C835 I will Enter Your Body with My Soul!!
Blue shadows danced in the half-light above Horror Land, and the air was thick with death.
Every soul spirit and ghost, spurred by Tianzang's pronouncement, fled in a desperate scramble for survival.
Those too slow to escape were engulfed by the blue shadows, perishing in the depths of the Muddy Devil Embryo without so much as a ripple to mark their passing, like flies overwhelmed by a relentless tide.
Even the white-robed figure, a top-ranked Ghost, had no chance to resist—what hope did the others have?
Their terror stemmed from the fact that Tianzang was not a native specter of Horror Land, nor a creature transformed from the Boundless Great World, but a savage and cold-blooded Outland Devaputra.
The very marrow of their being was steeped in dread and awe of the Outland Devaputra.
In the radiant depths of the river of stars, transformed from the Soul Crossing River, Tianzang, with his blue face and sharp fangs, wore a relentless, sinister grin.
It had been ages since he'd felt such exhilaration.
As the sole surviving Demon God of the Blue Devil Clan, he had witnessed the downfall of his kin.
Repeatedly venturing into the Boundless Great World, he watched as the humans rose with astonishing swiftness, usurping the Demon Clan and the Nagas to become the dominant force of this realm and the entire starry expanse.
He, too, eventually succumbed to the one entombed in the bronze coffin.
Regrettably, the tides of time shifted too swiftly, and even the Divine Soul Sect was ousted from the Boundless Great World by the alliance of the five supreme forces. Consequently, he found himself confined within the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area.
Years blurred into eons.
At last, the moment to rise and realize his ambitions had arrived—how could he contain his excitement?
Back when he was an Outland Devaputra, he had ascended to the rank of Demon God. A Demon God of the Devaputra Race was on par with the Human's Unrestrained Stage and the Ninth Level Great Demon of the Demon Clan.
His combat prowess was now equivalent to that of his current Ghost King Stage.
Yet, to escape the shackles of the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area, his realm as a Demon God plummeted. Fleeing, he faced the encirclement of the three upper sects and, with no other choice, sought refuge in Horror Land to pursue the path of the Ghost Dao.
Little did he know, this detour would lead him to an entirely new journey.
He ascended to the rank of Ghost King, erasing the presence of the Devaputra Race in a single sweep. As Tianzang, he traversed the Boundless Land, masterfully wielding his art of stealth, and astonishingly, he remained undetected.
Effortlessly, he roamed the vast expanses, quietly amassing his power.
He bided his time until the emergence of the giant bronze coffin, until chaos engulfed the Boundless Land, and until Horror Land was ripe for the birth of a Ghost God.
His wait was over.
The hardship had given way to sweet relief.
"Hu!"
With a mere thought, a wave of blue shadow surged, engulfing another ancient ghost, a loyal servant of Mingdu.
Another of Mingdu's followers fell behind the white robes.
"Mingdu, here I stand at your Soul Crossing River. If you seek to vie for the title of Ghost God, come, let us battle," Tianzang declared, standing atop the Aura Altar, his aura fierce and unyielding. "The laws of this realm are due for a change. Your time has ended, Mingdu. Let go of your attachments."
Cao Jiaze was repelled, the white robe slain, and countless ghosts, once fervently devoted to Mingdu, now fled in terror at the mere threat of death from Tianzang.
Who could possibly stand against Tianzang now?
Yu Yuan, gripping his sword's scabbard, felt the fresh sword lights and intents at its base, stirring within him an odd mix of emotions.
Was this the end?
Tianzang's emergence and his claim over the Aura Altar rendered Yu Yuan's schemes with the white bones and his pact with the source of the Yin Meridians both laughable and obsolete.
With Tianzang resolving every conflict, Yu Yuan's role became redundant.
Yet, out of respect for the one in the bronze coffin, Tianzang had shown him such deference...
"The might of the Divine Soul Sect is truly something to behold," he acknowledged.
Luo Yue's soul form emerged from the flower basket, securing it once again with a radiant smile directed at Yu Yuan. "Qianqiang Ghost, shall you take action yourself, or shall I?"
Yu Yuan turned to face the golden-armored ghost flickering in the nearby sky, too frightened to flee, yet too scared to stay.
The Qianqiang Ghost darted among the blue shadows cast by the Muddy Devil Embryo, hesitant to flee without an order from Mingdu. Rooted in a profound awe and fear of Mingdu, the ghost remained terrified, even as Mingdu found itself on the back foot.
"I'll handle this."
