The pitch-black night descended, the ferocious beasts let out low snarls, the fierce ghosts wailed mournfully. Every evil thing in the Ashen Mountain Range seemed to stir to life, exulting in their savagery under the cover of darkness, sending a deep chill through the bone.

Behind a barren peak, within a naturally formed cavern, several pythons, creatures that reveled in the cold dampness, had been slain by Ji Changkong. After casting the corpses out, Ji Changkong summoned a sky-filling flame, baking the damp cave until it was warm and bright. Illuminated by the roaring fire, Ji Changkong faced the three young girls: Duan Xiaoshan, Duan Xiaokan, and Duan Lingyue.

When their blindfolds were ripped off, the three girls blinked wide-eyed, bombarding him with questions until they finally grasped the current situation and their location.

"Ji Changkong, why are you in the Ashen Mountain Range? This place is no picnic," Duan Xiaoshan adjusted her large glasses, pinching her nose with one hand. "Why does this cave smell so foul? Why did you pick such a wretched spot?"

"This was a den the pythons occupied; the stench is theirs. Here, we don't need to worry about who hears us. Lighting a flame won't attract those ferocious beasts. In the Ashen Mountain Range, once night falls, all sorts of dangers emerge. It's best to be cautious," having spent some time here, he had gained a small understanding of how to preserve his life in this place.

"Thank you for saving us. Otherwise, those Shadowless Sect members would have used us to threaten the Duan Family! I never expected the Shadowless Sect’s main base to be in the Ashen Mountain Range. No wonder we searched for so long and couldn't pinpoint their headquarters," Duan Lingyue frowned, looking extremely surprised. "We should leave here as soon as possible. As you said, one of them escaped with a wisp of soul essence. He could report back to the Shadowless Sect base very quickly. Once their Sect Master learns of this, he will immediately dispatch people to hunt for us in the Ashen Mountain Range, and then leaving will be nearly impossible," Duan Xiaotian also wore a bitter expression, unconsciously kicking a small pebble in front of her. "That's right, you must leave the Ashen Mountain Range immediately. If you delay, you might never get out." Nodding gravely, Ji Changkong looked solemn. "Be extremely careful when you return. The fierce ghosts and beasts of the Ashen Mountain Range are terrifying. You had best avoid them; given your strength, encountering a beast horde or a ghost cluster would be very troublesome."

Duan Lingyue and the other two only possessed the cultivation of the Three Talents Heaven Realm. At this level, traversing the Ashen Mountain Range was indeed fraught with peril. Facing either a beast tide or a ghost swarm, the three girls would struggle immensely to escape unscathed.

"Brother Changkong, what are the chances of the three of us making it out of the Ashen Mountain Range alive if we go back together?" Duan Xiaoshan looked at him with pleading eyes, her large glasses bobbing as if on the verge of tears. "We know a little about the situation here. Usually, without the strength of the Five Elements Heaven Realm, one can perish at any moment in the Ashen Mountain Range. If you don't help us and just let us go back, even if the Shadowless Sect people don't catch up, we're doomed!"

Duan Xiaokan and Duan Lingyue fell silent, realizing the girls were indeed aware of the dangers of the Ashen Mountain Range and understood their own low cultivation level. Leaving Ji Changkong, their chances of surviving the journey out were slim.

When Ji Changkong was at the Duan Family, the three girls had occasionally teased him, but afterwards, they had genuinely helped him with many matters. Though a bit mischievous, their fundamental nature was kind and endearing. Even for the sake of Duan Haoshan, Ji Changkong could not simply abandon them to their fate.

Hearing their words, Ji Changkong’s brow furrowed deeply. After contemplating for a while, he looked up at the three girls. "Fine, I will escort you out of the Ashen Mountain Range, but you must promise me one thing."

"Tell us, but don't ask for an outrageous price! If you try to bully us, we'll sooner die than submit!" Duan Xiaoshan nodded quickly, saying cheerfully.

