Li Hentian, his face cold and indifferent, materialized silently beside Ji Changkong. The mid-year Fan Jie moved, and the brilliant light of the scorching sun condensed into a powerful beam, shooting toward the Blood Emperor. Driven by the power of that dharma wheel, the seawater around the beam grew scalding hot, accelerating rapidly until it instantly reached the Blood Emperor.
The Blood Emperor had intended to dispatch Ji Changkong quickly, but events had taken an unexpected turn. Li Hentian’s sudden appearance completely disrupted his strategy, forcing him to temporarily retreat and avoid the immediate confrontation.
The moment Li Hentian appeared, he deflected the Blood Emperor’s offensive. The dharma wheel in his hand displayed exquisite control over power; though it radiated like fiercely burning flame, those nearby felt none of its intense heat.
Conversely, the Blood Emperor, standing further away, found the seawater surrounding him boiling hot. Upon seeing Li Hentian, the Blood Emperor’s composed demeanor vanished, replaced by an expression of extreme caution, signaling that only an expert of equal caliber could provoke such a reaction.
“Li Hentian!” Zhuang Bufou gasped, his face ashen.
It wasn't just Zhuang Bufou; every Celestial Master who had come from the Central Plains felt their hearts sink, a profoundly ominous feeling washing over them.
No one had anticipated that Li Hentian could truly break through to the Ninth Palace Heaven Realm. While the Eight Trigrams Celestial Masters of the realm were few, they were not exceedingly rare; most elders in the major sects and powerful families occupied this tier. However, Ninth Palace Celestials were truly exceptionally scarce.
A Ninth Palace Celestial signified an apex existence. Currently, the most powerful individuals in the world were only at the Ninth Palace Heaven Realm. Li Hentian’s ascension to this level instantly plunged the gathered encirclers, who had traveled thousands of miles, into despair.
Li Hentian’s expression remained cold. He glanced at Zhuang Bufou, his gaze utterly devoid of emotion. “You people have come here intending to kill me?”
“Indeed, we came to kill you!” Zhuang Bufou roared back, his voice carrying high, showing no fear of Li Hentian, who had just ascended to the Ninth Palace Heaven Realm.
Cai Mengyuan and Huang Liangxuan had already readied their divine weapons, prepared for a fight to the death.
Li Hentian’s gaze shifted to the ordinary Celestial Masters from the Central Plains and the East Sea, still asking in that very placid tone, “And you all, you also intend to kill me?”
Under his scrutiny, those ordinary Celestial Masters from the East Sea and Central Plains, who were set on slaying Li Hentian, all displayed hideous expressions, baring their teeth, looking as if they desperately wanted to rush forward and bite him.
Those who dared defy the threats of sects like Xuanyuan Valley, the Chen Family, and Mount Tianshan, traveling across vast distances to confront Li Hentian in the Sea Monster Forbidden Zone, were precisely the kind who harbored hatred for him down to the bone. Their feud with Li Hentian was irreconcilable, a hatred that no mere words—or even Li Hentian’s sudden surge in power—could resolve.
Seeing the depth of hatred in their eyes, Li Hentian slowly nodded, murmuring, “Then you cannot blame me.”
Like the blazing sun overhead, the dharma wheel in his hand suddenly ascended. It streaked through the seabed like lightning, carrying a terrifying, earth-shattering wave of flame.
The Celestial Masters from the Central Plains, who had journeyed thousands of miles hoping to capitalize on Li Hentian’s cultivation time, twisted in agony as the wheel passed. As the wheel swept past their eyes, small flames erupted simultaneously from their eyes, nostrils, ears, and mouths.
In a span of a few breaths, the heads of the Celestial Masters from the Central Plains were engulfed in fire. Soon, their skulls were charred black, their brains burned into ash.
The Blood Emperor’s expression shifted drastically when he saw Li Hentian strike. His eyes shone with brutal, fierce crimson light. Tiny, visible blood-serpents slithered through the seawater; whenever Li Hentian’s dharma wheel approached the Celestial Masters from the East Sea, these blood-serpents would swarm forward to intercept the incoming wheel.
The Blood Emperor Liuyun Feihe’s motive was clear: the visitors from the Central Plains were none of his concern, but the Celestial Masters of the East Sea viewed him as a savior and followed his commands absolutely. They constituted his usable strength.
