C831 Unique Charm
As the Ghost King, Dhoreus possessed a grand vision. His ability to garner the support of countless ghosts stemmed from his determination to seek the welfare of all beings within the Land of Terror.
This set him apart from other Ghost Kings.
Before him, Ghost Kings of his era were solely self-interested.
Dhoreus's lofty goal was to elevate the Land of Terror to a status surpassing that of the three great upper sects, the Devil Palace, and Shadow's Keep.
His unification of the Land of Terror and the recognition he received from his contemporaries were direct results of this ambition.
Among the eight ancient ghosts, some predated even Dhoreus. Their allegiance to him was rooted in their recognition of his ambition and capabilities.
This included the current Pale Reaper, who had devised ways to flee the Land of Terror and, through the Blood Altar, break through the Star River wall to reach the extraterrestrial Star River, aiding in the summoning of the eight ghosts.
He, too, was won over by Dhoreus.
"You are mistaken," White Bone said with an icy gaze.
At that moment, more Spectres flocked to the sides of the eight ancient Spectres, eager to witness the shift of power in the Land of Terror.
The newly arrived ghosts, stirred by Dhoreus's words, felt their souls surge with excitement.
Even the powerful ghosts with no prior ties to Dhoreus, who had only heard rumors of him, were swayed when he revealed his true intentions to establish dominance in the Land of Terror and stand shoulder to shoulder with the five greatest forces. Many were persuaded by Dhoreus's influence.
Without deploying any troops or employing any theurgy, their hearts began to lean toward Dhoreus.
They were inclined to support Dhoreus in his defeat of White Bone and Luo Yue.
With an invincible demeanor, he would ascend to the God of Ghosts and lead them to cast off the shackles of the Land of Terror. As a formidable force of Gloom Raiders, they would traverse the three continents and appear among the various empires.
Many ghosts born in the Land of Terror had never ventured beyond its borders in their entire existence.
They, too, longed to glimpse the outside world, yet they had heard that cultivators took pleasure in hunting them for sport and used them to enhance their own cultivation.
Out of fear and their inherent vulnerability, they never dared to venture forth.
The words of Dhoreus offered them a glimmer of hope and a vision of a future unlike any they had seen before.
"Am I mistaken?" Dhoreus sneered, "I seek to secure a broader living space for the beings of the Land of Terror! Tell me, what fault lies in that?"
"If you were correct, you would have ascended to become a God of Ghosts a millennium ago in the outside world," White Bone said calmly. "This realm is the antithesis of the outer world. The outer world is in constant upheaval, teeming with Undead, and such turmoil is what heralds a golden age for the Land of Terror. Take the present, for instance, with empires at war and numerous sects clashing with the Star-Spawned Terror."
"Thanks to these circumstances, the Land of Terror has fertile ground for the emergence of a God of Ghosts, potentially giving rise to a supreme leader."
"But if it were you, Dhoreus, with your ambitions, you would lead the ghosts away from the Land of Terror to roam the outer world, further compounding the chaos."
"Since time immemorial, the Land of Terror has been a sanctuary for souls. That is its very purpose."
"Your radical actions, allowing ghosts to wreak havoc across the world, will only spell doom for the Land of Terror."
It was unusual for White Bone to speak at such length.
In a way, he embodied the conventional wisdom and will of the Root of the Lunar Meridian, whereas Dhoreus represented the chaotic and distorted aspect.
It was akin to the duality of human nature.
"That's its perspective. You've been swayed by it. I don't share some of those views!" Dhoreus retorted icily. "I don't know who made those rules. Why should the living creatures outside have free reign to enter the Land of Terror? Why should they have authority over us?"
"I intend to change the way things are done. We, the ghosts of the Land of Terror, will establish new rules!"
"When I become a God of Ghosts, we will have the freedom to leave or enter as we please!"
Roar!
Roar!
Oh, oh, oh, oh!
The gathering ghosts and souls were set ablaze with passion by Dhoreus's words.
The raucous ghosts, gazing at Dhoreus with fervent adoration, instantly became his followers, joining him in his denunciation of White Bone and Luo Yue.
White Bone glanced around and instantly realized that all the ghosts and spirits present had fallen under Dhoreus's spell, losing their sanity.
Dhoreus had possessed a unique allure since his birth, an allure to which even White Bone had to concede.
Choosing silence, White Bone felt no desire to waste his energy on words. He pondered the future, when Dhoreus, as the new God of Ghosts, would lead a horde of ghosts into the open, only to be crushed by the united front of the five greatest powers or face the relentless carnage of Boulderdawn. That would be the moment when these ghosts would come to their senses.
"If you refuse to obey, don't blame me for not being polite," Dhoreus declared.
