Book 08 Chapter 054: Tianwu’s Regret

“Your Holy Eminence, please take action now! It’s better to act sooner than later. Kill Gu Hai right away, and all his backup plans will be useless!” Cangjie urged.

Ji Dihong fell silent for a moment. “We have a bad premonition that we will incur great losses if we act now! Gu Hai must have some scheme waiting for us!”

“Huh?” Cangjie was momentarily stumped for words.

Given Ji Dihong’s level, when he had such feelings, there was always a reason. Moreover, his intuition had never been wrong.

Cangjie no longer pressed, instead pondering what Gu Hai could possibly have up his sleeve.

Rumble…!

Gu Hai was engaged in a fierce battle with three experts while devouring the hungry ghosts in the hungry ghost bases. The fight was so intense that the sky seemed to darken. They fought from the extreme north to the extreme south, then from the extreme east to the extreme west, turning the world into a battlefield that threatened to shake the sky and scaring all hungry ghosts.

All four experts were severely wounded but fought relentlessly. The battle raged for two whole days and nights.

At that moment, a ripple appeared in space, signaling the opening of an exit to the Divine Continent.

Buzz!

After the Han Nation officials’ brief foray, Shangguan Hen and Ao Sheng entered this secret realm to search for Gu Hai’s true body.

The sound of battle rang loud, reverberating all over the world. Shangguan Hen could hear the chaos from afar.

“Over there!” Shangguan Hen exclaimed suddenly, his eyes widening.

Whoosh!

The two immediately flew over.

At the center of this realm, Gu Hai had just consumed an entire hungry ghost base and was engaged in brutal combat with three experts. All four were covered in blood, appearing extremely ferocious.

“Gu Hai, is this all you’ve got? You won’t have time to heal even after consuming the hungry ghost base. Although we are heavily injured, we have developed a combined attack strategy. You won’t escape this time!” Ju Mang taunted with a cold smile.

With numerous branches on its tree-like body broken, Ju Mang was infuriated, wanting to tear Gu Hai to pieces.

A significant portion of Gu Hai’s black scales were shattered. Sensing danger, it looked towards the nearby Ji Dihong and snarled, “Ji Dihong, are you sure you won’t intervene?”

Ji Dihong responded with a chilling smile, It is not your place to dictate whether or not we intervene!”

With a fierce expression, Gu Hai turned towards Ju Mang, Tianwu, and Ao Ying. “Since Ji Dihong won’t intervene, let’s all perish together! Let’s see who lasts until the end!”

Gu Hai glared, its body exuding an even more violent murderous intent.

“Hah! Form up! Three Talents Killing Formation!” Tianwu shouted ferociously.

Ju Mang thrust its fist forward, creating an azure manifested fist that tore through space, carrying immense force towards the black dragon.

The black dragon readied its sharp claws to counterattack.

At this critical juncture, a golden beam of light shot towards them.

Whoosh!

The golden beam of light reached them in the blink of an eye, followed by a golden fist that expanded rapidly until it matched the size of the azure manifested fist, and they crashed together.

Boom!

Space shuddered after the two fists clashed. The intense impact formed powerful shock waves that pushed everyone back.

“Who is it?!” Everyone’s expression changed drastically.

There, standing beside the black dragon, were Shangguan Hen and Ao Sheng.

Although Gu Hai had assumed the form of a black dragon, they recognized it instantly by its energy.

“Your Reverence, we arrived late. Please forgive us!” Shangguan Hen and Ao Sheng shouted.

“Shangguan Hen? Ao Sheng?” Ao Ying exclaimed in shock.

“What? Gu Hai’s officials really entered?!” Ju Mang’s face paled.

Tianwu’s eyes widened in disbelief.

At this moment, they regretted not believing Gu Hai earlier. It had been speaking the truth; its officials could open a passageway between the two realms. If only they had trusted it, they might have been able to escape this place by now.

They lamented their impatience; had they waited just two more days, they would not have ended up as Ji Dihong’s pawns.

“So, this was the source of our bad premonition! Shangguan Hen and the others must have arrived earlier and been lying in ambush all along? Humph!” Ji Dihong said with a grim face, losing all restraint.

Suddenly, Gu Hai spat out a massive amount of black fog, which spread in all directions, engulfing a vast area and enveloping thirty hungry ghost bases.

Whoosh!

