Chapter 467: Restrictions Restored

"Whoosh~"

The bloodline chains pierced through the rift in the realm barrier, dragging Hua Changxi back into the Ghost Fire Well.

"Bang!"

Hua Changxi crashed to the ground like a rag doll, kicking up a cloud of dust. Her spiritual energy was nearly exhausted; lightning and fire intertwined around her body, and her aura had weakened to the extreme.

Almost at that same instant—

"Crack!"

Under the shockwave of the lingering heavenly punishment, the nine bloodline chains of Jing Sheng began to shatter inch by inch, ultimately dissolving into specks of bloody light that vanished into the air.

Hua Changxi no longer had the strength to care about this; her consciousness was already blurred, sustained only by a final thread of obsession that kept her from fainting.

Summoning every last shred of strength, she called forth the Zhu Que Bone from the Shennong Cauldron.

"Hum~"

As soon as the Zhu Que Bone appeared, it emitted an intense red glow; the entire bone resembled ignited charcoal, glowing crimson through and through.

Simultaneously, at the center of the Zhu Que Prison Suppression Great Formation, the runes at the spot where the Zhu Que Bone had originally rested lit up.

Those runes, like ancient existences long asleep, were now awakened by the Zhu Que Bone, emitting a low hum. Beams of crimson light shot out from the formation eye, weaving into a net in midair, seemingly calling for the Zhu Que Bone to return to its place.

"Whoosh~"

Sensing the summons, the Zhu Que Bone transformed into a streak of red light and flew toward the formation eye.

"Boom!"

The moment the Zhu Que Bone landed in the formation eye, the entire Zhu Que Prison Suppression Great Formation instantly ignited with light.

Above the great formation, a Zhu Que totem rapidly condensed into form.

Woven from countless runes, every feather of the totem was clearly visible, and every pattern contained ancient, powerful energy.

As the Zhu Que totem condensed, the Zhu Que Prison Suppression Great Formation began to operate.

Crimson light spread outward from the formation eye like blood vessels, covering the entire well bottom. Wherever the light flowed, the previously dim runes reignited, radiating scorching heat.

As one ancient rune after another lit up, a transparent light shield formed.

On the shield, Zhu Que patterns flickered in and out of view, emitting a pressure that made one's heart tremble.

At the formation eye, the Zhu Que Bone settled firmly, merging with the great formation into one.

The blazing flames on the bone surface resonated with the formation's runes, creating a marvelous harmony. With each resonance, a sweep of flame light scanned across the formation surface, incinerating any ghostly qi or ghost fire attempting to seep in.

The restrictions of the Ghost Fire Well were completely restored!

With the restrictions reactivated, Hua Changxi finally exhaled in relief; her taut nerves relaxed slightly, only to be immediately overwhelmed by crushing exhaustion and excruciating pain.

Lying prone on the ground, her chest heaved violently; every breath felt like swallowing red-hot charcoal, searing her lungs and organs.

Looking at the hundreds of Zhu Que soldiers seated in meditation around the formation, Hua Changxi gritted her teeth and forcibly mobilized the remnants of spiritual energy within her body.

Alas, her meridians were already empty; circulating what little spiritual energy remained brought only tearing agony.

Gathering her very last breath, Hua Changxi manipulated the Ghost Fire Token, leading the hundreds of Zhu Que soldiers out of the Ghost Fire Well's bottom.

"Thud, thud, thud~"

Continuous dull thuds rang out around the mouth of the Ghost Fire Well.

Like dumplings being dropped into a pot, hundreds of Zhu Que soldiers flew out of the well and crashed heavily to the ground.

The last to slam onto the earth was Hua Changxi; at this moment, her breathing was faint, her aura barely clinging to life, as if she would drop dead from unconsciousness at any second.

Yet, through her blurred vision, she did not see Jing Sheng seated in meditation above the Ghost Fire Well.

Hua Changxi struggled to turn her head, and finally, on the eastern side of the Ghost Fire Well, she saw Jing Sheng lying on the ground, eyes closed and unconscious.

At this moment, the nine bloodline chains that had pierced Jing Sheng's body had vanished, leaving behind nine horrifying bloody holes; whether he lived or died was unknown.

A flicker passed through Hua Changxi's dim eyes; the next moment, she spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, and immediately after, the mouth of the Ghost Fire Well trembled, sending dust flying.

