"Didn't you say, didn't you say he was already dead?" Shi Qianjie looked at Hu Du Liucheng Dan doubtfully. Hu Hao was equally astonished, his expression exceedingly strange. Glancing at Ji Changkong not far away, Hu Hao offered no further explanation, only watching the Heavenly Martial King in the distance with extreme tension, appearing as if facing a formidable enemy.

Ji Changkong froze. Dead? Why would Shi Qianjie say the Heavenly Martial King was already dead?

Just then, Yao Kui also passed through the tunnel behind him and descended into this chaotic, disordered spatial turbulence zone. Upon entering, Yao Kui, like Ji Changkong, Hu Hao, and the others, first surveyed the surroundings, then quickly spotted the Heavenly Martial King and Saint Mother Youlan behind the distant meteorite.

All four individuals possessed the cultivation of the Nine Palaces Heaven realm. Among them, Hu Hao had been in this realm for a longer duration, while Ji Changkong, Shi Qianjie, and Yao Kui had only recently ascended to this level.

The four did not act rashly, but stood there, watching the figures of Youlan and the Heavenly Martial King intermittently revealing themselves from behind the meteorite.

Under the onslaught of these two, the extraterrestrial meteorites continuously spun, sending out stone shards the size of millstones flying in all directions, colliding with each other and exploding into a startling spray of debris.

When those millstone-sized stones flew out from the meteorite, they would sometimes impact other stray rocks. Stones that were originally pitch black, upon explosion, would reveal some multi-hued, wondrous stones—each one crystalline and translucent, shining brighter than the most precious gems of the Five Elements Continent.

Shi Qianjie and Hu Hao watched as those multi-hued stones emerged from the meteorite. Without any hesitation, they began collecting some. Yao Kui hesitated for just a moment before also moving forward, catching the falling stones.

These stones were the essence of the meteorites, excellent materials for forging divine weapons. If these stones fell onto the Five Elements Continent, they would become treasures fiercely sought after by Heavenly Masters; incorporating suitable meteorite essence into divine weapons could even greatly enhance their power.

Shi Qianjie, Hu Hao, and Yao Kui, upon seeing the meteorite essence appear, began moving to collect the ownerless essence with almost no hesitation.

Only Ji Changkong remained motionless. He paid no mind to the meteorite essence, instead extending his divine soul outward in all directions, meticulously observing the vicinity.

The surrounding spatial turbulence constantly shifted. Various extraterrestrial meteorites collided, emitting booming explosions that rendered the surrounding space utterly disordered. The scene kept changing, and trying to ascertain the specific situation everywhere was extremely draining.

Often, just as you committed the surroundings to memory, the next moment, two massive extraterrestrial meteorites would collide, and the force of the resulting ejection would shatter the new scene, requiring you to memorize it all over again—it felt like futile labor.

Therefore, Shi Qianjie, Hu Hao, and Yao Kui did not engage in such activity.

Ji Changkong, however, was different. Cultivating the Nebula Soul Refining Art, he quietly separated a wisp of his divine soul. Utilizing the splitting technique of the Nebula Soul Refining Art, he split this wisp into hundreds of strands, concealing these souls within every meteorite.

This way, even if the meteorites collided and the scene changed, relying on the minuscule presence of those hundreds of dispersed souls, he could still broadly grasp the surrounding situation, maintaining clarity in his mind.

At this moment, the Saint Mother Youlan and the Heavenly Martial King, who had been locked in a desperate life-and-death struggle, suddenly ceased their fight simultaneously.

Evidently, both the Heavenly Martial King and Youlan had spotted Yao Kui, Hu Hao, and the other two collecting the meteorite essence. Seeing that newcomers had arrived in the spatial turbulence zone, the Heavenly Martial King and Youlan immediately stopped, fearing a sneak attack.

Ji Changkong instantly focused his concentration on the Heavenly Martial King and Youlan.

The weak souls affixed to the meteorites near the two quickly relayed their auras. Ji Changkong sensed them carefully and suddenly discovered that the vital energy within the Heavenly Martial King was significantly stronger than that of the Saint Mother Youlan.

However, when he released his main soul, he perceived that the Heavenly Martial King's cultivation realm should actually be inferior to the Saint Mother Youlan’s; in terms of soul comprehension, he also seemed to lag behind her.

Thinking this over, Ji Changkong frowned and pondered for a moment, then immediately understood: the Heavenly Martial King's true cultivation was likely slightly weaker than Youlan's, but Youlan must have expended too much power before the Heavenly Martial King arrived. Thus, even though she was superior in realm attainment, she was at a disadvantage due to the huge disparity in strength.

If the Heavenly Martial King hadn't stopped, if they hadn't arrived unexpectedly, Youlan might have been defeated by him right here, or perhaps even killed outright.

