Moon Peak, as the heart of Moon Core, would birth new marvels at regular intervals. Explorers venturing into Moon Core were never unsuccessful if they managed to locate Moon Peak; provided, of course, they managed to keep their lives intact.

Meng Gang and his contingent had clearly arrived at Moon Peak ahead of time. They loitered around the area, not rushing to gather the spiritual herbs or rare treasures growing there, but instead standing guard secretly, positioning themselves to deal with Lei Jia.

The moment Lei Jia appeared, Meng Gang could hold back no longer. He immediately led his followers to emerge from the rear side of Moon Peak. There were no wasted words; they charged straight towards the newcomers with deadly intent.

Meng Gang currently had only about twenty men, while Lei Jia, having just rescued eight masters on the way, also commanded about twenty people. The numbers were nearly equal, meaning Meng Gang held no significant advantage. Precisely because of this parity, Lei Jia showed no fear of Meng Gang. Seeing him charge, Lei Jia immediately shouted: "Everyone be cautious! To claim the rare treasures and spiritual herbs upon Moon Peak, you must first get past Meng Gang's group. Meng Gang is no stranger to this tactic. The last time I came with some friends, we were forced to retreat due to Meng Gang's men. By the time we returned, Moon Peak was stripped bare."

With Lei Jia’s declaration, everyone naturally resolved to join forces to counter the assault from Meng Gang’s faction.

The rare treasures of Moon Peak lay waiting. As long as they could repel Meng Gang and his men, the bounty of Moon Peak would belong to them. Under such intense motivation, every individual immediately focused their minds, preparing to fight with full effort.

"Hahahaha!" Meng Gang roared with laughter, his violent soul power raging like a hurricane. Wherever it swept, many of Lei Jia’s followers were forced to evade direct collision to prevent confronting Meng Gang head-on.

As the organizer of this contingent, Lei Jia naturally surged to the front lines, personally bracing against Meng Gang’s potent threat.

Lei Jia’s soul power was also quite peculiar. Once he truly decided to engage Meng Gang, Lei Jia’s soul began to undulate ceaselessly, transforming as if into a luminous orb. Brilliant, dazzling light radiated from Lei Jia’s soul. Any nearby soul touched by that radiance instantly felt weak and sluggish, rendering many subsequent attacks impossible to launch.

Meng Gang’s soul power, resembling a hurricane, stormed forward, the fierce energy impacting and focusing entirely onto Lei Jia.

Meng Gang’s soul force was incredibly domineering and terrifying. It carried an intense invasiveness; any soul power appearing within a certain range, whether friend or foe, would suffer the influence of this brutal force. A single misstep could result in that soul being pulverized by Meng Gang’s rampant soul energy.

Even with the singularity of Lei Jia’s power and the weakening light it emitted, under the relentless bombardment of Meng Gang’s savage soul storm, he appeared to be scrambling and clearly struggled to maintain his defense.

The power of Meng Gang’s soul storm was simply too fearsome. Not only Lei Jia but also Number Nine, who tried to move to assist Lei Jia, was affected by Meng Gang’s violent power. Number Nine’s soul was blasted far away by the impact, nearly causing his soul to instantly shatter.

Lei Jia, displaying an expression of pain, unleashed his entire soul force. His soul instantly became like a strong light source, sending beams of brilliant, dazzling light scattering in all directions.

As a result, even some of his friends standing nearby could not avoid being affected.

Ji Changkong and Yu Ziling both failed to dodge the influence of Lei Jia’s soul power and were struck by these intense beams of light. Yu Ziling’s soul flickered slightly, her body twisting continuously, barely managing to maintain her spectral form.

Ji Changkong immediately sensed a strange energy vibrating within his own spirit. Under the effect of this energy, even his soul weakened, requiring double the mental fortitude to execute the soul skill Nebula Soul Refining Art.

Cursing inwardly, Ji Changkong seized Yu Ziling’s hand and rapidly retreated away from the area where Lei Jia and Meng Gang were engaged.

"Why are the soul attack techniques of people from the Hai Wei Continent always so overbearing? They affect friends and foes alike. Meng Gang is like this, and now Lei Jia is too. Is this a characteristic of the Hai Run Continent?" After pulling Yu Ziling to a safer spot, Ji Changkong frowned slightly, expressing mild dissatisfaction.

