Ji Changkong, the Primordial Poison, and Dick materialized at the bottom of the Venom Dragon Pool. The Venom Dragon Pool was the strangest location within the vast Yunmeng Marsh, perpetually shrouded in toxic smoke, its waters thick, black, and fetid.
As the trio appeared in the depths, they almost simultaneously sensed the intense corrosive nature of the pool's water. However, Ji Changkong, possessing the Xuanyuan physique, was inherently immune to all poisons, rendering the pool’s corrosive power completely harmless to him.
Dick was covered in a carapace studded with glittering starlight, forming a peculiar celestial shield. Not a single drop of the Venom Dragon Pool water could penetrate his body, thus causing him no injury.
The last among them, the Primordial Poison, was the progenitor of all toxins. He floated serenely within the pool, appearing quite content. Having expended a great deal of his essence battling the demons of the unfamiliar continent, he was now rapidly regenerating within the Venom Dragon Pool.
Their sudden manifestation disturbed the patrolling Sky-Feathered Dragon dwelling at the bottom. Upon recognizing the newcomer as Ji Changkong, the light blazing from the Sky-Feathered Dragon’s eyes was brilliant, even in the murky depths of the Venom Dragon Pool!
Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash!
Ji Changkong, Dick, the Primordial Poison, and the Sky-Feathered Dragon shot out of the Venom Dragon Pool, appearing above the surface where dense toxic mist swirled.
From the depths, wisps of faint demonic energy flowed upwards, suffusing the Venom Dragon Pool. Moments later, the demonic energy vanished entirely.
The demonic energy originated from the unfamiliar continent; it had entered the Venom Dragon Pool at the exact instant the barrier cracked, accompanying Ji Changkong and the others. But once the barrier sealed itself shut again, even that small amount of residual demonic energy disappeared.
“Great Wind, why are you here?” Upon reaching the bank of the Venom Dragon Pool, Ji Changkong asked without hesitation.
He could sense that the Sky-Feathered Dragon’s aura was vastly different from before. Its blood energy was intensely thick, its horrifying, pitch-black spines and iron-hooked claws shimmered with savage light, and the power contained within its body far exceeded anything it previously possessed.
He understood: this was because the Sky-Feathered Dragon had begun to assimilate the power of the Blood Emperor. The Blood Emperor had reached the cultivation of the Nine Palaces Heaven Realm, and all his strength resided within his blood. After being slain by Ji Changkong, the Blood Emperor’s vital essence had flowed into the Sky-Feathered Dragon’s belly, catalyzing its evolution.
“A massive change occurred over there; a powerful enemy is coming. The main temple sank into the ground. I escaped from underground and then returned.”
It was clear that the Sky-Feathered Dragon was not entirely familiar with human language and lacked the means to explain complex events in detail. However, through its fragmented account, Ji Changkong grasped that something dire must have happened to the Aurum Cult.
If even the Grand Temple had submerged itself underground, it meant the Aurum Cult had encountered an overwhelming force. They would only sink their main sanctuary as a last resort when certain of defeat. This suggested that tremendous changes had befallen the Cult since his departure.
“Have you heard anything else?” Ji Changkong frowned, pausing to consider before slowly asking, “For instance, anything concerning the enemy? Did you hear who might be coming, or what forced them to sink the great structure?”
“People from another place are coming; not from this world. That woman went to the main temple. That woman has been here before,” the Sky-Feathered Dragon recounted intermittently and vaguely.
People from another place—this clearly referred to the masters from the Demon Continent. The woman who had visited the Venom Dragon Pool, and who was now in the Western Region—it must be Yu Ziling!
Yu Ziling was near the spatial turbulence zone in the Western Region. She would undoubtedly have been the first to know about the events transpiring there. Since she had visited the Aurum Cult’s Grand Temple, she must have relayed what happened in the turbulence zone to Mu Luo. Only then, realizing he was outmatched, did Mu Luo resort to sinking the Grand Temple underground.
A sequence of scenarios flashed through his mind. Though he hadn't witnessed it firsthand, the Sky-Feathered Dragon’s description allowed him to roughly piece together the situation in the Western Region.
The masters of the Demon Continent had finally reached the Five Elements Continent. This implied that disaster was already upon them. Running through these thoughts, Ji Changkong made a swift decision: “I must go to Xuanyuan Valley immediately!”
“I’m coming too!” the Sky-Feathered Dragon urged, fearing Ji Changkong might leave it behind. “I am much stronger now; I can help you. Also, I want to know where you went—why… why did you emerge from below?”