He needed these people alive, which was why he moved to protect them.
Li Hentian had no immediate intention of engaging in a protracted battle with the Blood Emperor. He remained calm, observing the dharma wheel. Wherever the wheel passed, the Celestial Masters who had traveled from the Central Plains were affected, their heads scorched one by one.
Zhuang Bufou, Cai Mengyuan, and Huang Liangxuan, the three elders from the Guiyuan Sect, reformed the Three Talents formation, their expressions grave as they stood guard, anticipating Li Hentian’s attack.
However, Li Hentian did not rush to strike them. The dharma wheel flew back and forth above their heads, yet it never landed directly upon them, instead snatching the lives of those around them time and again.
For some unknown reason, the Blood Emperor seemed deeply concerned about these three elders from the Guiyuan Sect. Every time Li Hentian’s wheel was about to strike them, the blood-serpents released by the Blood Emperor would arrive just in time, enveloping the three elders firmly to prevent Li Hentian from silently eliminating them with a sudden killing blow.
Ji Changkong watched Li Hentian wreak havoc with immense delight, truly letting out a deep sigh of relief. Earlier, he had worried he wouldn't be able to protect Li Hentian from these scurrilous wretches succeeding, especially after seeing the Blood Emperor, fearing the Blood Emperor might suddenly strike and wipe out the Sea Clan and everyone present.
A Ninth Palace Celestial indeed possessed such terrifying power, which was why Ji Changkong felt fear.
Li Hentian’s sudden appearance, coupled with his demonstration of Ninth Palace Heaven Realm cultivation, filled Ji Changkong with mixed joy and excitement. He suddenly felt the knot that had bound his heart loosen, making him exceedingly happy.
Swish! Swish!
The giant tentacles of the Great Cuttlefish continued to sway rampantly. Celestial Masters from both the East Sea and the Central Plains were ensnared by them, their bodies violently dragged into the creature’s maw, becoming its tasty snacks.
Upon Li Hentian’s emergence, the Great Cuttlefish suddenly became enraged. It was unclear if it held a deep feud with Li Hentian, but upon seeing him rise from the ruins, it became even more reckless. It began slaughtering the Celestial Masters within its attack range while rapidly drifting toward Li Hentian.
Li Hentian snorted, his icy gaze fixed on the Great Cuttlefish. The dharma wheel he had released had, at some unknown point, returned and settled back into his hand.
The moment the wheel entered Li Hentian’s grasp, its piercing light flared brilliantly. The wheel spun and surged, carrying the heat capable of burning everything, and instantly arrived before the Great Cuttlefish.
The Great Cuttlefish emitted two bursts of startled cries, its tentacles flailing wildly across the expanse. Those ensnared by its tentacles found their bones shattering, and some bodies were ripped apart by the creature’s force, their blood splashing everywhere as they died irrevocably.
The Great Cuttlefish whipped its massive tentacles fiercely, trying to wrap around and slap at the dharma wheel. It seemed utterly determined to kill Li Hentian, ignoring the burning flames of the wheel as it sent tentacle after tentacle to seize Li Hentian at any cost.
The Blood Emperor was clearly pleased to see the Great Cuttlefish shift its target to Li Hentian. He stopped releasing the omnipresent blood-serpents, instead watching the Cuttlefish pursue Li Hentian with a faint smile, finding the situation quite convenient.
“Kill!” Ji Changkong lightly patted the head of the Sky Tyrant Dragon and roared softly.
Roar!
The Sky Tyrant Dragon bellowed underwater and suddenly charged toward the Great Cuttlefish. The Dragon’s hook-like claws furiously tore at the creature’s tentacles. The Sky Tyrant Dragon was just as agile underwater, and its strength was astonishing; once its claws gripped a tentacle, it would tear savagely.
Smash!
The giant Cuttlefish’s tentacles, thick as a human waist, were ripped into segments, the gore dyeing the seawater crimson.
This Sky Tyrant Dragon acted under Ji Changkong’s command, but the other three Sky Tyrant Dragons charged the Great Cuttlefish without needing any urging. The four Sky Tyrant Dragons moved with swift ferocity, their iron claws fiercely tearing and ripping the Cuttlefish’s tentacles.
