Yi Jia and Yi Rou’s delicate bodies trembled. They dared not look at the Son of Darkness. Clearly, neither of them had expected to run into this ten-year-old **precious boy known as the Son of Darkness here again.

The city guards of Riyue City, mounted on camels and brandishing scimitars, were still searching door-to-door for followers of the Auro Religion, and among them, directing the search with cold expressions, were Manichaean cultists entirely shrouded in black robes—one of the other leaders of Manichaeism, known as the Dark King, was actually among them.

The leader of the Lam Sect, who had escaped from Li Hentian last time, stood alongside the Dark King. He was not riding that gigantic poisonous scorpion, but when he saw Li Hentian, his face immediately changed, and he urgently spoke to the Dark King beside him.

“Li Hentian, you dare come to the Western Regions? Heh heh, excellent!” The Dark King roared in Middle Earth vernacular amidst the black-robed figures. Back at Tianwu Garden, Li Hentian had forced him to escape using Manichaean secret arts, damaging his vitality, and he had been wondering how to exact revenge. Now, seeing him appear in his own territory, he immediately became excited.

Mu Luo looked at Li Hentian with some confusion, his face full of astonishment: “You, you recognize him?”

Li Hentian was not a man fond of speaking. After staying in the Auro Religion for so long, he had never mentioned how he had once disgraced the Dark King in the Middle Earth, forcing him to withdraw from Tianwu Garden.

He nodded indifferently, Li Hentian frowned, and said lightly, “I crossed swords with him back at Tianwu Garden.”

Mu Luo was pleasantly surprised, and Ayiguli, who understood the Middle Earth language, was extremely excited, letting out a soft cry:

“It was you! I heard the Dark King suffered a great loss on his trip to the Middle Earth this time; I never imagined, never imagined it was at your hands! ,.”

Ayiguli turned and explained to the three Taghan brothers in the Western Regions dialect. The three, who regarded the Dark King of Manichaeism as their lifelong greatest enemy, now looked at Li Hentian with immense reverence, their demeanors instantly becoming extremely respectful. “Heh heh, Mu Luo is here too. Very good, very good, I can capture you all in one swoop!” The Dark King sneered coldly, raised his hand, pointed at Li Hentian, and said to the leader of the Lam Sect beside him: “The two of us will join forces and deal with this Middle Earth fellow first.” A bewitching, seductive woman whose robe was embroidered with strange, eerie flowers walked out of the shadows unhurriedly, chuckling as she looked at Mu Luo and waved at him. “Yao Lian!” Ayiguli exclaimed in a low voice, looking as if facing a great enemy, and quickly explained to Ji Changkong beside her: “Sect Leader, this woman is the mistress of Hundred Flower Valley, one of the most loyal lapdogs of Manichaeism. We are in grave danger this time!” Mu Luo’s face became somewhat grim, he slightly bowed, his eyes fixed intently on the seductive woman emerging from the darkness. He moved subtly closer to Ji Changkong, whispering so quietly that it could barely be heard: “Sect Leader, something is amiss; I think we have walked into a trap. Sect Leader, if things turn sour, you must be the first to leave this place; we will do everything in our power to shield you.” One by one, the impoverished houses next to Hualan Street opened, and Western Region experts in strange attire filed out. Not a single one of these people was a follower of the Auro Religion!

The situation had reached this point; it was painfully clear—this was a trap! “There is a traitor in the Sect!” Ayiguli lowered her head, her voice cold.

Mu Luo nodded, his expression unchanged. He turned to glance at Li Hentian and said in a pleading tone: “When the fighting starts, I beg you to take the Sect Leader and leave first. We will stop them at all costs!” Li Hentian’s expression remained the same, as if he hadn't heard Mu Luo’s words, simply staring silently at the Dark King.

Gradually, more and more Western Region experts in bizarre outfits emerged from the shadows, completely encircling Ji Changkong and his party on Hualan Street. The Dark King, the leader of the Lam Sect, and the others wore expressions of playful teasing, like cats watching mice, and did not rush to attack immediately. “Ayiguli, haha, it’s Ayiguli! This is too perfect!” The Son of Darkness **cackled, glancing alternately at Yi Jia, Yi Rou, and the proud Ayiguli, growing more and more excited.

For some unknown reason, looking at himself being surrounded, Ji Changkong felt little fear. No matter how anxious Mu Luo and Ayiguli became, just seeing Li Hentian’s composed demeanor made him feel utterly secure.

There were no common civilians on Hualan Street. Besides the assistants invited by Manichaeism and the city guards, only Ji Changkong’s group, trapped in the center of the street, remained. A somber, oppressive aura hung over Hualan Street, making people feel suffocated.

Just then, a powerful, scorching force suddenly erupted from Li Hentian. His innate divine weapon, the Wheel of the Scorching Sun, finally rose like the dawn. In an instant, the dark atmosphere shrouding Hualan Street was completely swept away, leaving only a searing heat.

The Dark King and the leader of the Lam Sect exchanged a glance and simultaneously flew towards Li Hentian. The seductive beauty named Yao Lian also approached Mu Luo with a chuckle.

The Son of Darkness smirked, his gaze never leaving Ayiguli and the two women, Yi Jia and Yi Rou. As for the youthful Ji Changkong, no one spared him a second glance, treating him as if he were non-existent.

