Just those two syllables left Ji Changkong stunned, frozen in place, his mind reeling.

Li Hentian watched him quietly, saying nothing. He knew Ji Changkong needed a moment to absorb the weight of those two words.

In the distance, Ji Haotian rose up, demonic energy churning around him, shrouding the sky wherever he passed. Though he hadn't yet broken through to the Nine Palaces Heaven Realm, the demonic Ji Haotian possessed power comparable to a Nine Palaces Heaven cultivator.

The Yaksha King, ignoring the Asura King’s attempts to dissuade him, charged toward Ji Haotian with maniacal fury. Yet, midway there, he was stopped by nine demonic dragons.

These nine dragons, condensed purely from the demonic energy enveloping Ji Haotian’s body, seemed to have emerged from the deepest layer of the Nine Hells. The overwhelming demonic intent radiating from them could affect the minds of everyone present. The Yaksha King, entangled by the nine dragons, unleashed both the Bone Hell and the Nether Ghost Claws, but still could not break free from their grasp.

Terrifying demonic energy enveloped the Yaksha King, twisting his face into a grotesque mask, yet he remained helpless against the nine dragons.

The cage formed by the Yaksha King’s Bone Hell had barely trapped the dragons when they instantly shifted. They burst forth from the enclosure and violently coiled around the Yaksha King. He deployed the Nether Ghost Claws, one of the three ultimate techniques of the Yaksha Clan, manifesting ghostly claws across the sky, but these only managed to leave scratches the size of scales on the dragons, unable to harm their essence.

As the nine demonic dragons pressed in on the Yaksha King, he released all his strength, yet he could not withstand the frantic tearing of the dragons. Under their assault, his body began to visibly diminish.

Ji Haotian possessed only the cultivation of the Eight Trigrams Heaven Realm, yet he had forced the Yaksha King, a cultivator of the Nine Palaces Heaven Realm, into such a wretched state.

Once one falls to the demonic path, the world is shaken.

"Father? He is my father?" Ji Changkong whispered dazedly, looking at the madman who moved the heavens with his demonic presence, then turning to the stern and solemn Li Hentian. "He—is he really my father?"

Li Hentian slowly nodded, his brow furrowing. "After so many years, I never expected him to become this way. After descending into the demonic path, he is terrifyingly powerful. It’s a pity he no longer possesses much of his own consciousness, operating only on the instinct to kill that remains in his heart. Whether this is a blessing or a curse, I cannot say."

"How did he become like this? Why... why is he here?" Ji Changkong’s expression was deeply troubled, his eyes filled with confusion and profound sorrow.

"I don't know either. I honestly thought he was long dead. It wasn't until you mentioned that Cao Xuanqi had him imprisoned in Kunlun that I realized he was still alive. But why he would appear here is indeed strange," Li Hentian admitted, equally perplexed, his look odd.

"It must be Cao Xuanqi’s doing! Only Cao Xuanqi could have released him from Kunlun. And only Cao Xuanqi could have brought him here to the Northern Barbarian lands," Ji Changkong’s face suddenly changed, and he exclaimed in alarm, "Could Cao Xuanqi be nearby as well?"

Li Hentian paused, hesitating for a moment before replying, "It is possible."

Ji Changkong immediately unleashed his divine soul, hoping to utilize its power to seek traces of Cao Xuanqi. However, after just one attempt, he immediately gave up. Even if Cao Xuanqi were truly present, as long as he chose not to reveal himself, few would be able to track his whereabouts.

Although the field was filled with masters, it was utter chaos. After the Yaksha King was restrained by the nine demonic dragons, the countless Northern Barbarian cultivators began surging toward Ji Haotian.

These Northern Barbarian experts had received more information from the Blood Crocodile, learning that Ji Haotian had already slaughtered too many people in the Northern Barbarian lands along his path—not just the Yaksha King, but many other Northern Barbarian tribes had fallen by his hand. Among those slain were the very ancestors of the cultivators currently gathered here. Once this news spread from the Blood Crocodile, the assembled Northern Barbarian Heavenly Masters instantly went berserk, immediately setting Ji Haotian as their primary target.

Ji Haotian, pierced through by nine massive chains, stood proudly between heaven and earth like a demon god. Anyone who approached him would incur his wrath, immediately met with a storm of furious, manic attacks. In his demonic state, Ji Haotian could not only summon the nine demonic dragons to bind the Yaksha King, but he also wielded the demonic energy saturating his body with unparalleled skill.

The moment anyone got close, he would actively attack. The overwhelming demonic energy would sweep in and drown them. With every gesture, numerous Northern Barbarian Heavenly Masters were annihilated, their souls scattered by Ji Haotian's onslaught.

He floated there majestically between heaven and earth, even beginning to actively hunt down any fluctuation of life near him, initiating a bloody slaughter. Once a Northern Barbarian master approached him, they would suddenly find Ji Haotian transformed into the most terrifying savage beast in the world. Their bodies were brutally torn apart by Ji Haotian’s hands; limbs flew, and skulls were crushed by a single strike. Ji Haotian acted as an unstoppable, bloody scythe, rapidly and efficiently reaping the lives of the Northern Barbarian cultivators.

