Chapter 522: She Is Human

The Nether Blade appeared in the world because of a human…

The Nether Deer was lured out by a human…

At the thought that all these rumors might actually be true, Cangming’s heart blazed with uncontrollable fury.

A human—how dare they stir up trouble in the Nine Nether! They deserve to die!

Especially when he remembered that the human had ridden the Nether Deer, swaggered right under their noses, and stolen the key to the Nine Nether Soul Realm—the Nether Fire Match—Cangming felt his cheeks sting with shame.

An unparalleled disgrace to the Nine Nether!

Unable to suppress his rage any longer, Cangming suddenly spread his arms wide, accompanied by the sound of surging water.

In an instant, countless dark-green water droplets condensed out of thin air around him, each exuding a terrifying corrosive aura.

Then, with a shattering roar, the droplets exploded into violent ripples of water, radiating a deathly stillness like venomous snakes, shooting toward Hua Changxi like lightning.

Stygian River Domain!

Seeing Cangming about to form the Stygian River Domain, Hua Changxi’s expression shifted drastically.

She had experienced the corrosive power of Stygian River water before—a bone-penetrating, soul-consuming erosion that caused agony even for someone with her formidable physique.

If she were truly trapped inside his Stygian River Domain, even escaping would cost her a layer of skin.

She immediately mobilized her soul power and struck back.

Rolling white soul mist burst forth from her body, spreading rapidly and surging toward the dark-green Stygian River waves at astonishing speed.

“Boom~”

Two utterly different auras—one green, one white—collided violently.

The dark-green ghostly light of the Stygian River water and the pure white radiance of the soul mist ground against each other, producing a harsh, sizzling sound of corrosion that warped and trembled the surrounding space.

Wherever the Stygian River waves passed, everything dissolved—whether beings of the Nine Nether or human cultivators, they corroded upon contact and injured upon touch.

The soul mist, like a dense, massive net, coiled layer upon layer, tightly wrapping the surging waves and desperately preventing their spread.

“How dare you try to block me? Overestimating yourself.”

Watching Hua Changxi’s counterattack, Cangming sneered contemptuously. His pressure exploded, and he poured in more power for a fierce assault.

In an instant, countless dark-green water droplets solidified into myriad icy water arrows, shrieking through the air, densely aimed at Hua Changxi.

Hua Changxi’s gaze sharpened. As the water arrows streaked toward her, she spun gracefully, her toes seeming to step on invisible wind and smoke, moving like a startled swan skimming the water, deftly evading the incoming cold gleams.

The arrow rain was unending.

Hua Changxi could only dodge rapidly. Her robes fluttered as she sometimes bent low to the ground, sometimes flipped through the air, sometimes sidestepped several zhang—moving so fast that only a fleeting afterimage remained.

The water arrows, thick as rain, whistled past her temples, shoulders, and sleeves, yet not a single one touched a corner of her garment.

Although the water arrows couldn’t harm her, her divided attention, combined with her lack of an open spiritual platform and depleted soul power, made constructing her Soul Domain difficult.

Seeing Cangming’s Stygian River aura surging again, preparing for a full-force eruption, Hua Changxi acted decisively. She turned her palm, produced the soul pearl she had obtained, and clenched her five fingers tightly.

“Crack~”

A shattering sound rang out. The round soul pearl burst apart, and vast, pure soul power exploded like a mushroom cloud, surging wildly in all directions.

Hua Changxi’s eyes lit up. Seizing this fleeting opportunity, she channeled the surging soul power.

In an instant, the sky-filling soul mist roiled and condensed, turning into a soul curtain that precisely sealed every path the Stygian River Domain could expand.

Soul Domain, formed!

Outside the Five-Part Formation, the powerful figures of the Nine Nether and the human realm watched the battle erupting so inexplicably and unexpectedly within the formation, both surprised and puzzled.

Surprised that Cangming had failed and was actually trapped by a rogue cultivator!

Puzzled because, by the rules, even if Cangming disliked that rogue cultivator, he should have allied with her to first kill off all the human cultivators before engaging in a duel.

“What the hell is Cangming doing?”

“And that rogue cultivator—where did she even come from?”

