Opening the Dead Spirit Passage

The foolish Hetu continued to expand the range of his death qi. The passage showed signs of migrating. At the entrance, death qi permeated the surroundings. A group of Invincibles watched in silence, while several among them glanced up into the void to calculate how much longer it would take for the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus to fully bloom. Having the dead spirits emerge and throw the entire situation into chaos before it bloomed was the best possible outcome. ... "It's about to open!" Inside the Illusion Sky Mirror, Yu Sheng, Zhan Wushuang, and the others looked upward. The Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus was about to bloom! And it was not the only thing opening—the dead spirit passage was too. It would not be long now before widespread chaos erupted. At this moment, even the onlookers understood what was happening. The dead spirits were merely tools for the various races to stir the waters. Not a single person or race present had absolute confidence in seizing the lotus for themselves, making the dead spirits the crucial variable. Everything depended on who these eleven dead spirits would target and kill. These dead spirits cared nothing for race or allegiances; they acted purely on whim. Amidst the crowd, the corners of the Tianyuan race Invincible's mouth curved slightly upward. The dead spirits were about to appear! Nine of them! Though the Tianyuan race had only one Invincible present, they were effectively the most powerful faction here right now: nine Invincible dead spirits, plus Tianzhou, who was capable of battling an Invincible. Even the demon race could not match them. He looked toward the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus in the void with burning desire. *This belongs to me!* At the passage entrance, Hetu released another burst of death qi. Behind him, the faint outline of a gateway began to take shape, allowing glimpses of the dead spirit monarchs within. Inside King Gong Mansion, the lakeside pavilion remained where it had always been, and the great saber rested in place. However, the dead spirit passage that the saber originally suppressed was now gradually fading away. The saber embodied the rules! By jarring the saber, Hetu had knocked the dead spirit gate off balance and forced it to relocate. This meant that once the dead spirits emerged this time, they would not be bound by the rules until the gate returned to its original position to suppress the passage once more. "Hahaha!" Hetu laughed uproariously, displaying a wide grin that revealed blackened teeth. Success was near! He swept his gaze over the surrounding Invincibles, his outward laughter giving way to an internal sneer. *Fools!* *You think you can use me?* Although his memory was fragmented and his wits were not as sharp as when he was alive, he had by now seen through the schemes of these bastards. *You want to treat me like a cudgel to stir up filth?* *Fine, I'll grant your wish!* *Did you really think Hetu was someone you could push around?* As Hetu muttered to himself, the dead spirit gate beside him grew increasingly distinct. Behind it, the figures of multiple dead spirit monarchs became clearly visible! Now, their voices could even be heard faintly through the barrier. "Hetu!" A dead spirit called out his name. Hetu, who possessed higher intelligence than most of his kind, beamed across his blackened face as he looked toward the gateway and spotted the figure at the lead. "Tuofa!" Hetu recognized him from their past dealings. Back when they campaigned across the myriad realms, Tuofa had once lent him aid. Later, the Old Turtle stepped in and suppressed Hetu, slaying a portion of the dead spirits while sending the rest back to the dead spirit realm. Now, tens of thousands of years later, he was seeing him again. The dead spirit realm was vast; traveling from Hongmeng City to this area required crossing through territories controlled by numerous dead spirit monarchs. Hetu had made no shortage of enemies in the dead spirit realm, making such travel treacherous. He and Tuofa had not crossed paths for countless years! Hetu glanced at the figures flanking Tuofa, his smile broadening—only to suddenly freeze. The dead spirit in the cloak looked somewhat familiar. Who was that? Had he seen her before? He looked more closely... A faint memory surfaced. Was that... Xingyue? Just as surprise struck Hetu, Xingyue's chilly voice drifted across. "Hetu, now that you can roam freely in the Star Residence Mansion, aren't you going to thank me? If I hadn't activated the astral teleportation passage for you and expended my own efforts, you wouldn't be enjoying such freedom!" Hetu paused. What did she mean by that? From behind the dead spirit gate, Tuofa chuckled. "Hetu, Xingyue mentioned that when you crossed over, you were battered by a giant pillar of hair and left thoroughly humiliated. Is that true? When did the great Hetu ever end up in such a sorry state?" "..." A strange glint entered Hetu's eyes! *Xingyue!