Sixteen thousand wisps of soul-cleansing energy flowed, like fine silk, across his nebula-like divine vestment, gradually merging into his very soul, The energy emanating from the Heavenly Origin Pearl this time was unlike any before. That soul energy was profoundly strange, resonating magically with Ji Changkong's spirit. As they burrowed into his soul, not only did Ji Changkong’s nebula-like spirit rapidly expand, but it ceased its singular rotation. Following the shifts in his mind, his nebula began to transform continuously, birthing the spectacle of a starry sky forming and then dissipating.

The nebula-like spirit mutated through myriad wondrous changes; it seemed the profound truth of endless starlight was being unveiled one by one within the transformations of his soul-nebula. Without the slightest surprise, the energy of Ji Changkong’s spirit began to steadily strengthen.

The soul energy originating from the Heavenly Origin Pearl finally faded away, and the Pearl itself ceased its radiant glow. On its surface, a clear map of the constellations materialized, yet it no longer emitted light or power. Gripping the Heavenly Origin Pearl tightly, Ji Changkong’s nebula-like spirit slowly calmed, and his vacant, bewildered consciousness gradually returned to him.

He needed hardly investigate to discover his soul energy had gained a substantial increase. His spiritual power was now immensely dense, comparable to the peak experts of the Eight Trigram Heaven realm. It was certain that with his current soul energy, let alone being on the Moon, few beings upon the Sun itself could surpass him in the depth of their spirit.

A powerful soul brought numerous benefits. Primarily, the secret techniques and soul skills requiring spiritual impetus would undoubtedly increase in might due to the soul’s strength. Secondly, a strong soul would make his cultivation on both the Moon and the Sun considerably easier.

Any ill-intentioned individual who approached him and sensed the energy of his spirit would quietly retreat, fearful of being attacked. Furthermore, the powerful spirit would allow his soul tempering on the Moon and the Sun to become much simpler. He believed that if he re-entered the Moon, he could rapidly absorb enough Lunar Essence to temper his spirit to the level required for cultivation upon the Sun. The enhancement of the soul brought tremendous advantages. Holding the Heavenly Origin Pearl as he stood there, he could perceive the entire Asura Imperial City through the power of his spirit. The experts of the Northern Barbarians hovering above the city naturally could not escape his spiritual scrutiny.

Suddenly, a familiar aura registered from a corner of the Asura Imperial City. Shi Qianjie!

A cold thought echoed in Ji Changkong’s mind. Having battled Shi Qianjie before, he had already deeply imprinted the man’s soul signature. As his spirit swept across the area, he keenly detected that concealed presence, immediately realizing Shi Qianjie must be hiding somewhere in that vicinity. He did not know that his father’s appearance this time was related to Shi Qianjie, and mistakenly assumed Cao Xuanqi was also nearby. With a cold snort, Ji Changkong’s expression grew solemn as he began to contemplate how to extract his father from the midst of so many formidable enemies.

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!

Amidst the surging demonic qi came the sound of immensely violent clashes of Origin Power. The demonic mist that shrouded the entire sky over the Asura Imperial City suddenly began to recede, and the brilliant moonlight poured down from the Ninth Heaven, illuminating the city below. The pure white light bathed the faces of the many experts standing rigidly in the void.

Startled, Ji Changkong instantly set aside his thoughts and refocused all his attention ahead. There stood the Asura King, towering in the void, his imposing figure unmoving as a mountain. Yet, Ji Haotian, whose body was convulsing with demonic energy, was bleeding profusely, his blood-red eyes filled with endless hatred. Sadly, his demonic energy was now rapidly declining, and the Nine Demonic Dragons had vanished without a trace for some unknown reason.

Clearly, even the demonized Ji Haotian was still no match for the Asura King. The Asura King looked upon Ji Haotian with a grave expression and stated coldly, “You have committed too many sins in my Northern Barbarian lands. If I do not kill you, I cannot face my own people.”

The Asura King had finally decided to kill! The Asura King, who had not used any weapon since his appearance, suddenly materialized a three-meter-long double-bladed battle-axe in his hand. The axe shimmered with dark light, its surface etched with intricate, archaic images of demonic gods and vicious specters. With a single swing of the battle-axe, an overwhelmingly dominating, evil power erupted forth.

In an instant, the sky above the Asura Imperial City seemed to transform into an Asura Hell, as thousands upon thousands of demonic gods and specters flashed into existence. The entire world felt as if it had plunged into utter ruin. The double-bladed battle-axe moved slowly toward Ji Haotian within this Asura Hell. The space through which the axe passed became completely sealed. An overwhelmingly dominant, malevolent aura surged forth from the Hell, enveloping Ji Haotian along with the swarms of spectral figures, swallowing him whole.

