Chapter 23: Human World's Shift in Power

  In the Ghost King City, a shocking and earth-shattering battle is unfolding. The Black River Ghost King, along with the Five Top Masters - Wu Xin, Mo Yu, Huan Mei, Yin Li, and Wu Bo - have joined forces to launch a fierce attack on Xue Rou's reincarnated body, causing sandstorms and landslides in their wake. The intense and astonishing aura is rarely seen in this world. Meanwhile, Jian Wucheng is trapped by the Twelve Ghost Charms' "Ghost Spirit Refining" technique, and both sides are engaged in a desperate struggle to the death.

  A loud roar, the sword without dust in his eyes a flash of purple light, right hand divine sword suddenly chopped out. Dazzling five-color sword column, fiercely struck on the tightly closed green light ball, powerful sacred breath against the extremely evil dark atmosphere, completely different forces exploded again. From afar, only saw the green light ball, a five-color sword column cut outward, when cutting out one zhang distance, it was subjected to great resistance, each other resisted for a while, and then was pressed back. In the light ball, Sword Without Dust's body shook, mouth spitting out a stream of blood, eyes suddenly dimmed a lot.

  The green light ball fluctuated and then contracted again with great pressure, making it difficult for Jian Wucheng to move and breathe quickly. Feeling the arrival of danger, Jian Wucheng's eyes changed greatly at this moment, and his expression was filled with a few threads of fear. After glancing at Liu Xinghun and the others who were entwined by the ghost fairy, Jian Wucheng's heart sank, knowing that waiting for someone to come and rescue them would not be in time, now he could only rely on himself.

  His eyes suddenly turned cold, and a layer of purple light appeared on Sword Without Dust's body. Soon, it formed a purple halo around him, completely enveloping his entire being. The purple halo rotated, carrying Sword Without Dust's body, and within the green light sphere, began to accelerate its rotation rapidly. As he spun, a purple storm centered on Sword Without Dust started forming a powerful vortex, frantically devouring everything in its surroundings.

  Only to see the green light balls around him fluctuating, as if being absorbed inward by that powerful devouring force. A loud roar, again emitted from the mouths of the twelve ghostly apparitions. Only to see black light flowing and transforming, the shadows of the twelve ghostly apparitions slowly overlapping in mid-air, finally merging into a black light band, surrounding Swordless Dust in a frantic spinning contraction.

  In the hidden corner, Lu Yun looked at Jian Wucheng, and a hint of astonishment appeared in his eyes. He couldn't guess what technique Jian Wucheng was using at this moment, but he could clearly feel that the power of that technique was extremely terrifying. After glancing at Ao Xue and Cang Yue, seeing that both women also had strange expressions on their faces, Lu Yun's mind fell into deep thought.

  A loud roar shocked the entire audience, and in an instant, everyone's eyes were fixed on that soul-summoning ghost.

  At this moment, the Soul Summoning Ghost General underwent another transformation. On his blood-red armor, the meridians and blood vessels began to clearly emerge. As the blood vessels appeared, the crimson Yanluo head image on his forehead emitted a beam of light, transforming into a blood-red mask that covered his face. The moment the mask covered his face, the Soul Summoning Ghost General's entire body flashed red, and countless talismans suddenly shot out from his body, forming a brand-new armor outside his body, which re-covered him.

  At this moment, Zhao Huan Gui disappeared, and a living Blood Yan Luo appeared in the Ghost Domain King City.

  Only to see a dark red evil spirit head emblem inlaid on Yan Luo's chest, which was the order of King Yan. A battle axe with a jumping bloody light appeared silently in his right hand, looking very domineering. His eyes flashing with flames swept around and stopped for a moment in the direction where Lu Yun and the others were hiding, revealing a hint of sinister smile in his eyes.