* *The pillar of hair!* *The astral teleportation!* He was genuinely shaken. Truth be told, even after existing for countless years, he had only learned about these things recently. How... how did Xingyue know about them? She claimed that she was the one who orchestrated his teleportation? Hetu felt deeply unsettled. Xingyue had not emerged yet, but Hetu suddenly found himself wishing she wouldn't. What on earth was she talking about? Hadn't his arrival been triggered purely by that fool accidentally activating the passage? Hetu instantly sank into deep thought. Meanwhile, Xingyue's aloof voice rang out again. "Hetu, why the silence? Are you ungrateful for the favor?" Hetu projected his death qi into the dead spirit gate and replied with a puzzled tone, "Xingyue... you knew about the teleportation?" "Naturally!" Xingyue replied indifferently. "I was a saint of ancient times. What could a junior like you know of such secrets? Your ancestor, King Gong, was an old friend of mine back in the day. Let me ask you: were there 360 stars arranged at that astral teleportation site?" At that moment, Hetu became a believer! *Holy crap!* She even knew that! Could it be... was she truly the one who had opened the passage? Shocked, Hetu sent his death qi rippling out once more. "You arranged for the fool to do it?" *The fool?* Xingyue paused, guessing that he was referring to the other dead spirit monarch Hetu had recruited as an ally—the newly awakened one. She replied promptly, "Of course. I secretly aided his revival to deliberately guide you here. After all, the Guiyuan Saber was something perhaps only you could jar free. Hetu, you aren't angry with me, are you?" Before Hetu could respond, whatever doubts Tuofa and the others harbored vanished entirely. Tuofa laughed boisterously. "Hetu, don't be angry! How we got here doesn't matter; what matters is that we will all soon be able to step out! Those living beings have suppressed us for countless ages. Back then, we campaigned together, only to be suppressed by that old turtle. Now that the turtle isn't here, we can reunite and turn their world upside down!" By now, they were fully convinced that Xingyue was behind it all. No wonder she had traveled so far across mountains and rivers to get here. She had arrived even before Hetu! Xingyue was truly impressive. Tuofa and the others were already trying to guess her ancient identity. Some dead spirits had forgotten who they once were, while others retained fragmented memories. Since Xingyue had never revealed her past, none of them knew who she was during the ancient era. Of course, none of that mattered now. They were already dead; their identity as dead spirits was all that remained. ... At this moment, Hetu's mind was an utter muddle. *I... was set up to come here?* *I knew it! I wondered how I could have possibly teleported in!* *Xingyue!* Hetu was secretly alarmed. *Did Xingyue play me?* *Was Daidai revived by her?* He felt confused, yet he had no choice but to believe her. These were secrets he had only just discovered himself—the unique astral teleportation, the giant pillar of hair. How could anyone know about them without experiencing them firsthand? Clearly, Xingyue must have teleported over long ago, but because she had no way of contacting other dead spirits, she had chosen Hetu to serve as the key. A swell of resentment rose in Hetu's heart! *How dare Xingyue scheme against me!* *Still... forget it. I won't hold it against her for now. After all, I did manage to make it out safely, and I should thank her for creating this opportunity.* *I am a sage in the eyes of my fellow dead spirits, a figure of boundless benevolence.* *I cannot afford to utter petty words of grievance.* Hetu quickly regained his composure, projecting his death qi as he transmitted, "My thanks to Monarch Xingyue for her assistance!" "It was only right. It was all for the sake of the dead spirits!" Xingyue maintained an aloof expression, but inside, she was overcome with a peculiar sensation. *I... I lied!* *And I managed to fool Hetu and all the dead spirits!* *More than that, after being tricked, Hetu even thanked me!* *So this is the Dao of Deception?* Su Yu always loved deceiving others. He lied to this person and swindled that one, scamming a mountain of treasures and conning countless enemies to their deaths. So this was how it felt. You deceive someone, and they thank you in return. *Is this truly the Dao of Deception?