C958 Plague Demon!

"God of Medicine, Hong Qi!"

Luo Yue and Xi Quan exclaimed together, their faces etched with astonishment.

The Dark Herald, levitating before them, radiated a mysterious and perilous aura. Her face and eyes were devoid of any human emotion, leaving an impression of emptiness and woodenness.

"Do I need to continue explaining?"

She paid no heed to Sansom and the Starborn's assault on the Grey Wolf King. Hovering above the Dragon Slaying Stage, she resembled a sinister monster, emitting an eerie pulse that was hard to discern yet undeniably present.

Within the dark green barrier, Yu Yuan's real body, now ensnared in the Crucible of Evil, fell into an unexpected silence.

"The Shade King could be reborn as the Evil King Yu Xi, and then as White Bone. Similarly, you have been reborn as the Yu Yuan of today, thanks to the Reincarnation Pill." In the depths of the Dark Herald's eyes, myriad colorful clouds drifted endlessly, signifying the myriad combinations of souls.

"You are not the hand-chosen disciple of Hong Qi; you are the reincarnation of Hong Qi himself!"

Her voice was soft and haunting, "The Shadowflame Blight Array in Gloomhollow of the Serpent Spine Mountains was your creation. The colorful miasma and the miasma from the Rainbow Ocean were relocated by you. I have visited Gloomhollow and the mid-lake island of the Forgotten Ruins. I have felt the new Shadowflame Blight Array, and I have encountered Yu Zhu."

"Her deep trust in you, her reverence for you as a father figure, stems not from your status as Hong Qi's disciple, but from her recognition of you as the God of Medicine himself!"

"Like her, you crafted me. She is aware of the essence of your soul, which remains fundamentally unchanged."

The Dark Herald revealed the deeply hidden truth about Yu Yuan, a truth that had eluded everyone until now, with an unflappable voice.

Luo Yue, the Ghost King who had regarded Yu Yuan as a junior brother, and the former head of the Poison Cult, was left speechless.

Xi Quan, who had also believed Yu Yuan to be Hong Qi's direct disciple, was equally stunned and incredulous, her face a mask of disbelief, as if she were still struggling to accept the truth.

"God of Medicine, Hong Qi!"

Farther away, Shi Yuxuan, Qin Yun, Qi Yunhong, and the rest of the Sacred Hands sect were similarly overwhelmed by the revelation.

"Do you require further evidence to substantiate this matter?" The Dark Herald's silhouette was now perilously close to the Grey Wolf King and Beru of the Starborn.

A mournful howl tore through the air as the Grey Wolf King cried out once more.

Onlookers instinctively turned their gaze, only to witness a violent confrontation unfolding. Mia from the Shadowkin and Sansom, the enchantress leader, were locked in combat with warriors from their own factions.

Between Mia and Sansom, waves of evil energy surged and intertwined in a tumultuous dance.

The gray-green waves of soul energy merged with Sansom's deep soul shockwaves, fracturing the earth between them with countless fine cracks.

The Shadowkin and enchantress warriors appeared to have lost their minds. The emotions and glints in their eyes were all wrong, filled with madness, bloodlust, agitation, and a sense of impending doom and death.

Puff!

The emaciated figure of the Dusk Raven Lord, an eighth-level bloodline holder, lunged like a spear toward a nearby giant lion-shaped archdemon, causing a gush of blood to erupt from its chest.

The lion-shaped archdemon, seized by frenzy, began to clash with both the Dusk Raven Lord and another archdemon from Shadow's Keep, oblivious to the fact that they were attacking their own allies.

Simultaneously, two cultivators from the Devil Palace, who were at the Solar Spirit realm and had followed the Dark Herald, erupted into a fierce battle due to their proximity.

These two were known throughout the Devil Palace as inseparable friends.

"What's happening?"

Xi Quan, wielding the Withered Sword, had already sensed trouble and had retreated a considerable distance. She watched in horror as the Shadowkin and enchantress turned on each other, archdemons clashed in a frenzy, and the Devil Palace's most trusted friends desperately attacked one another. The bizarre scene left her stunned.

She instinctively continued to fall back.

"Retreat! Get as far away from the Dark Herald as possible!"

Ghost Kings Luo Yue and Tian Zang called out, quickly distancing themselves from the Dragon Slaying Stage and the vicinity of the Dark Herald.

As Luo Yue made her hasty retreat, she cast a long, seeking glance towards Yu Yuan, who was within the wall, and with a look of desperation, inquired, "Is it that thing?"