  The King of Ghosts' face changed greatly, his two eyeballs, one red and one black, kept rotating, obviously considering how to deal with the legendary Blood Demon who had an indestructible body. Wu Jian's ghost disappeared in a flash of dark clouds, his body silently disappearing without a sound. As soon as he left, a stern and unwilling roar echoed, summoning his ghostly minions, also transforming into nothingness, vanishing into thin air. This left only the King of Ghosts, Blood Demon, Wu Bo, and Huan Mei, the four great masters, in the entire arena.

  The demon general, Huan Mei, looked at the Demon King and asked in a low voice: "Your Majesty, what should we do now? Should we continue to attack or retreat first and think of another way?" The Demon King looked at Wu Bo and Bu Xue, but did not speak.

  "Now that it has just revived and its power is still unstable, let's strike with all our might once more. Perhaps there's a glimmer of hope."

  Once it stabilizes its power and reaches its peak, we won't have any chance to eliminate it. Come on, the final blow, let's go all out! In the silence, Wuji opened his mouth and said these words.

  He took a look at Xue Li and saw that he had no objection. The King of Ghosts nodded: "Alright, one last time. If it doesn't work, we'll retreat!"

  "As soon as he finished speaking, his body spun into the air, a black whirlwind, accompanied by an eerie and ghostly aura, charged towards Blood Reaper Yan Luo."

  A bloody aura flashed across the entire body, and the Blood Slaughter's energy began to gather in the palms of both hands. It converged into two dark red high-density energy balls, which fiercely targeted the Blood Slaughter Yan Luo for an attack. Huan Mei launched a Black Net, Wu Bo displayed the Soul-Gathering Vase, and the four great masters' powerful abilities instantly merged into a single, heaven-destroying and earth-extinguishing aura that charged straight at the Blood Slaughter Yan Luo.

  Hong Mang burst forth, and Yan Luo's right hand wielded a battle axe, sweeping across the sky. A bloody mang suddenly transformed into an indestructible light dragon, meeting the attacks of Gui Wang and the other three. In mid-air, a black tornado was seen, accompanied by two highly condensed energy balls, violently colliding with that enchanting light dragon. Above, a heavenly black net, along with a rotating jade pot, launched a pincer attack from both sides. The combined might of their joined forces was unparalleled.

  Light and shadow collided, the powerful force emitted a destructive airflow wave, accompanied by thunderous roars, suddenly spreading and flying out in all directions. Just at the moment when this great destructive power was about to be released, a cold light flashed in Wu Bo's eyes, and a gaze that was extremely ruthless and cruel suddenly looked at the Ghost King beside him. When the strong airflow wave came, Wu Bo borrowed force to reflect, his shadow moving towards the Ghost King's body that had been bounced away.

  A faint smile, Wu Bo's right palm contained the erosive power of the Ten Layers of Soul Refining Technique, and he suddenly slapped it onto the Ghost King's chest. Watching as the ghostly energy around the Ghost King frantically dissipated, Wu Bo sneered: "This one slap is to avenge my subordinate you killed earlier, and this one kick is a gift from me. Heh heh, you can slowly go deal with that Blood Yanluo, I'll take my leave first." With a kick on the Ghost King's back, an enormous power sent its body flying towards the Blood Yanluo.

  The Demon King let out a furious roar, enraged to the extreme. He had never thought that everything Wu Bo had done before was just to find an opportunity to take revenge on him. At this moment, the Demon King was first injured by the powerful backlash of Yan Luo's Blood Slaughter, and then suffered a full-strength palm from Wu Bo, his body suddenly dimming, with extremely severe internal injuries. Feeling his body rapidly approaching the Blood Slaughter Yan Luo, the Demon King let out a furious howl, his entire body flashing black light, instantly activating teleportation, his body disappearing into thin air in an instant.

  On the other side, Wu Xie's body understood that the situation was already lost when he was blown away, so he dodged and escaped. Gui Shuai Huan Mei saw Wu Xie sneak up on Gui Wang in mid-air and immediately became furious, ignoring his injuries, roaring with anger as he chased after Wu Xie, disappearing in an instant. As a result, those who fled fled, and those who pursued pursued, leaving only Sha Xue Yan Luo alone.

