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

The sword energy, undiminished in its force, pressed straight towards the Ghost King's face.

The Ghost King's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly parried with his sword.

He was knocked back more than ten steps, and a hideous crack appeared on his armor.

"How can it be!"

The Ghost King stared in disbelief at his armor. This armor, bestowed upon him by the Ghost Emperor, had been cleaved in two by a single sword strike.

The mountain spirit gave him no chance to breathe, and in a flash, it was already in front of the ghost king. The unadorned sword thrust out, yet it made the ghost king feel the threat of death.

"stop!"

A loud shout came.

Shi Chaoyuan rushed into the outer hall, his demonic energy surging, forcefully intervening in the battle.

He was covered in blood, clearly having fought his way in.

The celestial demon, transformed into an Asura, charged into the hall against the tide of Yin soldiers.

His eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at the Ghost King.

"A traitor to the demon race!"

The Ghost King sneered.

"So they are remnants of the Heavenly Demon Clan."

The Heavenly Demon roared and was about to step forward when he was interrupted by a figure that suddenly barged in.

Ah Gui carried the old blind man into the outer hall. Wherever they went, the ghost soldiers gave way, and some even knelt down only to be trampled underfoot.

"A ghost?"

Jiang Chuan looked at her in surprise.

Ah Gui's face was contorted in rage, veins bulging, and horns bristling, as he endured immense pain.

She put the old blind man down, a fierce glint flashing in her eyes.

The Ghost King's gaze fell on Ah Gui, and his expression suddenly changed.

"It's you?!"

Ah Gui did not respond. Her eyes struggled slightly when Jiang Chuan called out to her, but were quickly replaced by ferocity.

The old blind man coughed as he got up.

"Be careful, the bloodline within her is awakening."

The current Holy Maiden of the Night Ghost Clan, Xin Gui, staggered into the outer hall.

She was covered in wounds and had blood at the corner of her mouth, clearly having been through a fierce battle.

Seven people suddenly gathered in the outer hall, and the atmosphere became tense.

The Ghost King surveyed the crowd and suddenly sneered.

"Anyone who trespasses into the Underworld Palace will be killed without mercy!"

As soon as he finished speaking, eighteen figures appeared behind the eighteen ever-burning lamps.

Each one exuded a supreme level of pressure—the Eighteen Ghost Generals!
Eighteen supreme beings of the fourth realm—this lineup is enough to sweep away most of the forces in the Nine Provinces.

"Join forces and kill the Ghost King first!"

Shi Chaoyuan made a suggestion, but no one responded.

Strangely, the moment the eighteen ghost generals made their move, everyone else moved at the same time.

Outside the Blood Mountain Underworld Palace, sword energy surged like dragons, and killing intent surged like a tide.

"Brother Lu!"

Jiang Chuan let out a loud shout, and the mountain spirit mark between his eyebrows suddenly burst forth with a dazzling emerald light.

The light enveloped his entire body, surrounding him completely.

His momentum surged, and his inner turmoil churned, producing a thunderous roar.

"Half-step supreme!"

The Ghost King's pupils contracted sharply, and the Demon Prison Sword in his hand emitted a piercing buzzing sound.

Jiang Chuan pulled the black jade sword from the chess pieces. The sword was as black as night, yet it gleamed with a chilling light that made one's heart tremble.

He felt as if he held the reins of power over the world, and the surging power within him made him let out a long roar.

"kill!"

The eighteen ghost generals suddenly sprang up, their swords flashing and their shadows forming a net as they pounced on the people in the outer hall.

The Ghost King locked his gaze on Jiang Chuan, his figure flashing.

"With the death of the sword master, the sword spirit will perish!"

"Delusion!"

The mountain spirit's butterfly-shaped robes fluttered, and two sword energies shot out, one red and one gray, aiming straight for the ghost king's face.

The sword energy was extremely sharp, and wherever it passed, tiny cracks appeared in the space.

"Magnolia carp!"

With a shout, the mountain spirit unleashed a torrent of sword energy, sweeping across the entire outer hall like a cascading silver river.

The ground cracked, the walls collapsed, and several of the eighteen ghost generals were thrown backward by the shock.

The Ghost King was so angry that he laughed instead.

"The River of Three Crossings!"

