"Life-and-Death Tribulation!"

"Boom!"

The moment Xiaoqian stepped into the demon's chest, the entire Earth Abyss exploded.

The hundred-foot-tall demonic body trembled violently, and the Devil Qi around its neck transformed into countless Ghost Faces, lunging towards the white-robed soul. Some of these Ghost Faces cried, some laughed, and some opened their toothless mouths, emitting the cries of the souls it had devoured over the past hundred thousand years.

The old man's dying counterattack was too loud; we must first lock down the surrounding Resentment Qi to prevent it from scattering Xiaoqian's soul.

"Roll!"

With a loud shout, Chen Changqing unleashed Twelve Primordial Spirits from his Sea of Consciousness. Nine Red-Gold Primordial Spirits sat cross-legged in all directions, while three Star Primordial Spirits drew down starlight from the sky, directly pinning the Devil Qi to the spot.

We need to keep a close eye on what's happening inside. Xiaoqian has only just gone in; her soul hasn't yet connected with her demonic body's meridians, and this is the easiest time for something to go wrong.

"Xiaoqian, calm down!"

"Yes!"

Xiaoqian's soul unfolded within the demon's chest cavity, and the Merit Golden Lotus opened petal by petal at her heart. Where the Golden Light swept, the black demon blood sizzled and emitted plumes of black smoke.

It seems that the Merit Golden Lotus is indeed effective in restraining this ancient demonic blood. As long as the Golden Lotus can remain stable, the first step will be successful.

"You wretched creature, how dare you steal my body!"

Deep within the demonic core, an Old Devil thought roared in fury.

"I am the supreme commander of the Upper Realm. How dare you, a mere wandering ghost, lay a finger on my true form!"

"Shut up."

Chen Changqing's left index finger, adorned with a brilliant purple-gold imperial mark, pressed down hard on the demon core.

"You have no right to speak here."

Why waste words on a dying, remnant? We need to sever its connection with our physical body at its root before it can reclaim the Devil Qi scattered throughout its limbs and bones.

The Heaven-Stepping Emperor Finger activated with all its might. The purple-gold imperial divine light poured into the demon core, drilling directly into the core's most central imprint.

The demonic thought emitted a scream as blood-red causal threads were forcibly torn off.

One wire broke. Two wires broke. Once all the remaining main wires are pulled out, this body will be ownerless.

But just as he broke the third one, the broken ends moved. Countless fine threads shot out from the depths of the demon core and wrapped themselves around Xiaoqian's soul.

Something's not right. This old thing deliberately created a flaw; it hid the true origin beneath the thread of cause and effect!

"Ah!"

Xiaoqian let out a muffled groan, her soul body shaking violently.

"Senior brother, it's eating my soul!"

"Hold on!"

Chen Changqing's eyes turned cold, and he drew the Immortal Execution Sword in a backhand motion. Ordinary methods could not sever this kind of demonic thread connected to the very source; pulling it forcefully would only tear Xiaoqian's soul apart as well. He had to use the Immortal Dao Reversal Immortal Execution Sword's power of reversing the Dao to chop directly into its lair along the thread!

"The Immortal Execution Sword Technique, Fourth Form: Dao Reversal."

The Sword Light wasn't slashing forward; it was slashing against the causal line, cutting deep into the demonic core.

"Sizzle!"

The demonic threads binding Xiaoqian were severed by a single sword strike. What gushed from the cut was not blood, but ten thousand years of Resentment Qi.

"You, how could you possibly sever my karmic ties!"

For the first time, panic was present in the demonic voice.

"Because I'm unreasonable."

Chen Changqing sheathed his sword and placed his left hand on the demon core again. The previous sword strike had already shattered its counterattack, and now the demon core was empty, making it the perfect opportunity to completely crush it. He absolutely could not give it a chance to breathe.

"Xiaoqian, now's the time!"

"Buzz!"

The Fragment of the Creation Jade Disk shone brightly with azure light, and the Law of Time and Space were pushed to their limits. The Demon Core's struggle was slowed down by half a beat.

That's exactly the half-beat we're looking for!

In that split second, Xiaoqian's soul completely unfolded, merging with every inch of the demon's flesh and blood. The Merit Golden Lotus rose from her heart, opening petal by petal.

From the outside, the black aura on the demon's chest was receding. But the demonic intent had not completely dissipated. This old thing had lived for 100,000 years; it must still have some underhanded tricks up its sleeve. Since it couldn't defeat my sword, it would most likely try to attack Xiaoqian's mind.

At this moment, a dreamlike scene appeared before Xiaoqian's eyes.

She saw herself standing in front of the gate of Evergreen Peak, dressed in brand-new white clothes, holding a cup of tea in her hands. Chen Changqing was sitting on a rock at the summit, waving to her.

"Xiaoqian, come and have some tea."

