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Chapter 976: No One\'s Leaving

In the blink of an eye, Sima Qing was forced back, his face flushed red with exertion and frustration. Clearly, the power of the Heavenly Demon Kings was not something easily overcome.

It was only after ten breaths that Sima Qing opened his eyes, still filled with lingering fear.

Everyone else stood frozen, staring blankly. This situation was beyond frustrating! To be stopped at the final step—who could bear such torment?

"Brother Sima, I think I might have a solution," Cheng Baiyi suddenly spoke up.

"Oh?"

"The Heavenly Demon Kings shouldn\'t be endless, right? If we send more people in, each one could deplete the strength of a single Heavenly Demon King. Once they\'re exhausted, wouldn\'t we be able to pass through freely?" Cheng Baiyi suggested.

"That\'s a good plan. Soldiers, the Fifth Battalion, all of you, enter the Fox Realm!" Sima Qing commanded.

Though the soldiers hesitated, they quickly responded, "Yes, sir!"

Three thousand soldiers simultaneously flew toward the entrance of the Fox Realm.

As soon as they entered, the three thousand soldiers were immediately repelled, tumbling back out. It was evident that every one of them had been possessed by a Heavenly Demon.

They sat down cross-legged, but unfortunately, these soldiers were not ancient immortals; how could they possibly withstand the power of a Heavenly Demon King? Those with weaker wills began bleeding from their seven orifices, their dao hearts shattered! Only a few managed to struggle on.

The soldiers who had not yet entered couldn\'t help but flinch, their eyelids twitching. None dared to step forward.

"Your Majesty, let me try!" King Zhongyong, who had not yet attempted entry, volunteered.

Sima Qing didn\'t stop him, and King Zhongyong shot forward at lightning speed. A streak of light entered the realm, but within moments, the light shot back out, and King Zhongyong fell among the soldiers, sitting down to regain his composure.

Sima Qing and the others wore grim expressions. What now?

"Sss!"

As everyone stood conflicted over the Fox Realm, a sudden "sss" sound came from the group of soldiers who were sitting cross-legged, trying to resist the Heavenly Demons. Among them was King Zhongyong, still adjusting to the demonic influence.

"You scoundrel, how dare you!" King Weiwu roared, striking out with his palm.

It was the Dark Emperor! Somehow, after leaving earlier, the Dark Emperor had managed to slip back into the crowd of soldiers, once again assuming the role of an assassin. With one swift strike, he killed the distressed King Zhongyong.

Just as King Weiwu\'s palm strike hit the spot, the Dark Emperor had already vanished, retreating swiftly. The blow was lethal, and the Dark Emperor showed no hesitation, ensuring even the soul was eradicated—a hallmark of a master assassin.

"Boom!"

An explosion rang out, killing a large number of the soldiers. The Dark Emperor then disappeared into the blood mist, vanishing once more.

As they watched the Dark Emperor\'s retreating figure, a chill ran through everyone present.

This Dark Emperor was terrifying—his power at the peak of the Heavenly Immortal stage was even more frightening than that of some ancient immortals. How could Da Qiong have someone so fearsome?

For a moment, it felt as though the shadow of the Dark Emperor lurked everywhere.

Everyone looked around at the soldiers and officials with trepidation.

Sima Qing\'s face darkened with rage.

Even King Zhongyong, who had managed to withstand the Chess Saint of Demons and Spirits, had been killed so easily in such a humiliating manner. The assassination was brutal, leaving no room for survival—both the body and the soul were destroyed.

Cheng Baiyi\'s eyes flashed with horror. The Dark Emperor\'s combat strength was not something that Cheng Baiyi feared—in a direct confrontation, Cheng Baiyi was confident he could defeat him, even if the Dark Emperor had the Star Pearl.

But the terrifying part was that the Dark Emperor never fought head-on. This made him truly fearsome. He waited for the slightest mistake before striking, and in exploiting weaknesses, the Dark Emperor had reached an unparalleled level of mastery.

