Thwack!

Another blade plunged in. Ji Changkong's face was grim, his voice a cold roar: "Speak!"

Stabbed twice, the icy energy within Du Yunsong intensified. His limbs grew cold, robbing him of the ability to resist. Several Black Ghost Worms burrowed into his body, savagely disrupting his vital functions, inflicting immense agony.

"Ji Haotian, Ji Haotian is alive, but I don't know where he is. As for that woman, I know nothing at all..." Du Yunsong shrieked, wailing, "I spend all my time in Blackrock City; I never have a chance to return to the family headquarters. I truly have no clear idea what happened over there."

"Tell me, what exactly happened back then?" Ji Changkong demanded urgently.

Du Yunsong was surrounded by the monstrous beasts. The other six Outer-Clan Heavenly Talents of the Du Family, following his earlier orders, had dispersed to search for him. They would surely realize something was amiss here soon and would likely be searching back soon.

Of the remaining six Outer-Clan Heavenly Talents of the Du Family, three had reached the Five Elements Heaven Realm, and the other three were exceedingly cautious individuals. Once these people returned, he would lose any chance to interrogate Du Yunsong further. Thus, he had to extract the necessary information from Du Yunsong before they arrived.

"Ji Haotian went to Hidden Dragon Abyss to reason with us, claiming Hidden Dragon Abyss was Ji family territory..." Du Yunsong's account bore little difference from what Xiao Shu had said previously.

"Over there! Hurry up!!" Urgent shouts echoed from a distance.

His expression shifted. He glanced coolly at the suddenly joyful Du Yunsong, hesitated not at all, and with a swift slash of the dagger in his hand, severed Du Yunsong’s neck. Blood sprayed forth.

Sensing the situation, Ji Changkong swiftly withdrew. Before those Du Family Outer-Clan Heavenly Talents could return, he had quietly slipped away.

These remaining Outer-Clan Heavenly Talents certainly wouldn't know the secrets of that year, so Ji Changkong had no intention of pursuing them and getting entangled with the remaining six Du family subordinates.

............ Northwest of Scarlet Sun City lay Mount Qitian.

Mount Qitian soared into the clouds, the fierce sun beating down like knives. At the very peak, soaring ten thousand meters high, ordinary people would struggle to breathe, finding every step more taxing than usual.

A thick, inky blackness, like a suffocating thundercloud, suddenly descended upon Mount Qitian. This mass of darkness instantly obscured the blinding sunlight. Upon reaching the peak, the darkness moved rapidly, rushing down toward the mountain base. Within the gloom, a vague, shifting silhouette moved constantly, as if fleeing something.

"King of Darkness, how long do you think you can run!" Huangfu Tong, clutching a golden dragon-headed staff, suddenly descended from the distance.

The dragon-headed staff flew out, striking toward the mass of darkness ahead. As the staff appeared, a dazzling golden light flashed, transforming the staff into a magnificent, shimmering golden dragon that coiled and twisted in the void, snapping directly at the darkness before it.

"Huangfu Tong, what use is your pursuit? Just you alone—how can you stop me? You chased me for thousands of li, and yet you still watch me slip away!" A cold, sinister voice drifted from the dense darkness. The mass continued to drift down Mount Qitian, paying no heed to the golden dragon relentlessly following behind.

Huangfu Tong was the previous Empress of the Water Cloud Kingdom, an ancient elder of the Huangfu family. She was a transcendent figure, renowned among the Three Kingdoms and all Heavenly Talents across the realm.

"If you have the guts, stop running and fight me openly! I'd like to see what amazing skills your Manichaean Dark Lineage possesses." Huangfu Tong, who appeared to be in her forties, relentlessly pursued the darkness, shouting mockingly.

"Heh heh, fighting openly is the style of Youlan and the others. It does not align with my doctrine."

The King of Darkness chuckled coldly, showing no inclination to engage Huangfu Tong, and continued drifting westward.

The mass of darkness floated to the mountainside of Mount Qitian, merging with the surrounding clouds, darting among the layers of white vapor.

Suddenly, cold, sharp shouts echoed from all directions.

The blazing sun's light dramatically diminished. The sunlight actually condensed into numerous arm-length sharp blades, flashing with dazzling brilliance, all falling toward the darkness concealed within the clouds.

Amidst the blinding glare, a tall, slender figure descended from the heavens, trailing brilliant crimson light, attacking the darkness.

Huangfu Tong, who had been in pursuit, paused momentarily, surprised to see another pursuer suddenly appear mid-chase, targeting the Manichaean Dark King. However, when she looked up, her face lit up with sudden joy, and she quickly exclaimed, "The Chen family managed to persuade you to come out!"

"Enough chatter, kill him!" A detached, ruthless voice barked impatiently.

Huangfu Tong, the former Empress of the Water Cloud Kingdom and matriarch of the Huangfu family, showed no hint of impatience at this sharp command. Instead, she chuckled, "You fellow, you haven't changed a bit!"

