The memories of all humanity are awakening, except for mine.

Tang Zhizhi struggled to sit up, and Jiang Chuan quickly reached out to support her.

"I...I am a little weak, but I am still conscious."

Jiang Chuan and Tang Zhizhi rested for a while. Tang Zhizhi felt her strength had recovered somewhat, so she suggested:

"Senior brother, we don't know how long we'll have to stay in this Dragon Trapped Abyss. We need to find some food."

There was a landslide last night; perhaps some fruit trees slid down with it. I'll go check both ends of the canyon.

Jiang Chuan looked worried: "Zhizhi, your body has not yet recovered. This Trapped Dragon Abyss is fraught with danger, and I am really worried about you."

Tang Zhizhi comforted him, "Senior brother, I will be careful. Everyone needs to replenish their strength now, I'll go and come back quickly."

After much hesitation, Jiang Chuan finally agreed to Tang Zhizhi's proposal.

Tang Zhizhi picked up his sword and walked eastward.

Jiang Chuan stood there, watching her leave, feeling vaguely uneasy, yet unable to explain why.

Xu Peng also kept watching Tang Zhizhi's departing figure, his eyes revealing complex emotions.

Tang Zhizhi walked along the canyon, surrounded by jagged rocks, with the wind whistling through the valley.

Upon reaching the eastern end of the canyon, a pile of boulders came into view.

Tang Zhizhi was carefully searching for traces of the fruit trees when suddenly, the ground beneath his feet began to shake violently without warning.

Before she could react, the boulder beside her rolled down.

With a loud crash, Tang Zhizhi was buried under the rubble.

Kongkong, who was perched in the tree, witnessed this scene and cried out in terror, "Oh no! Tang Zhizhi is buried!"

Upon hearing the noise, Jiang Chuan ran towards the direction from which the sound came without hesitation.

His figure sped through the canyon, kicking up layers of dust beneath his feet.

When they arrived at the scene, they saw piles of rubble, but Tang Zhizhi was nowhere to be seen.

Jiang Chuan used all his strength to move the boulders, his fingernails snapping from the force, blood trickling down his fingertips, but he was completely unaware.

Just when Jiang Chuan was almost in despair, a hand reached out from the crack in the rock and grabbed his hand.

Jiang Chuan was initially delighted, but when he looked at the hand, he was so shocked that he gasped.

Tang Zhizhi opened her eyes, and those eyes, which should have been lively, had now turned into eerie ghost eyes, with a ghostly green light that exuded endless gloom in the darkness.

"Zhizhi, you..." Jiang Chuan's voice trembled, his fear beyond words.

Tang Zhizhi's voice became hoarse and unfamiliar: "Jiang Chuan, I have been possessed by a ghost, but I still retain some rationality."

There are some things I need to tell you.

Jiang Chuan suppressed his fear and calmed himself, asking, "What happened? Why did you become like this?"

Tang Zhizhi said, "Xu Peng is dead."

The Dragon-Trapping Abyss where we are located has no Spirit-Suppressing Stones at all.

Our inner energy was suppressed because Xu Peng used Soul Nails to pin down our acupoints.

Jiang Chuan was struck dumb, and said in disbelief, "This...how is this possible? Why would Xu Peng do this?"

Tang Zhizhi continued, "His goal is to seize the Demon Prison Sword, which is an evil artifact that can control ghosts."

He wants to possess your body to gain the power of the Demon Prison Sword.

He had tried before but failed because there was something in your consciousness that he feared.

Jiang Chuan was filled with countless questions: "Then why did you possess Zhi Zhi's body? And where is Xu Peng's corpse?"

Tang Zhizhi looked towards the pool and said, "Xu Peng's body is in the pool."

I survived because I possessed Tang Zhizhi's body. I have a suggestion.

Jiang Chuan looked at her warily and asked, "What suggestion?"

Tang Zhizhi said earnestly, "I will help you pull out the Demon Prison Sword, and you will help me escape from the Dragon-Trapping Abyss and kill Xu Peng."

"As long as you pull out the Demon Prison Sword, the Soul Nails inside your body will be deflected, and you will be able to restore your true energy."

