Chapter 5920 - 5930

“Leave?”

A voice suddenly rang out.

It didn’t come from any particular direction, but rather poured directly into the Soul Devourer’s consciousness from all directions, dry, mechanical, and cold, like the resonance of some kind of law in operation.

The Soul Devourer whirled around.

Three gray-white figures appeared around him without warning, forming a perfect triangle that trapped him in the center.

They were three humanoid beings, but the Soul Devourer couldn’t be sure if they were truly human.

They wore ancient-style gray-white robes, the sleeves wide and reaching their feet.

Their faces were indistinct, as if shrouded in a flowing mist, only the outlines of their features vaguely visible.

Most bizarrely, their eyes, or rather, their eye sockets,

were devoid of eyeballs, only two black hole-like depressions, within which two gray-white flames flickered, each flicker accompanied by a subtle tremor of the surrounding spatial rules.

Their bodies seemed to be formed from pure reincarnation energy, standing there, perfectly integrated with this gray-white world.

If not for the naked eye, the Soul Devourer’s soul perception would be completely unaware of their existence, just as a person cannot “perceive” the existence of air.

“Outsiders,”

the gray-white humanoid in the middle spoke, its voice still possessing that mechanical resonance that directly penetrates consciousness, “The Land of Reincarnation, forbidden to living beings.”

The humanoid on the left continued, its tone utterly flat: “Hand over your soul, enter the Pool of Reincarnation, and you may gain…rebirth.”

The humanoid on the right added, each word as cold as iron: “Those who refuse, will be refined.”

Alarm bells rang loudly in the Soul Devourer’s mind, his soul frantically issuing warnings.

The oppressive feeling these three beings gave him even surpassed that of Zhan E in his prime!

It wasn’t a difference in power, but…a difference in the level of life.

Like an ant facing a dragon, even if the dragon merely gazes down silently, the ant will instinctively tremble. He suppressed the fear in his heart, striving to keep his voice calm: “I am the Soul Devourer Demon Lord, I have mistakenly entered this place, with no intention of offending. I humbly request that the three of you…show me a way out.” 　　A brief silence

followed . 　　Three greyish-white humanoid figures stared at him simultaneously, the greyish-white flames in their black eye sockets flickering slightly faster. 　　”Refuse,” 　　the middle figure spoke again, its voice now carrying an undeniable air of authority. “Rule of Reincarnation, Article 1372: Anyone who enters without the permission of the Lord of Reincarnation is considered an intruder, and must have their soul refined, their consciousness stripped away, to complete their reincarnation.” 　　The instant the words fell, the three greyish-white humanoid figures simultaneously raised their right hands. 　　The movements were slow and stiff, like marionettes, yet possessed a suffocating rhythm. 　　Just three simple greyish-white palms, fingers spread, pressing down. 　　There was no overwhelming aura, no earth-shattering energy fluctuations, not even a wisp of wind. 　　Yet, the Soul Devourer felt the entire world pressing down upon him!

It wasn’t a crushing force, but a crushing force of rules.

Like a tiny figure drawn on a piece of paper, gently pressed down from three-dimensional space by an invisible hand.

For the figure on the paper, it was an incomprehensible, irresistible, and even imperceptible dimensional reduction attack.

“Roar!!!”

The Soul Devourer roared in despair, his remaining Soul Devouring Demonic Flame burning recklessly, his six tattered wings vibrating wildly, trying to break free from this invisible constraint.

But all was in vain.

His demonic flame extinguished automatically upon contact with the invisible suppression of rules; his struggles were like insects trapped in amber, each movement ridiculously slow, ultimately freezing completely.

Three gray-white palms seemed to descend slowly, yet they appeared to transcend the barriers of time and space, inescapable and irresistible.

“Pfft!”

The first palm pressed against his Baihui acupoint on the top of his head.

The Soul Devourer trembled violently, dark red demonic blood spurting from all seven orifices simultaneously!

He felt his core soul being directly “grabbed” by that palm, and then… extracted.

Like drawing water from a well, bucket after bucket, without mercy.

The divine soul power accumulated over millennia of cultivation, the soul source condensed from devouring millions of souls, all memories, emotions, and insights… were being ruthlessly stripped away and extracted.

“Ughhhhh!!!”

A shrill, inhuman scream echoed across the gray plains.

But the scream lasted only a breath before abruptly ceasing, as a second hand pressed against his chest, specifically the Tanzhong acupoint.

“Crack!”

The sound of his ribs shattering was clearly audible.

A cold, deathly gray-white current surged into his heart through the palm, and the demonic heart that had beat for thirteen thousand years froze instantly upon contact with the gray-white current.

Life force drained from his body like a receding tide; his once surging life force withered to the brink of exhaustion within a few breaths.

Then, a third hand pressed against his dantian, his sea of ​​qi.

“Boom!!!”

That was the sound of his foundation crumbling.

The Soul-Devouring Demonic Art, painstakingly cultivated for millennia and forged from countless rare and precious treasures, crumbled like a sandcastle under this single palm strike.

The source of the Soul-Devouring Demonic Flame, the core of the Earth Core Demonic Flame, the linchpin of all cultivation techniques… all shattered, disintegrated, and annihilated.

The three palms withdrew simultaneously.

The Soul-Devouring Venerable’s tattered demonic body collapsed to the ground, like a skinned husk stripped of its bones.
The light in his eyes completely faded, his eerie green pupils turned dull and lifeless, leaving only a last wisp of consciousness struggling and sinking in boundless pain and despair.

He saw the three gray-white human figures stand around him, their hands simultaneously forming an extremely complex and bizarre hand seal.

The instant the seal was completed, the cyclical energy of the entire gray-white plain erupted violently!

Endless gray-white energy surged from the sky, the earth, and the air, converging on him like billions of venomous snakes, enveloping him layer by layer, forming a gigantic gray cocoon with a diameter exceeding ten zhang.

Within the cocoon, the Soul Devourer’s last consciousness clearly felt his own demise.

His physical body was dissolving, broken down into the most basic energy particles by the gray-white energy, then recombine and reshape itself.

His demonic soul was disintegrating, his memories were extracted and sealed into some unknowable depth, his emotions were stripped away and crushed, and his self-awareness peeled away and dissipated little by little like a weathered statue…

But at the same time, something was preserved.

Combat instinct—a primal reaction honed through millennia of battle and countless life-or-death struggles—was refined, solidified, and imprinted upon the new body.

Cultivation foundation—though the demonic arts were destroyed, the insights gained from the first rank of the Upper Immortal realm, the understanding of the rules of heaven and earth, and the experience in energy circulation were preserved in their purest form after the “Soul Devouring” attribute was stripped away.

Cultivation technique insights—the operating principles of the Soul Devouring Demonic Arts, the fusion techniques of the Earth Core Demon Flame, the core essence of all combat supernatural abilities… were analyzed and reorganized into a set of “programs” that could be driven.

This was not complete destruction.

This was… reshaping.

The existence of the “Soul Devouring Venerable” was erased, leaving only the most valuable “materials,” and then, according to a predetermined template, a perfect tool was reforged.

In the instant before the last wisp of consciousness completely dissipated, the Soul Devouring Venerable finally understood.

This was not a place of reincarnation at all.

This was… a “factory” for the rules of reincarnation.

All unauthorized intruders are ruthlessly refined by the beings here, their consciousness stripped away, their value preserved, and then crafted into puppets, weapons, materials, or even containers for certain rules.

And the three guards here—each one’s strength… likely reaches the legendary True Immortal realm, or even higher!

They are not living beings; they are the embodiment of the rules of reincarnation, a part of this world.

“Kai… Zhan E…”
The last trace of resentment dissipated into the gray-white airflow as consciousness completely vanished.

The gray cocoon slowly contracted, gradually compressing from ten zhang in size to the size of an ordinary person, finally transforming into a blurry humanoid outline, silently suspended in mid-air.

The three gray-white humanoid figures stood still for a moment.

The one in the middle raised his hand and beckoned, the humanoid outline slowly flying into his palm.

He stretched out his other hand, his fingertips gently tracing the surface of the humanoid outline, the gray-white airflow seeping in like threads, probing every detail within.

“The foundation of a peak first-grade Immortal Realm cultivator is fully preserved.”

He spoke, his voice still mechanical. “The origin of the Soul-Devouring Demon Flame has been stripped of its ‘Soul-Devouring’ attribute, transforming into a pure devouring rule module. The core of the Earth Core Demon Flame is intact and compatible with the Qi of Reincarnation.” ”

Combat instinct integrity: 97%.” The person on the left added, “The missing part is the explosive combat mode driven by extreme emotions, which is harmless.”