With the four Sky Tyrant Dragons attacking, the Great Cuttlefish was immediately thrown into chaos. Though the Cuttlefish had many tentacles, it couldn't withstand such sustained assault. Over time, battered by the Sky Tyrant Dragons, it became fully occupied and naturally had less energy to deal with Li Hentian.
Li Hentian had been prepared for a fierce battle with the Great Cuttlefish. He paused in surprise when he realized Ji Changkong and the others, riding the Sky Tyrant Dragons, had entangled it, staring blankly at Ji Changkong, seemingly still worried. Only when he saw Ji Changkong riding his Sky Tyrant Dragon weaving effortlessly through the Cuttlefish’s tentacles, completely unaffected by the creature's power, did he quietly relax his vigilance regarding Ji Changkong.
This turn of events meant disaster for the Celestial Masters from the East Sea and the Central Plains. Under Li Hentian’s assault, those harboring deep enmity toward him scattered in panic, fearing capture.
High-level experts from the East Sea, like Zheng Jieshi and the Rakshasa Ghost Mother, naturally looked to the Blood Emperor as their guardian and converged near him as the situation turned unfavorable. The experts from the Central Plains who followed Zhuang Bufou’s trio suffered terribly under Li Hentian’s attacks, with someone being killed every moment.
The Blood Emperor, intending to protect Zhuang Bufou’s group, subtly redirected his power to block Li Hentian’s advances whenever an attack neared the three elders.
The dharma wheel suddenly hung high, and the scorching solar power erupted fiercely from Li Hentian’s wheel. Centered on the wheel, intense flames began to unleash endlessly. Every Celestial Master lingering on the seabed could sense the terrifying fiery essence of those flames.
The seawater suddenly boiled, transforming from cool water into scalding hot broth. Fist-sized bubbles rose and slowly floated upward.
The abyss, covering a hundred acres, seemed to turn into a massive frying pan. Fish and shrimp underwater floated belly-up, and some seaweed withered under the fierce heat.
The only ones who could move freely underwater were the Celestial Masters whose personal power was immense enough to resist the influence of the boiling seawater, allowing them to dart and glide unimpeded by the fierce flames Li Hentian unleashed.
As the sea boiled, all remaining Celestial Masters underwater grew restless.
The Blood Emperor frowned deeply, his expression odd as he looked at Li Hentian. Suddenly, he raised his left hand and calmly stated, “Let’s go out first.”
At that moment, Ji Changkong, Teng Yang, and their group, riding the Sky Tyrant Dragons, began surging toward the exit of the abyss.
Bian Qi and the other Sea Clan members followed suit, abandoning their defensive post in the Sea Clan Forbidden Zone. Their faces flushed as they hurried toward Skeleton Island.
The gigantic dharma wheel rotated slowly, resembling a massive fireball comparable to the sun, continuously releasing light and heat.
Li Hentian, having broken through to the Ninth Palace Heaven Realm, now understood the rules governing the operation of Heaven and Earth, allowing him to release the power within his body completely, without any loss or reservation! This was the ability of a Ninth Palace Celestial!
Clearly, Li Hentian’s goal was to force everyone out of the water—allies, enemies, and Sea Clan alike. Under Li Hentian’s power, they could no longer endure the increasingly hot water and were compelled to retreat.
The Blood Emperor was the only one unaffected by Li Hentian’s power, but as everyone fled upward, he feared Li Hentian would seize the opportunity to slaughter the experts accompanying him. Thus, he too had to emerge from the depths.
Soon, under the influence of Li Hentian’s overwhelming power, all the underwater Celestial Masters rose one by one, passing the dark central point, until everyone hovered above Skeleton Island, halting their movements.
Splash!
Bubbles rolled in the seawater, which below had completely turned into scalding hot water untouchable by ordinary beings. Intense heat radiated upward, making even those standing above feel feverish and instinctively retreat far from the zone generating such high temperatures.
Whoosh!
The dharma wheel finally flew out of the sea and instantly returned to Li Hentian’s hand. Li Hentian’s indifferent eyes swept over the crowd, finally settling on Ji Changkong. “What are you doing here?”
Ji Changkong, still mounted on his Sky Tyrant Dragon, smiled slightly. “Nothing much, just wanted to come see you. Ha, Old Li, you truly haven’t disappointed me. Ninth Palace Celestial! Impressive, very impressive.”