Yu Ziling chuckled, shaking her head. "Perhaps those two are just exceptions. I’ve encountered some masters from the Hai Lan Continent before, and none of them possessed soul attack powers this peculiar."

"Let them fight," Ji Changkong said with a smile. "I think Lei Jia can hold out for quite some time. Although Meng Gang’s soul power is overwhelmingly dominant, it also consumes mental energy at a huge rate. I doubt he can sustain such reckless expenditure of soul power for long. Conversely, Lei Jia’s soul attack might not seem strong, but it’s very wearing; his power focuses on draining the opponent's soul strength. If this drags on, Meng Gang might not be the ultimate victor!"

"That’s true, but I worry that Lei Jia won't last," Yu Ziling replied, raising an eyebrow with a wry smile. "Lei Jia looks like he’s failing; he’s moving towards us."

Lei Jia indeed appeared to be losing ground.

Under the relentless bombardment of Meng Gang’s soul storm, the brilliant light emitted by Lei Jia was growing dimmer. Realizing that continuing this way would surely lead to his demise, Lei Jia retreated steadily. As he retreated, Lei Jia’s soul presence spread out, searching everywhere for Ji Changkong’s aura.

Once he managed to lock onto Ji Changkong’s presence, Lei Jia immediately rallied, sharply accelerating his retreat towards the location of Ji Changkong and Yu Ziling.

At this critical moment, the masters who had entered Moon Core alongside Meng Gang began assaulting Lei Jia’s group. Their power was not weak, and they struck suddenly, unleashing their soul power immediately, engaging Lei Jia’s men in fierce combat.

Ji Changkong and Yu Ziling had pulled back to maintain distance, initially planning to observe the situation. But to their surprise, Lei Jia faltered so quickly that he was actively drawing Meng Gang towards their position.

Yu Ziling cursed Lei Jia as shameless and was forced to continue retreating further back. She was self-aware enough to know that under the indiscriminate power wielded by those two combatants, she likely wouldn't survive. However, Yu Ziling still showed some loyalty, tugging Ji Changkong’s sleeve as she pulled away, signaling him to leave with her.

"You go ahead. I want to see if I can lend him a hand; after all, we arrived together," Ji Changkong did not rush to leave like Yu Ziling, choosing instead to stay put, watching the convergence of Lei Jia and Meng Gang with a stern gaze.

Yu Ziling paused for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. Be careful. Neither Meng Gang nor Lei Jia is fundamentally our concern. Our goal in coming to Moon Core is cultivation and obtaining the rare treasures here. We absolutely must not lose ourselves recklessly in the process."

Yu Ziling, accustomed to prioritizing self-interest, considering Ji Changkong at this juncture was already a testament to their bond.

Ji Changkong smiled, indicating he understood Yu Ziling's point. "Don't worry, I know my limits. I'll play it by ear. If I can't handle Meng Gang, I’ll flee far away, just like you."

Yu Ziling said no more, offered another word of caution, and swiftly departed into the distance.

When Meng Gang and Lei Jia clashed, the immediate surroundings were empty. The soul powers of these two were indiscriminate, meaning anyone who drew near either combatant would suffer. Thus, as Meng Gang and Lei Jia slowly advanced toward Ji Changkong, Ji Changkong could focus all his attention on them, needing no concern about surprise attacks from others.

"Number Twenty-Four, aid me!" Lei Jia projected his soul aura from a distance, hoping Ji Changkong would extend a helping hand.

At this point, Meng Gang’s physical form had vanished. He had become a massive soul storm; all his soul power was channeled into that vortex. That cyclone was now the entirety of his soul.

Lei Jia, struggling, continued to slowly release his brilliant beams of light. These lights radiated outward from Lei Jia as the center, dispersing in all directions. Some of these beams entered the cyclone formed by Meng Gang’s soul, effectively impeding the speed at which the vortex approached, proving Lei Jia's soul attacks were indeed quite effective against Meng Gang.

The only unfortunate aspect was that Lei Jia’s speed of retreat was actually slower than Meng Gang’s advance.

It was apparent that continuously releasing those dazzling beams of light was also draining Lei Jia’s mental energy severely. In terms of soul depth, Lei Jia was inferior to Meng Gang, which explained his perilous predicament.