Ji Changkong let out a wry chuckle. "If I dared bully you, wouldn't Duan Haoshan turn on me?" His expression sobered. "Inside the Ashen Mountain Range, you three must obey my every command. I've been here a while and am somewhat familiar with the terrain. If you act rashly, we'll all suffer the consequences."

"Got it, got it, we know you're capable. We'll listen to you," Duan Xiaoshan immediately agreed with a smile. Duan Xiaokan and Duan Lingyue also showed faint smiles, signaling their assent.

"Very well. Prepare yourselves; we are leaving soon. I will strive to get the three of you out of the Ashen Mountain Range in the shortest possible time," Ji Changkong decided instantly, his mind already calculating the optimal route back, noting which beast hordes and fierce ghost territories they needed to circumvent.

Ji Changkong’s plan to quickly leave hit a snag; after only one night, by the next day, he immediately detected an increase in mysteriously moving Shadowless Sect personnel along their return path. Perhaps it was due to this entire area falling under the Shadowless Sect's sphere of influence. On the way in, he hadn't seen a single soul, but on the way back, he frequently sensed rather potent life fluctuations through his divine sense.

After dispatching three Four Symbols Heaven Scholars of the Shadowless Sect, in the afternoon, he suddenly detected a Shadowless Sect master at the Seven Stars Heaven Realm appear in his divine sense. Fortunately, he was swift; he immediately stopped heading back and quickly changed direction with Duan Xiaoshan and the other two girls, managing to slip away before that Seven Stars expert’s divine sense detected the trio.

Had he been traveling alone, he could have bypassed this Seven Stars expert silently and easily passed through that area. However, the three young girls had not cultivated the Grand Void Secret Record and were only at the Three Talents Heaven Realm; they were utterly incapable of evading the Seven Stars expert’s soul probing.

"This won't work. The paths I know for getting out are swarming with Shadowless Sect personnel. They must have guessed we would try to leave the Ashen Mountain Range quickly. These people know the Ashen Mountain Range far better than we do. Sticking to the original plan is simply walking into a trap. Now that a Seven Stars expert has appeared, who knows how many more masters are rushing over?" After moving out of the range of that Seven Stars expert’s divine sense, Ji Changkong looked grave, his voice heavy.

"According to our Duan Family intelligence, the Shadowless Sect has at least two Eight Trigrams Heaven Realm scholars. Their Sect Master must possess Eight Trigrams Heaven Realm cultivation, and the Great Protector should also have broken through to that realm over the years. The Shadowless Sect should have around ten masters at the Seven Stars Heaven Realm..." Duan Lingyue explained the Shadowless Sect’s structure to him solemnly, like reciting a textbook.

"Two Eight Trigrams Heaven Realm masters, ten Seven Stars Heaven Realm masters." Ji Changkong managed a bitter smile, knowing that if he utilized the power of his bloodline and the Heaven Origin Pearl, he could perhaps contend momentarily with an Eight Trigrams Heaven Realm master, but the chances of victory were slim to none. If ten Seven Stars Heaven Realm masters attacked together, he certainly couldn't dispatch them all.

"What should we do?" Duan Xiaotian cried out sadly, sighing deeply.

"Don't rush back. Let's change direction and continue deeper into the Ashen Mountain Range. At the very least, we need to put distance between us and the Shadowless Sect’s location! The Ashen Mountain Range is vast; the Shadowless Sect's base is only on the periphery. They haven't penetrated deeper yet. If we can avoid the Sect members and hide inside for a while until their search subsides, we'll have a chance to use the original path back," Ji Changkong suggested after a moment of thought.

"You said it: inside the Ashen Mountain Range, we listen to you. Whatever you say, we'll do," Duan Xiaoshan conceded helplessly. Although she didn't entirely agree with the suggestion, she knew this direction likely offered the best chance of survival, so she didn't object.

Duan Xiaokan and Duan Lingyue exchanged a glance and both nodded, saying in unison, "Let's do that; we’ll listen to you!"

With their unified decision, they did not retreat but instead began heading toward the deeper reaches of the Ashen Mountain Range, choosing a path deliberately angled away from the Shadowless Sect's main base.

