Jian Chou stood suspended with her umbrella, her robes fluttering in the wind.
Perhaps it was because the colors of heaven and earth converging on her body were too brilliant, making her face appear even more pale.
Too distant, too ethereal.
Almost no one noticed that the hand holding the umbrella had begun to tremble, as if she might not be able to grip it in the next moment!
Too terrifying!
The so-called Void Demon Umbrella that could instantly kill those in the Jade Nirvana realm was an enormous burden for her, who only possessed Soul Pearl realm cultivation!
Even while secretly absorbing the earth force yin essence from the black jade, the soul power needed to fully open the Void Demon Umbrella was still far too little, far too little!
At her brow center, there was already a faint dry, piercing pain.
Her tiny Soul Pearl was spinning at a nearly frenzied speed, trying to keep up with the Void Demon Umbrella’s domineering absorption…
But it wasn’t enough!
Not enough!
The speed at which the Void Demon Umbrella opened grew slower and slower. She could even feel the pressure brought by the seven-tenths opened umbrella surface.
It was like a person supporting a towering mountain!
And the mountain could collapse at any moment!
She was merely a fragile pebble beneath the mountain!
The soul power within her body grew less and less…
The Soul Pearl’s rotation also became trembling.
The crack on its surface seemed to groan, as if it might expand at any moment!
Crisis arrived silently!
At this moment, anyone with eyes could see that something was wrong with Jian Chou!
Her entire being was like a statue, yet in a state of near exhaustion, trembling. Her lips had turned blue-purple, and the ancestral aperture at her brow center where the Soul Pearl resided had become semi-transparent due to the nearly mad soul power output!
Faintly, that weak Soul Pearl became visible.
“This is bad!”
The old woman immediately cried out!
Gu Ling didn’t know what was happening, but seeing the dire situation, she watched this scene of near world-destroying proportions and was frightened to helplessness: “Sister Jian Chou!”
“Hahahaha!”
At that moment, wild laughter rang out in this grim and terrifying world, filled with infinite arrogance!
Perhaps seeing his greatest threat fall into difficulty, with opportunity finally appearing, Pan Hexun’s entire aura suddenly surged upward dramatically!
“A mere weakling, thinking that possessing the Void Demon Umbrella allows you to show off?”
“With your ability, you dare try to support the Void Demon Umbrella?!”
“Dream on!”
His hands formed ancient, solemn mudra like Buddha palms. The moment he sneered, he struck directly at Zhang Tang’s thin blade silver disc!
“Battle chariot, activate the Five Capitals!”
Immediately, the massive battle chariot shot out an equally massive phantom that attached behind Pan Hexun!
As he pushed out his palm, that black phantom of indiscernible shape also extended a palm, pushing toward Zhang Tang!
Zhang Tang immediately felt a crushing, terrifying pressure!
However, he couldn’t retreat!
And—
Was too lazy to retreat!
The thin blade silver disc before him, assembled into a sharp octagonal shape, was now a full three zhang in circumference, like painted celestial stars!
Zhang Tang crossed his hands and actually rotated the disc, transforming it into a full moon in the sky, meeting that phantom’s palm print!
“Crash!”
The sound of the flowing, trembling silver thin blade star disc breaking through the air under Zhang Tang’s control!
“Boom!”
The massive black palm print immediately crashed into the full moon silver disc!
“Crack—”
Silver vase suddenly shattered, liquid splashing everywhere!
Like a stone smashing an enchanting glazed silver mirror!
Pan Hexun’s palm, or rather the massive phantom behind him, was only hindered for a moment before easily piercing through the entire silver disc like breaking through paper!
Utterly shocking!
Explosively powerful!
Others didn’t even have time to worry for Zhang Tang before his entire body was sent flying backward.
In the critical situation, his face tense, he directly performed a mid-air somersault and shouted “Blades return!” The countless thin blades that had been scattered flew back at full speed like falling starlight, wrapping around his body!
Zhang Tang’s entire being was enveloped in silver, leaping through the air.
Like—
A silver dragon soaring!