Ji Changkong knew he had to assist Lei Jia, or Lei Jia would certainly be unable to evade Meng Gang’s onslaught.

"Understood," Ji Changkong sent his soul message to Lei Jia, then concentrated his focus entirely onto Meng Gang.

Meng Gang had completely transformed into a soul storm, vast and surging. The ferocious soul power carried a force capable of sweeping away and shattering everything in its path. Even the dense Essence of Moonlight within Moon Core could not escape; even the moonlight itself was shredded, scattering shards of light everywhere.

Lei Jia finally retreated to Ji Changkong’s side.

"Hahaha, Lei Jia, you are truly regressing! In the past, though you were equally vile, you at least had the courage to face me head-on. Now you resort to making others die for you! Lei Jia, you’ve surely lived too long!" Meng Gang was utterly arrogant, intense soul fluctuations leaking from the vortex.

"Meng Gang, don't think too highly of yourself. My young brother here will certainly suppress your wickedness," Lei Jia murmured after reaching Ji Changkong’s side. "If we join forces, we must kill this Meng Gang!"

"No need!" Ji Changkong smiled. "You are exhausted; take a rest. You can take over for me later."

"Very well. Little brother, be careful of Meng Gang's relentless soul storm bombardment," Lei Jia nodded, making no further ceremony as he moved aside from Ji Changkong.

Meng Gang finally arrived in front of Ji Changkong. The soul storm condensed from his soul churned forward, its soul-thought fluctuations vast and powerful. "Boy, don't die for that Lei Jia; it's not worth it."

"I fight you not for Lei Jia's sake, but because I wish for quietude when I claim what is mine from Moon Peak," Ji Changkong stated solemnly, immediately beginning to condense his own soul power. In an instant, he synthesized dozens of incredibly fine soul flares.

Meng Gang laughed wildly. "Since you seek death, you have no one to blame but yourself."

Saying this, a massive, boundless soul hurricane burst forth from Meng Gang’s soul storm. Under the high-speed rotation of that storm, sharp blades pure and simple, condensed from soul mental energy, suddenly shot out, aimed directly at Ji Changkong’s illusory form.

With a thought, the recently formed soul flares all soared upwards, instantly blasting towards the incoming blades.

In the space between Meng Gang and Ji Changkong, dazzling orbs of light erupted. Each orb contained a powerful tide of mental energy impact, shattering violently upon emission.

Meng Gang’s soul blades were successively shattered by the attack of Ji Changkong’s soul flares. All the blades vanished in that instant; not a single one managed to advance further under the force of the soul flares to penetrate Ji Changkong’s spectral form.

Meng Gang had expected that his soul blades, even if they didn't annihilate Ji Changkong instantly, would at least wound his soul, forcing him to clear the path.

Unexpectedly, every soul blade unleashed was pulverized by the soul power Ji Changkong deployed. Seeing this, Meng Gang’s expression immediately grew serious. The soul storm subsided slightly, morphing into a gigantic face of Meng Gang, whose visage was filled with astonishment. "Boy, you’re quite capable. Why align yourself with a despicable wretch like Lei Jia? You might as well join me; I guarantee you will obtain what you desire."

"Apologies, I join no one. To me, both you and Lei Jia are merely guides. Bringing me to Moon Peak is enough. As long as you don't bother me now, I have no desire for conflict with you." Ji Changkong shrugged, adopting an air of indifference.

"Guides..." Meng Gang paused, then gave a strange laugh. "Indeed. We are guides, but without us guides, fellows like you would never find the path into Moon Core, let alone locate Moon Peak!"

"Yes, I am grateful to Lei Jia for bringing me here. Therefore, later on Moon Peak, I will only take what I need. Others can freely choose what I leave behind; I am not greedy."

"It seems you are set on this path. In that case, I must destroy you first before I can deal with Lei Jia."

Sensing Ji Changkong’s resolve, Meng Gang ceased his rambling. The soul energy forming the large face abruptly spun, and in an instant, all his soul power was unleashed again, reverting to the soul storm.

This time, Meng Gang did not release any soul blades but relied purely on the crushing force of the soul storm to rapidly press against Ji Changkong. The heavy soul energy instantly enveloped Ji Changkong’s spectral form, making his movements exceedingly difficult.