The Ashen Mountain Range was a sprawling expanse of continuous peaks. Once night fell, with the dense darkness enveloping everything, travelers attempting to move through it often lost all sense of direction, easily becoming lost. By the time daylight allowed for long-distance sight, they often couldn't even recall where they had traveled the previous night.

Many scholars who came to the Ashen Mountain Range seeking treasure and managed to walk out alive had experienced getting lost within its depths. Some never found their way out because they were uncertain of their exact position, chose the wrong direction, and inadvertently stumbled into valleys occupied by ferocious beasts or dangerous grounds ruled by fierce ghosts, becoming fodder for them instead.

"Crimson Lotus Snow Fruit! It’s the Crimson Lotus Snow Fruit! Look!" As they traversed a towering, unnamed mountain, Duan Xiaoshan suddenly grew excited, hopping and skipping as she pointed toward a not-so-conspicuous rock face halfway up the slope. There, rooted stubbornly in a crevice, was a strange flower whose stem was the color of fire, its blossom shaped like a lotus of flame. Small, thumb-sized snow-white fruits clustered at the flower’s center, looking exquisite.

Duan Xiaokan, who had been gloomy all the way, and Duan Lingyue, who maintained a cautious demeanor, both lit up, gazing excitedly at the Crimson Lotus Snow Fruit. Their eyes shone, and they seemed to forget everything they had just discussed, impulsively rushing toward the mountainside to pluck the fruit.

"Don't move!" Ji Changkong suddenly barked, his figure flashing as he positioned himself in front of the three girls, staring at them sternly. "Didn't I tell you? While in the Ashen Mountain Range, you must listen to me. You need to seek my consent before doing anything!"

"Brother Changkong, we have been listening to you! We aren't acting recklessly!" Duan Xiaokan blinked charmingly, glancing toward Ji Changkong while her peripheral vision remained fixed on the Crimson Lotus Snow Fruit on the cliff. "That’s Crimson Lotus Snow Fruit! Do you know how valuable it is? At the Chen Family’s Spirit Treasure Assembly, one stalk could fetch nearly ten thousand high-grade Yuan Stones! Ten thousand high-grade Yuan Stones! Do you know what that means? It means—"

"I don't care how valuable that Crimson Lotus Snow Fruit is; none of you move an inch!"

Ji Changkong's face was grim as he decisively cut off Duan Xiaokan. Then, his expression hardening, he pointed forward. "Keep walking!"

"How can you be like this? Don't you understand the value of Crimson Lotus Snow Fruit? That single stalk could potentially elevate all three of our realms! Do you know how much it aids in forming a divine soul?" Duan Lingyue looked displeased. That fruit might help her form a soul and reach the peak of the Three Talents Heaven Realm—a temptation she found nearly impossible to resist.

Duan Xiaoshan and Duan Xiaokan also stood still, gazing at him expectantly, begging pitifully.

"Brother Changkong, please just let us go up and pick the fruit? It’s not urgent, right?" Duan Xiaoshan deployed her "entwining" tactic, grasping Ji Changkong’s arm, pouting, her delicate body shaking slightly, adopting a look of gentle negotiation, yet she refused to let go.

Duan Xiaokan and Duan Lingyue remained silent but watched him with anticipation. They clearly desired the Crimson Lotus Snow Fruit very much.

"Forget it. You three stay put and don't move. I'll go up and pick the Crimson Lotus Snow Fruit for you," Ji Changkong hesitated for a moment, then nodded resignedly.

"Yay!" Duan Xiaoshan cheered instantly, looking overjoyed.

After carefully cautioning the three girls, making them all promise to remain where they were, Ji Changkong let out a shout and dashed toward the cliff face halfway up the mountain. On the sheer vertical rock, he moved like a monkey, surging upward as if on flat ground. Midway, a dagger flashing with cold light suddenly materialized in his right palm.

Just as he neared the Crimson Lotus Snow Fruit, a monstrous snake with a blood-red comb on its head quietly wriggled out from a fissure in the rock. This Crested Blood King Snake had small, crimson eyes that looked as if they had been dyed with fresh blood, conveying a sense of savage malevolence.

