Meanwhile, on the dimly lit streets leading to the Shen Residence.
The ghost guards responsible for escorting the eliminated contestants, including the Clown and Lu Mingfei, were about to arrive at the gates of the Shen Residence.
Just then...
"Boom!!!"
A level 5 tremor came from underground!
The ground of the entire Soul Return Town shook violently, and the houses on both sides of the street creaked.
Then, the snow screen appeared once again!
But this time, the short circuit did not recover after a few seconds.
As Jiangnan drained the energy from the underground Soul Furnace in one go, the illusion that sustained the entire small world completely collapsed!
The true face of the World as Prison has been frozen in time!
The finest silks and satins turned into rotten rags, and the brightly lit red lanterns became swaying banners for summoning the dead.
And Lu Mingfei, walking directly in front of the Clown, heard the sound of bones contracting...
In an instant, he went from a emaciated living person to a withered, dried-up corpse!
It's like someone with rare blood type (like Rh-negative) went to donate blood and ended up looking Erii!
Ouch!
The Clown swayed and nearly fell.
He quickly steadied himself and looked back in surprise and uncertainty towards the direction of the Ox-Horse Factory.
He could clearly sense that the epicenter of this massive earthquake was over there!
"Goodness... what's all this commotion? Could it be that the Sage are fighting?"
The Clown muttered to himself, puzzled.
He was puzzled, then turned to look at the escorting team ahead.
Those ghost messengers, who had also turned into skeletons and rotting corpses, were unfazed by the dramatic changes around them.
They continued to fulfill their duties.
"What are you looking at! Get inside right now!"
The ghost messenger slammed his blade into the back of a contestant and shouted a stern rebuke.
The Clown's eyes darted around, but he didn't rush to resist. He obediently followed the group up the steps of the Shen Residence.
"Perfect timing, let's go in and see what these old devils are up to."
However.
The Clown had just stepped his right foot across the threshold of the Shen Residence.
"Bang!"
A tremendous force struck from behind, and the Clown was pinned to the ground!
"Pah! Pah! Pah!"
The Clown spat out a mouthful of dirt and awkwardly raised his head.
It wouldn't have mattered if I hadn't looked, but the moment I did, my pupils contracted sharply.
Dozens of people were tightly bound together in the spacious courtyard of the Shen Residence!
It wasn't just the eliminated contestants who were escorted along with them.
Even the members of the Sharp Blade Squad who were watching the game from the field, including Guo Shuai and his team, were all wearing special shackles at this moment.
They were pinned to the ground and kept under guard by the ghost guards!
"This is..."
The Clown narrowed his eyes, instantly understanding what was happening.
And just then...
The mummified version of Lu Mingfei, who was also pinned to the ground, suddenly raised his terrifying skull and let out a hoarse, eerie laugh.
"Hehehe... Hahaha! See that?! See that?!"
Because his throat was completely dry, Lu Mingfei's voice sounded even more desperate at this moment.
"This is what I said before! Phoenix Emperor wants us to come and atone for our sins!"
"What a load of bull! What a load of bull!"
"We're all going to be thrown underground, to become expendable resources for this wretched town!"
"Hahaha!!!"
Upon hearing this, the surrounding ghost messengers were instantly Wrath.
"You scoundrel! You dare to slander Lady Phoenix Emperor even when you're about to die!"
Several ghost messengers rushed forward and began kicking and smashing Lu Mingfei's mummified body.
But Lu Mingfei could no longer feel any pain.
As he was being beaten, he laughed maniacally on the ground like a Madman, his laughter filled with mockery of this hypocritical world.
Seeing this, the Clown finally understood the situation.
Recalling Lu Mingfei's strange and sarcastic demeanor back at the factory, the Clown clicked his tongue inwardly.
"Phoenix Emperor..."
"They're probably using the groom selection as a pretext to lure all the top talents and contestants together."
"Directly inject it into the Soul Stone to transform it into that [Source]!"
"Tsk tsk, she really knows how to use any means necessary~ I'm starting to admire her a little~"
The Clown thought to himself ruthlessly, "No wonder the Sage Man is so wary of her."
"Although our Desolate God Society is an evil cult, at least we still value mutual help and love among ourselves!"
"She's even worse; she doesn't spare her own townspeople and former subordinates. Compared to her..."
"We, who came to destroy Soul Return Town, seem like the good guys all of a sudden."