  At the same time as Gui Wang and Ya Luo's fierce battle, the purple vortex outside Xue Wuxin's body spun faster and faster. The powerful suction force slowly drew in the black light band outside his body. Amidst the loud roar, the twelve ghostly apparitions resisted the strong suction with all their might, accelerating to try and break free from the vortex's restraint. However, no matter how hard they struggled, they were ultimately drawn closer and closer to the depths of the vortex, until after a fierce struggle, they were sucked into it by Xue Wuxin's powerful and mysterious vortex.

  In the vortex, only the twelve ghostly apparitions let out terrified screams, and soon shattered into twelve black streams of gas in the purple glow, gathering together to form a black energy sphere. This black energy sphere gradually shrank as it rotated with the purple glow, its color fading until it transformed into a pale purple energy sphere that was absorbed by Swordless. After absorbing this purple orb containing immense energy, Swordless suddenly burst forth with a dazzling purple radiance, his aura surging threefold in an instant.

  The divine sword rose, a magnificent five-colored radiance burst forth and spread all around, its momentum was incredibly powerful, astonishing to the extreme.

  A glance swept across the Blood Demon King, just in time to see the four Ghost Kings joining forces being blown away. This caused Jian Wucheng's face to change greatly. His figure flashed, and with one sword, he forced back that ghost immortal. Jian Wucheng loudly shouted: "Hurry up and leave, if you're late, you won't be able to escape!" After finishing speaking, a powerful true energy lifted the bodies of the four people, quickly fleeing away.

  As it turned out, when the Blood Reaper's gaze stopped on this side, Lu Yun immediately understood that they had been discovered. Unexpectedly, this Blood Reaper was so formidable that even though the three of them were hiding so secretly, they still managed to detect them, which was truly terrifying. Without saying a word, Lu Yun signaled to the two women with his eyes to calm down and not move. Only when the Blood Reaper shifted its gaze and engaged in battle with the Ghost King and others did Lu Yun and the other two finally breathe a sigh of relief.

  When Lu Yun saw Jian Wucheng devour the twelve ghostly apparitions, his mental divine sense clearly detected that after Jian Wucheng absorbed the energy of those twelve ghostly apparitions, his power increased greatly in an instant. His expression changed slightly, and a hint of gloominess appeared in Lu Yun's eyes, as if he had sensed that Jian Wucheng was hiding some terrifying secret on him, which might pose a huge obstacle to himself in the future. However, what exactly it was, he couldn't guess!

  Suddenly, Lu Yun's face changed as he grasped the jade hands of both women and rapidly escaped. Ao Xue and Cang Yue exchanged a glance, their eyes revealing a hint of shock. It wasn't just because of the terrifying Blood Demon, but also due to Lu Yun's speed, which was so fast that it was unimaginable for the two women. In their impression, Lu Yun's current speed was at least twice as fast as theirs when they flew with all their might using their swords. This was simply unbelievable!

  The gloomy figure gazed at Jian Wucheng and Lu Yun, and a hint of strange color flashed in the eyes of Sha Xue Yan Luo, as if he had sensed something, but did not pursue them. He raised his head to look up at the sky, and let out a loud roar from his mouth, as if shouting angrily at the heavens, venting the frustration in his heart. A blood-red glow burst forth, and a powerful, heaven-shrouding blood mist rapidly spread out in all directions, instantly enveloping the entire green Ghost King City in a gloomy, bloody haze. Amidst the thunderous roar, Sha Xue Yan Luo's figure rose into the air, and in the vast expanse of blood mist, he seemed like the supreme ruler of the heavens, quietly floating in mid-air.

  Dark winds blew by, wisps of bloody mist rose, and the Ghost King City from this moment on became a deep crimson. The Ghost Domain, an invisible calamity, began to sweep across the land from this very moment!

