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  Hu Xi Shan, the General Hall of Gui Wang Zong.

  On this road, Gui Li only felt a blank in his mind, with only the mysterious and blurry figure of the woman lingering before his eyes, but he knew clearly that it should be an illusion.

  Isn't it?

  In his daze, he suddenly realized that he had unknowingly returned to his own stone chamber. The stone door was open, and from the outside looking in, it could still be seen that everything inside was in disarray, a result of his earlier inexplicable hand-to-hand combat with the Ghost King.

  He gazed at the desolate scene, remaining silent for a long time. He slowly walked in and found a relatively intact chair beside the broken table, sat down, and became lost in thought.

  The little monkey Xiao Hui ran over from the side, looking like it was still in a low mood. Without saying a word, it climbed onto Gui Li's shoulder and sat down, also staring blankly into space.

  Maybe it's still worried about food!

  One person, one monkey, sat like this for a long time, not making a single sound. The entire stone room seemed exceptionally gloomy. Finally, the ghostly figure suddenly moved and stretched out its hand to pull Xiao Hui down from its shoulder, holding it in front of its body.

  Xiao Hui's three eyes blinked simultaneously as he stared at Gui Li.

  The demon's low voice said: "Xiao Hui, what should I do?"

  The little monkey Xiao Hui was silent, just staring at him.

  The demon seemed to ignore its response and muttered to itself: "This road, how should I walk..."

  In the mountains, one is unaware of the passing years, time slips away like water.

  In the deepest, most hidden part of the Fox Mountain's belly, a massive pool of blood floated with an intense bloody aura. This eerie existence quietly hid in the forgotten corners known to humans, silently sprouting.

  Nature, apart from two people, Gui Wang and Gui Xiansheng.

  In the huge pool of blood, what remained unchanged from before was the massive body of the spiritual beast, still trapped in this bloody water. However, apart from the Qiu Niu and Huang Niao, at this moment, there were two additional figures in the pool of blood. One was a struggling but ultimately helpless alien beast, while the other figure was an enormous monster with a head like that of a legendary dragon and a body almost one circle larger than the Qiu Niu. Since most of its body was hidden beneath the bloody water, its exact shape could not be discerned. Nevertheless, judging from the parts of its body protruding above the water's surface, it could only be imagined to be the "Zhu Long" (Candle Dragon), a demonic beast from the legends of the Demon Sect.

  The tortoise and the yellow bird had been trapped for a long time, and they were already on their last breath, unable to muster up any spirit. The candle dragon looked just as lifeless, devoid of any vitality. Only the glutton, being newly caught, still had some energy left, occasionally letting out angry roars, causing the blood water around it to churn out waves, clearly extremely enraged.

  In this blood pool, there seems to be an abnormal and eerie power that not only imprisons the other three alien beasts but also makes Taotie unable to escape. It can only roar with anger and struggle in vain, ultimately achieving nothing. Moreover, above the blood pool, compared to before, there is another strange phenomenon.

  That mysterious and eerie ancient divine object, the Fow Dragon Cauldron, was now suspended in mid-air five zhang high above the Blood Pool. From the bottom of the cauldron, four ancient tripod legs emitted a pale purple-red light that shot upwards, shining down on the four strange beasts below. From a distance, it was clear that within these seemingly tangible beams of light, there were strands of abundant spiritual energy being forcibly extracted from the bodies of those strange beasts and absorbed into the body of the Fow Dragon Cauldron.

  Because of the constant absorption of the nearly infinite spiritual energy from these alien beasts, the originally ancient and profound appearance of the Fulong Cauldron has also begun to change slowly. The entire cauldron body is enveloped in a steaming auspicious aura, and its original ancient color is gradually fading away, replaced by a warm and jade-like color that is gradually becoming slightly transparent.

  At a glance, it almost makes one think that this is the legendary sacred object of the immortal family, extraordinary and out of the ordinary. It is completely incompatible with the bloody pool below.

  But beneath this ethereal exterior, there was still something different, that mysterious pattern on the inscription of the tripod body. The images of the four strange beasts were bright and dark, symbolizing the giant mirror text of the Fulong Tripod itself, which was also slowly changing color. Only at the top of the pattern, that ferocious god's face was crimson like blood, as if it was greedily absorbing power, about to come alive.

  On a high platform far away from the Blood Pool, the Ghost King and Mr. Ghost stood shoulder to shoulder.

  Mr. Ghost wore all black clothes, and the whole person was still like being shrouded in dark shadows, even standing in front of him, it seemed that his figure could not be seen clearly.

