A hundred miles west of Kushi County.
Range upon range of mountains stretched across the horizon. One of the main peaks pierced the clouds, its body a bizarre dark gray, shrouded year-round in dense, ominous clouds that blocked out the sun.
This mountain was known as Burial Soul Mountain.
Upon its summit sat a complex of buildings with flying eaves and painted rafters, yet every single one was constructed from a certain black giant stone. This was the headquarters of the Corpse Soul Sect.
At this moment, within the Sect Master's Great Hall.
A middle-aged man wearing a voluminous black robe, his face withered and gaunt, sat cross-legged upon a throne fashioned from nine stacked skulls.
His eyes were tightly shut, and his breathing was long and slow, but a lingering black energy swirled between his brows.
Every so often, his body would tremble uncontrollably, as if he were enduring some horrific attack.
The hall doors were gently pushed open, and a disciple wearing an identical black robe, though possessing a much younger aura, walked in silently.
He bowed in salute, his movements filled with reverence.
"Master."
Mo Yuan slowly opened his eyes, revealing deep pupils that seemed capable of swallowing all light.
The black energy on his body instantly retracted as he asked in a raspy voice, "Ziang, the hour has come. How many souls of the wrongfully dead did the Pursuing Soul Envoys bring back last night?"
The disciple named Jiang Ziang respectfully replied, "Reporting to Master, thirty-six Pursuing Soul Envoys were dispatched last night, and they successfully guided one hundred and eight volunteers.
"The souls have all been sent to the Soul-Suppressing Tower for the elders to begin dissolving their malice."
He paused for a moment, then added, "However... two Pursuing Soul Envoys returned empty-handed. The villages they were responsible for had no volunteers offer themselves. Additionally, one Pursuing Soul Envoy has yet to return."
"Oh?" Mo Yuan's brow furrowed slightly. "Which three villages?"
"Shikan Village, Heishuiyu, and Huangshawo," Jiang Ziang said. "In the first two villages, no one died last night. It's only Huangshawo where the situation remains unclear."
A trace of confusion appeared on Jiang Ziang's face. "According to our intelligence, the copper poison erosion in Huangshawo is the most severe. Logically, there should have been at least three to five volunteers last night. For some reason, not a single person responded."
Mo Yuan pondered for a moment.
He pinched his fingers to perform a divination, only to find the heavenly secrets in total chaos. The portion regarding Huangshawo, in particular, was shrouded in a mass of sinister aura he had never seen before.
"No one died?" he murmured to himself, an imperceptible trace of fatigue flashing in his eyes. "No one died... Fine, let them live another day if they can."
He waved his hand and said hoarsely, "Forget it, set this matter aside for now. Since they choose to continue enduring the pain, let them be. Our energy is limited, and the main task is paramount. How much longer can the Soul-Suppressing Tower's energy last?"
Jiang Ziang's expression stiffened as he said solemnly, "Master, at the current rate of consumption, it can last at most... three months. In three months, if the Myriad Ghost Dragon-Suppressing Array cannot be replenished with enough malicious spirits, I fear..."
Mo Yuan's expression grew even more somber as he looked out toward the hall's exterior.
"Three months..." He closed his eyes, his withered fingers sinking deep into the crevices of the skull throne.
"Pass down my order. Command all outer-sect disciples to accelerate the search for volunteers. Simultaneously, have the Refinement Hall forge twelve more Pursuing Soul Envoys regardless of the cost. We... have no time left."
"Yes, Master!" Jiang Ziang responded respectfully.
Just as he was about to withdraw, another disciple ran hurriedly into the hall, kneeling on the ground with a panicked expression.
"Reporting to the Sect Master! Disaster has struck!"
Mo Yuan snapped his eyes open and barked, "Why such alarm!"
The disciple's voice trembled as he reported, "Just now, the elder in charge of monitoring the Pursuing Soul Envoys' soul lamps discovered... the soul lamp of the one sent to Huangshawo... has gone out!"