Pan Hexun’s ancient, heavy palm print ultimately grazed the silver dragon’s edge, tearing through countless thin blades before smashing into the massive magma lake below!
“Boom!”
Like a massive meteor falling from outer space, endless magma waves rose skyward!
“Kekeke…”
Pan Hexun threw back his head in wild laughter. Seeing Zhang Tang in such a sorry state filled him with extreme satisfaction!
The Kunwu Battle Chariot, this ancient artifact obtained by accident, continually brought him new surprises!
Seriously injured?
So what!
Kun represents earth!
On the earth’s surface, only I reign supreme!
At this moment, he raised both arms high, letting out an extremely strange howl!
“Rise, rise, rise!”
“Whoosh!”
The black shadow that had been standing behind him seemed summoned, surging turbulently and ferociously lunging toward Pan Hexun himself!
“Boom, boom, boom!”
Strange, vicious…
Like a large mass of black cotton suddenly stuffed into clothes that were far too small, instantly expanding! As if it would burst his entire body!
“Ahhhhh…”
Pan Hexun let out agonized screams.
Black-red blood patterns appeared on his face and body, causing his entire form to rapidly swell like an explosion!
In the blink of an eye, a monster appeared before everyone.
Two new heads grew from the sides of his skull, and four new arms extended from his back and shoulders!
Three heads and six arms, like those seen only in murals!
His entire body was covered in black-red blood patterns, his eyes wide open with more white than black, deep green threads coiling over them, terrifyingly fierce!
Pan Hexun’s entire form had grown a full zhang taller!
The black shadow seemed to be some strange substance that had facilitated his transformation.
However, the quantity was too vast. The current him couldn’t fully bear it, so after swelling to the limit, this expansion stopped.
The remaining majority of the black shadow hung behind Pan Hexun’s head like a massive, bloated sac.
At a glance, he had almost lost human form, becoming one with the black shadow!
Everyone who witnessed this scene couldn’t help but feel a chill.
Pan Hexun possessed three heads and six eyes, his field of vision becoming extremely broad.
The serious injuries were gone, the pain had vanished, even the anger from being besieged had disappeared!
Only power remained!
Power that threatened to burst his entire being!
When Chen Tingyan’s twelve golden flying swords separated from the Twelve Sword Screen Fan came rushing from behind, Pan Hexun casually extended his palm and blocked!
“Clang clang clang!”
All twelve flying swords actually trembled and were slapped back!
“Damn!”
Chen Tingyan never expected him to suddenly pull this move. Caught off guard, this violent shock disrupted his body’s soul power. Like taking a heavy blow, he nearly fell from the air!
“Overestimating your abilities!”
Pan Hexun could barely resist throwing back his head in a long howl.
Too powerful!
This was also his first time testing the Kunwu Battle Chariot’s ancient possession ability, and he was filled with countless pleasant surprises!
At this moment, small fry like Chen Tingyan and Zhang Tang were completely unimportant!
His six eyes all turned toward Jian Chou. A fierce light flashed in his gaze as he instantly leaped from the Kunwu Battle Chariot, lunging toward Jian Chou who remained motionless in mid-air!
Killing this woman was the urgent priority!
“Danger!”
“Jian Chou, dodge!”
Cries of alarm mixed with fear from the heart!
Jian Chou certainly heard them, but couldn’t possibly move aside!
The Void Demon Umbrella was extracting soul power from her body at a frenzied rate.
The Soul Pearl’s rotation already had a sluggish feeling. Even secretly providing countless black jade pieces couldn’t sustain such terrifying consumption!
Seven-tenths.
Seven and a half tenths.
Eight-tenths.
Eight and a half tenths.
…
Slower and slower, the Void Demon Umbrella’s opening speed had almost reached its limit!
Just a little bit more, and the entire umbrella surface could open perfectly!
Not enough!
Not enough!
Seeing Pan Hexun’s demon-like, monster-like figure flying toward her, his six massive arms wildly flailing in the air, an irrepressible anger suddenly rose in her heart!
Trump cards!
Everyone had trump cards!
Only she had just a Soul Pearl realm cultivation, only a broken and tattered shattered soul!