The flames in the black hole eye sockets of the person on the right flickered: “Memories have been sealed in storage unit number 372 of the Reincarnation Pool, and the emotional module has been completely erased. Self-awareness remains… zero.”

The person in the middle withdrew his finger, and the humanoid silhouette slowly rotated in his palm.

“Meets the criteria for a Reincarnation Puppet General.”

He gave his final assessment. “Nourish it in the Reincarnation Pool for three months. Once the body and the rule module are fully integrated, it can be used.”

The man on the left looked towards the Gate of Reincarnation, a subtle fluctuation appearing in his voice for the first time: “An ant outside the gate, quite lucky. A Reincarnation Puppet General of the Upper Immortal Realm is rare even in higher worlds.”

The man on the right was silent for a moment, then said, “Authorization holder Zhan E. Your contribution has reached the standard for receiving a Puppet General. According to the rules, you can receive one.”

“Begin execution.”

The three fell silent, carrying the humanoid silhouette, their figures slowly fading away, like ink dissolving in water, finally disappearing completely into the gray-white world.

Only the endless silence still shrouded this Reincarnation Land.

This so-called Reincarnation Land within the Gate of Reincarnation was not about resurrecting anyone, but about using puppetry to create an identical puppet.

This wasn’t resurrection at all; it was clearly a scam!　The main hall of the Evil Path Palace.

Three months is enough for mortals to experience a full season, but for cultivators with lifespans measured in tens of thousands of years, it’s merely the time for a short seclusion.

Zhan E sat cross-legged before the Gate of Reincarnation, his gray-white aura surging like a tide.

For the past three months, he had remained here almost constantly, cultivating the Path of Reincarnation while sensing the subtle fluctuations emanating from behind the gate.

Each fluctuation represented a step forward in the refinement of the Soul Devourer’s soul, indicating a further progress in the creation of the Reincarnation Puppet General.

He could feel his understanding of the rules of reincarnation deepening at an astonishing rate.

The fragments of primordial rules belonging to the Land of Reincarnation seeping from the cracks in the gate were like the most precious nourishment, nurturing his millennia-long arduous cultivation of the Reincarnation technique.

His cultivation had steadily improved from the initial entry into the third rank of the Upper Immortal Realm to the mid-third rank, and even faintly touched the threshold of the late third rank.

More importantly, his control over the Gate of Reincarnation was increasing.

Three months ago, he could barely open the Gate of Reincarnation, using the leaked power behind it to craft low-level reincarnation puppets or to feed captured souls in exchange for meager feedback from the rules.

But now…

Zhan E opened his gray-white pupils, a burning glint in his eyes.

He felt his connection to the gate had deepened.

Like a thin, fragile thread, it had grown thicker and stronger through countless energy exchanges, even beginning to carry more information.

“Soon…”

he murmured, his withered fingers tapping lightly on the bone-like surface. “As long as I can obtain that reincarnation puppet, using it as a medium, I can connect more deeply to the Land of Reincarnation, and perhaps… even glimpse a glimpse of the true face of the Lord of Reincarnation.”

At that time, he might truly understand the origin of this gate and the true purpose of the three terrifying beings behind it.

Suddenly…

“Buzz!!!”

The Gate of Reincarnation trembled violently!

Simultaneously, the greyish-white flames within the eye sockets of the skulls on the entire bone door flared up, shooting skyward and illuminating the entire hall as if it were daytime.

The runes on the door writhed and rearranged wildly, emitting piercing shrieks—the mournful cries of rules being forcibly twisted and torn apart.

Zhan E abruptly stood up, his greyish-white eyes fixed on the center of the door.

There, in the center of the once perfectly sealed bone door, a tiny crack slowly appeared.

The crack was initially only the thickness of a hair, but it rapidly expanded, growing to a foot wide, then a foot wide… eventually forming a gap large enough for an ordinary person to pass through.

Inside the gap was not the palace scene behind the door, but a deep greyish-white vortex.

The vortex slowly rotated, each rotation distorting the surrounding space and emitting a terrifying suction force that sent shivers down one’s spine.

Then, a figure stepped out of the vortex.

He was a man eight feet tall, with a slender and upright figure, clad in dark red, close-fitting scale armor, the surface of which swirled with eerie gray and white patterns.

Six large, intact fleshy wings adorned his back, each edge burning with tangible dark red flames, the depths of which faintly revealed shimmering gray-white runes.

His face bore a seven-tenths resemblance to the Soul Devourer, but was colder, more perfect, like a meticulously sculpted statue. His

once eerie green eyes were now pure gray-white, devoid of pupils or whites, only two slowly rotating gray-white vortexes, so deep they seemed capable of swallowing all light.Most striking was his left arm, the part severed by Kai, which had now regrown.

The new arm was indistinguishable from the original, even with finer scales and sharper fingertips, except for a grayish-white line running from his shoulder to his wrist, like some kind of seal, or a conduit for power.

He stepped out of the vortex, his foot landing on the bone-like surface with a muffled thud.

The Gate of Reincarnation slowly closed, the tremors subsided, the flames receded, and everything returned to normal.

The figure stood still, his grayish-white eyes slowly turning before finally settling on Zhan E.

Then, he knelt on one knee, head bowed, his voice mechanical and monotonous, devoid of emotion: “Master.”

A flicker of barely suppressed ecstasy flashed in Zhan E’s grayish-white pupils.

He slowly stepped forward, walking to the kneeling figure, his withered fingers rising to gently touch the other’s forehead, cheek, and shoulder… as if inspecting a newly completed work of art.

“Perfect… too perfect…”

Zhan E murmured, his voice trembling slightly.

He could sense the power contained within this body—the power that retained the entire foundation of the Soul Devouring Venerable’s peak first-grade Immortal Realm cultivation.

Even more so, due to the refining and reshaping process in the Land of Reincarnation, its physical strength and energy purity were superior to its original state.

More importantly, he could feel the close, absolutely obedient “connection” between himself and this body.

Like the connection between an arm and the brain, a single thought would be executed unconditionally by this body, without the slightest hesitation, resistance, or even a question of why.

A perfect killing tool, virtually invincible below the True Immortal Realm.

“Get up,”

Zhan E said calmly, suppressing his excitement.

The figure rose, standing silently to the side, lifeless like a statue.

His posture was straight and stiff, every joint in a perfect battle-ready state, his gray-white eyes staring straight ahead, awaiting the next command.

“From this day forward, your name is ‘Soul-Devouring Puppet’,”

Zhan E said slowly, walking up to the Soul-Devouring Puppet. His gray-white eyes stared directly into the empty gray-white vortex within. “I command you to lead all the Soul Hunters of the Evil Path Hall and patrol the Twelve Heavens.”

His tone gradually turned cold, carrying an unquestionable majesty: “Within the Twelve Heavens, all cultivators of the eighth rank or above in the Heavenly Immortal Realm, regardless of whether they are disciples of immortal sects, powerful rogue cultivators, or reclusive old monsters… as long as their soul strength meets the standard, capture them all, strip them of their souls, and send them to the Gate of Reincarnation.” ”

If there is any resistance…”

Zhan E paused, a cruel smile curving his lips, “Kill them without mercy. Refine their physical bodies into low-level reincarnation puppets, and extract their souls at double the rate.”

The vortex in the Soul-Devouring Puppet’s gray-white eyes spun slightly faster, mechanically replying, “Yes, sir.”

“Furthermore,”

Zhan E’s voice lowered, carrying a chilling undertone, “if we encounter someone possessing Chaotic Immortal Power, Golden Dragon Bloodline, or Earth Fire True Flame… capture them alive at all costs.”

He added, “Remember, capture them alive. Even if their physical body is destroyed, their complete soul must be preserved. This person… will be of great use to me.”

“Yes, sir,”

the Soul-Devouring Puppet replied again, its voice still completely unwavering.　　Zhan E nodded in satisfaction, raised his hand, and a palm-sized gray-white token flew from his sleeve, landing in the Soul-Devouring Puppet’s hand.

The token was made of special bones from the Land of Reincarnation, with a twisted character for “puppet” engraved on the front and densely packed authority runes on the back.

“This is the ‘Puppet General’s Token’,”

Zhan E said. “With this token, everyone in the Evil Path Hall except myself can see me as if I were present. All resources, all puppets, and all Soul Hunters within the hall can be commanded by you.”

The Soul-Devouring Puppet grasped the token, runes flashing in its gray-white eyes, and the token merged into its palm, leaving only a faint gray-white mark on its skin.

“Go,”

Zhan E waved his sleeve, “Let the Twelfth Heaven… feel the majesty of Reincarnation.”

