Chapter 462: Heaven's Punishment: Shaking the Netherworld

As for what happened in the dungeon of Ghost Mother Mountain, Hua Changxi knew nothing. But just at that moment when the stone door opened, she keenly caught the aura of the Vermilion Bird Army.

Some members of the Vermilion Bird Army were imprisoned within the stone mountain!

Hidden in the shadows on the east side of the altar, Hua Changxi glanced at the stone mountain, then turned her gaze back to the altar.

Crimson flames burned silently in the depths of her pupils, reflecting the nine figures nailed to the bone pillars on the altar.

She could wait no longer.

Those nine Vermilion Bird Army soldiers suspended on the bone pillars were already very weak; their essence blood and soul power were on the verge of being completely drained.

Any further delay, and they would be utterly reduced to sacrifices, their souls scattered.

With no time to weigh pros and cons, no leeway to survey the dangers, Hua Changxi, eager to save them, directly circulated and mobilized the spiritual power throughout her body. Her dantian exploded like a furnace, and Nanming Lihuo surged forth from her spiritual meridians, instantly burning away all ghostly aura within a hundred zhang radius!

"Hoo~"

Hua Changxi’s body blazed with crimson-gold flames. She soared into the air, transforming into a hundred-zhang firebird, its wings spread wide, its tail feathers trailing like a falling river of stars.

The firebird swept across the sky; wherever it passed, ghostly aura and ghost fire were annihilated, and even the void was seared with scorch marks.

"Who?!"

The Ghost General whirled around, the baby-skull necklace around his neck clattering. In the eye sockets of each skull, ghostly green flames ignited, all staring at the crimson figure burning across the sky.

Before he could react, the firebird had already reached the altar.

Then, the firebird spun in the air, suddenly folded its wings, and transformed back into human form.

In the next moment, a giant fire axe condensed from Nanming Lihuo materialized, carrying overwhelming might, and struck straight at the altar.

The fire axe came crashing down!

There was no earth-shattering explosion—only a supremely silent crimson line slashing through the void. That was the realm where flame was so fast, so hot, that even sound was incinerated!

"Crack—Boom!!!"

The nine bone pillars engraved with sinister runes snapped like rotten wood!

As each pillar collapsed, it erupted with piercing shrieks, as if countless wronged souls were wailing in release from within the pillars.

The ghost chains melted away inch by inch, dissipating as black smoke, not even a trace of residue remaining.

The nine Vermilion Bird Army soldiers fell like kites with broken strings.

Hua Changxi flashed, sending out nine streams of gentle flame to steadily catch them. The nine, already unconscious, were immediately taken into her Sumeru Pearl.

"Ah~"

The Ghost General had already moved away from the altar the moment the fire axe struck.

Now, watching the altar shake from the fire axe’s impact and cracks appear on the white bone base, he immediately let out a ghastly roar.

"A human?!"

The Ghost General’s eyes split with rage, his voice like the wailing of ten thousand ghosts: "How dare you trespass into the Ghost Clan’s forbidden ground and destroy the Ghost Clan’s altar—you seek death!!!"

He raised both hands high, chanting a ghost clan spell.

Instantly, the entire altar shook violently. Torrents of ghostly aura surged from underground. Thousands upon thousands of ghost soldiers, holding bone spears and with green flames in their eyes, stepped forth from the ghostly aura, roaring as they climbed the altar and charged at Hua Changxi.

Seeing this, Hua Changxi once again condensed a fire axe and struck directly at those ghost soldiers. Then, without a second glance, she moved like lightning, heading straight for the Vermilion Bird bone at the center of the altar.

The moment she drew near, the suspended half of the Vermilion Bird bone shuddered violently—the Nanming Lihuo on it surged wildly, resonating in unison with the flames burning on her body.

"Hum~"

The Vermilion Bird bone shook fiercely, suddenly breaking free from the altar array’s restraints, turning into a streak of crimson-gold fire, flying toward Hua Changxi.

"No~"

Seeing this, the Ghost General lunged at her in a frenzy.

The instant the Vermilion Bird bone entered her hand, Hua Changxi felt an overwhelming pressure, vast as the primordial opening of chaos, sweeping through her body—her internal organs felt crushed by a divine mountain, and her dantian qi sea trembled.

This pressure was unbearable for Hua Changxi. Almost instinctively, she stored the Vermilion Bird bone into the Shennong Cauldron.

What grade of artifact the Shennong Cauldron was, she still did not know; but she did know that it was the highest-grade artifact she possessed.

If even the Shennong Cauldron cannot contain the Vermilion Bird Bone, then she can only use the Ghostfire Token to take it.

"Ah! My Vermilion Bird Bone!"