Its scarlet eyes stared coldly at Ji Changkong, seemingly warning him not to advance a single step further.

"Ah, the Crested Blood King Snake! It’s a Crested Blood King Snake!" Duan Xiaoshan’s face changed drastically, and she immediately screamed from the foot of the mountain. "Brother Changkong, we don't want the fruit anymore—hurry down! Hurry down!" Duan Xiaokan and Duan Lingyue also looked frantic, craning their necks below and shouting in alarm, "Hurry down, don't risk it! Hurry down!" Only then did the three girls realize that Ji Changkong's earlier restraint had been for their own good. It seemed he had known all along that the Crimson Lotus Snow Fruit was guarded by the Crested Blood King Snake residing in the nearby rock crevices. Had they rushed up moments ago, with their Three Talents Heaven Realm cultivation, they would have surely perished!

The Crested Blood King Snake was intensely venomous; a single spray of its blood mist would have been unbearable. Furthermore, its fangs were sharp, its skin thick, granting its body great resistance to Yuan Power and blades. It could also fly, making it extremely difficult to provoke.

While the three girls screamed below, Ji Changkong was already locked in combat with the Crested Blood King Snake. The snake was indeed formidable; even when struck by Ji Changkong’s Heaven Thunder Bombardment, it showed no fear. Its serpentine body was merely knocked slightly off course before it swiftly coiled back.

Swish!

The dagger in his hand flew out, cutting through the air like a streak of cold lightning, forcing the Crested Blood King Snake to constantly shift direction. Seizing this opportunity, Ji Changkong abruptly unleashed the Raging Waves Art, sending five continuous waves surging toward the snake, preventing it from closing the distance for a short time.

Suddenly, he dashed rapidly toward the fruit on the mountainside. As the Crested Blood King Snake roared in furious madness, he snatched the root of the Crimson Lotus Snow Fruit, tearing it out completely. Then, without sparing the snake a glance, he leaped down abruptly, shouting, "Go!"

Duan Xiaoshan and the other two girls, a mix of shock and delight on their faces, ran swiftly in the direction Ji Changkong pointed. The three girls glanced back as they ran, their silvery laughter echoing—they seemed overjoyed and thrilled.

He landed heavily at the base of the mountain. Contrary to the Crested Blood King Snake's expectation, Ji Changkong did not flee with the girls. Instead, he spun around abruptly, snatched the returning dagger, and leaped back toward the monster.

Previously, on the mountainside, rock fissures were everywhere, giving the Crested Blood King Snake a decisive advantage. Its rope-like body could quickly disappear into the crevices, allowing it to easily evade Ji Changkong's attacks, leaving him unable to inflict any real damage.

However, now that it had descended in a rage from the cliff face riddled with cracks, it no longer held that advantage. Moving like a phantom, he circulated the "Thousand Ethereal Shadows," and as his speed increased, Ji Changkong manifested four identical figures within a very small area.

He had finally achieved some success with the Thousand Ethereal Shadows after practicing it for so long; he could now conjure illusory images. However, the phantoms he created were strictly shadows, lacking any offensive capability. A cultivator with a sufficiently high soul realm could easily distinguish the true body from the illusion through soul perception.

Scholars possessing a divine soul could tell the difference, but the Crested Blood King Snake clearly had not cultivated a divine soul and lacked that ability. When the multiple shadows appeared, it became utterly confused, incessantly attacking Ji Changkong’s illusory figures.

This nullified any advantage the snake held. Relying on the sharpness of his dagger, Ji Changkong continuously scored wounds on the Crested Blood King Snake’s body, while the blood mist it spewed failed to harm the poison-immune Ji Changkong. Soon, the snake’s vital seventh inch was struck dead center by the dagger, bleeding profusely.

The Crested Blood King Snake possessed astonishing resilience; even with its seventh inch wounded, it wobbled unsteadily and tried to fly back toward the rock fissure where the Crimson Lotus Snow Fruit grew. It knew it was outmatched! Since its most feared attack, the blood mist, was useless against its foe, and its biting attacks kept missing, it realized it was not the victor.