Just as the Clown was grumbling to himself, his peripheral vision suddenly swept over a group of people who were tied up in the corner.
Their gazes froze for a moment.
Among that group of people, there was a conspicuous child.
The child had no facial features and was listlessly drooping his head; it was Circle!
"That is..."
The Clown's breath hitched slightly, then he gave a cold laugh.
"The ninth seat of the Desolate God Society, the Divine Fetus... [No-Self]?"
"It was that?"
But the Clown immediately realized what was happening.
He knew the characteristics of the Divine Fetus all too well.
This thing triggers a respawn mechanism after it dies, which simply means...
Whoever kills it, or whoever it meets at birth, will be the one it will recognize as its father.
To put it bluntly, he's just a fence-sitter who'll side with whoever pays him the most!
"This thing nowadays can no longer be called No-Self."
"It is now nothing more than a traitor to our Desolate God Society."
The Clown looked at the Circle.
Just as chaos erupted in the courtyard.
"Da da da."
Footsteps came from inside the room.
A tall figure, carrying a crescent-shaped blade, walked into the courtyard.
Garrison Division, Shen Yingchun.
However, at this moment, he had shed his human skin disguise and transformed into a tall skeleton dressed in the robes of a commander.
Will-o'-the-wisps flickered in those empty eye sockets.
"Stop it, all of you!"
Shen Yingchun looked at the ghost messengers who were still frantically beating Lu Mingfei and shouted sternly.
"You've ruined this excellent fuel; its spirit is scattered! How will it burn later?!"
The ghost messengers were startled and quickly withdrew their hands and retreated to the side.
But Lu Mingfei, lying on the ground, showed no appreciation whatsoever. His withered jaw opened and closed, continuing his insane rant:
"Come on! Go ahead and kill me if you dare!"
"Even if my soul is scattered to the winds, I'd rather be a battery for that hypocritical old hag!"
"Phoenix Emperor is shameless..."
"Presumptuous!!!"
Lu Mingfei's sarcastic remarks thoroughly angered Shen Yingchun.
As a staunch loyalist of the Phoenix Emperor, how could he tolerate such insults?
"I'll chop you up right now, you bastard!"
Shen Yingchun was furious. She raised her Azure Dragon Crescent Blade high, as if to cut Lu Mingfei in two!
"Oh no! Commander, you mustn't! You mustn't!!!"
This time, it was the ghost messengers' turn to panic. They rushed forward and clung tightly to Shen Yingchun's skeletal legs and arms, pleading desperately.
"My lord, calm down! This is fuel! Phoenix Emperor ordered it to be alive! Once it's chopped up, it'll be useless!"
Shen Yingchun was so angry she was practically spitting fire. She didn't care about anything else and struggled to make a move.
However.
At this very moment.
A chilling voice suddenly drifted in from outside the gates of the Shen Residence, drowning out the clamor of the entire place.
"Old man."
"Since you can't bring yourself to do it, could you... give me your life to kill?"
The moment that sound was uttered, the entire Shen Residence courtyard fell into a deathly silence.
Shen Yingchun stopped what she was doing and, together with the ghost messengers, rushed toward the open gate of the Shen Residence.
Outside the dilapidated city gate, under the dim, blood-red sunset.
Three figures of varying heights stood there quietly.
On the far left is a [Madman] exuding an aura of madness.
In the very center is the [Sage], covered by a gray cloth.
On the far right, there's [Dusk] standing there like a mentally challenged person.
He was shamelessly sticking his fingers up his nostrils and picking at his snacks.
The three main members of the Desolate God Society officially arrived.
Who are you people?!
Dozens of ghost messengers rushed forward instantly, drew their long swords, and pointed them directly at the three uninvited guests outside the door.
The Sage in the center slowly raised his hands and crossed them in front of his chest.
"Desolate God Society."
"Prepare to die, you scum... especially you, Shen Yingchun."
"Um?"
The skeleton Shen Yingchun, who was on the verge of exploding in rage, paused.
His ghostly eyes stared at the Sage, frantically searching through thousands of years of memories in his mind.
A moment later, his empty jaw suddenly sank.
"You are... the Evil God, Helge?!"
Upon hearing this, the Sage paused slightly, his crossed hands seemingly taken aback.
"Oh? I've changed my appearance, and you still recognize me?"
"Intuition."
Even after Shen Yingchun turned into a skeleton, her pride as a leader remained undiminished.
"I personally witnessed the Dragon God disembowel you and tear out his heart from your chest!"
