The sorrow within the eyes of the Tian Pa Winged Dragon seemed absolute; its ferocity and clamor vanished without a trace, leaving only a yearning for life.
“You fear death too, don't you? You understand what I’m saying?” A captivating smile still played on the Blood Emperor’s lips. However, his eyes had turned crimson, holding an utterly chilling intent—a coldness devoid of even a sliver of mercy. “The more pain you know, the greater my pleasure will be. The agony Ji Changkong inflicted upon me, I hope to exact some revenge for it upon you…”
The Blood Emperor spoke as if addressing a lover, yet his words carried no trace of amusement.
Wisps of blood began to escape the nostrils of the Tian Pa Winged Dragon, drilling through the Blood Emperor’s fingernails and entering his body. The life force of the great dragon ebbed away bit by bit, while the Blood Emperor’s complexion grew increasingly robust.
BOOM!
Suddenly, earth-shattering explosions erupted from deep within the mountain belly. Waves of intensely violent power slammed into the cavern, causing the defensive structures within the Bright Sacred Mountain to heave violently.
The masters of the Manichaean dark faction, hidden deep within the mountain, sensed the intrusion amidst the tremors. These experts, once loyal to the Dark King, were utterly bewildered. Initially, they couldn't process what was happening, assuming it was a natural disaster—an earthquake shaking the core of the Bright Sacred Mountain.
What was this place?
It was the holy land of the Manichaean Sect, the foremost Celestial Master sect in the Western Regions! For a thousand years, the Manichaean Sect had never known invasion. Even when the Oro Divine Sect was at its zenith, they only dared to stir trouble at the Manichaean branch temples outside, never daring to provoke anything at the Bright Sacred Mountain.
In the eyes of the Manichaean followers, no sect or individual in the world dared to cause mayhem in their sacred ground. Therefore, when the earth-shaking roars echoed from outside, and the defensive mechanisms within the mountain began to fluctuate wildly from the bombardment, the Manichaean disciples struggled to accept reality.
They simply could not believe anyone would dare to act wickedly within the Manichaean domain!
However, as the force inside the mountain grew stronger, as stones began to shatter and fly everywhere, and as low-level disciples were instantly killed by the rampaging power!
The dark faction masters within the mountain finally realized the gravity of the situation. A sudden wave of exclamations rose from within the cavern. The Manichaean masters spontaneously organized themselves, beginning to search for traces of the enemy, determined to locate whoever was causing this havoc.
RUMBLE! BOOM!
The entirety of the Bright Sacred Mountain was convulsing with massive explosions. Forces of unparalleled savagery rained down from the sky, blasting into the interior of the mountain, reaching every hidden corner of the Bright Sacred Mountain.
As these torrents of true energy poured onto the mountain, everyone could see the Bright Sacred Mountain suddenly erupting with two strong lights—one black and one white. These lights emanated from both the exterior surface and the depths of the sacred mountain. The two forces did not merge; they remained distinctly separated, yet together they strove to repel the terrifying power descending from above.
It must be acknowledged that the defensive power of the Manichaean Bright Sacred Mountain was formidable. Under the impact of the various violent forces, these two beams of black and white light twisted and morphed, creating thousands of bizarre defensive energies that successfully blocked the majority of the incoming attack.
Ji Changkong, standing atop the Bright Sacred Mountain, frustrated that he could not utilize the Void Illusion Realm to enter directly, was boiling with anger. The space within the Bright Sacred Mountain must have been tampered with by the Holy Mother Youlan using a specific method, embedding a force that prevented direct spatial traversal.
Unable to phase in via the Void Illusion Realm, Ji Changkong resolved himself. He unleashed the full extent of his Nine Palace Heaven Realm power, repeatedly bombarding the Bright Sacred Mountain with the might of his World-Ending Gauntlets.
This time, he truly maximized the power of the World-Ending Gauntlets. His internal Yuan Force, the power of his bloodline, and the strange energy sourced from the Celestial Origin Pearl fused together, unleashed in the pattern of the Nine Waves of Raging Tide—a power truly irresistible.
The strange black and white energy defending the Bright Sacred Mountain was blasted apart by a single punch from the World-Ending Gauntlets. The separated black and white auras continuously released the power of light and darkness, stubbornly intercepting Ji Changkong’s repeated World-Ending Gauntlet strikes.