And now, she was just this little bit short!
Retreat?
Of course not!
Retreating meant only a dead end!
Only by killing might she kill her way to a path of survival!
There was absolutely no second choice!
One path, black to the end!
Jian Chou had never forgotten any of her experiences since entering the Extreme Domain!
At that moment, she gritted her teeth and expelled breath with a shout, as if to vent all the suppressed ruthlessness in her heart—
“Gather!”
Soul power?
Earth force yin essence?!
She didn’t have it, her Soul Pearl didn’t have it either, but the entire Eighteen Layers of Hell was the most important place in the Extreme Domain—
Earth force yin essence!
However much was needed, that much was available!
Her empty left hand suddenly extended!
Thumb and ring finger tips lightly touched!
“Boom!”
Between the two fingers, lightning flashed and thunder roared!
“Whoosh!”
A great wind suddenly rose from level ground, making it difficult for everyone to open their eyes! But their divine soul perception gave them a tremendous shock!
At that moment, everyone was too frightened to speak!
Earth force yin essence!
It was actually emerging from the volcanic lake, from the ground, from beneath the firmament—endless earth force yin essence!
Overwhelming the sky and covering the earth!
As if summoned by something, things that normally would emerge only with tremendous difficulty all went mad, lunging toward Jian Chou!
For a moment, everything visible to the eye and sensible to the soul was this!
Between heaven and earth, only earth force yin essence remained!
With Jian Chou as the center, they spun frantically, forming a terrifying vortex!
Every wisp of earth force yin essence pointed directly at Jian Chou’s brow center!
The Soul Pearl as tiny as dust within her brow center suddenly shot out from her ancestral aperture at this moment, plunging into this storm!
What tremendous quantity?!
What terrifying pressure?!
Everyone thought she had gone mad!
Such a small Soul Pearl…
Not even reaching the size of a baby’s fingertip, the light of a grain of rice or firefly!
There was even an ugly crack stubbornly standing on the Soul Pearl’s surface—this only appeared when the soul was damaged. Moreover, within what should have been very pure deep white coloring, there was actually some purple light mixed in.
This was their first time seeing anyone’s Soul Pearl with mixed colors!
Broken!
Inferior!
Murky!
Too shabby and too pitiful!
Everyone’s Soul Pearl had a limited size and could only contain limited soul power. Like a bottle that could only hold a certain amount of water—if you forced more in, the bottle would immediately burst, the Soul Pearl would shatter!
Once the Soul Pearl broke, the soul would scatter!
Jian Chou’s Soul Pearl was so small, clearly overwhelmed by the Void Demon Umbrella’s massive soul power demand!
Everyone couldn’t bear to watch, feeling this tiny Soul Pearl floating in the storm was like a small boat in danger!
Pan Hexun was overjoyed.
“Heaven helps me!”
“You’re seeking death yourself, saving me the trouble! But since you’ve set up this show, I’ll send you on your way!”
As his words fell, he suddenly opened his mouth wide!
“Boom!”
Like a dam bursting, a stream of pure, concentrated black qi gushed out like a tide, joining the torrent of earth force yin essence before Jian Chou, following the vortex toward that tiny Soul Pearl!
“Despicable!”
Gu Ling couldn’t help but cry out, her eyes red with anger!
This was clearly kicking someone when they were down, adding insult to injury!
The external earth force yin essence was already countless in number, yet he added a stream of pure soul power on top—wasn’t this meant to literally “stuff to death” Jian Chou, making her explode and die?!
For a moment, everyone was extremely indignant!
But outside the Eighteen Layers of Hell, the Big Head Ghost and Small Head Ghost crammed in a small corner watching the Eight Cauldron Screen nearly screamed in terror, wetting themselves!
Too familiar!
No one in the entire Extreme Domain would be more familiar with this scene than they were!
They still remembered when they first brought Jian Chou back, made a deal with her, and watched her cultivate…
The two of them were in the same room as Jian Chou but couldn’t extract even half a bit of earth force yin essence from the ground.
It was all damn well stolen by Jian Chou!