Meng Gang held no thought of mercy; all his soul power pressed down suddenly. The cyclone purely condensed from soul power violently emitted an immense sucking force, actually beginning to tug Ji Changkong’s soul bit by bit toward the soul storm.

Ji Changkong’s expression remained unchanged; beneath Meng Gang’s violent power, he even managed a slight smile.

Suddenly, Ji Changkong’s soul also formed a terrifying suction. In that very instant, Ji Changkong’s spectral form vanished, replaced by a vast, bottomless black hole. The hole was intensely dark, with soul power slowly swirling within, and an equally bizarre sucking force emanated from it.

Ji Changkong and Meng Gang—one manifesting a cyclone, the other a mysterious black hole—were not far apart, both simultaneously releasing powerful suction.

In the space between them, much of the Essence of Moonlight from Moon Core could not withstand the influence of these two forces, with wisps falling into the cyclone and the enigmatic black hole formed by their souls. Not far from them, some combatants paused their fighting, watching the strange transformation of the two with astonishment.

Both souls exerted extremely violent suction. Under this force, their spiritual bodies gradually drew closer, the distance between the cyclone and the mysterious black hole shrinking inch by inch.

"Not good!" Yu Ziling, watching from afar, froze. She couldn't predict the final outcome, but she knew both combatants were now locked down by each other's power. If a third party intervened now, they would play the decisive role.

Numbers Twenty-Five, Twenty-Six, and Twenty-Seven, who had previously betrayed their side, also recognized the subtlety of the situation. After a moment of shock, they immediately began moving towards Meng Gang’s side, clearly intending to lend him strength.

Yu Ziling’s heart jumped. At this point, she couldn't afford to hide. She cried out and immediately moved towards Ji Changkong, hoping to help him through this crisis.

Lei Jia acted similarly to Yu Ziling. He was already closer to Ji Changkong. Seeing the situation devolve like this, his face showed clear delight. Mid-way, he shouted, "Little brother, rest assured, I am coming to assist you!"

Ji Changkong and Meng Gang’s soul powers were locked in stalemate, the cyclone and the mysterious black hole slowly nearing each other. Once their souls made contact, no one knew what would happen.

Almost simultaneously, Numbers Twenty-Five, Twenty-Six, and Twenty-Seven appeared behind Meng Gang and Ji Changkong, alongside Lei Jia.

Something bizarre occurred! Twenty-Five, Twenty-Six, and Twenty-Seven, without hesitation, stopped the moment they reached Meng Gang. Instead of helping him, they suddenly launched an assault against him! Their soul power struck Meng Gang’s soul storm, causing the storm to violently destabilize, losing its cyclone form.

At the same moment, Lei Jia arrived behind Ji Changkong, and just like the other three, Lei Jia executed an equally baffling move.

Lei Jia suddenly shot out bursts of intensely brilliant light. The targets of these lights were shockingly Ji Changkong! Moreover, a surge of negative energy, purely condensed from soul power, erupted from Lei Jia’s soul. These negative tides carried immense negative aura, harboring hatred and a desire for destruction capable of annihilating everything. Once these negative forces breached Ji Changkong’s soul, they would instantly erase his soul’s independent consciousness!

"Be careful!" Yu Ziling rushed over at top speed but was still a step too late. However, she finally understood Lei Jia’s true intentions.

Ji Changkong’s soul, manifested as the mysterious black hole, suddenly exploded outward! Like fine drizzle, his soul power fragmented into thousands of filaments, splashing out in all directions. Ji Changkong’s soul presence suddenly weakened to the brink of extinction...

"Scoundrel!" Yu Ziling was consumed by fury. She had never anticipated Lei Jia would do such a thing. She rushed towards Lei Jia recklessly, unleashing her own soul power. Her mental energy materialized into a wicked blade, curved in shape, radiating dark energy.

Lei Jia suddenly turned, displaying a meaningful, almost mocking smile. "Little girl, you are no match for me."

Beams of bright light erupted from Lei Jia’s soul, forming layers of spiritual obstruction that blocked the wicked blade manifested from Yu Ziling’s mental energy. As the evil blade impacted Lei Jia, the light upon it continually dimmed, and the soul essence Yu Ziling had imbued into it dissipated bit by bit.

