The evil ghost Blue Demon Ox had a bull's head and a human body. The muscles of its upper body were bulging like a wall of bluestone, with distinct and exaggerated muscle striations. Its tall, sky-reaching body occupied a large part of the sky. Its black-blue skin was cracked, revealing red-veined flames.
With a swing of its arms, it roared, ripping apart the entanglement of the Fallen Dragon. The Fallen Dragon's transformed body was almost as large as it. However, its coiled tail, as thick as a python, possessed unparalleled coiling strength. As it struggled to break free, Gu Junshi leaped onto the top of its flattened head. Her long mace whipped down, stretching infinitely like a moving black line, pulling the Fallen Dragon back.
Together, they forced the Fallen Dragon to release its tail.
Its dragon cry was piercing, resonating with the clouds and mountains, shaking the heavens and scattering demonic energy. The already dim world became even darker, as if a layer of black gauze had been draped over a candle. The "moths," with no way to escape, could only spin uselessly within.
The area where the Fallen Dragon and the black cloak were fiercely battling was so terrifying to behold that it made one's entire body go numb and tremble with fear. How could anyone dare to intervene? It was no different from running into a dust storm and instead of fleeing, charging into it to court death.
Ru Lan thought about the current situation, and with this battle clearly beyond their league, even from this distance, she felt suffocated by the pressure of the two forces.
She shivered and said, "You've all seen this. It seems we really can't help. If we rush in, we'll just be a nuisance? Since these two demons seem to have a feud, let them fight to the death first."
The two sides currently engaged were one suspected demon and one fallen demon. In terms of stance, they were both clearly antagonistic to the group. Even if they went to help maintain peace, whose side would they be on?
Or would they fight both?
Forget it, it would be better to let these two demons wear each other out. Perhaps they could even gain a great advantage from it later.
Lu Ziyin looked at Ru Lan, who was speaking so indifferently, with surprise. He suddenly realized that apart from him, no one else present knew the true identity of the black cloak. His breath quickened, feeling that if this secret continued to be hidden at this moment, a major problem might arise. "No, she is—"
Just then, two snowy figures flashed before their eyes. The sound of their robes flapping against the air, accompanied by a strong gust of wind, brushed past their ears and faces like a powerful, resonant tremor.
Six Jiang Fusheng, without waiting for Lu Ziyin to finish speaking, had already soared into the sky and left.
Cheng Hong, upon seeing Gu Junshi appear, had been in a state of mental chaos. He stood stunned for a moment, then also strode forward towards the battlefield where the air was bursting.
The actions of the two were almost simultaneous.
Huh?
Ru Lan's eyes widened. She saw her own brother impulsively rush into the demonic battlefield and almost called out to stop him.
Had he become foolish from cultivating Buddhism at Mohe Zen Temple, or was his resolve to eliminate demons and protect the righteous so deep? That was a Fallen Dragon, and he didn't even plan to discuss it with them before acting!
Ru Lan was both angry and anxious at this moment.
Yan Tianjiao's long, phoenix-like eyes fixed on the receding figure of Six Jiang Fusheng, a trace of surprise flashing in their depths.
He had long seen that Six Jiang Fusheng was a person of duplicity. He was not like Cheng Hong, who cultivated Buddhism with a cold exterior but a compassionate heart and always left room for maneuver. Nor was he like Ru Lan, who acted without thinking and was driven by impulse. He was far more complex than all of them present. In moments of urgency, he would always choose to act after careful consideration.
Yet, at this moment, he rashly chose to join the fray, completely overturning his previous assumptions of Six Jiang Fusheng being cold-hearted, apathetic, dark, and extreme.
At this moment, a crimson light shot up from below. It paused briefly in the air before heading towards the battle.
They looked closely and saw an incredibly beautiful nine-tailed fox radiating auspicious light.
A demon fox?
They remembered the fox demon that had taken away the black cloak earlier. Could this nine-tailed fox be it?
Whether it had been in human form before and had now transformed into its demonic form, they weren't entirely sure. However, seeing it charge towards the black cloak's direction without hesitation, it was highly likely. Otherwise, who would wade into such a dangerous situation?
But before they could think further, a ghostly figure also tore through the void, chasing after them.
A ghost cultivator?
It was a ghost cultivator!
However, the previous ghost cultivator carried a chilling aura. While this ghost cultivator was surrounded by "ghostly energy," the stench that was usually bothersome was absent when the wind dispersed.
"Demon fox, ghost cultivator..."
This demon, who kept a demon fox and a ghost cultivator by his side, had gathered the three most detested types in the cultivation world. Lu Ziyin truly didn't know how Gu Yi managed to gather such a group of shadowy demons and ghosts together.
Demon fox...
Yan Tianjiao's expression sharpened. Without a word, he followed.
"Hey, you too!" Ru Lan gritted her teeth in anger.