She smiled and was about to walk over. But just then, Chen Changqing in the illusion became transparent.

"Senior brother?"

No one answered. The entire Evergreen Peak gradually turned to ashes.

"Did you see that?"

The demonic voice rang in her ears.

"You can't protect anyone. You're just a lost soul. Let go, give yourself to me, and I'll protect him for you."

Xiaoqian stood there, staring at the ashes, and remained silent for a long time.

Then she raised her hand and slapped herself across the face.

"Snap."

The illusion shattered.

Do you think I'm stupid?

She gritted her teeth and said, word by word.

"My senior brother never lets me pour him tea. He'll just say, 'Xiaoqian, go and guard the door for me.'"

Outside, Chen Changqing stared intently at the demon's chest. He saw the Merit Golden Lotus suddenly shine brightly.

It worked! The girl walked out on her own!

With each petal that opened, the Devil Qi within the demon's body diminished. When the seventh petal opened, the demonic thought deep within the demon's core finally let out a desperate roar.

"No! I have waited for ten thousand years, I am not reconciled!"

"Then we'll wait another 100,000 years."

Chen Changqing stepped on the demon core. He had to completely extinguish this last bit of resistance, lest it jump out and cause trouble again during his Tribulation Transcendence.

"But this time, we'll wait within the cycle of Reincarnation."

"Boom!"

Above the Nine Netherworlds, tribulation clouds gathered. These were no ordinary tribulation clouds; they were black and golden Nine Netherworlds Life-and-Death Tribulations. Nine Tribulation Rings pressed down layer by layer, each one more sinister, colder, and more ruthless than the Twelve-Colored Heavenly Tribulation that Chen Changqing had faced that day.

"Life-and-Death Tribulation!"

Zhong Cheng's expression changed drastically, and his hand holding the Judge's Brush trembled.

" For Ghost Cultivator to become an immortal, they must undergo a life-or-death tribulation with a nine-out-of-ten Life-and-Death Tribulation! This demonic body has too much karma, attracting the highest-grade Nine-Ring Life-and-Death Tribulation. She has just merged with a physical body and simply cannot withstand it!"

Chen Changqing looked up at the nine black-gold Tribulation Rings in the sky. Xiaoqian was still in the final stage of fusing her physical body with her soul and demonic body, which had not yet fully grown. Let alone nine rings, even just one of them would have instantly turned her newly acquired body into minced meat.

This lightning must not fall on her. Not even a single bolt.

"She can handle it."

Chen Changqing stepped into the sky, facing the tribulation clouds. He had to withstand the first three bolts of lightning to buy her time to fully stabilize her physical body.

"The Human Emperor Heaven-Suppressing Seal, share my burden!"

The crimson gold seal soared into the sky, directly catching the first bolt of tribulation lightning.

"Boom!"

A crack appeared in the seal. Blood trickled from the corner of Chen Changqing's mouth, and his feet sank half a foot downwards in mid-air, but he did not retreat.

The first strike already possesses such power; this Nine Netherworlds Life-and-Death Tribulation is indeed wicked. The Human Emperor Heaven-Suppressing Seal has already consumed a lot of Spiritual Power suppressing the demonic body; it probably won't last until the end. I need to conserve it and use my physical strength to push it up as well.

"The second one, I'll do it."

Chen Changqing swung his fist to meet the attack head-on, his crimson-gold Qi and Blood soaring into the sky, directly shattering the second black-gold lightning bolt.

"The third one, I'll go."

Each bolt of tribulation lightning was thicker and more ferocious than the last. When the fifth bolt struck, his Human Emperor Heaven-Suppressing Seal shattered completely, transforming into a shower of Golden Light.

If the Law Treasure is shattered, then I'll make up for it with my life. Even if it means shattering all my bones, I'll still stop those four bolts of lightning in mid-air.

When he hit the seventh strike, his seventh-tier Immortal Artifact body cracked open with countless bloody gashes, and his entire body was covered in blood. His left shoulder blade was exposed, and every breath he took was accompanied by bloody foam.

But he remained standing directly above Xiaoqian, not yielding an inch.

Two bolts remain. His internal Qi and Blood are almost depleted. The Twelve Primordial Spirits had expended too much energy pinning down the Devil Qi, and now even the strength to lift his hand is waning. The eighth bolt of lightning has already shrunk into a ball of Golden Light in the clouds, not even giving him a chance to breathe.

"The eighth one!"

Zhong Cheng gritted his teeth and rushed forward, throwing the Ghost-Slaying Divine Seal above his head.

"Brother Chen, I'll take your breath for you!"

The crimson-gold divine seal swelled in the wind, transforming into a phantom image of a red-robed celestial master, which directly collided with the eighth tribulation lightning.

"Boom!"

