The Ghost Ancestor, Badi of the Netherworld, held some renown even in the Sea of Destruction. This individual, now the chieftain of the Nether Ghost Tribe, had single-handedly propelled them from an insignificant minor race to a respectable second-tier power.
Badi had, through his own efforts, almost single-handedly expanded the entire Nether Ghost Tribe, proving himself to be exceptionally capable.
In his early days, his cultivation was exceedingly low, merely an unremarkable member of the Nether Ghost Tribe. Due to a chance encounter with a wandering powerhouse from the Soul Clan, he fawned over the figure diligently, enduring servitude like a dog for thousands of years. Only when that powerful being ascended to the Ancestor Realm did Badi benefit, soaring in rank alongside his master.
Through his staunch loyalty, he earned the acknowledgment of the Soul Clan. Upon his master, You Yu, breaking through to the Ancestor Realm, You Yu imparted to him the profound secrets and esoteric arts of the Soul Clan.
No one had ever expected Badi to achieve anything significant in cultivation.
Yet, Badi relied solely on the lesser-tier esoteric techniques gifted by You Yu and, with astonishing speed, broke through one realm after another.
His soaring cultivation pace even surpassed that of many Soul Clan elites. It was only after reaching the peak of the Immortal Realm that his progress finally stabilized.
Badi, initially overlooked by the Soul Clan, now drew their quiet astonishment due to his outstanding performance. Under You Yu’s staunch protection, the Ghost Ancestor disseminated the fundamental principles of power he had grasped to the rest of the Nether Ghost Tribe. This allowed the formerly insignificant race to gradually expand, even gaining the strength to challenge the Dragon Lizard Clan.
Years later, You Yu had long since become an established powerhouse within the Soul Clan, ranking among the Ten Great Ancestors of the Void Sea. His follower, the Ghost Ancestor, also occupied a high position, not only as the chieftain of the Nether Ghost Tribe but also as an outstanding figure among all the vassals of the Soul Clan.
Today, this Badi had been lurking at the bottom of the Sea of Destruction like a ghost, only revealing himself when Naphton roared.
Badi was small, short, and ugly, resembling a demonic imp, with a fierce, cold demeanor. At Naphton's urging, his figure flickered a few times before arriving beside Ming Hao.
“Jie jie! Interesting, are you also here to steal my body?” he shrieked. Wisps of dim, ghostly mist leaked from his back, filled with writhing vengeful spirits that transformed into foul, stinking tongues. The tongues lashed out, instantly ensnaring one of Ming Hao’s clones.
An aura of extreme, chilling resentment radiated from those tongues, causing the targeted Ming Hao clone to freeze instantly.
Every single one of Ming Hao's clones experienced the sensation simultaneously, their expressions shifting to surprise as they focused their attention on the Ghost Ancestor.
“This old ghoul… he’s getting stronger. Even if my true self came here, I might not be able to subdue him,” the Dragon Lizard observed from the sidelines, his expression grave. “I must admit, Badi has a terrifying talent for cultivating unorthodox paths. To refine a Soul Clan secret art, one tier below his own, to such a magnificent new height—he is truly a rare genius.”
“He followed a good master. You Yu is one of the Ten Great Ancestors, holding a higher status in the Soul Clan than Naphton. You Yu has the qualification to peruse all the profound esoteric arts of the Soul Clan, and he took great care of Badi, explaining the true essence of the doctrines of power to him,” Tu Shiqi also stated with a heavy heart. “If Badi hadn’t assisted Singh back then, how could Singh have gravely injured us? In a way, Badi might be even more troublesome than Singh. He has followed You Yu for years and encountered more powerhouses; his insight and vision are not comparable to Singh’s.”
“Old man, what do we do now?” Ya Yun asked through gritted teeth.
“Wait, wait a little longer. When Naphton’s clones are incapacitated, we strike Badi! This fellow sneak-attacked us near Dragon Lizard Star; it’s time we hit back once!” Tu Shiqi decided firmly.
Ya Yun’s eyes lit up.
“Rumble!”
Peals of thunder roared incessantly. Flames, like a vibrant crimson ocean, surged toward the Sea Shark Emperor. Three terrifying, monstrous souls, resembling giant mountains with limbs, continuously tore at the Sea Shark Emperor’s water barriers, letting out roars.
The Sea Shark Emperor looked somewhat fatigued, but his eyes remained terrifyingly scarlet, gradually edging toward madness.
“You absolutely must not lose your reason! A full-force breakthrough is the only correct path!” Shen Ren constantly reminded from the periphery of the Sea Shark Emperor’s Water Domain, trying to prevent the Emperor from sinking into a battle-crazed obsession.
—This was why he insisted on staying behind.
Many, many years ago, when Bloodlust taught the Sea Shark Emperor the Berserk Edict, he specifically warned him that since the Sea Shark Emperor had not cultivated the Eight Great Evil Forces and was not his true inheritor, this esoteric art would carry major drawbacks for him. It should only be used occasionally in critical moments for survival.
Bloodlust once said that once this technique was unleashed, it relied on stimulating life potential at a cost, making it easy to become lost in obsession and unable to extricate oneself. If one’s willpower was not firm enough, they would transform into a mere killing machine, only stopping once the last trace of divine power was exhausted.
When they stopped, it often meant death was near…
Shen Ren was present then and heard everything clearly. Over the years, whenever the Sea Shark Emperor relied on the Edict to win battles, Shen Ren had watched from the side, deeply understanding both the advantages and the drawbacks of this technique.
