"Roar—!"
The black-spot monsters, whose skin was so thick that even flying swords could not pierce it, let out blood-curdling screams as they were entangled by the Soul-Hooking Chain.
The black spots on their bodies were inherently laden with sinful karma. When they encountered instruments of punishment for evil, they dissolved and dissipated frantically.
In the blink of an eye, countless black-spot monsters were strangled into fragments, turning into black water that soaked into the ground.
The two worked with perfect synergy—one soothing and guiding, the other suppressing and slaughtering.
Soon, the chaotic drill grounds were brought under control by their sheer force.
Xiao Bai stood in the center of the drill grounds, her gaze sweeping over all the ghosts present.
She could sense that these malevolent ghosts crawling out of hell were very strange.
Their souls were completely blank, without any record of merit or fault, like a clean sheet of paper.
But her Mourning Staff told her otherwise.
Some of these ghosts were heinous criminals, while others possessed merit. It was just that those records of merit and fault had been forcibly stripped away by some existence, which was why they appeared blank.
"So that's how it is..." Xiao Bai murmured. "Merit and fault were stolen, leaving the souls blank. That is why they are insane, and why they were so easily corrupted by the dragon vein corpse qi."
She lifted her head and looked toward the palace, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.
"No matter what entity collected the merits and faults of these malevolent ghosts, it has no right."
"The records of merit and fault should be managed by the Lord."
"The judgment of good and evil should be determined by the Lord."
"The order of the world should be established by the Lord."
"Any existence that dares to overstep its bounds or twist the rules is an enemy of the Lord."
Another tremor shook the earth, and even more malevolent ghosts and black-spot monsters surged out.
Xiao Bai gripped her Mourning Staff and whispered, "May my sword of rewarding good guide the lost; fortune at first sight."
"Reopen the path of reincarnation for the true god; grant the good souls a peaceful afterlife, free from hunger and cold."
Xiao Ye stood back-to-back with her, lashing out with his chains.
"May my sword of punishing evil suppress all sinful karma; peace under heaven."
"Clear the turbid path for my Lord; return peace to the mortal world and bring all evil to justice."
...
Atop the Star-Picking Platform, ghost qi surged toward the sky.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Chen Zhou manipulated the sky-filling bone spears and giant hands of defiled earth, clashing frantically with the Judge.
They were fighting for control over a newly emerged Dragon-Suppressing Stake.
On the periphery, Cangming, Tuoba Feng, and Jian Huaishuang were doing their best to hold back the army of ghosts and monsters that flooded in like a tsunami.
Because Chen Zhou was focusing all his strength on dealing with the Judge, he had no energy to clear the field.
Thus, the task of dealing with the minions fell onto their shoulders.
"Damn it, why are there so many!"
Although Yin Wudao was also among those being besieged, he couldn't care about the bigger picture right now.
It was true that he had summoned the Judge, but the malevolent ghosts and black-spot monsters from hell clearly recognized no master, biting anyone they saw.
Yin Wudao was currently dodging the attacks of the malevolent ghosts in a sorry state.
After the Judge left his body, he had lost the protection of the black light. His strength had decreased significantly, and he could barely protect himself against the endless ghosts.
By his side, only a single old eunuch remained, loyally guarding him.
The old eunuch looked withered and hunched, as if he would fall over from a gust of wind, but his strikes were incredibly vicious.
His ten fingers were like hooks, shredding a malevolent ghost with every swipe.
The aura radiating from him was actually at the peak of the sixth-stage.
"Your Highness, watch out!"
A malevolent ghost found an opening and lunged at Yin Wudao.
The old eunuch didn't have time for anything else; he suddenly turned around and blocked the ghost's sharp claws with his own body.
Pfft!
A gash was torn across the old eunuch's back. His eyes turned fierce as he backhanded the ghost, sending it flying.
"You..."
Yin Wudao looked at the blood-covered old eunuch, a complex emotion flashing in his blind left eye.
At this moment, only this single old servant remained by his side.
"Do not worry, Your Highness. This old servant is fine."
The old eunuch stayed hunched over, guarding Yin Wudao with his life.
