C841 Corpse Refining Ancestor
"Not many are privy to my work refining the Primordial Spirit and artifacts within that vibrant red star."
The murderous aura swirling around the white bones abruptly withdrew, rendering his skeletal frame translucent and aglow with a radiant treasure-like light.
"The Devil Palace, Zhu Zhen, is among the few in the know."
The white bone spoke with an unexpected calmness, casually glancing towards the Devil Palace as he mentioned, "Mo Yan, it turns out he's his offspring. And ironically, he's at odds with you—how amusing."
The white bone seemed to chuckle, "When I learned you had seized the Evil Cauldron from the ocean depths in the Ember Waters—a prize meant for him—I couldn't help but think it was a case of mutual retribution."
Yu Yuan's curiosity was piqued, "Is there more to the story?"
"I have no reason to conceal it from you," the white bone began to explain.
As the former Ghost King Youling, he had acquired a unique technique for refining the body while transforming step by step in the Horror Land.
He utilized Yin Qi and the essence of Yin Kui to temper his physical form.
That body, previously concealed within a tiny world in a crevice, rich with the essence of Yin Kui, was his Youling form, ingeniously crafted by his own hands, with boundless applications.
This art was his original creation.
Upon his rebirth as the Evil King Yu Xi, he delved deep into the Fiend Sect's myriad profound secret arts. Merging these with the body refining technique from his days as Ghost King Youling, he devised an incredible method for using the flesh and blood body to refine a corpse.
These corpses, whether of humans, demons, otherworldly beings, or vicious beasts, could all be transformed.
Once refined, these corpses could be manipulated through his secret arts or inhabited by his soul, becoming formidable weapons in combat.
He imparted the Corpse Refining Technique to a particularly gifted yet somewhat radical disciple.
But as he sought to promote this art, he faced vehement opposition from all the elders of the Fiend Sect. At that time, traditional practitioners from the upper sects, including the Devil Palace and Demon Palace, condemned the practice as a violation of natural harmony, deeming it even more radical than the Blood God Cult's secret techniques.
With a wealth of exquisite secret arts at his disposal, he observed the Corpse Refining Technique's lack of acceptance and chose not to pursue it further.
He had issued a command forbidding that fervent disciple from delving further into the Corpse Refining Technique.
Yet the disciple was too deeply engrossed to extricate himself, reaping considerable benefits from the technique, which propelled his realm forward at an astonishing pace.
The disciple held him in high esteem, regarding him as a father figure.
To avoid bringing trouble to the Fiend Sect, the disciple voluntarily left to establish his own faction, recruiting several young followers to dedicate themselves to the Corpse Refining Technique, thereby bringing attention to this obscure and seldom-practiced art.
Later, for reasons unknown, Zhu Zhen of the Devil Palace sought out his disciple, demanding the secrets of the Corpse Refining Technique.
His disciple, having made significant strides in this art, refused Zhu Zhen's request.
Shortly thereafter, Zhu Zhen, on behalf of the Devil Palace, declared the Corpse Refining Technique too radical for the world, executed his disciple, and relentlessly pursued anyone deeply involved in its study.
The technique was thus deemed forbidden by the Devil Palace, with practitioners subject to immediate execution upon discovery.
At the time, the Evil King, as the master of the Fiend Sect, enjoyed unparalleled prestige.
Though the disciple had been cast out, the Evil King held genuine affection for him. Angered by Zhu Zhen's actions and the subsequent persecution of those who pursued the Corpse Refining Technique, he retaliated by killing Zhu Zhen's disciple and followers.
This sparked a deep-seated enmity between them.
Back then, the Evil King had not yet formed his Primordial Spirit, but he vowed to challenge Zhu Zhen as soon as he reached the Primordial Spirit Stage and solidified his power.
It was widely understood that his challenge was a direct response to Zhu Zhen's slaying of his disciple.
Seven centuries earlier, as the Evil King, he had dominated the Quietus Continent, feared and shunned by all. Even Zhu Zhen, the second-in-command of the Devil Palace, could not eclipse his notoriety.
True to his word, it wasn't long before he successfully condensed his Primordial Spirit.
His journey to the Outland Star River was to fortify his Primordial Spirit Stage, using the resplendent energies of the cosmos to purify his body and soul. Returning in his prime, he was ready to confront Zhu Zhen of the Devil Palace.
In the end...
"The fact that I was sequestered in that vibrant red star, honing my skills, must've been leaked to the outer realm's powerhouses by Zhu Zhen, leading to my ambush."