* Xingyue was flooded with newfound awe! Beside her, the other dead spirit monarchs had cast aside all remaining doubts. One of them joked, "Xingyue, when will you let us freely enter and exit the dead spirit realm? We'd love to enjoy that luxury at least once!" Xingyue replied calmly, "During the next tide! That astral teleportation only activates once per tide, aligning with the opening of the mansion in the living realm." "Then you must count us in next time!" "Naturally!" Xingyue continued placidly, "Once this matter concludes, we can go inspect the location. Hetu knows where it is. Even if I don't go, Hetu can lead the way!" She had no idea where it was, so of course Hetu had to lead them. Hearing her words, Hetu chimed in with a laugh, "Next time! I will take you all there next time!" Internally, however, he cursed violently. *No way in hell!* *That secret astral teleportation passage connects the living and the dead without being bound by the rules. How could that idiot Xingyue blab about it so casually?* *As expected, she's an idiot.* *Fortunately, I'm the only one who knows the actual location. When this is over, I'll either mislead her or simply silence her. How can such a precious location be disclosed so recklessly?* *If too many dead spirits start teleporting through, what if it draws the attention of those old fossils and they seal the passage again?* Hetu's mind raced, even contemplating silencing the other dead spirits permanently! Of course, he kept those thoughts strictly to himself for now. ... While the dead spirits conversed, several Invincibles outside prepared to withdraw. There was no need to linger just to watch the dead spirit passage open; it was better to retreat while they could. Some even harbored secondary ambitions: now that the dead spirit passage had migrated, what about the Guiyuan Saber? At that moment, several Invincibles slipped away into the void under the cover of secrecy. However, the powerhouses of the major races showed no urgency. They maintained indifferent expressions. The Head of the Heaven Division was equally unperturbed. A divine weapon was an extraordinary treasure that everyone coveted, but... anyone attempting to seize it right now would be courting death. Hetu had merely jarred the weapon enough to displace the dead spirit passage; that hardly meant the Guiyuan Saber was up for grabs. Anyone who acted recklessly would perish. Just as these thoughts crossed their minds, a sharp saber cry suddenly rang between heaven and earth, followed by a brilliant flash of blade light! *Buzz!* Above King Gong Mansion, the world itself seemed sliced in two! A second later, a figure materialized in the void. Those who recognized him sneered coldly, "Idiot!" It was a Quasi-Invincible of the Nether race. Evidently, he had crept in secretly hoping to claim the Guiyuan Saber. Yet he failed to consider whether he possessed the qualifications. Even the Invincibles had refrained from making a move, so who did he think he was? Did he believe he was stronger than an Invincible? *Slash!* The blade light flashed past, slicing him clean in two. His corpse tumbled into the water with a dull thud, plunging straight into the lotus pond! At that moment, the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus seemed to bloom even faster! Not only that, but several onlookers suddenly wore strange expressions. There were nine lotuses in the pond in total. The one blooming now was the ninth; the previous eight were far from ready to open. Yet as the Quasi-Invincible's corpse fell in, the pond instantly turned into a pool of blood. In the blink of an eye, the bloody hue vanished. Aside from the phenomena marking the fall of a Quasi-Invincible, nothing seemed to have happened in the pond. However, the other eight lotuses appeared to have grown slightly. At that moment, someone gave an eerie chuckle. "It seems the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus is short on nourishment. Look, burying just one has accelerated its growth. If everyone present were buried in there, perhaps another Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus could bloom!" Those words sent a chill through many hearts. This Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus was truly sinister. To think it actually fed on corpses to grow! Hardly anyone was aware of this, likely because too much time had passed. The lotus had not bloomed for countless years, so very few living beings possessed knowledge of its true nature. At this point, some completely abandoned their ambitions. The Guiyuan Saber was not to be touched. That Quasi-Invincible had barely brushed near it before being executed on the