In the boundless range of the Dark Mountains, countless specters roamed, yet among them, only a few stood supreme. For many years, three great Demon Ghosts resided within the Nether Ghost Domain. The first Demon Ghost King was birthed through a secret art by the ancestor of the Ghost Sect. Another was the Ghost Sect ancestor himself. The final Demon Ghost King was the soul transformation of a Nine Palaces Celestial Scholar.

Of those three, the Demon Ghost King forged from the Ghost Sect ancestor had already been absorbed by the Heaven Origin Pearl during the previous encounter. It remained imprisoned within the pearl.

Still existing in the mortal world were the first Demon Ghost King, and the one transformed from the Nine Palaces Celestial Scholar who was slain by the Fourth Generation Xuanyuan of the Ji family. These two Demon Ghost Kings had always dwelt in the Nether Ghost Domain, unable to bear the light of day. Now, one Demon Ghost King had appeared in the Water Cloud Kingdom—a sign perhaps that they had discovered a method to overcome the scorching sun.

Gazing up at the Demon Ghost King, devoid of any trace of human emotion, Ji Changkong’s expression grew grave, and he spoke in a deep voice, "Which one are you?"

The young man's pair of evil, icy eyes suddenly flashed with endless resentment. "The Fourth Generation Xuanyuan killed me. Though over a thousand years have passed, I have never forgotten that feud. I emerge from the Nether Ghost Domain only to utterly destroy the new generation of Xuanyuan and the Ji family."

His face shifted, and Ji Changkong drew a sharp, cold breath. He glared angrily at Huangfu Tong and Huangfu Yue, shouting, "Do you have any idea what you are doing? The Demon Ghost Kings are born from the world's sinister Yin energy; they possess no human emotion whatsoever, only the destructive and murderous impulses of negativity. By collaborating with him, are you intending to bring ruin upon the Water Cloud Kingdom?"

This Demon Ghost King had been a Nine Palaces Celestial Scholar before his demise. After transforming into a Demon Ghost King, his spirit was nearly indestructible. After such a long period of cultivation, although his physical form and spirit had changed, the core disposition of a Nine Palaces Celestial Scholar should remain. No wonder his single strike moments ago could shatter even Gu Ya’s Lapis Lazuli Shield.

"Boy, don't trouble yourself with our affairs. Our Huangfu family will handle this matter appropriately," Huangfu Yue replied with a faint smile, then turned to the Demon Ghost King and commanded, "Make your move."

The Demon Ghost King’s icy, heartless gaze lingered deeply upon Ji Changkong before he suddenly struck.

Endless waves of destruction, resentment, and killing intent were infused into a wickedly sharp bone spear. The spear tore through the air with a sharp whistling sound, densely arrayed as it lunged toward Gu Ya’s spiritual crown.

Gu Ya, who had maintained a placid demeanor since his arrival, felt his facial muscles twitch slightly, as if he could no longer restrain himself from engaging the Demon Ghost King in a fight to the death.

"If you intervene, Ji Changkong will undoubtedly die!" Huangfu Yue roared.

The two old eunuchs holding the serpent-shaped short swords against Ji Changkong's throat curled their lips into venomous smiles, their pupils contracting as they released a sudden surge of murderous aura.

Gu Ya's expression flickered, and the hand he had raised suddenly dropped. A massive, stylized character—'Zhen' ()—materialized out of thin air behind his neck. The character swelled as if inflated and began to rotate gently.

A bone-chilling radiance shot forth from the 'Zhen' character, instantly coalescing into a miraculous, multicolored barrier.

Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!

The wickedly sharp bone spikes slammed against the multi-hued barrier. A deafening roar erupted from the Dead Water Prison as the bone clashed with the shield, scattering shards of light. These light fragments, sharp as indestructible needles, pierced the hard stone ceiling above the prison, leaving it riddled with holes.

Seven-Star Celestial Scholars hidden farther away scattered to avoid the debris. Several who were unfortunately struck by the fragments vomited blood and died instantly.

The Demon Ghost King and Gu Ya were figures at the apex of this world. The residual force from their clash was a devastating blow to ordinary individuals. Gu Ya, constrained by Huangfu Yue’s threat, could only maintain a defensive posture from beginning to end. The Demon Ghost King, meanwhile, was a soulless entity; his very existence seemed ordained for the annihilation of everything in the world.

"Everyone combine your strength and strike down Gu Ya!" Huangfu Tong shouted, raising his hand to summon the giant bell. Amidst the melodious ringing, streams of light poured down like liquid mercury.

Huangfu Yue’s Golden Heaven-Breaking Cone, infused with all her vital energy and spirit, struck towards Gu Ya like a towering stone pillar.

Murong Tuo, Zhang Yueqin, Tu Bazhi, and others who had retreated to a safe distance were not idle; they unleashed their strongest attacks simultaneously.

Gu Ya’s brow furrowed. Constrained to defending a small area and unable to fight all-out, he had clearly fallen into a disadvantageous position.

Were it not for the Demon Ghost King, Huangfu Tong and the others alone could never breach the defensive circle of the ancient tower. However, with the addition of this Demon Ghost King, born from the world’s evil Yin energy, the situation had changed entirely. This Demon Ghost King was a Nine Palaces Celestial Scholar before his death; after his soul became a Demon Ghost King, though his physical strength might not reach its peak, his spirit gained a strange and unpredictable power.