Ji Changkong trembled, watching Ji Haotian consumed by the Asura Hell, having long forgotten what a terrifying entity the Asura King was. The World-Extinguishing Gauntlet reappeared in his left palm. Ji Changkong poured all his power into it—the energy absorbed from the Yaksha King and the Northern Barbarian masters into the Heavenly Origin Pearl—it was like the power of the galaxy pouring into his left arm. Before the punch was even thrown, Ji Changkong’s left arm was already tearing apart, flesh ripped from bone, becoming a bloody mess.

Enduring the excruciating pain, Ji Changkong roared, unhesitatingly fusing his internal Origin Power with the boundless energy within the Heavenly Origin Pearl, unleashing the Nine Waves of Surging Tides toward the Asura King. This strike was several times more terrifying than the one that had severely wounded the Yaksha King! Even the Asura King’s expression drastically changed. The double-bladed battle-axe, which had been enveloping Ji Haotian, was instantly retracted. The Asura Hell domain unfolded once more, but this time, the target was Ji Changkong! The Asura Hell reappeared, thousands of demonic gods and specters boiling forth from the defiled ground, echoing the overwhelming power of the battle-axe as they surged to cover Ji Changkong.

Suddenly, Ji Changkong found himself in another space, within an Asura Hell conjured purely by the Asura King. Here, he could sense nothing around him; he could not gather any more Heaven and Earth Origin Power! This sky, this earth, everything in this space—all were under the control of the Asura King! In this domain, even Ji Changkong was subject to the laws of the realm, frozen in place. The only thing unaffected by this constraint was the Nine Waves of Surging Tides! Celestial thunder roared, waves crashed furiously. Once the power of the Nine Waves of Surging Tides erupted, it would no longer be bound by any law of heaven or earth. Its emergence had shattered natural rules, leaving even the creator of this Asura Hell, the Asura King, helpless.

The demonic gods and specters nurtured by the Asura King in the Hell began to vanish one by one at a speed visible to the naked eye. Under the force of the Nine Waves of Surging Tides, the defiled world of the Asura Hell suddenly cracked, then slowly began to split open. Boom! Boom! Boom!…

The Asura Hell finally dispersed. Under the might of the Nine Waves of Surging Tides, the power condensed by the double-bladed battle-axe dissipated. When the pure moonlight reappeared in the sky over the Asura Imperial City, the double-bladed battle-axe was back in the Asura King’s palm. He stared blankly at Ji Changkong and suddenly asked, “That person has left. Who is he to you? Why would you risk your life to save him?”

After the strike of the Nine Waves of Surging Tides, the World-Extinguishing Gauntlet returned to the Heavenly Origin Pearl. As for Ji Changkong, his entire left arm was now nothing but exposed white bone, devoid of any flesh, sinew, or meridian. Clutched tightly in his five white bone claws was the Heavenly Origin Pearl. Cold sweat streamed down Ji Changkong’s forehead. With a look of desolation, he gazed at his left arm, then glanced at the Asura King, nodding slowly before remaining silent. Abruptly, he bit down on his lip. The next moment, several crisp popping sounds came from within Ji Changkong’s body. His form twisted, skin tore open, and blood sprayed outward. Amidst the vast mist of blood, Ji Changkong vanished.

All the Northern Barbarian Celestial Soldiers froze mid-air. In just an instant, they erupted into furious chaos. One by one, they shouted curses and chased southward, determined to capture either Ji Changkong or Ji Haotian alive.

“Stop chasing. You won’t catch them,” the Asura King waved a hand, calm. “That demon escaped earlier, instantly accelerating to his peak speed. He must be a thousand miles away by now, and still accelerating. As for Ji Changkong, he used the Xuanyuan family’s Blood Evasion Technique; he is likely already ten thousand miles distant.”

Hearing this, the Jade Soldiers of the Northern Barbarians were utterly dejected. “March on the Central Lands! Avenge our kin!” “My King, the Northern Barbarians have suffered this great humiliation; we absolutely cannot let it pass!” “My Fierce Great Clan has not entered the fray for many years; this time, we will exert our utmost effort. The people of the Central Lands have gone too far in their provocation!” “March on the Central Lands and slay every intruder from today!” The Northern Barbarian Celestial Soldiers were filled with righteous fury. Even the clans that had remained aloof from internal Northern Barbarian conflicts for years could not bear it. Nearly every person in the Northern Barbarian lands expressed their complete cooperation with the Asura King’s grand strategy for bloody retaliation against the Central Lands.

