A surge of poison, a look of utter shock, yet in the face of the simultaneous appearance of the five great elders of the Cloud-Turning Vein, he appeared somewhat composed, even serene.
Even when the three great overlords of the Solar Star Domain—the Lord of Heaven's Slaughter, the Master of the Death Pact, and the Lord of the Demon Grotto—descended with their souls, he remained unmoved, as if he held his opponents in utter contempt. However, upon seeing the figure standing before the Lord of Heaven's Slaughter, his expression finally changed!
The Ghost Demon King!
On the Five Elements Continent, an evil creature refined by a senior cultivator of the Ghost Sect who had fallen into deviation, its soul was nearly immortal and impossible to refine by any known method, making it arguably the most terrifying evil entity in the Solar Star Domain.
On the Sea Surge Continent, within the ancient Nine Transformations Grand Array, a vengeful spirit from the Death Pact was warped by twisted power, transforming into a monstrous being that devoured several Nine Palaces Heavenly Masters, continually evolving its physical form until it achieved a terrifying, nearly perfect physical state.
One Ghost Demon King, one monstrous entity—both novel, supremely evil creatures in the world, and species that instilled the deepest dread in the Solar Star Domain!
Now, these two great evils had fused!
This newly emerged Ghost Demon King possessed a body largely constructed from that evil creature from the Sea Surge Continent, while its soul was that of the undying Ghost Demon King.
It was perfection!
This was perhaps the most evil and perfect new species in the Solar Star Domain, possessing the characteristic of near-invincibility in both soul and body!
No one knew how such a novel, terrifying being came to be fused, yet merely contemplating it inspired primal fear, leaving one utterly awestruck by this wicked new life form.
The Source Poison was no exception!
How could this be? Wasn't that monstrous entity from the Sea Surge Continent refined and destroyed?
The Source Poison's face shifted through multiple expressions in an instant, each one ghastly. He relentlessly questioned himself, yet found no answer.
"Chieftain." The soul phantom of the Lord of Heaven's Slaughter bowed slightly toward the Ghost Demon King and transmitted a thought: "These escapees all originate from the Crashing Sea Star Domain and have always been our adversaries. What are your orders, Chieftain?"
The Ghost Demon King’s vacant eyes finally withdrew from the Source Poison, turning to glance at the four elders of the Cloud-Turning Celestial Vein who were fleeing in the distance. It casually exhaled a stream of black smoke.
Wisps of black smoke dissipated into the void, and suddenly, an aura of sinister, chilling evil spread through the emptiness.
The four elders of the Cloud-Turning Celestial Vein had already escaped the dead star and entered the vast sea of stars. Yet, as if pulled by some invisible force, they were inexplicably dragged back, unable to resist.
The expressions of those from the Vast Cosmos Sect and the Black Heaven Altar shifted dramatically; just as they prepared to flee, the Ghost Demon King made a casual grab.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The souls of five Nine Palaces Heavenly Masters burst open like fireworks, their life imprints instantly extinguished.
Black Ice and the remaining members of the Black Heaven Altar fell silent, their souls trembling violently, frozen in place and daring not to move.
On the Solar Star Domain side, the experts hailing from the various living stars were gripped by terror upon witnessing the scene. Since they were farther from the Ghost Demon King, they immediately prepared to flee.
"Stop!" The Source Poison shouted sharply, his voice calm. "If you move, you will surely die! The Ghost Demon King's power exceeds your imagination; no one here can withstand him!"
Those preparing to flee started in shock, horror dawning on their faces, leaving them hesitant.
"Don't move rashly. Whoever moves dies first," Lan Fen whispered softly, her face etched with sorrow.
The crowd finally settled down, sighing heavily and drooping their heads. They dispersed their soul auras, seemingly preparing for some unseen threat.
Shang Bingjie and two other experts from the Shang family descended to stand beside the Source Poison. Having temporarily suppressed their grief, Shang Bingjie quietly asked the Source Poison, "What do we do?"
Five elders of the Cloud-Turning Celestial Vein had already perished at the Source Poison’s hand. The remaining four seemed unlikely to escape either. Under the current circumstances, Shang Bingjie had to force himself to remain calm.
The Source Poison shook his head helplessly. "We can only wait and see. I hope Changkong can return soon; otherwise..." He left the rest unsaid, but everyone understood that the situation was dire.
The experts of the Solar Star Domain remained subdued, none daring to act recklessly.
Crack! Crack! Two more experts from the Crashing Sea Star Domain, unable to bear the terror gripping their hearts, committed the folly of rushing forward like moths to a flame, only to be casually swatted by the Ghost Demon King, their souls exploding into nothingness.
Behind the Ghost Demon King stood the masters of the three evil factions: Heaven's Slaughter, the Death Pact, and the Demon Grotto, along with the high-level experts under their command.
As the souls of the Crashing Sea Star Domain experts shattered one by one, the Ghost Demon King glanced back at the figures behind him and nodded slightly.
Hearing this, some experts from Heaven's Slaughter, the Death Pact, and the Demon Grotto rejoiced, surging forward to devour the dissipating souls of the Crashing Sea Star Domain experts, thereby restoring their depleted spiritual energy.