Even after seven centuries, Bai Gu's recounting of the past was tinged with fervor.
"My demise, along with the injuries sustained by those five, inadvertently aided the Devil Palace. They managed to obliterate a Heavenly Demon nest and slay several Demon Gods." Bai Gu huffed. "Seven hundred years on, his son has repeatedly targeted you, likely suspecting your connection to the Yu family and my lineage."
His emerald eyes sparkled with intensity.
"What caught me off guard was your equal footing with Mo Yan in combat. Had it not been for an unexpected intervention, you might have already dispatched Mo Yan to the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area to be devoured by the Devaputras."
A sense of pride washed over Bai Gu as he spoke, his gaze brimming with mirth.
"Speaking of which, the lineage of the Corpse Refining Technique must still be intact." Yu Yuan's mind drifted to the individual he encountered on Rosy Island and the Yin Corpse King locked away in the Sword Prison. "I've come across two practitioners of this esoteric art; they're likely the disciples of your disciples."
"I've caught wind of its survival," Bai Gu acknowledged, "though my direct disciples are no more." He seemed detached from the new cadre of Corpse Refining Technique practitioners.
Shifting gears, he boasted, "As for the Yu family and the Absence Relic, fret not. All is under my watch. Once I emerge from my seclusion, ascended as the sovereign of Horror Land, few will dare cross the progeny of Yu Xi."
Within Horror Land, his dominion, Bai Gu's status as a Ghost King placed him beyond challenge, akin to the Desolate God's supremacy within the Great Swamp of the Boundless Land.
Upon achieving the Ghost King realm, Bai Gu would stand among the mightiest in this world, unbound by any entity or power.
So long as he didn't firmly align with the Divine Soul Sect against the denizens of the Boundless Land, his position would remain unshakable.
The Demon Palace, Devil Palace, and the three most prestigious upper sects all had to show respect and refrain from interfering with Elfview.
"All Yu Family descendants, once you've condensed your Yin God, are welcome to train in Horror Land," declared the figure with luminous eyes of white bone. "Henceforth, Horror Land shall serve as a private garden for the Yu Family's youth. As for you, focus on refining your Yin God here for now, and pay no mind to the outside world's chatter."
"Once I ascend to Demon God status, I'll gain true freedom. Then, I'll declare to all that I am Yu Xi, the Evil King, and it will be time to settle my score with Zhu Zhen."
Bai Gu was brimming with confidence.
...
On the borderlands.
Cao Jiaze turned to gaze upon the domain of the Gray Shaman Ghost, listening to the fracturing of Dark Mountain and noting its diminished stature.
"Mingdu has fallen first, against all odds."
Cao Jiaze's brow furrowed deeply, stunned that Mingdu, once a sovereign power, had vanished so swiftly.
The cessation of the Netherworld's river and the crumbling of Dark Mountain within Mingdu's realm were telltale signs of utter defeat.
He, who had never known defeat, now tasted its bitterness. Mulling over this unfamiliar sensation, he shook his head and chuckled ruefully, "Divine Soul Sect, you truly are formidable. Even our Sect Master, who calculated every contingency, has stumbled, becoming an unwitting pawn in someone else's game."
The shell, bearing the remains of Mingdu, had been seized by Tian Zang.
The Aura Altar, once his to command, had always belonged to Tian Zang. Upon his return with the Divine Soul Sect's aid and his revelation as a member of the Blue Devil Clan's Heavenly Devils, he realized his own maneuvers were futile.
He acknowledged his defeat, recognizing that not even the Sect Master could foresee everything.
Whoosh!
As he quietly reflected on the convergence of Yin Qi in this realm, his eyes widened in astonishment at White Bone's territory. "The ultimate victor isn't Tian Zang!" he exclaimed.
Could it be that Tian Zang, with the Aura Altar in hand and the millennia-old legacy of the Mingdu, had been bested by White Bone?
Cao Jiaze was somewhat bewildered.
"Let it be."
Having come to terms with his current predicament, Cao Jiaze leapt into the air and dashed towards the outside world.
Moments later, the blue sky and fluffy white clouds filled his view once again, the gloomy canopy of the sky a thing of the past.
"Apprentice!" Han Qi rose abruptly, signaling from a distance, "What's the outcome? Did the Ghost King Mingdu manage to slay the white skeleton and reclaim all that was once ours?"
His words drew all eyes to Cao Jiaze, everyone anticipating his response.
"The white skeleton shall ascend to a ghost deity!"