While the Nine Nether experts were grumbling, Su Mingyue looked toward the Soul Clan and said, “Is that rogue cultivator one of your Soul Clan?”

Upon hearing this, the other Netherworld experts also looked over.

The Soul Clan elder shook his head decisively and denied it: "Absolutely not."

That rogue cultivator crushed the Soul Pearl without any hesitation—this alone proved she could never be of the Soul Clan.

The Soul Clan's numbers had always been the lowest among the various clans of the Netherworld.

Therefore, the Soul Clan was extremely united internally.

Not to mention seizing a clansman's Soul Pearl—even if they happened to obtain another's Soul Pearl, the Soul Clan always treasured it with great care.

Even when compelled by necessity to use a Soul Pearl, they would never crush it without a second thought like that rogue cultivator did, as if using a "Soul Crystal."

Compared to the cold faces of the Netherworld experts, the human side was much more relaxed.

"A fine internal strife in the Netherworld!"

"I hope Cangming and that rogue cultivator keep fighting—preferably both suffering heavy losses."

Cangming was a Netherworld King-realm expert, equivalent to a human Spirit Condensation realm.

With such a powerful expert trapped inside the Five Directions Array, the human cultivators were virtually facing a certain death situation.

But now, Cangming and the Netherworld rogue cultivator had started fighting first.

The strongest human cultivator trapped in the array was only at the Spiritual Platform realm; only if Cangming suffered severe damage could the human cultivators possibly have a sliver of hope.

Unlike the delighted reactions of the various human factions, Wei Zhenjie's eyes kept churning with a probing look, and even Chu Junyi, who had deliberately lured Hua Changxi into the Five Directions Array, was frowning deeply.

The master and apprentice were both very familiar with the Netherworld, knowing that in the Netherworld, where the strong prey on the weak and strength reigns supreme, even the powerful Ghost King Su Mingyue or the fierce Lady of the Reincarnation Flower would show some respect to Cangming, the Crown Prince of the Styx River Clan.

Yet that Netherworld rogue cultivator completely disregarded Cangming.

Her words and actions did not resemble a Netherworld being at all.

In particular, the Soul Domain she constructed gave the impression of trying to stop the Styx River waters from spreading toward the human cultivators' area.

Was that Netherworld rogue cultivator helping the humans?

Just as the various factions outside the array were filled with doubts, inside the Five Directions Array, Cangming was also somewhat surprised by the power Hua Changxi had displayed.

However, this surprise was fleeting, replaced by even more violent rage.

Why? Because he, the dignified Crown Prince of the Styx River Clan, was actually trapped inside a Soul Domain constructed by a human.

Yes, he was certain—the person before him was human.

Although she constructed the Soul Domain to counter him, her primary purpose was most likely to prevent the Styx River waters he had created from spreading into the area where human cultivators were gathered.

"Hmph!"

"Do you really think this puny Soul Domain can trap me?"

Cangming suddenly exerted his strength. The Styx River baleful aura around him surged wildly. Countless dark green water droplets, like bullets ready to fire, instantly turned into a rain of pear blossoms, madly bombarding the Soul Domain's barrier.

In an instant, a harsh "sizzling" sound came from the Soul Domain's walls. At a visible speed, dense pits were corroded into them. Cracks spread through the weak spots, and the barrier wobbled precariously.

Hua Changxi frowned deeply, her gaze sharpening as she immediately took out the Soul Bell of Lady Chi Yan.

"Ding ling ling~"

A clear, tinkling bell sound rippled outward, piercing straight into the soul.

Cangming's movements halted instantly; a dazed and confused look appeared in his eyes, and his imposing aura began to waver and scatter.

Strike while the iron was hot—take him down while he was down.

Hua Changxi produced a pale, white bone blade with a cold soul light swirling around the weapon, and charged straight at Cangming with a murderous intent!

The bone blade cut through the void, emitting a white light that tore at the soul, and slashed down onto Cangming's right shoulder.

Yet the blade did not break through Cangming's body.

Hua Changxi's soul power at the Nascent Infant realm was fully exposed; against Cangming, who was at the King realm, she simply could not inflict major damage.

