In barely the time it took to breathe ten times, that Yellow Springs Sect disciple suddenly began convulsing all over, and the next moment his life force was severed. He lay motionless on the ground, not a single part of his body left intact—even his colorful intestines had been torn out by his own hands, a sight utterly horrific.
Dark energy still burned upon his corpse, as though it would continue until the end of time.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh…
Streaks of black light shot out one after another from the Heavenly Net Sealing Formation, each one striking a Yellow Springs Sect disciple with pinpoint accuracy.
The disciples were frightened out of their wits and scrambled to flee, crying out for the Elders to save them.
How could Hua Feichen spare any effort to save their lives? Right now, even with Yin Lesheng fighting alongside him, the two of them were being chased by Yang Kai like dogs and chickens, unable to so much as catch their breath. Even knowing that those disciples were suffering the torment of Ten Thousand Ghosts Devouring the Body, he was powerless to help.
But even if he had been free at this moment, there was nothing he could have done to save them.
For the disciples of the Yellow Springs Sect, Ten Thousand Ghosts Devouring the Body was the most terrifying form of torture—the most unbearable way to die. It was tied to the cultivation techniques they practiced and the Artifacts they refined.
But this was, after all, the very foundation of the Yellow Springs Sect. Which disciple would not cultivate it?
Screams of agony rang out—this time not from the wraiths, but from the Yellow Springs Sect disciples suffering the ghostly devouring.
In barely thirty breaths, the Yellow Springs Sect's ranks had been reduced by nearly a third, every last one killed by the backlash from their damaged Yellow Springs Hell Banners.
Yet the formation continued to operate.
The Heavenly Net Sealing Formation was a rather peculiar array—an exceptionally flexible one. Five people could power it, ten could power it, twenty could as well…
So even with so many dead on this side, the formation did not stop.
However, the black sphere's color had noticeably faded, and three figures could now be vaguely seen darting rapidly within, locked in fierce combat.
With nearly a third of their numbers dead in an instant, the remaining Yellow Springs Sect disciples were naturally stricken with terror. They knew that if they did not flee, they would suffer the same fate as their fallen brothers sooner or later—killed by backlash without question.
But without Hua Feichen's word, how would they dare to run? If they fled now, they would surely be hunted down by the entire Yellow Springs Sect. All they could do was grit their teeth and endure.
"Summon the Ghost King, you fools!" Yin Lesheng suddenly roared in fury.
Upon hearing this, every Yellow Springs Sect disciple jolted. A look of grim resolve flashed across their faces as they simultaneously formed spiritual seals, their Source Power surging violently.
The next moment, mouthfuls of vital essence blood sprayed from their lips, hurtling toward the black sphere.
The crimson blood struck the black sphere and vanished within it like raindrops falling into the ocean, disappearing almost instantly.
But the wraith spirits inside the black sphere seemed to have been stimulated by something, boiling and roaring with escalating frenzy.
Hua Feichen seized the moment, lunging forward to block Yang Kai's path. Yin Lesheng swiftly pulled back, his face twisted with venomous hatred as he glared at Yang Kai. In the next instant, a ghostly banner appeared in his hands.
It was the signature weapon of every Yellow Springs Sect disciple—the Yellow Springs Hell Banner.
He gripped the banner with both hands, opened his mouth, and spat a mouthful of vital essence blood onto his Artifact. With a violent sweep, the banner billowed and expanded in the wind.
Whoosh whoosh…
A rhythmic sound emanated from the ghostly banner, like the rise and fall of breathing, an utterly eerie sensation.
And as that sound rang out, the dense black qi and countless wraith spirits within the sphere seemed drawn by some irresistible force, all converging toward the Yellow Springs Hell Banner in Yin Lesheng's hands.
In less than a moment, every last trace of black qi and every wraith spirit had vanished.
The area where Yang Kai and his two companions stood was now perfectly clear, the only thing remaining being the pure white barrier of the Grand Azure Jade Bowl, blanketing the ground and sealing the space.
Yang Kai's heart lurched. He instinctively sensed a surge of danger, and even as he fought Hua Feichen, he stole a glance toward Yin Lesheng. The man wore a savage, unrelenting grin as he bellowed: "Yang Kai—let's see if you die now!"
The moment his words fell, the Yellow Springs Hell Banner in his hands exploded into a cloud of black fog. Within that churning darkness, two scarlet eyes suddenly flickered to life with an eerie, alien glow—as though they could devour a person's very soul, making it impossible to look away.
Then, two enormous ghostly claws reached out from the black fog.
As they swirled and unfurled, a massive figure materialized.
The figure stood over five zhang tall, entirely pitch-black, with a hideous countenance. On its forehead jutted a single horn that curved skyward, and its mouth was filled with rows of jagged fangs. The instant the figure appeared, it exuded a crushing, suffocating pressure.
The surrounding air seemed to plummet to freezing in an instant.
Whoosh…
A plume of white breath billowed from the figure's nostrils, freezing the very void itself.
"A Ghost King!" Elder Fu's eyes narrowed sharply. He knew the Yellow Springs Sect people were fighting with their backs to the wall—otherwise they would never have resorted to such a secret technique. Once this technique was unleashed, it was a battle to the death—one side or the other would not survive.
This Ghost King was entirely different from the ones found in the Ancient Land passages. The Ghost Kings of those passages were naturally formed, having cultivated over countless years to reach such formidable power. But this one before them had been fused together by the combined wraith spirits controlled by the many disciples of the Yellow Springs Sect.