To this day they still remembered that nightmare-like scene!
One person, one entire room, waterfall-like torrents of earth force yin essence!
At this moment, it was merely a hundred times, a thousand times more turbulent than before!
Like all restrictions had been released, frantically attracting those things emerging from underground!
That terrifying affinity and attraction, and equally terrifying…
As if simultaneously thinking of something, Big Head Ghost and Small Head Ghost turned to look at each other, reading the same thought: Pan Hexun was too damn unlucky!
Heartbreaking!
So heartbreaking!
Poor Pan Hexun still had no idea what he was about to encounter.
He stood in mid-air with three heads and six arms, his three identical faces fierce and wild with laughter, waiting for the moment of Jian Chou’s demise!
The entire vortex had completely lost control!
Under the influence of the dense soul power Pan Hexun had added, all the earth force yin essence in the vortex became agitated.
Like unbridled wild horses, they carried wind and thunder, fiercely crashing toward Jian Chou!
Zhang Tang and the others wanted to help her, but at this moment all the earth force yin essence between heaven and earth completely rejected their approach. Even their bodies were caught up in this storm.
Too busy protecting themselves, how could they save others?!
This battle had completely become Jian Chou’s war alone!
Under countless people’s nearly suffocating held breath, the torrential earth force yin essence, carrying Pan Hexun’s malicious soul power, instantly reached Jian Chou’s tiny, inferior Soul Pearl!
“Boom!”
Like a rock under the wash of great waves, it should immediately be swept away!
However, an astonishing scene appeared!
That tiny Soul Pearl actually remained suspended in mid-air, unmoved like a mountain!
The expected instant destruction and annihilation completely failed to occur!
The endless earth force yin essence was actually all absorbed by this infuriatingly small Soul Pearl!
The Soul Pearl spun like wind!
Half the earth force yin essence was absorbed by the Soul Pearl and immediately began frenzied transformation; but the other half actually all leaked out from that not-very-large crack in the Soul Pearl—
Leaked out!
Leaked out?!
“How is this possible?!”
Three heads and three mouths all showed expressions and voices of disbelief!
Pan Hexun could hardly believe his own eyes!
A leaky ladle!
Her Soul Pearl was actually like a leaky ladle!
Such torrential soul power, yet more than half leaked out, unable to be contained!
“Damn!”
Not just Pan Hexun—even countless off-field spectators waiting for Jian Chou to explode and die uniformly cursed!
The smallest Soul Pearl in Extreme Domain history!
So this was how it was “small”!
How could a leaky ladle Soul Pearl like this not be small?
Being able to cultivate such a Soul Pearl was already nearly heaven-defying!
At this moment, countless people wanted to dig out their kneecaps and throw them at Jian Chou’s face!
They’d seen weirdos, but never one this weird!
No wonder she dared to frantically gather so much earth force yin essence, no wonder Pan Hexun’s adding fuel to the fire while kicking her when down didn’t faze her!
With this leaky ladle Soul Pearl in hand, even two more cartloads of earth force yin essence wouldn’t be a problem!
Infuriating!
Maddening!
Explosive!
Countless people felt a fury of being played, their eyes blazing as they stared at Jian Chou’s Soul Pearl in the field!
The murkily colored Soul Pearl was spinning frantically at a speed ordinary people couldn’t understand.
The transformed earth force yin essence became Jian Chou’s own soul power, rapidly leaping from the dust-like Soul Pearl. Initially thin as a thread, it quickly swelled into a white dragon upon emergence, shooting toward Jian Chou’s brow center ancestral aperture—
激射!
“Bang!”
Torrential pure soul power instantly arrived, filling Jian Chou’s brow center!
Her pale complexion instantly returned to rosy health. The azure blue and deep red colors on her robes accelerated their coverage, reaching completion in moments!
On the massive zhang-wide Void Demon Umbrella surface, golden light flowed, phantoms soared, interlacing and flashing!
The entire Second Layer Burning Hell now had only that small patch of sky pointed to by the umbrella tip retaining any color. The moment soul power surged again, flowing from Jian Chou’s body into the Void Demon Umbrella, this patch of sky rapidly shrank!