"As long as this old servant still has a breath in him, I will never let these filthy things touch even a hair of Your Highness."
On the other side.
"Pfft!"
Cangming spat out a mouthful of blood, his grip on his halberd becoming unstable.
He not only had to fight the frontal tide of ghosts but also had to constantly maintain the water screen to block the Buddhist light. The drain on his energy was immense.
"I can't do this anymore! It's too much!"
Cangming roared, "Tuoba, do you have any more coffin lids?"
"Smash them a few more times!"
Tuoba Feng was also covered in dark qi. Many members of his heroic spirit legion had already been injured, and they were currently swinging their blades with gritted teeth.
"None left! If I smash them any more, I'll be shattering my ancestors!"
Only Jian Huaishuang remained expressionless.
The paper people legion behind him had been replaced wave after wave.
These paper people were converted from disciples of the Corpse Soul Sect; they felt no pain and could not die. If they were torn, he simply used death qi to patch them back together so they could keep fighting.
They were like a white city wall, trading injury for injury, holding back the impact of the ghost tide in the most tragic way possible.
Even when the paper people were about to crumble, they would lung forward to hug a malevolent ghost, taking several down with them.
Just then.
A blue light suddenly glowed in Cangming's robe.
It was a message from the Sea Emperor.
Cangming was startled and quickly diverted a sliver of his divine sense to connect.
"Father?"
The Sea Emperor's voice came from the other side, sounding exceptionally weak.
"Cangming... cough cough..."
"Something has happened in the Eastern Region."
Cangming's heart skipped a beat. "What happened?"
"Just now, after several earthquakes..."
The Sea Emperor's voice was intermittent, and the background noise was filled with the roar of waves and the crashing of collapsing buildings.
"For some reason, the black spots in the Eastern Region suddenly became frenzied."
"The sea eye can no longer be suppressed."
"The monsters that were frozen in ice have all woken up."
Upon hearing this, Cangming felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to his head.
He knew exactly how brutal the black-spot monsters were. If the sea eye was lost and the disaster spread, the Hanhai Dragon Palace would be the first to suffer.
He looked at the crumbling Star-Picking Platform and the black qi constantly rising from the ground.
He understood.
The provincial capital was upstream of the Eastern Region. The abnormalities here had traveled through the ley lines to the Eastern Region.
After sounds of fighting continued for a long time on the other end, the Sea Emperor managed to focus his mind again and asked cautiously.
"Cangming, is the earthquake in the Eastern Region related to the provincial capital?"
"I felt the tremors coming from the direction of the provincial capital."
"Is the Dragon Ancestor alright?"
"The Eastern Region is about to reach its limit. The Black Shark Army has lost fifty percent of its men. Cang Che has taken the remaining whale guard to the trench to hold it personally."
"I wonder when the Dragon Ancestor... will return?"
This series of questions felt like a knife to Cangming's heart.
He could hear the hope in his father's voice, and then he looked up at Chen Zhou, who was currently wreaking havoc in the air.
The Dragon Ancestor was strong, truly strong.
But right now, he was held back by that damn Judge and could not leave.
Moreover, this ghost of a place, the Star-Picking Platform, was currently sealed by the rules of the Golden Buddha. No one could enter or leave.
Even if the Lord wanted to save them, he couldn't get there!
"Father..."
Cangming gritted his teeth and said loudly, "The Dragon Ancestor is fine!"
"The Lord's divine power is unmatched. He is currently suppressing the culprit behind the earthquakes."
"But..." Cangming's voice lowered. "Because the Lord is currently in a final battle against a false god, he cannot leave."
"There is no way... there is no way he can return to the Eastern Region to provide reinforcements."
There was a long, dead silence on the other end of the communication.
Only the sound of waves crashing could be heard, each one more mournful than the last.
After a long time, the Sea Emperor's voice came through again.
"Good."
"That is good."
The Sea Emperor seemed to chuckle, sounding quite heroic.
"Since the Dragon Ancestor is handling a great matter, we must not let him be distracted."
"The children of our Eastern Region will not be a burden to the Dragon Ancestor."
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