The Lord of Heaven's Slaughter, the Master of the Death Pact, and the Lord of the Demon Grotto—the three supreme evil leaders—did not move, merely standing respectfully behind the Ghost Demon King.
These three had all suffered injuries at Ji Changkong’s hands previously, their bodies and souls bearing varying degrees of damage. Yet, as their souls appeared here, they were all vibrant and energetic, showing no sign of prior injury, having seemingly recovered through some unknown means.
These three, who were once formidable overlords of the Solar Star Domain, were now all submitting to the Ghost Demon King's command, illustrating just how terrifying the Ghost Demon King had become.
While the followers of Heaven's Slaughter, the Death Pact, and the Demon Grotto were absorbing the residual spiritual energy from the experts of the Crashing Sea Star Domain, the four surviving elders of the Cloud-Turning Celestial Vein, who had escaped the dead star, were forcibly dragged back one by one by some unseen power and imprisoned on the dead star below, facing the experts of the Solar Star Domain.
The four elders looked utterly ashen. Not only them, but all the remaining experts from the Crashing Sea Star Domain—save for Torre, Torrie, and Hei Can—had pale and weak soul phantoms.
Even Hei Bing and Tolong’s soul phantoms were marred by a cyan haze, making them appear utterly exhausted.
This was the work of the Source Poison.
The four elders stared in terror at the Ghost Demon King, who hovered majestically amidst the gray smoke, and then at the three Solar Star Domain overlords standing behind him. Filled with dread, they managed to ask, "Who are you?"
The Ghost Demon King did not reply. He merely glanced at the Source Poison and asked, "What about him?"
The Source Poison gave a bitter smile. Others might not know whom the Ghost Demon King was asking about, but how could he not?
Both the Ghost Demon King and the original occupant of his new body had suffered greatly at the hands of Ji Changkong. The Ghost Demon King’s plans had been thwarted time and again. The monstrous entity on the Sea Surge Continent had nearly been completely refined to death. Both the Ghost Demon King and the entity harbored a bone-deep hatred for Ji Changkong, and this ingrained animosity was preserved even after their fusion, seemingly indelible, only growing deeper.
"He is not here. He... he should be back soon," the Source Poison admitted helplessly, sighing internally; he had no choice but to answer.
The Ghost Demon King stared intently at him for a moment, then nodded dully. "I will wait for him to return."
The people from the Solar Star Domain were all gripped by terror. By now, they understood exactly who the Ghost Demon King was waiting for. However, having been stranded on this dead star for so long, Ji Changkong still hadn't returned, leading them to secretly suspect that perhaps something catastrophic had befallen him.
If Ji Changkong did not come, what would the Ghost Demon King do?
The moment these people delved deeper into that thought, anxiety tightened their chests, and their faces filled with despondent resignation.
"Wuwu..."
Just then, the soul of a Nine Palaces Heavenly Master from the Black Heaven Altar suddenly twisted. His soul phantom instantly transformed into dark cyan flames, burning his life force in its final moments.
All the experts from the Crashing Sea Star Domain watched in horror, many casting fearful glances toward the Solar Star Domain side.
"Spare my sister!" Hei Can knelt in the distance, repeatedly kowtowing toward the Solar Star Domain. Hei Luo didn't know who had done it, but he knew that when his group was poisoned, the Ghost Demon King and his allies had not yet appeared. Therefore, he was certain the poisoner was one of the experts from the Solar Star Domain.
Torre’s expression flickered slightly, and he kept his head lowered. "Spare my brother a path to survival."
Tolong's complexion was also turning dark cyan, and his soul appeared increasingly weak. If this trend continued, it wouldn't be long before Tolong followed the fate of the man who just perished.
Tolong was the one sent to leave and deliver messages to the Cloud-Turning Celestial Vein. Since arriving here, Tolong had been the most silent. When the five great elders were showing off their power, Tolong had not spoken a word of caution, perhaps because, having not received the benefits of the Sin Dragon Crystal, he had already quietly aligned himself with the five elders.
Consequently, he too had been poisoned.
The Source Poison remained outwardly impassive, as if he knew nothing, head bowed, conserving his spirit.
"Wuwu..."
Another expert from the Crashing Sea Star Domain had his soul phantom enveloped by the dark cyan toxic flame, turning to ash in an instant.
Hei Bing and Tolong clutched their heads, their faces contorted in pain, their eyes wide with terror. Only now did they feel true regret.
"We beg you!" Hei Luo, Torre, and little Torrie knelt on the ground, ceaselessly pleading, hoping the hidden hand that administered the poison would show mercy.
Above, the figures from Heaven's Slaughter, the Death Pact, and the Demon Grotto watched the scene below with cold indifference, finding a grim interest in the spectacle.
Having replenished sufficient spiritual energy, they were all at their peak state and no longer required supplementary power to absorb. The poisoning and death of those below held no consequence for them; they were happy to watch.
These experts from the Crashing Sea Star Domain had fought them multiple times over the years. In their eyes, these opponents were mortal enemies, and the death of an enemy was naturally cause for celebration.
The Ghost Demon King's gaze remained vacant. He merely glanced at the Source Poison; others might not know who was responsible, but how could he fail to know?
However, the Ghost Demon King seemed disinclined to interfere in this trivial matter. After looking at the Source Poison once, he turned his head away.