  Xianxia Ridge, Xianjian Gate. Today, a mysterious guest suddenly arrived. At this time, in the Feixian Pavilion of Xianjian Gate, the leader of Xianjian Gate, Xuanshen Sword Master, was communicating with a mysterious middle-aged man. It can be seen that Xuanshen Sword Master is about fifty years old, with an elegant and refined appearance, his expression calm and serene. His opponent, a handsome middle-aged man in his forties, had a faint smile on his face, with a hint of purple light flowing in his eyes. A halo of light surrounded him, vaguely carrying a few wisps of immortal energy.

  Staring at the middle-aged man in surprise, Xuan Xin Jian Zun's eyes kept changing and it wasn't until after a while that he spoke up: "It's you, you weren't already... back then?"

  "It seems you still remember me, it's quite strange to see me now, isn't it? Actually, this time I came to bring something with you and also to discuss a major matter related to the mortal world. By the way, I'm back to take a look at those disciples of yours, to see how they're doing. It's been many years since we last met, your cultivation has improved significantly, reaching the late stage of Returning to Immortality. Now is the time for you to avoid calamity. Hehe, work hard, with your cultivation, you're just one step away." The mysterious middle-aged man said with a calm smile.

  Xuan Xin Jian Zun's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. He looked calmly at the middle-aged man and asked, "I don't know what brings you here this time. By 'Mortal Realm', do you mean the current calamity? The Xianjian Gate has been far removed from worldly affairs for hundreds of years and has long since lost interest in mortal matters. Cultivating truth and refining swords is our purpose. It's actually the Six Institutes of Cultivation that truly slay demons and evil spirits. Why not just go back and say something, wouldn't that resolve everything?"

  With a faint smile, the middle-aged man said: "I naturally know this point, but this time it's a big deal, not only involving the six institutes, but also your Xianjianmen, Wanfuzong, Wuweidao faction, even Tianmo Cult and Mogenshou will be involved.

  At the same time, the three realms of heaven and the three realms of the domain will also be involved, and no one can escape. I'm coming, not just my personal intention, you need to understand this point. This time, I'm just the person in charge of this matter, besides me, there are other people participating. In my plan, I intend to merge the six institutes first, form a six-institute alliance, and another alliance composed of your three factions will assist from the side at critical moments.

  Xuan Xin Jian Zun fell into deep thought, and the Fei Xian Pavilion was suddenly plunged into silence. After a while, Xuan Xin Jian Zun finally spoke up: "This matter, I'm afraid I can't answer you. Given your relationship with our Xian Jian Men, you naturally understand our sect's ancestral teachings, which forbid us from inquiring about mortal affairs. So this time, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed, sorry!"

  With a calm smile, the middle-aged man seemed to have known in advance that there would be such a result, so his expression was not surprised at all.

  Looking at Xuan Xin Jian Zun, the middle-aged man smiled and said: "Your answer didn't escape your master's expectations at all. This time we calculated that you wouldn't agree, so I specially asked for a token from your master. After you see it, you will naturally understand." After finishing speaking, he took out a jade token from his bosom and threw it into Xuan Xin Jian Zun's hand.

  Gazing quietly at the jade symbol in his hand, he saw that it was inscribed with: "Seven stars inverted, great calamity befalls heaven and earth, void becomes real, all under heaven return to the same origin." A faint, subtle sorrow flowed from the eyes of Xuan Xin Jian Zun. Perhaps it was because he missed someone, or perhaps... no one could guess what it was.

  Since there is a master's instruction, I won't say anything more. My Xianjianmen has few disciples, and only twelve of them have cultivation above the Indestructible Realm. This time, I will send six people to enter the world to respond to the calamity. Among my fellow disciples, my junior brother Zhanxin is the one who has entered the world the most times. This time, let him lead five powerful assistants. I wonder who you plan to make the Alliance Master among the Six Institutes? Will it be Tianjian Institute or this year's first place, Yiyuan?

