Xiao Yu emerged from the Corpse Realm looking frail, as if returning to the World would instantly drain her spirit, making it difficult for her to unleash her full power.

With the Demon Cave Master's timely assistance, Xiao Yu's Corpse Realm returned to normal. Her personal injuries also recovered as the realm stabilized, and in a very short time, the death energy covering Xiao Yu once again peaked.

Having suffered a setback within her own domain, Xiao Yu stared blankly at Ji Changkong, her gaze hollow yet subtly overflowing with an aura of death.

It was clear Xiao Yu did not consider herself inferior to Ji Changkong; she merely viewed the recent defeat as an anomaly. Now that her injuries were mended, she was itching to make her move again.

The Demon Cave Master waved a hand, halting Xiao Yu's next action. “Xiao Yu, do not continue to deploy the Corpse Realm. His power is enough to collapse your realm again! Also, be wary of being enveloped by that Purgatory Ghost Clan’s Soul Quelling Chant—that fellow is rather uncanny!”

Xiao Yu nodded, and the death energy around her began to coalesce anew.

Simultaneously, the Demon Cave Master’s expression shifted subtly, as if sensing Cao Xuanqi was about to make a major move. His figure seemed to merge with the void, and the Demon Cave Master suddenly vanished within the world Cao Xuanqi had formed.

In his mind, Xiao Yu’s failure was likely just momentary carelessness. He trusted in her strength and believed she could regain the upper hand, perhaps even slay Ji Changkong.

The moment the Demon Cave Master disappeared, the death intent emanating from Xiao Yu intensified, and her face grew paler. Faintly, she began to resemble the dried corpse in the Heavenly Martial King’s stone coffin, though the death energy and death intent surrounding her were more than ten times stronger!

Xiao Yu did not manifest the Corpse Realm used to slaughter Hu Gao again. Instead, she seemed to transform into a dried corpse herself. Her once plump flesh receded, and in an instant, the flesh on her body appeared withered, clinging tightly to the bones—the very form of an ancient, millennia-old corpse.

At this moment, Ji Changkong sensed that the aura around Xiao Yu was soaring. The ferocity of her death intent and corpse qi instantly surpassed the power held by both Han Tian and Can Lang!

This seemingly weakest member, Xiao Yu, possessed power greater than both Han Tian and Can Lang! Such a change was utterly unimaginable!

No wonder the Demon Cave Master was so assured; it seemed Xiao Yu was truly his most potent subordinate. The young woman's true strength was clearly a full level above Han Tian and Can Lang.

Both being at the peak of the Nine Palaces Heaven realm, the essence of the stars within the acupoints on Xiao Yu’s body must have been far purer than the stellar essence in Han Tian and Can Lang, otherwise, the aura around Xiao Yu would not be so much stronger than theirs!

Xiao Yu’s gaze never left Ji Changkong. When the power around her condensed to its absolute extreme, and the corpse qi churned and raged like tidal waves in a sea of energy, Xiao Yu suddenly extended her withered right hand.

That hand held no trace of blood, pale as a vengeful spirit, brimming with revulsion and despair toward life itself. It lunged straight for Ji Changkong’s neck.

Xiao Yu remained motionless where she stood, yet that single right hand elongated at an alarming rate. In that instant, the hand stretched dozens of zhang long, instantly traversing the spatial distance to seize Ji Changkong’s throat!

Ji Changkong’s face changed dramatically, and his eyes snapped shut. At this crucial juncture, he abandoned sight through his physical eyes, choosing instead to perceive everything purely through his soul.

Xiao Yu’s right hand had not physically stretched; rather, the depths of her right hand had truly crossed space!

Between her and Ji Changkong, a new space had materialized at some unknown moment—a space that appeared abruptly, so suddenly that even Ji Changkong failed to detect it.

To Ji Changkong, this space was an impenetrable barrier. However, for Xiao Yu, it served as the perfect camouflage.

She extended her hand, able to pierce this space to strike directly at Ji Changkong. Her speed was blinding, and her attack was bizarrely unpredictable.

Yet, when Ji Changkong attempted to strike her, he found that this space seemed infinitely far from Xiao Yu. His arm shot out, penetrating the space, only to feel boundless emptiness. His soul could find no trace of Xiao Yu within it.