"Little lass, this shouldn't be your true appearance, right? You probably don't know, but I’ve always wanted to see what you truly look like. Heh heh. Back in that passage, that foolish boy wasn't deliberately harassing you; it was me bumping into him from behind, forcing him to collide with you. Little lass, I see you... don't seem too displeased, either, heh heh. What a pity, a real pity that the boy's soul has been utterly annihilated. I'm afraid you’ll never see him again. However, I can console you on his behalf..." Lei Jia chuckled as he looked at Yu Ziling, his true nature revealed, speaking lewdly to tease her.

"You villain! Let's see just how capable you are!" Yu Ziling's soul trembled violently with rage. The evil blade she had condensed using her spiritual power suddenly erupted with immense evil energy—a killing aura meant to destroy everything—released from that blade forged purely from her spiritual essence, rushing madly toward Lei Jia.

The crystalline light Lei Jia had released earlier seemed to have had no effect on Yu Ziling's Wu Blade. The blade instantly tore through layers of the crystalline light’s obstruction, moving with extreme speed, arriving before Lei Jia in an instant.

Lei Jia's expression shifted to horror, and he cursed, "You're courting death."

His soul condensed rings of water ripples, which spread outward, once again forming an incredibly miraculous defense. As the ripples spread, they acted like glue; even the essence of the nearby moonlight was tightly stuck to those ripples. In just a moment, the ripples were brimming with immense lunar power.

Yu Ziling’s soul-forged evil blade slashed down, striking right into those glue-like water ripples. Her formidable-looking Wu Blade, upon entering the water, only managed to carve a gap in the ripples. Immediately afterward, the power on the evil blade was ensnared by the power of the water, rendering even the soul aura Yu Ziling had imbued within it immobile.

Yu Ziling’s face changed. Acting decisively, she retracted the soul aura attached to the Wu Blade. Simultaneously, a killing intent suddenly erupted from her heart, and the evil blade exploded.

However, the shattered Wu Blade, lacking the infusion of Yu Ziling’s primary soul essence, had extremely limited power and failed to destroy the water ripples.

Even so, Lei Jia’s soul shuddered violently. He looked at Yu Ziling with slight astonishment and snarled, "You little bitch, so you, like that boy, were hiding your true strength. I never suspected your soul was so shallow yet your soul techniques so vicious and overbearing. When I capture you later, I will certainly have my way with you and let you taste the exquisite pleasure of souls blending together!"

"Cough, cough..." Just then, a groan came from the distance. Mang Gang had returned to his original form, his soul twisting and shifting violently as he dodged and hid in extreme distress.

Numbers Twenty-Five, Twenty-Six, and Twenty-Seven were relentlessly pursuing Mang Gang. The three unleashed their soul power, bombarding Mang Gang mercilessly. Under the onslaught of their combined power, Mang Gang appeared increasingly wretched, cursing, "You three traitors, why... why did you betray me?"

"We were never yours. From the beginning, we were aligned with Lei Jia. You fool, still thinking everyone should pledge allegiance to you. Serves you right to die first," Number Twenty-Five explained coldly with utter disdain, encircling Mang Gang with Numbers Twenty-Six and Twenty-Seven, continuously attacking with their soul skills, clearly intending to swiftly obliterate him.

If Mang Gang’s soul power hadn't been so profoundly deep, he would have been ambushed to death by these three earlier. Although he was currently managing to evade their attacks, he appeared utterly pathetic, his soul extremely fragile. If things continued this way, in a short time, Mang Gang would be blasted into dust by these three.

"Why? Why? What he, Lei Jia, can give you, can’t I give you? Why are you helping him?" Mang Gang simply could not comprehend it.

"You piece of trash, you’re about to die, and you’re still so long-winded," Number Twenty-Five cursed impatiently, continuing his assault on Mang Gang.

The sudden turn of events between Mang Gang and Lei Jia attracted the attention of many. However, by this point, whether they were Mang Gang’s faction or Lei Jia’s, everyone was locked in fierce battle. The situation had become uncontrollable.

At this very moment, both Mang Gang and Lei Jia had lost their authority over those present.

Everyone was fighting; the struggle was no longer for anything else but the treasures atop Moon Peak. Now, everyone rushed towards the Peak. Anyone blocking their path, regardless of whether they were allies or not, would be immediately attacked.