Like water spilled on the ground, dried by a gust of wind!
The last trace of color between heaven and earth transformed into fuel falling from the sky, like a thin line of rain, crashing onto the umbrella tip and stirring up violent winds!
Her waterfall-like black hair was completely dyed!
Black silk became azure blue, plucking red clouds from the sky as hairpins!
At this moment, the Void Demon Umbrella had opened to its ultimate extent!
Truly and completely—
Ten-tenths!
Dangerous energy immediately transformed into sharp blades, pressing against Pan Hexun’s neck!
He never expected that his casual expulsion of dense soul power would not only fail to destroy her plan to open the Void Demon Umbrella, but actually provide her with wedding clothes!
It felt like shooting a cold arrow that ultimately stabbed back into his own heart!
Hatred to the point of madness!
Before him, that endless earth force yin essence vortex was being continuously transformed by the Soul Pearl.
The originally mixed, faintly pale purple coloring gradually became more and deeper during this frenzied, reckless transformation and absorption!
Soon, more than half the entire Soul Pearl had become pure purple!
Imperial purple!
In that instant, an extremely difficult to describe pressure spread from this tiny Soul Pearl, as if to make everyone bow and submit!
This color…
Wasn’t this supposed to be legendary?
How could it appear before him?
And it wasn’t fully purple, just slowly becoming fully purple…
No.
Impossible!
Pan Hexun’s eyes flashed with shock and spreading panic: Kill Jian Chou! Must kill Jian Chou in time!
As long as he killed her here, regardless of what this Soul Pearl truly meant, whether it was genuine imperial purple, none of it mattered!
Terrifying killing intent spread frantically through his six eyes!
Pan Hexun opened his mouth wide, roaring ferociously like a beast. His six arms flailed, manifesting a massive deep black skull that forcibly squeezed into the earth force yin essence vortex storm, attacking Jian Chou!
With the Void Demon Umbrella already open, how could Jian Chou fear him?
That sense of fullness almost made her entire body and mind explode!
The moment Pan Hexun attacked, she also rose with the wind. Her eyes opened wide, countless golden lights converging at the bottom of her gaze, holding the umbrella like lightning!
“Crack!”
Close!
The zhang-wide umbrella surface’s golden light flowed, instantly contracting inward!
The entire Void Demon Umbrella seemed to transform into a sharp sword, using its keen umbrella tip to strike the several-zhang-tall skull!
“Boom!”
Completely without resistance!
Like gold and iron striking porcelain, that imposing skull shattered and scattered the instant it was pierced by the umbrella tip! Pan Hexun immediately let out a terrifying scream!
“Dare to destroy my Five Capitals ghost—kill, kill, kill!”
Three voices rang out simultaneously!
Hoarse, as if vibrating in the chest cavity, layered and overlapping, giving people the sensation of demonic sound piercing ears!
Jian Chou frowned, showing no hesitation whatsoever!
Golden light condensed in her gaze!
After destroying that skull, she held the umbrella and moved three times faster!
In a blink she had pressed close to Pan Hexun!
Pan Hexun’s three heads turned toward her, roaring in unison. Their open mouths were filled with fresh red blood!
His six arms, skin dark as night like ghost claws extending from hell, lunged toward Jian Chou!
The large sac-like black shadow that had been attached to the back of his head moved like a living thing, sensing enormous crisis. The moment Pan Hexun’s six arms extended, it writhed frantically!
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
…
Continuous sounds melding together!
In just an instant, from that large mass of black shadow extended a hundred, a thousand thick black arms!
Blue-red meridians coiled over the arms’ surfaces, the large palms bearing sharp black fingernails that seemed ready to tear through human hearts at any moment.
These “monsters” carried a foul stench, dancing wildly in the void!
What a terrifying scene?
Everyone gasped!
These countless arms filled all the void they could see, carrying the arrogant aura of fierce evil gods, with murderous determination, following Pan Hexun’s six arms in attacking Jian Chou together!
“You dig your own grave—how can I not send you to death!”