Yu Yuan gave a slow, confirming nod.

"I hail from the Rainbow Ocean, born of that land's wondrous mysteries. Before the Boulderdawn Sect ruled the heavens and the Everlands, beings like me were revered as gods by the common folk. But as the Boulderdawn Sect's might grew, we were no longer permitted to bear the title of gods and were instead known as Terra Fiends."

The Dark Herald spoke in a hushed tone.

"I was once known as the Plague God, and later as the Plague Demon. In the deepest reaches of the Rainbow Ocean, I had a peculiar domain of my own. It was there that I was born and where I slowly became self-aware."

"It was your arrival, your thorough exploration of the Rainbow Ocean, and your study of the poison pill that hastened my awakening and evolution. It was because of you that I began to understand and recognize myself."

"You were the one who crafted a unique poison pill for me, a being without a physical form."

"Your intention was to use a Divine Level poison pill as a vessel for my body, to house my soul in its form."

At this juncture, the Dark Herald curved slightly in midair, a gesture of thanks.

"Later, I realized your intentions were not pure. You sought to use me to fulfill your own extreme purposes. Luckily, you vanished, and for three hundred years there was no sign of you. I had come to believe, as Zhong Chichen suggested, that your soul had dissipated after a failed reincarnation."

"After you, the Master of the Devil Palace, Tan Xiaotian, took me under his wing. He devised a new set of dark arts specifically for me, transforming what you called a Terra Fiend into what I am now—the Dark Herald."

"He is the one I serve now, and I am deeply grateful for the choice to align myself with him."

The Dark Herald's speech was somewhat disordered.

Yet, her words were meant for Yu Yuan's understanding. She trusted that Yu Yuan would grasp the full meaning, knowing what had transpired since and the current state of affairs.

"Plague God, Plague Demon! Unleash the Soul Plague!"

Xi Quan, standing next to Luo Yue, finally recognized the true nature of the Dark Herald from the Devil Palace before her.

Apart from the Land of Terror, the Land of Quiescence harbors another fearsome place known as the Rainbow Ocean, said to be the origin of the Everlands' deadliest miasma.

Deep within the Rainbow Ocean lies a zone where any creature that enters is driven to violence against one another.

Once the slaughter ceases and only one survivor remains, they are compelled to battle their own self until self-annihilation.

Ancient tales speak of the miasma in this area possessing a sinister force capable of tormenting the soul, making the stronger ones more vulnerable and swiftly leading them astray.

Three hundred years ago, the God of Medicine, Hong Qi, dared to venture into the Rainbow Ocean. As he had not embarked on the path of cultivation, his three souls—of heaven, earth, and man—remained untempered, rendering him immune to the Soul Plague that ravaged the spirit.

He even sensed a consciousness within the chaos that had not yet fully awakened its wisdom.

The current Dark Herald, once known as the "Plague Demon," had crafted a poison pill and bestowed it upon the "Plague Demon," giving her a body. She intended to lead her out of the Rainbow Ocean and utilize her for her own purposes.

Regrettably, his reincarnation soon encountered a mishap, and his soul was utterly obliterated. His promise to the "Plague Demon," his intricate plans, and his lofty aspirations all went up in flames.

Subsequently, it was likely Demon Lord Tan Xiaotian who stealthily made his way into the Rainbow Ocean, taking Hong Qi's place, liberating the "Plague Demon," and transforming her into the enigmatic Dark Herald we know today.

"Hong Qi, is it really you?"

Xi Quan, after a tumultuous inner struggle, abruptly lifted her head and peered through the barrier at Yu Yuan.

Luo Yue was visibly moved as well. She, too, was eager to discover if the Yu Yuan before her was the same individual who had once taught her the art of medicine.

Meanwhile, Shi Yuxuan, Qi Yunhong, and even Zhou You, adept in space magic, all wore expressions of keen interest as they fixed their gazes on the figure within the barrier.

The God of Medicine, Hong Qi, from three centuries ago, was a figure of great debate. Those who adored him did so fervently, while those who despised him wished nothing more than to consume his very flesh and blood!

Could the obscure youth Yu Yuan from Asvetaesi truly be the renowned God of Medicine, Hong Qi, from three hundred years prior?

Under the watchful eyes of all, Yu Yuan paused momentarily before dropping his guise. He nodded and affirmed, "Yes, it's me."

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