The Sky-Feathered Dragon was indeed far more powerful than before. Currently, it was comparable to a practitioner who had just entered the Nine Palaces Heaven Realm. Given its massive size and flesh as thick as rock, in a real fight, it might not be inferior to a novice Nine Palaces Heaven expert.
Furthermore, Ji Changkong was uneasy about leaving it behind at the Venom Dragon Pool during this critical juncture. Therefore, accepting the Sky-Feathered Dragon’s proposal, Ji Changkong nodded. “Alright, we’ll go to Xuanyuan Valley together. That place will be your second home from now on. If I can’t find you next time, or if you encounter trouble, remember to go to Xuanyuan Valley. Everyone there will help you!”
The Sky-Feathered Dragon’s enormous head nodded slightly, indicating understanding.
Xuanyuan Valley.
Mo Yunyi, Xiao Xing, Gui Rong, Gui Hai, and the others were all visibly worried, pacing anxiously within the valley.
The Star Sea Grand Array was already operating at full capacity. Mu Luo and Batu'er had combined their efforts to push every protective ward within the array to its absolute peak, seemingly bracing for an imminent, major crisis.
“Is the news accurate?” Gui Rong asked, his face grim and clearly agitated, pacing repeatedly in the council hall.
“Accurate! It won’t be long before that Ghost Demon King appears here,” replied Yi Kui of the Yi family. As the patriarch, Yi Kui looked utterly helpless and dejected. “I just received word three days ago: the Ghost Demon King visited Dongtian Peak, where our Yi family resides.”
“It seems the Ghost Demon King is targeting Dongtian Peak for revenge. The last time, one of the Ghost Demon Kings was blasted into a spatial rift by your Yi family experts; it took immense effort for him to return to the Five Elements Continent. He must deeply resent your family, so after returning from the Eastern Sea, the first target would naturally be the Yi family,” Xiao Xing stated gravely.
Yi Kui nodded. “Evidently, the Ghost Demon King intended to destroy our family first. Fortunately, fearing a sweep by the experts from the Demon Cave, I relocated our primary forces here. Only some ordinary personnel managing business remained at Dongtian Peak. Otherwise, my Yi family truly would have faced inescapable doom this time!”
“You might evade this one, but can you evade the second?” Mo Yunyi sighed. Her white hair was increasing alarmingly as she shook her head helplessly. “Dongtian Peak is not far from Xuanyuan Valley. After leaving Dongtian Peak, the Ghost Demon King’s next target will certainly be Xuanyuan Valley. The enmity between Xuanyuan Valley and the Ghost Demon King is even greater than the one between his family and him. He will arrive very soon!”
“The merged Ghost Demon King is terrifying now. He has slaughtered his way from the Eastern Sea, and no Celestial Master Sect could withstand him. Every Celestial Master force in his path has been annihilated. Along this route, perhaps thousands of Celestial Masters have been slain, and more than half have been converted into his subordinate minor ghost demons. When he comes to Xuanyuan Valley, I fear the Star Sea Grand Array might not be able to stop him,” Xiao Xing lamented.
“The most inconvenient timing is that the Saint and Old Li both went to Kunlun. Currently, we lack a Nine Palaces Celestial Master to guard the valley. At this critical juncture, without a Nine Palaces Celestial Master presiding, relying solely on the Star Sea Grand Array, Xuanyuan Valley… might truly…” Gui Rong trailed off with a helpless sigh.
“A report for everyone! We just received the latest news: the Ghost Demon King… has arrived!” Just then, Ji Changxiao entered from outside, his expression cold, yet his eyes filled with despair.
“Where has he reached?” Mo Yunyi’s face changed dramatically.
“A hundred miles out. Those outer sects affiliated with Xuanyuan Valley have already… have already begun suffering,” Ji Changxiao choked on his words, unable to finish.
Xuanyuan Valley had limited space. Recently, due to the grave threat from the Demon Continent experts, factions across the world who held goodwill toward Xuanyuan Valley had relocated their entire sects there. Despite repeated expansions, Xuanyuan Valley could not accommodate everyone.
Consequently, new strongholds were established in the bamboo forests behind the valley and toward the direction of the Celestial Mountains. These locations fell outside the protection of the Star Sea Grand Array.
Under normal circumstances, Xuanyuan Valley maintained contact with these external forces, agreeing to advance or retreat together should a great change occur. This was intended for the Demon Continent, but instead, they faced the invasion of the Ghost Demon King.