The Ghost Marshal, upon seeing Hua Changxi take away the Vermilion Bird Bone, flew into a complete rage. All the skulls on his neck flew out, exploded in the air, and transformed into tens of thousands of ghost generals — some with three heads and six arms, some with bone wings blotting out the sky, some with giant maws on their bellies — all roaring in unison and surging toward Hua Changxi like a tidal wave!

Facing the siege of ten thousand ghosts, Hua Changxi’s expression was as cold as ice. With a flick of her right hand, she summoned the Radiant Sword and the seven-colored strange flame.

The seven-colored strange flame quickly merged, condensing into the Great Sun Divine Flame.

The Great Sun Divine Flame swiftly sank into the Radiant Sword. In the next moment, the Radiant Sword blazed with scorching white flames, its temperature so high that even space began to melt, forming ripples of distortion.

Then, like a falling meteor, Hua Changxi swung her sword in a sweeping arc!

"Boom~"

Wherever the sword light reached, the ghost generals disintegrated like paper, vanishing into ashes.

Hua Changxi moved like lightning, weaving through the ghost tide and quickly closing in on the black mountain to the east of the altar.

Watching Hua Changxi, who was unstoppable and sweeping through the army, and sensing his own ghostly body melting away, the Ghost Marshal’s eyes finally showed fear.

The spiritual energy revival in the human realm started later than in the Netherworld. When did such a formidable figure emerge?!

What’s more terrifying — she was actually about to break into the Ghost Mother Mountain!

The Ghost Marshal could no longer stay calm. The seal of the Ghostfire Well was broken, and the human race had tributed the Vermilion Bird Bone...

He had not reported any of these matters to the Ghost Realm Fortress. If that human female cultivator broke into Ghost Mother Mountain, it would definitely alarm the Ghost King.

No, he could not let that human female cultivator get close to Ghost Mother Mountain!

"Splash~"

The Ghost Infant River shook, and ghostly energy surged upward.

Then, countless ghost soldiers and ghost generals emerged from the river, and under the Ghost Marshal's control, they rapidly surged toward Hua Changxi.

Seeing the surging tide of ghosts, even Hua Changxi, who had cultivated the Vermilion Bird Spirit Body and was unafraid of yin evil, felt her scalp tingle.

She was only one person, and her spiritual power would eventually run out. She could not fight a war of attrition against these ghost soldiers and generals. She had to settle this quickly!

"Whoosh~"

A Red Lotus Karmic Flame quietly bloomed in Hua Changxi's hand.

As soon as the karmic flame appeared, heaven and earth fell silent.

Sensing the destructive force that could incinerate even souls, the Ghost Marshal’s face changed drastically, and he turned to flee.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

The Red Lotus Karmic Flame shot through the air, instantly igniting his ghostly body.

"Ghost King~"

"Save me~"

The shrill roar that echoed through the ghost domain shook the entire Ghost Realm Fortress.

Hearing the Ghost Marshal’s cry for help, Hua Changxi’s expression changed. She leaped into the air and, wielding the Radiant Sword, fiercely slashed at the stone mountain gate.

The sword light was like a dragon; the stone gate shattered with a loud crash.

But before Hua Changxi could charge in, a destructive pressure descended from the sky, locking onto her firmly!

"Boom~"

Thunder exploded, shaking the Netherworld to its core; lightning tore through the night, illuminating the darkness.

Inside the city lord’s mansion of the Ghost Realm Fortress, the Ghost King, who had been in seclusion, suddenly opened his eyes and looked toward the forbidden area, his eyes full of disbelief.

"A human cultivator... has broken into the forbidden area? And even attracted... divine punishment?!"

At the same time, in the Demon Domain, Beast Domain, Soul Domain, Nether Capital, Reincarnation Hall, Styx River, and Blood Sea of the Netherworld, figures that shook heaven and earth emerged.

Even the human cultivators of the Nine Barriers guarding the Demon Prison heard the commotion and looked toward the ghost domain in astonishment.

"Which race is the Ghost Clan about to go to war with?"

The middle gate was closed. Chu Junyi and several trusted subordinates stood on the city wall, looking in the direction of the ghost realm with confusion and astonishment.

Chu Junyi furrowed his brows: "This doesn't seem like a battle starting. Lightning flashes and thunder roars, tribulation clouds pressing down from above—this is clearly..."

Before his words faded, a flash of spiritual light appeared.

Wei Zhenjie's figure appeared out of thin air on the city wall. With a grave expression, he continued Chu Junyi's words: "It is clearly a heavenly punishment!"

"Heavenly punishment?"

Chu Junyi was startled: "Master, what is heavenly punishment?"

Wei Zhenjie said: "The Nine Heavens, the human world, and the Nine Netherworlds each have their own operating rules. Someone in the forbidden land of the ghost domain has disrupted the order of the Nine Netherworlds and violated the laws of Heavenly Dao, thus attracting heavenly punishment."

Upon hearing this, Chu Junyi and the others all widened their eyes.

"Who is so formidable~"