As these two forces collided, the Bright Sacred Mountain shook violently, appearing as if it could collapse at any second. Yet, upon closer inspection, one could see that while the mountain staggered, it did not fall.
“Sect Master, the protective grand array of the Bright Sacred Mountain is the Holy Realm of Light and Dark, formed by the fusion of light and darkness. The blending of light and dark energies, accumulated over a thousand years of Yuan Qi, contains terrifying power. Even a powerhouse at the peak of the Nine Palace Heaven Realm might struggle to shatter the Holy Realm of Light and Dark in one go!” Ayiguli reminded him.
Eager to destroy the Holy Realm of Light and Dark and rush inside, Ji Changkong’s heart sank upon hearing Ayiguli’s words. “The Holy Mother Youlan must have sensed my presence. She will arrive soon. If I cannot bring the Tian Pa Winged Dragon out before she arrives, the opportunity will be completely lost.”
“Sect Master, even with your power, destroying the Holy Realm of Light and Dark in a short time is exceedingly difficult. This… there is nothing to be done,” Ayiguli replied, equally anxious but powerless.
“If pure force fails, I will try another method. I did not wish to slaughter the innocent, but to save the Tian Pa Winged Dragon, I must employ alternative means,” Ji Changkong said, his face grim. “The Manichaean people are all evil. I shall consider this an act of liberating the Western Regions!”
“Sect Master, what are you intending to do?” Ayiguli exclaimed, startled.
The Soul Seizing Crown slowly floated out from the Celestial Origin Pearl and settled with precise accuracy onto the crown of Ji Changkong’s head. As the crown locked into place, its grotesque, terrifying mask materialized, completely obscuring Ji Changkong’s face.
With the Soul Seizing Crown affixed, Ji Changkong immediately began to alter his soul form, transforming his soul into a nebula shape, operating his divine soul according to the Nebula Soul Refining Technique of the Oro Divine Sect.
The Celestial Origin Pearl originated from the Oro Divine Sect, and the Soul Seizing Crown was a unique artifact focused on the soul. Ji Changkong understood that to maximize the power of the Soul Seizing Crown, he had to employ the Nebula Soul Refining Technique; only it could bring the Soul Seizing Crown to its fullest potential.
The Soul Seizing Crown settled on his crown, and the strange power emanating from it fused seamlessly with his nebula-shaped soul. Suddenly, Ji Changkong realized his spirit had become incomparably powerful. Standing above the Bright Sacred Mountain, he could perceive every corner of it as if it were in the palm of his hand.
The Holy Realm of Light and Dark, which previously blocked his mental exploration, instantly lost its function. What was an exotic soul defense barrier for ordinary people became riddled with gaps under his consciousness. With a mere thought, his soul could instantly pierce those soul barriers and enter the Bright Sacred Mountain directly.
It was at this moment that he discovered the Blood Emperor inside the mountain, and the Tian Pa Winged Dragon being tortured by him.
The hatred in his heart ignited instantly, like a volcano erupting. Various esoteric soul techniques from the Oro Divine Sect, using the unique power contained within the Soul Seizing Crown and fused with his spiritual energy, began to bombard the Bright Sacred Mountain.
The Holy Realm of Light and Dark on the Bright Sacred Mountain possessed absolute defense against ordinary Yuan Force attacks. However, when confronted solely with attacks targeting the soul, this Holy Realm of Light and Dark proved somewhat inadequate.
All the soul techniques of the Oro Divine Sect—the Soul Ray, the Destruction Web, and others—blasted into the sacred mountain. In particular, the Soul Control Technique, upon landing in the Manichaean holy land, caused many followers to be unable to withstand the strange power of the technique.
The Soul Seizing Crown amplified all soul techniques, but its enhancement effect on the Soul Control Technique was the greatest, potentially boosting its power by more than fivefold!
This was a terrifying number!
The Soul Control Technique, which originally only affected the soul, was now capable of completely subjugating a person after a fivefold power increase! It could seize control of a person’s soul, turning them into an eternal slave, forever unable to betray their master!
This was an exceedingly terrifying power!