  With a calm smile, the mysterious person said: "This time, it's only natural that the Tianjian Institute takes the lead. After all, in terms of strength, the other five institutes are still no match for them. This time is to jointly respond to this catastrophe, so we must ensure that nothing goes wrong. As for the selection of the alliance master, I already have a few candidates in mind, and they are also from the Tianjian Institute, although they are a bit young. But it's good like this, being decisive in doing things, with everyone assisting on the side, it's just right to let him gain more experience."

  Xuan Xin Jian Zun looked at him and slightly furrowed his brow, saying: "Then what about our three sects? How do you plan to assist the Six Institutes Alliance? Who will lead among the three sects?"

  "We'll send someone to notify you when the time comes, so don't worry about that leader, he's not an ordinary person, he's also from above. Alright, I won't say more now, after I've handled things, I'll come and notify you myself."

  I'll go to the Mantra Sect and the Wuwei Dao now, you prepare some people. The mysterious man smiled and stood up, looked at him, and stepped out.

  Xuan Xin Jian Zun quietly watched the mysterious person leave, with a look of shock in his eyes. As soon as the mysterious person took his first step, his foot didn't touch the ground, and he floated three inches above the air. A purple lotus flower appeared silently under his feet. When he took his second step, his entire body was enveloped in a swirling purple aura, and he slowly disappeared into thin air, like a celestial being, extremely mysterious and mystical!

  Standing quietly in the Fei Xian Pavilion, Xuanshen Sword Emperor gazed out at the wispy clouds outside the window, a hint of sigh escaping his eyes. He raised his hand to look at the jade token in his hand, and saw that at this moment, a faint three-colored light appeared on the token. As the three-colored light appeared, a piece of clear writing appeared before his eyes.

  "Jade token appears, heaven and earth are in chaos, void emerges, seven realms weep. Rebellious heavenly son, ten thousand exterminated, day of encounter, seven realms no more!"

  A soft sigh, the Xuan Xin Sword Master gently put away the jade token and walked out of the Fei Xian Pavilion. A faint sadness, a shallow clear sorrow, in this unintentional moment, lingered in the Fei Xian Pavilion.

  Tai Xuan Mountain, Tian Jian Gate. A mysterious figure appeared in the Heavenly Cave. Looking at Li Changchun who turned around in surprise, the mysterious person smiled and said: "How is it? Don't you recognize me? I remember that when I came last time, you were just over a hundred years old, unexpectedly more than two hundred years have passed since then, how have you been all these years?"

  Looking at the person in front of him, Li Changchun fell into deep thought. Wearing a long linen shirt and having a round face that looked like he was in his sixties, he gently waved a worn-out fan, with a large calabaza hanging from his waist. On his head was a Buddhist crown, which looked somewhat strange. Upon closer inspection, a faint aura of light enveloped him, giving off an air of mystique.

  "Who are you? Could it be that you're the venerable Dao Yuan Feng Lei Zhen Jun, who came to congratulate our family's ancestor on his 300th birthday? I must be seeing things, you've been gone from the mortal world for two hundred years, and it's said that you ascended to the clouds in the realm of law. How is it possible that you're appearing before me now?" Li Chang Chun's face was filled with shock, he couldn't believe his own guess.

  A faint smile, Feng Lei Zhen Jun said: "It seems that your memory is still good, having only seen me once back then, you still remember. For these two hundred years, I have indeed been in the Clouds' Law Realm, this time coming here, is also because of a good friend's entrustment, there are matters to be entrusted to you."

  "Senior, please sit down first and then speak. Is there something that requires you to come all the way from above? Has something big happened in the Cloud Law Realm?" Li Changchun asked while inviting Feng Lei Zhenjun to take a seat.

  Feng Lei Zhen Jun lightly sighed: "This time it's not just the Cloud Law Realm that has a problem, but all three intervals and seven realms have problems."

  From the information we have obtained, this time the trend of Qī Xīng Dào Zhuǎn has been formed, and no one can turn back. When 'Taiyin Bi Ri' appears, the three realms of Yu will return to the human world. At that time, the entire human world, including the three realms of Tian, will be destroyed.