The Demon Prison Sword was swung out, and its eerie sword energy transformed into a long black river, colliding violently with the Mountain Demon's sword energy.

"boom--"

The shockwave from the collision of the two terrifying forces sent everyone flying.

Tian Gui and Shi Chaoyuan barely managed to steady themselves, while A Gui was on all fours with madness in his eyes.

"Click——"

The already battered outer hall finally gave way and collapsed with a crash.

Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, a corner of the inner hall came into view.

Just then, a wisp of light sword energy drifted out from the inner hall.

"careful!"

The mountain spirit's expression changed drastically. She grabbed Jiang Chuan's waist and quickly retreated as her butterfly-shaped dress fluttered.

The sword energy seemed as light as a feather, yet it sent chills down the spines of all the experts present.

"what--"

The three ghost generals were unable to dodge in time and were brushed by the sword energy. Their life force was instantly cut off, and their bodies turned to ashes as they fell to the ground.

"Heavenly Sword Qi!"

The mountain spirit's voice rang in Jiang Chuan's ears, carrying an unprecedented solemnity.

The Ghost King was somewhat wary, but this was quickly replaced by ruthlessness.

"Mountain Demon, today I will take your life!"

"Just you?"

The mountain spirit sneered and gently pushed Jiang Chuan away.

“Jiang Chuan, the inner palace is dangerous, but the outer palace is even more so. I have a sword within you that can ward off a calamity.”

Before Jiang Chuan could react, he was thrown towards the entrance of the inner hall.

Upon seeing this, the five ghost generals immediately gave chase.

The mountain spirit turned to face the ghost king, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

"Now, it's time to settle our scores."

Inside the inner hall, Ah Gui was the first to rush in.

Her eyes were bloodshot, her face was distorted, and she had completely lost her mind.

"This is."

Jiang Chuan followed closely behind and stepped into the inner hall, immediately stunned by the sight before him.

A huge pool of blood occupied most of the inner hall, and the thick blood emitted a nauseating stench.

Under the dim light of the eternal lamps on both sides, the blood pool reflected an eerie glow.

And in front of the blood pool, behind the red curtains, on a massive jade dragon stone wall—

"That's... a sword?"

Jiangchuan's pupils contracted.

The red tent was lifted by the aftershocks of the battle in the outer hall, revealing the entire stone wall.

A dazzling immortal sword was deeply embedded in the stone wall, and beneath its blade was a still-beating heart!

"Knock knock. Knock knock"

The sound of that heartbeat was like a demonic chant, making one's blood boil as soon as it entered their ears.

Jiang Chuan felt the Mountain Spirit Mark within his body slightly warm, as if it were responding to something.

"The Heart of the Ghost Emperor!"

The Heavenly Ghost and Shi Chaoyuan, who arrived shortly after, spoke in unison, their eyes filled with greed.

The old blind man, leaning on his cane, chuckled sinisterly.

"Eight hundred years have passed, and this heart is still beating. It truly lives up to its reputation as a legendary power of the Seven Realms."

Xin Gui clutched her injured shoulder, looking at the heart with a complicated expression.

"The most precious treasure guarded by the Night Demon Clan for eight hundred years"

Jiang Chuan, however, stared intently at the sword.

The light flowing across the sword reminded him of the aurora he had seen in the far north many years ago—breathtakingly beautiful, yet carrying an indescribable danger.

"Aurora Sky Sword"

Jiang Chuan's pupils reflected the five-colored light flowing on the sword, and his soul sea felt as if it had been struck by a thunderbolt.

Memories of the eternal night in the far north surged forth—the night the sky shattered, and five-colored aurora borealis poured down like a celestial river, illuminating the permafrost glaciers. At this moment, the four dantian within his body trembled violently, and the innate pure yang true energy roared like a dragon's cry within his meridians.

"The Fifth Purple Mansion is almost complete!"

Fine beads of blood seeped from every pore of his body, and the text of the "Yellow Dragon Sword Scripture" reassembled itself in his sea of ​​consciousness.

The four sword intents—jade, crimson flame, black ice, and gilded gold—suddenly broke free from control and began to rotate according to the principle of mutual generation of the five elements.

But the pulling force from the sword tip suddenly stopped—the ghostly energy erupting from the direction of the blood pool interrupted the epiphany.