In the next instant, Fang Zhuyue, Song Weimin, and the others whom Hua Changxi had stored in the Sumeru Bead, along with countless Zhurong Stones, countless fire-attribute spiritual core stones, and countless healing spiritual fruits and plants, piled up all around.

Even the Moonlight Cup containing Soul River water was taken out by her.

In an instant, fire spiritual energy and soul force filled the bottom of the Nine-Layer Prison Tower.

Having done all this, Hua Changxi could no longer hold on; her eyes shut tight, and she completely fell into unconsciousness.

"This is..."

"We left the Ghost Realm and have returned to the Ghost Fire Well?"

Compared to the hundreds of Zhu Que soldiers who had sacrificed themselves to maintain the Zhu Que Prison Suppression Great Formation, the condition of Fang Zhuyue, Song Weimin, and the others was somewhat better; at least at this moment, some of them remained conscious.

"Hall Master!"

Seeing Hua Changxi lying nearby with her eyes closed and unconscious, Fang Zhuyue grew extremely anxious.

Looking at the healing resources surrounding them, Song Weimin understood Hua Changxi's intention and quickly soothed him, saying, "Battalion Commander Fang, let us heal our injuries first; only then can we help your Hall Master."

Meanwhile, the illusory image of the Nine-Layer Prison Tower above Nanxiang County had dissipated, and the sky had returned to its azure blue, but the oppressive atmosphere in the air had not yet fully dispersed; those within Nanxiang County still felt lingering fear.

Above the Xuanyun Prefecture, the faces of the Five Generals of Xuanyun displayed expressions they themselves could not decipher.

Just moments ago, they had received news from the Nine Netherworlds—the Hall Master of the Lingguang Hall had broken into the forbidden grounds of the Ghost Realm and engaged the Ghost King in a life-or-death battle; during the fight, she employed Nether Fire to burn the Ghost Infant River, thereby inviting heavenly punishment.

"Surely the Hall Master of the Lingguang Hall hasn't come to harm?"

Qin Feng's tone lacked confidence; among those who suffered heavenly retribution, those who could endure it were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

Lu Zhenting remained relatively calm: "She should not be dead yet; otherwise, the extraordinary phenomena of the Zhu Que Army's military prison would not have subsided so quickly."

"Hum~"

His communication token vibrated; Lu Zhenting picked it up and found a message from Wei Zhenjie: "It would be best to open the Xuanyun Prefecture's Doctrine Hall sooner rather than later!"

Reading this message, Lu Zhenting could only sigh.

Who could have expected that the Hall Master of the Lingguang Hall possessed such scant knowledge of cultivation common sense, daring to unleash Nether Fire in the ancestral lands of the ghost race!

At the same time, factions and powers everywhere successively received the news: "The Hall Master of the Lingguang Hall entered the forbidden grounds of the ghost race, fought the Ghost King, and set the Ghost Infant River ablaze."

"I have to say, the Hall Master of Lingguang Hall is truly a formidable person!"

Within the forbidden grounds of the imperial palace, the Retired Emperor and the Emperor exchanged silent glances; Nanxiangchengcheng's Ghost Fire Well was now completely beyond the reach of the imperial clan.

After a moment of silence, the Emperor spoke: "The Hall Master of Lingguang Hall likely knows everything Thirteen did in the Ghost Fire Well; if so, she will probably view the imperial clan as an enemy. We had best withdraw all our deployments in Nanxiang County."

The Retired Emperor's face was filled with reluctance: "I truly wish she had perished under the heavenly punishment!"

The Ghost Fire Well.

After absorbing the soul force and spiritual energy drifting in the air, Song Weimin was the first to regain mobility; as soon as he could move, he began distributing the healing pills scattered about for everyone to take.

After swallowing a fourth-grade healing pill, Gongshu Xingyan's injuries came under control; watching Song Weimin bustling about, he found it utterly baffling: "Your cultivation is clearly not high, so why are your injuries the lightest?"

Song Weimin himself was equally puzzled: "I don't know either."

Gongshu Xingyan narrowed his eyes: "Your luck is also far better than that of ordinary people." In the Ghost Clan's prison, several times he had felt certain Song Weimin was about to die, yet each time he had managed to turn danger into safety.

Noticing Song Weimin occasionally glancing toward Hua Changxi, Gongshu Xingyan asked in surprise: "What is it? Do you know the Hall Master of Lingguang Hall?"

Song Weimin's expression grew complicated: "We have met a few times; I truly never expected..." that a young lady with no background whatsoever would be the Hall Master of Lingguang Hall!