  "At this moment, he was saying in a low voice to the Ghost King: 'Not bad, the inscription on Fulong Ding's body is indeed true. When the four spirits gather together, the chaos will open. At this moment, the blood array of the four spirits has been formed. What's left is to wait for 49 days, and when Fulong Ding gathers the spiritual power of the four spirits, the power of chaos will be enough to open the sky and earth, reopen the "Shura Gate", and you, the sect master, can then control the unparalleled divine power of heaven and earth, and there will be no more enemies.'"

  The Demon King's face turned crimson, his eyes gleaming with an otherworldly light as he stared intently at the Fow Dragon Cauldron in mid-air. He couldn't conceal the excitement on his face and suddenly threw back his head to the sky, bursting into loud laughter.

  The laughter was loud and wild, with a hint of arrogance and recklessness, as if he had already dominated the world. But this arrogant laughter suddenly stopped, the Ghost King's eyebrows furrowed, and he gently covered his chest with his hand, while the red flush on his face instantly retreated, replaced by a pale color.

  But in an instant, a golden light flashed across his face, and soon he had returned to normal.

  The ghostly gentleman stood by, watching the changes in his expression with his discerning eyes, and couldn't help but be taken aback for a moment, slightly astonished, saying: "You've had a magical duel with someone, who is that person, to have such abilities?"

  The Demon King took a deep breath, his expression had completely returned to normal. He closed his eyes for a moment before slowly opening them again, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes as he said in a chilly voice: "Mahavairocana's and Taiji Xuanclear's... are indeed extraordinary skills that are rarely seen in the world. Although they may not be as sharp as my demonic arts, their lingering power is truly terrifying."

  Mr. Gui frowned, a strange light flashing in his eyes, and said: "Is it him? How did you end up fighting with him..."

  "Could it be for a feast?"

  The Demon King grunted, but didn't respond to Mr. Gui's words, only saying lightly, "This child's rapid progress in his cultivation is truly beyond expectations, and it's hard to say whether he will become a calamity in the future..."

  The Demon Master gazed deeply at the Demon King, then shifted his gaze away and said slowly: "For now, the most pressing matter is to prioritize the Four Spirits Blood Formation; if other things can be avoided, then they should be avoided!"

  The Demon King nodded slightly and said, "Not bad, I know what's at stake, don't worry!"

  "However, considering Guī Jiān's current profound and unpredictable Dao, coupled with the strengthening of the Four Spirits Blood Array's absorption of spiritual energy in the future, it will be difficult to conceal the bloody anomalies. With him here, there will inevitably be a few more variables. To avoid accidents, you should find an excuse to send him away!"

  The Demon King fell silent for a moment, then said, "You're right." After speaking, he slightly furrowed his brow, turned around, put his hands behind his back, and slowly walked out of the Blood Pool.

  Watching the King of Ghosts' figure gradually disappear, Mr. Gui slowly turned around, walked to one side of the platform, and looked down.

  The ferocious beast that was struggling desperately just now seemed to have lost its resistance under the double shock of the blood pool and the Fow Long Ding's strange light, and it fell powerlessly into the bloody water, panting constantly.

  Watching this scene, Mr. Gui's black veil slowly emitted a cold and emotionless laugh.

  "Hmm... The Gate of Asura..."

  The footsteps outside the stone gate sounded quite urgent, apparently the person had run over and was in a great hurry.

  Not a moment later, a figure appeared outside the door of Gui Jie's stone chamber, half-kneeling down and saying loudly: "Deputy Sect Master, the Ghost King Sect Master has sent word for you to go meet with him."

  The voice was quite loud, so that in this stone chamber there were still faint echoes coming back, only there was no answer.

  The newcomer was taken aback, but didn't immediately look up. Gui Li was infamous for his ruthlessness within the Demon King Sect of the Devil's Cult, and ordinary disciples rarely dared to approach him, let alone be rude to him.

  That man plucked up his courage, raised his voice and said it again, but still no one responded. He then lifted his head to look inside the stone room, and what entered his eyes was a chaotic scene, but where were Gui Li and Xianglai, the monkey Xiao Hui who had always been with him?

  That man let out a bitter cry, shook his head and strode away with large steps.

  At this moment, Gui Li was walking along the long corridor of Gui Wang Zong, with Monkey Xiao Hui quietly perched on his shoulder. Gui Li's gaze looked forward, although he couldn't see the end of the road, but he was very clear that the end of this corridor led to the residence of the Ghost King.

  "Anyway, I couldn't just stay here doing nothing, right, Xiao Hui?"

  He seemed to be muttering to himself in a low voice, while Little Gray was also lost in thought and didn't notice his owner's words at all.