The Asura King watched the excited Northern Barbarian soldiers, understanding that the martial realm of the North had been utterly enraged this time. He felt both pleased and helpless. Pleased because these fellows had finally seen reason, but helpless because this was temporarily not the best time to enact the invasion of the Central Lands. He gently raised his hand, making a silencing gesture. Only when all the Northern Barbarian Celestial Soldiers quieted did the Asura King speak, “I understand your urgent feelings, but now is not the optimal moment. Although I defeated Gu Yu in our battle, my strength was severely depleted. Following that, I fought the Ghost Demon King and Ji Haotian; now my power is reduced by sixty or seventy percent. And the Central Lands, besides Gu Ya, still possess Cao Xuanqi.”

The hot-blooded Northern Barbarian Celestial Soldiers froze mid-thought. “My King, but… didn’t we have an agreement with Holy Mother You Lan?” one expert stammered. “Holy Mother You Lan?” The Asura King’s face darkened with disdain. “Do you think she is a match for Cao Xuanqi? A hundred years ago, she nearly died at his hands. Even after achieving the Nine Palaces Celestial rank, she dared to challenge Gu Lang, yet she never dared seek revenge against Cao Xuanqi. She has always harbored a deep fear of him. How could she possibly contend with him?”

“My King, then what should we do? Should we just swallow this insult?” the Northern Barbarian experts clamored. The Asura King pondered for a moment, then suddenly declared, “My Barbarian Kingdom never suffers a loss without accounting for it. For the calamity inflicted upon my clan today, I shall claim it all back in the future. Give me a few years to recover my strength. I will lead you to march upon the Central Lands and execute every one of today’s intruders!” He paused. “Never before have the pinnacle Nine Palaces Celestial experts truly fought a decisive battle. This time, I fought Gu Ya; I won, and he lost. After this fight, I believe I can faintly glimpse the dawn of the Ten Directions Heaven. Cao Xuanqi, Cao Xuanqi—if you do not advance further within ten years, I swear I will ascend Mount Kunlun and eradicate your entire lineage!” “Little fellow, return and tell your Master. He has one final chance: while I am heavily injured, he can roll down from Kunlun and come find me here!”

The Asura King’s eyes, deep as mountains, pressed toward a remote corner of the Asura Imperial City. Shi Qianjie burst out laughing and appeared there. He called out heartily, “Very well, Your Majesty, I assure you, I will relay the message to that old ghost. Asura King, you are indeed formidable! After battling Gu Ya and the Ghost Demon King, you still managed to defeat the demon Ji Haotian and neutralize that monstrous, self-sacrificing blow from Ji Changkong. Currently, only you are qualified to fight the Old Ghost. Rest assured, the Old Ghost will certainly come seeking you once you have recovered!” “I will wait for him in the Asura Imperial City!” the Asura King replied, then murmured softly, “Demon Ji Haotian, the new Xuanyuan Ji Changkong—these two…” “Traitor! Do you think you can leave alive?” The Northern Barbarian Celestial Soldiers roared in fury. Waving his hand, the Asura King commanded, “Let him go. When we march into Kunlun, we will destroy this brat along with the rest.” The Northern Barbarian soldiers who were about to strike Shi Qianjie paused upon hearing the King’s words. One by one, they glared at Shi Qianjie with hatred as he departed. “Fine, but if you want to kill me, you should act sooner. Otherwise, I fear you will never succeed!” Shi Qianjie laughed loudly, showing no fear of the numerous Northern Barbarian powerhouses, flying away at lightning speed into the distance. Ji Haotian, Shi Qianjie…

The Asura King looked toward the direction of the Central Lands. After a long moment, he turned back toward the Asura Palace behind him. “Yao Kui, you have found your match!” “Is Young Master Yao Kui still in the eighth layer of the Asura Realm?” A Northern Barbarian Celestial Soldier suddenly became excited. “Young Master Yao Kui has long been at the peak of the Eight Trigram Heaven realm. This tempering process will surely make him even more formidable.” The Asura King showed a pleased smile. “Yao Kui has already entered the ninth layer of the Asura Realm. He achieved this fifty years earlier than I did. This child will be the blessing of my Barbarian Kingdom in the future! He is destined to surpass me!”

On a fierce, icy cliff in the Northern Barbarian lands, Ji Changkong lay sprawled, completely limp, against the cold stone. His face was pale as white paper, and he stared blankly at his left arm, now nothing but white bone. For the first time, a feeling of dejection and helplessness rose within him. Without his left arm, his future strength would be severely compromised; many secret techniques would become unusable…

The Blood Emperor in the Eastern Sea, You Lan in the Western Regions, the Asura King in the North, and the terrifying Cao Xuanqi in the Central Lands—with so many enemies surrounding him, how could he contend against them without his left arm? Just as he pondered this, a surge of vibrant, vital energy suddenly welled up from the bones of his left arm! In an utterly bizarre development, his arm, covered only in ghastly white bones, began to sprout new meridians and flesh, like an ancient tree budding anew… (To be continued)