Everlasting Immortal Firmament

Xuanyuan Palace Hall’s entrance, Xuanyuan City:

Space suddenly twisted.

Bang!

A bloody figure flopped onto the plaza.

A group of guards glared and shouted in anger, “Who’s there?”

Near the plaza, Emperor Kong still harbored resentment over falling for Shangguan Hen’s deception. He regretted being too gullible. If given another chance, he was certain he could see through Shangguan Hen’s disguise.

Suddenly, a commotion arose in the distance, and Emperor Kong immediately headed towards it.

“Ah! What happened, Mister Cangjie? Why are you in such a state?” Upon seeing the wounded figure, the guards rushed forward to help, their expressions changing.

Covered in blood and looking extremely weak, Cangjie struggled to his feet. As the guards tried to support him, he thought he could finally catch his breath.

“Halt!” Emperor Kong’s voice was stern, stopping the guards in their tracks.

“My Lord, it’s Mister Cangjie!” the guards protested in surprise.

“What do you mean, Cangjie? If Mister Cangjie has returned, why would he be alone? Shangguan Hen, are you trying to deceive me again?” Emperor Kong confronted the figure.

The bleeding Cangjie stared at Emperor Kong in shock.

“Mister Cangjie is protected by the five hungry ghost kings and has His Holy Eminence by his side, not to mention Princess Bing Ji’s company. How could he be injured so grievously? Hahaha! Shangguan Hen, you’ve fooled me once already, yet you want to try again? Who are you trying to kidnap this time?” Emperor Kong shouted.

Cangjie looked confused.

“Emperor Kong, cough, cough, what are you talking about? What Shangguan Hen? I am Cangjie!” Cangjie said weakly.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Hearing the commotion, Ao Ying, Xiong You, Fengbo, and Limu arrived hurriedly. At the sight of Cangjie’s injured figure, their expressions changed. They wanted to help, but Emperor Kong’s fierce glare stopped them. Could this be another impostor?

When Emperor Kong saw the four consummate Upper Heavenly Palace Realm cultivators approaching, his courage flourished. He no longer feared Shangguan Hen.

“Did something happen?” Cangjie asked seriously, his expression suddenly changing.

Fengbo and the others appeared puzzled, unable to figure out the situation.

Just as Fengbo wanted to inquire, Emperor Kong suddenly stepped forward and stomped on Cangjie’s chest. “Do you think you can fool me again? Well, go on pretending! Where is His Holy Eminence? Why didn’t you bring him with you? Who are you fooling?”

“Argh! Argh!”

Emperor Kong inflicted intense pain on Cangjie, who was severely injured and could not resist.

“Gu Hai trapped His Holy Eminence! He deceived us all! Emperor Kong, watch your behavior!” Cangjie snarled in rage and pain.

“What?” The expressions of Fengbo and the others changed.

Gu Hai trapped His Holy Eminence? Something went wrong?

“Do you expect me to believe Gu Hai deceived His Holy Eminence?” Emperor Kong sneered, repeatedly stomping on Cangjie.

“Argh! Argh!” Cangjie screamed in pain.

The surrounding experts were unsure of what to do, remaining on guard lest Cangjie turn out to be Shangguan Hen.

Bang!

Amid Cangjie’s agony, the doors to Xuanyuan Palace Hall burst open.

“Stop!” A furious shout rang out in Xuanyuan Palace Hall.

It was Ji Dihong’s true body. He stepped out, glaring at Emperor Kong.

Emperor Kong hesitated, halting his foot in mid-stomp.

“Your Holy Eminence, you’re out! This is great! Shangguan Hen can’t escape this time!” Emperor Kong exclaimed ecstatically.

“Salutations, Your Holy Eminence!” Ao Ying, the other elites, and the guards immediately bowed.

Ji Dihong ignored everyone, walking straight to Emperor Kong instead.

Emperor Kong thought Ji Dihong was going to praise him.

Then Ji Dihong gently bent down and helped Cangjie up.

Everyone watched in shock, and Emperor Kong blurted out, “Your Holy Eminence, be careful of Shangguan Hen. He—”

However, Ji Dihong cut Emperor Kong off in mid-sentence, asking worriedly, “Mister Cangjie, are you alright?”

Energy flowed from Ji Dihong into Cangjie, aiding Cangjie’s recovery.

Fengbo and the others: “…”

The guards: “…”

Emperor Kong: “…”

Emperor Kong stood there, stunned, after his reminder to Ji Dihong to be wary of Shangguan Hen got interrupted, and his face froze.

This…this is the real Cangjie?

Fengbo, Ao Ying, and the guards felt shocked. They all looked at Emperor Kong with pity.

Just moments ago, he had ruthlessly stomped on a severely injured Cangjie. Furthermore, he seemed to have done so gleefully.

------

The hungry ghost path of reincarnation:

The black dragon Gu Hai swallowed the Xuanyuan Sword and suddenly shone with a bright, golden light.

Although the Xuanyuan Sword was made using the Huang Heavenly Dynasty’s dragon vein, it still possessed the strength of a consummate Upper Heavenly Palace Realm cultivator, even without noble spirit. However, the situation was different in the Hungry Ghost Path Secret Realm, as a specific type of law here suppressed most of the Xuanyuan Sword’s strength.

Just like how Gu Hai could not use his strength when he had just entered the Hungry Ghost Path Secret Realm, it was the same for the Xuanyuan Sword. Otherwise, Gu Hai’s sneak attack could not have succeeded.

Although the Xuanyuan Sword could not bring out its full strength, the power of the dragon vein remained within it. Furthermore, a dragon vein was not made of energy; rather, it was a manifestation of the nation’s situation. Hence, Gu Hai could not digest it, only keep it sealed within the black dragon.

