The Demon King, his body as vast as a mountain, hovered above the Eastern Heaven Peak, eclipsing the moonlight. His icy, merciless gaze swept over those below, flickering uncertainly upon the Source of Origin Poison.

To everyone's surprise, after staring at the Source of Origin Poison for a long moment, the Demon King opened his mouth and said:

“You and I are both species that should not exist in this world. Why aid this inferior race that is destined for elimination? If you and I join forces, everything in this world will be controlled by our superior species. Why live subservient to these lesser beings?”

At these words, a collective gasp swept through all the Sky Warriors on Eastern Heaven Peak; they stared at the palm-sized Source of Origin Poison in utter disbelief.

What was this creature’s origin? Why would the Demon King, who wreaked havoc everywhere and seemed unstoppable, say such a thing to it?

Ji Changkong was also stunned, staring dumbly at the Source of Origin Poison, which shared an eight or nine-tenths resemblance to his own appearance. A knot of worry tightened in his chest, wondering if this little fellow would be swayed by the Demon King’s insidious counsel. If even he turned against Ji Changkong, the outcome of this battle would be known before it even began.

In a certain sense, the Source of Origin Poison, being the origin point of all toxins, posed a threat to the Sky Warriors of Eastern Heaven Peak no less severe than the Demon King! The great poison was formless and invisible; if it wished to toy with and destroy the Sky Warriors, it might even be more swift and convenient than the Demon King. Perhaps a single circuit around Eastern Heaven Peak would be enough for every soul there to perish by poison.

“Join forces with you?” The Source of Origin Poison adopted a look of deep contemplation.

Ji Changkong’s heart seized. He glared intently, ready to strike down this little scoundrel first, Demon King or no Demon King, should he make any suspicious move.

Deep down, he suspected that the threat posed by the Source of Origin Poison to the world might actually exceed that of the Demon King! “Indeed! Join me, and let us slaughter everyone, sweep clean all life on this continent! That sea region, my other partner will handle. We will exterminate the lesser races on land, and then you and I can control everything!” The Demon King stared at the Source of Origin Poison, a slight excitement in his tone.

“No deal!” The Source of Origin Poison slowly shook its head, looking profoundly uninterested. It snorted, “If the world were entirely populated by creatures like you, it would be utterly boring. Your kind, devoid of the seven emotions and six desires, knowing only slaughter and destruction—in my eyes, you are just another low-grade species! Wooo, wooo, wooo!”

A murderous, destructive light flashed intensely in the Demon King’s eyes. He let out a series of piercing cries to the heavens, and Demon Ghosts converged from every direction, swirling and dancing within the black clouds beneath him.

“Then I shall destroy you!” The Demon King’s colossal will suddenly locked onto the Source of Origin Poison, and its massive shadow instantly engulfed the entirety of Eastern Heaven Peak.

“Who’s afraid of whom!” the Source of Origin Poison snorted. Without waiting for Ji Changkong’s command, it shot out like a sharp sword, piercing directly toward the high-hanging Demon King.

Demon Ghosts descended from the sky, rushing to attack the Source of Origin Poison.

Hoo! The Source of Origin Poison glanced sideways and softly exhaled a breath of foul air, which immediately expanded violently, soaring straight up into the sky.

The first dozen or so Demon Ghosts that charged toward it touched this foul breath and transformed into droplets of corrosive liquid, their bodies strangely dissolving as they dripped down toward Eastern Heaven Peak below.

“Get back! Quickly, move away! Do not let those droplets touch you!” Ji Changkong’s face changed, and he cried out in alarm.

The dispersed Sky Warriors of Eastern Heaven Peak panicked upon hearing this and hastily gathered toward Ji Changkong’s location.

Ssssh! Ssssh! The corrosive liquid formed from the dissolved Demon Ghosts dripped onto the rocky ground of Eastern Heaven Peak. It pierced through the incomparably hard stone, drilling thumb-sized round holes in the rock, from which faint wisps of smoke curled upward.

The Sky Warriors who obeyed and moved away took one look at those holes, turned pale with horror, and broke out in a cold sweat.

What potent acid poison! It could even corrode ironstone! The crowd was deeply shaken, each clutching their noses as they looked at the wisps of smoke with terror.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Ji Changkong and Yi Qu and others furiously fanned their hands, creating strong gusts of wind to blow the creeping smoke upward into the sky.