In the spatial turbulence zone, the role of the soul was minimal. Those with deeper realm attainment, if lacking in strength, had a very high probability of being killed by someone stronger in power.

After all, in this place, the physical body had to constantly face the impact of the ejected forces. As long as one's body remained, internal strength would deplete ceaselessly. Once internal power was entirely exhausted, even someone with profound soul attainment could not win.

The Heavenly Martial King was a formidable figure, choosing such a precise moment. Considering this, even if Ji Changkong hadn't come, Youlan would have found it difficult to succeed.

With that thought, Ji Changkong perceived the changes in the Heavenly Martial King and Youlan through the faint perceptions within the meteorites and slowly moved towards them.

"Hahaha, Brother Hu Hao, I never expected to meet you here." The Heavenly Martial King laughed heartily, creating a distance between himself and Youlan. He spoke cheerfully, "Brother Hu Hao, are you perhaps surprised? Surprised that this King is still alive in this world?"

Hu Hao's face darkened considerably. "I recall you should be dead. Why are you here?"

Yao Kui and Youlan were stunned, looking at the Heavenly Martial King and Hu Hao just as Ji Changkong did. Clearly, there was some past conflict between these two, contrary to the rumors of harmony outside.

"You didn't expect it, did you? Hahaha, not only am I still alive in this world, but I'm living even better!" The Heavenly Martial King gradually grew serious, his face grim. "You supported a puppet to take the throne, someone with my exact appearance, to control the Heavenly Martial Kingdom. How laughable, how laughable!"

He scoffed. "Back then, you, Hu Hao, personally moved against me, destroyed my physical body, and buried me a thousand zhang deep underground, thinking I was long dead."

"Unfortunately for you, you never imagined that besides cultivating the Sovereign Heaven Earthly Force Divine Art, I also mastered the Heaven Corpse Transformation divine ability! With the Heaven Corpse Transformation ability, I made my body and soul explode, gathering the profound Yin energy of heaven and earth a thousand zhang beneath the Great Canyon. Instead, this allowed me to cultivate the 'Heavenly Corpse Demonic Body' aspect of the Heaven Corpse Transformation, breaking through to the Nine Palaces Heaven realm in one go!"

"As the Heavenly Martial King, you actually practiced the Heaven Corpse Transformation? No wonder my master said your intentions were corrupt. We intended to deal with you for trying to harm my Guiyuan Sect. I never expected you to use the Heaven Corpse Transformation to fake your death, escape the disaster, and actually advance to the Nine Palaces Heaven realm! Martial King, what exactly do you want?"

Hahahaha! The Heavenly Martial King laughed wildly. "What do I want? Naturally, to reclaim everything that belongs to me! You installed a puppet to govern the Heavenly Martial Kingdom; that puppet is completely subservient to you. Now, your Guiyuan Sect is the true master of the Heavenly Martial Kingdom. As the foremost sacred land under heaven, you seized my authority—your Guiyuan Sect deserves to perish!"

Heavenly Corpse Transformation divine ability? Youlan’s expression shifted, then she suddenly let out a delicate, crisp laugh, her eyes becoming intriguing, as if she had grasped some secret thought of the Heavenly Martial King.

The Heavenly Martial King snorted, as if one of his inner secrets had been exposed by Youlan. "Youlan, these four who came here probably intend to kill you. The people of the Guiyuan Sect have grudges against me; I can deal with those two first. After things are settled, we can settle accounts, how about it?"

Youlan smiled broadly, as if she and the Heavenly Martial King were just chatting over tea. She nodded: "That sounds excellent. You and I have some history, after all. Your purpose in coming here is likely the same as mine..."

The Heavenly Martial King’s face changed. "Less nonsense! Ji Changkong and that brat Yao Kui are yours to handle. I will deal with Hu Hao and Shi Qianjie!"

Youlan knew the Heavenly Martial King had reservations, and she smiled faintly: "Very well."

As soon as the words fell, the Heavenly Martial King and Youlan, who should have been fighting each other, suddenly separated. They moved towards the four of Ji Changkong, one on the left and one on the right.

Both the Heavenly Martial King and Youlan had been immersed in the Nine Palaces Heaven realm for some time; Youlan, in particular, had refined all her acupoints, effectively possessing the cultivation of the peak Nine Palaces Heaven realm.

Although Youlan had expended considerable strength in this spatial turbulence zone, the powerful aura contained within her body was still far greater than that of either Ji Changkong or Yao Kui individually.

As Youlan approached with a beaming smile, she pulled out the Bright Sky Curtain with one hand and the Dark Sky Curtain with the other. The power of light and darkness manifested simultaneously, one on each side, as she cast both great curtains towards Ji Changkong and Yao Kui.

Yao Kui’s face was severe, showing no fear. He said coldly, "Youlan, you are courting death!!"