Jiang Chuan hesitated. The Demon Prison Sword was an evil object and should not be touched.

But in the current situation, it seems there is no better choice.

Tang Zhizhi seemed to see through his thoughts and continued, "The Demon Prison Sword is an evil object, but you have a pure yang constitution and a strong soul, which is enough to resist its influence."

Furthermore, possessing this sword might temper your Dao heart, which isn't entirely a bad thing for you.

Jiang Chuan was torn between his inner conflict and his instinctive resistance to evil beings, as well as the rare chance of survival in his current desperate situation.

After thinking for a long time, he said, "Okay, I promise you."

But if you dare to try anything funny, I will definitely not let you off the hook.

Tang Zhizhi nodded: "Don't worry, I also want to leave this Dragon-Trapping Abyss. Our interests are aligned."

Jiang Chuan remained calm on the surface as Tang Zhizhi, who was possessed by a ghost, uttered those astonishing words, but his heart was filled with turmoil.

He looked at the familiar yet strange body before him, his lips parted slightly, but he didn't know where to begin.

Tang Zhizhi's hoarse voice rang out again, "I was buried under the rubble, but I was not actually injured. The space below is quite large."

Jiang Chuan snapped out of his daze, looked at the mountain of rubble, and without saying a word, used both hands to lift a huge rock.

But the boulder was heavy, and his progress was extremely slow. Sweat covered his forehead and slid down his cheeks.

"Jiang Chuan, this opportunity only comes tonight. If we miss it, none of us will survive."

Tang Zhizhi urged.

Jiang Chuan already harbored doubts about Xu Peng. Recalling that he had not felt the suppression of the Spirit Suppression Stone at Hulao Pass, but could not sense any true energy at this Kunlong Abyss, he suspected that Xu Peng's words might be untrue.

This ghost general claims that anyone can become the sword master after drawing the Demon Prison Sword, but this statement is hard to believe entirely, since the ghost general might also betray him.

“Xu Peng, he…” Jiang Chuan hesitated.

Tang Zhizhi saw through his thoughts and said, "His intentions are impure, and his words cannot be entirely trusted."

But right now, by drawing the Demon Prison Sword, you can restore your true energy and re-establish contact with the Mountain Spirit—this is a chance for survival.

The Mountain Spirit is powerful, and if he could help, Jiang Chuan would have a better chance of dealing with Xu Peng and the Ghost General. However, Jiang Chuan was worried that the Mountain Spirit might not actually help him.

"Since things have come to this, we have no choice but to give it a try."

Jiang Chuan made up his mind.

At Tang Zhizhi's prompting, Jiang Chuan looked around and found a piece of black jade, which he used as a lever to pry open the boulder.

After some effort, the boulder moved, and he quickly bent down and pulled Tang Zhizhi out.

Tang Zhizhi's eyes were closed, and she was unconscious, but fortunately there were no external injuries.

Xu Peng stepped forward and asked, "How is the situation?"

"He is only unconscious, not injured."

Jiang Chuan looked up at Xu Peng, his gaze filled with scrutiny.

Kongkong, hiding in the tree, sensed that Xu Peng was acting strangely, but dared not say anything and could only worry anxiously.

Jiang Chuan and Xu Peng each harbored their own thoughts, appearing calm on the surface but their hearts were in turmoil.

"Jiang Chuan, proceed according to plan."

Xu Peng broke the silence, "Let Kongkong bleed to attract the ghost general, then you dive into the pool, retrieve the item at the bottom, and drip your blood to bind it to your master."

Jiang Chuan glanced at Xu Peng, nodded, walked towards Kong Kong, and said softly, "Kong Kong, I'm sorry to have wronged you."

Kongkong pulled out a dagger and slashed his wrist, blood gushing out.

"Brother Jiang Chuan, be careful." Kong Kong's voice trembled.

Jiang Chuan arrived at the edge of the pool, gazing at its deep, dark water. He glanced back at Kong Kong cheering him on from the cliff, then leaped into the pool.

The icy water enveloped him, and Jiang Chuan shivered from the cold, but he endured the chill and dived towards the bottom of the pool.

He could feel the water pressure increasing and the chill becoming more intense as he descended.