Under the irresistible magnetic pull of Moon Peak, everyone seemed to have gone utterly insane, their eyes fixed only on the benefits of the Peak, tolerating nothing else.

Yu Ziling shouted desperately, hoping to draw everyone's attention, hoping to make them realize Lei Jia's treachery, hoping they would unite to stop that despicable villain, Lei Jia, first. Yet, no one paid her any mind.

"It's useless. At this point, everyone only thinks of themselves; no one will play the hero. Over these many years in Moon Heart, I've witnessed too much of humanity's baser instincts. Here, sometimes even sworn brothers or blood relatives might kill each other, let alone strangers who’ve never met. Little lass, let’s ignore the others; let’s have some fun first," Lei Jia smiled, slowly approaching Yu Ziling, releasing those water ripples with their intense, sticky power, inching closer to her bit by bit.

Yu Ziling was eager to avenge Ji Changkong, but she realized her power was still insufficient. At this critical juncture, there was no one beside her she could trust or rely on. She could only back away step by step, watching in all directions, hoping to find an opportunity to deal with Lei Jia.

"Don't even think about running; you won't escape!" Lei Jia chuckled, his gaze growing increasingly lustful. "After we’ve had our pleasure, I suppose the fighting on Moon Peak can reach a temporary end. I will kill you afterward and join the fierce scramble for the best rewards. Before that, I need to use the joining of our souls to restore my lost spiritual energy. You might not know, but on the moon, I can use this method to recover spiritual energy that seems forever lost..."

"Hey, you guys! You! You lot! Didn't Number Twenty-Four save you just now? Now Number Twenty-Four has been killed by Lei Jia—don't you have anything to say?" Yu Ziling retreated to a section and yelled toward the group standing there.

Among those people were the sisters Number Five and Number Six, as well as the handful of individuals Ji Changkong had saved. Yet, at this moment, these supposed allies were fighting each other just to reach Moon Peak faster.

Hearing Yu Ziling's shout, these people didn't even spare a moment to look at her. The eight who had narrowly escaped the three Moon Demons even wore expressions of disgust, impatiently cursing, "Little bitch, that boy is dead. He’s gone, everything is over. Look after yourself."

The sisters Number Five and Number Six glanced at Yu Ziling with slight reluctance. Number Six seemed to retain a sliver of conscience, murmuring, "Sister, maybe we should...?"

"Don't meddle in other people's business. Lei Jia has his eyes on her; that’s her bad luck! Let’s not interfere, lest Lei Jia shifts his target to us. You know, Numbers Twenty-Five, Twenty-Six, and Twenty-Seven are very powerful, and they are with Lei Jia. Don't stir up trouble!" the older sister admonished.

Number Six hesitated, ultimately withholding aid. Suddenly, she spotted an oval-shaped stone on Moon Peak, her eyes lighting up. "Moon Meteorite! Sister, that’s a Moon Meteorite!"

Her eyes now held nothing but the treasure; nothing else could enter her vision.

Yu Ziling fell into despair, suddenly realizing that in Moon Heart, it was indeed difficult to make true friends. Here, everyone was an enemy; relationships were tethered solely by interest. Without that rope of self-interest, human connections immediately dissolved into indifference, and former friends could instantly become foes.

It was just that cruel.

Lei Jia smiled and continued his approach toward Yu Ziling, unleashing his soul power to relentlessly oppress her...

At this point, Yu Ziling no longer hoped for help from others. She glared fiercely at Lei Jia, awaiting his arrival. No one knew what thoughts churned in Yu Ziling’s mind.

"Little lass, if you think you can pull a cheap trick like soul self-detonation on me, heh heh, you're likely to be disappointed," Lei Jia suddenly laughed. "You may not know, but under the repeated shining of my Chaotic Soul Light, your soul will soon be so weak that you won't even be able to perform soul self-detonation. Heh heh, finally finding a little lamb, how could I let you die so easily, don't you think? Hmm, get ready to truly enjoy yourself; enjoy the splendor... and the pain I'm about to bring you!"

Just then, no one noticed a stray thread of Ji Changkong’s soul consciousness, scattered across heaven and earth, beginning to slowly gather and reform...