As she spoke, the golden dragon soared through the void, bypassed a dark cloud, and also lunged toward the hidden darkness concealing the Dark King.

"Li Hentian! It’s you, fiend!" the Dark King shrieked, clearly showing apprehension.

Among the Heavenly Talents across the realm, Li Hentian’s wicked reputation preceded him. Not only were the Three Central Kingdoms aware, but Heavenly Talents from the Western Regions, Southern Barbarians, Eastern Sea, and Northern Wilds all knew the terror and horror of this traitor from the Qiankun Sect.

Rays of blazing light fell like blades. The darkness enveloping the Dark King gradually lost its resistance and soon dispersed.

Huangfu Tong's golden dragon crashed in. As black light shot in all directions from the darkness, the brilliant red light from the heavens slammed down, and dark energy swirled. The pure mass of darkness was finally torn apart.

A tall figure, entirely enveloped in black robes, materialized from the darkness. His eyes, cold and venomous, swept over Li Hentian beneath the sun, then glanced at Huangfu Tong, before saying sinisterly, "The Heaven-Splitting Sword and the Sun Blazing Bow are not in my possession. I came this time only for the Tianyuan Pearl, but I failed to find it! Li Hentian, Huangfu Tong, remember this: I will return for revenge sooner or later!"

Another mass of darkness erupted from his body. This darkness flashed once and vanished instantly.

"The Dark King’s Dark Evasion consumes twenty percent of his vital energy and can only be used once every five years."

Huangfu Tong retrieved her golden staff and laughed wryly, "I chased him all this way just to force him to use the Dark Evasion, but he insisted on not using it. I didn't expect that the moment you arrived, he would immediately resort to expending his vital energy to flee. Li Hentian, after all these years, your infamous reputation still holds such deterrent power!"

Li Hentian frowned, coldly sweeping his gaze over Huangfu Tong, seemingly too uninterested to speak further. He turned to leave.

"Wait!" Seeing Li Hentian about to depart, Huangfu Tong called out urgently.

"Ji Haotian and his son have emerged. I only want to ask one thing: is that boy the new generation's Xuanyuan of the Ji family?" Huangfu Tong’s expression turned serious as she asked swiftly.

Li Hentian’s eyes turned frigid as he stared impassively at Huangfu Tong. "Huangfu Tong, if you dare use him for anything, I will place the corpses of your Huangfu family members, one by one, before your gates!"

At these words, Huangfu Tong managed a wry smile. She knew the man before her always kept his word; gruesome murders were not uncommon in his wake.

"Li Hentian, what are you saying?" Huangfu Tong forced a strained smile, explaining awkwardly, "That boy is one of my Water Cloud Kingdom's people. If I do anything, it will be for his own good. If he truly is the new Xuanyuan, our Huangfu family must certainly protect him zealously. Even if I don't show you respect, I wouldn't dare cross the elder over at Tianshan, right? Relax, I certainly won't do anything to him."

After Li Hentian left, Huangfu Tong could only shake her head helplessly, still wearing a bitter smile. Although the Huangfu family appeared glorious to outsiders, and the Seven Great Families and Six Great Sects feared the royal lineage, she knew that a ruthless man like Li Hentian, who disregarded all consequences, was absolutely not to be offended.

Especially since Li Hentian represented far more than just himself.

······ After leaving Mutianlin, Ji Changkong traveled north toward Scarlet Sun City.

The Du family's main compound was located outside Border City in the Tianwu Kingdom. Border City was situated at the northernmost point of Tianwu, and traveling from Blackrock City to Border City inevitably meant passing through Scarlet Sun City.

At night, in a cave on a small hill south of Scarlet Sun City, Ji Changkong faced East, releasing his divine soul to communicate with the Eastern Sacred Beast, Azure Dragon.

When his mind finally settled, the Azure Dragon's Sea of Consciousness appeared vast and boundless. Merging his own divine soul into it, he felt a profound sense of comfort.

After an unknown duration, communicating with the Azure Dragon, he gradually lost himself, experiencing the wondrous illusion of being the Azure Dragon. The three Heavenly Thunder Fields in his chest could convert the power of heavenly thunder.

A scorching, fiery energy was released from the Tianyuan Pearl in his lower abdomen. While communing with the Azure Dragon, he vaguely felt himself enveloped by flames again. His body temperature gradually rose, and he began to wonder if he was instead within the Sea of Consciousness of the Vermillion Bird.

This sensation didn't last long before his mind jolted, and he completely lost consciousness, sinking into a state of absolute selflessness.

In a single instant, faint lights of azure, white, crimson, and black flickered and alternated, slowly emanating from his body. He would alternate between being hot as fire, cool as water, hard as iron, and explosive as lightning, his entire demeanor subtly shifting with the alternation of colors.