A swath of ashen shadow descended, sharp to the very tip, splitting the heavens. Horrifying demonic specters swarmed everywhere, their grinning jaws bared, swirling about with a chilling miasma, seemingly hunting for prey.

A vast expanse behind Xuanyuan Valley had been utterly overrun by these legions of demons. Beneath the pristine moonlight, the specters emitted all manner of bizarre shrieks, sounds that scraped against the nerves, making one desperately wish to flee to the farthest reaches.

The Heavenly Scholars residing in the rear hills of Xuanyuan Valley merely glanced from afar, each standing frozen, transfixed. Fear, sudden and overwhelming, surged through their entire beings.

“Heavens! How can there be so many specters!” cried a beautiful woman, her allure still evident despite her anguish, her voice already cracking with sobs.

The demonic horde stretched across the mountains and plains, blotting out the sky. Anyone who caught a glimpse of the sight felt their heart seize with terror.

Even Ji Changkong and Gui Rong were no exception.

“Retreat! Fall back into Xuanyuan Valley! Immediately!” Gui Rong bellowed, his face tight with urgency.

“Everyone, move into Xuanyuan Valley now! Only inside the valley will you have a chance to live!” Ji Changkong roared, his voice carrying across the area, suddenly joining forces with Gui Rong.

Without a moment’s hesitation, amidst the thunderous roar, the pair unleashed the full might of their specialized Heavenly Thunder Force.

Azure light flared as spheres of azure lightning, each the size of a fist, materialized continuously in the void. These bolts of thunder, spaced two to three meters apart, wove themselves into a massive net of lightning, blocking the path of the oncoming specters.

Woooo!

The demons issued shrill, mournful wails, crashing headlong into the barrier.

Boom! Boom!

Deafening explosions echoed. The azure thunderbolts that formed the blockade detonated one after another. Amidst flashes of lightning, the specters emitted even more piercing screams.

Those demons caught in the center of the lightning net were instantly obliterated, their souls scattered. The specters closer to the edge shrieked and recoiled rapidly, or desperately sought any narrow gaps to break through.

Gui Rong’s pupils constricted. He acted instantly, spreading his spectral net. Flashes of electrical energy danced across its weave, and with sharp sizzling sounds, the net ensnared any specter that managed to breach Ji Changkong’s Nine Heavens Thunder Defense, before Gui Rong blasted them down one by one with his Heavenly Thunder Force.

“Retreat! Hurry up and get in! Thank you, Young Master Ji!”

The rogue cultivators who had flocked here from all corners of the world thanked them profusely while scrambling toward the safety of Xuanyuan Valley. Mid-flight, they saw Gui Hai, Xiao Poshuan, and others emerging from the valley to meet and escort them.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The earth-shaking thunderous impacts resonated throughout the area. Ji Changkong, continuously releasing the power of the Nine Heavens Thunder, was enveloped in crackling electricity, his chest heaving as he gathered the Heavenly Thunder energy within his core.

Whoosh!

He navigated the spectral remains scattered amongst the demonic onslaught. Wisps of soul energy, on the verge of dissipating, quietly drifted into the Tianyuan Orb within Ji Changkong’s body.

To an outside observer, thin columns of ash-gray smoke would appear, seemingly drawn by an unseen force, silently sinking into Ji Changkong’s lower abdomen.

The Tianyuan Orb simultaneously absorbed the shattered souls of the specters dispersed by the thunder force and infused Ji Changkong with surging power—a marvelous and profound exchange.

Roar!

Seeing a dozen or so specters break through even Gui Rong’s lightning net and charge directly toward him, Ji Changkong’s chest swelled, and he unleashed a mighty roar.

Ripples of visible electrical waves violently hammered forward. The thunder power erupting from the Thunder Roar formed a wave-like shockwave that instantly blasted the charging specters into utter annihilation.

“Changkong, go! Back to the valley first!” Gui Hai called out from a distance.

“Let’s go, we’ll figure things out once we’re inside,” Gui Rong, close by Ji Changkong, shouted back in disarray after fending off dozens of attacks.

Without much hesitation, Ji Changkong nodded and immediately spun around, flying toward Xuanyuan Valley.

Just then!

A tremendously potent soul ripple surged from the Tianyuan Orb within him. The soul power originating from the Primal Poison erupted, forming a defense shield barely visible to the eye, tightly enveloping Ji Changkong.

Dull, heavy impacts sounded continuously around Ji Changkong.

Startled, Ji Changkong suddenly realized the Primal Poison had intervened. The profound insights of the Grand Void Secret Record abruptly activated, bringing instant calm. He began to merge his essence slowly with the surrounding world.

Waves of intensely wicked fluctuations surged in from all directions, slamming violently against the barrier constructed by the Primal Poison, like a frenzied beast trying to tear apart and shatter the defensive ring.

Under such fierce psychic assault, the Primal Poison’s barrier warped intensely, seeming as if it could collapse with every passing moment.