Having finally tricked the Crested Blood King Snake down from its advantageous position, Ji Changkong had no intention of letting it fly back up!

The Heaven Thunder Bombardment, the dagger strikes, and the Raging Waves Art were all unleashed simultaneously. Ji Changkong exerted his full strength to intercept the Crested Blood King Snake. He even released the ten Dark Ghost Insects from his thumb ring, determined to slay it.

After struggling for so long, he certainly needed some spoils, right?

The Crested Blood King Snake seemed to have excellent defense against the Yuan Power condensed Heaven Thunder Bombardment and Raging Waves Art; it could still struggle to fly upward under those attacks. However, when the dagger persistently aimed for its seventh inch, it began to dodge in fear.

The ten Dark Ghost Insects achieved an unexpectedly miraculous effect. Emitting high-pitched, excited buzzes, they flew toward the snake faster than it could move. These yellow-bean-sized insects seemed connected to Ji Changkong’s soul, and they actually burrowed into the snake’s body through its seventh inch, exactly as he intended.

When all ten Dark Ghost Insects vanished into the Crested Blood King Snake’s vital spot, the creature, which had been fiercely trying to return to the fissure, suddenly froze mid-air. Under Ji Changkong’s gaze, the snake’s body rapidly withered, as if its flesh and blood had been hollowed out from within. A puff of wind caused its body to sway like an empty skin bag; its blood-red eyes gradually lost their savage glint. Soon, its skin husk drifted away on the breeze; not a single drop of blood spilled from the wound at its seventh inch. A profoundly strange sensation rose in Ji Changkong’s heart. In that moment, he clearly felt the connection established between himself and the ten Dark Ghost Insects. With a movement of his soul, he commanded the ten insects to return to him.

As expected, the ten Dark Ghost Insects, which had burrowed inside the snake, staggered back toward him, dragging the snake’s empty husk. If the snake hadn't been completely drained of life force, one might have thought it was still alive based on this sight.

Clang!

The Crested Blood King Snake’s husk fell at Ji Changkong’s feet, and the ten Dark Ghost Insects then enthusiastically crawled out of the hole at its seventh inch. After circling him in what seemed like celebration, they obediently returned to the center of the thumb ring on his left hand.

For the life force anomaly that was Ji Changkong, he clearly felt the life essences of the ten Black Ghost Worms growing stronger. The life fluctuations of a single soybean-sized Black Ghost Worm were rapidly approaching that of a Celestial Master in the Three Talents Celestial Pinnacle Valley realm, whose Divine Soul had already taken shape!

He peeled up the soft skin of the Cock's Comb Blood King Snake from the ground, cut open its seven-inch section with a dagger, and inserted a finger to stir around inside. He discovered that the flesh and blood of the Cock's Comb Blood King Snake had indeed been gnawed clean by the ten soybean-sized Black Ghost Worms, leaving only a section of long bone within the snake's discarded skin.

Duan Xiaoshan and the other two returned, the three young women staring at him blankly, their eyes filled with profound gratitude.

The three girls knew the Cock's Comb Blood King Snake was no easy adversary. Ji Changkong, fully aware of the serpent guarding the Scarlet Lotus Snow Fruit, had nevertheless pressed forward to seize it for them. This deeply moved the three, and upon approaching him, they immediately offered their thanks.

Duan Lingyue, who had held some misconceptions about Ji Changkong earlier, looked awkward and quite embarrassed. After hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke, "Brother Changkong, I... I'm sorry. I didn't know there would be a Cock's Comb Blood King Snake guarding the Scarlet Lotus Snow Fruit. If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have said so much... I apologize."

Smiling, Ji Changkong shook his head. "It's nothing. The Gray Range is full of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasures, and wherever those treasures lie, spiritual and fierce beasts will inevitably congregate. I've known this principle for a long time. When I saw the Scarlet Lotus Snow Fruit just now, I immediately intuited the presence of the Cock's Comb Blood King Snake. This fierce beast is brimming with treasures, and if you three hadn't urged me on, I probably wouldn't have bothered provoking it. However, you see the result now—this fierce beast fell into my hands largely because of your insistence."