With a mere thought, a resplendent shell emerged from the expansive River Styx beneath his feet.
The palm-sized shell radiated dazzling divine light, with the purest waters of the Styx seeping from its seams, shimmering like mercury and casting a soul-shaking brilliance.
"Eh!"
As Dhoreus drew forth the shell, the sword spirit resting within Yu Yuan's arm bone stirred abruptly.
Yu Yuan immediately felt the warmth from the arm bone and the rapid awakening of the sword spirit, causing him to pause in surprise before quickly attempting to establish a connection.
Given the current circumstances, Yu Yuan could no longer depend on White Bone or hope for Luo Yue's help. Having severed ties with the Soulforge Pool, he found himself at a loss.
Dhoreus had called forth the shell, his physical vessel, intending to achieve unity with his spirited body.
Wielding the River of Souls, he planned to use his peak strength to execute White Bone, Luo Yue, and display his might before the multitude of ghosts—both as a stark warning and to showcase his unrivaled combat prowess. In one fell swoop, he aimed to subdue all the ghosts and secure his victory.
"Chi! Chi!"
The sword spirit came to life, and a continuous stream of crimson sword light twirled within the arm bone.
Sensing this, Dhoreus cast a cold glance at Yu Yuan and stated, "It's too late."
The River of Souls behind him, resembling a radiant Star River, began to flicker with strands of scarlet sword light in response to the sword spirit's revival.
At that moment, Cao Jiaze let out a light chuckle and remarked, "Lord Dhoreus, rest assured. His swordsmanship poses no threat to you." His words implied that he would handle Yu Yuan himself, sparing Dhoreus any concern.
"Once I've merged with my spirit body, triggering the remnants of the sword energy will be futile," Dhoreus scoffed. "I'll dissolve those sword lights."
Without his physical form, Dhoreus, now only a soul, remained cautious of Yu Yuan swinging his sword, fearing the residual sword light of the Moon Slayer technique might consume him.
After merging with his spirit body, he could refine the sword light himself. In this state, he no longer feared Yu Yuan's swordsmanship.
"Strange, very strange..."
Yu Yuan paid no attention to the words of Dhoreus and Cao Jiaze, his focus entirely on communicating with the sword spirit. From the fluctuations and messages released by the sword spirit, he discerned an unthinkable truth.
Within the shell lay an evil demon from the Moonfall Sanctuary—a top-ranking one at that!
Previously, the Earth Specter known as White Walker ranked tenth, while the formidable Sky Fiend Indigo Wraith and the Stormcrowned Emperor were around sixth or seventh.
The leading evil demon, the sinner of the Everlands housed in the bronze coffin, possessed a terrifying power that was the strongest Yu Yuan had ever encountered.
What kind of being would be among the top three inside the shell?
Crack!
The shell split open under the force of Dhoreus, revealing a flesh-and-blood body identical to Dhoreus's current appearance.
This body, intermingled with copious amounts of Shadow Moon Essence, allowed him to withstand the biting cold winds.
The explosive vitality within reminded Yu Yuan of Zhongli Dapan from the Forgeroses, as he recognized a somewhat familiar fluctuation, causing his expression to turn grave.
"Dhoreus's body was crafted from the remains of a Forgeroses cultivator who had attained the Unbound Realm," White Bone remarked with a sigh.
Dhoreus, now united with his spirit body, had reached the pinnacle of his combat strength. Even at his peak and unscathed, his chances of victory were slim—three to Dhoreus's seven.
Now, he didn't stand a chance.
Whoosh!
Dhoreus's soul form bellowed as it plunged into his body.
All eyes were riveted on his soul as it underwent the fusion with his body, everyone contemplating that once the soul was inside, the turmoil in the Land of Terror might finally come to an end.
Then, a bizarre spectacle that left everyone agape unfolded before their eyes. The body of Dhoreus, lying flat within the shell, abruptly sat upright.
And then, he slowly rose from the shell.
As he stood, the shell the size of a palm swelled exponentially, enlarging a hundredfold!
How could a body without a soul rise by itself?
Everyone, along with the ghosts, was dumbfounded, at a loss for what to do.
The soul spirit of Dhoreus halted abruptly, staring at his own body as it rose from the shell, his face contorting with an ugly expression as he demanded in a deep voice, "Who are you?"
"It's been a millennium, have you truly forgotten me?" The body of Dhoreus spoke in human tongue, his voice unspeakably ancient and weathered, "Youling, we've encountered each other a few times in the Moonfall Sanctuary. However, you've always harbored doubts, never reaching certainty."
"Tian Zang!"
White Bone, Dhoreus, and Cao Jiaze all cried out in shock.