The Soul-Devouring Puppet bowed, turned, and stepped out of the hall.

His steps were steady and precise, each step measured with the perfect distance, as if measured with a ruler.

The six fleshy wings on its back folded slightly, the dark red flames at the edges receding, yet the aura emanating from it caused all the disciples, guards, and puppets of the Evil Path Hall along the way to instinctively kneel on the ground, trembling.

It was the pressure of a peak Immortal Realm cultivator, mixed with the deathly aura unique to the Land of Reincarnation, like tangible ice, freezing the souls of every living being.

Outside the hall, nine streams of Reincarnation Qi surrounding the palace sensed the appearance of the Soul-Devouring Puppet and emitted excited buzzing sounds.

Like nine loyal dogs seeing their master, they circled and danced around the Soul-Devouring Puppet, eventually condensing behind it into a gray-white cloak hundreds of feet high, its edges flowing with countless tiny runes, each rune representing a rule of reincarnation.

The Soul-Devouring Puppet stepped into the void, its gray-white eyes overlooking the Evil Path Hall complex stretching for thousands of miles below.

It raised its right hand, palm upward.

“Soul Hunters, assemble.”

The mechanical voice, though not loud, was like a commandment, instantly resounding throughout every corner of the Evil Path Hall.

“Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—”

Countless black shadows soared into the sky from the depths of the palace, from the training grounds, and from the secluded cultivation areas!

These were the Soul Hunters, a force cultivated by the Evil Path Hall for thousands of years, numbering over thirty thousand. Their minimum cultivation level was at least fifth-grade Celestial Immortal, with over a thousand commanders at eighth-grade Celestial Immortal.

They were uniformly clad in jet-black soul armor, wielding specially crafted soul-locking chains, soul-capturing banners, and soul-refining furnaces. Each was an expert in the Dao of the Soul, adept at capturing and refining divine souls .

At this moment, these thirty thousand Soul Hunters, like a black tide, rapidly gathered and arrayed themselves in the void, ultimately forming a massive square formation beneath the Soul-Devouring Puppet.

Everyone lowered their heads, not daring to look directly at the figure clad in a greyish-white cloak—a fear originating from the depths of their souls, an instinctive awe of a higher-level being.

The Soul-Devouring Puppet’s greyish-white eyes swept across the formation below, and its mechanical voice rang out again:

“Target: The entire Twelfth Heaven.”

“Mission: Hunt divine souls of Celestial Immortals of Grade Eight or higher.”

“Action, commence.”

There was no pre-battle mobilization, no rousing oaths, only the most concise command.

Yet, the thirty thousand Soul Hunters simultaneously knelt on one knee, responding in unison like a tsunami:

“As you command, Puppet General!”

The next moment, the greyish-white cloak behind the Soul-Devouring Puppet suddenly unfurled, transforming into a greyish-white light curtain that stretched across the sky.

Wherever the light curtain covered, the rules of space were forcibly distorted, and a teleportation channel leading to various parts of the Twelfth Heaven rapidly formed.

The Soul-Devouring Puppet was the first to step into the channel.

The thirty thousand Soul Hunters followed closely behind like a black torrent.　As the last figure disappeared into the passage, the gray-white light curtain slowly receded, transforming back into a cloak and returning to the Soul-Devouring Puppet’s back.

The passage closed, and the void returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.

But the fate of the Twelve Heavens had been completely altered from this moment on.

The main hall of the Evil Path Palace.

Zhan E stood before the palace gate, his gray-white eyes gazing in the direction the Soul-Devouring Puppet had departed, a cold smile lingering on his lips.

He could feel that with the Soul-Devouring Puppet’s movement, the entire Twelve Heavens’ teleportation array was being activated.

These were the hidden teleportation array nodes he had spent countless millennia laying down throughout the Twelve Heavens.

Each node was an eye, and also a passage.

Through this network of reincarnation that spanned the entire realm, the Soul-Devouring Puppet could appear anywhere in the Twelve Heavens at any time, and could instantly teleport captured souls back to the Evil Path Palace, casting them into the Gate of Reincarnation.

More importantly, Zhan E could sense the energy fluctuations, powerful auras, and power distribution of every corner of the Twelve Heavens through this network… like a spider web covering the entire area, no movement could escape his perception.

“Finally… it’s begun.”

Zhan E murmured to himself, his withered finger lightly tapping the air.

A circle of grayish-white ripples spread out, and a three-dimensional star map appeared at its center—a panoramic view of the Twelve Heavens, marking the locations of major immortal sects, aristocratic families, gathering places of rogue cultivators, and dangerous secret realms.

At this moment, over three hundred points of light on the star map were flashing and moving simultaneously.

Each point of light represented a Soul Hunter team.

And the brightest and fastest-moving point of light was the location of the Soul Devouring Puppet.

He had already arrived in the eastern part of the Twelve Heavens, that prosperous area jointly controlled by the three major immortal sects.

“Let’s start by devouring the fattest parts.” A cruel glint flashed in Zhan E’s eyes. “The three great immortal sects… Hmph, they’ve occupied the richest regions of the Twelve Heavens for ten thousand years; it’s time they paid their price.”

He turned and walked back to the main hall, sitting cross-legged again before the Gate of Reincarnation.

His grey-white eyes closed, and his mind sank into the reincarnation network that spanned the entire realm, beginning to watch this hunting feast he had personally directed, sweeping across the Twelve Heavens.

Meanwhile, in the far more distant void, beyond Zhan E’s perception,

inside a white jade palace suspended in chaotic currents,

an old man in a blue robe, his face blurred, suddenly opened his eyes, a hint of surprise flashing within them.

“The fluctuations of the power of reincarnation… have suddenly intensified by more than a hundredfold…”

He calculated with his fingers, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper. “Moreover… there’s a familiar, repulsive aura of devouring… is it that demon who should have died ten thousand years ago?”

“No… it’s colder, more deathly still, like… a puppet?”

The old man abruptly stood up, stepped out of the palace, and arrived at the edge of the void, gazing in the direction of the Twelfth Heaven.

After a long while, he slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, a trace of solemnity flashing in his eyes.

“It seems that the Twelfth Heaven, which has been peaceful for too long… is about to change.”

“I just don’t know how many lives this storm will ultimately devour, or how many forces will be drawn into it…”

He shook his head, turned and returned to the palace, beginning to contact several other reclusive old monsters.

The storm had begun; no one could remain uninvolved.　Earthfire Pavilion, Heavenfire Secret Realm.

Crimson-gold Earthfire True Flames flowed gently around Kai like warm silk.

He sat cross-legged on a lotus platform of flames in the center of the secret realm, his eyes closed, his breathing long and even.

The once ferocious and terrifying Soul-Devouring Demon Flame palm print on his left chest was now just a pale red scar, its surface faintly revealing the intertwining and flowing of chaotic energy and the phantom of a golden dragon.

Three months.

Three months had passed since his return from the Earth Core Demon Abyss

. In these three months, Kai had hardly stepped out of the Heavenfire Secret Realm.

The Earthfire Pavilion had spared no effort, sending forth a continuous stream of various healing elixirs, body-tempering elixirs, and mind-calming teas;

the Crimson Cloud Demon Lord, after taking the Earth Core Jade Marrow Milk, did not leave immediately but instead stayed in the Earthfire Pavilion, imparting to him all the demonic body-tempering secrets he had accumulated over millennia;

and Huo Ling’er had been guarding the secret realm day and night, using her own Earthfire True Scripture cultivation to guide the Earthfire spiritual energy within, helping Kai accelerate his recovery.

At this moment, Kai slowly opened his eyes.

Deep within his eyes, a primordial grayness, a soaring golden dragon’s majesty, and the blazing heat of burning earth fire alternated and flowed, finally settling into a profound calm.

He gently exhaled a breath of turbid air.

The turbid air, leaving his body, transformed into a small three-colored dragon, circling three times in the air before dissipating into pure spiritual energy.

“Finally… completely recovered.”

Kai clenched his fist, feeling the ceaseless flow of power within his body.

His Chaotic Immortal Power was even more condensed and pure than before his injury; his Golden Dragon bloodline showed faint signs of breaking through to the next stage; and the Earth Fire True Scripture, taking advantage of this opportunity to recover from his severe injuries, had broken through to the seventh level.

Although he was still at the third rank of the Heavenly Immortal Realm, his true combat strength…

a sharp glint flashed in Kai’s eyes.

If he were to fight the Soul Devourer again, he was confident he could utterly kill him within fifty moves!

“Husband!”

Huo Ling’er’s joyful call came from the entrance of the secret realm, and then a crimson figure darted in like a swallow.