“Incredible! Even after consuming so much Black Jade Essence Crystal, I still can’t fully hold them!” the Primal Poison cried out within Ji Changkong, communicating telepathically: “Go! This entity is much stronger than last time, and he brought hundreds of specters with him. Let’s retreat!”

“Understood,” Ji Changkong replied, releasing his mental focus and directing his soul’s attention inward, stealthily observing the souls swirling around him.

Protected by the Primal Poison, Ji Changkong didn’t need to divide his attention to defend; he could focus solely on the retreat, allowing him to maintain incredible speed.

The hidden Demon King focused all its energy on Ji Changkong. The ordinary specters flying about also charged toward him, which significantly reduced the pressure on Gui Rong and the rogue cultivators who had retreated earlier.

With Gui Hai and Xiao Poshuan providing escort, Gui Rong and the rogue cultivators who had sought refuge were successfully withdrawn into Xuanyuan Valley.

Save for about a dozen rogue cultivators who perished early on in the initial confusion, the others suffered no major losses. With the assistance of Ji Changkong and Gui Rong, they managed to secure themselves and quickly entered the heavily fortified Xuanyuan Valley.

“How is it? Can you hold?” Ji Changkong inquired of the Primal Poison with his spirit.

“I can manage for now, but I can’t guarantee it later,” the Primal Poison responded swiftly, adding three seconds later: “Hurry up! Those several hundred ordinary specters are about to break through. Though their power is far less than the Demon King’s, their numbers are overwhelming. If they manage to break my perimeter, the Demon King’s soul attack will be unimpeded. Then, we will certainly be swarmed by the horde—that would be serious trouble.”

“Yes!” Ji Changkong’s expression turned grave, and he immediately mobilized the Xuanyuan Blood within him.

As the marvelous sensation of burning blood surged through every limb and bone, Ji Changkong, whose speed was already extreme, vanished like a streak of crimson light across the night sky, plunging into Xuanyuan Valley.

“Bring all defensive powers to bear, now!” Upon entering the valley, Ji Changkong roared aloud.

The figure of Mu Luo materialized beside him, seemingly weightless, and bowed: “Reporting to the Master. The Star Sea has begun its rotation; all prohibition arrays are activating.”

Hearing that the Star Sea was already operating at full capacity, Ji Changkong finally relaxed and nodded. “That’s good.”

“The situation is dire!” Xiao Poshuan sighed heavily, shaking his head. “The entire landscape is choked with specters. The last time the Demon King escaped, who knows how many sects and clans he annihilated? How can he command such terrifying numbers of specters? Ah, those specters must have been figures of some importance in their living days.”

“They are truly horrifying. Such evil beings must be purged as soon as possible, or if allowed to grow, all Heavenly Scholars in the world will soon suffer,” Mo Yunyi agreed, panting heavily.

“Fortunately, ordinary human souls are not sufficient to become specters, otherwise, the entire world would quickly become a paradise for these things, and people like us would become the aberrations,” Xiao Xing remarked with a wry smile.

“They’re here!” Ji Changkong’s slightly narrowed eyes suddenly brightened, and he shouted, “Everyone, be careful! We have the tactical advantage here. We must win, or there will be no place left for us in this vast world!”

“Fight them to the death! These damned evil creatures!”

“Yes! We swear to defend Xuanyuan Valley; this is our last hope!”

“If Xuanyuan Valley falls, we all face death! Everyone must give their all!”

The rogue cultivators who had retreated into the valley were filled with righteous indignation and shared enmity, readying themselves for a battle to the death against the specters.

“Everyone, pay attention. I will explain the specters’ weaknesses in detail. If it truly comes to a final confrontation, you must remember what I say.” Gui Rong stepped forward, his voice ringing out clearly. “Our Ghost Sect has fought specters in the Gray Mountain Range for centuries. These creatures fear—”

Gui Rong continued to elaborate on the specters’ vulnerabilities to the assembled crowd.

Woooo! Wooo-wooo!

Even as Gui Rong spoke, massive hordes of specters converged from all directions, shrieking as they flew toward Xuanyuan Valley.

Ji Changkong’s eyes flashed with a cold smile. He suddenly reached out, and the Dragon Glory Sabre materialized in a flash of electric light.

With a flick of his wrist, a torrent of blood-red light shot upward, instantly plunging into the miniature star field suspended above his head.

In the vast expanse of the starry sky overhead, several stars seemed to flicker faintly. Suddenly, an immense, crushing pressure descended from the firmament above the valley.

Streams of brilliant starlight poured down from the heavens, dispersing into every corner surrounding Xuanyuan Valley.

Amidst the sparkling light, the thick, pervasive smoke began to decompose, becoming thinner and thinner. During this process, the specters, which had been incessantly wailing, suddenly grew quiet, and the sound of ghostly cries echoing everywhere diminished sharply.

Those with sharp eyes could clearly see that where the scattered starlight touched the ashen specters, they instantly dissolved. They had no time even for a final, piercing scream before they were reduced to mere dust in the world.

The residual negative energy slowly dissipated into the heaven and earth.