A roar came from the surface of the pool, and Jiang Chuan knew that the ghost general had been drawn out.

He dared not be distracted and continued to dive deeper into the pool.

The cold air at the bottom of the pool was biting, and Jiang Chuan felt his body gradually stiffen, as if it were about to crack open.

Just when he was about to give up, a faint light came into view.

He looked closely and saw a sword stuck in a corner of jagged rocks, its blade radiating a sinister aura—it was the Demon Prison Sword.

Jiang Chuan wanted to get closer to the Demon Prison Sword, but every step was extremely difficult.

The Demon Prison is rumored to be a place where all ghosts are annihilated. The sword exudes a chilling ghostly aura, and Jiang Chuan felt an unprecedented sense of oppression as soon as he approached.

To survive, he steeled his resolve and reached out to grasp the hilt of the sword.

In an instant, the sword seemed to come alive and began to frantically absorb his blood.

Jiang Chuan felt extremely cold, dizziness struck, and his soul felt like it was being pulled out of his body.

At the critical moment of life and death, he vaguely heard a sigh, and a pair of hands held him up, preventing him from sinking to the bottom of the pool.

Jiang Chuan mustered all his strength and shouted, "Come out here!"

With this roar, he successfully pulled out the Demon Prison Sword.

The rust on the sword peeled off in a rustling sound, releasing a powerful ghostly aura that formed a huge vacuum.

Jiang Chuan felt a powerful force surge into his body, and his originally severely injured body recovered at a speed visible to the naked eye. His innate pure yang true qi circulated rapidly, repairing the damaged meridians.

He suddenly felt his mind and heart clear, his hearing and vision sharpened, and his cultivation level was greatly improved.

As if sensing its master's pleasure, the Demon Prison Sword rang out louder and louder, its ghostly aura becoming even more sinister. It stirred the pool water, creating a huge whirlpool and opening up a channel for the river to flow out.

Jiang Chuan rode his sword and rushed out of the pool along the whirlpool.

"Brother Jiang Chuan!"

Kongkong, perched on the cliff, was overjoyed to see the river emerge from the water, jumping and leaping with delight.

Xu Peng was pacing anxiously by the pool when he saw Jiang Chuan emerge from it. He was overjoyed at first, but when he saw Jiang Chuan's cold eyes, he sensed something was wrong.

Jiang Chuan ignored Xu Peng and walked straight toward him.

Xu Peng guessed that Jiang Chuan might know something, and his expression turned gloomy.

"Xu Peng, I have become the Sword Master of the Demon Prison. The ghosts in this abyss are all my sword slaves," Jiang Chuan said coldly.

Xu Peng forced himself to remain calm and said, "Jiang Chuan, this ghost general is too troublesome. Let's join forces to kill it, and we'll split the treasures of the Dragon Trapping Abyss equally."

Jiang Chuan snorted coldly: "Do you think I'll still believe you? I already know about your scheme."

Today is the day you die!"

Xu Peng's expression changed drastically: "Since that's the case, then don't blame me for being impolite!"

Having said that, he drew his ancient sword, his spiritual power surging around him, and attacked Jiang Chuan.

Jiang Chuan swung the Demon Prison Sword, its blade surging with ghostly energy, colliding with Xu Peng's attack.

With a deafening roar, the powerful impact distorted the surrounding air.

Jiang Chuan unleashed the sword techniques from the Five Elements Sword Manual, combined with the ghostly aura of the Demon Prison Sword, and fought Xu Peng to a standstill.

Xu Peng was strong, but under the restraint of the Demon Prison Sword, he gradually fell into a disadvantageous position.

Jiang Chuan seized the opportunity and chanted, "Thunder Light Sword Technique, Thunderclap Guide!"

As soon as he finished speaking, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and a thick bolt of lightning, accompanied by rolling thunder, struck towards Xu Peng.

"Boom!"

Lightning bolts continued to strike the canyon. Xu Peng struggled desperately amidst the lightning, his clothes being struck and ignited with black flames.

He brandished his ancient sword, trying to block the heavenly lightning, but it was all in vain.

"Jiang Chuan, you..." Xu Peng roared, but was interrupted by a bolt of lightning.

