âStop pretending to be ignorant,â the Spectral Ghost Sovereign said calmly. âWhat role are you Nine Ghost Gods playing in this matter? Are you just waiting for us to fight to the death so you can swoop in and take the spoils?â
âSpectral Ghost Sovereign, youâre overthinking things,â Corpse Hook replied with a smile and a shake of his head. âWe merely maintain peace within the Ghost God Heaven. We donât interfere in other affairs.â
âAnd what of the End of Calamities?â the Primal God Sovereign asked from the side.
âYouâre not qualified to speak with him,â Corpse Hook said, his smile fading. His tone turned flat. âIf thereâs something to be dealt with, you can deal directly with me.â
âThis forbidden land has always been jointly managed by the Primal God and Spectral Ghost Races, along with you Ghost Gods,â the Spectral Ghost Sovereign said, glancing at the Abyssal Tyrant. âNow that such a being has appeared here, shouldnât you make your stance clear?â
âWhat do you mean by that?â Corpse Hook asked.
âWe join forces and kill him,â said the Primal God Sovereign.
The Abyssal Tyrant narrowed his eyes as the sacred auras of the three radiated across the heavens. âI came here to kill one person,â he said coldly. âOnce thatâs done, Iâll leave immediately.â
Corpse Hook remained silent, his gaze shifting toward Xu Zimo below.
The Abyssal Tyrant wasted no more words. He dove downward, stepping on demonic clouds as he descended. His right hand, skeletal and pale, reached out as a gale roared, his bony palm covered the sky above Xu Zimo.
Xu Zimo quickly retreated.
Above them, the Spectral Ghost Sovereign and the Primal God Sovereign exchanged a glance, and, unexpectedly, both turned and struck at Corpse Hook.
The sudden betrayal caught Corpse Hook off guard.
âAre you mad? Do you mean to start a war with the End of Calamities?!â he shouted.
But the Primal God Sovereign and the Spectral Ghost Sovereign were incredibly fast. They landed their blows squarely on Corpse Hookâs abdomen, sending him flying backward. Black blood spilled and drifted through the air.
âGod-Ghost Extinction!â the two shouted in unison, their palms meeting once more.
It was a joint killing technique, a collaboration that should have been impossible. The Primal God and Spectral Ghost Races had been enemies for ages, yet somehow they had secretly developed a combined attack.
Primal God power rotated counterclockwise, Spectral Ghost power clockwise.
Black and gold energies clashed, merging into a massive vortex that devoured everything in its path.
If Corpse Hook were caught inside, even his God-Soul would be ground to dust. He might survive, but recovering would take an eternity.
A Saint Sovereign was not so easy to kill, but even surviving would come at a great cost.
At that moment, faint murmurs filled the air.
An invisible wall of restriction suddenly appeared, blocking the space between the Primal God Sovereign and the Spectral Ghost Sovereign.
From the previously empty void, other silhouettes began to emerge, one after another, the Nine Ghost Gods revealed themselves.
Kui, Abyssal Chimera, Shaman King, Summer Tiller, Myriad Scribe, Drought Demon, Undying Marshal, and Howling Warden.
All nine Ghost Gods appeared together, pulling Corpse Hook to safety.
A towering figure, Shaman King, stepped into the air. He had no head, and his eyes were set upon his torso.
His voice rumbled like thunder through the heavens as he spoke evenly, âYouâve broken the rules without permission, violating the pact between us.â
âWhat pact?â the Primal God Sovereign retorted coldly. âYou Ghost Gods are full of ambition. Donât think weâre unaware. Youâve even seized control of the Sky-Shroud Celestial Hound. Are you planning to deceive heaven itself?â
âThatâs none of your concern,â said Undying Marshal, cloaked in black, twirling a longsword idly in his palm. âYou two races can continue doing whatever you please. Since when did you become slaves to the Heavenly Dao?â
âEnough nonsense,â the Spectral Ghost Sovereign snapped. âWhatever your ambitions, you must agree to one condition from our two races.â
âWhat condition?â Shaman King asked gruffly.
âIn the four regions of this heaven,â said the Ghost God, âyou must surrender half of the ghost territory to be jointly managed by us.â
âThatâs impossible,â Shaman King replied instantly.
Granting them even a single forbidden land was already a great act of mercy. For the Primal God and Spectral Ghost Races to keep demanding more, greedy and shameless, filled the Ghost Gods with fury.
âIf you refuse,â the Spectral Ghost Sovereign warned coldly, âthen weâll tear open the heavens and let the Heavenly Dao itself witness your scheming.â
The Ghost Gods exchanged glances, their auras suddenly erupting skyward.
The already-dark heavens grew even deeper and more ominous.
The truth was clear now. Though the Primal God and Spectral Ghost Races appeared to be at odds, they had secretly been cooperating for some time, quietly investigating and maneuvering within the domain.
âNetherworld Floating Seal!â the Nine Ghost Gods roared together. Each unleashed their full power, merging their energies into a single, massive formation that covered the sky.
The Primal God Sovereign and the Spectral Ghost Sovereign looked at each other, then both shouted in unison,
âGod-Ghost Dual Heavens!â
Their combined divine might and ghostly energy merged, forming a tangible beam of godly light that split the stormy heavens apart.
Below, Xu Zimo was still running while the Abyssal Tyrant pursued relentlessly.
âMaster, allow us to handle him,â called Paimon from within the God World.
âNo need,â Xu Zimo replied, shaking his head. âThe real boss hasnât even appeared yet. Why rush?â
The Nine Ghost Gods and the others were just the appetizer.
An event of this scale, there was no way End of Calamities or the High Elders of the Primal God and Spectral Ghost Races werenât watching.
Now was not the time for him to expose his true strength.
âBoy, you canât run forever,â the Abyssal Tyrant said with a cold smile. âSubmit quietly, and Iâll grant you a painless death.â
âWho sent you?â Xu Zimo asked lightly as he ran.
âThere are so many who want you dead,â the Abyssal Tyrant replied. âTake your time guessing.â
âMiss Jing?â Xu Zimo said suddenly, naming her outright.
âI donât understand what youâre talking about,â the Abyssal Tyrant said flatly.
He struck out with his right hand, and the space beside Xu Zimo collapsed into nothingness. Xu Zimo narrowly dodged the blow.
âYou shouldnât have come here to kill me,â Xu Zimo said. âThere are plenty here far stronger than you.â
âSave your breath,â the Abyssal Tyrant replied, waving his hand again. The Primordial Wheel of Demonic Creation fell from the heavens, tearing through space as it sped toward Xu Zimo with impossible speed.
âHeaven-Unity Three-Life Gates!â Xu Zimo shouted.
Three gates appeared above his head. The Gate of Eternity hung high in the sky, momentarily blocking the attack.
Still, he knew he couldnât keep running forever.
Their cultivation gap was simply too vast.
Xu Zimo let out a cold snort and suddenly sprinted straight toward the battlefield where the Nine Ghost Gods were fighting.
If thatâs how it was going to be, then he might as well stir the waters even further.
The Nine Ghost Gods had trapped the Primal God Sovereign and Spectral Ghost Sovereign in a web of restrictions. They couldnât truly harm them, but for now, they had managed to contain them.
âBoy! Help us get out of here!â the Spectral Ghost Sovereign shouted when he saw Xu Zimo. âMy Spectral Ghost Race will grant you anything you desire!â
âMaster Xu,â Corpse Hook said with a faint smile from the side. âSurely youâre not planning to get involved in this matter, are you?â