At this moment, Gui Jianchou was the first to recover, as his injuries were the lightest, though he had come perilously close to having his entire cultivation base dissipate.

Gazing upon the Haotian Orb suspended in mid-air, his eyes flickered with intense light. He knew clearly that when he inherited the Rakshasa bloodline of Yu Luosha, his power had surged forward, bringing him close to the Venerable Realm. It was this very Haotian Orb that had helped him pass the lightning tribulation and achieve the status of a true Venerable expert. Because of that, he owed Xuanyuan Ruoxing a favor—a favor now voided by Xuanyuan Ruoxing’s death.

But the Haotian Orb absolutely could not fall into Ye Jingyu’s hands again; otherwise, how could he ever deal with him in the future? With this thought, Gui Jianchou’s body transformed into a streak of blood-light, rushing straight toward the Orb. His speed was pushed to the absolute limit; his future achievements rested entirely on this single Haotian Orb.

At this point, Ye Jingyu’s injuries were severe, and his strength was nearly exhausted. How could he possibly stop Gui Jianchou? Never mind Gui Jianchou merely snatching one Haotian Orb; even if he wanted to kill Ye Jingyu, he would be utterly helpless to intervene.

Zhu Rong was currently preoccupied, digesting the power absorbed from Xuanyuan Ruoxing to condense his true form, leaving him no time to spare. The only one who could stop Gui Jianchou now was Xuanyuan Jing. Yet, Xuanyuan Jing seemed to feel something calling to him, his gaze already fixed on the swirling black mist in the sky—the place where the Fantian Seal was reforming.

Thus, no one remained to impede Gui Jianchou. Just as he was about to seize the Haotian Orb, a figure materialized directly beside it and snatched it up.

Gui Jianchou looked over and saw a man whose face was deathly pale, utterly devoid of color—someone who looked even more like a zombie than he did. No, perhaps this fellow was a zombie.

And Ye Jingyu, upon seeing the newcomer, visibly gained a surge of spirit. They had finally arrived…

“If you don't want to die, hand it over!” Gui Jianchou roared in anger. This fellow clearly had not reached the Venerable Realm and posed no threat to him whatsoever.

“Damn it, this is a treasure my brother risked his life to get! You expect me to just hand it over? Isn't that completely shameless?” Liang Xiaoke retorted, rolling his eyes. After absorbing so much vital essence last time, his strength had reached a peak; passing just one lightning tribulation would make him a Flying Night Demon. This Orb was crucial for setting up the heavenly tribulation array; how could he let this guy take it?

“Since you care so much about your face, then die!” Gui Jianchou bellowed, unleashing a direct slash toward Liang Xiaoke. Liang Xiaoke, still rolling his eyes, whipped out the Bloodthirsty Demonic Sword and met the curved saber head-on.

Clang… With a light sound, the Scarlet Blood Demonic Sword in his hand hummed, and the Blood Moon Curved Saber in Gui Jianchou’s grasp vibrated. The two weapons seemed evenly matched, but Liang Xiaoke’s strength was clearly inferior to Gui Jianchou's. His body was violently knocked backward, the flesh around his hand cracked open by the shock, and he lost his grip on the Bloodthirsty Demonic Sword, which tumbled away.

However, his other hand was clenched tightly around the Haotian Orb, refusing to let go in the slightest.

Gui Jianchou was enraged. His feet moved in fleeting steps as he lunged again toward Liang Xiaoke. His eyes were fixed solely on the Haotian Orb now, possessing a relentless determination not to stop until he obtained it.

At this moment, Xue Wuqing’s figure materialized in the void. Having inherited the power of his two elder brothers, his strength had reached the peak of a Ninth-Grade Demon Lord, just a single step shy of the Demon King realm.

Facing Gui Jianchou, an expert who had already attained the Venerable Realm, Xue Wuqing’s face was filled with utter fearlessness. He gave his blood-red longsword a gentle flick, instantly drawing a brilliant sword flower. But against Gui Jianchou’s oncoming strike, this flower shattered instantly. Gui Jianchou seized the opening to unleash a palm strike, directly blasting Xue Wuqing away.

This was the gulf between a Ninth-Grade Demon Lord and a Venerable. Even if he was infinitely close, without reaching that level, the gap remained vast, and all his fearlessness was useless.

Gui Jianchou ignored Xue Wuqing, whom he had just blasted away with a single palm, and continued to sweep toward Liang Xiaoke. He must have the Haotian Orb. Seeing Gui Jianchou rushing him again, Liang Xiaoke’s expression shifted drastically. Although his current power allowed him to disregard ordinary Ninth-Grade experts, he was still lacking when matched against a Venerable expert. A direct confrontation was impossible, but could he even escape?

“Hey, little zombie, take this!” Just as Liang Xiaoke was at a loss, Zhu Rong, who was still condensing his true form, suddenly shouted and hurled a black banner toward him. This was the very banner Xuanyuan Ruoxing had obtained from Zhuge Yi Shi. Having devoured Xuanyuan Ruoxing’s flesh and soul, everything on him now belonged to Zhu Rong. While Xuanyuan Ruoxing possessed many magic treasures, aside from the few items in the sky, only this black banner had caught Zhu Rong's eye.

The moment Liang Xiaoke caught the black banner, he felt an inexhaustible stream of power contained within it. The divine sense imprint on it had long been erased by Xuanyuan Ruoxing. He didn't have time to refine the banner anyway, and even if he did, his soul was shattered, rendering the item ownerless. Recognizing it as a top-tier supreme treasure, Liang Xiaoke immediately spat out a gout of vital blood. Instantly, the black banner blazed with dark light, forming ripples of shadow before him.

Just then, Gui Jianchou’s strike came down heavily upon these black ripples. Other than causing waves to spread, the attack had no other effect, though Liang Xiaoke himself felt his spirit slightly shaken. Other than that, he was completely unharmed.

This was a treasure! A genuine treasure! And not far away, Ye Jingyu’s expression subtly changed when he saw the black flag. This looked like Zhuge Yi Shi’s personal magic weapon? How could it be here? Had something happened to him?

When Ye Jingyu arrived on the battlefield, he hadn't spotted Zhuge Yi Shi, so he didn't know the latter’s condition. But seeing his personal artifact here made him deeply worried.

At this point, Ye Jingyu had recovered some strength. The Chi You Banner, no longer needed to seal the Haotian Orb, returned to his hand. With a single wave, the Twelve Heavenly Witches Annihilation Great Array was activated once more…

Immediately, streaks of ominous clouds descended. Gui Jianchou, who had been preparing to attack again, saw that Ye Jingyu seemed to have regained his fighting strength, and then glanced at Liang Xiaoke, who was enveloped in black light. He let out a resentful snort, transforming into a blood-light and fleeing toward the horizon…