“We should go and help them,” Mo Yunyi suddenly said with anguish.
Silence fell over the group. Xiao Xing, Gui Rong, and the others hung their heads low. They understood clearly that those minor sects on the periphery of Xuanyuan Valley were certainly being massacred by the Ghost Demon King and his horde of minor demons right now.
Without the aid they should receive, those people faced only certain death, with no hope of survival.
Yet, they also knew that if they left the protection of Xuanyuan Valley and its Star Sea Grand Array, they too would perish quickly.
Any person who stepped outside Xuanyuan Valley to confront the merged Ghost Demon King was guaranteed to have their soul devoured. Engaging him in open combat now would be futile—just throwing their lives away.
Thus, despite the agonizing pain and immense guilt they felt for those being slaughtered, none dared to move. They suppressed the urge to charge out, remaining silent.
“Alas, if only Changkong were here. As long as he is here, I feel like we could overcome anything,” Xiao Xing sighed after a long silence.
The others offered wry smiles. They thought about how he was dragged into the spatial turbulence zone—he was probably shredded by the turbulence by now. Even if he survived miraculously, he would be drifting in some spatial rift, likely never finding his way back in this lifetime.
The Sky-Feathered Dragon soared under the blue sky and white clouds. Having absorbed the Blood Emperor’s entire power, the evolved Sky-Feathered Dragon could not only speak human language but also fly several times faster!
Traveling from the Yunmeng Marsh to Xuanyuan Valley would have taken half a day at its previous top speed. Now, flying at full capacity, it reached the vicinity of Xuanyuan Valley in just over an hour.
Through Ji Changkong’s narration, the Sky-Feathered Dragon learned of his experiences in the spatial turbulence zone and knew that Ji Changkong had entered a strange continent teeming with demons.
After gaining the ability to speak human language, the Sky-Feathered Dragon truthfully informed Ji Changkong that the bottom of the Venom Dragon Pool served as the entrance to that unfamiliar continent. It also mentioned that previous generations of the Xuanyuan lineage, even those at the Nine Palaces Heaven Realm, had entered through that portal, only to disappear forever.
Based on what Ji Changkong had gathered, those Nine Palaces Heaven experts who entered had perished in clashes with the demons.
This time, if he had not received Dick’s assistance, if he had not grasped the terror of that mass-slaughtering power, and if he had not mastered skills beyond the Ji family’s unique techniques, even with his cultivation at the peak of the Nine Palaces Heaven Realm, he would surely have died on that unfamiliar continent.
He believed that even Cao Xuanqi, at the peak of the Nine Palaces Heaven, or Ashura King, at the pinnacle of the Nine Palaces, would face certain death upon entering that continent overrun with demons.
On one hand, there was a Demon King-level fiend in every generation. A single Demon King-level demon was enough to cause immense suffering for a master at the peak of the Nine Palaces Heaven. Even if such a master managed to kill one, their own strength would be depleted by seventy to eighty percent.
At that point, they would still have to face nearly a hundred other demons whose vitality matched that of Nine Palaces Celestial Masters, thousands whose vitality matched Eight Trigram Celestial Masters, plus hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of lesser demons. Who could possibly sustain such a drain on their power?
In Ji Changkong’s view, even a master of the Ten Directions Heaven Realm would find this situation overwhelmingly challenging given the sheer number of demons, let alone a Nine Palaces Celestial Master whose strength had been severely diminished.
Therefore, he could easily imagine the fate awaiting the previous Xuanyuan generations on that foreign land. Under such circumstances, the chance of barely escaping alive was exceedingly slim.
“Ghost Demon King! Kongkong, the Ghost Demon King is at Xuanyuan Valley!” The shrill cry of the Primordial Poison shattered Ji Changkong’s thoughts, yanking him sharply back to reality.
In the bamboo forest behind Xuanyuan Valley, the air was thick with dancing ghost demons. Minor ghost demons cheered as they swooped down from the sky to launch frantic attacks on the Celestial Masters within the grove. The Ghost Demon King hovered above, his eyes cold, devoid of any human emotion, emitting no perceptible aura—utterly bizarre.
The Ghost Demon King had been observing the battle below. Suddenly, as if guided by telepathy, he looked straight ahead, and his gaze locked sharply with Ji Changkong’s, who was riding the Sky-Feathered Dragon.
“Ji Changkong!” the Ghost Demon King roared suddenly. The sound wave surged forward, shattering rows of bamboo pillars.
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