Li Hentian’s expression was unchanged; he merely tugged at the corner of his mouth before shifting his gaze to Zhuang Bufou and his two companions. “For these years, the three of you have done everything possible to oppose me. You even joined forces to gravely injure me, not just once or twice. Today, we really should settle all our accounts.”
The faces of Zhuang Bufou and his companions turned extremely ugly. Under Li Hentian’s stare, they remained silent.
“Heh heh.” The Blood Emperor smiled faintly and casually walked to the side of Zhuang Bufou’s group, bowing politely. “Even upon reaching the Ninth Palace Realm, due to the realm advancement, there will inevitably be a slight gap in grasping the true essence of Profound Power. Li Hentian now, you will likely find him very difficult to handle.”
“Why have you intervened to help us repeatedly?” Cai Mengyuan frowned, seemingly unappreciative.
“No particular reason,” Li Hentian Liuyun Feihe said, narrowing his eyes. “We share a common enemy, and I have no connection with your Guiyuan Sect. Cooperating against Li Hentian and Xuanyuan Valley is beneficial for both sides.”
After a pause, Liuyun Feihe suggested with a smile, “I will deal with Li Hentian, and the three of you join forces to kill Ji Changkong. How about it?”
As soon as Liuyun Feihe uttered this proposal, Ji Changkong realized the true objective behind his willingness to aid the three from the Guiyuan Sect.
This was a proposal they could not refuse.
Zhuang Bufou and the other two understood that without joining forces with the Blood Emperor, not only would it be difficult to deal with Li Hentian, but they might also perish here.
Consequently, under the watchful gaze of the Blood Emperor Liuyun Feihe, the three members of the Guiyuan Sect all nodded slightly.
Liuyun Feihe smiled broadly, cupped his hands toward Li Hentian, and said, “Brother Li, I apologize. Since we cannot be friends, I am forced to do this.”
Li Hentian greatly disliked Liuyun Feihe’s mannerism and impatiently stated, “Fight if you must, stop the nonsense.”
“Haha! Brother Li is indeed as aloof and unreasonable as the rumors say. In that case, I shall not hold back!” As Liuyun Feihe finished his final sentence, his expression and temperament underwent another drastic transformation. His entire being seemed steeped in blood, becoming savage and murderous.
Everyone present could distinctly feel the speed of the blood flowing within their bodies accelerating.
Ji Changkong, in particular, possessing a drop of essence blood from the Four Sacred Beasts, felt the blood inside him boil like the seawater below. He involuntarily felt an overwhelming surge of murderous intent, desperate to annihilate everyone present.
This was a sign of qi deviation. Ji Changkong knew this, and by silently reciting the profound principles of the Grand Void Secret Record, the surging killing intent in his heart gradually subsided. His pupils regained their calm, and when he looked at the crowd again, a smile even touched his lips, entirely unaffected by Liuyun Feihe’s overwhelming murderous aura.
Liuyun Feihe’s target was not him. His brutal, fierce eyes fixed on Li Hentian, his face appearing smeared with crimson blood, making him look monstrous and terrifying, like a demon emerging from hell.
Li Hentian maintained his cold demeanor, holding the Blazing Sun Dharma Wheel, standing proudly in the void, silently awaiting Liuyun Feihe’s move.
A vast sea of blood dyed the dim sky above Skeleton Island red. Sinister and strange power secretly brewed within the dense blood, and Liuyun Feihe’s figure vanished instantaneously, seemingly turning into a spray of blood that scattered into the bloody sea in the void.
The sea of blood drifted slowly toward Li Hentian like layers of clouds. The bloody aura was world-shaking; it seemed as if the entire world had been instantly dyed red, turning into an ocean of blood.
Blood foam rose from the sea of blood, which seemed to possess a life of its own, filling every corner where Li Hentian stood, leaving not a sliver of space.
Li Hentian’s expression turned grave. He unfurled the dharma wheel in his hand and shot upward, instantly entering the thick cloud layer above Skeleton Island.
The sea of blood followed closely behind, also soaring toward the sky, relentlessly pursuing Li Hentian.
Roar!
Ji Changkong, riding the Sky Tyrant Dragon, his face stern and cold, suddenly charged toward Zhuang Bufou.
