C833 Returning to the Original Owner

"Despite all my calculations, I never anticipated that Tianzang would seize Mingdu's body with the power of the Divine Soul Sect at his disposal."

Cao Jiaze of the Profound Sky Sect, clutching the Heaven Palace Seal in one hand and the Tears of Blue Devil in the other, mulled over the situation with a throbbing headache.

His gaze flickered as he assessed Tianzang, Mingdu, and the spectral minions under Mingdu's command, his frown growing tighter.

He was privy to many secrets of the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area.

The top evil demons there were no less formidable than the Ghost King of Horror Land.

And the top three were especially earth-shattering, entities that demanded constant vigilance from the five greatest powers.

Yuv Qian, the Outland Devaputra, was one such fearsome demon.

Legend had it that he was among the first to venture into the Boundless Land.

Before humanity had risen to dominance, he was already wreaking havoc. Eventually, he was gravely wounded by an alliance of Nagas and Great Demons, managing to slip away and retreat into the depths of the cosmos.

Every few years, Yuv Qian would return to the Boundless Land.

As time went on, humans mastered the arts of cultivation and surged to prominence, supplanting the Nagas and Demons as the preeminent force in the Boundless Land.

During this era, the Divine Soul Sect saw the rise of many remarkable individuals.

The one in the bronze coffin was a giant among them, and it was he who laid the snare that finally captured Yuv Qian.

Yuv Qian was then imprisoned within the sect's domain—what is now known as the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area.

Unexpectedly, after countless years, Yuv Qian would end up swearing fealty to that very person.

Even after the fall of the Divine Soul Sect and his continued confinement, he managed to escape the Heaven Sealing Soul Transformation Formation. He turned to the Ghost Dao in Horror Land and emerged as the present-day Tianzang.

The five-thousand-year history of the Ghost King was, in fact, a modest estimate. Cao Jiaze surmised that Tianzang's ascension to Ghost King had likely spanned at least seven to eight thousand years.

As for the true extent of Tianzang's power, that remained a mystery to all.

Particularly now, he had taken possession of Mingdu's body.

"Take this; it should be somewhat helpful to you." Tianzang gripped the shell in his hand, seemingly erasing the secret Asura Clan imprint within it before flicking it with his finger.

The brilliantly glowing shell suddenly soared toward Yu Yuan.

Caught off guard, Yu Yuan reached out and caught it. Instantly, a surge of dense, refined Qi and blood flowed into his Little World of Qi and blood, integrating with the Life Altar.

His physical injuries healed in just a few breaths.

Moreover, strands of divine radiance, akin to the refined power of the stars, seamlessly merged into his Yellow Court Little World.

His Qi and blood, along with his spiritual energy, were brimming to the point of discomfort.

At the base of the shell, a dazzling light settled. Yu Yuan glanced down, a realization dawning on him, and his gaze quickly shifted to Luo Yue.

Luo Yue had been eagerly watching him for some time.

More precisely, she was fixated on the shell in his hand.

The radiant light at the base of the shell, harvested from the Outer Star River, was even more mysterious and profound than the gift from Zu Ann, proving extremely beneficial for repairing her flower basket.

"This?"

Yu Yuan scratched his head and sheepishly looked at Tianzang.

"There's no great dispute between her and me. You're free to do as you please with the shell; I won't take offense." Tianzang only showed restraint in Yu Yuan's presence, his demeanor quite humble. "The divine luminescence within holds no value for Youling. It's yours to give to her."

Luo Yue's eyes sparkled.

Encouraged by Tianzang's words, Yu Yuan no longer hesitated and tossed the shell to Luo Yue.

She caught it with her tattered flower basket, placing the shell with care on the blue base, her smile blossoming. "I'm not one to waver. I stand firmly by my junior brother's side."

"Regardless of whom I aid, you're prepared to confront these entities." Tianzang's gaze fell upon the White Coat Mercurial and the eight ancient ghosts, with Qianqiang Ghost at the forefront. "Leave Mingdu to me."

With those words, Tianzang charged toward the Mingdu Ghost King, transforming the Soul Crossing River into a resplendent stellar river.

Instead of attacking Mingdu's soul directly, Tianzang declared, "Mingdu, I will confront you within the Soul Crossing River that you command." As he descended into the radiant starry river, Tianzang's form shifted, astonishingly taking on the guise of the Chaos Roc, a colossal creature of the cosmos. With a gaping maw as vast as the Chaos Abyss, he engulfed the starry river birthed from the Soul Crossing River.