The three Taghan brothers instantly formed a triangle, surrounding Ji Changkong in the center. The three brothers looked ready to face death, knowing their mission was to protect Ji Changkong at all costs.

The battle erupted instantly. The Dark King and the leader of the Lam Sect lunged at Li Hentian together. The bewitching woman named Yao Lian unexpectedly collided with Mu Luo. The Son of Darkness advanced with a laugh, accompanied by five demonic figures, attempting to seize the three women: Ayiguli, Yi Jia, and Yi Rou. “Sect Leader, you leave!” Ayiguli screamed, appearing ready to fight the Dark King to the death. “Sect Leader?” The Son of Darkness looked strange, sizing up Ji Changkong, who was tightly guarded by the three Taghan brothers, and softly inquired: “Since when did the Auro Religion have a Sect Leader?” Suddenly, the Son of Darkness’s expression changed; it seemed he understood something. He stopped looking at Ayiguli entirely and roared violently: “Kill that Middle Earth youth at all costs! Since the Auro Religion acknowledges him as their leader, he must have obtained the profound inheritance of the Auro Religion’s sacred land!” At these words, the expressions of all the Manichaean cultists changed, and those who had previously paid little attention to Ji Changkong immediately turned their gaze toward him.

Even the Dark King, the leader of the Lam Sect, and the beautiful woman named Yao Lian, who were currently engaged with Li Hentian, all changed their expressions and simultaneously looked towards Ji Changkong, who stood between the three Damu brothers.

As the oldest Celestial Master sect in the Western Regions, the Auro Religion could stand against Manichaeism for a thousand years without a Sect Leader. However, in the history of the Western Regions, whenever the Auro Religion had a recognized leader, it was invariably the most powerful Celestial Master sect, the undisputed overlord of the Western Regions!

Now that the Auro Religion had a Sect Leader, what did this signify?

Was a behemoth that had lain dormant for a thousand years about to cast its shadow over everyone once again?

Forcing all the strong figures of the Western Regions to bow down?

Ayiguli’s unintentional cry of shock stunned everyone present. None of these arriving Western Region experts were unaware of the ancient prestige of the Auro Religion. Seeing that it actually had a new leader, everyone became fearful.

Ayiguli’s face was pale, and she muttered faintly: “They, they still don’t know…” In her view, the Manichaean cultists who set this trap must have had a traitor within their own ranks. Since the traitor had betrayed them, Ji Changkong’s existence should already have been widely known, which was why she had shouted the title “Sect Leader” without reservation.

All the Western Region Celestial Masters who had accompanied Manichaeism stopped looking at the three beauties—Ayiguli, Yi Jia, and Yi Rou—and, led by the Son of Darkness, frantically rushed toward Ji Changkong.

Although the Son of Darkness lusted after beauty, he was not someone who lacked judgment of the gravity of the situation!

Li Hentian desperately held back the Dark King and the leader of the Lam Sect. Mu Luo was blocked by Yao Lian. These two top experts were too inexperienced to divide their attention. Tuoba Lie and the three Taghan brothers combined only amounted to four Seven-Star Celestial Masters. Ayiguli was only at the Six Harmonies Heaven realm, and Yi Jia and Yi Rou were pure burdens.

The surging tide of enemies approaching consisted of about a dozen Seven-Star Heaven realm experts, and nearly a hundred other assorted Celestial Masters. How could this battle be fought? “Damn it, let’s fight for our lives!” Tuoba Lie’s straightforward temper flared up again, and he charged forward to block the front line.

The three demons of the Manwei Sect—the Slaughter Demon, the Lust Demon, and the Fear Demon—attacked simultaneously, sending streams of starlight rushing forth. Tuoba Lie barely managed to stick his head out before being forced into a rapid retreat under the onslaught of the three demons.

The three Taghan brothers dutifully kept Ji Changkong securely protected in the center, constantly urging him in the Western Regions dialect to break out quickly. “Changkong, fight with all your might! From the very beginning, I never planned to retreat! If I wanted to retreat, I could have easily taken you out!” Just then, Li Hentian in the sky coldly snorted: I never planned to retreat from the start!

Ji Changkong’s heart warmed. He suddenly realized that Li Hentian had never shown any sign of hesitation from beginning to end. He had calmly waited for the encirclement to close before making his move unhurriedly! This wasn't carelessness; it was because he simply didn't take these people seriously!

Li Hentian, having dominated the world for so many years, truly lived up to his reputation as an unprecedented ferocious devil! “Old Li, let’s spill blood all over Hualan Street today!” Ji Changkong threw his head back and let out a wild, unrestrained laugh, showing a touch of manic abandon.

The blood within his body boiled fiercely, and the Tianyuan Pearl once again erupted with terrifying power like a surging tide. He suddenly entered the State of Selflessness, feeling no joy or sorrow in his heart. Every ripple of elemental energy around him was imprinted flawlessly upon his mind.

His spiritual sense spread out, and the swarming Celestial Masters rushing toward him suddenly slowed down in his eyes. When he focused his attention on one person, his spiritual sense stabbed toward that person like a sharp needle. That person’s condensed spiritual sense seemed to be pierced, and the rushing body suddenly stumbled, falling heavily to the ground.