The divine seal dimmed, Zhong Cheng coughed up blood as he flew backward, crashing heavily onto the rocks Blood Pool. But he had indeed blocked the attack for a moment.

Good brother! One breath is enough!

In that instant, Chen Changqing channeled the last bit of Spiritual Power in his body into his right arm and wiped the blood from his face.

Thanks, bro.

He looked up at the last and thickest bolt of tribulation lightning in the sky. If he could shatter this final bolt, Xiaoqian could truly be reborn and cultivate into Ghost Immortal.

"The ninth one, I'll take it for her."

He raised the Immortal Execution Sword, its tip pointing directly at the clouds of calamity.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

When the final bolt of lightning struck, the entire sky was dyed black and gold. The Immortal Execution Sword let out a mournful cry, its blade bending into a dangerous shape. Chen Changqing's arms, bones cracked inch by inch, blood flowing down the hilts.

"Senior brother!"

Xiaoqian's voice came from the demon's body, tinged with sobs.

"Leave me alone! Go! You'll die if you keep going!"

"Go away my ass."

Chen Changqing spat out a mouthful of blood and laughed. If he let go now, all those eight bolts of lightning he'd taken would have been for nothing. In business, I, Chen Changqing, never give up halfway and suffer losses.

"My junior sister, Chen Changqing's junior sister, shouldn't Tribulation Transcendence facing her tribulation alone. Break through it for me!"

"Boom!"

The ninth tribulation lightning bolt was cleaved in two by the Immortal Execution Sword. The black-gold tribulation clouds churned a few times, seemingly unwilling to give up, before finally dissipating.

Sunlight streamed down through the gaps in the clouds, illuminating the Blood Pool and the hundred-foot-tall demonic body.

The Devil Qi around the demon's neck had dissipated, replaced by a head of black hair.

Xiaoqian opened her eyes. Her body was no longer an illusory soul, but a solid, flesh-and-blood form. A golden lotus dotted her brow, and black ancient demonic patterns clung to her body. Her aura was both that of Ghost Immortal and a deity.

One-Tribulation Ghost Immortal, the Tribulation Immortal Realm.

"It's a success."

Chen Changqing breathed a sigh of relief and didn't go over immediately. He stood there, looking at the once hundred-foot-tall demonic body. The Devil Qi dissipated, the black patterns receded, and only a woman in white stood in the center of the Blood Pool. Her hair was very long, reaching her ankles, with a few strands of Devil Qi still lingering at the ends.

Xiaoqian looked up and saw him covered in blood. Her eyes immediately welled up with tears, and she lifted her skirt and ran towards him.

"Senior brother, you've lost so much blood..."

Don't cry.

Chen Changqing grinned, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

"Your senior brother is not dead yet."

Zhong Cheng slumped to the ground, clutching his chest and panting heavily, unable to recover for a long time.

Chen Changqing stopped smiling. The matter wasn't completely over yet. Xiaoqian had just fused with the original flesh and blood of the demon body and shed a new form, but the original hundred-foot-tall empty shell was still in the same place. If you don't cut the weeds at the root, they will grow back in the spring breeze. He had to clean up the last bit of the tail.

He carried the Immortal Execution Sword and walked step by step to the empty, hundred-foot-tall remains of the demonic body.

The demonic core shattered, but a trace of demonic energy still flickered within the fragments.

"You, you can't kill me. I am immortal, as long as the army from the Upper Realm descends..."

"Immortal?"

Chen Changqing sheathed his sword, leaving only half an inch exposed. "Perfect timing to test the power of this move on you."

"Ten thousand years ago, the Emperor slew you once. Today, I will slew you a second time. The Immortal Execution Sword Technique, Fifth Form: Immortal Execution."

"Zheng!"

A gray-white sword line silently flashed by.

The hundred-foot-tall demonic body was shattered in two. The demonic core and its lingering spirit didn't even have time to utter a scream before turning into a sky full of black ash. The Primordial Undying Demonic Body was completely erased from existence.

Chen Changqing sheathed his sword, his strength completely drained, and he swayed slightly.

Xiaoqian stepped forward and firmly supported his arm.

"Senior brother."

"It's nothing, you won't die. You just need to go back and rest for a couple of days."

Chen Changqing waved his hand, about to call Zhong Cheng to leave this troublesome place quickly, but then he noticed something was wrong with the noise above him and looked up at the sky.

The heavens of the Nine Netherworlds are an illusion.

But just as the demonic body collapsed, a thousand-foot-long crack appeared in the gray sky.

What happened? The ninth lightning bolt didn't even split the sky, so why did the sky crack after the demonic body died? Could it be that this demonic body was the plug blocking the passage between the two realms?

From the other side of the gap came the resounding clang of countless suits of armor.

There was also a whisper that crossed the Upper Realm, causing the entire Earth Abyss to collapse.

"Stepping on the heavens..."

You're still alive?