"Boy looking for death!"

Five dark figures tore through the mist, and the ghost general's pale white bone claws had already touched his back.

Jiang Chuan's backhand draw of his sword was accompanied by a clear, melodious sword cry, like the cry of a phoenix.

The four purple palaces simultaneously burst forth with light, and the emerald sword intent instantly transformed into a raging inferno.

"Fire Dragon - Burning the Heavens!"

The temperature of the entire Underworld Palace rose sharply the instant the sword struck.

A savage fire dragon leaped from the sword, its scales flowing with lava-like patterns.

The first ghost general's chest was instantly burned with a charred hole, and the remaining four ghost generals were blown away by the shockwave.

"Roar--"

The fire dragon coiled and rushed out of the outer hall, melting the bronze lampposts along the way into molten iron.

Suddenly, a giant bluish-gray hand emerged from the ruins, and the rotten head of the Corpse King rose from between the rubble, its empty eye sockets staring straight in the direction of the Grave Guardian.

On the white jade bridge beside the blood pool, Ah Gui's embroidered shoes trembled violently as soon as they stepped onto the bridge surface.

The ghostly markings on her neck writhed, and black blood seeped from all seven orifices.

"You wretch, don't even think about it!"

The Asura form of the Heavenly Demon swelled to three zhang in size, its six arms wielding swords as it slashed towards A-Gui's back.

The old blind man tapped the ground with his bamboo cane, yet his withered body unleashed an astonishing aura, forcefully blocking the black light of the skull scepter with his bare flesh.

Shi Chaoyuan smiled sinisterly and made a hand seal.

"Thousands of ghosts devour the heart!"

Countless vengeful spirits flew out from the skull's eye sockets at the top of the scepter.

The old blind man groaned, his left shoulder instantly gnawed open, revealing white bone, yet he still stood firmly blocking the entrance to the jade bridge.

The pool of blood suddenly boiled. Countless thorny tentacles burst forth from the water, each covered in barbs.

The demon's Asura Blade severed more than a dozen tentacles, but the severed tentacles sprayed out corrosive viscous liquid.

"Chance!"

Ah Gui suddenly leaped into the blood pool.

Jiang Chuan's heart nearly stopped—the pool was filled with the vengeful spirits of generations of ghost cultivators!

Amidst the surging waves of blood, Ah Gui's figure suddenly burst forth from the water.

She carried the unconscious blind old man in one hand, crimson liquid dripping from the hem of her soaked wedding dress.

Even more bizarrely, the tentacles seemed to completely ignore her.

"I see."

A glint flashed in Shi Chaoyuan's eyes, and he slammed the skull scepter heavily to the ground.

"The corpse demons clear the way!"

Three bronze-armored corpses burst from the ground, but the moment they stepped onto the jade bridge, tentacles wrapped around their ankles and dragged them to the bottom of the pool.

The Heavenly Demon roared as it cleaved through the tentacle net, and the Asura Blade sparked as it sliced ​​across the Jade Bridge.

Suddenly, Ah Gui flung the old blind man toward the red tent and made a grabbing motion in the air with his right hand.

The black bow sealed in the dome of the Underworld Palace rang out joyfully, breaking free of its chains and falling into her palm.

"Ghost Arrow - Devouring Python!"

The moment the bowstring trembled, all the yin energy in the inner hall was drained away.

The arrow transformed into a ten-zhang-long giant python the moment it left the bowstring, its menacing fangs swallowing Shi Chaoyuan whole.

With a crisp sound as the scepter fell to the ground, the Heavenly Demon finally broke through the encirclement and leaped onto the Jade Bridge.

"Stop him!"

Jiang Chuan's sword tip turned back, and the fifth Purple Mansion, whose Aurora Sword Intent was not yet fully formed, was forcibly activated.

The Jade Bridge suddenly shook violently, and Ah Gui used his black bow to smash the bridge foundation.

"Are you crazy?"

The roar of the demon abruptly ceased—Jiang Chuan's sword light simultaneously struck the other side of the bridge.

As fragments of white jade fell, Shi Chaoyuan's struggling figure in the blood pool was instantly submerged by tentacles.

Xin Gui's ghost sword suddenly pierced through the last section of the bridge.

