Ghost Lord was just about to rip through the protective light shield of the treasure ship to pursue and kill Ye Qin. But then, a stern roar from Lu shot out, and an aura of oppressive might, a raw power only achievable by an ultimate Nascent Soul cultivator, plummeted down from the sky, rapidly closing the distance.
This sweeping, all-encompassing presence was one only a peak late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator could possibly possess.
Besides the Saint Emperor, who else could it be?
The Ghost Lord immediately stiffened in shock, turning just in time to see the Twin-Headed Ghost Vulture flung over ten miles away by a single punch from the Saint Emperor. This sight caused its black eyes to constrict violently, and it sucked in a sharp breath. Even it could not have dispatched the Twin-Headed Ghost Vulture with such casual ease.
It was filled with immediate regret, realizing it had lost the golden opportunity to hunt down Ye Qin. The Saint Emperor’s fearsome reputation was indeed as formidable and impossible to provoke as the legends claimed. It had to meet the challenge immediately.
The chance to kill Ye Qin again and reclaim the seeds of the Northern Abyss Ice Lotus was now gone with time running out.
“Cackle~! If that is the case, then let us fight! Allow this Lord to witness the divine arts of the esteemed Saint Emperor! In the East Sea Cultivation Realm, not everyone possesses the strength and the fortune to clash with the Saint Emperor, who has been renowned throughout the East Sea for a thousand years!”
The Desolate Spirit Ghost Lord’s eyes gleamed with savage intent; it was not one to silently endure insult.
The rage that had been building up now surged to its core. The East Sea cultivators’ savage attack on the Desolate Spirit Ghost Island, which it had painstakingly built over centuries, was an unbearable humiliation. They should not assume that because it was a Ghost Cultivator, it was a soft persimmon meant to be squeezed at will.
A chilling will to fight surged heavenward.
The Desolate Spirit Ghost Lord instantly abandoned the treasure ship, transforming into a streak of black flame, shooting into the sky to meet the golden, ethereal phantom that was the Saint Emperor.
“Ghost Wail Bone Sword!”
“Wolf Howl Skull!”
The Ghost Lord shrieked, its black sleeves whipping out, spewing forth two minor divine ability-grade Ghost Artifacts. Simultaneously, it drew a large mass of Netherflame from its chest cavity, shaping it into multiple lotus-like flames, launching its ten claws outward.
The two minor divine ability Ghost Artifacts, carrying torrents of surging, churning ghost qi, instantly swelled into bone swords and marrow skulls hundreds of feet long.
The Ghost Wail Bone Sword, its massive, stark white blade riddled with countless cavities gnawed out by tormented spirits. In every hole resided the pained, weeping face of a wronged soul, twisted and horrifying. The surging ghost qi poured out from these very cavities.
Under the Ghost Lord’s full exertion, the Ghost Wail Bone Sword shot skyward, stabbing out fiercely. Countless vengeful spirits let out piercing wails, the sound of "wooooo" echoing near and far, sometimes loud, sometimes soft—the cry of ten thousand ghosts, tearing at the soul.
With the release of the Ghost Wail Bone Sword minor divine ability artifact, a chilling wind swept across a radius of dozens of miles, instantly transforming the area into a grim, spectral domain.
Even some late-stage Golden Core cultivators, affected by the bizarre and terrifying wails, were struck by sudden terror and dread, their combat effectiveness plummeting. They could barely even engage in fighting against Ghost Cultivators. Fortunately, numerous Nascent Soul cultivators were present to maintain the overall structure, preventing the complete collapse of the Golden Core cultivators.
The other minor divine ability artifact, the “Wolf Howl Skull,” was forged from the skeleton of a monstrous wolf. This hundred-foot-tall wolf skull was inscribed with eerie, shadowy runes upon its stark white bones. Within its two fathomless eye sockets danced sickly green flames—utterly terrifying.
“Awooooo!”
Under the Ghost Lord’s command, this Wolf Howl Skull suddenly sprang to life. The runes on the wolf skull began to flash with a faint green luminescence, casting light tens of feet away. With a piercing, arrogant howl, it opened its gigantic, horrifying maw and lunged to tear at the Saint Emperor.
These two minor divine ability Ghost Artifacts were a set, known as the “Ghost Wail and Wolf Howl,” their power greatly amplified when used in concert.
Furthermore, atop these two Ghost Artifacts floated clusters of mysterious Netherflame.
Each single bloom of Netherflame was potent enough to incinerate a Nascent Soul cultivator to ash.
“So what if you are the Saint Emperor! This Lord will fight you today!”
