"What an impressive Immortal Fire Ghost Body. But in this world, there has never been anything truly immortal or indestructible."
Yi Tianxing's pupils contracted as he witnessed the scene. He had to admit, the Red-Robed Ghost King's transformation into Yin-Yang Divine Fire was indeed formidable. His Yin-Yang Scissors, which had always been unmatched, had failed for the first time ever to break through an enemy. But this result was not beyond his expectations.
He had long understood: there are no invincible techniques, only undefeated cultivators. Every divine ability can be countered and broken. Dreaming of absolute invincibility was pure fantasy.
"I am already invincible!"
The Red-Robed Ghost King burst into maniacal laughter, drunk on his own power. And he had every right to feel proud—his cultivation of the Yin-Yang Divine Fire had allowed him to embody the fire itself. Few things in the world could restrain such a form. Yin and Yang were the mothers of all things, giving his power a divine and mysterious edge.
Swoosh!!
Yi Tianxing let out a cold snort. With a thought, a golden pocket watch suddenly appeared in midair. It gleamed with golden light, its hands frozen in place. Instantly, the surrounding space was locked down. The Red-Robed Ghost King stood trapped within.
Golden Timepiece – Freezes time in a localized area.
Localized Time Lock – A precise temporal control that halts only the target.
"What's happening? Why can't I move?"
"What is this treasure? Time... Time has actually stopped? What kind of divine power is this?"
"No matter. Even if time is frozen, he still can't harm me. I am the Yin-Yang Divine Fire—formless and incorporeal. He cannot kill me. I am immortal."
Though his body was locked in stasis, the Red-Robed Ghost King's thoughts still churned. His greedy eyes locked onto the golden watch—he desperately wanted it. He believed that even within this stilled time, he remained invincible.
"Such a terrifying temporal treasure. No wonder they call him Emperor Yi—his arsenal of relics is endless."
"What frightening control. The time force is focused solely on the Ghost King. If he'd frozen the entire Red Flame City, the energy cost would've been astronomical."
The Paper Craftsman and Decomposer exchanged glances, both seeing unease in each other's eyes.
"In my eyes, there's no such thing as immortality."
Without hesitation, Yi Tianxing summoned another treasure—a black ancient bell—the Soul-Shattering Bell.
Soul-Shattering Bell – Emits shockwaves that directly attack soul and consciousness, bypassing physical form.
DONG! DONG! DONG!
The bell rang out, each peal forming visible waves of sound that surged toward the Yin-Yang Divine Fire.
"Not good!!"
The Red-Robed Ghost King's expression twisted in horror. Though he was formless fire, the bell's attacks targeted soul and spirit, ignoring the physical altogether. He had no time to dodge—frozen in time—and the soundwaves crashed into him.
Aaaagh!!
A shriek rang out. The Ghost King's flaming form shattered, reverting to his true body. At once, a series of Yin-Yang Chains wrapped around him like iron bindings, sealing his limbs and locking his power.
Yin-Yang Chains – Manifest binding force of Yin and Yang, restraining body and cultivation.
In the next breath, Yi Tianxing appeared before him, grabbed him by the leg, and lifted him clean off the ground—then slammed him viciously to the earth.
Yes, just like that.
He used the Red-Robed Ghost King as if he were a sack of trash, relentlessly pounding him into the floor.
BOOM!!
The ground quaked, cracks spiderwebbing out with each slam. The Red-Robed Ghost King was stunned—his insides felt like they were being crushed to dust, his soul torn asunder, consciousness slipping away.
Time, for a moment, stood still.
Hiss—!!
The ghost soldiers charging into the city—led by Zhao Li—froze upon witnessing the scene. Eyes bulging, they inhaled sharply. The sheer violence left them shaken to the core.
Even the soldiers of the Red Flame Army were stunned. Mouths agape, eyes wide, they stood like statues.
"Li-ge… am I seeing things? Was that… the Red-Robed Ghost King?"
"By the ancestors… that's horrifying. The Ghost King—getting beaten like garbage! Who is this guy? He's too savage!"
"We even brought an artifact to counter the Ghost King's flames, and now it looks like we won't need it at all!"
"The Red-Robed Ghost King is a top-tier Nascent Soul cultivator—maybe even able to survive attacks from Yang Spirit Realm powerhouses. And yet… someone is beating him like a ragdoll. Unthinkable!"
Shock turned to fear. The Red Flame Army's image of the Ghost King shattered with every slam. Meanwhile, their fear of Yi Tianxing grew exponentially.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Bound by Yin-Yang Chains, the Red-Robed Ghost King couldn't escape. Yi Tianxing kept smashing him down—his long black hair dancing wildly, fury in his eyes.
"Spit it out! Spit out Nannan right now!!"
"However you swallowed her, spit her out the same way!"
BAM!!
"Spitting or not?!"
BAM!!
"You're still not spitting?!"
BAM!!
"I told you—spit! Spit! Spit!!"
Each word came with a brutal slam. The Ghost King was like a rag doll in his hands.
Every spectator felt their hearts shudder with each impact. Even their souls trembled. A Ghost King—one of the most powerful beings in the underworld—was being beaten like an animal. Yi Tianxing roared the same words over and over:
Spit it out!
"Damn it, what do you want me to spit?! The soul I devoured has already become nourishment! Her spirit has gone to reincarnation—I can't spit anything out! Stop, stop already!"
The Ghost King was in complete disarray—smashed left and right, up and down, inside out. His soul felt ready to collapse.
"If you can't spit it out… then I'll make sure you can neither live nor die!"
Yi Tianxing's voice thundered as his hand kept smashing downward.
"Spit!! Spit!! Spit!!"
The City Lord's Mansion collapsed bit by bit, its walls shattered from the impacts. Cracks spread across the floor like a shattered mirror.
The Red-Robed Ghost King was in utter despair. There was nothing left to spit out—he'd already refined the soul. And yet Yi Tianxing didn't care.
"Where the hell did this monster come from? Since when did the underworld have such a lunatic!?"
Still, the Ghost King hadn't entirely lost hope. His Yin-Yang Divine Fire was not so easily extinguished—if given the slightest chance, he would strike back.
Just then—
"Brother, is that you?"
A crisp, clear voice echoed through the ruins.
Yi Tianxing froze. His arm, mid-slam, paused as he turned his head. There, at the edge of the ruins, stood a white-clad girl wearing a mystical bronze mask. Her clear eyes stared at him in joyful recognition.
"Nannan… it's really you."
At the first glance, Yi Tianxing was certain. The aura, the mask—he recognized her instantly.
"Brother, Nannan finally found you!"
With a cry of happiness, the girl darted forward, leaping into his arms.
BIU!!
With a casual flick of his hand, Yi Tianxing tossed the Ghost King head-first into the ground, leaving just his legs sticking out like a buried pole.
The Red-Robed Ghost King wanted to die. He was a noble ghost king—couldn't he be granted some dignity?
Yi Tianxing didn't care.
He wrapped Nannan in a tight embrace, a rare softness overtaking his rage. His fury began to fade, his killing intent slowly dissipating. The wrath had been born from the belief that she had been devoured—body and soul—by the Ghost King.
"Nannan, are you alright? I went to the dungeon before this, and the trapped souls said you were taken here—to be refined as fuel for that bastard. I didn't see you earlier. Where were you hiding?"
Yi Tianxing's voice trembled slightly as he spoke.