The power previously gathered in the Heavenly Origin Pearl surged into his body. The blood within him boiled, and the power of the Azure Dragon and the Black Tortoise of the Sacred Beasts seemed to release their strength simultaneously, flooding his meridians and bones, making Ji Changkong’s body incredibly resilient.
Unfurling the Dragon Splendor Great Saber in his hand, a blood dragon roared and clawed its way through the clouds, charging straight for Zhuang Bufou.
Roar!
The Sky Tyrant Dragon beneath him seemed to sense the will of the dragon soul contained within the Dragon Splendor Great Saber, suddenly accelerating its speed. It charged toward Zhuang Bufou and simultaneously spat out a thick, foul-smelling black smoke.
Zhuang Bufou was fully focused on dealing with the ferocious assault of the blood dragon. Upon seeing the Sky Tyrant Dragon charging fiercely again, his expression shifted slightly. He tossed his golden iron rod toward the sky; the rod instantly glowed golden, and a sharp, killing aura erupted from it. Layer upon layer of rod shadows smashed into the blood dragon.
Simultaneously, Zhuang Bufou flashed away with lightning speed, solemnly dodging the thick poisonous smoke spat by the Sky Tyrant Dragon.
Teng Yang and the others, riding their Sky Tyrant Dragons, took the opportunity to charge toward Cai Mengyuan and Huang Liangxuan. The Sky Tyrant Dragons beneath them were equally ferocious, prepared to spit poisonous smoke at close range.
Huang Liangxuan frowned slightly, looking at the charging Xue Hai and his group with a touch of impatience. He said coolly, “Why are you interfering?”
As he spoke, Huang Liangxuan’s spirit soul condensed into an invisible giant hammer and smashed toward Teng Yang’s group.
Teng Yang’s body shook violently; his face instantly turned pale while on the Sky Tyrant Dragon. Xue Hai and the other five individuals bled from all seven orifices, their bodies went limp, and they nearly fell off their Sky Tyrant Dragons.
“Retreat quickly! If you persist in causing trouble, don't blame me for being impolite!” Huang Liangxuan snorted coldly.
Wuu! Wuu!
The Sky Tyrant Dragons beneath Liu Ye’s group let out a pained cry and hastily retreated from Huang Liangxuan, carrying them away. The dragons sensed the injuries of Liu Ye’s group and knew that Huang Liangxuan possessed the power to utterly destroy them all, so they dared not gamble with the lives of those six.
Among the six, only Teng Yang’s face was pale, his spirit soul only slightly wounded, unlike Liu Ye and the others who suffered grievous spirit damage.
Teng Yang stood with Bian Qi and the others, glaring intensely at the distant Huang Liangxuan and Cai Mengyuan, secretly resolving that once they left the Sea Monster Forbidden Zone this time, they would definitely utilize their family influence to ensure the three elders of the Guiyuan Sect remained in the East Sea.
"Tengyang, don't come any closer!" shouted Ji Changkong from a distance, having just forced Zhuang Bufu back.
Although the Tengyang group possessed extraordinary talent and were shielded by some peculiar power, the actual cultivation realm of these six individuals was far inferior to that of Huang Liangxuan and his party. The physical disparity could be somewhat mitigated by the might of the Sky-Reaching Winged Dragons, but the immense chasm in spiritual strength was nearly impossible to bridge.
Huang Liangxuan proved truly ruthless, even against these juniors, employing the power of the Divine Soul. Utilizing his superiority in this domain, he struck the six members of the Tengyang group with a single blow, forcing them to—
Zheng Jieshi and Rakshasa Ghost Mother, despite harboring intense hatred for Ji Changkong, did not immediately pursue him. Instead, they turned their vengeance upon the Sea Clan members. Both Zheng Jieshi and Rakshasa Ghost Mother cultivated the realm of the Eight Trigrams Heaven, and their combined assault made the experts of the Sea Clan retreat steadily.
It was only after the Tengyang group retreated atop their Sky-Reaching Winged Dragons that the Sea Clan members managed to stabilize, aided by the reinforcement of the Sky-Wide Winged Dragons.
"Liuye, Jinhao! Quick, get down! Tell your Sky-Harp Winged Dragons to abandon helping Brother Ji!" Tengyang urged.
Liu Ye, Jinhao, Xue Hai, Kong Yuan, and Hong Ge—all five were deathly pale, blood trickling from their seven orifices. Fortunately, a protective energy guarded their Divine Souls; otherwise, their injuries would have been far worse.