The Starry Behemoth possessed the power to condense and consume stars, a fundamental divine technique. The galaxy at Mingdu's back was an illusion, as was the Chaos Roc that Tianzang had become. Yet, it seemed to subtly counter the Soul Crossing River's influence.

"He's wisely chosen to strike at the Soul Crossing River, engaging Mingdu within it," Luo Yue murmured to Yu Yuan as she polished a shell at the bottom of her basket. "If he targeted Mingdu's soul, Mingdu could slip away using the river, elusive as an eel. Without a direct confrontation, Tianzang could indeed face difficulties."

"Have I been forgotten?" Cao Jiaze touched his nose, his expression one of resigned amusement. "I was sent to Horror Land to aid Mingdu in his ascent to the throne of ghosts and gods. Since I'm present, I must act."

His eyes narrowed with intent. "Senior Tianzang, with your permission, I shall test your mettle against this Aura Altar!"

The Tears of Blue Devil erupted skyward, transforming into a resplendent blue star that plunged into the starry river, where it morphed once more, coalescing into an ice-blue vortex.

Within the vortex, the Spiritual Altar and the Blood Altar shimmered with crystalline clarity, radiating divine splendor. The Spiritual Altar, the Blood Altar, and the Muddy Devil Embryo split into three distinct entities. The Spiritual Altar positioned itself atop the Chaos Roc's head, the Blood Altar anchored its body, and the Muddy Devil Embryo, like a blue shadow leaf, adhered to the Chaos Roc's underbelly.

Yu Yuan watched the unfolding spectacle with an odd expression, his mind flashing back to the Ember Waters, where Heixun, the White Coat Mercurial, and the great sages had once joined forces using the Aura Altar to subdue the Chaos Roc. The resemblance was uncanny.

Yet, while the Aura Altar remained unchanged, the Chaos Roc before him was merely another of Tianzang's remarkable transformations.

"Heh!"

Tianzang, poised for a decisive battle with Mingdu, flashed a grin and, in an instant, morphed into a blue-faced, fanged devil, his body clad in blue scales, taking on a monstrous and brutal form.

This towering devil, a hundred meters tall, with hands bristling with spikes, seized the crystal-clear Aura Altar with ease.

With a nonchalant swat, he knocked the Blood Altar to the ground, and the Muddy Devil Embryo that had clung to him was now thrust into his chest, becoming akin to a protective breastplate.

Cao Jiaze's face turned ashen.

To his horror, the spiritual link between him and the Aura Altar was severed mercilessly in a flash.

"Go!"

From the brow of the blue-faced devil, millions of ancient demonic scripts burst forth, descending upon both the Aura Altar and the Blood Altar, transforming into countless little devils.

"Merge once more!"

With a chuckle from Tianzang, the divided Aura Altar seamlessly fused back together.

Tianzang stepped lightly onto the translucent blue altar, his savage and grim figure now in perfect harmony with it.

"Tianzang, you?"

In that moment, Mingdu was struck with an overwhelming shock, seemingly unable to accept the reality before him.

He wasn't alone in his astonishment; the white bones, Luo Yue, and the specters all wore expressions of deep contemplation.

"Tianzang is the Heavenly Devil, Yuv Qian. And Yuv Qian is from the Blue Devil Clan of the Outland Devaputras," deduced Yu Yiyi, the cauldron soul, as she drifted from Yu Yuan's Purple Palace. "The Aura Altar under Cao Jiaze's control was originally of the Blue Devil Clan. It's very likely that the altar has always belonged to Tianzang, merely sealed within the Ember Waters."

Yu Yuan felt a jolt of realization and nodded subtly, "That must be the truth."

The Aura Altar, a formidable war machine of the Outland Star River, was forged by the collective might of a clan.

This one was of the Blue Devil Clan!

Yuv Qian was their Heavenly Devil!

Chances are, this Aura Altar was his all along, probably the divine weapon he wielded in his campaigns across the Outland Star River and the Boundless Land.

Today, it has simply returned to its rightful master.

Yu Yiyi, a seeker of the Outland Star River's mysteries, wielded a divine weapon with a blade sharp enough to cleave the very fabric of reality. Her journey was one of peril and discovery, a testament to the unyielding spirit of those who dare to traverse the unknown.