The Purgatory Calamity

Shangguan Qin looked at him, at the phoenix bird pattern on his chest that seemed like a living creature, listened to his repeated, urging screams, and finally gritted her teeth, stomped her foot, and ran towards the distance, "Duanhai, I will wait for you at the agreed place!"

"Chase!"

As soon as she moved, other Dark Ghosts hiding in the forest attempted to chase after her.

"Huff! Huff, huff!"

Ouyang Duanhai, from afar, clapped his hands and new "Blood Hand Seals" metamorphosed into feathers, bombing those who dared to chase, one by one, killing them on the spot.

Ouyang Duanhai, who was in a killing frenzy, stood amongst piles of bones with a pair of demon fiend-like, dark red pupils, watched his lover departing, and muttered, "As long as you are alive... that is good. In this life, I have not been able to do much for you. Being possessed by the evil demon has, in contrast, given me strength and courage."

The intent of liberation slowly emerged from the deep of his bloodthirsty eyes, no longer fearing the arrival of that moment.

Not far away, Han Duping had intended to flee with Shangguan Qin while Ouyang Duanhai was showing his divine might.

But seeing the Dark Ghosts people dying in the blink of an eye, not clear about Ouyang Duanhai's condition, he feared that the man would misunderstand that he was going to chase and kill Shangguan Qin, so he stayed where he was, not daring to move.

"Boom!"

The ground was still trembling, with the underground fissures centered around Black Water Pool being torn wider and wider.

At this moment, Han Duping was extremely anxious, afraid that the creatures from beneath the ground would burst forth, and not daring to provoke Ouyang Duanhai, who had been turned into some kind of demon fiend, so he could only helplessly look around.

He soon discovered that the Zhou family servants, whose spirits had been roused by Zhou Qingchen, had almost all been slain.

Ning Yao, who had been calling for the Dark Ghosts to let her pass, had not managed to escape either and was caught in a Silver Silk Giant Net.

The other Dark Ghost leader who had captured her held a hemp rope, avoiding the underground fissures, dragging her and the net across the ground, heading towards the location of Black Water Pool.

Observing the surrounding scene, Han Duping suddenly noticed that the rumbling sound from the ground seemed to be slowly stopping.

His face paled with shock, guessing that when the trembling ceased, something terrifying would surge out from the underground fissures.

"Buzz, buzz, buzz!"

Suddenly, he heard an urgent sword hum coming from the direction of the Black Water Pool behind him.

He quickly turned his head to look and saw seven Cicada Wing Swords, controlled by Jin Yang, whistling around the phoenix bone that protruded from the water's surface, but Pang Jian's figure was nowhere to be seen emerging.

"Could that kid still be alive?"

Han Duping was astonished.

...

Under the water.

Pang Jian, his face red from holding his breath, could now see part of the scene around him through the luminescent divine light emitted by the Phoenix Bone, naturally also spotting the "Cicada Wing Swords" above his head.

At this moment, if he didn't surface to breathe, he'd eventually suffocate to death.

But once he surfaced for air, he would also be under attack by the "Cicada Wing Swords." He was tormented internally, silently waiting for something strange to emerge from the great fissure in the ground.

He was hoping for something terrifying enough to annihilate all the Dark Ghosts to surge out of the deep crevices that radiated from Black Water Pool.

However, he waited and waited, but the fearsome creatures he anticipated did not appear.

Pang Jian, who had come to view Black Water Pool and the Phoenix Bone as life-saving straws, gradually felt a sense of despair and powerlessness.

"I see you now."

Jin Yang, who had been guiding the swords, also noticed a figure hiding by the side of the Phoenix Bone beneath the water's surface, holding onto it, because of the divine luminescent light's illumination.

"Now that I've seen you, do you really think you can keep hiding?"

Jin Yang narrowed his eyes and sneered coldly.

A "Cicada Wing Sword" moved at will, immediately stabbing toward the submerged Pang Jian's shoulder. He wanted to force Pang Jian out and interrogate him in detail.

Seeing the Spirit Sword incoming, Pang Jian hastily moved underwater, trying to dodge the stab of the sword.

"Pff!"

As the "Cicada Wing Sword" plunged into the water, it suddenly encountered a thousandfold buoyant force obstructing it, its stabbing momentum abruptly slowed a thousand times.

Moreover, the Spirit Sword, which was initially shining brightly, instantly lost all its luster.

The next moment, the "Cicada Wing Sword," forged by a master, sank toward the bottom of the pool like scrap iron.

Pang Jian, who should have been unable to dodge, watched the Spirit Sword slip past his left shoulder, his eyes filled with strangeness and confusion.

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly surfaced, taking deep breaths to exchange air.

Before Jin Yang could react, Pang Jian shrank back into the Black Water Pool, continuing to hide his presence around the Phoenix Bone.

"My Cicada Wing Sword!"

Jin Yang was shocked by the eeriness of the Black Water Pool. Just when he was about to attack Pang Jian, he saw Pang Jian sink back underwater.

He frowned deeply and moved to the edge of the pool, squatting down to look into the ink-black water.

As the Spirit Sword entered the water, the Spiritual Power he imbued into it was eroded, and his connection with the Spirit Sword was instantly severed.

He was uncertain whether it was the water of the pool or the influence of the radiant white light emitted from the Phoenix Bone, so he wanted to try it out for himself.

"I've checked before; this pitch-black water, while icy and dark with no visibility, didn't have anything odd about it. And there's no mystery to the Phoenix Bone either. It shouldn't be like this..."

Jin Yang, who had explored this place earlier than Pang Jian and Zhou Qingchen, muttered to himself, suddenly stretching out his left hand at the edge of the pool to feel the pond's black water once more.

He extended his left palm into the water, then instantly withdrew it as if electrified, sweating coldly from the sharp pain.

His slender, bamboo-like left hand was now completely devoid of skin and flesh after just a stretch and retract.

Jin Yang's left hand turned into a segment of white bones, no longer showing any blood or flesh, as the skin, veins, and fresh blood that had wrapped around his left hand were all corroded clean by the pool water in an instant.

Looking at his hand, now bare bone, Jin Yang grit his teeth and shivered, gasping in the chilling air.

Suddenly, his gaze turned cold as he looked toward Pang Jian.

At this moment, Pang Jian had submerged his entire body underwater, still propping up the Phoenix Bone.

Yet Pang Jian was clearly alive and well.

"Jin Yang, the good-for-nothing from the Ouyang Family is heading your way!"

The golden-masked Dark Ghost leader suddenly shouted. He discovered that after Ouyang Duanhai completely lost his sanity, he was no longer a match for Ouyang Duanhai.

Ouyang Duanhai had completely abandoned him, no longer remembering who Shangguan Qin was, and was only heading toward the Black Water Pool.

In some part of the Black Water Pool, as if something had always been attracting Ouyang Duanhai, this ghoul-like figure only wanted to reach the Black Water Pool as soon as possible.

The tremors of the earth had already ceased, and no terror emerged from within the depths of the cracked fissures.

"Intercept Ouyang Duanhai!"

Dragging a Silver Silk Giant Net that enveloped Ning Yao, followed by several Dark Ghost attackers, another leader, concerned for Jin Yang's safety, threw the net aside and commanded, "You all bring this girl to me!"

This Dark Ghost leader, along with the one with the golden mask, both ran towards the Black Water Pool.

Neither of them noticed Jin Yang's back turned to them, with one hand reduced to bone.

They also failed to notice Jin Yang, his expression twisted, staring intently at Pang Jian beneath the Phoenix Bone.

...