spot. He had not even managed to manifest his three incarnations before being slain altogether. Not even a ripple was left behind—literally so, as his corpse had vanished the moment it struck the water! This was now the fourth Quasi-Invincible to die within the Star Residence Mansion. Su Yu and his companions had finished off two, Lan Tian had slain one, and now this was the fourth. Beings capable of running rampant in the outside world had been casually slaughtered by a masterless blade here. ... Qin Zhen wore a look of profound shock as he turned toward Xia Longwu. "You wield a blade. Can you take it?" Xia Longwu merely glanced at him, disinclined to answer. Instead, Zhu Tianfang smiled and said, "Don't even think about it; the difficulty is far too great! Of course, that doesn't mean there is zero chance. The Guiyuan Saber's purpose is to suppress the dead spirit passage. Once the passage ceases to exist, the saber can be wielded freely. Right now, the passage has merely migrated, but it still exists! Taking the saber won't be easy unless a Half-Emperor arrives to suppress it directly and take it away." "A Half-Emperor could take it?" "There should be hope." "Then the outside world..." Before Qin Zhen could ask further, Xia Longwu cut him off. "Enough. No Half-Emperor dares to enter. Which race's Half-Emperor would dare risk it? If they die, everything is over. Over all the times the mansion has opened, when has a Half-Emperor ever stepped foot inside?" That was true enough. Qin Zhen nodded, then looked toward the dead spirit passage and the unattended Hetu. He transmitted, "Are we just going to leave the dead spirits alone?" "What is there to manage? Find an opportunity and let's leave together!" Xia Longwu looked toward Zhu Tianfang and transmitted, "We need to leave, otherwise we risk being pincered from front and back! The dead spirits are ahead, and that group harboring ill intent is behind. Let's pull back before the passage fully opens!" Zhu Tianfang gave an almost imperceptible nod. Glancing around, he quickly transmitted to the group, "In a moment, the instant the dead spirit passage opens, we will charge toward the dragon race. Those two won't dare linger and will swiftly retreat. Follow them as they pull back, and regroup at King Gong Mansion! The Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus will soon bloom, but do not be the first to snatch it. Whoever moves first will become everyone's target!" Moving first offered a slim hope of seizing the prize and escaping, but the odds were minimal. Striking first carried both benefits and drawbacks. The greatest drawback was that if the first person to grab it was driven to a corner, they might destroy the lotus, ruining it for everyone. While they were conferring, a thunderous boom suddenly resonated across the entire seventh floor! Hetu erupted into wild laughter. Behind him, a gateway officially solidified and began to swing open slowly. At that moment, another saber cry echoed between heaven and earth, but the weapon merely trembled without launching an attack. The Guiyuan Saber suppressed the passage itself, not any individual dead spirit. The passage remained anchored near the saber; only the gateway had shifted position. At this sight, the Head of the Heaven Division remarked, "Unless Hetu keeps sustaining the gateway, the dead spirit gate will soon return to its original position. Sooner or later, these creatures will be driven back under the constraints of the rules!" Nearby, Hetu roared with laughter, "Long enough! Once opened, this gate can stay open for at least nine days—more than enough time for us to slaughter every last one of you! Arrogant fools, I will show you what it means to play with fire!" These fools had actually stood by and allowed them to emerge. They were courting death! *Rumble!* The gate swung wide. Heaven and earth seemed to tear apart! The dead spirit monarchs let out frenzied roars—they were finally coming through! Emerging free of all restrictions! At that exact instant, the four human Invincibles surged toward the dragon race, their blade light shaking the firmament. The two Dragon Kings took one look and retreated without hesitation. Just as Zhu Tianfang had predicted, with the dead spirits breaking through, the dragon race had no interest in tangling with humanity; there was simply no point. The waters were thoroughly muddied! In the blink of an eye, the six Invincibles vanished from the area. Near King Gong Mansion, various Quasi-Invincibles scattered, seeking hiding places to flee to. In the void, the ninth petal of the Nine-Leaf Celestial Lotus was unfurling—perhaps due to absorbing a Quasi-Invincible, its blooming proceeded much faster than anticipated. ... On