Huo Ling’er was dressed in a fiery red outfit today, her long hair tied in a high ponytail, making her look spirited.

She looked Kai up and down, her beautiful eyes full of concern: “How are you feeling? Are your injuries fully healed?”

Kai stood up and smiled: “I’m fine now, in fact… I’ve benefited from this misfortune, my cultivation has improved slightly, and we can cultivate together tonight.”

Huo Ling’er breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. If Kai was seriously injured and couldn’t cultivate together, wouldn’t she be very upset?

After all, once you’ve tasted the sweetness, you can’t resist.

“Father sent me to invite you, saying he has important matters to discuss. There are quite a few strangers coming from the main hall, and their auras are all very strong.”

“Strangers?” Kai raised an eyebrow.

As one of the top powers in the eleventh heaven, the Earth Fire Pavilion naturally receives many visitors on ordinary days, but for Huo Fentian to specially send someone to invite them, and for Huo Ling’er to take it so seriously…

“Let’s go, let’s go take a look.”　　…

The atmosphere in the main hall of the Earthfire Pavilion was heavy.

The usually spacious hall now seemed somewhat crowded.

Dozens of figures sat or stood on either side of the hall.

Their attire varied; some were luxurious and elegant, some were simple and plain, and some were even ragged and bloodstained, but without exception, they all exuded powerful auras.

The lowest level was at least the seventh rank of the Heavenly Immortal Realm!

The moment Kai stepped into the hall, he felt dozens of gazes fall on him simultaneously.

Among those gazes were scrutiny, curiosity, suspicion, and even a few that contained undisguised hostility.

“Young Master, this way.”

Huo Fentian, seated at the head of the table, rose to greet him.

Today, he was unusually dressed in the formal robes of the Earthfire Pavilion Master, a crimson robe embroidered with nine golden lotuses of Earthfire, and a crimson-gold crown on his head, his expression solemn.

Kai walked to Huo Fentian’s side and stopped, his gaze sweeping across the hall.

He saw several familiar faces.

The Crimson Cloud Demon Lord sat at the head of the left, eyes closed in meditation, but a faint demonic aura emanated from his body, indicating he was not letting his guard down.

The Earth Fire Ancestor sat on the other side of Fire Burning Heaven. This usually elusive ancestor had surprisingly appeared today, stroking his long beard and scrutinizing the people in the hall with a deep gaze.

And many more were strangers.

An old man in a tattered blue robe, his left arm severed at the shoulder, had a strange, grayish-white aura swirling around the wound, which seemed to be constantly eroding his life force, turning his face ashen.

A middle-aged woman clutched a broken jade zither, all the strings snapped. Blood seeped from her fingertips, but she seemed oblivious, staring blankly at the sky outside the hall.

Three men in identical golden armor stood side by side, their armor covered in cuts and slashes. One of them had his chest armor torn open by some kind of claw, revealing a deep, bone-revealing wound.

Seven or eight young cultivators were gathered together. Their clothes were relatively intact, but they all looked terrified, like frightened birds, tense at the slightest sound.

Most striking were the three standing in the center of the hall.

The leader was an old Taoist priest with white hair and beard, his face ancient and weathered. He held a whisk, most of the whisk’s threads broken.

His aura was deeply restrained, and Kai couldn’t immediately discern its depth, but he was at least at the peak of the ninth rank of the Heavenly Immortal Realm! Behind the old Taoist priest, a man and a woman stood on either side. 　　The man was about thirty years old, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes. He carried a long sword wrapped in coarse cloth on his back; though it was not drawn, a sharp sword intent faintly emanated from it. The woman

was in 　　her early twenties, with a beautiful face, wearing a light blue dress, and a string of silver bells hung from her waist. The bells rang softly, carrying a rhythmic quality that soothed the soul. 　　“Young Master…” Huo Fentian’s deep voice broke the silence in the hall, “Let me introduce you. This is the Grand Elder of the Qingming Sword Sect of the Twelfth Heaven, True Person Xuanwei.” 　　The white-haired old Taoist nodded slightly, his gaze lingering on Kai for a moment, his long gray eyebrows trembling imperceptibly.

 

Huo Fentian continued, “These two behind True Master Xuanwei are his personal disciples, Lin Xiao and Su Qianyue. As for the other fellow Daoists in the hall…”

He paused, his voice growing deeper, “they have all recently fled from the Twelfth Heaven…” Flee

?

Kai’s pupils constricted slightly.

Cultivators strive against fate, always aiming for higher levels of existence.

Eleventh Heaven cultivators dream of ascending to the Twelfth Heaven, and Twelfth Heaven cultivators yearn for the legendary Thirteenth Heaven or even higher.

This is an unchanging ironclad rule.

Yet now, these Twelfth Heaven experts have actually fled to the Eleventh Heaven?

“Father-in-law…”

Kai suppressed his doubts and cupped his hands, saying, “May I ask what brings you all here?”

Upon hearing this, several suppressed cold snorts echoed in the hall.

The old man in the green robe with the missing arm suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot, and hissed, “What is it? Boy, do you really not know, or are you just pretending to be confused?!”

“Qingyangzi, watch your words!” Xuanwei

Zhenren said in a deep voice, then looked at Kai, his tone softening a bit, “This young friend must have been in seclusion recently and is unaware of the changes in the outside world. I will make the long story short.”

He took a deep breath and said, word by word, “The Twelfth Heaven has fallen into a calamity.”

“Three months ago, the Evil Path Hall suddenly mobilized all its forces. The Hall Master Zhan E has acquired a terrifying puppet called ‘Soul Devouring Puppet’. This puppet’s strength is comparable to the peak of the first rank of the Upper Immortal Realm, and it is fearless of death and pain.”

“The Soul Devouring Puppet led 30,000 Soul Hunters, starting from the eastern part of the Twelfth Heaven, and began a… hunt that swept across the entire region.”

“A hunt?” Kai frowned.

“Hunting living beings, extracting their souls.”

Master Xuanwei’s voice was bitter. “Cultivators of the eighth rank or above in the Celestial Immortal Realm are all their targets. In just three months, the three major immortal sects in the east have been completely wiped out. Whether the disciples surrendered or not, their souls were extracted and refined, and their bodies were turned into low-level puppets to supplement the Soul Hunters’ forces.”

He pointed to the people in the hall: “Fellow Daoist Qingyangzi comes from ‘Xuan Shuang Valley’. Two of the valley’s three patriarchs died in battle, and the rest scattered and fled. Lady Qinxin comes from ‘Tianyin Pavilion’. The pavilion master sacrificed his natal immortal artifact to protect his disciples’ retreat, perishing together with the three Soul Hunter commanders. Those three golden-armored warriors were the last elite of ‘Zhenyue Sect’. When the mountain gate was breached, they protected three hundred children and fought their way out of the encirclement. Now… only the three of them remain.”

The hall was deathly silent.

Only the suppressed sobs of the young cultivators and the dripping sound of blood from Lady Qinxin’s fingertips could be heard.

Kai’s heart sank slowly.

He recalled the Soul Devourer’s last words in the Abyss of the Earth’s Core:

“Once I reach the Twelfth Heaven and recover my full strength…” He remembered the inexplicable sense of crisis he felt when leaving the Abyss.

It turned out, it wasn’t just a feeling.
“The Evil Path Hall… Soul-Devouring Puppet…”

Kai murmured repeatedly, then suddenly looked at True Person Xuanwei, “Does True Person know the origin of that Soul-Devouring Puppet?”

True Person Xuanwei shook his head: “I only know that this puppet’s face is extremely similar to the infamous Soul-Devouring Demon Lord from ten thousand years ago, but its cultivation methods have been completely changed, mixed with a dense aura of reincarnation and death. Some fellow Daoists speculate that the Soul-Devouring Demon Lord may have been poisoned by Zhan E and refined into this puppet.”

Kai and the Crimson Cloud Demon Lord exchanged a glance, both seeing the solemnity in each other’s eyes.

The thing they feared most had still happened.

“Why not unite to resist?”

Kai pressed. “The Twelfth Heaven is teeming with powerful figures, and there must be many experts at the Upper Immortal Realm. Are we just going to let the Evil Path Hall run rampant?”

“Resist?”

Qing Yangzi gave a bitter laugh, raising his only remaining right hand to point to his empty left shoulder. “Boy, do you know what kind of injury this is? It was left by a casual wisp of Reincarnation Qi from the Soul-Devouring Puppet! I am a peak eighth-grade Heavenly Immortal, and I couldn’t even last three moves against that puppet!”