"Brother Changkong, thank you nonetheless. If you hadn't helped us, the three of us rushing up rashly would have meant certain death upon encountering the Cock's Comb Blood King Snake. We are very clear on that point," Duan Xiaoshan thanked him again.

Without lingering on pleasantries with the three girls, Ji Changkong handed the Scarlet Lotus Snow Fruit to them and tucked the Cock's Comb Blood King Snake into his Mustard Seed Pouch.

The Scarlet Lotus Snow Fruit was only useful to the three girls; for him, whose Divine Soul had already achieved formation, it offered almost no benefit. Giving it away cost him nothing. The Cock's Comb Blood King Snake, however, was quite useful to him. Its entire skin was perfect for making a weapon sheath, and its bones and eyes were also rare treasures that might be utilized when tempering divine weapons in the future.

Once they received the Scarlet Lotus Snow Fruit from his hands, the three girls became visibly excited. They immediately urged Ji Changkong to find a quiet place so they could concentrate on cultivation and maximize the medicinal efficacy of the fruit.

Ji Changkong naturally raised no objection. Seeing that night was fast approaching, he too needed to find a safe and secluded spot to rest. He led the three little lambs onward into the mountains, eventually finding a hollowed-out, withered ancient tree before dusk fell.

After digging a few times with his dagger, he carved out a hollow large enough for all four of them. Inside, he settled the three girls in a cross-legged position while he leaned against the trunk to rest.

Traveling through the deep night with the three girls posed too high a risk, especially since they were eager to absorb the power of the Scarlet Lotus Snow Fruit. Therefore, he decided against pushing further into the mountain depths that night.

"Meeow, meeow..." "Meeow, meeow..." As the night deepened and silence reigned, the Gray Range echoed with piercing, mournful cries. The wails rose and fell erratically, shifting in direction, their origin impossible to pinpoint.

Ji Changkong, already accustomed to everything in the Gray Range, paid it little mind. But the three young women, who had never heard such sounds so close before, were struck with a chilling dread. Each was startled awake from their cultivation, quietly drawing closer to Ji Changkong with expressions of fear.

The hollow of the tree was not large, and the girls were naturally afraid, instinctively wanting protection while simultaneously needing to absorb the power of the Scarlet Lotus Snow Fruit as quickly as possible. Thus, they formed a triangle, deliberately surrounding Ji Changkong in the center, the space between them no more than two fists apart.

Three streams of delicate fragrance emanated from the three girls. With their eyes closed, they sat in silent meditation. Their beautiful features, long eyelashes, and faces that shared a seven-tenths resemblance—huddled so closely against him—left Ji Changkong somewhat trapped and unsure of what to do.

Wooo... Woooo... Wooooooo!

The ghostly cries grew more frequent and urgent, steadily closing in on their location, as if a legion of vengeful spirits was about to pass through. The sounds eventually seemed to shriek right beside their ears, making the atmosphere even more terrifying.

The three girls, lacking strong resolve, could not maintain focus on their cultivation under such pressure. Eventually, one by one, they opened their eyes, looking at him in terror. Someone initiated the move, clutching the edge of Ji Changkong's robe. In an instant, all three reached out: one grabbed his arm, another his shoulder—all six hands landed upon Ji Changkong’s body or clothing.

It seemed that through this physical contact, they could somehow ease their anxiety, feeling that touching Ji Changkong diminished their fear of the malevolent spirits.

Though favored in the Duan family, the three girls had never experienced such a scene. Combined with their limited strength, suddenly being thrust from the loving care of their relatives into such a terrifying desolate place, their panic was understandable.

"Don't worry, I'm here. Those vengeful spirits pose no threat to you," Ji Changkong, held tightly by the three girls, comforted them with a strained expression. "Let go now; what use is grasping me like this? What is meant to come will come, and what is not meant to come will not."

"What's coming... what's coming..." Suddenly, echoes seemed to drift in from outside, accompanied by a chilling, sinister cold. Many spirits loitering nearby were drawn by the echoes and began to converge toward the hollowed-out tree.