“Young Master Ji, what… what is he?” Yi Qu stared blankly at the Source of Origin Poison, his mouth agape.

“That… I’ll explain when we have time later,” Ji Changkong replied casually, his focus entirely fixed on the Source of Origin Poison.

Chen Hongji, who had already entered the inner chambers of the Yi family, watched the Source of Origin Poison with a strange light gleaming in his eyes. He thought to himself that it was no wonder this being could dissolve and absorb that bone shard; this power was simply terrifying! “Kill! Kill him for me!” the Demon King commanded from atop the dark clouds, shouting fiercely.

The type of Demon Ghosts with four ears and two horns suddenly tumbled out from the black clouds beneath the Demon King. A dozen of these evolved Demon Ghosts let out harsh, strange cries, unleashing waves of terrifying, brutal soul assaults that struck toward the Source of Origin Poison flying high in the sky, like a thousand invincible swords aimed at the spirit.

“Heh heh, you small fry are worthy of fighting me?” The Source of Origin Poison said dismissively, its face full of scorn.

Without making any apparent move, the wisps of smoke rising from the circular holes in the Eastern Heaven Peak rocks suddenly gathered together, forming a curtain condensed from smoke that obscured its palm-sized body.

The fierce impact waves generated by the concentrated souls of the dozen or so four-eared, two-horned Demon Ghosts crashed against the curtain formed by the gathered smoke, producing crackling sounds, as if striking straw in a raging fire.

The souls of the evolved Demon Ghosts with four ears and two horns were being burned. They let out agonizing screams as the life force within them rapidly drained away.

What power! This thought suddenly flashed through the minds of all the Sky Warriors on Eastern Heaven Peak. Their faces turned pale, secretly rejoicing that they had blown away that smoke earlier; otherwise, if that smoke had approached them, would their own souls have suffered the same fate? The experts of Eastern Heaven Peak, who had initially looked down on the small, pudding-like Source of Origin Poison, were now filled with horror as they looked at it again.

“Ji… Young Master Ji, he is truly extraordinary, truly not ordinary! To control such… such a formidable creature…” Yi Qu’s forced smile looked little better than a grimace as he stammered out his flattery, though his voice betrayed deep fear.

Ji Changkong managed a wry smile, spreading his hands to explain to Yi Qu, “Although his methods are indeed… a bit vicious, he is on our side, so… everyone need not worry.” Wiping the cold sweat from his brow, Yi Qu nodded repeatedly, offering a bitter smile, “No worries, not worried at all.”

“Little Demon King, stop sending these insignificant minions to die. Otherwise, all the small fry you painstakingly gathered will be poisoned to death by me,” the Source of Origin Poison crowed triumphantly, relaxed within its smoky curtain.

The shockwaves generated by the concentrated soul power of the dozen or so enhanced Demon Ghosts with four ears and two horns had completely depleted their malevolent energy. These enhanced Demon Ghosts, which the Sky Warriors of Eastern Heaven Peak had no way to deal with, now circled the pudding-sized Source of Origin Poison. Their posturing looked threatening, but they dared not charge forward to fight it.

It was as if the Source of Origin Poison could sense the Demon King’s presence from afar. Being creatures of the same kind, these enhanced Demon Ghosts also sensed the evil power emanating from the Source of Origin Poison—a power that could bring about their complete annihilation.

They were afraid! The Demon King, suspended high above Eastern Heaven Peak, finally saw his enhanced subordinates paralyzed by fear, daring not advance. His colossal body finally began to slowly sink, like a dark cloud.

Simultaneously, a terrifying, evil divine power, like a tidal wave, materialized into a giant hand visible to the naked eye, fiercely reaching out to grasp the Source of Origin Poison.

“Perish!” The Demon King’s icy voice transformed into another gentle ripple of energy, surging toward the Source of Origin Poison.

Boom! Boom! Like the sudden breaking of a dam, a tremendous roar erupted in the sky. The palm-sized Source of Origin Poison suddenly unleashed a toxic power no less formidable than the Demon King’s. Wisps of multicolored, visible threads densely permeated the space around the Source of Origin Poison.

These multicolored threads, like the omnipresent rays of starlight emanating from a star, released a marvelous power. The threads did not intertwine but extended outward from the Source of Origin Poison, radiating in all directions like linked hands.