The Soul Control Technique altered a person’s very soul, deeply etching Ji Changkong’s image within it. Even a Nine Palace Celestial Master stronger than Ji Changkong could not remove this influence, because once a person’s soul was fundamentally altered, the implanted thought of self-destruction at Ji Changkong’s command remained.
Should anyone attempt to undo this control, the thought of suicide planted by Ji Changkong would immediately detonate within the soul of the enslaved person, compelling them to act instantly according to that notion—a soul self-detonation!
In essence, under the influence of the Soul Seizing Crown, those struck by the Soul Control Technique could only find complete release in death; otherwise, they would be Ji Changkong’s slaves forever.
Wave after wave of Soul Control Techniques struck the Manichaean ranks. Many followers immediately fell under Ji Changkong’s spiritual control. These victims maintained consciousness, their eyes filled with agony and reluctance, yet they ruthlessly attacked toward the mountain belly, slaughtering their companions who had not yet been controlled.
Suddenly, the entire Bright Sacred Mountain of the Manichaean Sect was submerged in terror. The Manichaean followers, previously united against external threats, descended into chaos.
They realized that friends standing beside them might suddenly turn to strike, and even sworn brothers with whom they had risked their lives might turn to kill without hesitation. As followers began dying at the hands of their own comrades, all the Manichaeans descended into frenzy!
There was no one left to trust. Everyone sought self-preservation. Upon seeing anyone approaching, they instinctively regarded that person as an enemy without a second thought.
The Manichaean disciples on the Bright Sacred Mountain descended into complete disarray, everyone fearing for their lives. Many who hadn't even been affected by the Soul Control Technique began fighting wildly, driven by overwhelming fear. Under the crushing weight of terror, even those not ensnared started losing grasp of who they were.
In the mountain belly, the Blood Emperor was forced to halt his absorption of the Tian Pa Winged Dragon’s essence blood.
Manichaean masters rushed into the cavern, many of them his own subordinates who had traveled with him from the East Sea. These men’s eyes showed torment, and even unmistakable fear, yet their attacks were viciously relentless as they charged the Blood Emperor.
These individuals clearly knew the Blood Emperor possessed the strength of the Nine Palace Heaven Realm, and they were well aware of his superficially gentle but inwardly merciless nature, yet they charged forward to die, throwing themselves at him without regard for life. Among them were even one or two Eight Trigram Celestial Masters!
The Blood Emperor immediately suspended his absorption of the dragon's blood essence to fend off these attacks, angrily demanding to know what had possessed them.
Alas, those attackers could not heed his explanation, continuing their desperate pursuit of the Blood Emperor. Some of these attackers were high-ranking Manichaean officials, while others were veterans who had followed the Blood Emperor for decades. The Blood Emperor knew they were controlled, so he held back his killing blow, unwilling to strike them down fully.
Those veterans who had followed him for decades were to be his primary power base for suppressing the East Sea in the future. If they were all killed here, no matter how strong he became later, he would lose his intimate knowledge and control over every corner of the East Sea. Thus, the Blood Emperor hesitated.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Earth-shaking explosions echoed from the surface of the Bright Sacred Mountain. Many Manichaean followers began directing their attacks toward the Holy Realm of Light and Dark from the inside. As these attacks came from within the sect itself, using power identical to the protective barrier, they actually managed to shatter the Holy Realm—something even Ji Changkong could not break through.
The architect of the Holy Realm of Light and Dark likely never anticipated that one day it would face attacks from its own people. Since the energy was fundamentally the same, the defensive capacity of the barrier seemed insufficient when arrayed against its own kind. Finally, it shattered completely.
CRACK!
An invisible force surged into the mountain belly. While the Blood Emperor was preoccupied dealing with his subordinates, this wave of unseen power slammed into his body, aggravating his already unstable injuries.
Wielding the World-Ending Gauntlets, Ji Changkong materialized eerily inside the cavern. He concentrated all his power into the Gauntlets and struck the Blood Emperor once more within the chamber. The entire cavern of the Bright Sacred Mountain began to collapse from within; the remaining defensive structures were pulverized under the might of the World-Ending Gauntlets.
“This time, I doubt you can escape,” Ji Changkong sneered.
Just as the Blood Emperor prepared to speak, he suddenly realized he had plunged into a strange dimension. He found… that he had lost all connection to the Five Elements Continent.