Fierce malice burned in the Ghost Lord’s eyes, its expressionless face unleashing a deadly attack the moment it moved.
“Hahahaha! Well said, Ghost Lord! To possess the Thirteenth-Grade Netherflame of the Azure Nether Continent indeed gives you the right to be arrogant; you certainly qualify to dominate a region in the East Sea Cultivation World! Even the Sect Master of the Heavenly Dao Alliance or the Hegemon of the Demonic Heaven Alliance might hesitate to provoke you! Unfortunately, before this Emperor, you lack the right to such arrogance. Let us see if your Netherflame has the mettle to pierce my ‘Imperial Hegemony Sacred Body’ divine art!”
The Saint Emperor’s gaze turned cold; he recognized the origin of the Netherflame instantly.
Yet, he showed not an ounce of fear, nor any sign of evasion.
The two minor divine ability Ghost Artifacts attacked with overwhelming aggression, bearing the terrifying Black Lotus Netherflame, reaching the Saint Emperor in the blink of an eye.
The Ghost Wail Sword unleashed hundreds of colossal sword shadows in the air, while the Wolf Howl Skull lunged forward with a ferocious bite.
“Well met!”
The Saint Emperor roared deeply. The ten-thousand-foot golden radiance surrounding him surged anew. He swung both hands, which transformed into two colossal, radiant golden palms, a hundred feet wide. With a resounding CRACK, the two aggressively charging minor divine ability Ghost Artifacts were firmly grasped by the golden giant hands conjured by the Saint Emperor’s fully activated Imperial Hegemony Sacred Body divine technique.
The surging ghost qi and the ghastly green faces emanating from the Ghost Wail Bone Sword were violently forced back into their original form, and the piercing ghostly cries and howls of the Wolf Howl Skull abruptly ceased.
Below, the Ghost Lord’s face morphed into stark horror; the Saint Emperor dared to grab its two Ghost Artifacts barehanded.
However, the ordeal was not over. The Netherflames on the two minor divine ability Ghost Artifacts immediately began to adhere to the Saint Emperor. These flames burned against the Saint Emperor’s shining golden armor, painstakingly scorching their way inward, inch by agonizing inch.
“This fire is indeed potent; it can actually burn through my Imperial Hegemony Sacred Body!”
A sharp light flashed in the Saint Emperor’s eyes. With surprised laughter, he slammed his two giant golden hands together. With two crisp SCREECH sounds, cracks immediately appeared across the surfaces of the two extremely hard minor divine ability Ghost Artifacts.
“Return to you!”
The Saint Emperor then flicked his hand casually, sending the two damaged minor divine ability Ghost Artifacts spinning back toward the Ghost Lord with a fierce whistle of displaced air.
His pair of golden giant palms swept outward, knocking away the few remaining Netherflames burning on his body.
The falling Netherflames caused terror among the cultivators gathered below the battlefield.
“Returning favors is only polite; Souling Dharma Pillars!”
The Saint Emperor roared with hearty laughter, delighted by the exchange. He opened his mouth and spat out four golden Dharma Pillars, intricately patterned and massive, each a hundred feet tall. With a point of his finger, the golden pillars transformed into four beams of light, slamming down ferociously toward the Ghost Lord, whose black robe billowed in the wind below.
The Ghost Lord steeled itself to meet the attack, yet it found itself in an unbearable predicament. Its most lethal weapon was the Thirteenth-Grade Yin Netherflame. Wielding this, it could casually slaughter ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators without batting an eyelid.
But this Netherflame was utterly ineffective against the Saint Emperor. If even the Netherflame couldn't kill him, how could this battle be won?!
It was completely—absolutely—being suppressed!
Yes, it was being completely dominated!
Those four golden Dharma Pillars, forged from Secret Metal, hammered repeatedly, nearly blasting the Ghost Wail and Wolf Howl—the two minor divine ability artifacts—into smithereens.
The Desolate Spirit Ghost Lord was overcome with a feeling of profound absurdity. It wasn’t fighting a peak late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator; it was fighting a higher-level, invincible being. A sense of powerlessness settled over it.
The numerous Golden Core cultivators surrounding the Desolate Spirit City were already stunned into fearful silence by the battle raging in the sky between the Saint Emperor and the Ghost Lord.
“The Saint Emperor’s physical body is actually that overwhelmingly powerful?!”
“The Saint Emperor cultivates the Imperial Hegemony Sacred Body divine art. After mastering this Metal-elemental great divine technique, his physical body vastly surpasses that of ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators in toughness. Moreover, his skin is covered in a golden shield, making him virtually indestructible—a single punch can even shatter minor divine ability artifacts.”