With his eyes closed, separated by this strange spatial anomaly, Xiao Yu suddenly vanished. Before him was only a miraculously appearing void, from within which Xiao Yu’s pale jade hand would intermittently emerge, clawing for his neck or stabbing toward his vitals.

At this moment, Ji Changkong’s soul could barely locate Xiao Yu’s presence, while Xiao Yu could attack him ceaselessly through that space. For some reason, whenever Xiao Yu reached out, the hand itself was blurry and indistinct. Ji Changkong’s Dragon Flare Long Saber would often cleave only air.

However, the hand would persist, and upon reaching Ji Changkong’s vital points—his abdomen or neck—it would suddenly solidify, immediately inflicting powerful lethal damage upon his body!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Standing rooted to the spot, he continuously swung the Dragon Flare Long Saber, yet every strike met only empty air, while his body absorbed repeated heavy blows from Xiao Yu’s jade hand.

Ji Changkong was utterly passive, unable to pin down Xiao Yu’s true location. Xiao Yu’s attacks were often incredibly swift, and once a blow landed, she would immediately retract, preventing Ji Changkong from ever truly damaging her hand.

In this short span, Ji Changkong’s body had sustained several heavy impacts. If not for his extraordinarily resilient physique and almost monstrous recovery capabilities, this physical body would have been destroyed already.

But this situation was unsustainable. His Yi Li could hold out for a while, but it required immense spiritual energy and the vitality flowing through his blood to sustain it. If he merely stood there and allowed Xiao Yu to batter him, his internal power would be depleted in no time.

Once his power was exhausted, and the restorative effect of his blood vitality waned, his physical injuries would cease to recover swiftly, allowing Xiao Yu the chance to truly annihilate his flesh.

No, this path leads only to certain defeat!

Ji Changkong realized this truth. He closed his eyes and suddenly stopped relying on the World Destruction Gauntlets and the Dragon Flare Long Saber for offense. The peculiar space before him was not just blocking his physical probing; more critically, it was profoundly confusing his soul.

Thinking this, Ji Changkong’s soul suddenly went blank. In an instant, his spirit entered the state of the Void of Self. At the most critical moment of their exchange, Ji Changkong’s soul merged completely with everything around him. Suddenly, Ji Changkong himself seemed to vanish from the world.

A marvelous scene unfolded. Xiao Yu, looking through the strange space, could clearly see the closed-eyed Ji Changkong. However, when she extended her right hand to attack, she struck only air.

Her hand pierced through the wondrous space, swinging and stabbing beside where Ji Changkong stood. Xiao Yu could see him, yet she was like a blind person; every strike hit empty air, unable to harm his physical form any longer.

Ji Changkong stood motionless, his eyes closed, integrated with the surrounding environment. The demonic energy drawn in by the Heaven-Devouring Demon Sealing Great Barrier, for some unknown reason, began to rapidly stream toward his body.

The wounds Ji Changkong sustained from Xiao Yu began to recover at a visible rate. Before even half of the demonic energy entered him, Ji Changkong was already radiant and full of vigor, his lost power fully restored.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The demonic energy appended to the Heaven-Devouring Demon Sealing Great Barrier originated from beyond the domain, from the outer reaches of the Five Elements Continent. It was channeled to the Five Elements Continent, specifically to Mount Kunlun, under the magnetic pull of the Demon Cave Master’s power.

However, once Ji Changkong entered the Void of Self, that demonic energy drawn in by the Great Barrier began to slip beyond the Demon Cave Master's control, rushing rapidly into Ji Changkong’s body. Black specks of light started to flash across Ji Changkong’s form.

Five hundred and sixty-one points of light dotted every corner of Ji Changkong’s body—his acupoints. Now, a black point of light flickered in every single one, as if black diamonds were radiating light from within his meridians.

Soon, all the demonic energy attached to the Heaven-Devouring Demon Sealing Great Barrier was completely absorbed into Ji Changkong’s acupoints.

Due to the massive depletion of this heavenly demonic energy, the Great Barrier’s power plummeted from ten-tenths to less than three-tenths.