At Tengyang's insistence, Liu Ye and the others slowly dismounted their Sky-Reaching Winged Dragons. They patted the necks of their Sky-Wide Winged Dragons and pointed towards Ji Changkong, commanding, "Go quickly! Go help him!"
The two Sky-Harp Winged Dragons seemed to understand, letting out low roars before soaring abruptly into the sky, charging toward Zhuang Bufu, Huang Liangxuan, and Cai Mengyuan, who had begun launching a serious offensive against Ji Changkong.
Huang Liangxing's strike using Divine Soul power had directly repelled the Tengyang group, driving away the Sky-Reaching Winged Dragons beneath them as well. He intended to deal with Ji Changkong without distraction, hoping to take his life in the ensuing chaos.
They were well aware that Ji Changkong's potential for growth was unparalleled. With Li Hentian already having broken through to the Nine Palaces Heaven realm, and with the ancient tower of Tianshan in play, the power on that side ostensibly surpassed Tianshan's. Huang Liangxuan and the other two now felt a profound sense of threat.
And Ji Changkong, provided the rumors were true, was bound to reach the Nine Palaces Heaven realm as well. Legend claimed that the Ji family's Xuanyuan held the title of Invincible in the Nine Palaces Heaven! If Ji Changkong one day also reached the Nine Palaces Heaven, then the Kunlun Guiyuan Sect would be disadvantaged in every aspect.
Given the history concerning Ji Changkong's parents, the Guiyuan Sect and Xuanyuan Valley were already enemies, a feud unlikely to end peacefully—Huang Liangxuan and the others knew this well.
Now that they had Li Hentian, a Nine Palaces Heaven cultivator, as an addition, they absolutely could not allow another to emerge.
Huang Liangxuan, Cai Mengyuan, and Zhuang Bufu were truly resolved to kill one person first. Unless that person possessed the cultivation base of the peak Eight Trigrams Heaven, it would be extremely difficult for them to escape the trio's killing strike.
Ji Changkong suddenly felt the pressure multiply immensely!
Merely by having Huang Liangxuan and Cai Mengyuan quietly approach, he felt his entire body grow heavy, his limbs slowing down.
The flow of his vital blood and profound Origin Force within his body, inexplicably influenced by some power, suddenly decelerated. As Huang Liangxuan and Cai Mengyuan closed in further, the Spring of Power supporting him seemed obstructed by some force, becoming congested and sluggish.
His pupils contracted sharply. Ji Changkong realized with a jolt that Huang Liangxuan, Cai Mengyuan, and Zhuang Bufu had already allied, employing their specialized Three Talents Formation. This marvelous array maximized the output of their combined strength; the blue energy barrier that had previously trapped them was destroyed by the force of their joint effort.
His expression shifted to horror. Ji Changkong took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. At this crucial moment, the 'Self-Existence Realm' of his Great Void Secret Record began to manifest its wondrous effects—
In the Self-Existence Realm, Ji Changkong could perceive the exact manner in which the enemy's Origin Force flowed. This supremely subtle sense allowed him to know precisely what secret techniques the opponent was using and to discern their true killing moves.
Under the Self-Existence Realm, Ji Changkong saw the Origin Force within Cai Mengyuan, Zhuang Bufu, and Huang Liangxuan dissipate into the air like wisps of faint smoke. This nearly invisible Origin Force mingled with the air, advancing silently, undetectable even by ordinary Divine Souls.
It turned out that Cai Mengyuan and Huang Liangxuan had struck without him realizing!
Ji Changkong’s face darkened. He lightly tapped the Sky-Wide Winged Dragon beneath him and hissed, "Go."
The Sky-Wide Winged Dragon, sensing the shift, flew in the direction Ji Changkong pointed. The Blood Dragon vanished, and the Dragon's Glory Saber reappeared in Ji Changkong's hand.
A flash of scarlet light swept out and instantly disappeared. The sharp Origin Force emanating from the Dragon's Glory Saber dissolved into nothingness, suddenly tearing a corner of the Three Talents Formation.
The Sky-Wide Winged Dragon shot through the gap like lightning.
The oppressive heaviness on his vital blood and Origin Force instantly lifted. Ji Changkong suddenly realized he had broken free from the trio's Three Talents Formation.
