Chapter 466: Mutual Destruction

"Crack~"

The sky split apart; the heavenly tribulation gave Hua Changxi no time to react.

The first purple lightning python, like a pillar holding up the sky, carrying the will of heaven's inevitable kill, slammed heavily onto Hua Changxi's dharma manifestation.

"Boom~"

The thousand-zhang fiery silhouette instantly shattered into pieces, flames scattered everywhere like a meteor shower falling into the Ghost Domain.

The fire man staggered backward, stepping a huge depression into the Ghost Infant River below, black water boiling and evaporating.

Before the fire man could stabilize, the second lightning python followed closely, forming a pincer attack with the first heavenly thunder.

"Boom~"

The two heavenly thunders directly blasted Hua Changxi's dharma manifestation into pieces, turning it into a sky full of fiery rain.

Her true body fell from midair like a broken string kite, blood spraying wildly from her mouth, her entire skin blasted into a bloody mess, purple lightning crackling "zizi" in the charred wounds, constantly eroding her flesh.

What's more terrifying, the lightning python's thunder power had also penetrated into her dantian and sea of consciousness.

The dantian's qi sea was stirred into towering waves by the lightning; in an instant, the spiritual power within Hua Changxi's body went into riot.

Fortunately, deep within Hua Changxi's sea of consciousness, the Shennong Cauldron stood guard; the cauldron vibrated slightly, emitting an ancient green light that dispersed the invading lightning python, preventing her from completely losing consciousness.

Sensing the "inevitable kill" intent in the heavenly thunder, Hua Changxi forcefully took a breath, burned her essence blood, transformed into a Vermilion Bird fire bird, and fled swiftly toward the direction of the Ghost Fire Token.

However, the heavenly tribulation had no intention of letting her go.

The third heavenly thunder was even more violent than the previous two.

Amid the clouds, purple lightning brewed and rolled; after a moment, a thousand-zhang lightning dragon emerged from the clouds, its dragon eyes ferocious, locking onto Hua Changxi.

At this moment, the entire Ghost Domain forbidden ground, and even most of the Nine Netherworlds, were illuminated by the lightning dragon.

Everywhere in the Nine Netherworlds, countless races looked up at the sky, their souls trembling from the "execution" intent emanating from the lightning dragon.

On the city wall of Zhongmen Pass, Wei Zhenjie's eyes almost overflowed with worry; at this moment, he was both anxious and angry.

"How could she be so ignorant! Actually using Red Lotus Karma Fire in the origin land of the ghost race!"

Seeing his own master so out of composure, Chu Junyi was greatly surprised in his heart; however, he didn't ask more, as his mind was also tied to that fire bird at this moment.

Can she survive under this heavenly punishment?

"Rumble~"

That lightning dragon that illuminated the Nine Netherworlds had finally descended!

The thunder light was like a pillar, a hundred zhang in diameter, as if it would split the entire heaven and earth.

"Can't dodge…"

Hua Changxi despairingly sensed that she could not avoid this heavenly thunder. The lightning dragon locked not only onto her physical body, but also onto her qi mechanism and soul. No matter where she fled, this heavenly thunder would follow like a shadow.

At the same time, she also clearly sensed — the arrival of death!

Is she about to be struck dead?

Is she about to die?

Going to die?

No!

Hua Changxi's eyes suddenly blazed with intense fighting spirit; the one who was despairing a second ago abruptly, resolutely looked up to the sky, her face bearing an unyielding will, summoned the Vermilion Bird bone stored in the Shennong Cauldron, burned her essence blood, and activated the Vermilion Bird bone.

"Boom~"

The third heavenly thunder fell, and just as Hua Changxi was about to be engulfed by lightning, everyone everywhere in the Nine Netherworlds thought she was surely dead.

However, the next moment, dazzling crimson flames shot up into the sky, and a magnificent Vermilion Bird phantom rose soaring, blotting out the sky and sun.

The Vermilion Bird spread its wings, each feather burning with blazing flames, and collided violently with the lightning dragon!

"Boom~"

Firelight and lightning intertwined; heaven and earth fell silent.

At the center of the lightning fire, a fiery bird staggered out, as if mustering its last ounce of strength, and sped swiftly toward where the Ghostfire Token was located.

“Vermilion Bird?!!!”

Seeing the phantom of the Vermilion Bird, all the races of the Nine Nethers were shocked.

If before they had thought that humans had violated the taboo, invaded the ghost realm, and done something to anger the Ghost King, now, looking at the Vermilion Bird phantom, they felt certain that it was the ghost clan who had committed a great calamity, thus drawing the personal arrival of the Vermilion Bird!

At the Nine Gates of the Demon Prison, everyone who saw the Vermilion Bird phantom was certain: the intruder into the ghost domain was none other than the Master of Lingguang Hall.

The appearance of the Vermilion Bird phantom not only shook the Nine Nethers but also momentarily silenced the heavenly tribulation.

