The sky over Huiman gradually returned to its proper state; the dark clouds were dispersing, and the spatial fissures torn open by the cataclysmic storm were all mended under the might of the Asura King. With the combined efforts of thousands of Northern Barbarian Celestial Masters, nearly all the alien creatures that had poured through the rifts were slain; the few that managed to escape would amount to little trouble.

The Asura King's single command halted the Northern Barbarian Celestial Masters who had intended to annihilate Gu Bang completely. The experts of the Northern Barbarians remained within the Asura Imperial City.

Gu Bang’s solitary figure gradually receded from the skies above the Asura Imperial City, flying toward the direction of the Great Chu Kingdom in the south.

Ji Changkong, hidden in a corner of the Asura Imperial City, watched as his maternal grandfather flew away from the heavens above the city. He immediately slipped away from his hiding spot and swiftly gave chase in the direction Gu Bang had taken.

He could discern that after this battle, his grandfather was heavily wounded. This injury, he feared, was far more severe than the one sustained during the fight with the Holy Mother Youlan. Judging by the Asura King's tone, his grandfather might be in grave danger, which caused a sharp, aching pain to clench Ji Changkong's heart.

Just as Gu Bang’s silhouette was about to vanish entirely from the sight of the Northern Barbarian Celestial Masters, a strange "crackling" sound suddenly echoed from the clouds above Gu Bang’s head.

Suddenly, countless piles of white bones rained down from the sky, instantly submerging Gu Bang. The eerie bone piles coalesced into an immense cage, its grotesque spikes jutting out, abruptly imprisoning him within.

The piles of white bones began to rotate unnervingly. The bones filling the sky tumbled like colossal gears, functioning as an intricate, massive machine that exerted all its harnessed power. In that expanse, the pale bones choked the very air between heaven and earth; to the eye, the sky had transformed into a hellscape. Vicious entities, formed purely from condensed bone, swarmed forward and instantaneously engulfed Gu Bang.

"Bone Hell! Yaksha King!"

From the direction of the Asura Imperial City, numerous Northern Barbarian Celestial Masters cried out in alarm.

The Asura King frowned slightly and directed his gaze toward the direction of the distant, unseen Bone Hell, uttering a deep command: "Yaksha King, this man's cultivation is on the verge of total ruin. Let him go."

The sinister piles of white bone bizarrely rearranged themselves, condensing in the blink of an eye into a towering skeletal figure. The Bone Skeleton shot a glance at the Asura King and spoke: "My King, my son in the Lianmian Mountain Range had his physical body destroyed and his cultivation nearly crippled by Gu Bang's grandson. Our scouts sent to the Lianmian Mountain Range in the Great Chu Kingdom suffered catastrophic casualties due to this grandson’s despicable poison. My clan’s Blood Alligator barely escaped with grave injuries and just brought me the news! My King, I demand vengeance!"

The Asura King's expression shifted subtly. After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly declared, "Jialuo, who was dispatched to the Lianmian Mountain Range, vowed absolute victory! Now that our side has suffered such heavy losses, Jialuo bears undeniable responsibility! Once Jialuo recovers his physical form, I shall severely punish him!"

"My King, that is a matter for later. For now, allow me to execute Gu Bang!" The towering Bone Skeleton violently raised a menacing bone spike, intending to plunge it into the confined Gu Bang.

"Yaksha King, I repeat: let him leave," the Asura King stated calmly.

The Bone Skeleton abruptly froze, hesitating for a moment before suddenly retracting its movement. The multitude of bones vanished almost instantly, and even the skeletal form itself dissolved without a sound.

"Heaven ordained it. Gu Bang is nothing more than this," a cold voice drifted from that area, still recognizably the Yaksha King's, though his figure remained unseen.

"Yaksha King! How dare you harm my Sect Master! I, Li Hentian, swear here and now to annihilate your entire clan!" Just then, a frigid voice echoed from beyond the heavens. As the voice sounded, a colossal Dharma Wheel, trailing scorching waves of heat, rolled in.

The surging heat enveloped the entire expanse of the sky. Blinding, intense light poured down, baking the space until it cracked and snapped audibly.

The sky-filling bones reappeared, standing upright in a formidable forest. A chilling, malevolent aura surged from this forest, successfully blocking the incoming torrent of heat. "Li Hentian! You dare act so presumptuously in my Northern Barbarian lands? I shall ensure you arrive but never depart!" The Yaksha King's voice resonated anew, and the tall Bone Skeleton slowly reformed.

Unlike before, as this Bone Skeleton materialized, flesh and blood rapidly grew upon it. In the span of mere breaths, the skeletal form transformed into a gaunt, middle-aged Yaksha tribesman whose features bore a slight resemblance to Jialuo.

"Yaksha King, I, Ji Changkong, swear that one day I will exterminate your entire Yaksha race!" A massive roar erupted from beneath the Yaksha King.

"Rumble!"

A force of unparalleled savagery burst forth from beneath the Yaksha King, instantly surging into the bone forest formed by the skeletal remains. A deafening, earth-shattering explosion followed, reducing the bone forest to fine dust that scattered across the sky.

"Ji Changkong, you dare come here to seek death! Good, good! Today, I shall avenge my son!" The Yaksha King’s face instantly turned ashen, and he let out a cold, sneering laugh. Hundreds of evil spirits flew out from his sleeve.