If one slash wouldn't do it, then more slashes.

Hua Changxi raised the blade and struck again.

After several slashes, Cangming broke free from the nightmare. Seeing Hua Changxi raising her blade to strike, he raised his hand and waved it, and a dark green River Styx water screen coalesced before him.

"Clang!"

The Bone Blade struck heavily against the water screen, issuing a loud crash like metal clashing.

The water screen shook violently; an opening was instantly torn by the soul force contained in the blade, but Cangming had already used the momentum to float backward, increasing the distance.

Cangming steadied himself. The dazed look in his eyes had completely faded, replaced by endless coldness and murderous intent.

Hua Changxi saw that he had broken free from the nightmare so quickly, and her mood grew somewhat somber.

The gap in their cultivation realms was too great!

"Swish, swish, swish~"

Hua Changxi was not one to wait for death. In an instant, she waved out dozens of Soul-Fixing Wood Needles toward Cangming, while simultaneously shaking the Soul Bell again to induce nightmares.

Soul-fixing plus nightmare; that should at least buy a bit more time.

Cangming's expression changed. As the sound of the Soul Bell reached his ears, his figure dodging the needles was no longer as swift. When his body and both arms were pierced by the Soul-Fixing Wood Needles, he gritted his teeth and stomped hard on the ground.

In that instant, the Styx water beneath his feet suddenly boiled, and six dark green water pythons emerged.

The six water pythons burst out of the water, carrying with them a sky full of stinking dark green waves.

Their bodies twisted and coiled in the air, their scales flowing with baleful qi that corroded soul force. Opening their huge mouths, they revealed stark white fangs and emitted spine-chilling hisses.

Hua Changxi swung the Bone Blade repeatedly, cutting at the water pythons. But unfortunately, every time she carved a gash on a python's body, new water instantly surged from the wound, restoring it to its original state in the blink of an eye.

Before she could strike again, the six water pythons had formed an encircling formation, heads linked to tails, instantly trapping her in the center.

The water pythons contracted continuously, their bodies coiling around each other, their scales rubbing together with a creaking sound, and finally transformed into an oval water prison, completely trapping Hua Changxi inside.

Hua Changxi wanted to break out, but no matter which direction she struck, there were water pythons with mouths wide open, ready to swallow her.

Uh...

This sudden life-or-death battle between Hua Changxi and Cangming caught everyone off guard—both those outside the formation and those within.

Inside the great formation, Cangming was firmly pinned by the Soul-Fixing Wood Needles. His soul depths were repeatedly assailed by the lingering sound of the Soul Bell. At this moment, he was clenching his teeth, struggling to break free from the nightmare's grip that clung like a bone-gnawing maggot. Each struggle stirred the surging baleful qi around him.

As for Hua Changxi, her situation was not much better. The Styx aura, capable of corroding everything, attacked from all directions. She swung the Bone Blade so swiftly that it formed an impenetrable barrier, yet she could barely defend.

Her figure continuously darted among the python shadows. Due to the limited space, every movement was somewhat difficult, and the soul force protective barrier around her was gradually fading.

Both of them struck with the intention of killing the other.

"What is wrong with these two? Instead of wiping out the humans first, they've broken into a life-or-death battle!"

Just as the powerful beings of the Nine Nether were enraged and the human experts were puzzled, two terrifying figures that shook heaven and earth appeared above the Ghost Gate.

Lord of the Yellow Springs!

Yan Mo!

As soon as the two peak King Realm powerhouses appeared, everyone's gaze turned to them.

"Haha~"

"Damned human! You stole my Nine-Orifice Exquisite Soul Heart Fruit. Being trapped in the Five Directions Formation is your just punishment!"

Yan Mo saw Hua Changxi trapped in the Five Directions Formation and immediately showed a gloating expression. Seeing her being besieged by Cangming's water pythons made him even more exhilarated.

"Cangming, kill that human for me. I'll give you two of the Nine-Orifice Exquisite Soul Heart Fruits on her."

Boom~

Yan Mo's shout was no less than a thunderclap from the nine heavens, stunning both the powerful beings of the Nine Nether and the human experts into dizziness.