Unbeknownst to anyone, Ji Changkong’s soul aura slowly aggregated. His life force, having reached its nadir, began to slowly increase.

Alas, everyone was currently focused on killing their opponents and rushing to Moon Peak, leaving no time to notice the soul aura of Ji Changkong gathering in the distance. After all, the soul auras in this area were too chaotic; everyone was releasing their own, and when a person died, their soul aura would scatter, creating even more useless energy signatures.

The only one to notice this unusual aura was one person—Mang Gang! The wretchedly fleeing Mang Gang, having an indelible impression of Ji Changkong, had his enemy's soul signature deeply imprinted in his soul. Therefore, even in his most desperate state, he could sense the unusual fluctuation in Ji Changkong's soul presence.

Mang Gang was utterly astonished. He didn't know what the change in Ji Changkong's soul aura signified, but one thing was certain—Ji Changkong was still there! This enemy who caused Mang Gang the most concern unexpectedly became a pillar of support in his heart. Sharing a common enemy in Lei Jia, Mang Gang began subtly shifting his position, moving slowly toward Ji Changkong.

Mang Gang wasn't sure if Ji Changkong could reassemble his soul quickly, but he knew his own time was running out. If he didn't receive Ji Changkong's help, he would soon be killed by Numbers Twenty-Five, Twenty-Six, and Twenty-Seven, with absolutely no chance of survival.

Therefore, despite his battered state, Mang Gang moved resolutely toward Ji Changkong.

Numbers Twenty-Five, Twenty-Six, and Twenty-Seven were focused on disposing of Mang Gang quickly; these three had long coveted the sisters Number Five and Number Six, and Lei Jia had agreed to let them have their way with the sisters. They were growing increasingly impatient.

Following Ji Changkong’s soul aura, the gathering quickened. When Mang Gang finally reached the area, the speed at which his own soul coalesced increased tenfold! Mang Gang’s heart tightened; he suddenly realized a fact—Ji Changkong could have reformed his soul quickly at any time; the previous delay must have served another purpose! Mang Gang didn't know what Ji Changkong planned to do, but just before Ji Changkong’s soul fully reformed, he urgently transmitted, "We are not enemies!"

"Heh heh, not bad. We truly aren't enemies, but we still want you dead!" Number Twenty-Five assumed Mang Gang was speaking to them and sneered coldly. Mang Gang was now cornered in the most desperate situation; with just a little more effort from the trio, they could strike him down.

At that precise moment, a sky full of soul rays suddenly burst from behind Mang Gang, soaring past him and engulfing the three assailants.

Numbers Twenty-Five, Twenty-Six, and Twenty-Seven had long judged that Mang Gang lacked the strength to fight back. They never expected soul rays to erupt in attack at such a critical juncture. Caught completely off guard, all three were struck, and their souls immediately weakened.

"It’s up to you. I believe you have a way to use their souls to restore yourself!" Ji Changkong transmitted a wave of thoughts, immediately unleashing a soul driving technique, blasting the power of a negative tide into the three men’s souls.

Numbers Twenty-Five, Twenty-Six, and Twenty-Seven suddenly behaved like idiots, standing frozen and immobile, seemingly waiting for Mang Gang to strike them down.

"Thank you, friend! I am not like Lei Jia; I don't stab people in the back. We can cooperate, a cooperation without schemes!" Mang Gang exclaimed in ecstatic relief. After transmitting friendly thoughts to Ji Changkong, Mang Gang painfully transformed his soul power once more into the might of a storm.

A tornado reformed in the void, but it seemed somewhat lacking in strength, lacking any truly powerful suction force.

Clearly, Mang Gang was too heavily wounded.

However, Numbers Twenty-Five, Twenty-Six, and Twenty-Seven were now laid out like fish on a chopping block, ready to be slaughtered. Although Mang Gang's current soul power was far from its peak, dealing with these three whose self-awareness had been forcibly occupied, he still held the advantage.

Mang Gang unleashed a power of self-sacrifice, one by one drawing the souls of Numbers Twenty-Five, Twenty-Six, and Twenty-Seven into the tornado, beginning his act of vengeance upon them.

Simultaneously, Ji Changkong materialized behind Lei Jia with an unnerving suddenness, watching the encroaching Lei Jia with a placid expression, and stated calmly, "I am still here."