“There was a rumor in the East Sea Cultivation World that the Saint Emperor’s enemies could only seal and trap him, never kill him! Now it seems that rumor is true.”
It wasn’t just the Golden Core cultivators who were slack-jawed; even the fifty or sixty Nascent Soul cultivators present watched with disbelief.
As Nascent Soul cultivators themselves, they understood the true strength of their own kind.
Yet, in the battle between the Saint Emperor and the Ghost Lord, they were relegated to mere spectators, not even daring to interfere.
The only one who retained any composure was Sect Master Yu.
Sect Master Yu’s expression was not pleasant; the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
But compared to the panic of the other Nascent Soul cultivators, he remained relatively calm. After all, his own strength was significantly higher than that of the rest of the Nascent Soul cultivators present. Though he knew he couldn't match the Saint Emperor, he was comparable to the Desolate Spirit Ghost Lord and thus not overwhelmed by sheer terror.
Sect Master Yu squinted his slightly turbid eyes, staring at the sky, appearing somewhat excited.
He finally understood why the five Sect Masters of the Heavenly Dao Alliance and the four Hegemons of the Demonic Heaven Alliance had always harbored deep resentment toward the Saint Emperor, yet none dared openly oppose him. Those powerful leaders of the East Sea only dared to strike when the Saint Emperor traveled to the Central Continent to undergo his Spirit Apotheosis Tribulation and was at his weakest.
However, after a moment of agitation, Sect Master Yu ultimately looked crestfallen and let out a soft sigh.
He knew he would never have the opportunity to cultivate to that near-unrivaled realm.
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
In the sky, three successive golden giant fists struck the Ghost Lord like breaking through bamboo.
Clashes erupted where gold and black light collided, sending countless brilliant sparks flying, accompanied by roaring explosions that shook the heavens. Waves of oppressive energy swept over the entire Desolate Spirit City, making it hard for the Golden Core cultivators to draw breath.
“Flee!”
The Desolate Spirit Ghost Lord’s minor divine ability Ghost Wail Bone Sword shattered with a CRACK. It took a direct hit from a golden fist. Amidst a scream of agony, it forcibly endured the wild onslaught of the blow, its ghost qi greatly diminished, but it used the momentum to shoot away into the distance.
In an instant, the Ghost Lord executed a Ghost Evasion Technique, transforming into a streak of black flame hundreds of feet long, streaking miles away, escaping toward even greater distances.
In the sky, the clouds were swept away like chaff; the sun shone brilliantly in the clear air.
Vast swaths of ghost clouds covering thousands of miles began to retreat from the Desolate Spirit City. The Corpse King, the Skeleton Generals, and numerous Golden Core Ghost Cultivators were swept up by a wave of the Ghost Lord’s hand into the thick, billowing ghost clouds, fleeing with countless vengeful spirits and fierce specters back toward the distant Desolate Spirit Island.
Fortunately, the Desolate Spirit Island spanned thousands of miles, vast enough to provide them with ample space to hide for the time being.
The Ghost Mist Grand Array was retracted.
The Ghost Lord had been defeated; it managed to hold out only a brief moment against the Saint Emperor before being forced to relinquish control of the Desolate Spirit City.
The battle had cost the Desolate Spirit Ghost Lord terribly. Its ghost clouds were severely depleted, one minor divine ability artifact was lost, it failed to retrieve the Ice Lotus Seeds of the Northern Abyss, and it had even expended over ten clusters of its lotus-shaped Netherflame.
The Desolate Spirit Ghost Lord dared not continue fighting the Saint Emperor.
If it had pressed the fight, it would have no hope left of surviving the Tribulation of Spirit Apotheosis.
Likewise, the cultivators from the East Sea and Blood Sea also suffered significant losses; dozens of Golden Core cultivators had died in the preceding chaos, and several Nascent Soul cultivators were injured.
“He fled rather quickly.”
The Saint Emperor retrieved the four Soul-ing Pillars, his body blazing with golden light, his fists clenched. He snorted but did not pursue. If the Ghost Lord was determined to flee, chasing it down would genuinely be difficult. He might have to cross the Blood Sea and still might not catch it; it would take too much time, which was not his objective here.
His gaze turned severe. He glanced back at Sect Master Yu, True Person Dongyang, and the assembled Nascent Soul cultivators, before his eyes settled on the ancient teleportation array within the ruins of the central palace of Desolate Spirit City.
“Now, it is time to divide the treasures of the ancient vault! Sect Master Yu, what are your thoughts?”