  At that time, almost all the demons and monsters will appear in the seven realms, and the seven realms will face a catastrophe. This time, I came to tell you that we must unite all the forces of the Cultivation Realm together to cope with this disaster. As long as we gather all the power of the Cultivation Realm, we can stop this disaster.

  His face changed, Li Changchun looked at Feng Lei Zhenjun in shock. It took a while for Li Changchun to come back to his senses and wake up from the shock. Lightly, he asked: "Senior, what do you hope I can assist you with this time? As for dealing with the calamity of heaven and earth, my Tianjian Institute is one of the six institutes, naturally not falling behind others. What needs to be done, senior just instruct."

  Feng Lei Zhen Jun said in a deep voice: "This time, the first is to ask you to come forward and unite the six institutes, gather the six institutes together, and form a six-institute alliance. Second, I also want to tell you that at the same time, Xianjianmen, Wanfuzong, and Wúwèi Dào will all send out high-ranking officials to form a three-party alliance, assisting you on the side. In our plan, the six institutes are the main force, while the three-party alliance assists on the side, doing some things that the six institutes cannot do."

  Li Changchun's expression changed slightly as he said, "I naturally cannot shirk this matter, but now my Tiangong Institute is no longer the first of the six institutes. I'm afraid some things can't be done, and seniors should understand this. Now Yiyuan is the first of the six institutes, if I take action, it might not be good."

  "Don't worry about this, I'm not the only one who came this time. There are many fellow practitioners who are also paying attention to this matter, and they will help you with some difficult tasks. For now, although Yi Garden is the first of the six institutes in this generation, in terms of real strength, they are still ranked among the last three in the six institutes. This matter is crucial, and to ensure that nothing goes wrong, we have unanimously decided to let Tianjian Institute take the lead in completing this task. As for the leader of the Six Institutes Alliance, the candidate has already been chosen, and it will come from your Tianjian Institute, but I won't tell you for now. When things are almost settled, we will naturally come forward to announce it. This time, as for the six institutes, Dao Garden will be handled by me, while Bodhi College and Fenghuang Academy don't need you to worry about them. Now, only Ru Garden and Yi Garden are left."

  Li Changchun's face lit up with joy, as if he had realized something. He looked radiant and refreshed. Looking at Feng Lei Zhen Jun, Li Changchun smiled and said: "Since that's the case, then let me take care of the rest. But when do you need me to settle this matter? Now that the Western Shu Ghost Domain Gate has opened, Yi Garden and Ru Garden, along with the people from Phoenix Academy, are all gathered there. If we were to bring up this matter now, it might not be the right time, don't you think?"

  Feng Lei Zhen Jun smiled and said: "Everything is destined, everything is fated. Whether it's early or late, as long as they are separated, they will disperse. As for how to deal with it, it's up to you. As for the matter of the Six Institutes Alliance, it must be completed within three months, and the sooner the better, because the Ghost Domain Gate has opened, and the Magic Domain and Demon Domain Gates will also open soon. The reason for the Six Institutes Alliance is to unite a powerful force in the Cultivation Realm before 'Taiyin Bihai' (the Great Yin Concealing the Sun), in order to cope with that calamity. Alright, I won't stay any longer, work hard!"

  He slowly got up, and the Wind and Thunder True Lord gradually disappeared into the cave. Seeing off the Wind and Thunder True Lord, Li Changchun's face was filled with unspeakable joy, because the words of the Wind and Thunder True Lord just now had already made it very clear. This time's Six Institutes Alliance would be led by the Heavenly Sword Institute, and at that time he might become the master of the Six Institutes Alliance. Just thinking about this, Li Changchun couldn't help but want to throw his head back and let out a long laugh, the lost glory would finally return to his hands again. Haha, what a wonderful thing!

  Among humans, a change has begun from the start, but who will be the beneficiary in the end? Will it be Tiān Jiàn Yuàn, Lǐ Cháng Chūn, Lù Yún, or someone else? At this moment, no one can guess; otherwise, why would Fēng Léi Zhēn Jūn come?