In an instant, another marvel appeared in the sky! The palm-sized Source of Origin Poison seemed to contain an endless supply of threads within its tiny frame. In a flash, thousands of slender threads shot out from its body, filling the void above Eastern Heaven Peak.

As the dense threads stretched out, the volume of the Source of Origin Poison became comparable to that of the mountain-sized Demon King.

The two anomalies finally began their formal confrontation in the sky! The giant hand, condensed from the Demon King’s colossal evil soul power, was ensnared by the countless, dense tentacles before it could even grasp the Source of Origin Poison.

The giant hand, purely condensed from evil soul power, was caught as if in a massive spider’s web. It could not break free from the multicolored threads released by the Source of Origin Poison, and a hissing sound of light smoke could be heard.

“Kongkong, I’m fighting him to the death here. You can’t just stand by, can you? If you don’t help me now, I’ll die just to show you!” A voice filled with deep resentment, like that of a wife abandoned by her husband for another, suddenly emerged from the Source of Origin Poison, which was nearly submerged by hundreds of tentacles.

Ji Changkong froze, feeling a mixture of amusement and exasperation. He summoned the Dragon’s Glory Longsword and soared upward.

“Son, Daddy’s coming!” Ji Changkong roared.

Endless vital energy surged from the Dragon’s Glory Longsword, adding another bloody yet magnificent spectacle to the sky above Eastern Heaven Peak.

The blood waves churned, and the Dragon’s Glory Longsword transformed into a blood dragon, roaring furiously at the heavens and savagely lunging toward the colossal Demon King.

“Seeking death!” The Demon King’s chilling voice still echoed in the void as his mountain-sized body lunged at the blood dragon. He extended a giant, pale, bloodless hand and slammed it directly onto the blood dragon.

The blood dragon thrashed and rolled, its vital energy soaring, blood-red light shooting out. Alas, it could not break free from the Demon King’s yin and evil, tyrannical power.

Ji Changkong’s heart chilled. He immediately sensed streams of tyrannical, evil power surging through the connection between him and the blood dragon, rushing into his body.

His face instantly grew grave. The power of the Heavenly Origin Pearl instantly flooded his limbs and bones. Simultaneously, the blood within his body surged like an unbridled wild horse, crashing wildly inside him.

The blood, containing the essence of the Azure Dragon and the Black Tortoise sacred beasts, finally displayed its extraordinary power! The supremely evil, destructive, tyrannical power of the Demon King, which even Ninth Palace Sky Warriors found troublesome, was forcefully locked down within his meridians and bones by the power of his blood! It rigidly blocked the fatal energy from breaking through Ji Changkong’s physical defenses and reaching his vital organs and brain.

Roar! He let out a furious howl to the heavens, the blood boiling inside him! The power of the Azure Dragon and Black Tortoise seemed to surge through his entire body, instantly igniting and exploding the latent power within the essence blood! The Demon King’s power that had invaded his body was forcibly driven out under the bombardment of the Azure Dragon and Black Tortoise power.

Ssssh, ssssh, ssssh! Countless pores on Ji Changkong’s body began to emit smoke, thick, ink-like black smoke seeping outward, enveloping his entire person.

“Elder Yi! Heavenly Fire, aid me!” Ji Changkong roared toward the inner courtyard of Yi Quan.

Yi Qu, who had been watching dumbstruck, snapped awake. Immediately, plumes of Heavenly Fire lifted from his spirit and floated before Ji Changkong. The thick black smoke emerging from his pores was swiftly scoured away under the scorching of the Heavenly Fire.

Woooo, wooo, wooo! The Demon King seemed to cry out in pain, letting out earth-shattering, mournful screams. The thick, ink-like black clouds beneath him churned and shifted, suddenly wrapping around the blood dragon formed by Ji Changkong’s Dragon’s Glory Longsword.

The Demon King, now free, descended from the sky, radiating a killing intent that promised total destruction, enveloping the Source of Origin Poison.

His target was not Ji Changkong, but the Source of Origin Poison, another anomaly! Ji Changkong, whose surrounding thick black smoke had been completely incinerated by the Heavenly Fire, felt a release of tension in his body. Though the Dragon’s Glory Longsword was gone, he still possessed the power to fight the Demon King.