Su Yu's side, God King Bingfeng lingered no longer, withdrawing alongside several other God Kings. Among the god race, God King Leiting held supreme authority. He barked out quick instructions: "Find opportunities to slay our adversaries! Entangle the others and deny them any opening. Do not provoke those dead spirits—let them serve as our vanguard!" This was likely the plan shared by every faction. God King Bingfeng did not object, responding swiftly, "Then I will head toward King Gong Mansion first. I am still carrying our people, so I will avoid engaging in battle as much as possible!" Unless pushed to absolute desperation, he had no wish to abandon the surviving god race cultivators. "Very well!" The god race quickly dispersed, their God Kings fading into the void. Meanwhile, the dead spirit passage burst open with a deafening roar, saturating the world with death qi. ... Inside the Illusion Sky Mirror, the god race cultivators trembled in fear. Each of them was terrified. Trapped inside a Heaven armament, they could neither leave nor let anyone in, as if confined to a cage. If anything happened to God King Bingfeng, they were finished. Yet amidst this battleground of Invincibles, they were utterly powerless. All they could do was pray for God King Bingfeng's safety! *Rumble!* The tremors were loud enough for them to hear, and they could even sense death qi invading the space. At this moment, eleven terrifyingly powerful dead spirits hovered in the void, their wild laughter echoing between heaven and earth. ... "We are out!" "The filthy land of the living!" "Hahaha, Hetu, splendidly done!" "Xingyue, excellent!" "..." The laughter of the dead spirit monarchs reverberated across the floor. What an exhilarating feeling! They had emerged! Not only that, but they were temporarily freed from the rules' constraints—this was their greatest advantage. Under normal circumstances, emerging recklessly to slaughter the living would invite the saber of rules to descend at any moment, capable of executing even a dead spirit monarch. Hetu beamed broadly. Watching the Invincibles flee in all directions, he chuckled, fully aware of their game. Those bastards were not fleeing out of weakness; they simply wanted the dead spirits to act as tools to stir up trouble. *Fine, I'll indulge you!* Hetu laughed. "Everyone, now that we are out, it would be a waste of our efforts not to slaughter our fill! Let us first wipe out the Eternals of the minor races..." "No, kill the god race! I despise them!" "Kill the demon race! I detest them!" "No, no, no, kill the humans! I recall being killed by a human in life. Even though I feel nothing now, it's still better to kill them..." Suddenly, none of the monarchs were willing to listen to Hetu. Now that they were out, pursuing their own satisfaction was far more important! Hetu's face darkened. Just as he prepared to argue and persuade them, Xingyue's chilly voice rang out: "Kill the immortal race first. Their Heaven Yuan Qi suppresses our death qi. Slay them first before settling personal vendettas. The immortal race is our common enemy!" At those words, the dead spirits who were reasonably familiar with her chimed in, "Very well! Since Xingyue says so, we will give her face. Everyone, kill the immortal race first!" "..." Hetu cursed furiously in his heart! *I was the one who released you, you bastards! Why are you listening to Xingyue?* *Damn that Xingyue, she's usurping my authority!* Xingyue wore a mask of complete indifference, yet inside, she relished the sensation—this unique, unprecedented thrill. So this was the power of rhetoric! *It turns out I can be a leader too!* *All it takes is a little deception, and these fools trust me completely, considering me far more reliable than Hetu!* Xingyue briefly wondered: *Should I lead this group to just kill Su Yu instead?* *Still... I'm a tiny bit reluctant to do that.* It was because of Su Yu that she had experienced this sense of intellectual superiority, crushing the wits of these dead spirit monarchs and easily becoming their titular leader. Even if they were only listening to her temporarily, that was more than enough! As for whether Hetu was furious, what did that have to do with her? Xingyue sneered and glanced in a certain direction. "Then let us go together and slaughter the immortal race first!" "Agreed!" Nine dead spirits vanished in an instant. Hetu and Daidai remained behind, Daidai staring at Hetu. Hetu ground his teeth in rage, but he had to stick with the group. Resigned, he followed along. He had no real objection regarding who they targeted first. What bothered him was that they shouldn't have listened to Xingyue! Hetu felt intensely aggrieved! It felt as though he had laboured for days only to unleash a pack of ungrateful wolves, with all his credit stolen by someone else. Indeed, everyone now believed the credit belonged to Xingyue. Hetu had been teleported over by her; Hetu had reached the seventh floor thanks to the efforts of Xingyue's subordinates. Everything was linked to Xingyue, making Hetu look like nothing more than an errand boy. ... *Boom!