At this moment, a thought flashed through Dan Ya's mind. When they were in Gu Yi's room, there was a fox demon. At that time, they all thought the fox demon appeared to harm her. But was it possible... that Gu Yi and the fox demon had known each other for a long time? It wasn't harming her at the time; it had just happened to run into them. To distance herself, the fox demon had acted against her, just to put on a show for them?
Many absurd yet plausible ideas flashed through Dan Ya's mind.
While fox demons were not rare, they weren't found everywhere. Especially in the Void Sect, which managed the "Newcomer Ranking" among the twenty-eight heavens, it was unlikely to have taken such a great risk to sneak into the Void Sect just to trouble a mortal like Gu Yi. Therefore, the matter seemed very suspicious no matter how she thought about it.
Also, why was Six Jiang Fusheng in such a hurry?
Had he guessed something?
Lu Ziyin's eyes deepened. He pursed his lips. He wasn't truly planning to risk his life, but he couldn't just do nothing. So, he clenched the fan in his hand. "Ru Lan and Dan Ya, you two shouldn't go. I, I'll follow and take a look."
After saying that, he also shot off as a green light.
Due to his injuries, Dan Ya had been unable to use his spiritual power freely. But now, his thoughts and suspicions prevented him from remaining calm. He no longer hesitated and finally took out a sandalwood box the size of his palm from his Qiankun bag. He opened the lid, and inside lay a fragrant and refreshing pill. The pill had golden patterns etched on it, indicating it was a top-grade elixir.
Ru Lan was also drawn to it. She sniffed it and then examined it carefully, exclaiming, "Isn't this a Yuan Gu Dan?"
This was a miraculous healing medicine, and it was not easy to obtain. No amount of money could buy much of it. It was available on the black market, but the price was simply astonishing. Generally, only major sects would reward it to disciples with meritorious deeds.
Seeing that he was willing to take the "Yuan Gu Dan" to quickly recover his injuries, Ru Lan understood his intentions. She gritted her teeth and said, "You're going too?"
What's going on?
Was her plan too despicable, or were her thoughts too narrow? Why did they all disagree? Were they all planning to test their luck in battle, caught between two powerful figures? Their righteous and fearless demeanor made it seem as if they could defeat anyone.
Dan Ya swallowed the "Yuan Gu Dan" and then formed a hand seal, closing his eyes, and quickly cleared the spiritual energy in his meridians to accelerate his recovery.
"There is something that I must personally confirm."
After they had all left, only Ru Lan remained standing there. She scratched her ear and exclaimed in annoyance, "Ai ya!"
Although Cheng Hong had abandoned her and left her alone in Wushuang Realm to become a Buddhist monk, he was still her biological brother. How could she stand by and do nothing while he took risks?
She thought, let it be. Anyway, they were all as if bewitched, rushing towards the two demons!
—
The Fallen Dragon God thought that it had indeed underestimated this "Netherworld Emissary."
It hadn't expected her to be able to mobilize the power of the evil ghosts of the Underworld's hell. The evil ghosts she summoned were the extremely wicked ghosts from the eighteen layers of hell who had suffered the most painful punishments for lifetimes.
They might have once been demons, or demons, or even humans, but once they entered the Underworld, they could only be ghosts. Sinners would be punished, and those with merit could reincarnate.
The Underworld was also fair. After punishment, if the sins were cleansed, they could reincarnate. But this did not apply to the evil ghosts of the eighteen layers of hell.
Being cast into the eighteen layers of hell meant they were no ordinary evil ghosts. The sins of killing they had committed were far from ordinary. Any evil ghost that entered the eighteen layers of hell was one whose sins were so grave that they had no chance of reincarnation. They would suffer punishments like being boiled in oil, climbing mountains of blades and seas of fire, and being whipped and tortured for lifetimes without release.
Their only chance for a reduced sentence was to be summoned back to the human world through a summoning formation, at the behest of the contract master. By doing her bidding, they could accumulate merit or reduce their sins, thus having a chance to be reborn as humans.
But was this ability to summon hell's evil ghosts truly achievable by a mere "Netherworld Emissary"?
When the Underworld still existed, "Netherworld Emissaries" were not considered particularly special. Du Sheng Daoren, who cultivated the Nether Dao, was considered a "Netherworld Emissary." Unfortunately, after the Underworld disappeared from the Six Realms, he also perished.
A trace of uneasy doubt flashed through the Fallen Dragon God's mind.
It felt as if it had overlooked something.
"Roar—"
The evil ghost Blue Demon Ox pounded its fist. The Fallen Dragon had to fend off its claws while also avoiding Gu Junshi's black mace. It mobilized the power within Dragon Island. The flowing red lava around White Tower City began to spread wildly into White Tower City. Pillars of flame erupted, reaching tens of feet high. Dense demonic energy spewed from the Fallen Dragon's mouth—
That world-destroying black flame swept across the sky and then lashed the ground, leaving behind marks of erupting explosions, black charred ash. Everywhere it passed was destruction.
The Fallen Dragon's low voice reached Gu Junshi's ears: "Aren't you looking for Dragon Marrow?"