Boom!

Dik, of the Dark Star race, descended from the heavens, his body radiating starlight, which all slammed into the barrier, tearing open a massive rift through which he easily drilled inside.

Perched on Dik’s back was the Origin Poison. His small eyes glinted with malicious light as he scanned everyone within the arena.

“Kong Kong, you’re poisoned!” Origin Poison exclaimed, suddenly flying toward Ji Changkong and perching on his shoulder.

Origin Poison merely placed a small hand on Ji Changkong’s shoulder, and the corpse poison Xiao Yu had infused into Ji Changkong’s body was drawn out like iron filings to a magnet, all flowing into Origin Poison’s palm, causing Origin Poison to become visibly more energized.

In the presence of this patriarch of toxins, even the poison arts of the experts from the Demon Cave of the Evil Demon Continent were mere trivialities.

Soon, all the corpse poison within Ji Changkong was absorbed by Origin Poison. Meanwhile, Ji Changkong remained with his eyes shut, motionless like an old monk in meditation, completely unaware.

However, the combatants who had been fiercely engaged—anyone who could spare a moment—turned their gazes toward Ji Changkong.

The Heaven-Devouring Demon Sealing Great Barrier was an incredibly profound formation of the Demon Cave. The fact that the demonic energy sustaining it was seized so easily by Ji Changkong clearly surprised many.

Even the Demon Cave Master emerged once more from Cao Xuanqi’s world, temporarily halting his relentless assault on Cao Xuanqi.

Cao Xuanqi, wielding his sword, shattered the fragmented small worlds within his own domain one by one. These small worlds were remnants formed by the shattering of the Demon Cave Master’s nine scenes, and in each world existed a replica of Cao Xuanqi.

Now that the Demon Cave Master had temporarily paused, Cao Xuanqi had the leisure to destroy these fragments that had been affecting his state of mind and life force, achieving temporary peace of soul.

At this moment, the Demon Cave Master looked up and saw that the Heaven-Devouring Demon Sealing Great Barrier had been torn open by Dik, who had descended from above.

After a brief glance at Dik, the Demon Cave Master’s expression grew solemn. He let out a soft exclamation: “A member of the Dark Star race?”

Dik paused, “You know me?”

The Demon Cave Master coldly snorted without answering Dik. He shifted his gaze back to Ji Changkong. Suddenly, the Demon Cave Master’s face changed drastically, and he cried out, “Demonic energy! No—this is… this is the Ancestral Demon’s (Beard/Whisker)!”

The Demon Cave Master suddenly became ecstatic, his face filled with incredulous joy. He marveled, “Boy, you have the Ancestral Demon’s within your body! Where did you obtain the Ancestral Demon’s ?!”

Many of the experts present, most of whom were at the Ten Palaces Heaven realm, except for Qu Peng, had never heard the term “Ancestral Demon’s .” At the Demon Cave Master’s outburst, they all looked confused and perplexed.

Only Dik looked thoughtful. After a long pause, Dik suddenly shouted, “Ji Changkong, protect the Ancestral Demon’s ! Once this man obtains it, his power will surely soar, and then no one will be able to match him!” As Dik yelled, the Demon Cave Master had already abandoned Cao Xuanqi and stopped paying attention to anyone else, charging straight toward Ji Changkong.

The Demon Cave Master’s expression remained calm, yet the sheer ecstasy in his eyes was impossible to conceal. Anyone who glanced at his eyes would understand the profound attraction the Ancestral Demon’s held for him.

The Ancestral Demon’s originates from the Ancestral Demon, an ancient life form birthed by the convergence of heavenly and earthly demonic energy. The Ancestral Demon could attract and transform this energy. The Ancestral Demon’s understanding of the true essence of demonic energy surpasses that of most Heaven Scholars who cultivate using this energy.

However, although the Ancestral Demon was mighty, he suffered a severe blow during the Great Destruction and was subsequently imprisoned by the Four Holy Beasts, restricting his power so he could never truly unleash it.

The Ancestral Demon’s is one of the Ancestral Demon’s whiskers. It not only possesses a portion of the Ancestral Demon’s power but also carries the insights and profound principles of the Ancestral Demon concerning the true nature of demonic energy. While the Ancestral Demon’s direct power was limited, his comprehension of the true meaning of demonic power was not restricted in any way.