  But Gui Li didn't care, and with a low, bitter laugh, said: "This has happened several times already. Every time I see hope, it's at the last moment that it all falls apart. But as long as Bi Yao is still lying there, I won't give up hope, right? I know what you're worried about, don't be anxious, wait until I find a way to cure Bi Yao, and then I'll naturally let your friend Ghost return."

  The little monkey Xiao Hui's ears suddenly perked up, and then he let out a "squeak" at the sound of the rain. Gui Li smiled faintly, but his smile didn't linger on his face for long before disappearing again.

  He stood at the entrance of the Ghost King's stone chamber.

  Outside the heavy stone gate, a familiar voice rang out. The Demon King sat upright in his chair, and for some reason, an image of his daughter flashed through his mind. A complex mix of emotions was swirling in his brain.

  The stone gate opened and revealed a terrifying figure.

  "You're here." The Ghost King said calmly.

  "Yes." The ghost nodded slowly, his voice equally flat.

  The two men fell silent, as if nothing had happened between them at all.

  After a moment, Gui Li said: "There's something I want to tell you."

  "Go on!"

  The demon's voice was cold and detached: "You've brought the crowd back here, and I'll bring you back too. If nothing else happens recently, I think I'll go out again to see if I can find a way to save Bi Yao."

  The Demon King's eyebrows furrowed, and he glanced at Gui Li with a look. At this moment, the sound of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the door. The messenger monk rushed over, about to speak in a flurry, when he suddenly saw Gui Li and the Demon King facing each other, and couldn't help but pause for a moment.

  The Demon King quietly waved his hand towards the mountain, and that person hesitated for a moment, bowed and retreated quietly. The Demon King's gaze slowly shifted to Ghostly Cruelty's body, this young man still standing there quietly, looking around the entire demonic sect, at this moment no matter who stood in front of the Demon King would inevitably be terrified, only he seemed to have never been afraid.

  Is this the man whom her daughter has set her heart on?

  "Go!" The Ghost King's voice suddenly seemed to have a few more parts of fatigue.

  Guilei nodded silently, not long ago that duel, although they both pretended to be nothing, but obviously, their originally not close relationship seemed to have become even more distant.

  He turned around and walked out, but just as he was about to step over the threshold, suddenly, his body paused for a moment. A strange and eerie aura, unknown from where it came, seemed to have suddenly placed him in the depths of a blood-filled abyss, making it hard to breathe, like a massive wave crashing down, the bloody air was like a catastrophic disaster, roaring violently beside his ears.

  The ghost's face changed in an instant!

  But this strange and eerie atmosphere was like a fleeting dream that vanished instantly, and the surroundings returned to normal.

  The Demon King's voice echoed slowly from behind, flat and devoid of any emotion, "What is it?"

  The ghost stood with its back to him, paused for a moment, and said faintly, "Nothing."

  After finishing speaking, he slowly walked away.

  The stone gate, behind him on the slow platform, when it was completely merged with the stone wall, Gui Li suddenly made a swift turn, and the sharp light flashed in his eyes, deeply staring at the stone gate of Gui Wang. His gaze was profound and difficult to understand, as if there were still a few points of confusion.

  The ghost king inside the stone room also stared at the stone gate for a long time with an expressionless face, as if thinking about something, but finally shook his head and walked to the other end of the stone room. He tapped on the stone wall in a certain place, and after a moment, what seemed to be a complete stone wall surprisingly moved aside, revealing a secret passageway that only one person could pass through. A strong bloody smell also emanated from that passageway.

  The King of Ghosts walked in with an expressionless face, and the stone wall slowly closed behind him.

  In a certain place in Central Earth, it is already thousands of miles away from South Border, but it's actually closer to Qingyun Mountain.

  This is a desolate mountain wilderness, rarely visited by humans. The mountains rise and fall as far as the eye can see, with a long river flowing through them.

  If we consider the geography in detail, this nameless mountain range should be part of the vast and boundless Qingyun Mountain Range, and that long river winding through the mountains is also an upstream tributary of the river outside the city walls. However, after all, it is far away from the Qingyun spiritual vein, so only fierce beasts appear, and there is no hint of sacred or spiritual energy.

  It was just forgotten in this world, but today it broke its silence.

  Two figures flashed across the sky, chasing each other in pursuit. The one in front was a lone dark silhouette, while the one behind shone with a dazzling light, both moving as swiftly as lightning. The dark figure darted up and down in mid-air, suddenly plummeting into the desolate forest, twisting and turning with incredible agility, yet the gray shadow pursuing him from behind seemed to possess unfathomable magical powers, countering every move, closely tailing him without ever falling back by half a step, and was gradually closing in on him.