"Finally, I'll skin you alive and hang you on the city gate of Dragon Xia Imperial City like a piece of cured meat!"
"Your screams echoed for miles around, the pitiful sight of a stray dog—how could I forget?!"
These words immediately created an extremely strange atmosphere in the room.
The Madman raised an eyebrow, turned to look at the Sage, and exclaimed in surprise.
"Oh my, I didn't know you had such a profound and unforgettable experience, old man?"
Even the Clown, who was lying on the ground pretending to be dead, couldn't help but widen his eyes, secretly watching the drama unfold.
"Who would have thought that such an Evil God would have such a shameful past?"
"To be skinned alive and hung on the city wall? In a sense, that is indeed shameful, physically shameful."
However, the Sage, or rather Helge, paid no attention to it.
He sneered, his tone indifferent. "So what? Only losers care about past humiliations."
"More than that, I'm curious about..."
"You were such a nobody back then, not even worthy to glance at me. Why are you still so calm when you see me in person?"
Shen Yingchun gripped the crescent-shaped blade tightly in her hand and answered coldly.
"As long as the Dragon Xia Imperial City exists, no true god can ever appear in the Barbaric Realm!"
"Your body is nothing but a flawed vessel; you should know this rule better than I do!"
"Hehe, you're right."
Helge let out a chilling chuckle, "Indeed, the true form of a god cannot descend upon the Barbaric Realm."
"But..."
Before he finished speaking, Helge ripped off the gray blindfold!
Black liquid gushed out from those two empty eye sockets!
"If I had this..."
"Where is the body of an [Elemental Demigod], comparable to that of the Phoenix Emperor?!"
Boom!!!
As Helge finished speaking, the celestial phenomena above the Shen Residence changed drastically!
The already dim sunset was swallowed up, and thunderclouds rolled in, making it hard to breathe!
Sequence 09 [Darkness]!
The black water that devoured all light and life transformed into a vast ocean beneath his feet!
Helge slowly raised his right hand, and a violent tornado formed in his palm, tearing apart the walls of the Shen Residence!
Sequence 20 [Wind of Calamity]!
Meanwhile, his left hand exploded with dazzling purple lightning amidst a clap of thunder!
Sequence 021 [Purple Firmament Thunder] is specifically designed to suppress all strange and deathly auras in the world!
Blackwater!
Hurricane!
Purple Thunder!
Three elemental Supernatural Ability Fusion in Helge alone!
"This power..."
The will-o'-the-wisps in Shen Yingchun's eyes trembled violently as he stared at the scene in disbelief.
Without a doubt...
This is absolutely comparable to the power of Demigod Phoenix Emperor!
He gripped the crescent blade tightly, as if facing a formidable enemy.
Just then, in the corner, Guo Shuai, who had been unconscious, suddenly opened his left eye on his own!
That is the [Eye of Calamity].
Albert's consciousness awoke at that moment, and his deep pupils looked at Helge in mid-air, letting out a sigh.
"Has this moment finally arrived?"
Helge was in mid-air, immediately sensed this aura of the same origin.
He lowered his head, his gaze piercing through the crowd and landing on Guo Shuai's left eye.
"Hello, part of me."
"Wait a moment, I'll come get you right away!"
"And before that..."
Helge's gaze suddenly shifted to Shen Yingchun, his eyes blazing with murderous intent. "Let's settle some old scores from a thousand years ago first!"
"Boom!"
A raging Wind of Calamity, carrying Purple Firmament Thunder, transformed into a thunder dragon and hurtled towards Shen Yingchun!
"Military Force! Hold them off!"
Shen Yingchun roared, unleashing terrifying blood energy from her entire body, and wielded her crescent blade to take the blow head-on!
"Bang!!!"
Even with her exceptional physical abilities, Shen Yingchun was still blasted away, crashing through three stone walls!
"Commander!"
The ghost messengers were terrified.
"Never mind him, it's our turn to party!"
The Madman licked his lips and charged into the ranks of the ghost messengers!
The Clown on the ground rolled over and shrank into the most secluded crevice of the artificial hill, intending to fish in the shadows.
The Madman's eyes flashed red light.
"Sequence 017 [Envy]!"
Sequence 037 [Gluttony]!
"Sequence 057 [Greed]!"
Three Supernatural Ability domains capable of amplifying negative emotions infinitely enveloped the entire area!