If the Demon Cave Master obtained the Ancestral Demon’s , his power would certainly increase significantly. But that wasn't the most terrifying part.

The most frightening aspect was that he might gain the Ancestral Demon’s comprehension of the true essence of demonic energy contained within the !

This comprehension of the profound principles of power was the most precious and terrifying thing! If the Demon Cave Master acquired that understanding, he might truly break through to the Ten Directions Heaven realm in a short time, becoming an existence beyond the mortal plane. At that point, no one on the Five Elements Continent could restrain him.

A Demon Cave Master in the Ten Directions Heaven realm could surely slay the Four Holy Beasts and claim their power. By then, the Demon Cave Master would become unimaginably powerful, potentially even becoming a supreme figure in the Dead Star Domain!

The Demon Cave Master rushed toward Ji Changkong, reaching him in an instant. He pulled Ji Changkong directly into his own world.

Ji Changkong snapped awake!

Looking around, Ji Changkong’s eyes were filled with confusion. Surveying the desolate, dead land, the dim sky, and the crows and demons circling overhead, Ji Changkong immediately understood he had been pulled into yet another inexplicable space.

The image of the Demon Cave Master materialized in the gloomy sky. The entire vast expanse was dominated by the Demon Cave Master’s upper torso. He loomed like an ancient demon god in the high heavens, looking down upon Ji Changkong below.

“Boy, where did you acquire that Ancestral Demon’s ?” The Demon Cave Master gazed down at Ji Changkong from above. His tone was relatively calm, but the greed in his eyes was impossible to mask.

The Demon Cave Master was the ruler of the Demon Cave on the Evil Demon Continent; logically, he should not be one to easily display emotion. There was only one explanation for his state: the Ancestral Demon’s affected him too profoundly!

“What business is that of yours?” Ji Changkong frowned. Realizing his predicament, his heart sank as he began to contemplate how to break free from the Demon Cave Master’s world.

“Boy, don’t waste your effort. My Nine Netherworld Demon Realm is not Xiao Yu’s Corpse Realm. Here, even if you unleash your full power, you will struggle to escape.” The Demon Cave Master appeared relaxed, smiling faintly. “Hand over the Ancestral Demon’s and tell me the Ancestral Demon’s location, and not only will I let you go, but I will also satisfy every one of your demands.”

“Satisfy every one of my demands?” Ji Changkong paused, then gave a cold laugh. “If I asked you to roll out of the Five Elements Continent, would you agree?”

“No problem. As long as what you say is true, I can withdraw my forces immediately and swear never to return to your Five Elements Continent!” Unexpectedly, the Demon Cave Master raised his hand, his expression surprisingly serious, as if he truly entertained the thought.

Ji Changkong, who had only intended to provoke the Demon Cave Master, grew even more suspicious. He said coldly, “Then the Ancestral Demon is more important to you than the Four Holy Beasts?”

The Demon Cave Master smiled and nodded, explaining, “Little brother, you know that what we cultivate is the crooked path. To us, the Ancestral Demon is indeed more important than the Four Holy Beasts. Little brother can rest assured, after I find the Ancestral Demon, I will kill him at all costs. Once I possess the Ancestral Demon’s power, I will no longer need the Four Holy Beasts. Giving me the Ancestral Demon’s location is also a benefit to your Five Elements Continent, don’t you think?”

The Demon Cave Master’s words seemed reasonable, yet after careful consideration, Ji Changkong shook his head resolutely. “I fear you might fail to kill the Ancestral Demon and instead become his puppet! At that point, the Ancestral Demon could use you to control the Demon Cave, which would be a catastrophe for the Sun Star Domain. Moreover, I don’t trust you! If you truly killed the Ancestral Demon, you wouldn’t spare the Four Holy Beasts either. No one ever turns down extra power.”

“I have no choice then. Since you refuse to speak honestly, I will have to extract it from your mind myself.” The Demon Cave Master sighed, suddenly opening his mouth and exhaling a cloud of demonic energy that instantly enveloped Ji Changkong.

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