* A deafening explosion rang out. Soon, God King Bingfeng's voice filtered into the Illusion Sky Mirror: "The immortal race is in trouble. Who would have guessed they would become the target? How amusing!" His voice carried a trace of amusement. Who would the dead spirits attack once they emerged? That was a gamble everyone had been watching closely! Would they target a specific race or kill indiscriminately? The result proved that they had set their sights on the immortal race. At this moment, the dead spirits had already clashed with the Immortal Kings, sparking an intense battle. God King Bingfeng felt both relieved and slightly disappointed. In truth, he would have preferred to see the dead spirits target the demon race! The demons boasted the greatest number of powerhouses this time—seven Demon Kings, including the Blood Fire Demon King. They were the ones who truly deserved to be targeted. Yet the dead spirits had gone after the immortals instead! ... The various races lay in wait, watching for an opportunity. Meanwhile, the Immortal Kings were cursing furiously! Perched atop a massive peak, King Xuanhe bellowed in fury, "Hetu, are you making an enemy of my immortal race?" Hetu remained silent. *Screw you!* *I wasn't the one who chose you! Besides, what if we are enemies?* Tuofa threw his head back and roared with laughter. "What dog fart immortal race? If you have the guts, march your people into our dead spirit realm!" The dead spirits had nothing to fear from them. Come and attack if you dare! Was there any question about who would wipe out whom? The immortal race could act arrogantly in the myriad realms, but what right did they have to act arrogant in the dead spirit realm! King Xuanhe cursed under his breath and fled rapidly, having no desire to fight them—nor did he have the strength to win. He was seething with rage, feeling that all the worst luck had converged on the immortal race. Not only had they suffered heavy casualties earlier, but now that the dead spirits had appeared, their very first target was the immortal race. What was this if not sheer misfortune? Dead spirits were supposed to kill indiscriminately. Why were all eleven of them traveling as a pack just to hunt down the immortals? Something had clearly gone wrong! Despite the countless questions racing through his mind, he had no time to dwell on them. The immortal race was facing a severe crisis; with the dead spirits refusing to relent, the immortals were practically forced out of the competition for the lotus, and even surviving had become a challenge. ... Inside the Illusion Sky Mirror, Su Yu quietly waited for his chance. God King Bingfeng enjoyed decent luck, remaining concealed without encountering any adversaries. Without an external confrontation, Su Yu dared not act; the risk was far too great. Of course, he was not sitting completely idle. He continued communicating with Xingyue: "My Lady, order the Tianyuan race powerhouses to ambush the god race!" Xingyue replied shortly after with a flat, "There is no need for you to command me." Just that simple. Su Yu didn't mind; he was used to it by now. ... Elsewhere, the Tianyuan race Invincible met up with Tianzhou. At that moment, the covenant in their minds trembled. "Kill the god race!" Tianzhou frowned slightly, turning toward the Invincible. "Brother Lingyuan, does this dead spirit monarch hold a grudge against the god race?" Otherwise, with so many powerhouses present, why single out the gods? Though not an Invincible himself, Tianzhou spoke to him as an equal, and the Invincible took no offense. He smiled and said, "Pay it no mind. We are destined to emerge as the victors this time! Eliminating a few rivals early works in our favor. The god, demon, immortal, and human races hold dominance, alongside the Heaven Hunting Pavilion. Once we dispose of these factions, the prize is ours!" Tianzhou nodded slightly, a smile breaking out on his face. That was true! Weakening those major races was indeed necessary. "Then let's hunt down a few god race Quasi-Invincibles first!" Tianzhou suggested with a chuckle. "We will clean them up one by one, along with those from the other races. Minor fry have no business making a mess here!" "Agreed!" The two quickly reached an understanding and parted ways, each setting off to hunt down the Quasi-Invincibles of the various factions. ... Within a massive canyon on the seventh floor, Jiu Yue grinned broadly. Chaos had erupted—the more chaotic, the better! A massive bamboo stalk suddenly appeared in its paw, extraordinarily sturdy and terrifyingly powerful. Jiu Yue swung the bamboo directly at an immortal Quasi-Invincible. With the Immortal Kings struggling just to protect themselves, it was the perfect time to strike! *No, I'm not killing people; I'm killing an immortal so I can roast him for a meal later!