"Yao Kui, I can give you a chance," Youlan said with a smile towards him. "If you help me persuade your father, we can join forces to bring people from the Demon Continent over. I can share the Central Lands with your Northern Barbarians. If your father is willing to cooperate with us to kill the Four Holy Beasts, I promise to allocate a portion of the power gained from the Four Holy Beasts to your father, enabling him to break through to the Ten Directions Heaven realm. What do you say?"

When Youlan spoke these words, everyone except the Heavenly Martial King—Ji Changkong, Yao Kui, Hu Hao, and Shi Qianjie—changed expression drastically.

They finally understood Youlan's purpose for being here!

Youlan actually intended to target the guardian gods of the Five Elements Continent! She wanted to follow the example of ancient, powerful Heavenly Masters: kill the Four Holy Beasts to seize immense power for her own use!

After his shock, Yao Kui shook his head: "Apologies. My Man Country will not betray its own continent!"

Upon hearing this, Ji Changkong felt, for the first time, that Yao Kui possessed some merits. Though this man was bloodthirsty, he still adhered to certain fundamental principles, unlike the shameless and insidious Youlan, who would forsake her homeland for her own benefit.

"Since you are obstinate, then I can only eliminate you to prevent you from leaking information about this place," Youlan sighed lightly.

The Bright Sky Curtain and the Dark Sky Curtain descended together. The Bright Sky Curtain enveloped Yao Kui, while the Dark Sky Curtain fell over Ji Changkong's head.

"Martial King, come on. You also understand that if you do not kill us, once my senior brother learns that you are still alive and have cultivated the Heaven Corpse Transformation, you are undoubtedly dead!" Hu Hao frowned.

"As you wish! Hahaha!" The Heavenly Martial King roared with laughter, his face suddenly turning pale. His entire being became lifeless, and a chilling, corpse-like aura began to radiate from him.

The corpse aura coiled around the Heavenly Martial King, rapidly transforming him. In just this short span, his body held no warmth, becoming intensely cold. His skin was white as paper, resembling a ten-thousand-year-old mummy dragged up from the deepest netherworld.

Heavenly Corpse Demonic Body! "Heh heh, it really is the Heavenly Corpse Demonic Body."

Youlan smiled, her gaze becoming even more peculiar. She seemed lost in thought, pondering some hidden scheme.

Heavenly Corpse Demonic Body? Yao Kui, encased in the Bright Sky Curtain and cutting at it with his sickle, frowned and thought for a moment. He seemed to suddenly recall something, saying strangely, "I killed an expert from the Demon Grotto once and forced some information out of him. I seem to have heard of the Heavenly Corpse Demonic Body from that person..."

"What?" Ji Changkong’s face changed dramatically in shock. "You mean... the Heavenly Corpse Demonic Body is also one of the secret techniques of the Demon Grotto?"

If the Heavenly Corpse Demonic Body is a secret technique of the Demon Grotto, then..." Hu Hao looked at the utterly bizarre Heavenly Martial King in shock. "Your coming to the spatial turbulence zone was absolutely not to stop Youlan! Your goal was originally the same as Youlan’s!"

"That's right. I came to the spatial turbulence zone to open a tunnel and let people from the Demon Continent in. However, I intended to welcome those people as the host, not hand over the benefits to Youlan. Youlan cultivates the Mani Sect, a branch of the Demon Grotto, and the Heaven Corpse Transformation is also a secret technique of the Demon Grotto. Once people from the Demon Grotto discover that I practice the same art and that Youlan is dead, they will naturally cooperate with me."

The Heavenly Martial King snorted. Seeing his scheme exposed, he stopped hiding anything.

"I knew you didn't have good intentions, really. We are all part of the same family, why the fighting? If you and I join forces, can't we just share the power of the Four Holy Beasts together? I can give you the Western Regions, and I'll share the power of the Four Holy Beasts with you. What do you say, Martial King?" Youlan chuckled charmingly.

"Let's kill them first. There are only four Holy Beasts. Who knows how many people will come from the Demon Continent. I fear there won't be enough power to share then!" The Heavenly Martial King snorted coldly. After the Heavenly Corpse Demonic Body manifested, his entire temperament changed drastically. The corpse aura suppressed all his regal aura; he seemed like an entirely different person.

"I'll listen to you," Youlan said with a sweet laugh. She then continued, "Ji Changkong, oh Ji Changkong, I was originally planning to go to the Oro Sacred Cult to kill you, but you delivered yourself right to my doorstep. You certainly saved me a lot of trouble."

Another ten thousand words, the following will be even more exciting. I sincerely ask for monthly votes; I'm about to be pushed down, and my heart feels terribly cold... Please, click the red recommendation monthly vote link below to support the author and lend a hand, won't you? [Ti: Dear reader, the current chapter has reached the final page of this book]