“Rumble rumble rumble~”

The Vermilion Bird phantom withstood the lightning dragon’s strike, and both collapsed together.

The next moment, a rain of lightning and fire fell over the Ghost Infant River, each drop containing terrifying power of thunder and flame, and wherever it landed, it created a deep pit.

“Almost there…”

“Just a little more…”

Hua Changxi’s consciousness was already blurring, sustained entirely by a single obsession. The Blood Cage was right before her eyes; she saw hope of survival and pushed forward again with all her might.

Yet, how could the Heavenly Dao tolerate such provocation?

“Boom~”

The fourth heavenly thunder, carrying the fury of thunder, fell far more violently than the third.

The lightning dragon almost instantly reached the top of Hua Changxi’s head.

At the critical moment, Hua Changxi grabbed and activated the Ghostfire Token. The bloodline chain of her well instinctively tightened, and with a ‘swoosh’, it pulled away the Ghostfire Token and Hua Changxi.

“Boom~”

The moment Hua Changxi was yanked away by the bloodline chain, the heavenly thunder struck down.

The heavenly thunder struck the boundary wall.

The power of divine punishment seeped into the fissures of the boundary wall, causing them to tremble violently. The fissures seemed unable to bear this force, ripples spreading across their surface as if they might collapse at any moment.

However, most of this force was repelled and neutralized by the barrier between the two realms; only a small part leaked along the spatial fissures into the human world.

And so, over the Ghostfire Well in Nanxiang County, black clouds swept in like a tsunami, covering the sky and the earth.

In an instant, everyone in Nanxiang County felt the sky had turned dark.

Then came violent winds, lightning, and thunder.

“Hum~”

Amidst the lightning, a phantom of a towering black pagoda suddenly appeared.

As soon as the pagoda appeared, everyone felt a restraining force as heavy as a mountain.

At first, the pagoda was somewhat blurry, and people couldn’t see it clearly, but gradually it became more distinct, revealing the prisons, ghost chains, and other objects inside…

“That is…”

At Lingguang Hall, all the Vermilion Bird soldiers looked up at the phantom pagoda in the sky, a chill of fear running through their hearts.

Compared to others, the moment the Vermilion Bird soldiers saw the pagoda, they clearly sensed the force of restraint and judgment emanating from it.

The Military Prison!!!

Yun You and other stewards of Lingguang Hall exchanged solemn glances, swallowing nervously with pounding hearts.

With the Military Prison manifesting, the discipline of the Vermilion Bird Army was no longer just empty words on paper!

In the forbidden area of the ghost domain, the tribulation clouds dissipated, the tremors of the fissures slowly calmed, and the boundary walls restored themselves as if nothing had happened.

Yet, the Ghost Mother Mountain still shook, and on the Ghost Infant River, the karmic fire had not yet been extinguished.

Under the burning of the karmic fire, the black water boiled, ghostly shadows wailed, and even with the Ghost King exerting all his strength, a vast stretch of the river had turned into a sea of flames.

The Ghost King watched the continuously evaporating river water and the ghosts still turning to ashes, his face filled with despair.

He was the sinner of the ghost clan!

If he had released that Vermilion Bird successor earlier, she would not have used the Red Lotus Karma Fire.

As long as the Karma Fire does not extinguish, the foundation of the Ghost Domain will suffer heavy damage, and from then on, the development of the entire Ghost Clan will be restricted.

Among all the clans of the Nine Netherworld, the Ghost Clan will become the bottom dweller.

The Ghost King stood by the Ghost Infant River, his face deathly pale. After a long silence, a look of resolute determination flashed in his eyes.

He had been wrong!

Now, let this body guard the foundation of the Ghost Domain!

The Ghost King let out a long howl toward the heavens. The ghostly qi around him churned wildly, and then he began to burn his own Ghost King soul. After that, he leaped straight into the Karma Fire.

"Boom~"

The moment the Ghost King's ghost body touched the Karma Fire, a blinding light erupted.

His ghost soul transformed into a rain of black droplets falling all over the sky, dousing the Karma Fire.

Wherever the black rain fell, the Karma Fire sizzled and gradually went out.

The black water of the Ghost Infant River re-condensed, but it had lost its former luster and become turbid and murky.

Slowly, the forbidden ground of the Ghost Domain fell silent.

Only the lingering burnt smell in the air testified that a shocking battle had once taken place here.

The Ghost Domain was quiet, but everywhere else in the Nine Netherworld was in an uproar.

The Ghost King had self-immolated his soul and returned to the Ghost Infant River; the Vermilion Bird successor had suffered divine punishment, alive or dead unknown.

This life-and-death battle, in which both sides suffered heavy losses, could be said to be the most intense conflict since the resurgence of spiritual energy.

Before this, all factions, in order to develop and strengthen their own power, had generally restrained themselves, no matter how fiercely they competed or fought in normal times.

But with this as a beginning, where will future developments lead?