"What?!"
This time, even the usually steady Jiang Ziang cried out in shock.
Mo Yuan lunged up from his throne, a majestic aura erupting with a boom that shook the entire hall.
"Extinguished?!"
He took a step forward, instantly appearing before the disciple, his withered hand grasping the man's shoulder like an eagle's claw.
"How is that possible?! A Pursuing Soul Envoy is constructed using the corpse of an inner-sect disciple as the base, refined with the malice of a hundred ghosts. Their strength is comparable to a cultivator at the Inner Demon stage, and they are protected by the sect's secret arts. How could one be destroyed?!"
The disciple was scared out of his wits and stuttered, "The... the elder said... that soul lamp... it didn't flicker out slowly. It was... instantly crushed to pieces by an incredibly overbearing force!"
Crushed!
Mo Yuan's pupils shrank suddenly.
This meant the Pursuing Soul Envoy hadn't been slowly drained of energy in battle. Instead, it had been completely obliterated in an instant by an existence whose power far exceeded its own, using thunderous force!
"Huangshawo..." He released his grip and slowly repeated the name, his eyes filled with gravity and killing intent. "What exactly has arrived there?"
"Ziang," Mo Yuan's voice became bone-chillingly cold, "pass down the order. All disciples of the Corpse Soul Sect are to contract our defensive lines immediately. No one is permitted to leave the hundred-mile radius of Burial Soul Mountain without authorization."
"The plan is being moved forward. No errors will be tolerated."
On the other side, Chen Zhou returned directly to the heart of the City of the Wrongfully Dead, standing before the Evil God Altar built of countless white bones.
Upgrade. Upgrade.
Chen Zhou opened his status panel.
【Current Grade: Eerie Grade】
【Forging Bones Progress: Tier 2 Flesh 99/1000】
【Painting Skin Progress: Tier 2 Blood 98/1000】
【Refining Body Progress: Tier 2 Soul 0/1000】
The ten portions of Tier 3 souls he had just acquired were quickly dismantled by the netherflames, directly filling the Refining Body progress.
He already had accumulations of flesh and blood from his usual activities. Once everything was maxed out, Chen Zhou clicked sacrifice.
The moment he clicked, the entire City of the Wrongfully Dead trembled!
The massive altar of stacked bones seemed like an ancient beast awakening from its slumber, beginning to radiate a white and profound glow.
The bone patterns on the altar's surface lit up one by one, like ignited blood vessels, forming a vast and complex sinister array.
The Blood-Prison Pool surged violently with towering waves. The Tier 2 flesh processed by the Blood-Flesh Furnace gathered into a dark red torrent, intertwining with the waves of blood.
The one thousand portions of Tier 2 souls instantly transformed into streaks of grayish-white light, like stars across the sky, plunging into the altar.
Flesh, blood, and soul—the trinity of energy torrents poured brutally into the Bone Altar!
Chen Zhou felt as if his body were about to burst. His evil god form was undergoing a transformation that felt like shedding its old skin and bones.
But the death energy of the Bone Altar grew even stronger, and his evil spirit body followed its instincts, devouring the energy manically.
A terrifying aura, more than a hundred times stronger than before, erupted from Chen Zhou's body!
【Current Grade: Abnormal Grade】
【Forging Bones Progress: Tier 3 Flesh 0/10000】
【Painting Skin Progress: Tier 3 Blood 0/10000】
【Refining Body Progress: Tier 3 Soul 0/10000】
【The fourth grade of evil spirit; the Evil God body has preliminarily taken shape.】
【Awakened Evil God Faith Panel, acquired Evil God Points x1000】
【You have awakened a new ability — Bone Incarnation】
【You have awakened a new ability — Bone Erosion】
【Building and Mall lists have been updated!】
【Please continue moving forward to become a great Evil God】
【^_^】
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