Chapter 528: Departing After the Deed, Brushing Off One's Robes

The Five-Directions Great Formation had truly been breached; even though only a hole had been torn open, it was enough to send shockwaves through the beings of the Nine Netherworlds and the cultivators of the mortal realm.

In contrast to the shock felt both inside and outside the formation, Hua Changxi's expression remained taut.

After all, the Five-Directions Great Formation was a top-tier seventh-grade trapping array, where the Five Elements circulated endlessly, aligning with the heavenly principle of cyclic recurrence.

Although the fire-attribute flagpole had shattered, causing the formation to lose its fire-element support, the four remaining elements—earth, metal, water, and wood—surged wildly around the torn opening like living entities, generating one another in an attempt to repair the rift and restore the entire formation to stability.

Even though Hua Changxi had reached the eighth level of Body Refinement, possessing a formidable physical body and borrowing the power of Cang Ming, she could only tear open a single gap in the great formation.

This was the absolute limit of her capabilities.

Now, under the influence of the cyclic generation of the Five Elements, the formation was rapidly repairing the breach; she had to send the human cultivators out before the gap closed completely.

To prevent Cang Ming from causing trouble in the shadows, one hand of Hua Changxi's thousand-zhang giant form still tightly gripped the remnant body of the dark green long dragon, while her other hand thrust forward abruptly, flooding the Fire Lotus with fiery spiritual energy like a tidal wave.

The crimson Fire Lotus, as if summoned, rose into the air like a lotus boat, carrying the human cultivators with it.

"Whoosh~"

The Fire Lotus shot forward like an arrow leaving the bow, heading straight for the gaping hole in the formation.

However, just at the moment the lotus boat was about to pass through the gap...

"Boom!"

Outside the formation, the powerful figures of the Nine Netherworlds struck simultaneously.

[14] Overwhelming demonic qi pressed down like black clouds over a city, ghostly hands reached out from the void, soul whips tore through the sky, the waters of the Yellow River poured backward, and the sea of Red Spider Lilies transformed into a blood-colored vortex; countless attacks rained down like a storm, all striking that single Fire Lotus!

Overwhelming demonic qi pressed down like black clouds over a city; ghostly hands reached out from the void, soul whips tore through the sky, the waters of the Yellow Spring surged upward in reverse, the sea of Red Spider Lilies transformed into a blood-colored vortex, and countless attacks poured down like a rainstorm, all striking together at that fire lotus!

Located inside the great formation, Hua Changxi's control over the Fire Lotus had become sluggish; moreover, the deployment of the Fire Lotus was limited by the supply of spiritual energy, and since she was merely at the Infant Transformation stage, she could only maintain the Lotus's integrity, lacking the strength to bolster its defenses.

Fortunately, just as the attacks from the Nine Netherworld powers descended, the experts of the mortal realm made their move!

Blade light shone like the moon, sword qi arced like a rainbow, Buddhist light illuminated all, and Daoist rhymes circulated; countless defensive forces positioned themselves before the Fire Lotus.

Offensive and defensive powers collided fiercely above the Five-Directions Great Formation, the shockwaves from the explosions causing space to continuously crack and collapse.

Buffeted by the clash of these two forces, the Fire Lotus wobbled as it flew toward Duimen Pass.

Once it crossed the tributary of the Nether River, the Fire Lotus would land safely, and the human cultivators would be secure.

However, just at the moment the Fire Lotus swept over the sky above the Nether River tributary...

"Crash~"

The silent tributary of the Nether River suddenly swelled; the river water surged skyward like an enraged ancient behemoth, transforming into a dark green waterfall that spanned heaven and earth, forcibly cutting off the Fire Lotus's path.

Even more chilling was the fact that from deep within the waterfall, a massive dark green claw rapidly emerged.

Wound around the claw was an aura of decay and certain death; carrying a terrifying momentum capable of crushing everything, it lunged fiercely at the tottering Fire Lotus!

Before the claw even arrived, the Fire Lotus already showed signs of collapsing; if this strike landed true, the human cultivators inside the Fire Lotus would surely die.

Just at the moment the bony hand was about to touch the Fire Lotus...

"Whoosh!"

Hua Changxi, clutching the dark green long dragon, burst out of the Five-Directions Great Formation and simultaneously flung the dragon fiercely at the claw!

"Boom!"

The claw pierced into the body of the dark green long dragon; the dragon body, already illusory, completely disintegrated under this strike, scattering into a sky full of nether light.

As the light and shadows dissipated, Cang Ming's true form was revealed.

At this moment, his eyes were tightly closed, his aura withered to the extreme, resembling a candle flickering in the wind.

Even more horrifying were the five terrifying flesh holes piercing through his body; death qi swirled around the wounds, greedily devouring his remaining vitality.