Those originally disciplined ghost messengers immediately developed cross-shaped blisters on their faces the moment they came into contact with this field!
"Kill! I want your power!"
"Meat... give me meat!"
The ghost messengers completely lost their minds, brandishing their broadswords and beginning to hack and slash at each other like madmen!
The Madman's gaze, however, was fixed on the mummified corpse of Lu Mingfei, who was bound and lying not far away.
"What perfect resentment..."
The Madman grinned wildly, "I need your anger!"
As Shen Yingchun crawled out of the rubble, she noticed the Madman's intention and roared.
"Royal Guard! Take that mummified corpse and run!!!"
Several ghost messengers, barely able to maintain their sanity under the blessing of [Military Force], hoisted Lu Mingfei and fled into the depths of the Shen Residence!
"Trying to run?!"
The Madman transformed into a blood-red shadow, relentlessly pursuing the attacker!
"Let me go!"
The Lu Mingfei, carried on the shoulder, struggled. He looked at the Madman chasing after him and suddenly burst into maniacal laughter.
"I don't know who you are!"
"But you want to destroy this Soul Return Town, right?!"
The Madman laughed as he slaughtered, shouting, "That's right! I'm going to slaughter every last blade of grass here!"
"Good! Excellent! I've had enough of these hypocrites who pretend to be something they're not!"
Anger erupted in Lu Mingfei's eyes, and he actually opened his mental defenses.
"Come on! My body is yours! My rage is yours too! Kill all these bastards!!!"
"Hehehe, it's a pleasure doing business with you!"
Having said that, the Madman instantly detached himself from the body of the Muraguchi Nissuu!
It transformed into a cloud of blood mist and entered Lu Mingfei body!
The next second, the mummified corpse Lu Mingfei opened its eyes, and blood-red light shot into the sky!
He actually snatched the long sword from the ghost guard beside him and personally chopped the ghost guards protecting him into pieces!
The main battlefield is in front of the courtyard.
"Bang! Crack!"
Shen Yingchun's skeletal body was already badly damaged under the crushing force of Helge's Demigod.
[Purple Firmament Thunder] has a deadly special attack effect on death energy, and each strike causes Shen Yingchun's soul to let out a mournful cry.
The Wind of Calamity shattered half of his bones.
The all-consuming dark water corroded his crescent blade, leaving only a short stick.
"Thump."
Shen Yingchun knelt on one knee, her body engulfed in purple lightning flames, on the verge of death.
"You insignificant ant, how dare you wield your sword before me?"
Helge slowly descended from mid-air, the lightning in his right hand transforming into a Sharp Blade, pointing directly at Shen Yingchun's head.
"Die, and then I will retrieve that eye, and the two supreme treasures in the Phoenix Emperor's possession!"
Just as Helge was about to deliver the fatal blow and finish off Shen Yingchun!
"Whoosh!!!"
A silver blade of light slashed down from outside the walls of the Shen Residence!
He forced Helge back half a step!
"Who?!"
Anger flashed in Helge's eyes.
"This king!"
With a roar, Qin Jiudao, the Heavenblade Dragon King, wielding a silver sword, landed in front of Shen Yingchun.
Immediately afterwards, three more whooshing sounds rang out!
Zhao Yan, who was injured, Liu Ruyan, who was holding a long sword, and Shangguan Shuyi arrived at the scene at almost the same time!
After learning at the Ox-Horse Factory that the Dragon God and the Phoenix Emperor had completely broken ties and that the Shen Residence family was in imminent danger, Liu Ruyan and Shangguan Shuyi...
They quickly joined up with the retreating Zhao Yan and Qin Jiudao, and together they rushed back to the Shen Residence to save the day.
Looking at the four extraordinary beings before him, especially the Heavenblade Dragon King standing at the very front.
Helge was taken aback at first, then broke into an extremely happy smile.
Hehehe... Hahahaha!!!
Helge spread his arms wide, and behind him, the Hurricane and thunder raged violently, the sound shaking the heavens.
"It's like finding a needle in a haystack, only to have it come to you effortlessly!"
"Since you've delivered yourselves to our doorstep..."
"Then today, I will bury you remnants of the Dragon God, along with this decaying Soul Return Town, here..."
However, before Helge could finish his harsh words, a roar came from afar!
"Boom!!"
Everyone turned their attention back to the Ox-Horse Factory.
Especially the Clown, since they're not Sage...
So over there...
What on earth happened?!