Jiang Chuan's gaze was icy, and he made a hand seal again, causing several more bolts of lightning to strike down.

Xu Peng was unable to dodge in time and was struck by lightning, spitting out blood and swaying precariously.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Jiang Chuan threw out several disposable flying swords, which were wrapped in ghostly energy and stabbed towards Xu Peng.

With a few "whoosh" sounds, all the flying swords disappeared into Xu Peng's body.

Xu Peng looked unwilling, and finally his spirit dissipated and disappeared from the spot.

After Xu Peng died, Jiang Chuan sheathed the Demon Prison Sword, suppressed his internal injuries, and quickly walked to Tang Zhizhi's side, picking her up in his arms.

At this moment, Kongkong also came down from the cliff and ran to Jiang Chuan's side.

The soul nails on Kongkong and Tang Zhizhi have quietly disappeared.

Jiang Chuan, carrying Tang Zhizhi, flew towards the canyon exit on his sword.

As soon as they rushed out of the canyon, they saw Jiang Wei, Su Wen, and Wang Han guarding the entrance.

Jiang Wei, with his sharp eyes, spotted Jiang Chuan and hurriedly went to greet him.

"Jiang Chuan, what's wrong with you guys?"

Jiang Wei took Tang Zhizhi and asked with concern.

Jiang Chuan simply said, "We encountered evil spirits in the canyon. In order to escape, I used lightning to strike and kill them, which allowed us to get away."

Su Wen looked into the depths of the Dragon Trapping Abyss: "This Dragon Trapping Abyss is teeming with evil spirits. It's fortunate that you were able to come out."

Wang Han patted Jiang Chuan on the shoulder: "Thank you for your hard work. Let's find a place for Tang Zhizhi to heal her wounds first."

Su Wen had been keeping an eye on Jiang Chuan, and now his gaze fell on the Demon Prison Sword at Jiang Chuan's waist. A chilling and evil aura emanated from him, and Su Wen shivered.

Jiang Chuan noticed Su Wen's gaze and met his eyes. Su Wen froze on the spot.

Jiang Chuan spoke up: "Su Wen, this matter is complicated. Let's talk about it with Xue Xing."

Su Wen snapped out of his daze and nodded silently.

Jiang Wei broke the silence first: "Jiangchuan, something big has happened in the northern border."

A savage beast has appeared. Chunyangzi, the leader of the Cloud Sea Immortal Sect, and Master Yuantong of the Hanging Temple, who were discussing Daoist principles in the Qilian Mountains, were devoured by the beast, their fates unknown.

"what?"

Jiang Chuan was shocked, "The Sect Leader and Master Yuantong... what should we do?"

Upon hearing that his master might have perished, Kongkong turned pale and anxiously said, "No, I have to find my senior brother Kongchan!"

Su Wen looked at Kong Kong: "Kong Kong, your senior brother may have already returned to the Hanging Temple. Go quickly."

Kongkong didn't dare to delay and left in a hurry.

Jiang Chuan and the others then realized that the appearance of the savage behemoth had thrown the situation in the northern border into chaos.

On the night the giant beast appeared, the Hanging Temple was almost wiped out, and the ancient ferocious beast Taotie, which was suppressed in the temple, was also released.

The beast tide of Qilian Mountains swept through Cangzhou County, causing widespread devastation and destroying the previous achievements of the four righteous sects in the northern border. Public opinion criticized the four sects' decisions.

"At the beginning of the year, the four righteous sects joined forces to besiege five demonic sects in the western region, and they had already won," Jiang Wei said with a grim expression. "But the savage beasts that have awakened in the Qilian Mountains have changed everything."

The Cloud Sea Immortal Sect, the Azure Nether Sword Sect, the Fire God Mountain, and the Hanging Temple all suffered heavy damage.

The Hanging Temple was almost completely wiped out, Guangcheng Mountain was reduced to a living hell, the situation in the western border was tense, and Cangzhou County was in complete disarray.

Jiang Chuan felt a sense of unease: "With the sect leader's fate unknown, the situation in the Northern Territory is likely to descend into chaos." (End of Chapter)