"Ah~"

A sky-rending roar erupted from the depths of the Nether River; immediately after, the river waters swelled again, and a larger, longer, and more imposing dark green long dragon surged from the river into the sky, diving straight at Hua Changxi!

Looking at the attacking dragon, Hua Changxi's gaze condensed; with one hand she met the dragon, while with the other she slapped the Fire Lotus fiercely toward Duimen Pass.

When the Fire Lotus crashed heavily beneath the city walls, the giant hand and the long dragon had already collided, sending towering waves surging through the Nether River tributary that slammed violently against both banks.

"Boom!"

Borrowing the power of the Nether River, the dark green long dragon's offensive was even more ferocious this time; after colliding with the giant hand, it actually used its dragon body to tightly wrap around the giant hand.

Hua Changxi had not intended to form a deadly feud with the Nether River clan; even regarding Cang Ming, she had never planned to kill him outright.

But with the Lord of the Nether River persisting so relentlessly, the desire for slaughter that had been accumulating in her heart due to venturing deep into the fifth layer of the Nine Netherworlds was fully ignited!

Looking at the dragon coiled around the giant hand, Hua Changxi waited for an opportunity, then grabbed its neck; her five fingers slowly tightened, and then she suddenly clenched...

"Crack~"

A deafening explosion rang out; Hua Changxi fully unleashed the power of the eighth level of Body Refinement, and the thousand-zhang long dragon was actually crushed by her bare hands!

Dark green fragments scattered like meteors, turning into water vapor that filled the sky before vanishing without a trace.

The entire scene fell deathly silent.

Whether human cultivators or beings of the Nine Netherworlds, everyone was so greatly shocked that they dared not believe what they saw before their eyes.

The avatar of a peak King-realm expert had just been crushed by hand?!

"Crash~"

The tributary of the Nether River surrounding Duimen Pass churned violently, with waves splashing high.

Deep within the Nine Netherworlds, at the source of the Nether River, a towering dark green giant shadow that shook heaven and earth slowly emerged; its gaze pierced through layers of void, pointing directly toward the Demon Prison.

At the auction site, both beings of the Nine Netherworlds and cultivators from the mortal realm were awestruck by this horrifying figure; even from a great distance, they could feel a suffocating pressure.

The towering dark green figure and the crimson figure gazed at each other from afar; after a period of dead silence, the dark green figure slowly dissipated, while the crimson figure shrank down to the size of an ordinary person, standing upon the Nether Bridge.

When that crimson figure turned to look toward Ghost Gate Pass, Yan Mo's eyeballs rolled; with a flash of his body, he was the first to vanish from the sight of the Nine Netherworld powers.

Seeing this, the experts of the Ghost Clan, Demon Clan, Soul Clan, and Blood Sea Clan, though reluctant and still coveting the key to the Nine Netherworld Soul Realm, realized that since the Lord of the Netherworld had lost two avatars and still could do nothing to the Hall Master of Lingguang Hall, they too could only choose to depart quietly.

Once the powerful figures left, the other beings of the Nine Netherworlds scattered like birds and beasts, fleeing in a chaotic rush.

Only three figures remained in the sky above Ghost Gate Pass—one black, one white, and one hunched.

Black Impermanence looked at the fiery red figure on the Nether Bridge and asked, "Did the Hall Master of Lingguang Hall summon the Nether Deer truly just because she played the Soul Ballad?"

"Hmm?"

White Impermanence and Meng Po both turned to look at Black Impermanence, their expressions varying.

Black Impermanence sighed, "In the Dao of slaughter, the Hall Master of Lingguang Hall is no inferior to the mighty ones of the Nine Netherworlds..."

As his voice fell, he was the first to turn and depart.

White Impermanence and Meng Po exchanged a glance, then followed him away from Ghost Gate.

After the Nine Netherworld crowd departed, only cultivators from the mortal realm remained at the scene.

Hua Changxi stood upon the Netherworld Bridge, her gaze slowly sweeping over the crowd atop the walls of Duimen Pass, her brows knitting together almost imperceptibly.

The aura of the prayer bead bracelet had vanished.

This was not the right time to search for the prayer bead bracelet; Hua Changxi withdrew her gaze, took out her Ghost Market token, and walked toward the gray darkness in the direction opposite Duimen Pass.

The crimson figure grew increasingly distant within the hazy mist, and in but an instant, it completely dissolved into the depths of darkness, vanishing from everyone's sight.

As her figure disappeared completely, the taut string hanging over Duimen Pass seemed to snap abruptly.

"Boom~"

The deadly silence was broken; human voices surged like waves, sweeping across the surroundings. Shouts of surprise, murmurs of discussion, and cries of relief from surviving disaster instantly intertwined.