It was at this precise moment that the other two Sky-Reaching Winged Dragons arrived, joining Ji Changkong.
"Eh!" Cai Mengyuan murmured, looking at Ji Changkong with slight astonishment, then frowned and addressed Huang Liangxuan beside him, "He actually managed to break out?"
Huang Liangxuan’s face was stern. "This brat is indeed extraordinary, managing to detect the minute flaw in our Three Talents Formation. The force of that saber strike was exquisitely precise, allowing him to follow the gap and tear open a corner to escape."
"Attack with full force! This child absolutely cannot be spared!" Zhuang Bufu’s voice was grave. "He is only at the Seven Star Heaven realm, yet he could burst out of our Three Talents Formation. If we let him reach the Nine Palaces Heaven realm, who knows what will happen?"
"If he truly reaches the Nine Palaces Heaven realm, he might even surpass Gu Ya! We must kill him today, regardless of Li Hentian!" Huang Liangxuan nodded firmly.
The three Grand Elders of the Guiyuan Sect had grasped the terrifying nature of Ji Changkong; this realization solidified their determination to eliminate him.
Chiff, Chiff, Chiff, Chiff!
A faint sound echoed in the air. Waves of imperceptible soul fluctuations were unleashed from the direction of Huang Liangxuan and the two others, hurtling toward Ji Changkong.
Ji Changkong's face turned icy. He cursed, "Three old dogs, truly venomous!"
Huang Liangxuan and the others knew that delivering a quick death strike might not be easy, especially since Ji Changkong was currently flanked by three Sky-Harp Winged Dragons—one Dragon being equivalent to an Eight Trigrams Heaven expert. With three guarding him, Huang Liangxuan understood a brute-force approach was unwise.
Therefore, he resorted to the same tactic used against the Tengyang group: a Divine Soul attack!
This time, it wasn't just Huang Liangxuan initiating the soul assault. Cai Mengyuan and Zhuang Bufu joined in, utilizing the Three Talents Formation’s method of soul attack, aiming to encircle Ji Changkong's Divine Soul and instantly shred it into dust.
When a higher realm cultivator attacks a lower one, a soul assault is the most effective and direct method. Cultivators can borrow external means to enhance physical power or augment the forces within their body, but few things can instantly elevate the power of the Divine Soul!
This realization drove Zhuang Bufu and the others to employ the soul attack, hoping to end the battle in one go and annihilate Ji Changkong's spirit entirely.
"Be careful!" Tengyang’s face changed drastically, and he shouted sternly from below, warning Ji Changkong about the soul attack from the three elders.
"Shameless!" Liu Ye and the others shrieked from below, enraged to the point of smoke rising from their nostrils. They never imagined the three Grand Elders of the Guiyuan Sect would resort to such vicious tactics against juniors.
Zhuang Bufu and the other two were intent on killing Ji Changkong and paid no mind to the curses from Tengyang and the others. They drove their soul power, surging wildly towards Ji Changkong.
Ji Changkong’s expression was ugly, his face filled with feigned terror, shouting hysterically, "You old dogs, I won't forgive you even as a ghost!"
Zhuang Bufu’s mouth curved into a cold sneer. "Don't worry, we won't give you the chance to become a ghost."
Annihilated soul, all consciousness completely erased—Zhuang Bufu and the two others were confident they could wipe away every trace of Ji Changkong's existence! Once the fundamental imprint of life was erased, all power within the soul would return to the world, leaving no chance even for spectral existence.
"Old dogs, may you die horrible deaths! Horrible deaths!" As if realizing escape was impossible, Ji Changkong screamed with heartbreaking, hysterical fury.
Seeing his apparent despair, Zhuang Bufu and Huang Liangxuan redoubled the release of their soul power. Waves of violent, invisible fluctuations surged toward Ji Changkong like monstrous tides. They felt certain of victory, believing they would finally eradicate Ji Changkong this time.
"Brother Ji, run!" Xue Hai screamed.
Bian Qi of the Sea Clan shook his head slightly. "This child... he is likely finished..."
Three masters of the Eight Trigrams Heaven realm using formation techniques to unleash soul power against a mere Seven Star Heaven expert—anyone looking on would agree that the Seven Star expert was doomed, with zero possibility of survival.