"Old man, it's time to pay your debts!"

Her sword shattered the hastily assembled demonic array by Shi Chaoyuan, and the broken bridge beneath the Heavenly Ghost's feet completely collapsed.

"Ding Gui! Draw your sword!"

Xin Gui's scream pierced the chaos.

The Heavenly Demon's pupils suddenly contracted, and blood-red lines spread from the corners of his eyes to his entire eyeball.

He stared intently at Xin Gui's familiar yet unfamiliar face, letting out a low, beast-like growl.

"You are not her. You are not the Holy Maiden of the Night Demon Clan!"

Xin Gui's originally beautiful face was now twisted like a demon.

"Three hundred years have passed, Lord Heavenly Demon, and you have finally discovered it."

Her voice was no longer gentle.

"I am indeed one of the Ten Demons—the Masked Demon, who exists specifically for you."

"Three hundred years of trust."

The Heavenly Demon trembled not from fear, but from boundless rage.

He spread his five fingers on his right hand, and a jet-black blade of energy condensed in his palm.

"Today I will pay with your blood!"

The moment the air blade was unleashed, the air in the entire inner palace of the Underworld Palace seemed to freeze.

Xin Gui neither dodged nor avoided the attack, letting the powerful energy blade pierce through his chest.

Blood gushed out, and her body fell into the pool of blood.

"boom--"

The moment Xin Gui fell into the blood pool, the white jade bridge shattered under the immense pressure.

One by one, the ancient runes on the bridge surface, which seemed to be decorations, went out, as if some balance that had been maintained for thousands of years had been broken.

"not good!"

The old blind man had just been dragged out of the blood pool by Ah Gui, his soaked white hair plastered to his face, when he suddenly looked up.

"The Jade Bridge is a seal! That monster is about to awaken!"

The surface of the blood pool churned violently, countless bubbles burst, and a putrid sulfurous smell emanated from it.

A dull thud came from the bottom of the pool, as if some enormous creature was crashing into the cage.

Ah Gui was soaking wet, his black hair plastered to his pale cheeks.

She mechanically loosened the old blind man's collar, turned around, and walked towards the red tent.

Their movements were so stiff they didn't look like a living person; they were more like puppets being manipulated by strings.

"Agui! Stop right there!"

The Heavenly Ghost shouted fiercely, but Ah Gui ignored him.

Just as he was about to step forward to stop them, dozens of scarlet tentacles suddenly shot out from the pool of blood and wrapped around his legs.

Shi Chaoyuan flicked seven copper coins from his sleeve, which formed the Big Dipper formation in the air.

"Lord Heavenly Demon, I'll hold off these filthy creatures! You must stop A-Ghost!"

The old blind man coughed up a mouthful of black blood and struggled to his feet.

His Taoist robe was soaked in blood, and his right arm was twisted unnaturally, clearly indicating that he had been seriously injured in the blood pool.

“It’s too late.”

He looked at the Aurora Sky Sword floating in the center of the red tent, its blade emitting a dazzling white light.

"The Ghost Emperor's heart has already begun to affect her."

A burst of sword energy suddenly erupted from the Aurora Sky Sword and slashed towards the old blind man.

The old man managed to turn to the side, but his left shoulder was still severed. Blood splattered onto the white jade floor, outlining eerie patterns.

"senior!"

The demon's eyes were bloodshot, but it was wrapped around the waist by even more tentacles.

Shi Chaoyuan bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood onto the copper coin. The copper coin immediately ignited with a ghostly blue flame, temporarily forcing the tentacles back.

The old blind man staggered forward, leaving bloody footprints on the ground with each step.

His face aged visibly, with wrinkles spreading like ravines.

"Three hundred years of suppression will finally come to an end today."

The Aurora Heavenly Sword seemed to sense a threat, and its blade trembled even more violently.

Countless sword energies poured down, severing the old blind man's legs at the knees. Yet, he used his remaining right hand to support himself and continued crawling forward.

"You old man is looking for death!"

The twisted voice of Xin Gui echoed from the pool of blood, but no one paid her any attention at this moment.

The Heavenly Demon finally broke free of the tentacles and was about to rush towards the red tent when it saw the old blind man already crawling to within a zhang of the Heavenly Sword. (End of Chapter)