As hundreds of evil spirits appeared, the air filled with wails and ghostly cries. These spirits had once been high-level cultivators of the Seven Star Heaven or First Seal realms. Under the Yaksha King's power, they were transformed into malevolent wraiths whose consciousness remained intact, yet they could not disobey the Yaksha King's orders. They swarmed toward Ji Changkong.

"Yaksha King, I shattered your son's physical body; next time, I will annihilate his divine soul!" Ji Changkong, wearing the World-Ending Gauntlet on his left hand, finally revealed himself from a secluded corner below. Seeing Li Hentian standing stoically near Gu Bang, he commanded, "Old Li, let's go!"

Celestial Masters from the Asura Imperial City, filled with righteous indignation, flew out and charged toward them, radiating killing intent.

Over a thousand Northern Barbarian experts, including dozens of Eight Trigrams Celestial Masters—a terrifying concentration of power—were far too much for just him and Li Hentian to handle. Moreover, the Yaksha King and the Asura King remained present. Staying to fight the entire contingent of Barbarian Celestial Masters was undoubtedly courting death.

Li Hentian’s expression was indifferent. "You go first."

The Yaksha King unleashed his Evil Spirit Heavenly Chart. Evil spirits danced everywhere, weaving together to depict a bizarre scroll. Malicious power continuously flowed from this chart, enveloping the entire area above them.

"Let's go together!" Ji Changkong roared. While retreating, he stored the World-Ending Gauntlet into the Celestial Origin Pearl, clutching the pearl tightly in his palm. Whenever he saw an evil spirit approaching, he would immediately bring out the Celestial Origin Pearl to shine upon it.

Any evil spirit caught in the strange light of the Celestial Origin Pearl immediately became docile and slowly drifted toward Ji Changkong. A spark of joy ignited in Ji Changkong; he realized the Celestial Origin Pearl was truly an astonishing treasure, possessing immense deterrent power over soul-like entities. Unfortunately, before his joy could fully blossom, the evil spirits enveloped by the pearl suddenly froze in place.

"Celestial Origin Pearl, Hmph, indeed a fine item. But if you think it can absorb all my evil spirits, you are gravely mistaken." The Yaksha King let out a cold scoff. Threads of soul lines emerged from the tips of his five fingers, connecting to those evil spirits trapped by the Celestial Origin Pearl. Under the direct control of the Yaksha race's divine soul power, those spirits gained a surge of strength, managing to resist the suction force from the Celestial Origin Pearl.

Ji Changkong's expression shifted slightly. He immediately understood that with a Nine Palace Celestial Master like the Yaksha King present, his plan to devour the evil spirits with the Celestial Origin Pearl was impossible. This had nothing to do with the pearl's miraculous function; it was purely because his own cultivation level was insufficient to provide the necessary power to support the pearl.

Now was not the time to linger and tangle with the Yaksha King.

Using the Celestial Origin Pearl to momentarily paralyze the evil spirits, Ji Changkong swiftly regrouped with Li Hentian. At this moment, he realized his grandfather, Gu Bang, had closed his eyes. Grief overcame him, and he cried out in anguish, "Grandfather! Grandfather..."

"The Sect Elder has merely fainted," Li Hentian quickly clarified before urging, "Hurry, let's go."

The Yaksha King perceived that the Evil Spirit Heavenly Chart might not hold Ji Changkong for long. He immediately changed tactics, beginning to summon the Yaksha race's Nether Ghost Claw. Simultaneously, the thousand-plus Northern Barbarian Celestial Masters had already surged out of the Asura Imperial City and were rapidly closing in.

Unexpectedly, the Asura King made no move, instead watching the scene from afar with a contemplative look. He neither stopped the Yaksha King and the Northern Barbarians from attacking nor offered any assistance; no one could fathom the thoughts churning in his mind.

Both Li Hentian and Ji Changkong recognized the perilous turn of events. Li Hentian clutched Gu Bang and immediately flew south. Ji Changkong wasted no time, unleashing his greatest capabilities as he streaked south alongside Li Hentian.

"What is that thing!" A cry of alarm suddenly tore from the Yaksha King’s lips.

The Yaksha King's exclamation stunned many onlookers. The Northern Barbarian Celestial Masters near the Yaksha King suddenly froze in place, staring in terror at the sky beside the Yaksha King.

The evil spirits released by the Yaksha King were vanishing one by one. It was as if an invisible great maw existed in the void, devouring the carefully refined spirits. The disappearance was peculiar: the spirits vanished piece by piece, their expressions contorted in extreme agony, filled with despair and terror before fading away.

The Asura King, who had remained impassive, suddenly changed expression and roared, "Reveal yourself!"

The sound wave from the Asura King converged into a vast celestial surge, furiously rushing into the space near the Yaksha King, instantly submerging the Yaksha King's location.

A faint, flickering shadow, constantly shifting, slowly materialized within the wave of sound. The shadow seemed aware that remaining invisible under the Asura King's scrutiny was futile, so it simply let go. The vague outline gradually clarified...

A pair of icy eyes, devoid of any human emotion, slowly shifted to fix upon the Asura King. It spoke: "I must thank you. It is because of you that I can return to my homeland."