Witnessing this scene more terrible than hell itself, Jian Chou’s heart remained completely unmoved. Her clear, transparent eyes only glimpsed Pan Hexun’s current weakness and panic!
You want death, I’ll send you on your way!
She shook her arm, instantly releasing the restricted meridians. Endless torrential soul power immediately surged forth like mountain calls and sea roars!
“Boom!”
The Void Demon Umbrella that had just closed immediately opened!
This time, it was no longer the previous sluggishness, nor merely its original zhang size!
Under the agitation of infinite soul power, it was like wild grass growing madly on wasteland, frantically opening its umbrella surface, invading the vast void!
Bigger!
Bigger!
Bigger!
The moment Jian Chou reopened the umbrella surface, it already covered half the void!
The golden runes on the umbrella surface all expanded.
Those divine shadows, immortal shadows, ghost shadows, demon shadows—
Whether transcendent or fierce, solemn or treacherous, all absorbed soul power and inflated like balloons, arraying before the umbrella!
Countless immortals and Buddhas overhead, clouds of ghosts and demons surrounding!
The scene reached the ultimate in magnificence!
The towering volcanic crater reached near the firmament; blood-red volcanic lava converged into a lake; the entire sky lost its color, becoming complete void.
One side was Pan Hexun, one side was Jian Chou.
One side was black shadow filling half the sky, extending countless thick, fierce arms; one side was the black-gold umbrella that had absorbed the entire firmament, flying free and manifesting countless golden giant shadows!
No hesitation, no pause!
Countless arms exploded like thunder, frantically bombarding the Void Demon Umbrella!
The sky full of golden shadows howled like violent wind, with high, sorrowful Sanskrit chanting surrounding them, mountain and flowing water music playing endlessly, strange laughter accompanying, wailing ghost cries disturbing hearts!
One umbrella emerged, like Gonggong angrily striking Mount Buzhou!
Heaven and earth collapsed!
For a moment there was only endless chaotic exploding soul power filling the entire void. Endless golden light like mountains collapsing and peaks falling, with unstoppable momentum, smashed toward that inhuman, unghost-like monster!
Countless arms, even Pan Hexun’s fierce face, all lost their shadows in this instant!
“Rumble!”
Terrifying collision sounds filled the entire Second Layer Hell!
At this moment, heaven and earth fell silent!
At this moment, inside and outside the Extreme Domain, no second sound existed!
Seventy-two cities, countless ghost cultivators trembled in their hearts!
Ten great ghost clans, hundreds of elders, couldn’t stand steady!
Eight direction Yan Halls, eight Yan Lords suddenly opened their eyes, rising from royal seats, profound gazes penetrating hell’s layers of obstacles, reaching directly to the volcanic rock lake!
…
In the central part of the Second Layer Hell, two groups of monks at great distance had stood silently for a long time. Now they looked up with wariness or vigilance toward the direction they had come from, looking back—
The massive black shadow was completely shattered, crashing back onto the Kunwu Battle Chariot’s compass and disappearing.
Pan Hexun’s entire three-headed, six-armed body became a sheet of blood red. As the white bone whip flew into the air, his body also thunderously dispersed…
Golden light slowly faded.
The Void Demon Umbrella remained in Jian Chou’s hand.
However, that wide umbrella surface had disappeared in suddenly ignited firelight, leaving only bare umbrella ribs like a fan frame.
On the azure blue robes, red cloud embroidery remained.
Jian Chou stood silently for a long time, only turning to look back at the void firmament. Her eyes immediately revealed an indescribable vastness…
Raising her arm and shaking her sleeve, she waved it away!
The wide sleeve robe left a brilliant trace in the dim void.
The endless colors that had condensed on her body actually flew off like spilled dye with this wave, scattering across the void, bleak sky!
Clear azure blue base color immediately spread out. Clouds burned red were also carved upon it, gradually extending… from one corner, covering the entire sky!
Standing suspended in air, Jian Chou was now clothed in clear wind, plain and simple as before.
With a wave of her sleeve, she returned colors to heaven and earth!