His voice was hoarse, filled with endless despair and fear: “As for the seniors at the Upper Immortal Realm… In the past three months, seven Upper Immortals have joined forces to besiege the Soul-Devouring Puppet. And the result? Three died on the spot, two were captured and had their souls extracted and refined, one was seriously injured and escaped without a trace, and only Senior ‘Lingxiao Sword Immortal’ managed to escape by chance, but his Dao foundation was damaged, and he will never be able to advance any further in this life.”

A collective gasp filled the hall.

Even the Earth Fire Ancestor opened his eyes, a look of horror flashing in his turbid eyes.

Seven Upper Immortals besieged him, and they still suffered such a crushing defeat?

Just how terrifying was the Soul-Devouring Puppet’s power?!

“So you all ran away?” A cold voice suddenly rang out.

Everyone turned to see that the Crimson Cloud Demon Lord had opened his eyes at some point, his scarlet demonic pupils sweeping over everyone in the hall, a sneer on his lips: “You couldn’t win, so you ran away, fleeing to a lower realm to eke out a living. Is this all the backbone left for cultivators of the Twelfth Heaven?”

“You…” Qingyangzi was furious, but the words turned into a long, dejected sigh.

What could he say?

The Crimson Cloud Demon Lord’s words, though harsh, were the truth.

Master Xuanwei remained silent for a moment, then slowly said, “Fellow Daoist, your words are true. When I led the disciples of the Azure Sword Sect to retreat, I also asked myself, after cultivating for ten thousand years, how laughable it is that we end up like stray dogs.”

He raised his head, looking at Huo Fentian, then at Kai, a resolute glint in his eyes: “But I did not come here merely to eke out a living. The Twelfth Heaven has become a living hell, and the Evil Path Hall’s ambitions are far greater than that.”

“Zhan E has refined countless souls through the Gate of Reincarnation; he must have something in mind. Once he is fully prepared, his next step… could very well be the Eleventh Heaven, or even other worlds.”

“I have shamelessly come here today in the hope that my fellow Daoists in the Eleventh Heaven can prepare early. If we can unite the power of all realms, perhaps… there is still a glimmer of hope.”

The hall fell silent once more.Huo Fentian frowned deeply, and even the old ancestor of the Earth Fire Pavilion stopped stroking his beard. The other elders of the Earth Fire Pavilion in the hall all wore solemn expressions; they all knew the weight of Xuanwei Zhenren’s words.

If what he said was true, then the Eleventh Heaven… would inevitably face this calamity sooner or later.

“Young friend Kai,” Huo Fentian suddenly spoke, his voice heavy, “you have grudges against the Evil Path Hall and the predecessor of that Soul-Devouring Puppet. What do you think of this matter?”

All eyes turned to Kai once more.

Kai slowly exhaled.

He walked to the center of the hall, his gaze sweeping over the faces—some filled with despair, some with fear, some with anticipation—before finally settling on Xuanwei Zhenren.

“Does the True Immortal know why the Evil Path Palace extracts souls on such a large scale?”

True Immortal Xuanwei paused, then shook his head. “I only know it’s related to the Gate of Reincarnation. Zhan E seems to need a large number of souls as sacrifices to gain some kind of power or achieve some purpose.”

“That Gate of Reincarnation…”

Ancestor Earthfire paused, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes, before continuing, “It’s not some divine artifact for reincarnation at all.”

His voice was clear, each word echoing throughout the hall: “It’s a… passage to a certain purgatory of rules. All the souls thrown into it are refined, decomposed, and recombined, made into various puppet tools. The so-called ‘reincarnation,’ the so-called ‘immortality,’ are nothing but fabricated lies.”

“The Soul Devourer is not the first, and will certainly not be the last.”

A clamor erupted in the hall!

The cultivators who escaped from the twelfth heaven all paled, Qingyangzi trembling violently: “You… what did you say?! The Gate of Reincarnation is fake?! What about our master, our fellow disciples…?”

“Their souls are annihilated, their true spirits are gone.”

The Earth Fire Ancestor’s voice was icy, yet carried an undeniable certainty, “They will become nourishment to maintain the operation of that rule-based purgatory, or… be made into new puppets.”

“Boom!!!”

The broken zither in Lady Qinxin’s arms shattered, fragments scattering everywhere. She stood up, tears streaming down her face: “Zhan E… Evil Path Hall… I will make you pay with your lives!!!”

Several young cultivators collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

The reason they were able to grit their teeth and escape was because they still held onto a sliver of hope—the hope that their captured fellow disciples were merely imprisoned, the hope that one day they could be rescued.

But now, even that last glimmer of hope had been extinguished.

Kai looked at the Earth Fire Ancestor with astonishment; when this ancestor told him about the Gate of Reincarnation, he didn’t seem to have mentioned any of this.

What is this old fellow still hiding from me?

“Ancestor, is what you’re saying true? How come you’ve never told me any of this before?”

Kai asked!

“I don’t want to talk about it!” The Earth Fire Ancestor’s indifferent words left Kai speechless.

True Man Xuanwei closed his eyes, and after a long while, slowly opened them.

This old Daoist, who had cultivated for tens of thousands of years, now had tears welling in his eyes: “So that’s how it is… No wonder, no wonder those fellow Daoists who were captured didn’t even leave a trace of their true spirit…”
He took a deep breath, suppressing the grief in his heart, and looked at the Earthfire Ancestor with a more solemn expression: “Fellow Daoist seems to know a lot of inside information.”

“To be honest, I have been to the Samsara Land,”

the Earthfire Ancestor said calmly, “and I have personally witnessed the strangeness of the Gate of Samsara. More importantly…”

The Earthfire Ancestor looked at Kai, “Young man Kai, what do you intend to do?”

Kai turned around, facing Huo Fentian and the Earthfire Ancestor, and bowed solemnly.

“This junior humbly requests permission from the Pavilion Master and the Ancestor to go to the Twelfth Heaven.”

“What?!”

Huo Fentian suddenly stood up, “Young master, do you know what the situation is like in the Twelfth Heaven now? The Soul-Devouring Puppet’s strength is comparable to the peak of the first rank of the Upper Immortal Realm, and it has tens of thousands of Soul Hunters under its command. If you go now, it is no different from a lamb entering a tiger’s den!”

“You must know that the puppet’s realm cannot be compared with that of a living person. They do not know pain, they do not know fear, and they do not know life and death, so their true strength is only higher, not lower.”

“It is precisely because the situation is critical that someone must go.”

Kai straightened up, his eyes flashing with a sharp, sword-like light. “If we wait for the Evil Path Palace to be fully prepared and launch an attack on the Eleventh Heaven, we will only be able to passively take the hits. Only by taking the initiative and disrupting their plans before they have completely taken control of the Twelfth Heaven can we have a chance of victory.”

He paused, then added, “Moreover, Zhan E must already know that I possess Chaos Immortal Power. Given his nature, he will never allow me to grow unchecked. Rather than waiting for him to come knocking, I should take the initiative to go to him.”

Huo Fentian was about to persuade him further, but the Earth Fire Ancestor raised his hand.

This ancestor, who had lived for countless years, slowly stood up, walked to Kai, and carefully examined him with his cloudy eyes, as if trying to see through him from the inside out.

After a long while, the ancestor slowly said, “Are you confident?”

“No.”

Kai shook his head honestly, “But some things cannot be done only when you are confident.”

The Earth Fire Ancestor stared at him for a long time, then suddenly smiled.

The smile was faint, yet it carried an indescribable sense of relief and resolve.

“Alright. I’ll accompany you.”

“Ancestor?!” Huo Fentian was shocked.

The Earth Fire Ancestor waved his hand: “Fentian, the Earth Fire Pavilion is yours to manage. Guard the family business. My physical body has recovered; it’s time to stretch my muscles. Besides…”

He looked at Kai, a deep meaning flashing in his eyes: “The inheritor of the Chaos Immortal Power… This once-in-a-millennium opportunity, I also want to see with my own eyes how far he can go.”

The Crimson Cloud Demon Lord also stood up, his scarlet demonic eyes blazing with battle intent: “I’ll go too. Besides helping you, I also need to find the Nine Aperture Divine Soul Grass in the Twelfth Heaven to save her.” ”

Senior Crimson Cloud…” Kai looked at him.

The Crimson Cloud Demon Lord grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth: “Stop being so indecisive. You’ve done me a great favor; my life is temporarily in your hands.”　　Suddenly, Huo Ling’er, who had been silent all along, stepped forward and tightly grasped Kai’s sleeve: “I want to go too!”

“Nonsense!”

Huo Fentian shouted sharply, “Ling’er, your cultivation is still too shallow. Going to the twelfth heaven is too dangerous!”

“Father, I’m already a sixth-grade Celestial Immortal!”