* Terrified, the Quasi-Invincible fled in haste, dividing himself into two—his present incarnation and his past incarnation, prepared to sacrifice one so long as the other escaped. On this side, Jiu Yue's bamboo strike slammed into the past incarnation, leaving him dazed and disoriented! In the blink of an eye, a massive paw reached out and seized him firmly. Frighteningly formidable strength! Jiu Yue ranked second. First was Wan Tiansheng, a ruthless figure who had slaughtered two Invincibles. Jiu Yue stood above everyone else, surpassing even Lan Tian, Changhe, and Kongkong. One could easily see how powerful this beast truly was. With a single blow, it had knocked a Quasi-Invincible's past incarnation senseless! An ordinary Invincible in the lower three stages might not even be its match. Such was Jiu Yue's terrifying prowess! Just as Jiu Yue secured the past incarnation, a wretched scream echoed from the distance. With a sickening squelch, sharp claws ripped through the Quasi-Invincible's present incarnation. Tuntian emerged with a ferocious glare, looking toward Jiu Yue before offering a grin. "Brother Jiu Yue, half each! I killed this one with my own strength; I didn't steal it from you!" Jiu Yue grinned innocently, taking a crunchy bite out of the past incarnation in its paw before casting a glance at Tuntian without a word. Internally, however, it was already wondering: *When I catch Tuntian later, how should I eat him?* *Roasted, or raw?* *How dare he snatch my food!* Having dispatched a Quasi-Invincible in the blink of an eye, the two ferocious beasts vanished, off to hunt down further prey to fill their bellies! ... At this moment, slaughter was unfolding everywhere. The entire seventh floor trembled continuously. The dead spirits were engaged in combat, while everyone else fought amongst themselves. Furthermore, vast legions of dead spirits poured out from the passage, sweeping across the entire floor! There were not many Invincible monarchs among them, as summoning more would require time, and those in the deeper reaches might not even know what was happening. Yet ordinary dead spirits were overwhelmingly numerous. Over a dozen Quasi-Invincible dead spirit generals led tens of thousands of dead spirits in a sweeping advance across the seventh floor. Their intent was to seize the Star Residence Mansion and convert it into a rear base for the dead spirit realm—a directive shared by the monarchs. Cultivators of minor races hiding across the floor were ferreted out and slaughtered one after another! The major races had Invincibles who could protect their kin by taking them into Heaven armaments or secret realms, but the minor races lacked such luxuries. They had originally hidden in obscure corners, not daring to contend for treasures. Yet now, enveloped by the dead spirits, they faced indiscriminate massacre! ... In the outside world, the connection channels continued to snap. This time, they were breaking with extraordinary speed. Powerhouses from minor races were being slain in rapid succession. This was the fifteenth day since their entry! By now, 2,600 channels connected to the black vortex had shattered, and the tally kept climbing. As yet another channel snapped, someone sighed. "Half a month, and the survivors are down to less than a thousand!" Moreover, nearly all those remaining belonged to the major races. The minor races had effectively been wiped out! Aside from a tiny handful of elite powerhouses, the rest were dead. The gods, demons, immortals, humans, and dragons collectively accounted for around nine hundred survivors, while the Invincibles and Quasi-Invincibles of all other races numbered barely a hundred in total. And half a month remained before the Star Residence Mansion would close. The rate of channel breakage was slowing, but everyone understood this did not mean the killing had ceased. Rather, there were simply fewer living beings remaining on the seventh floor, with the vast majority sheltered inside secret realms or Heaven armaments. The next time someone died... it might well be the fall of an Invincible, taking hundreds of lives with them at once! When that occurred, it would not be a mere one or two channels snapping at a time.