“Sea Shark Emperor! You cannot escape!” Ferel roared maniacally.
Rolling thunder connected heaven and earth, descending like pillars of lightning. At a glance, the world seemed to be bombarded by countless lightning meteorites, crashing down relentlessly.
The Sea Shark Emperor convulsed violently; water curtains and bubbles within his Water Domain shattered. He could no longer suppress the blood in his throat, and streaks of crimson blood now stained his chest.
The sight of the blood drove the Sea Shark Emperor further into madness, inciting the violent factors within his heart and making the aura within his body even more savage.
He gradually could no longer hear Shen Ren’s cries…
Shen Ren watched silently from the side, his expression growing increasingly grim, his heart slowly sinking to the bottom.
He knew that the thing he feared most had, unfortunately, come to pass.
—The Sea Shark Emperor had fallen into madness!
…
“Such powerful battle fluctuations. Even from this distance, the water currents are so unstable; the fighting must be incredibly fierce.”
Mei Ji’s beautiful eyes were filled with surprise as she began to worry about Shi Yan’s decision, suspecting the battle on the Sea Shark Emperor’s side might have reached a state of utter chaos.
Inside the Starry Canopy, Shi Yan’s face remained composed. “Audrey and the others are there too!”
“How do you know?”
“Audrey and that Divine Lord have both merged with a fragment of Desolate’s soul-form. There’s a subtle connection between them and my Vice-Soul. As long as the distance isn't too great, we can sense each other. They are… over there!”
“Truly miraculous.”
Shi Yan and Mei Ji conversed as the Starry Canopy flashed by like a streaking meteor beneath the ocean.
“Boom!”
An orange-red beam of light shot forward from ahead, colliding with the Starry Canopy.
The Starry Canopy erupted in dazzling, strange light.
Shi Yan’s eyes brightened slightly. “The aura of Immortal Realm experts. Hmm, not bad, not bad! All Immortal Realm experts! This is quite interesting. If a few more people die, the divine power of my recently broken-through realm can be replenished adequately.”
“The prerequisite is that we must be able to leave alive; you need to be careful about that,” Mei Ji reminded with a smile.
“Don’t worry. If I dared to come back, I can naturally leave safely,” Shi Yan chuckled boldly, slapping Mei Ji’s voluptuous hip with his large hand, commanding, “Fortune is sought in danger! The only reason I’ve been able to create miracles repeatedly over the years is because I’ve always operated in theaters of war. Even if the star regions I visit were peaceful paradises originally, I stir them into seas of blood and gore! Only through blood and death can I forge this miracle of mine. Hehe, the Sea of Destruction is an excellent training ground; let’s go find some energy to replenish my divine power!”
With his hand caressing her rear, listening to his grand declarations, Mei Ji was somewhat entranced. She swayed her hips alluringly, her full, bulging breasts pressing deliberately against his arm, and cooed sweetly, “I await your gift of more energy.”
“You slut,” Shi Yan cursed with a laugh, thoroughly provoked by her teasing. “I’ll feed you your fill.”
“Being with you, even if I die, I am content,” Mei Ji offered a passionate, intense kiss, wishing she could melt into Shi Yan’s body.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make you die a few more times—just that kind of ‘death’!” Shi Yan ground out through clenched teeth.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Mei Ji chuckled coquettishly.
…
“Hiss, hiss!”
A clone of Ming Hao dissipated into vaporous gray smoke; another one vanished.
“Jie jie! Not bad, not bad. The Soul Devouring Art of the Devourer Clan is indeed exquisite, but you aren’t facing just me, so escaping will be difficult for you,” the Ghost Ancestor Badi sneered coldly.
“Chaotic Field!” Qi Mo roared coldly. Dozens of Ming Hao’s clones suddenly twisted as if violently grasped and kneaded, their light and shadow flickering as if on the verge of dissipation.
The Devourer Clan members under his command also exerted all their strength, attacking Ming Hao’s clones.
Warriors who had their bodies forcibly possessed by Ming Hao self-detonated to deal heavy blows to Naphton’s malevolent souls. Those nearby with weak willpower had already retreated, fearing they might be exploited by Ming Hao.
As a result, Ming Hao could only fight using his clones, and clones, after all, were clones; it was difficult for him to gain the upper hand against cultivators of the same rank.
Under the combined assault of Naphton’s malevolent soul, the Ghost Ancestor Badi, and Qi Mo, the Soul Control leader Ming Hao finally showed signs of defeat and struggled to hold on.
However, his performance shocked many surrounding warriors of the Sea of Destruction. Ming Hao, clearly only at the third heaven of the Immortal Realm—not even at the peak—had managed to injure two of Naphton’s malevolent souls and resist the peak Immortal Badi and the others. This man’s ferocity was simply unbelievable.
“Those fellows from the Desolate Domain are actually this strong? How is that possible?”
“The Desolate Domain is merely one realm; how can it produce experts of this caliber?”
“That is the first realm Desolate condensed; it is incredibly ancient, so it should possess some marvels.”
“Inconceivable! If we could find the Desolate Domain, refine Desolate’s soul-fragment body, and seize the Primordial Divine Artifact, wouldn’t we instantly ascend to the Ancestor Realm, perhaps even becoming one of the Ten Great Ancestors?”
“I think it should be effortless.”
The onlookers buzzed with discussion, stunned by the strength Ming Hao displayed. They realized the visitors from the Desolate Domain were terrifying, no less formidable than the warriors of their own Sea of Destruction.
…(To be continued)RQ
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