Huo Ling’er stubbornly raised her face, “Besides, the Earth Fire True Scripture I cultivate has a restraining effect on demonic arts. It will definitely be of help!”

Kai gently patted the back of her hand and said softly, “You shouldn’t go. This journey is extremely dangerous. It’s equally important for you to stay in the eleventh heaven and help the Fire Pavilion Master stabilize the situation.”

Huo Ling’er bit her lip, tears glistening in her beautiful eyes, but in the end, she didn’t insist anymore.

She knew that Kai was right.

With her current strength, going might only become a burden.

Master Xuanwei stood up and bowed respectfully to Kai: “Young friend, your righteousness is admirable. Although the Azure Sword Sect has been destroyed, this old man still has some use.”

“The terrain, power distribution, and locations of hidden teleportation arrays of the Twelfth Heaven… I know them all by heart. If you don’t mind, I’m willing to be your guide.”

Lin Xiao and Su Qianyue behind him also bowed: “We are willing to accompany Master!”

Kai looked at Ancestor Earthfire, who nodded slightly.

“Then… I’ll trouble you, Master.”

Kai returned the bow, then his gaze swept over the cultivators who had escaped from the Twelfth Heaven in the hall.

“Fellow Daoists, you may stay in the Earthfire Pavilion to recuperate and cultivate. Once we establish ourselves in the Twelfth Heaven, perhaps… we will need your strength.”

Qingyangzi and the others exchanged glances, finally bowing in unison: “We are willing to obey your orders!”

Although fear still lingered in their hearts, Kai’s words rekindled a spark of hope within them.

It wasn’t about escaping. ”

It’s about accumulating strength, waiting for the right moment, and then going back to fight!

”

Kai turned to look at the sky outside the hall, a resolute glint in his eyes.

“We’ll depart in three days.”

For these three days, Kai didn’t rest. He cultivated with Huo Ling’er every day until she was too weak to get up.

He knew that this journey to the Twelve Heavens would take countless years before he could see Huo Ling’er again and play with her.

He might as well have his fill of fun now.

Three days later, in front of the Earth Fire Pavilion’s gate.

Huo Fentian led the elders to see them off. Huo Ling’er, her eyes red, placed a crimson-gold jade pendant in Kai’s hand: “This is the Earth Fire Pavilion’s protective talisman. If you crush it in a critical moment, it will release a shield of Earth Fire True Flame… You must return safely.”

Kai accepted the pendant and nodded earnestly: “I will.”

The Earth Fire Ancestor had changed into a simple gray robe, standing with his hands behind his back, his aura completely concealed, like an ordinary old man.

The Crimson Cloud Demon Lord, however, remained as unrestrained as ever.

At Kai’s feet followed the little fire unicorn, Wangcai.

Master Xuanwei stood on the other side with Lin Xiao and Su Qianyue.

The old Taoist had changed into a clean Taoist robe, and his broken whisk had been repaired. His expression had returned to its usual calm, but deep in his eyes, an unyielding sorrow and resolve remained.
“The teleportation array is ready,”

Huo Fentian said in a deep voice. “This array leads to a hidden valley on the outskirts of the Twelve Heavens Ancient Battlefield Ruins. It was once an ancient battlefield, where space is chaotic and difficult to detect. But be careful, as many ancient restrictions and vengeful spirits remain in the ancient battlefield.”

Kai nodded, “Understood.”

He took one last look at the mountains of the Earth Fire Pavilion, then at Huo Fentian, Huo Ling’er, and the elders and disciples who had come to see him off.

Then, he turned and stepped into the teleportation array.

The Earth Fire Ancestor, the Crimson Cloud Demon Lord, the Little Fire Qilin, and the Xuanwei True Person and his disciple followed closely behind.

The teleportation array shone brightly, and space distorted violently.

The next moment, seven figures disappeared into the pillar of light that shot into the sky.

Huo Ling’er looked at the empty teleportation array and finally couldn’t hold back her tears.

Huo Fentian gently patted his daughter’s shoulder, his gaze fixed on the direction of the Twelve Heavens, his expression extremely solemn.

“Young Master… you must come back alive.”

“The future of the Eleventh Heaven… may rest on your shoulders.”

…

Ancient battlefield ruins, a valley on the edge.

Space distorted, and seven figures staggered to the ground.

Kai regained his footing and immediately released his divine sense to survey his surroundings.

This was a desolate valley, the sky a suffocating dark red, the air thick with a faint smell of blood and decay.

The surrounding mountain walls were an unnatural charred black, as if they had been scorched by some terrifying heat.

Countless white bones were scattered on the ground, some humanoid, some beast-like, and some fragments of bones from creatures whose origins were completely unrecognizable.

Further away, the ruins of ancient buildings were faintly visible, as well as… grayish-white vengeful spirits floating in mid-air, appearing and disappearing.

“This is… the ancient battlefield?” Kai frowned.

The lingering killing intent, resentment, and death aura in the air, even after countless millennia, remained intensely palpable.

Xuanwei Zhenren swept his whisk, and a beam of clear light enveloped everyone, isolating them from the decaying aura of the outside world.

“Indeed. This place is the remnant of a great battle in ancient times. It is said that beings at the peak of the Upper Immortal Realm or even higher perished here. The spatial structure is extremely fragile and contains various strange fragments of rules, so few cultivators dare to venture deep into it.”

He pointed east: “Three thousand miles to the east is Tian Shu City, the most prosperous city in the eastern part of the Twelfth Heaven. But now… it is probably a ruin.”

Kai looked in that direction and saw a faint gray-white pillar of light shooting into the sky on the eastern horizon. Even thousands of miles away, he could still feel the cold, deathly aura of reincarnation contained within it.

That was… the mark of the Evil Path Palace.

“Leave here first.”

The Earth Fire Ancestor suddenly spoke, his turbid eyes sweeping across the surrounding void. “Something has been disturbed.”

Before he finished speaking, the gray-white vengeful spirits floating in the distance suddenly turned their heads in unison, their dark eye sockets staring at the seven people in the valley.

The next moment, a shrill scream resounded throughout the heavens and earth!

Countless vengeful spirits, like sharks smelling blood, swarmed in from all directions!　A piercing shriek, like the wailing of ten thousand ghosts, instantly ignited the gray-white vengeful spirits of the ancient battlefield, causing it to boil over like a lake tossed with pebbles!

Thousands of vengeful spirits emerged from the depths of the ruins, from piles of bones, and even from rifts in the void. Their forms were twisted and blurred; some retained human shapes, while others were nothing more than swirling wisps of gray mist, with eerie green flames flickering in their eye sockets.

Most strangely, these vengeful spirits did not fly, but rather moved as if swimming in water, creating ripples of gray-white light in the air.

“Form the array!”

Master Xuanwei was the first to react, flicking his whisk sharply. Thousands of silver threads surged forth, transforming into a massive silver net that enveloped the seven of them.

Azure runes flowed across the net, emanating a pure and peaceful aura—the Taoist “Heart-Cleansing and Soul-Suppressing Array,” specifically designed to subdue evil spirits.

The first wave of vengeful spirits crashed into the net, producing a sizzling, corrosive sound as their gray-white bodies melted away rapidly, like ice and snow meeting fire.

But there were simply too many vengeful spirits, one after another, causing the light net to tremble violently. Xuanwei Zhenren’s face paled, clearly under immense pressure.

“Master!” Lin Xiao and Su Qianyue acted simultaneously.

The coarse cloth longsword behind Lin Xiao was drawn with a clang, its light like a rainbow, transforming into thirty-six sword shadows that formed a sword array around the light net.

Each sword shadow was incredibly sharp; wherever it passed, vengeful spirits were cleaved in two, the severed ends wreathed in azure sword energy, preventing them from reassembling.

Su Qianyue sat cross-legged, took the silver bell from her waist, and gently shook it.

The crisp sound of the bell transformed into visible ripples of sound waves that spread outwards. Wherever the sound waves reached, the movements of the vengeful spirits noticeably slowed, their ghostly flames flickering, as if their minds were being disturbed by some force.

But this only delayed them for a moment.

More vengeful spirits surged in from all directions, among them several beings with exceptionally powerful auras—the Vengeful Spirit Kings!

A colossal vengeful spirit, over three zhang tall and composed of countless bones, roared to the sky, its empty eye sockets burning with dark red flames.

With each step it took, the ground cracked like a spiderweb, and a tidal wave of decaying death energy surged forth.

On the other side, a female vengeful spirit, dressed in tattered palace attire, with a beautiful but bloodless face, hovered in mid-air. She clutched a broken jade hairpin in her arms, softly humming an ancient and mournful tune.