Ji Changkong’s uncharacteristic, desperate shrieks seemed to confirm this grim prognosis.
Zhuang Bufu and the two others smirked coldly, intensifying the soul power. They felt their released spiritual energy drawing closer and closer to Ji Changkong, so close that the next moment he would be ground to dust by their soul force!
At that moment.
Ji Changkong, who had been displaying frantic fear, suddenly stopped screaming and fell utterly silent. A bizarre, almost grotesque smile bloomed on his lips.
Anyone witnessing that smile would feel an inexplicable sense of unease.
Something is wrong! Zheng Jieshi, the Island Master of Luoxia Island, looked up at the sky, his expression strange. He was one of the few who had crossed swords with Ji Changkong before, and he knew just how cunning and vicious Ji Changkong could be.
Staring fixedly at the strange smile on Ji Changkong’s mouth, a bolt of realization suddenly struck Zheng Jieshi’s mind. He roared toward the heavens, "Recall your Divine Souls! Quickly, recall your soul power!"
Zhuang Bufu and the other two froze. Hearing Zheng Jieshi's shout, a deep sense of dread washed over them.
Ji Changkong held a bead in his hand and suddenly raised it high.
A torrent of violent energy erupted from the Heavenly Origin Bead in his grasp. The soul power surging from Zhuang Bufu and the other two toward Ji Changkong instantly became chaotic, no longer responding to their main consciousness!
The soul power they had released rapidly rushed toward the Heavenly Origin Bead in Ji Changkong's hand. That bead acted like a bottomless black hole devouring soul power, continuously releasing terrifying suction that dragged the soul energy of Zhuang Bufu and the other two into it.
"The Heavenly Origin Bead! It’s the Heavenly Origin Bead!" Zheng Jieshi cried out in sheer terror from below. "Sever the connection to your soul energy immediately! Don't even think about recalling the released soul power! Otherwise, you will only be injured worse!"
Zhuang Bufu and the other two were currently unleashing their soul power completely, attempting to draw back the portion that had rushed into the Heavenly Origin Bead. Hearing Zheng Jieshi's frantic warning, the three of them, already bleeding from the nose, began to hesitate agonizingly.
Abandoning the power meant their Divine Souls would suffer a severe blow, potentially requiring ten or eight years to recover.
Not abandoning it meant risking the loss of even more soul power—perhaps all of it would be sucked dry by the Heavenly Origin Bead!
For any cultivator, this was an agonizing choice, especially since Zhuang Bufu and the others had no idea how strong the Heavenly Origin Bead's suction truly was.
The fierce suction from the Heavenly Origin Bead suddenly lessened slightly.
Zhuang Bufu and the other two were momentarily overjoyed, instinctively believing that the Bead's power couldn't truly hold all three of their soul energies. They thought that by uniting their strength, they might not only reclaim their soul power but perhaps even turn the tables and completely destroy Ji Changkong’s soul!
"Don't! Don't force the attack!" Zheng Jieshi yelled from below. "Ji Changkong is vicious and cunning; he will never give you any opportunity. If you think you can recall your soul power, you will only lose more grievously!"
It must be said that after suffering one loss, Zheng Jieshi truly understood Ji Changkong’s treacherous nature.
Heeding Zheng Jieshi's warning, Zhuang Bufu and the other two grimaced in agony, caught in agonizing indecision, unable to make a final choice.
"Retreat!" Cai Mengyuan suddenly shrieked towards the sky, the first to proactively let go.
Once the connection to the soul was severed, there was no possibility of counterattack. Cai Mengyuan severed his link; a portion of his soul energy ultimately vanished into the Heavenly Origin Bead.
Zhuang Bufu and Huang Liangxuan immediately sensed Cai Mengyuan’s withdrawal. Having lived so long, despite their deep unwillingness, they recognized Ji Changkong's ruthless maneuvering at the critical juncture. They finally understood that the slight easing of the Heavenly Origin Bead’s power was merely a clever lure deployed by Ji Changkong, designed to consume all three of their souls.
Zhuang Bufu and Huang Liangxuan also yielded, actively severing the connection to their respective portions of soul energy.
Pfft.
Zhuang Bufu, Huang Liangxuan, and Cai Mengyuan all spat out blood, their faces bloodless and filled with dread as they stared at the grinning Ji Changkong.