C829 And Now!

Jiang Xingwen, draped in a gray-white robe, drifted out from the towering Shadow Mountain, her figure more delicate and frail than ever.

Her Lunar Spirit appeared somewhat ethereal, as though it had recently sustained injuries.

Tiny, crimson sparks of lightning flickered across her soul, causing her to frequently furrow her brow in pain.

She stood before Shadow Mountain, gazing at Dhoreus with deep affection, perceiving him as a figure of towering strength and overwhelming masculine allure.

Cao Jiaze could see her infatuation with Dhoreus all too clearly.

"Why have you come out?"

Dhoreus turned and flew toward her, his heart aching with concern. "You should stay here on Shadow Mountain, which is mine, and recuperate. Rest assured, your soul injury is not serious. It won't be long before I ascend to the status of God of Ghosts and you'll no longer have to endure any suffering."

"I chose this willingly; you shouldn't feel guilty," Jiang Xingwen replied gently.

"Be good, do as I say, and go back," Dhoreus coaxed.

"Mm-hmm."

Jiang Xingwen's lips curled into a tender smile, transforming into a girl brimming with youthful innocence, her heart newly awakened to love, trusting and heeding her beloved's every word.

And so, she returned to Shadow Mountain.

With a grand gesture, Dhoreus infused Shadow Mountain with a surge of Yin Qi, erecting a protective barrier.

"Does she realize you're exploiting her?" Cao Jiaze asked, his brow furrowed.

Before setting foot in the Land of Terror, Cao Jiaze had a clandestine conversation with the master of Ebon Star, uncovering a deeply hidden truth.

The Grand Sword Immortal, renowned for his unparalleled prowess in the Everlands, had once cherished a beloved woman.

This woman, a native of Euwrea, bore the surname Jiang and practiced her craft at Abyssal Dawn. She met the Grand Sword Immortal, already a radiant Unbound cultivator, while he was mastering the Nine Celestial Slashes. Throughout his journey to enlightenment, she remained steadfastly by his side.

When he achieved his primordial spirit and ventured to the distant reaches of the Star River to oversee the Sword Prison, Jiang, lacking the requisite strength, chose to remain in the Everlands.

After a challenging ascent to the rank of Solar Spirit, the woman's first journey through the Star River ended in disaster. Jiang Xingwen's soul was scattered to the winds. That event seemed to have profoundly changed him, eventually leading to a complete severance of ties with the Sword Sect and the five supreme powers of the Everlands.

Jiang Xingwen, likely a descendant of that woman, had inadvertently joined the Abyssal Dawn Sect and practiced the same spell that her ancestor had once co-developed with the cultivator known as Moon Slayer. Consequently, the sword light and sword's will lingering in the River of Souls recognized her essence.

Upon her arrival in the Land of Terror, she sensed something amiss from the subtle shifts within the sword light and sword's will of the River of Souls, leading her to a certain suspicion. Her acquisition of the River of Souls was no fluke; Dhoreus had orchestrated it deliberately.

Dhoreus had ensured she found the River of Souls, leading her to believe she was an artifact soul in constant communion with her own soul, subtly seducing her with his sinister soul magic. Unwittingly, Jiang Xingwen had developed a deep-rooted affection for him.

Whenever the River of Souls' sword light and sword's will stirred, Dhoreus exploited her as a human shield. Even the residual sword force, which Dhoreus himself feared, would hold back upon detecting her presence, ensuring she was harmed but not fatally wounded. Her presence spared Dhoreus from the relentless erosion of the sword light within the River of Souls.

This, in turn, afforded Dhoreus more time to strategize, scheme, and exert his influence over the Land of Terror. Yet, it was she who bore the brunt of the soul's torment, which explained her increasingly gaunt and wan appearance.

"Use?" Dhoreus scoffed, his expression one of cold indifference. "Cao, what do you understand? Her meeting me was a stroke of luck for me, but it was also a blessing for her. True, she has endured hardship on my behalf. But once I ascend to become a God of Ghosts, I will repay her in full!"

"Initially, I might have had different motives."

"But now, my thoughts align with hers; I want to be with her just as much."