The melody, upon entering the ears, stirred the soul, filled the heart with sorrow, and greatly diminished the will to fight.

“Hmph, a mere remnant soul, how dare you be so presumptuous!”

The Crimson Cloud Demon Lord’s eyes blazed with scarlet light, and his demonic energy erupted!

He stepped out of the net of light, and with a grab of his right hand, a long sword entirely formed from dark red demonic flames appeared out of thin air.

“Demonic Flame – Soul Slayer!”

The long sword swept across, the dark red blade light tearing through the air. Wherever it passed, dozens of vengeful spirits didn’t even have time to scream before turning into ashes.

The giant skeletal vengeful spirit roared and swung its claws at the demon lord, but the Crimson Cloud Demon Lord neither dodged nor evaded, and instead swung his sword upwards with a backhand strike!
“Clang!!!”

A deafening sound, like metal clashing, echoed through the valley!

The giant claw of the skeletal vengeful spirit was severed by a single strike, and demonic flames raged at the break, rapidly spreading to its body.

The vengeful spirit let out a painful roar, frantically flailing its other claw in an attempt to extinguish the demonic flames, but how could the demonic flames of the Crimson Cloud Demon Lord be ordinary fire?

They were the true flames of its natal essence, fused with the demonic energy of the Nine Netherworlds, specifically designed to burn souls!

Three breaths later, the massive body of the skeletal vengeful spirit collapsed with a crash, turning into a pile of charred bone dust.

“Nothing special.”

The Crimson Cloud Demon Lord sheathed his sword and stood there, his scarlet demonic eyes sweeping across the surroundings, his arrogance evident.

Kai, seeing the Crimson Cloud Demon Lord’s demeanor, couldn’t help but praise, “Senior Crimson Cloud, your strength must have already reached the eighth rank of the Heavenly Immortal Realm, right? Your improvement is quite rapid!”

Hearing Kai’s praise, the Crimson Cloud Demon Lord blushed, “Compared to you, I’m still far behind…”

Just then, the mournful melody of the palace-dressed woman’s vengeful spirit suddenly turned urgent!

Countless translucent sonic blades appeared in the air, raining down on the Crimson Cloud Demon Lord.

Even more strangely, these sonic blades didn’t attack in straight lines, but rather zigzagged and twisted through the air like living things, sealing off all escape routes.

The Crimson Cloud Demon Lord frowned, about to take the hit head-on, when a crimson-gold light barrier suddenly unfolded before him.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

The sonic blades struck the light barrier, unleashing a dense explosion. The light barrier trembled violently, yet remained unbroken.

The Crimson Cloud Demon Lord turned his head and saw that the Earth Fire Ancestor had appeared beside him at some point, his withered right hand pressed forward, a slowly rotating crimson-gold fire lotus floating in his palm.

The light barrier was the protective true flame released by the fire lotus.

“Don’t be careless,

” the Earthfire Ancestor said calmly, his turbid eyes fixed on the vengeful spirit of the woman in palace attire. “These ancient vengeful spirits were at least at the eighth rank of the Celestial Immortal Realm in their previous lives, and some may even have reached the Upper Immortal Realm. Although the passage of time has eroded their strength to a fraction of its former glory, they still retain their fighting instincts and special supernatural abilities.”

Before he finished speaking, the vengeful spirit of the woman in palace attire suddenly stopped humming, raised her head, and stared at the Earthfire Ancestor with her empty eyes.

The next moment, she lightly tapped the broken jade hairpin in her hand.

In the void, a black line as thin as a hair silently appeared, piercing straight for the Earthfire Ancestor’s brow with a speed beyond divine sense!The black lines weren’t physical entities, but rather… spatial rifts!

This vengeful spirit, in its lifetime, was actually proficient in the Dao of Space!

The Earth Fire Ancestor’s pupils contracted slightly, but he didn’t panic.

He formed a hand seal with his left hand and uttered an ancient syllable:

“Suppress.”

A crimson-gold fire lotus burst forth!

Endless true earth fire flames erupted, condensing into a three-foot-thick crystal wall of flames before him.

Countless ancient flame runes flowed across the surface of the crystal wall, radiating a scorching heat that distorted space itself.

The black lines pierced the crystal wall, emitting a teeth-grinding “sizzling” sound.

The spatial rift and the true earth fire flames clashed fiercely, the crystal wall thinning at a visible speed, but the black lines also rapidly dimmed.

Finally, when only a thin layer remained of the crystal wall, the black lines completely dissipated.

The Earth Fire Ancestor remained motionless.

The palace-dressed woman’s vengeful spirit was also suffering; its form became mostly illusory, and the broken jade hairpin in its arms shattered completely with a “crack.”

“Ancestor, don’t even think about it, I’ll handle this!”

Kai moved.

He stepped out of the protective range of the Soul-Suppressing Array, and the Dragon-Slaying Sword was drawn with a clang!

There were no fancy moves, no grand display, just a straight thrust.

On the sword, the three forces—chaotic immortal power, golden dragon bloodline, and earth fire true flames—perfectly merged, transforming into a hazy gray sword aura interspersed with golden-red light.

That sword aura was condensed to its extreme, only three feet long, yet it exuded a terrifying pressure that could change the very fabric of the world.

The vengeful spirit of the woman in palace attire seemed to sense a fatal threat, letting out a sharp shriek, retreating rapidly while frantically forming hand seals, creating layers upon layers of gray-white barriers in front of her.

But it was useless.

Wherever the chaotic sword aura passed, the gray-white barriers shattered like paper. The sword aura pierced straight into the vengeful spirit’s brow, exiting from the back of her head!

The vengeful spirit of the woman in palace attire froze, the ghostly fire in her eyes rapidly dimming.

She glanced down at the sword wound on her chest, then looked up at Kai, a hint of…relief appearing on her blurred face.

Then, she vanished into thin air.

Kai sheathed his sword and stood there, his brows slightly furrowed.

He had clearly felt that with that last strike, the chaotic immortal power had created a peculiar “resonance” when it touched the core of the vengeful spirit.　It wasn’t simple restraint; it was more like… analyzing, devouring, absorbing and assimilating some kind of “fragment of rules” remaining within the vengeful spirits.

“Chaotic Immortal Power can evolve into all laws, and can also return to the void of all laws…”

Kai suddenly understood.

The reason these ancient vengeful spirits could exist for countless years was because their lingering obsessions combined with the special rules of the ancient battlefield, forming a distorted “pseudo-rule.”

And Chaotic Immortal Power, as the source of all rules, could precisely break and absorb this pseudo-rule.

In other words—in this ancient battlefield, his Chaotic Immortal Power might be even stronger than outside!

“Be careful! They’re coming again!”

Su Qianyue’s exclamation interrupted Kai’s thoughts.

From all directions, more vengeful spirits were surging in madly.

Among them were even three vengeful spirit kings whose aura was no weaker than that of a woman in palace attire, a general vengeful spirit wielding a broken battle axe, a monk vengeful spirit wearing a cassock with a hideous knife scar on his neck, and a monster vengeful spirit completely pieced together from countless weapon fragments.

Even more troublesome was that these vengeful spirits seemed to have been thoroughly enraged by the previous battle. They no longer charged blindly but began to coordinate in an organized manner.

The warrior vengeful spirits led hundreds of weapon-wielding spirits in battle formation, advancing step by step;

the monk vengeful spirits sat cross-legged in the void, chanting some strange scripture, a layer of gray-black Buddhist light enveloping their army, greatly increasing their defense;

the weapon monster vengeful spirits were like war fortresses, their bodies shooting out countless rusty sword fragments, sweeping in like a metal storm!

“Form the ‘Seven Star Demon-Subduing Formation’!” Xuanwei Zhenren gritted his teeth and shouted.

Lin Xiao and Su Qianyue quickly returned to their positions, forming a triangle with Xuanwei Zhenren. The three connected their auras, their azure Dao light blazing brightly, condensing into seven dazzling star-like phantoms in the void.

The stars rotated, sprinkling beams of clear light, temporarily blocking the surging vengeful spirits.

However, this formation consumed a great deal of energy; blood was already trickling from Xuanwei Zhenren’s lips, clearly indicating he couldn’t hold out much longer.

Crimson Cloud Demon Lord and Earth Fire Ancestor were also entangled by the other two Wraith Kings and couldn’t break free for the time being.

Kai took a deep breath, a resolute glint in his eyes.

He sheathed his sword and formed a strange hand seal in front of his chest—a divine power he had comprehended from the inheritance of Chaos Immortal Power but had never truly used.

“Chaos… Return to Nothingness.” As he

uttered these four words lightly, the aura around Kai suddenly changed.