Gu Hai opened its mouth and sucked, pulling in a massive number of hungry ghosts.

“Humph! You still want to consume more! Even with two more people, it’s just two more people going to their deaths with you!” Tianwu bellowed.

“Enough talk. Shangguan Hen arrived not long ago; he can’t be that strong. Attack together!” Ao Ying ordered.

Ju Mang hesitated, recalling the clash with Shangguan Hen. It realized that Shangguan Hen’s strength was not inferior to its own, leaving it undecided whether to make a mortal enemy of Gu Hai.

After consuming the hungry ghosts, Gu Hai revealed a sinister smile. “You really don’t need to hesitate. Two days ago, we gave you an opportunity, which you rejected. Since you refused it, you don’t have the right to ask for it again!”

“Huh?” Tianwu’s and Ju Mang’s expressions darkened.

Ju Mang had originally held a different intention. Gu Hai, since you are going to be so ruthless, don’t blame me.

“If that’s how it’s going to be, Gu Hai, you’ll stay here today,” Ju Mang declared, its eyes reflecting its newfound resolve to kill.

“Haha! A mere tree monster dares to act so boldly in front of His Reverence? You truly don’t value your life! Worldly Dharmic Incarnation!” Shangguan Hen sneered.

Buzz!

Shangguan Hen’s body trembled, and he grew exponentially in size. He did not transform into a monster; instead, he remained in human form as he enlarged—first three meters tall, then thirty-three meters, three hundred thirty-three meters, three thousand three hundred meters—until finally reaching thirty-three kilometers in height!

The Worldly Dharmic Incarnation turned Shangguan Hen into a thirty-three-kilometer-tall giant, similar in size to Ju Mang. Radiating an imposing aura, he charged Ju Mang without hesitation.

“Humph! You think just growing bigger is enough?” Ju Mang scoffed as it swiftly threw a punch.

Boom!

When their fists collided, Ju Mang found itself forced back, while Shangguan Hen remained unyielding.

“Growing bigger might not suffice, but being stronger than you will. Furthermore, you move like a clumsy tree monster compared to me. You can’t match my speed!” Shangguan Hen sneered.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, a fierce battle erupted between Shangguan Hen and Ju Mang, their powerful blows shaking the surroundings.

Just then, Ao Sheng spat out the ancestor dragon pearl.

Boom!

This pearl transformed into a towering azure dragon image that swiftly lunged and flung its tail at Ao Ying’s ancestor dragon’s corpse.

“The battle that wasn’t finished that day continues now!” Ao Sheng declared coldly.

“Roar!”

Space shattered as the two azure dragons collided violently, creating a breathtaking spectacle.

Within moments, only Tianwu remained in the onslaught against Gu Hai.

The black dragon proclaimed with a sinister smile, “Tianwu, you chose betrayal. Now, pay the price! Roar!”

The black dragon lunged at Tianwu, and they clashed fiercely in midair.

Despite being three against one, they had failed to overcome the black dragon. All alone, Tianwu was clearly no match for this formidable foe.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Amid this chaotic battleground, Ao Sheng battled Ao Ying to a standstill, while Shangguan Hen managed to suppress Ju Mang somewhat. Only Tianwu suffered defeat after defeat when facing the ferocious black dragon, sustaining numerous injuries over a short period.

“Roar!”

“Argh!”

The black dragon’s sharp claws grasped Tianwu, and it bit down hard, severing Tianwu’s right hind leg and swallowing it.

At this critical moment, the black dragon grew to a staggering forty kilometers in size, its massive body overshadowing the sky. Overwhelmed and desperate, having lost the will to fight back, Tianwu turned to Ji Dihong for help.

“Ji Dihong, I can’t hold on any longer. Save me!” Tianwu cried out in terror as it fled towards Ji Dihong.

The black dragon was close behind, not letting up.

Now that Ji Dihong knew Gu Hai’s trump card, he was no longer afraid. He stepped forward, showing a cold expression as his body released a purple energy.

Boom!

The purple energy filled the sky, and he suddenly transformed into a majestic purple dragon.

As soon as the dragon appeared, its overwhelming might commanded the attention of everyone on the battlefield. They turned to discover a massive purple dragon filling half the sky.

“Fifty kilometers?” Ju Mang exclaimed.

Who could have expected the transformation of Ji Dihong’s true body to be so colossal?

