"After I got out of the dungeon, I found a chance and escaped on my own. I was planning to flee Red Flame City, but I never imagined… that you would actually come." Nannan clung tightly to Yi Tianxing, her head raised. As the mask on her face vanished, it revealed her true appearance—a girl in her early teens, already stunningly beautiful, a face that could topple nations. At a glance, she radiated such sacred purity that one wouldn't dare profane it.
Earlier, when she found out she was being taken out of the dungeon, she hadn't resisted.
It wasn't that she couldn't resist. Inside the dungeon, she had devoured numerous alien souls, enhancing her cultivation and strength considerably. But the dungeon's restraints prevented her from escaping. Once she was removed from the dungeon, she immediately used a secret technique, performing a "Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell" move, slipping away through a puppet soul. The ghost army had noticed, but the Red-Robed Ghost King was in a rush and dismissed the fleeing soul as insignificant. Who could've expected Yi Tianxing to storm Red Flame City like a berserk god the very next moment, smashing the Ghost King to the ground like a rag doll?
Hearing the ruckus, Nan Nan had come running.
From the moment she saw Yi Tianxing, she had known—this was the brother she'd searched for all these years. Her heart surged with indescribable joy.
"You've suffered so much all these years."
Yi Tianxing took a deep breath, his eyes full of tenderness. When he had left, she had still been a little girl. In the blink of an eye, she had grown into a young woman. In such chaotic times, he could only imagine the ordeals she must've faced. The pain and hardship—no amount of words could fully describe it.
Now that they had reunited, it was a blessing beyond compare.
Even though this was only Nannan's soul, as long as her soul remained intact, nothing else mattered.
"I didn't suffer. As long as I could see you again, Brother, it was all worth it. I'm not in pain."
Nannan shook her head resolutely.
"The Red-Robed Ghost King has escaped!"
At that moment, the paper craftsman shouted out.
Yi Tianxing turned his head.
He saw that the Red-Robed Ghost King had somehow broken free of the Yin-Yang Shackles, transforming into a mass of Yin-Yang Divine Fire and trying to flee. Having cultivated the Yin-Yang Mysterious Flame Canon, the Ghost King had given birth to Yin-Yang Divine Fire, granting him initial mastery over yin and yang. With a yin-yang treasure in hand, he was highly resistant to such powers, making him far harder to restrain than an average cultivator.
While Yi Tianxing had been focused on Nannan, the Ghost King had taken the opportunity to escape silently. Unfortunately for him, the paper craftsman caught sight of it just in time. Furious, the Ghost King cursed loudly:
"Escape? Why would this king need to escape? You dared invade my Red Flame City, destroy my foundation! Today, I'll bury all of you with it. If I can't have peace, no one will!"
"Yin-Yang Divine Fire—Burn! Burn! Burn! Burn them all to death!!"
The Red-Robed Ghost King roared.
From his mouth surged a flood of black-and-white flames—Yin-Yang Divine Fire—spreading at terrifying speed. Ghost soldiers caught in the fire screamed in agony, their forms reduced to ash in the blink of an eye. Even the true spirits were sent straight to reincarnation. Many of these ghosts had originally served in Red Flame City's ghost army, yet the Ghost King incinerated them without hesitation.
Even in death, their ashes became fuel for the Yin-Yang Divine Fire, intensifying its ferocity.
Some ghost officers were caught in the blaze and wailed in misery. No matter how hard they tried, even pouring Netherwater on themselves, they couldn't extinguish the fire. Their bodies burned away miserably.
"That's Yin-Yang Divine Fire! Any being existing within yin and yang will be burned by it. Use Yellow Springs Water—it can extinguish it!" Zhao Li shouted in alarm.
Some ghost officers, already prepared, immediately pulled out barrels of Yellow Springs Water and poured them over themselves. The fire extinguished quickly. Water overcomes fire—this was universal truth. While regular water wouldn't work, the sacred water of the Yellow Springs certainly could.
They had anticipated this, having drawn water from the Yellow Springs Sacred River in advance, just in case. Fortunately, the Ghost King's Yin-Yang Fire was still at a low grade—newly cultivated. If it had been stronger, even Yellow Springs Water might not have sufficed.
Still, the Yin-Yang Divine Fire raged across the city, consuming everything in its path.
Red Flame City became an inferno. Screams and panicked flight filled the air.
Even the Ghost King himself, while unleashing flames, had transformed into pure fire again and was fleeing into the distance.
He had to escape.
He didn't know if his fire could kill Yi Tianxing, but with a time-type treasure in hand, death was unlikely. Now was the only chance to flee. If he waited until Yi Tianxing was free to chase him, escape would be nearly impossible. With Yin-Yang Divine Fire now part of his arsenal, the underworld was vast—surely he could find a new place to thrive.
That was his confidence.
"Yin-Yang Divine Fire… but it's still just postnatal yin-yang. Fire like this can't harm me. I am of the primordial… Yin and Yang return to the source!!"
As the flames closed in, Yi Tianxing didn't dodge. Instead, a craving surged from within his Yin-Yang Life Orifice—his body instinctively treated the fire as a delicacy.
With a thought, his pores opened. The fire poured into him like a tide, instantly vanishing into his flesh and entering his Yin-Yang Space.
There, it was devoured by the Innate Yin-Yang Diagram, absorbed into the Yin-Yang Law Pillars, feeding new Yin-Yang Runes. His yin-yang essence expanded, and even the internal space grew.
All the fire in the city began to surge toward Yi Tianxing, forming a massive vortex of flame that sucked in the fire like a black hole. In moments, the blaze across Red Flame City vanished—converted into nourishment for his Innate Yin-Yang Eye.
"Trying to escape? Did you ask me first? In my eyes, you're just a fish in water. No matter how you thrash, you'll never leave the fisherman's net. Think becoming divine fire makes you untouchable? You're too naive."
Yi Tianxing sneered.
In his hand, a black fishing rod appeared.
With a flick of his wrist, a transparent fishing line shimmered, tipped by a gleaming black hook. With a sharp jerk, the hook flew out—its speed and path utterly uncanny, seeming to vanish into the void. The line extended infinitely, locking directly onto the Ghost King's soul signature.
In an instant, the hook appeared in front of the Red-Robed Ghost King—and drilled straight into him.
"Ahh! What is this?!"
The Ghost King froze in shock. He'd already escaped the city—how did this reach him? But then came the pain. His soul twisted in agony. A fishhook had embedded itself in his very spirit. Cold sweat poured out.
He frantically tried to burn the hook away with Yin-Yang Fire, but the line and hook were untouchable, like they existed outside reality.
Worse—each tug of the line sent waves of pain through his soul, unbearable and destructive. His form collapsed—no longer able to maintain the fire form—forcing him back into his original body.
Then he felt it: an unstoppable force yanking him back toward Red Flame City.
He—was being reeled in like a fish.
Humiliation! Shame beyond belief! The Ghost King had never imagined this fate.
But he could do nothing. In the blink of an eye, he was dragged back and slammed in front of Yi Tianxing.
"That's the Death God Fishing Rod!" Zhao Li gasped. "It's the Death God Fishing Rod! But that's the sacred treasure of the Death Race! They never allow it to leave their hands! And this one… it's stronger than any version I've seen!"
He stared in awe. Yi Tianxing's endless array of artifacts left him numb—this man was practically a treasure hoarder.