce.

Simultaneously, the Shadow Mountains within a thousand miles of Dhoreus's location also began to rise slowly, the Yin Qi surging from beneath the earth was now nearly tenfold stronger than before!

The ghosts and spirits that had rallied to Jiang Xingwen, drawn by the River of Souls, were exuberant.

They shouted praises for Dhoreus's name.

The Pale Reaper and the eight ancient Spectres, led by Rhutar, had already departed from the extraterrestrial regions and were now adrift in this sky.

"This mountain is mine!"

Rhutar bellowed as he plunged into a Shadow Mountain that continued to swell in size.

The remaining seven ancient Spectres dispersed, each claiming a peak for themselves.

Upon Dhoreus's return, he instantly reclaimed his Ghost King stature, amassing fortune that widened his corresponding River Styx.

"Dhoreus truly lives up to his reputation."

Cao Jiaze, surveying the area, was in awe of the wondrous transformations of this realm.

With Dhoreus's return, the land that once belonged to Cuion suddenly emerged as the epicenter of the Land of Terror. The influx of dense Yin Qi naturally caused the Shadow Mountains to soar rapidly.

Previously, the regions dominated by the five great Ghost Kings seemed to have abruptly shifted, now lying on the periphery of the Land of Terror.

Where Dhoreus resided became the pinnacle of the Land of Terror, where the Shadow Mountains were tallest, and the concentration of Yin Qi was at its most intense.

Cao Jiaze's gaze returned to White Bone's domain. A thought struck him, and he mused aloud, "It appears that this was the heart of the Land of Terror a millennium ago! The territories of the Shade King and Dhoreus were once contiguous back then."

"You're not wrong. Here, and over at Youling, the most powerful souls converged a millennium ago."

The towering figure of Dhoreus approached from Shadow Mountain. "My body is amassing Yin Qi. When my soul and body unite, you'll be able to release Youling and Yu Yuan."

Cao Jiaze nodded in agreement, "That's exactly what I've been waiting to hear."

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