Even among all the hungry ghost kings, none matched its size. The sight gave Gu Hai pause as it realized that its own black dragon form, at forty kilometers long, was still dwarfed by Ji Dihong.

Realization dawned on Gu Hai. “Is that Chiyou’s Spiritual Progenitor deity king? The unbeatable body of Chiyou that you usurped?”

The purple dragon Ji Dihong responded with a sneer, “You’re quite knowledgeable. Indeed, Chiyou was very capable and fortunate. Jiang Lianshan not only provided him with countless treasured physical souls to devour but also found the physical soul of the first-generation world-devouring shaman for Chiyou to consume to cultivate Chiyou’s body to its peak. How can a hungry ghost king compare? The shaman race consumed many hungry ghost kings back in the day. Furthermore, he reached the consummation of the spiritual souls, stimulating the three spiritual souls even further. Gu Hai, as we’ve said, today you won’t escape!”

“Ji Dihong, you’ve become so powerful! Quickly, avenge me. He ate my tail and a leg. Help me get revenge!” the distressed Tianwu pleaded, seeking Ji Dihong’s protection.

Ji Dihong smiled coldly and suddenly opened its mouth wide.

“Ah!”

Before Tianwu’s incredulous gaze, Ji Dihong swallowed it whole.

Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!

Ji Dihong chewed Tianwu.

Nearby, Ju Mang’s face paled with terror.

Ji Dihong ate Tianwu?

As Tianwu was consumed, its face was filled with endless regret and disbelief and, furthermore, despair.

Gu Hai had given me a chance. Why wasn’t I more persistent? I trusted Ji Dihong, but Ji Dihong betrayed that trust by eating me?

Regret was too late; Tianwu was reduced to pieces, swallowed whole.

The purple dragon’s strength resulted from plundering Chiyou’s physical souls, after all. Even though Ji Dihong did not have the Hunger Pearl, it was innately stronger than others, so its stomach shrank in the blink of an eye.

“Ji Dihong, did you…did you eat Tianwu?” Ju Mang asked in horror.

Ji Dihong turned its dragon head towards Ju Mang. “We gave you a chance. Continue to support us in attacking Gu Hai, or once we eliminate Gu Hai, we’ll consume you next!”

“Eeep!” Ju Mang trembled.

Ju Mang knew Ji Dihong was on a completely different level from it. If Ji Dihong pursues me with full strength, won’t I be…

Ju Mang shuddered. “Rest assured. I’ve already joined your side. I won’t betray you.”

At that moment, Ju Mang felt the same regret that consumed Tianwu.

“Hah! Good!” the purple dragon Ji Dihong responded with a cold smile.

“Go!” shouted the black dragon Gu Hai.

Shangguan Hen, Ao Sheng, and Gu Hai immediately flew into the distance.

“Do you think you can escape? You won’t get far!” Ji Dihong roared.

“Roar!”

After letting out a dragon roar, Ji Dihong charged towards Gu Hai’s group with Ao Ying and Ju Mang.

Concern showed on the faces of Shangguan Hen and Ao Sheng, but Gu Hai smirked as if its plan had come to fruition.

“Split up!” commanded Gu Hai.

“Yes!”

Shangguan Hen, Ao Sheng, and Gu Hai immediately parted ways.

Ao Ying pursued Ao Sheng, Ju Mang followed Shangguan Hen, and Ji Dihong chased after Gu Hai.

The fifty-kilometer-long purple dragon vs. the forty-kilometer-long black dragon.

They were not of the same level, not only in strength but also in aura. Escape? Escaping seemed impossible.

Back where it all began, Cangjie stood alone, watching silently.

Although the outcome seemed clear, Cangjie remembered Ji Dihong’s ominous premonition from earlier.

“Something feels off. His Holy Eminence already felt something amiss two days ago. Shangguan Hen and Ao Sheng hadn’t arrived in the Hungry Ghost Path Secret Realm at that time. Could it be that Gu Hai’s plot hasn’t been exposed yet? Not exposed yet? Could it be…” Cangjie’s hair suddenly stood on end.

Caw!

Three giant claws descended from the sky, aiming for Cangjie’s head.

“This isn’t good. Was Gu Hai’s plot specifically against me? Bing Ji! Bing Ji regained her heavenly soul and earthly soul, and her memories are back. This is bad!” Panic filled Cangjie’s face.

However, it was too late; there was nowhere for Cangjie to flee.

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