Momentarily, the souls of the fallen Northern Barbarian masters soared toward the heavens. Having had their physical forms utterly destroyed by Ji Haotian, they were completely awed by his power. All thoughts of engaging him vanished from their minds; their escaping spirits only wished to flee this place of strife as quickly as possible.

The Ghost Demon King, who had been dodging the Asura King, suddenly noticed the sky filled with dancing souls. A flicker of fierce excitement ignited in his cold, emotionless eyes as he began using his unique soul power to devour the fleeing spirits.

One by one, the souls of the Northern Barbarian cultivators, whose bodies had been shattered under Ji Haotian’s assault, were snatched up by the Ghost Demon King who had found the perfect opening.

Having gained even more power in the Southern Dipper Star Domain, the Ghost Demon King was now even stronger than when he was at East Heaven Peak. Even the Asura King could not find a definitive way to destroy him for a time, only forcing the Ghost Demon King into frantic evasion. With the extra soul power, the Ghost Demon King moved through space with increasing ease. Even an expert at the peak of the Nine Palaces Heaven Realm, like the Asura King, could only manage to drive the Ghost Demon King around using the Evil Blade.

Although the Evil Blade struck the Ghost Demon King repeatedly, even splitting him in half, his body would reassemble shortly thereafter.

"Ghost Demon King!" The Asura King was not ignorant; after several encounters, he finally recognized the creature’s identity from its traits.

The Ghost Demon King remained silent. Although his soul was injured when struck by the Evil Blade, he could recover through the souls slain by Ji Haotian. Over this period, every time he was injured, he recovered, and his core strength suffered no real damage. Conversely, the Asura King, who had already fought Guya for ten days straight, was beginning to show signs of fatigue.

"Changkong, take your maternal grandfather and leave this place. I will help your father," Li Hentian suddenly said.

Ji Changkong remained stunned for a long moment, staring blankly at Ji Haotian wreaking havoc among the Northern Barbarian cultivators. After a long pause, he suddenly blurted out, "Old Li, you leave first. I'll go!"

Without waiting for Li Hentian to agree, he charged toward Ji Haotian.

The souls escaping from the Northern Barbarian cultivators killed by Ji Haotian were illuminated by the Heaven Origin Bead in Ji Changkong's hand, and were immediately sucked into it. Before he even reached Ji Haotian, the Heaven Origin Bead had already consumed dozens of souls. Most of the masters gathering from all directions in the Northern Barbarian lands were Seven Star or Eight Trigrams Heavenly Masters. Under Ji Haotian's slaughter, many could not evade his terrifying demonic aura and exploded, their bodies disintegrating. Dozens of Northern Barbarian souls fell into the Heaven Origin Bead, including two Eight Trigrams Heavenly Masters. When an Eight Trigrams Heaven Master’s soul entered, the Heaven Origin Bead flashed brightly, and the patterns etched on it became increasingly clear.

At this moment, he didn't know how to face his demonic father or how to save him. All he could do was hope to keep him safe until he could possibly regain his true nature. Deep within his heart, he hated Cao Xuanqi of the Kunlun sect to the core. It was because of the Guiyuan Sect that he lost his mother, and his father had become this monstrous figure. Without the Guiyuan Sect, he could have enjoyed his parents' love and avoided so much suffering. Watching Ji Haotian’s frenzy in his demonic state, watching him massacre all around, Ji Changkong felt a searing pain, wishing he could immediately strike out at the Guiyuan Sect and end Cao Xuanqi.

"I will annihilate your entire clan, I swear it!" Because Ji Haotian was surrounded by numerous Northern Barbarian masters, his control over the demonic dragons lessened somewhat. The Yaksha King suddenly broke free from the nine dragons and shrieked maniacally.

Ji Changkong, his heart filled with overwhelming hatred, immediately summoned the World-Destroying Gauntlet from the Heaven Origin Bead in his palm. In an instant, the fearsome, hideous gauntlet covered his entire left hand, its sharp spikes gleaming with an unyielding radiance.

"Hooowl!"

Ji Changkong roared suddenly, the insane power residing in the Heaven Origin Bead pouring into the World-Destroying Gauntlet. He threw out a punch, and the resulting sound was a deafening thunderclap, accompanied by the distinct sound of surging water—whoosh—within the roar.

Nine Layers of Surging Waves!

Gathering the power within his body and fusing it with the terrifying energy from the Heaven Origin Bead, Ji Changkong unleashed the Nine Layers of Surging Waves—a technique he had personally forged by fusing Heaven Thunder Strength and the Surging Waves Art. This world-shattering force instantly manifested as nine rolling waves aimed directly at the Yaksha King.

The Heaven Origin Bead had absorbed the Yaksha King’s evil spirits and had just devoured numerous Northern Barbarian souls. When the bead's power fused with Ji Changkong's strength and was channeled through the World-Destroying Gauntlet using this violent secret technique, the power of this single strike was destined to be earth-shattering.

This was a terrifying force several times more potent than when he had crushed the small mountain in the continuous mountain range!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

It was as if heaven and earth were splitting apart. The entire Northern Barbarian region seemed poised to change. Savage power surged forth from the World-Destroying Gauntlet. The nine layers of waves completely submerged the Yaksha King. For the rest of the story, please log on to [Website Name], where more chapters are available to support the author and legitimate reading.