Chapter 462: Heavenly Punishment—Shaking the Nine Netherworlds

Hua Changxi knew nothing of what had transpired in the dungeons of Ghost Mother Mountain. Yet, the moment the stone gate had swung open earlier, she had keenly caught the aura of the Zhu Que Army.

There were Zhu Que soldiers imprisoned within the stone mountain!

Hua Changxi hid in the shadows on the east side of the altar, cast a glance at the stone mountain, and then turned her gaze back to the altar.

Scarlet flames burned silently deep within her pupils, reflecting the nine figures nailed to the bone pillars on the altar.

She could wait no longer.

Those nine Zhu Que soldiers hanging from the bone pillars were already extremely weak; the essence blood and soul power within them were on the verge of being drained dry.

If she delayed any further, they would completely devolve into sacrificial offerings, their souls scattered.

There was no time to weigh the pros and cons, no leisure to scout the dangers. Driven by an urgent desire to save them, Hua Changxi directly mobilized the spiritual power throughout her body. Her dantian exploded like a furnace, and the South Bright Li Fire surged forth from her spiritual meridians, incinerating the ghost energy within a hundred-zhang radius in an instant!

"Whoosh—"

Scarlet-gold flames erupted around Hua Changxi. Her figure shot up from the ground, transforming into a hundred-zhang firebird. Its wings spread wide, and its tail feathers trailed like a falling galaxy.

As the firebird swept through the air, ghost energy and ghost fire were annihilated wherever it passed, and even the void was scorched with charred marks.

"Who?!"

The Ghost Commander turned abruptly. The necklace of infant skulls around his neck rattled, and a ghostly green fire ignited in the eye sockets of every skull, all staring in unison at the scarlet shadow burning its way toward them.

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

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

The next moment, a giant fire axe condensed from South Bright Li Fire suddenly appeared, and with overwhelming momentum, it struck straight down at the altar.

The fire axe cleaved down!

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a single, extremely silent scarlet line cutting through the void—this was a realm where the fire was so fast and so hot that even sound was incinerated!

"Crack—Boom!!!"

The nine bone pillars, carved with evil patterns, snapped in response like rotten wood!

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

The ghost chains melted inch by inch, turning into black smoke and dissipating, leaving not even a trace of residue behind.

The nine Zhu Que soldiers fell like kites with broken strings.

Hua Changxi flashed, waving nine gentle streams of fire to catch them steadily. She immediately tucked the nine unconscious men into her Sumeru Bead.

"Ah—"

The Ghost Commander had moved far away from the altar the moment the fire axe struck.

Now, watching the altar shake and tremble under the axe's blow, with cracks appearing even in the white bone base, he immediately let out a chilling roar.

"Human?!"

The Ghost Commander's eyes were splitting with rage, his voice like the wailing of ten thousand ghosts: "You dare trespass into the forbidden grounds of the Ghost Clan and destroy the Ghost Clan's altar? You are courting death!!!"

He raised both hands high, chanting the incantations of the Ghost Clan.

In an instant, the entire altar shook violently. Monstrous ghost energy erupted from beneath the ground, and thousands of ghost soldiers, holding bone spears and with green fire in their eyes, emerged from the ghost energy, roaring as they climbed onto the altar and lunged at Hua Changxi.

Seeing this, Hua Changxi condensed another fire axe and struck directly at the ghost soldiers. Then, without even looking, her figure moved like lightning, heading straight for the Zhu Que bone at the center of the altar.

The moment she approached, the piece of Zhu Que bone suspended in mid-air shook violently—the South Bright Li Fire on the bone surged, echoing the flames burning on her body, forming a resonance.

"Hum—"

The Zhu Que bone shook violently, suddenly breaking free from the altar's formation, and transformed into a stream of scarlet-gold fire, flying toward Hua Changxi.

"No—"

Seeing this, the Ghost Commander lunged frantically.

The moment the Zhu Que bone was in her hand, Hua Changxi immediately felt a pressure as vast as the dawn of the primordial era sweep through her entire body—her internal organs felt as if they were being crushed by a divine mountain, and her dantian and sea of Qi shook in response.

Hua Changxi could not withstand this pressure at all; almost subconsciously, she tucked the Zhu Que bone into the Shennong Cauldron.

She still did not know what grade of artifact the Shennong Cauldron was, but she knew it was the highest-grade artifact she possessed.

If even the Shennong Cauldron could not contain the Zhu Que bone, she would have no choice but to use the Ghost Fire Token to collect it.

