The five great elders of the Fanyun Meridian, after an agonizing wait, were scarcely able to stir themselves.

Seeing that Shang Bingjie, who possessed the main body, was about to awaken from her confusion, the First Elder, after a moment of contemplation, finally agreed to the Second Elder's proposal: they would extinguish Shang Bingjie first.

The Tore brothers cried out in alarm, attempting to intervene and stop the Second Elder.

Alas, the brothers' abilities were limited, their spiritual power severely depleted, and they held vulnerabilities the enemy could exploit. Their pleas failed to gain any traction with the Second Elder, who smiled menacingly and prepared to strike at the soul of Shang Bingjie.

Shang Bingjie, lost in a daze, had no inkling of the doom descending upon her. Tormented by the recent death of her grandmother, her soul was still unsettled by the influence of the skull and had not regained clarity.

Once the Second Elder made his move, it was certain Shang Bingjie would have no chance; she would perish instantly, her soul annihilated.

The remaining two Nine Palaces Celestial Masters of the Shang family had hatred blazing fiercely in their eyes. They could hold back no longer and suddenly lunged forward.

The reason they had not acted before the death of the old matriarch was due to her prior command: they were to preserve the strength of the Shang family. Thus, though their grief was crushing, they had refrained from intervening.

But now, with Shang Bingjie on the brink of destruction, they would tolerate no more restraint.

Shang Bingjie was the hope of the Shang family, the future of their lineage! If she were slain now, the Shang family would truly be finished.

"Idiots!" The Second Elder’s face hardened; he seemed to have anticipated someone would break ranks. He called out dismissively toward several members of the Haomiao Sect: "You've already taken the residual spiritual power of that old woman; it's time you contributed something, wasn't it?"

The four masters from the Haomiao Sect sneered and stood up. One of them stated flatly, "These bandits from the Solar Star Domain were making trouble on a living planet we discovered; naturally, we won't let them go!"

Saying this, the four remaining Haomiao Sect masters—their soul phantoms—flew out, effectively cornering the two Shang family members.

"Miss! Wake up!" An elder from the Shang family projected a soul wave of intense tremor, which crashed toward Shang Bingjie.

The bewildered Shang Bingjie was jolted as if struck by a thunderclap, her eyes gradually regaining focus.

The Second Elder’s expression shifted slightly, and he cursed internally before acting swiftly.

A dark, shadowy ball of light coiled and lunged toward the center of Shang Bingjie's forehead. Within the gloom, a spiraling aura of death was visible—an aura so chillingly cold it seemed capable of obliterating the soul itself.

Shang Bingjie’s pupils constricted. At this critical juncture, she suddenly woke!

Her delicate features contorted with desperate grief and rage, and Shang Bingjie let out a wrenching sob. In that desolate cry, her Ice Crystal Short Sword suddenly burst forth with a mournful energy. At this moment, Shang Bingjie seemed to merge entirely with the short sword in her grasp.

The Ice Crystal Short Sword transformed. Sharp icicles shot forth from the weapon.

A vast expanse of icy white cold energy instantly enveloped Shang Bingjie, the extreme frost mist spreading outward, revealing bone-chilling cold and despair as it rapidly advanced.

In an instant, centered on Shang Bingjie, space itself seemed to freeze.

The Second Elder's shadowy light had not yet reached Shang Bingjie before it was caught and halted by the extreme cold, unable to move even the light itself within the glacial aura.

Snowflakes drifted out from the ice shards, white as beautiful sprites dancing elegantly.

However, any expert from the Meteor Sea Star Domain touched by these snowflakes suffered a tremor in their soul, their very spiritual power stiffening.

The soul fluctuations emanating from the four Nine Palaces Celestial Masters of the Haomiao Sect became erratic under the agitation of the snowflakes; they could barely advance an inch, and their soul fluctuations weakened in the void.

"Ice Seals the World!"

The two Shang family elders cried out in unison, their eyes brimming with elation.

Ice Seals the World was the ultimate cold-energy technique of the Shang family. This profound energy could only be manifested after one had endured a deeply chilling and sorrowful experience.

With snow falling everywhere, ice cones shot out from the center of Shang Bingjie, piercing through the void in all directions.

The Second Elder, having barely managed to close the distance, had no time to unleash the profound energy within him before his soul was suddenly pierced by an ice shard.

Shivering violently, the Second Elder felt an intense cold grip his soul, and alarm surged through him. He hadn't expected these ice shards to affect his very soul.

Snowflakes drifted down, seemingly imbued with life, descending from the heavens. In an instant, they covered the Second Elder’s soul phantom.

All of the Second Elder’s potential soul techniques were suddenly stillborn, rendered impossible to execute. Even the life aura of the Second Elder’s soul began to dissipate.

"This is bad!" The First Elder’s face darkened dramatically, and he moved to assist.

Under the First Elder's manipulation, the blue light barrier covering everyone suddenly contracted rapidly, converging upon Shang Bingjie.

As the blue barrier shrank, it ensnared the ice shards Shang Bingjie had unleashed, and the snowflakes slowly vanished beneath the encroaching light shield.

