C840 The Dust Settled!

After shrinking, the small white bone stood upon the earth, resembling a gleaming silver spear, its edge unmistakable.

Without any deliberate display of power, its current grace nonetheless led Qianjie and Luo Yue to instinctively believe that if Horror Land were to ever crown a ruler...

It would undoubtedly be the white bone before them!

Not Tianzang, nor the long-gone Mingdu.

For the white bone possessed an undeniable aura and charisma.

Only upon learning that the white bone was the Evil King, Yu Xi, did Yu Yuan comprehend the natural claim to the Ghost God throne and the white bone's ambitions.

Having cultivated the Primordial Spirit, the white bone had witnessed the pinnacle of power and had long been endowed with such insight and foresight.

"You think you can surpass me?" Tianzang's brow furrowed, his expression darkening as he sneered, "Since when?"

He was both a Demon God and a Ghost King, having once stood at the zenith, his name reverberating across the Boundless Land.

To surpass him, what could it be but the Primordial Spirit?

Since no Demon God had ever emerged from Horror Land, there remained only one possibility — the Primordial Spirit!

The white bone spoke with a detached tone, as tranquil as still water, devoid of any disturbance, "After Youling, before the white bone."

After Youling, before the white bone, there was only the person reborn!

To cultivate the ultimate Primordial Spirit within a human form!

Seeing the white bone's demeanor, no one would suspect him of spouting empty words.

Thus, not just Tianzang, but also Qianjie and Luo Yue were profoundly moved.

The three Ghost Kings instantly surmised the astonishing truth from the white bone's statement.

"Who exactly are you!?"

The voice of the Kalpa Ghost King, quivering from within the hive, was filled with trepidation.

Luo Yue, astounded, asked, "You've done it?"

The white bone simply nodded.

Luo Yue's eyes sparkled, and she suddenly glowed with vitality, "So it's true! The journey of a Ghost King reincarnated as a human, to tread that path once more, is indeed feasible!"

Before the white bone, no Ghost King could confirm this path was passable.

Luo Yue's prior hesitation stemmed from a lack of confidence, the absence of concrete evidence.

But now, with the white bone's own confirmation, it was as if a beacon had been lit, guiding her, affirming the viability of this path.

Since the white bone had succeeded, Luo Yue realized that her attempts to seek the path of ghosts and gods were futile. She wouldn't delay any longer; instead, she'd find a new way, be reborn, and walk the path of life once more, aiming to reach the Primordial Spirit.

With her hand on the flower basket, she bowed to the white bone, "When I embark on that path, I'll be counting on your support."

"It's part of the agreement," the white bone responded with an air of nonchalance.

Luo Yue let go of her concerns, holding back further words. Her heart swelled with anticipation, dreaming of the wonders she'd experience breaking through realms swiftly in her next life, thanks to her retained memories.

"From this day forward, I, Qianjie, will hold you in the highest regard!"

The figure within the beehive, now with their inner turmoil resolved, offered a respectful fist-and-palm salute to the white bone.

A peak expert who had reached the Primordial Spirit Stage was indeed deserving of her respect and allegiance!

In that instant, Qianjie came to a realization: in the ancient conflict between Youling and Mingdu, it was Youling who had truly triumphed.

Mingdu, even when plunging into the depths of the Outland Star River at its mightiest, was halted at the level of Ghost King.

The mightiest Ghost King was still just that—a Ghost King, not the pinnacle of power.

In stark contrast, Youling, having forsaken all ties to Horror Land and resolutely chosen reincarnation, had successfully forged a Primordial Spirit as a human, ascending to the ranks of Primordial Spirit Stage cultivators!

A Primordial Spirit Stage cultivator represented the zenith of power, an entity capable of clashing with the strongest of any race in the vast cosmos!

In the resplendent era of humanity, how many had achieved the Primordial Spirit? With odds of one in a billion, Bai Gu had triumphed, surpassing both Mingdu and Tianzang long ago!

Thus, regardless of subsequent events or the reasons behind Youling's transformation into white bone, he remained a victor.

He had blazed a trail!

"So it is," mused the Ghost King of Tianzang, his thoughts lingering on the Primordial Spirit experts who had perished over the last millennium, wondering which could compare to Bai Gu.

Quickly, he found his answer and grasped the truth.

Tianzang's gaze shifted to a distant point beyond the heavens, then flickered to the Fiend Sect's location, as he queried, "Is it possible?"

Bai Gu nodded once more.

"If that's the case, you're right. My loss is justified." Tianzang found solace, surprisingly devoid of much regret. "Since it's you, the one I answer to will likely be at peace with this. After over seven hundred years, you must know the truth behind that battle, don't you?"

In Bai Gu's emerald gaze lay an icy resolve. "I do."

"Heh, good to hear!"