However, seeing the Demon King descend and charge toward the Source of Origin Poison, a slightly wicked thought suddenly crossed Ji Changkong’s mind—let them fight it out…

Both the Demon King and the Source of Origin Poison were anomalies that should not exist in this world. The Source of Origin Poison was currently somewhat compliant, but such a being, also posing a massive threat to the world, would be a disaster if it ever turned unruly! He had some way to deal with the Demon King, but Ji Changkong still had no idea what the Source of Origin Poison’s weakness was! If the Demon King and the Source of Origin Poison could destroy each other, perhaps that would be the best outcome for the world?

Ji Changkong hesitated…

“Kongkong, come help me quickly! I can’t handle him!” the Source of Origin Poison cried out in distress, its dense threads waving like tentacles, tossing the giant hand condensed from the Demon King’s soul power wildly about.

No, even if he causes trouble for the world in the future, I cannot do such a thing! As soon as the Source of Origin Poison’s cry for help sounded, Ji Changkong’s heart softened. The fleeting thought in his mind was instantly cast into the distant heavens.

“Son, Daddy’s coming!” Ji Changkong bellowed.

Innumerable five-colored halos descended from the sky. These marvelous lights contained the power of the Four Symbols and Five Elements, and some of them, speckled like stars, even carried the light of the stars themselves.

The five-colored halos fell toward the Demon King, moving in a strange trajectory to generate a bizarre decelerating and weakening force upon soul power.

As the Demon King lunged toward the Source of Origin Poison, as soon as the five-colored halos appeared around his massive body, he felt a strange sensation as if he had fallen into another dimension. His soul even instantly lost track of the Source of Origin Poison, and his connection to the Five Elements Continent seemed to be forcibly severed by those halos.

His soul power, which had been at ten-tenths strength, suddenly weakened to just seven-tenths.

The Void Illusory Realm creates a world unto itself. Anyone who falls into it is immediately subject to the influence of this world controlled by Ji Changkong. As long as one cannot break free, that soul-level influence will persist! The Demon King was indeed the supreme evil and wickedness of the world. He made a swift decision, ceasing to target the Source of Origin Poison and dedicating all his energy to breaking through the Void Illusory Realm.

Thick, ink-black smoke suddenly burst forth from his body, and in an instant, the Void Illusory Realm was filled with that dense, unresolvable fog.

The five-colored halos surrounding the Demon King continuously expanded outward, as if being stretched and inflated by the smoke.

Not good! Ji Changkong’s heart clenched. He realized that the still-incomplete Void Illusory Realm could not imprison the Demon King. As the Demon King’s power continued to grow, the Illusionary Realm risked being torn apart at any moment! The formation of the Void Illusory Realm simulates the material world; the powers of vital energy, Four Symbols, Five Elements, and the Seven Star Pavilion must all be present. Everything that exists in a material world like the Five Elements Continent must be present for the Void Illusory Realm to be truly perfect.

Currently, although the Void Illusory Realm possessed starlight, the power of the sun and moon had yet to be incorporated. The even more crucial laws of the world had not yet formed. At this stage, the Void Illusory Realm was merely a half-finished product and could not exert its full power.

Only when all elements—Four Symbols, Five Elements, Seven Stars, sun, and moon—exist within the Void Illusory Realm can mountains, rivers, lakes, and trees manifest. Only when Ji Changkong fully comprehends the laws of the world can the cycle of day and night be simulated within the Realm. Only then will the Void Illusory Realm be truly complete, capable of nurturing life! At that stage, the Void Illusory Realm would be equivalent to the Five Elements Continent, and Ji Changkong would be its true sovereign. Anyone entering would be subject to his control; his every thought would determine the life or death of any creature! Unfortunately, the Void Illusory Realm was still tens of thousands of miles away from that state! Thus, the surging movement of the Demon King’s vast aura caused the Void Illusory Realm to constantly expand, and the power from the Heavenly Origin Pearl within Ji Changkong also began to be insufficient to maintain its operation.

“Kongkong, were you just thinking of making me and the Little Demon King fight to the death? Don’t deny it, I can feel the subtle shift in your thoughts?”

At this moment, the Source of Origin Poison had corroded and dissolved the giant hand formed by the Demon King’s soul. Its tiny, soybean-sized eyes fixed on the struggling Ji Changkong with a strange gaze. It sighed, also appearing hesitant.