It was no longer sharp as a sword, no longer blazing as fire, but a kind of… nothingness that seemed to devour and annihilate everything.

Centered on him, the space within a hundred feet began to distort and blur, its color rapidly fading, transforming into a hazy, chaotic region.Within the region, the movements of all the vengeful spirits became extremely slow, as if they were trapped in a quagmire where time had stopped.

The three-headed vengeful spirit king was the first to sense something was wrong, struggling frantically to escape, but the chaotic region seemed to possess its own will, an invisible suction force holding them back.

Kai’s face turned pale at a visible speed, veins bulged on his forehead, and blood spilled from the corner of his mouth—forcing himself to use “Chaos Return to Nothingness” with his current cultivation level was too much of a burden.

But he gritted his teeth and persevered, his hand seals suddenly changing!

“Return!”

The chaotic region suddenly contracted!

Like a burst bubble, the chaos within a hundred-zhang radius instantly collapsed into Kai’s palm, transforming into a fist-sized, hazy chaotic energy ball.

Inside the energy ball, countless tiny phantoms of vengeful spirits could be vaguely seen struggling and wailing frantically.

And outside, the originally dense army of vengeful spirits… disappeared.

Not killed, but completely “swallowed” into the chaotic energy ball.

The entire valley fell into a deathly silence.

Xuanwei Zhenren, Lin Xiao, and Su Qianyue stared dumbfounded at the slowly rotating chaotic energy ball in Kai’s palm, then at the empty valley, speechless for a moment.

Chiyun Demon Lord and Earthfire Ancestor had also finished off their respective opponents and returned to Kai’s side, their eyes filled with shock and solemnity.

“Boy… your move…” Chiyun Demon Lord hesitated.

Kai gave a bitter smile and dispersed the chaotic energy ball—the energy ball collapsed, and the fragments of resentful souls compressed to their extreme within transformed into pure soul power, dissipating into the world.

He staggered a step and was supported by Earthfire Ancestor.

“You’ve overdrawn your strength,”

Earthfire Ancestor said in a deep voice, placing a palm on Kai’s back, channeling pure Earthfire True Essence into his body. “This divine power, though powerful, consumes far more than your current limit. In the future, unless absolutely necessary, do not use it lightly.”

Kai nodded and sat down cross-legged to regulate his breathing.

In that instant, he felt his soul, immortal power, and even life force being frantically drained.

If it weren’t for the profound nature of the Chaos Immortal Power itself, coupled with the powerful regenerative abilities provided by the Golden Dragon bloodline, he would have been drained before he could even finish using his divine power.

But the effect was astonishing.

One strike cleared away the vengeful spirits within a radius of several miles, including the three-headed vengeful spirit king.

This ancient battlefield was temporarily safe.

Half an hour later, Kai slowly opened his eyes. Although his aura was still somewhat weak, he was no longer seriously injured.

Xuanwei Zhenren stepped forward, looking at him with a complex expression: “Young friend Kai… I finally understand why you dared to come to the Twelfth Heaven alone.”

Such strength and such methods had completely exceeded the scope of the third rank of the Heavenly Immortal Realm.

Kai shook his head: “You flatter me, Zhenren. Just now I only took advantage of the special environment of this place and the harmony with the Chaos Immortal Power. If I were outside, I might not have achieved the same effect.”　He paused, looking at the gray-white pillar of light in the east: “The most urgent task is to contact the surviving sects of the Twelve Heavens as soon as possible. The Master just said that although the Azure Sword Sect was destroyed, a few sects are still resisting?”

Master Xuanwei nodded, his expression turning serious again: “That’s right. Although the Evil Path Palace is powerful, the Twelve Heavens are vast and boundless; they cannot possibly wipe out all forces in a short time. As far as I know, there are at least three forces still putting up a stubborn resistance.”

“Seventy thousand miles to the southwest, there is the ‘Valley of Ten Thousand Beasts.’ This sect inherits the ancient art of beast taming; its disciples all form symbiotic contracts with demonic beasts, allowing them to command them in battle.”

“The valley is home to tens of thousands of various demonic beasts, from low-level Gale Wolves to high-level Thunderwing Golden Eagles; there are even rumors that several ancient beasts slumber deep within the valley.”

“Valley Master ‘Beast Tamer Celestial Venerable’ Li Baichuan is a second-grade Upper Immortal Realm expert, and has tamed a three-headed Flaming Lion King comparable to an Upper Immortal Realm expert. The Evil Path Hall attacked Ten Thousand Beast Valley twice, but was repelled by the beast tides both times.”

“However, although the demonic beasts are strong, they are at risk of being possessed by vengeful spirits and turning against their masters when facing Soul Hunters who specialize in attacking the soul.”

“Nine thousand miles to the east lies ‘Heavenly Sword Pavilion’. The number one sword cultivator sect in the Twelfth Heaven, all disciples in the pavilion cultivate the ‘Nine Heavens Sword Scripture,’ which emphasizes breaking all laws with a single sword.” ”

Pavilion Master ‘Sword Maniac’ Dugu Ao, although only at the peak of the ninth grade of the Heavenly Immortal Realm, has already touched the supreme level of ‘man and sword as one,’ and has a record of severely injuring a first-grade Upper Immortal Realm expert despite being of a higher level.”

“The Heavenly Sword Pavilion’s protective formation, the ‘Ten Thousand Swords Returning to the Sect Formation,’ can draw upon the metal energy within a thousand miles to transform into swords for killing enemies, its power is unparalleled. However… most sword cultivators are arrogant and aloof, not good at socializing, so persuading them to join forces will probably be difficult.”

“To the northeast, 120,000 miles away, lies the ‘Five Elements Sect.’ This sect cultivates the Five Elements Dao, with its disciples belonging to the five veins of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, specializing in Five Elements magic and combined attack formations.”

“The sect’s headquarters is located at the confluence of the ‘Five Elements Spiritual Veins,’ allowing them to draw upon the power of the Five Elements of heaven and earth. The sect leader, ‘Five Elements Venerable’ Jin Buhuan, is a peak first-grade Upper Immortal, proficient in Five Elements escape techniques and transformations.”

“The Five Elements Sect excels in defense; its ‘Five Elements Reincarnation Array’ is inexhaustible, and the Evil Path Hall has been unable to break through it even after a month-long siege. However, the Five Elements Sect has a fatal weakness:

numerous factions exist within the sect, and internal strife frequently occurs between the five branches. If it weren’t for the pressure from external enemies, it would likely have already split apart.” After Xuanwei Zhenren finished speaking, he looked at Kai: “These three sects are currently the backbone of the Twelve Heavens’ resistance against the Evil Path Hall. The Beast Valley’s beast tide can directly confront the Soul Hunter’s army; the Heavenly Sword Pavilion’s sword cultivators have the strongest offensive power and can kill enemy leaders; the Five Elements Sect’s defense is unparalleled, making it a steadfast fortress. If the three can truly unite and support each other, a battle is indeed possible.” “The power of…”

Kai’s eyes flashed with a sharp light: “The Valley of Ten Thousand Beasts is recently, and the Evil Path Hall has failed to attack it twice, indicating that they are quite wary of the Valley of Ten Thousand Beasts,

and may even be… planning a third attack. Let’s go to the Valley of Ten Thousand Beasts first!” The Crimson Cloud Demon Lord grinned: “A Beast Taming Sect? Interesting. I’d like to see whether their demonic beasts are more powerful, or my Devouring Beast is more powerful.”

The Earth Fire Ancestor nodded slightly: “I had a brief encounter with Li Baichuan of the Valley of Ten Thousand Beasts many years ago. Although he has a fiery temper, he is trustworthy and keeps his promises. If we can gain his trust, the alliance will be half successful.”

“Then let’s set off immediately.”

Kai looked at Xuanwei Zhenren, “Zhenren, is there a shortcut?”

Xuanwei Zhenren took out the bronze compass again, and after injecting magic power, the compass projected a phantom map, in which a winding red line stretched from the ancient battlefield to the southwest.

“Three thousand miles southwest of here lies an abandoned ancient teleportation array.”

“That array was originally built by the ancient sect ‘Yu Ling Sect,’ providing direct access to the ‘Hundred Beast Mountains’ surrounding the Valley of Ten Thousand Beasts. However, due to its age, the array is largely damaged and requires a master of arrays to repair it before it can be used.”

The little fire unicorn beneath Kai suddenly roared, its tiny paws pointing at him, its crimson-gold eyes filled with pride.

The Earth Fire Ancestor chuckled, “This little fellow is naturally sensitive to energy flow; repairing the ancient array might truly be of help.”

“No time to lose, let’s go!”

Seven figures transformed into streaks of light, speeding off towards the southwest.