"Ah! My Zhu Que bone!"

Seeing Hua Changxi take the Zhu Que bone, the Ghost Commander was utterly enraged. All the skulls on his neck flew out, exploding in mid-air and transforming into ten thousand ghost generals—some with three heads and six arms, some with bone wings covering the sky, some with giant mouths on their abdomens—all roaring in unison, lunging at Hua Changxi like a tidal wave!

Facing the siege of ten thousand ghosts, Hua Changxi's expression was as cold as ice. She raised her right hand, summoning the Floating Light Sword and the seven-colored exotic fire.

The seven-colored exotic fire fused rapidly, condensing into the Great Sun Divine Flame.

The Great Sun Divine Flame quickly merged into the Floating Light Sword. The next moment, the Floating Light Sword ignited with scorching white flames, the temperature so high that even space began to melt, forming ripples of distortion.

Following this, Hua Changxi descended like a falling meteor, swinging her sword in a horizontal sweep!

"Boom—"

Wherever the sword light reached, the ghost generals were reduced to ash as if they were made of paper.

Hua Changxi's figure moved like lightning, weaving through the ghost tide, rapidly approaching the black mountain on the east side of the altar.

Watching Hua Changxi, who was invincible and sweeping through the army, and sensing his own ghost body dissolving, the Ghost Commander finally revealed a look of terror in his eyes.

The recovery of spiritual energy in the mortal realm began later than in the Nine Netherworlds; how could such a formidable figure have emerged here?!

Even more terrifying was—she was actually trying to break into Ghost Mother Mountain!

The Ghost Commander could no longer remain calm. The seal on the Ghost Fire Well had been broken, the humans were offering up the Zhu Que 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 absolutely alarm the Ghost King.

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

"Rattle—"

The Ghost Infant River shook, and ghost energy rose.

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

Looking at the swarming ghost tide, even Hua Changxi, who had forged a Zhu Que Spirit Body and did not fear yin evil, felt her scalp tingle.

She was only one person, and her spiritual power would eventually run out. She could not afford a war of attrition with these ghost soldiers and generals; she had to end this quickly!

"Whoosh—"

A Red Lotus Karma Fire bloomed quietly in Hua Changxi's hand.

Once the Karma Fire appeared, heaven and earth fell silent.

Sensing the destructive power capable of incinerating souls, the Ghost Commander's expression changed drastically, and he turned to flee.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

The Red Lotus Karma Fire arrived in a flash, instantly igniting his ghost body.

"Ghost King—"

"Save me—"

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

Hearing the Ghost Commander calling for help, Hua Changxi's expression changed. She flew into the air, holding the Floating Light Sword, and slashed fiercely at the gate of the stone mountain.

The sword light was like a dragon, and the stone gate shattered with a roar.

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

"Boom—"

Thunder cracked, shaking the Nine Netherworlds; lightning tore through the night, illuminating the underworld.

Inside the Ghost Realm Fortress City Lord's Mansion, the Ghost King, who was in seclusion, suddenly opened his eyes and looked toward the forbidden grounds, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"A human cultivator... broke into the forbidden grounds? And even attracted... Heavenly Punishment?!"

At the same time, in the Demon Realm, Monster Realm, Soul Realm, Underworld Capital City, Reincarnation Hall, Underworld River, and Blood Sea of the Nine Netherworlds, figures that could shake heaven and earth appeared.

Even the human cultivators guarding the Nine Passes of the Demon Prison heard the commotion and looked toward the Ghost Realm in surprise.

"Is the Ghost Clan about to go to war with someone?"

On Zhongmen Pass, Chu Junyi and several trusted aides stood on the city wall, looking toward the Ghost Realm with doubt and astonishment.

Chu Junyi frowned: "It doesn't look like a war. Lightning and thunder, tribulation clouds pressing down—this is clearly..."

Before he could finish, a flash of spiritual light appeared.

Wei Zhenjie's figure appeared out of thin air on the city wall, his expression grave as he finished Chu Junyi's sentence: "It is clearly Heavenly Punishment!"

"Heavenly Punishment?"

Chu Junyi was stunned: "Master, what is Heavenly Punishment?"

Wei Zhenjie: "The Nine Heavens, the human world, and the Nine Netherworlds each have their own operating rules. Someone has disrupted the order of the Nine Netherworlds in the forbidden grounds of the Ghost Realm, violating the laws of the Heavenly Dao, and thus attracted Heavenly Punishment."

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

"Who is so fierce~" ===== CHAPTER 463 =====