Under the relentless offensive of the Demon Ghost King, Gu Ya, forced into defense, found his movements hampered. The situation was precarious enough, but now coupled with the combined assaults of Huangfu Yue and the other experts, Gu Ya, already severely wounded from his fight with Youlan, finally began to show signs of fatigue.

"Hahahaha, Gu Ya, I will watch you die today!" Zhang Yueqin tilted her head back, her face contorted into a gruesome mask. "All these years, you let Li Hentian torture my Du family for six days and six nights, nearly causing our clan's extermination! You forced me to seek refuge with the Returning Origin Sect. For decades, I never dared to believe I would one day have the chance to kill you, Gu Ya. I truly never imagined the unpredictability of worldly affairs would grant me this chance to take your life personally!"

The old eunuch of the Du family cackled madly, tears streaming down his face. Like a rabid dog, he attacked Gu Ya with his cane, striking the multi-colored barrier and leaving behind ripples of impact.

Countless experts from the Du family had perished under Li Hentian's hand. Zhang Yueqin knew Li Hentian acted this way solely because of Ji Changkong's mother. Fearing Li Hentian and the power behind him—Gu Ya—she was compelled to join the Returning Origin Sect, hoping to leverage their strength to protect the Du lineage.

Even after joining the Returning Origin Sect, she had never dreamed of achieving vengeance against Gu Ya. The sheer might of a Nine Palaces Celestial Scholar filled her with despair just thinking about it!

Now that the opportunity was present and she saw Gu Ya faltering, Zhang Yueqin could no longer suppress the thrill of revenge and erupted into maniacal laughter.

"You think you can survive this?" Just then, Ji Changkong, still confined beneath the Dead Water Prison, suddenly burst into loud laughter.

His laughter stunned everyone, even the Demon Ghost King paused his assault on Gu Ya, regarding Ji Changkong with confusion, unsure why he was behaving so erratically.

"Boy, have you gone mad?" Huangfu Tong's face darkened. His hands ceaselessly shifted through incantations, and the giant bell spun furiously, continuing its savage bombardment toward Gu Ya.

"Mad? Hahahaha, soon enough, someone will go mad!" Ji Changkong’s face suddenly turned cold. His eyes, emanating frost, locked onto an old eunuch standing before him, and he grinned cruelly, "You thing that is neither male nor female, aren't you feeling something?"

The old eunuch’s expression changed drastically. He twisted the serpent-shaped short sword in his hand, attempting to slice off Ji Changkong's head.

Suddenly, he felt his arm turn as heavy as lead, immensely burdensome. Performing such a simple motion now felt like moving a weight heavier than ten thousand jun.

"Ah!" The other old eunuch suddenly screamed in absolute terror, clutching his throat, his eyes wide with horror. He seemed to want to shout loudly, but only managed a strange, muffled "Wuwu."

As he made the gurgling sounds, his face grew paler and paler, his vitality seemingly draining away moment by moment.

Ji Changkong stepped back, easily slipping free from the restraint of the two old eunuchs. The two serpent-shaped short swords that had been held against his throat now mysteriously appeared in his left and right hands.

"Heh heh, feel that piercing pain now, don't you?" Ji Changkong sneered, thrusting both hands forward. The twin serpent daggers plunged violently into the two eunuchs' throats, emerging cleanly from the back of their necks.

"Grandfather, I'm fine now. Go unleash your slaughter."

Looking up at Gu Ya, Ji Changkong smiled with effortless relief.

A profound light shone in Gu Ya’s eyes. He gazed deeply at Ji Changkong, then slowly nodded. "Good child."

"How is this possible? How is this possible?" Huangfu Yue murmured, her face a mask of disbelief. "Impossible, you couldn't have broken free from the Dead Water Pool, you couldn't have killed them, impossible..."

Zhang Yueqin, who had been laughing maniacally moments before, had her smile freeze instantly. She stared dumbly at Ji Changkong in the Dead Water Prison, then suddenly let out an ear-piercing, strange shriek. Unhesitatingly, she shot down toward Ji Changkong.

Seeing Zhang Yueqin move, Huangfu Tong’s face lit up with joy. He sent a strange ray of light toward the barrier above the Dead Water Prison. The noxious green mist, which even Gu Ya could not easily penetrate, cracked open with a peculiar fissure when struck by the light from Huangfu Tong's hand, creating a gap just wide enough for Zhang Yueqin to pass through.

"Sister Zhang, the boy is yours to handle," Huangfu Tong urged quickly.

"Don't worry. I'll make this boy wish he'd never been born," Zhang Yueqin’s wrinkled face was etched with resentment as she stared sinisterly at Ji Changkong. "Boy, pay me back with your life for my grandson!"

"Come well!" Ji Changkong laughed loudly, looking up at Zhang Yueqin. "Young Du Shaofeng is certainly missing you down there. I’ll send you two to reunite!"

A multi-colored halo descended from the sky, accompanied by a deafening roar. Before Zhang Yueqin even landed, the Heavenly Thunder Force had formed visible, cyan lightning bolts, blocking the path she was descending upon.

Simultaneously, Ji Changkong roared out a command. The sound startled the stagnant water in the prison, causing it to rise into monstrous waves that swept violently towards Zhang Yueqin.

"Be careful! The dead water is laced with paralyzing toxins that suppress Yuan power! That boy is immune, but you must be extremely cautious!" Huangfu Yue shouted as the rising dead water threatened to engulf Zhang Yueqin.

Gu Ya had been observing Ji Changkong throughout. Now, seemingly assured, he suddenly looked up, directing his attention toward the Demon Ghost King.