Recalling the Qianqiang Ghost's brutal dissection of Lee Yuchan's Yin God, Yu Yuan's heart surged with murderous intent. "Move out."
He advanced on the Qianqiang Ghost, the Evil Cauldron bearing him forth, his hand gripping the sword scabbard.
"Kid, are you courting death?"
The Qianqiang Ghost's howl echoed as a Dark Mountain in the distance erupted with a thunderous boom, channeling a surge of power through an arcane ritual.
A shower of golden rain began to fall from the heavens, spattering against the Evil Cauldron, which crackled and sparked with a dark magical aura.
"Not good enough."
With an icy shake of his head, Yu Yuan taunted, "Qianqiang Ghost, is that the extent of your abilities? You think you can harm my soul with mere Soul Blades? I've said it before—I will slay you, and I'll do it in the style you're accustomed to!"
In a whoosh, countless Evil Demons assembled into a Soul Formation, pouring forth from the cauldron. At its heart, the Blood Moon—a transformation of the second Evil Demon—gleamed like a blood-drenched crescent.
The eerie array of Evil Demons cast a wide net over the Qianqiang Ghost, unleashing a torrential onslaught of malevolent psychic energy that swept over everything in its path.
The golden armor of the Qianqiang Ghost twisted under the assault, his soul battered by a maelstrom of discordant thoughts.
In that moment, the ancient specter, a loyal servant to Mingdu, was subjected to the relentless scouring of countless tumultuous impulses.
His every refined soul thought, each memory and ounce of strength, became saturated with invasive, maddening energies not his own.
And then, Yu Yuan aimed his sword sheath directly at the beleaguered ghost.
As the Broken Soul Slash took shape, with Yu Yuan's soul power, vital energy, and spiritual force converging, and the seven acupoints in his chest along with the Yin Sunflower Essence resonating, every ghost within reach of the sword's intent was gripped by the harrowing premonition of an impending soul shatter.
Even Luo Yue, who had been vigilantly watching over him for fear of any mishaps, couldn't help but show a flicker of concern.
The mere intent of the sword was enough to make her feel as though her soul was on the brink of annihilation. How fearsome must the actual sword be?
Luo Yue suddenly realized why even the formidable Bai Gu considered Yu Yuan an ally, seeking to harness Yu Yuan's scabbard and the sword spell to activate the lingering sword light of the Chopping Moon cultivator within the Soul Crossing River and obliterate Mingdu.
The sword intent had been cultivated specifically to target ghostly beings like her, Bai Gu, and Mingdu.
Its power of destruction surpassed even that of thunder and lightning!
"Your Highness!"
"Your Highness!"
The remaining ancient ghosts dared not depart, their eyes fixed on Mingdu with desperation.
In that moment, the towering figure of Mingdu gazed intently at the Soul Crossing River, his expression stern as he watched Tianzang standing on the Aura Altar, as if standing on his very life's weak point.
"Come and battle me inside, or withdraw from the struggle of ghosts and gods in Horror Land and henceforth obey my command," Tianzang declared, locking eyes with him across the distance. "As long as I am within the Soul Crossing River, you cannot teleport. And I will methodically grind down the Soul Crossing River, shattering the Soul Artifact upon which your existence depends."
"Shatter it?" Mingdu's face paled.
Bai Gu's expression also darkened.
The Soul Crossing River, said to originate from the same Yin Meridian source as Mingdu, was a soul artifact as formidable as the will of Horror Land itself.
When Mingdu faced the Chopping Moon cultivator in the past, he had restrained himself to avoid damaging the Soul Crossing River.
He was acutely aware of the deep connection between the Soul Crossing River and Horror Land, knowing it could not be separated from its domain for long.
Likewise, it must not be damaged.
Mingdu could face death or extinction, but the Soul Crossing River must never be allowed to shatter.
"Bone, you heard him, didn't you?" Mingdu, in his soul spirit form, suddenly turned to the ever-silent Ghost Bone. "I know you're fighting on its behalf. And I'm well aware that it would never permit the Soul Crossing River to be destroyed, nor would it tolerate an Outland Devaputra dominating it."
"What do you want?" Bone inquired, her voice echoing ethereally.
"I need to borrow your body, to let my soul take residence within you."
"Release your hold on your body, and if you dare, let me in."
"At this point, what is there left to fear?"
Whoosh!
The Soul Spirit from Mingdu swiftly penetrated the white bones. The two Ghost Kings, once equals a millennium ago, now united within a single luminescent skeleton.