Ji Changkong's expression shifted sharply, and he sprang to his feet.

The three girls, even more frightened, scrambled to stand up with him, simultaneously asking, "Wha—what's wrong? Why is that vengeful spirit talking?"

"Not a vengeful spirit! It's a person!" Ji Changkong snorted coldly, roaring into the tree hollow, "Who is playing ghostly games out there?"

"Ghost... Specter, Ghost... Specter, Ghostly... Specter..." The tree hollow was filled with reverberations, laced with the weeping and screaming of the spirits, which continued to gather towards their location.

A master is involved, Ji Changkong thought grimly, realizing they were in deep trouble. Hiding in the tree hollow was not an option. He pushed himself out of the opening. In the darkness, he saw streams of vengeful spirits dancing outside. These spirits seemed manipulated by some unseen hand, forming a somewhat orderly formation that encircled the three of them.

"Ghost Sect, Ghost Old Seven, pays respects to you, sir!" A sinister voice materialized suddenly from the center of the spectral throng. It belonged to a tall, thin old man with a ashen face and emotionless eyes. Surrounded by the spirits, he seemed to exude their cold, ruthless aura.

"Ghost Sect? Ghost Old Seven? What business do you have?" Ji Changkong, full of surprise, had not expected the vengeful spirits of the Gray Range to be controllable. But judging by Ghost Old Seven's conduct, he suspected these spirits were indeed his puppets.

The legion of spirits lacked their usual ferocity and madness, showing instead a disciplined docility, orbiting Ghost Old Seven as if he were the center of a constellation, yet holding back their murderous intent. The situation was clear.

"Are the four of you the people the Shadowless Sect is searching for?" Ghost Old Seven’s voice was slimy, truly resembling a ghost's cry, making one deeply uncomfortable.

"That's none of your business! Ghost Sect? Is there a sect in the Gray Range that manipulates spirits? What is your relationship with the Shadowless Sect? Are you trying to help the Shadowless Sect deal with us?" Duan Xiaoshan placed her hands on her hips, feigning boldness while clearly feeling fear. She wasn't afraid of Ghost Old Seven himself, but the spirits swirling around them.

"The Shadowless Sect isn't from the depths of our Gray Range, nor do we, the Ghost Sect, have much connection with them. However, the Shadowless Sect promised that if they could capture the four of you, they would offer fifty young boys and girls with excellent root potential to the Ghost Sect as disciples. This condition was very hard for the Ghost Sect to refuse, so we must trouble the four of you." Ghost Old Seven's eyes swept over Ji Changkong, nodding indifferently before suddenly letting out a piercing shriek.

As Ghost Old Seven’s shriek rang out, the vengeful spirits instantly turned frenzied and lunged toward Ji Changkong. Ji Changkong's prior suspicion was correct: Ghost Old Seven could indeed command these spirits. It seemed this sect called the Ghost Sect had a unique method for dealing with the spirits of the Gray Range.

Ghost Old Seven, possessing the cultivation of the Seven Star Celestial Realm, held a massive advantage here manipulating the spirits. At any other time, Ji Changkong might have preferred not to become his enemy, but with the three girls depending on him, he had no choice now that Ghost Old Seven had attacked first.

"Hmph. That promise from the Shadowless Sect, I fear you won't be able to enjoy it," Ji Changkong scoffed. Fierce flames erupted from both his arms. The Fire Phoenix Bone, whose energy had not been fully depleted previously, manifested in his hand, instantly transforming into a blaze that merged once more with the soul of the Fire Phoenix.

When the delicate posture of the Fire Phoenix appeared, Ghost Old Seven’s face suddenly lit up with excitement. "The Soul of the Fire Phoenix, an object of extreme Yang! Combined with a high-grade shapeshifting vengeful spirit, tempered with our Ghost Sect's secret method, it can sufficiently harmonize the Yin and Yang of our Ghost Sect's spirits, reaching an incredibly mystical state! Haha! Good! Boy, I claim the Soul of the Fire Phoenix!"