Moreover, the Dark Emperor was exceptionally skilled at concealing his presence, making it feel as though he was always lurking just nearby.

At this point, who would dare to enter the Fox Realm?

Within the Twenty-Four Heavenly Gods Killing Formation, a fierce duel was underway between two grand feng shui masters—Shenxiu and Tian Lao.

Zhong Shan stood outside, with dark clouds gathering in the sky above, a scene he had conjured to block out the sunlight, creating a more ominous atmosphere.

Perched atop a mountain, Zhong Shan watched as a mass of ghosts began to gather at the foot of the hill, each one filled with a mix of relief from narrowly escaping death and sorrow over their lost lives.

"Why has this happened?"

"What exactly is going on?"

"Was it Zhong Shan who saved us?"

The ghosts murmured in fearful confusion as they took in their surroundings.

In the distance, the blood mist began to thin, replaced by an increasing amount of black energy. Gradually, the blood mist dissipated entirely, and soon after, the black energy began to fade as well.

The enormous storm that had engulfed Qingqiu slowly diminished, and the feng shui formation was withdrawn.

In the distance, two figures flickered—Tian Lao and a heavily armored Yan Chongzhi approached.

"Sacred King!" Both Tian Lao and Yan Chongzhi bowed slightly.

"You won?" Zhong Shan asked.

"No, Shenxiu withdrew after just one exchange, as if he had no desire to continue the battle," Tian Lao replied, still puzzled.

"Oh?" Zhong Shan raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Sacred King, only about thirty million ghosts remain. The rest have completely dissipated, and I was powerless to save them," Yan Chongzhi reported.

"Very well. Stay here and keep watch over these ghosts, in case anything unexpected happens," Zhong Shan ordered.

"Understood!" Yan Chongzhi responded immediately, taking up his duty.

Zhong Shan, accompanied by Tian Lao, flew toward the interior of Qingqiu.

With the blood mist gone, Qingqiu had returned to a semblance of normalcy, but the damage was irreparable. The once grand buildings had collapsed into ruins, and countless bodies lay scattered on the ground, most reduced to skeletal remains, with their flesh long since vanished.

In the sky, the luck of Taichu was nearly depleted, with only a feeble eighteen-clawed golden dragon lingering weakly in the air.

Taichu had suffered an unprecedented blow.

Zhong Shan naturally headed toward the palace.

When Shenxiu left and the feng shui formation collapsed, Cheng Baiyi immediately sensed that something was amiss.

With Shenxiu gone, how could they possibly enter the Fox Realm?

"Brother Sima, it seems we were too hasty this time. I\'ll take my leave for now, and in half a year, after I\'ve refined the Celestial Net, we can attempt to enter the Fox Realm together," Cheng Baiyi said.

As he spoke, a white cloud appeared beneath the Celestial Net, clearly indicating that Cheng Baiyi intended to leave with it.

Seeing the Celestial Net and the two women trapped inside, Sima Qing\'s eyes flashed with reluctance. "Qingqiu has quiet rooms where you can refine the Celestial Net. There\'s no need to leave."

"No, thank you! I\'ll return in half a year," Cheng Baiyi shook his head.

"Are you sure you want to leave?" Sima Qing frowned.

"Leave? None of you are going anywhere!" A thunderous voice suddenly rang out from the void.

Zhong Shan, from a distance, had already spotted the two women trapped within the Celestial Net. Seeing them imprisoned, a surge of anger rose within him!

The destruction of Qingqiu didn\'t concern Zhong Shan, nor did the collapse of Taichu. What mattered to him was that Su Rou and Su Meiniang were trapped.

Although the two women were reluctant to acknowledge what had happened between them and Zhong Shan, the fact remained that it had happened. How could Zhong Shan allow them to suffer such humiliation?

To read the manga version, please click the YouTube link https://youtu.be/GnU613H6xm8