  Suddenly, the black shadow in front seemed to know that it was temporarily impossible to shake off the pursuit of the person behind him. In a swift and rapid dash, his body suddenly stopped, and instantly, the black shadow trembled, as if nailed to the spot. And almost at the same time, the black shadow quickly turned around, and with its right hand, it swiftly pointed five times in mid-air.

  Again, the sound of "hū hū" rose, and in this desolate forest, under the bright daylight, five dark fires suddenly appeared. In the flames, fierce skulls were faintly visible, and with a howling wind, it was as if the afterimage was pouncing on him from behind.

  That gray shadow instantly arrived in front of him, but also stopped as soon as he said so. He was fully focused, yet it was as if he were facing a great enemy. Obviously, he didn't dare to underestimate these five points of dark fire. After a moment, only the gray shadow's hands flashed with a cold light, and he took out a crystal-clear, double-edged, tubular magic treasure.

  As soon as the treasure appeared, a layer of white frost instantly covered the ground and withered branches nearby, and the surrounding temperature suddenly dropped. Five dark fires came like the wind, and the gray shadow's treasure rotated in mid-air, absorbing all five dark fires onto its body.

  A moment later, like fire meeting cold ice, the five points of Yin Fire slowly dimmed and eventually disappeared.

  The dark light and gray gas also gradually dispersed.

  "Nine Cold Congealing Ice Needles...... indeed a formidable treasure!" The black-clad man said calmly, with a tone that was both admiring and regretful, yet without any hint of anger.

  Standing opposite to him was an old man in grey, who was none other than the second most powerful person in Nangong Xiang's Furnace Valley, Shangguan Ce. And the treasure in his hand was naturally the Nine Cold Ice Stab that had once made even the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox somewhat wary.

  Shangguan Ce smiled wryly at the sound of the rain, his voice low and husky as he said, "To be able to gain your praise, you witch, is truly not easy!"

  This man in black was actually the witch who escaped from the Magic Ancient Cave in Nanjiang on that day, but it is unknown why he became entangled with Shangguan Ce in this way.

  The witch suddenly softened her tone and said, "Old friend, our friendship is not just a day or two old, why do you still insist on pressuring me?"

  Shangguan Ce said calmly, "My purpose has already been stated to you, no other meaning. We, the masters of Fengxiang Valley, want to meet with Your Excellency and discuss some matters in depth. That's why we invite Your Excellency to move to Fengxiang Valley, it's that simple."

  The witch shook her head and smiled bitterly, saying: "That Valley Master Shixiong of yours has a mind that's too deep, I may be immortal in this world, but I'm not as good as him. Moreover, aren't you still unclear about our intentions? It's just for the secrets of our witch clan, isn't it?"

  Shangguan Ce snorted and said, "You know that's good. Now the southern border is in a mess, the five tribes are in chaos, it's just right for Huo Xiang Gu to come out and take charge of the overall situation. Moreover, we don't have evil intentions either. In any case, we're much better than those cruel and evil beast demons."

  The witch stared at him deeply and said: "The secret of the Witch Clan's Heavenly Fire, I really don't know. Old friend, considering our many years of friendship, just let me off!"

  Shangguan Ce shook his head and said, "I am also helpless."

  After finishing speaking, in his hand the Nine Cold Condensing Ice Stab slowly drew a semicircle in mid-air, emitting an intense cold aura, once again pressing forward towards the Witch Demon.

  The witch stood still, unsure if she had already realized that it was impossible to escape the pursuit of Shangguan Ce, and had given up trying. She spoke faintly: "Old friend, this world is vast, and everything changes unpredictably. I didn't follow my mistress and brother into the underworld back then because I wanted to take advantage of being alive to see the world's many wonders again. Can't you even give me the chance to fulfill this small wish?"

  Shangguan Ce let out a cold snort and didn't bother to respond, clearly not believing it one bit. At this moment, he had already closed in on the witch's body to within three feet, but just as he was about to make his move, his face suddenly changed color and his eyes fixed intently on the ground.

  Only in the daytime, under the shining sunlight, the body of the witch seemed to be floating and drifting, but there was no sign of a shadow, and her body swayed gently with the wind, as if it were about to float away.

  Shangguan Ce's body moved, and in the blink of an eye, he was already in front of Wu Yao. The Nine Cold Congealing Ice stabbed down from above, and instantly a cold light appeared with an unstoppable momentum, splitting Wu Yao into two halves from the middle. However, these two halves of the body suddenly turned into black smoke, quickly dispersing in the air.

  Shangguan Ce's face turned red with anger, and he realized that he had once again fallen for the witch's obstacle technique. With a fierce stomp of his foot, he leapt into the air, gazing around in all directions, only to see a black shadow fleeing far away towards the north. Without another word, he transformed into a gray light and chased after it.