Tianzang let out a hearty laugh. "I hereby relinquish my claim to the title of Ghost God! As I did a millennium ago, I will depart from Horror Land, no longer heeding your commands, nor seeking your grace."

"Very well," Bai Gu responded.

"From now on, we are not enemies," Tianzang declared.

"The future is uncertain," Bai Gu remarked, his stance unclear as he surveyed the earth beneath him. "I am united with its will. Its choices for the future are beyond my knowledge."

"Neutral is best," Tianzang agreed, peering down before lifting his gaze to Yu Yuan. "I've come to understand your unspoken troubles. The outcome is tolerable. For the time being, it's desired that you remain in Horror Land a while longer."

Given that Bai Gu was the Evil King Yu Xi, the progenitor of the Yu family, what was there to dwell upon?

Yu Yuan refrained from unsheathing his sword, choosing instead to honor him with the Broken Soul Slash, a considerable gesture of respect.

"Yes, I'll continue my cultivation here for some time," Yu Yuan affirmed.

"By the time you emerge, the Boundless Land may well have undergone profound transformations," Tianzang said with a sly smile. "Then, the three upper sects, along with the Devil Palace and Demon Palace, might no longer dominate this world."

With a boisterous "Hahaha!" Tianzang, clad in the Muddy Devil Embryo, soared away, eventually vanishing from sight.

"I need to speak with Yu Yuan," Bai Gu stated, casting a glance at Qianjie and Luo Yue. "If there's nothing else, return to your domains. I'll be entering seclusion to assimilate the forces of Mingdu. Once I emerge, I expect to ascend to the realm of ghosts and gods."

His demeanor suggested that achieving the unprecedented status of a ghost and god in Horror Land was as effortless as dining and drinking.

Luo Yue and Qianjie exchanged a knowing glance, then, with a polite nod, they respectfully departed the territory.

Qianjie naturally took Jiang Xingwen's Yin God with her to prevent her soul from dissipating in her sorrow.

Before long, within a hundred-mile radius, there were no other self-aware souls besides Yu Yuan and Bai Gu.

"Did it speak to you?"

Bai Gu casually tossed the sharp awl in his hand into the distance. It transformed into a brilliant silver arc, streaking from the domain of the gray matriarch to his own territory.

Yu Yuan understood that where the awl landed, it would become the formidable Dark Mountain for Bai Gu's cultivation.

"Yes, Evil King Yu Xi, the Yu family's forebear."

Yu Yuan gave a wry smile, a touch of self-deprecation in his laughter. "It must have also told you that I can't truly be considered your descendant. In my past life, I was Hong Qi, the Medicine God. It was only due to a mishap in reincarnation that I became a member of the Darkmoon City's Yu family."

"Fate has its designs," Bai Gu said, a smile seemingly playing on his skeletal face as his green eyes twinkled. "Your issue was simply the delayed return of the Heavenly Soul and Earth Soul. Success or mishap, you were destined to become Yu Yuan of the Yu family, my nominal successor."

After a moment's reflection, Yu Yuan accepted his perspective. "Indeed, that's the case."

"This is the bond between us," Bai Gu said, looking at him with satisfaction. "To think that the Yu family would produce someone like you after me is quite the surprise. From the moment you came into my view and I learned who you were, our paths were set to converge."

Yu Yuan felt a mix of emotions.

Realizing he was the Evil King, Yu Xi, and the patriarch of this life's Yu family, he couldn't help feeling a bit uneasy. His interactions with him were now tinged with a hint of restraint.

I see you as a comrade-in-arms, yet you've always seen yourself as an ancestor...

With this thought, Yu Yuan's expression grew rigid.

"When I forged my Primordial Spirit and ventured into the Outland Star River, I wasn't the reckless egotist the rumors made me out to be," Bai Gu said, his gaze deep and voice chilling. "I too wished to proceed with caution, to gather the scarce spiritual materials from the star river to refine my artifacts and soul."

"No one gave me a chance."

"I ventured into the heart of a star, undergoing my first self-refinement. It was then I shockingly found myself besieged by two Great Demon Gods and three chieftains from the Outland Star River clans. I had no choice but to engage in battle and, inexplicably, I became the quickest to fall after ascending to the Primordial Spirit Stage."

At this juncture, an almost tangible killing intent surged through the white bones.

Wisps of this intent swirled around him, coalescing into a star as crimson as blood.

The star abruptly shattered, and he awoke, bewildered, to find himself encircled.

A brutal skirmish erupted in an instant, without any forewarning.

Despite his strength, having just reached the Primordial Spirit Stage, he was overwhelmed by the collective assault of five adversaries of equal or greater might. He was powerless to resist.

Escape was a lost cause.

But fortune favored him, for he was once the Ghost King Youling, a master of numerous arcane and esoteric Soul Arts. In his explosive demise, he cunningly dispatched a sliver of his soul to safety.

And thus, the white bone arose anew.

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