The startling cold began to recede as the barrier tightened. Everyone affected by "Ice Seals the World" gradually recovered. "Harlot!" The Second Elder's soul phantom writhed with intense hatred. He raised his hand to clutch, and a dense black mass coalesced, pressing toward Shang Bingjie.

"Old dog!" At that very moment, the Source Toxin suddenly let out an evil chuckle, manifesting grotesquely beside the Second Elder's soul phantom.

The Second Elder didn't spare it a glance, clearly not considering the Source Toxin, which was less than a meter away, a threat. He continued to drive the clump of dark energy toward Shang Bingjie, determined to annihilate her first.

Whoosh!

The Source Toxin cackled menacingly, drawing a sharp breath. The dense black mass, originally aimed at Shang Bingjie, began to fly uncontrollably toward the Source Toxin.

"You come too!" The Source Toxin extended a hand, beckoning the Second Elder.

The Second Elder suddenly felt his body turn weak and limp, his soul as if caught in a bewitching fragrance. He involuntarily drifted closer and closer to the Source Toxin.

"Are you all just going to wait for death?" On the other side, Gu Ya roared, his voice grave. "The Shang family matriarch is dead. If you remain silent, the next one to die might be one of you!"

"Kill them!" Lan Fen of Feihua cried out, taking the initiative to attack.

"Deserved to die!" The bald giant of Jinliao Mountain grunted, joining the fray.

Suddenly, all the previously silent experts of the Solar Star Domain erupted into frenzy, throwing themselves into the battle.

"Come out!" The Source Toxin pointed a finger at the blue barrier trapping Shang Bingjie.

That barrier, possessing formidable defensive capabilities, immediately showed a tiny breach under the Source Toxin’s touch. The opening seemed to corrode everything it touched, and it rapidly grew larger, revealing Shang Bingjie within.

Icy cold light burst forth from the blue shield. Shang Bingjie, her face etched with cold murderous intent, emerged from the barrier once more.

"Old dog, how dare you touch Kongkong’s wife! I'll kill you first..." The Source Toxin smiled wickedly and sinisterly, snatching the Second Elder’s soul phantom, which was helplessly drifting closer.

The Source Toxin’s small hand manipulated the Second Elder’s soul phantom, which instantly became riddled with holes. The Second Elder shrieked agonizingly, struggling desperately.

The Second Elder displayed extreme terror, twisting his soul phantom wildly, trying to escape the grasp of the Source Toxin's small hands.

"You won't get away," the Source Toxin gibbered with glee. With its two small hands, it actually began to tear the Second Elder's soul phantom apart like shredding paper.

"Second Brother!" The Third Elder shouted in alarm and rushed toward the scene.

"It's too late," the Source Toxin coldly glanced at him. Its hands ripped the Second Elder's soul phantom into fragments, just as one tears paper.

The Second Elder’s soul imprint vanished completely at that moment.

"Third Brother, don't go! That little monster is vicious!" The First Elder saw what happened and immediately tried to stop him. He was about to move against the Source Toxin when he suddenly sensed something. His face changed to one of terror, and he shrieked, "Go! Leave quickly! Get out of here!"

The First Elder, due to his high cultivation, possessed extremely keen perception. He had detected the pervasive poison in the void, knew he had been infected to some degree, and decided instantly to retreat.

"It's poison! That creature is entirely toxic!" A master from the Haomiao Sect shuddered, his life aura beginning to rapidly fade.

Suddenly, all the experts from the Meteor Sea Star Domain realized something was wrong. They secretly checked their own souls and discovered they, too, had been poisoned.

In this current predicament, with the troublesome Shang Bingjie, whose physical body had arrived, freed, all the experts from the Solar Star Domain went mad! And now there was another entity skilled in using poison!

The experts from the Meteor Sea Star Domain sensed disaster. At the alarming cry of the Fanyun Meridian's First Elder, they were preparing to retreat en masse.

Smack, smack, smack!

The four masters of the Haomiao Sect, who had just broken through from the dead planet, were suddenly struck down by secret forces, their souls instantly dispersed.

"Who is it?" The First Elder of the Fanyun Meridian’s expression turned cold. He scanned the surroundings and suddenly exclaimed, "Master Tianlu!"

"Zhang Yueran, long time no see. I didn't expect you to look so pathetic." The soul phantom of Master Tianlu manifested amidst thick gray smoke.

Within that smoke were also the Alliance Leader of the Death Pact and the Lord of the Demon Cave from the Demonic Continent—all notorious, influential figures.

However, whether it was Master Tianlu, the Death Pact Leader, or the Demon Cave Lord, they were all standing behind another person.

This individual appeared expressionless and, remarkably, possessed a physical body!

He paid no attention to those beside him, nor did he spare a glance for the experts of the Meteor Sea Star Domain. He looked down from above, fixing his gaze only on the Source Toxin.

The Source Toxin looked up and felt a chilling terror rise from its core. After staring at the person for a moment, the Source Toxin cried out in horror, screaming, "Ghost Demon King!"

It paused, its expression changing again, and it screamed once more, "No, you—you actually merged with that monster from the Hailan Continent! Heavens!"

Just managed a weak plea for monthly tickets. I hope everyone can help cast one or two votes. Deeply grateful! C