Despite shining with radiant golden light, the eight-thousand-three-hundred-meter-long black dragon did not grow by much.

However, the imminent danger was extremely horrifying.

Hungry ghost marshals and hungry ghost generals arrived one after another. More importantly, the appearance of the five hungry ghost kings backed Gu Hai into a corner.

The five hungry ghost kings were over thirty-three kilometers tall, unrivaled in this world.

When they saw Gu Hai swallow Ji Dihong and Cangjie escape the world injured, they became anxious and furious. Gu Hai had swallowed not only Ji Dihong but also their hopes of escaping this place.

“Evil being, you are seeking death! Quickly spit out Ji Dihong!” Ju Mang turned into a thirty-three-kilometer-tall, tree-shaped monster and swung a branch at the black dragon’s face.

If this attack landed, the black dragon would surely die.

The threat of death hung over Gu Hai’s head.

“We can give you whatever Ji Dihong offered!” Gu Hai shouted.

Buzz!

Suddenly, the massive branch stopped just short of the black dragon’s face. It did not land.

“What did you say?” Ju Mang’s expression turned serious.

The expressions of the other four hungry ghost kings also changed.

They had become enraged at the prospect of no longer being able to leave this world. However, Gu Hai’s words immediately quenched their anger like a basin of cold water over fire.

Although Gu Hai was unsure of their deal with Ji Dihong, the fact that Ji Dihong had not gained the absolute loyalty of the five ghost kings indicated a relationship of mutual benefit. Identifying the benefit to the ghost kings could sever their alliance with Ji Dihong.

Caw!

Suddenly, a three-legged white crow flew over.

Bing Ji arrived hastily. Upon seeing everything, it shouted angrily, “Don’t believe him! Master will return soon. What you witnessed was merely His Holy Eminence’s clone!”

“Huh?” The expressions of Ju Mang and the others sank.

However, Gu Hai countered, “Everyone, do you doubt our words? Whatever Ji Dihong promised you, we can achieve. Furthermore, with Ji Dihong’s suspicious nature, he will surely exploit you further. We, on the other hand, won’t.”

“Don’t believe him! Kill him now!” the three-legged white crow urged.

Turning its gaze to Bing Ji, Gu Hai sighed lightly. “Bing Ji has been brainwashed and controlled. Could someone please restrain her from causing further disturbance?”

“I’m not!” Bing Ji cried out.

“Bing Ji, wait!” Ju Mang ordered in a stern voice.

Bing Ji’s expression sank.

“Just now, you mentioned you could also do what Ji Dihong promised? Can you open a gateway to the Divine Continent?” Ju Mang pressed.

With Ju Mang’s query, hope gleamed in the eyes of every hungry ghost.

Finishing Ji Dihong’s tasks was not a simple matter. There was a constant threat, and even upon completion, there was no certainty that Ji Dihong would allow them to leave this place. What if more conditions were added later? That would be even worse. However, Gu Hai was different. He stood right there, surrounded by everyone, escape seemingly impossible. So why rely on Ji Dihong at all?

“Ji Dihong only promised to let you out? Leaving is easy!” Gu Hai stated firmly.

The eyes of the five hungry ghost kings sparkled with interest. “Oh?”

“However, we can’t do it now. We need to wait a bit longer,” Gu Hai continued in a serious voice.

“What did you say? You can’t do it, yet you expect us to let you go?”

“Are you trying to deceive us? Haha! Brat, you’re bold!”

“You dare play us? Brat, are you courting death?”

…

The five hungry ghost kings glared at Gu Hai, ready to tear it apart.

“How shortsighted!” Gu Hai exclaimed.

The faces of the five great hungry ghost kings darkened. “What?”

“We said you are all shortsighted. You know nothing about the Divine Continent, yet you want to charge right in,” Gu Hai said coldly.

At this point, Gu Hai knew it could not show weakness. To gain their trust, it had to sound confident and firm, even if it actually felt vulnerable. It needed to project dominance and overwhelm everyone.

“Know nothing? Haha! What does our knowing nothing have to do with you? If you can’t open an exit, why should we keep you alive?” Ju Mang countered coldly.

“We said we can’t open it now, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be able to later. Our people are surely making moves. In a few days of the outside world, the exit will be opened,” Gu Hai responded assertively.

“Why should we trust you? Do you think the hungry ghost path of reincarnation is easy to open? What are you worth?” another hungry ghost king snapped.

“That’s why we say you’re shortsighted! Why do you think Ji Dihong went to great lengths to target us? Can’t you see it? If not, ask Bing Ji whether we have the strength to deter Ji Dihong and a faction he dreads on the Divine Continent!” Gu Hai shouted.

The expressions of the hungry ghost kings changed at Gu Hai’s words.

The five hungry ghost kings did not need Bing Ji to tell them; they had guessed it already. They had deduced that Ji Dihong found it hard to deal with Gu Hai on the Divine Continent, which was why he had lured Gu Hai into the hungry ghost path of reincarnation.

Gu Hai is probably incredibly strong in the Divine Continent. Perhaps he is telling the truth?

“Our men will open an exit soon, and we can bring you all out then,” Gu Hai said seriously.

“He’s lying! If his people could open an exit, they would have done it years ago. His Holy Eminence’s true body will return soon. Don’t trust him!” Bing Ji exclaimed anxiously.

Gu Hai merely smiled, not blaming Bing Ji but feeling a twinge of heartache.

“It’s up to you now. Do you believe us or not? As for Ji Dihong, if his true body could come, wouldn’t he have come by now? Hah! Why rely on a clone here? Even Cangjie is severely injured. Whether he can return is still unknown. If we die, you might never get out,” Gu Hai said with a hint of amusement.

The faces of the five great hungry ghost kings shifted, and they fell silent.

This silence reassured Gu Hai of his safety.

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