Ghost Old Seven wasn't merely boasting. Whether the Ghost Sect truly possessed means to handle souls or not, he uttered a few piercing cries. The form created by the fusion of the Fire Phoenix soul and the section of fire bone seemed violently agitated, struggling desperately as if highly provoked.

Ji Changkong's expression changed. He sensed that Ghost Old Seven's shrieks contained profound mysteries of Yuan Force application. The cries could influence the perception of the soul, compelling the soul-form entity to obey his command and become his enslaved servant.

This bore a subtle resemblance to the Charm Arts of the Aurore Divine Cult—using sound and form to unconsciously influence a person's will and feelings, drawing them into the intricate net woven by the practitioner until they became bound followers.

If the Soul of the Fire Phoenix had not spent time within the Celestial Origin Bead, it might have succumbed to Ghost Old Seven's influence and become his slave. However, tempered by the Bead, the Fire Phoenix now struggled fiercely, attempting to retreat back into the Celestial Origin Bead.

Seeing Ghost Old Seven's cries intensify while the Fire Phoenix’s resistance weakened, Ji Changkong sneered and made his move.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Heaven Thunder Might's Heaven Thunder Burst was unleashed violently. Any vengeful spirit struck by the Heaven Thunder Burst instantly suffered annihilation of both form and spirit. Only the high-level spirits could survive the initial blast, needing to gather lesser spirits to intercept the attack before escaping.

As the Heaven Thunder Burst erupted, the spirits recoiled in death. The roaring sound of the thunder completely drowned out Ghost Old Seven’s shrieks. The Fire Phoenix Soul, suddenly free from the influence of the cries, seized the opportunity to return to the Celestial Origin Bead.

"Heaven Thunder Might!" Ghost Old Seven's face drastically changed. He couldn't help but exclaim in disbelief, "Boy, how do you know Heaven Thunder Might? Where did you learn this secret technique?"

After witnessing him use the Heaven Thunder Might, Ghost Old Seven abruptly halted the attack of the spirits, his expression extremely strange.

"What's wrong? Did you find out that Heaven Thunder Might is the bane of your vengeful spirits?" Ji Changkong sneered.

"What's wrong?" Ghost Old Seven’s expression was bizarre. He extended his left hand, and a loud rumbling explosion emanated from his palm. Then he slanted a look at Ji Changkong. "What do you think is wrong?"

"Heaven Thunder Might, you know it too? Where did you learn it?" This time, it was Ji Changkong's turn to change color.

"Where did I learn it?" Ghost Old Seven gazed at him deeply and slowly replied, "Heaven Thunder Might is an unshared secret of my Ghost Sect, specifically designed to deal with unruly vengeful spirits! The reason the Ghost Sect can tame the spirits is greatly related to possessing secret techniques like Heaven Thunder Might! Without Heaven Thunder Might, why would those spirits obey so readily? This is also the reason our Ghost Sect can survive in the Gray Range!"

"Ghost... Unshared secret of the Ghost Sect?" Ji Changkong was stunned.

"You... your surname is Ji, correct?" Ghost Old Seven stared at him blankly, then after a moment, suddenly asked.

As soon as these words left his mouth, Ghost Old Seven waved his hand, and all the spirits retreated. Ghost Old Seven dropped his hostile demeanor, seemingly ready to have a serious conversation.

"Indeed, my surname is Ji. Did you guess it, or did the Shadowless Sect tell you?" Ji Changkong’s expression grew solemn; this question was critical.

"The only clans or sects that know Heaven Thunder Might, besides our Ghost Sect, are the Ji Family of Hidden Dragon Abyss, the number one family under heaven. No one else," Ghost Old Seven stated with certainty.

"The number one family under heaven..." Ji Changkong gave a wry smile. He didn't know how many years it had been since Ghost Old Seven had left the Gray Range, but one thing was certain: a connection must exist between the previous generations of the Ji Family's Xuanyuan and the Ghost Sect! It seemed his previous assumptions about Xuanyuan's progress within the Gray Range were not so simple.