"You may think that I, Dhoreus, a ghost born in the Land of Terror with a notorious reputation that spans a thousand years, who has claimed countless souls, could never fall for a human woman like her."

"I thought it impossible too, and I hardly dared to believe it, yet it is the truth."

"Through her, I've even come to understand the feelings of that man who lost his love, whose love perished in the Star River. He was meant to serve the three Upper Sects wholeheartedly, but after being corrupted by the Soulforge Pool, he chose a different path. I believe that woman's death is intimately connected to his fate."

As he spoke, he turned to gaze at Shadow Mountain.

"I won't let anything happen to her. I'll keep my promises as long as I live." Dhoreus's expression grew stern as he added, "Should anything befall her, I will, like that man, rip apart all agreements! With the power of the shadowforce, I will demand justice from your Sect Master and the others."

Cao Jiaze chuckled awkwardly, "My apologies, I was being overly suspicious."

Days later.

As expected, Dhoreus's domain became the epicenter of the Land of Terror, teeming with the densest Yin Qi.

Even before Dhoreus's soul could integrate with his body, it had already departed from the River of Souls. This renowned Horcrux, along with the extraterrestrial shell, was submerged in the River Styx.

Drawing from the River Styx that resonated with him, he absorbed the purest Yin Qi to sustain his existence.

"Your Highness!"

"Your Highness!"

The Pale Reaper and the eight ancient ghosts reconvened behind Dhoreus.

Dhoreus's soul, towering dozens of feet high, hovered before the imposing Shadow Mountain. He looked down with a cold gaze at the Tears of the Azurefiend in Cao Jiaze's palm, now condensed into a crystal, and declared, "The time is near."

The Pale Reaper and the ancient ghosts had all attained the pinnacle of power available to a Spectre.

Each of the nine formidable ghosts had refined a Shadow Mountain, ready to respond to one another and heed Dhoreus's command.

"Now?" Cao Jiaze, holding the Tears of the Azurefiend, expressed his astonishment. "You're not waiting for your soul and body to reunite, nor for the retrieval of the River of Souls?"

"I'm aware of the Blood Altar deep within the Embers Sea. Moreover, having battled across the extraterrestrial Star River, I understand the formidable power of the weapons forged by the Sky Fiend Clan." Dhoreus's demeanor became as still as an ancient well as he gazed upon the blue crystal in Cao Jiaze's grasp.

"White Bone, Luo Yue, and Yu Yuan are barely clinging to life. Against such weakened foes, I have no need for a united spirit and body—I fear nothing."

He was supremely confident.

"Release them."

Rhutar, with a sinister grin and eagerly rubbing his hands, gazed at the Blood Altar with malevolence. "Yu Yuan, that boy, should meet his end in the Land of Terror. His three souls are sure to be exquisite. Your Highness, please grant me the pleasure of consuming his soul."

Dhoreus responded with a detached tone, "If you can stomach it, then it's yours to consume."

"Your Highness, I'm concerned about Yu Yuan's ability to connect with the Soulforge Pool in the Moonfall Sanctuary," the Pale Reaper cautiously interjected, mindful even at this critical juncture. "The bond between spirit and body remains unaffected by physical fatigue. Should he manage to reveal the Soulforge Pool once more, wouldn't that spell trouble?"

Upon finishing his thought, he noticed Rhutar and the other seven ghosts snickering.

"Pale Robe, your service to our Lord has been brief; you're unaware of what our Lord's return to peak strength signifies in the Land of Terror," another ancient creature said condescendingly, glancing at the Tears of the Azurefiend. "In a way, our Lord is an integral part of the Land of Terror."

Rhutar reassured, "Rest easy, Pale Robe. Our Lord, as he is now, will not allow such an event to occur."

After their brief exchange, Cao Jiaze was persuaded.

"Now?" He turned to Dhoreus.

Dhoreus nodded affirmatively, "Yes, now."

"Very well!"

With a casual toss from Cao Jiaze, the Tears of the Azurefiend expanded dramatically, morphing back into the mystical Blood Altar. The Soul Altar and the Spawn of Chaos churned tumultuously.

Yu Yuan, White Bone, and Luo Yue were suddenly flung out.

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