The sun blazed high over the inner city, its golden light casting a deceptive sense of peace. While everyone remained oblivious, going about their daily lives as usual. Then, without warning. Three sinister, terrifying auras erupted at once, sweeping across the city like a tidal wave of dread. A surge of immense spirit energy burst forth abruptly. Three towering pillars of black light shot skyward, each spanning more than ten zhang wide. From within the swirling darkness, countless specters emerged—ethereal, writhing figures, their laughter shrill, their wails twisting through the air in unrestrained joy at their return to the mortal world. The sound of ghostly wails and mournful cries instantly became the city's sole melody. Even the dying screams of countless cultivators were drowned beneath this ominous chorus. A furious roar, sharp as metal being torn apart, suddenly thundered through the air. A violent surge of Golden Core energy erupted from Fallen Phoenix Mountain, shaking the very air. In the outer district, Luo Chen reacted instantly, grabbing Zhou Yuanli and Liu Qiang, pulling them into a frantic retreat. Hearing that furious shout, his body stiffened, and he instinctively turned his head. Atop Fallen Phoenix Mountain, a golden sword light surged, preparing to soar into the sky. However, just as the sword light burst forth, a massive hand came crashing down. The golden sword light was forcefully slapped back into Fallen Phoenix Mountain. With this interference, the three black pillars expanded further, splitting the earth apart into massive chasms. A furious voice bellowed, "Who dares to release the Ghost King?!" The enraged shout was accompanied by another radiant burst of golden sword energy, rising once more into the sky. The massive energy-formed hand descended again, but this time, it was instantly torn apart. The golden sword energy transformed into a streak of divine radiance, spiraling around Fallen Phoenix Mountain like a mighty dragon. Suddenly, Pang Renxiong leaped into the air, his eyes gleaming with golden light. Ignoring the three black pillars, he turned toward the western district of Dahe Market’s inner city. "Stop hiding in the shadows and show yourself!" he commanded. Forming a sword with his fingers, the golden dragon of sword energy above him let out a deafening roar. With a piercing whistle, it shot forward! This was his most powerful strike—if it landed, his enemy would have no chance of survival. A lion used its full strength even when hunting a rabbit [1]—facing the Ghost King, there was no room for reservation. From within his own body, a sword light of equal strength suddenly erupted— From the inside out, it severed a third of the golden dragon’s tail. The remaining sword energy dragon still surged forward, but its power had been significantly diminished. In the northern district of the inner city, a pitch-black hand reached out, intercepting the sword dragon head-on. A violent explosion erupted. Waves of energy rippled outward from the western district, nearly reducing half of the inner city to ruins. A figure draped in a gray robe slowly rose from the wreckage. He gazed at Pang Renxiong and gave a slight nod. "Fellow Daoist Pang, my respects to you." Pang Renxiong completely ignored his greeting. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he lowered his head, his expression dark. The sword orb in his hand, no longer dim, trembled violently, struggling to break free. Yet, under the iron grip of his powerful enchanting power, it remained trapped within his palm. Just moments ago, this very sword orb—unexpectedly retrieved the day before—had inexplicably unleashed a burst of sword energy, reducing his strongest attack by thirty percent. Because of this, he had failed to execute his strike perfectly and eliminate his foe. His fingers tightened around the sword orb with a crushing force. Pang Renxiong lifted his gaze, locking eyes with his opponent. "You tampered with that devil cultivator’s sword orb!" "As expected of a Jade Cauldron sword cultivator," the gray-robed man praised, then chuckled. "Unfortunately, you realized it too late." It was indeed too late! Since his peak strike had failed to take immediate effect, his enemy would never allow him another chance to use it again. A sliver of regret flickered in Pang Renxiong’s heart. After retrieving this sword orb yesterday, he had been too caught up in mourning his fallen comrade to examine it properly. In reality, no one would scrutinize a sword orb that had lost its master. When the sword lives, its master lives. When the sword perishes, its master perishes. That black-robed devil cultivator was already dead. Who would have thought someone else could still manipulate his sword orb? Just yesterday, he had taken pride in the hidden measures he had placed within the Demon Locking Pagoda, which had allowed him to kill an equal-ranked adversary. Yet, only a day later, he had become the one caught in an enemy’s scheme. Pang Renxiong's fury surged to its peak. Yet, he forced down his anger and spoke with gritted teeth. "I knew it! That devil cultivator’s sword orb felt hollow when he wielded it yesterday. At the time, I thought he simply didn’t know how to use it properly. I never expected that the true owner of this sword orb... was you!" The gray-robed cultivator nodded. "Indeed. I deliberately sent it to Lu Jiushi through the black market. He was just a wandering Golden Core cultivator who had recently joined the Lianyun Trade Alliance. Without even a life-bound treasure to his name, how could he not cherish a sword orb of such high caliber?" "Then that means... you were the one who killed Fei Bowen?" Faced with Pang Renxiong’s relentless questioning, the gray-robed man sighed. "At this stage, does it really matter? Don't you think it’s already too late?" "No, it’s not too late! "You don’t actually think you’re a match for me, do you?" As Pang Renxiong’s aura exploded in a burst of power, the gray-robed cultivator chuckled softly and drifted backward. "Your opponents... are not me!" Hearing this, Pang Renxiong’s expression changed drastically. His divine consciousness swept across the surroundings. In Dahe Market’s inner city, from the east, south, and north, three frigid and sinister auras had already locked onto him. Three towering black figures, each over a dozen zhang tall, silently crawled out from the cracks in the earth. They stood upright, basking in the warmth of the blazing sun. "You deserve to die! You truly deserve to die! "You released the three great Ghost Kings, who had been sealed for hundreds of years, treating the tens of thousands of rogue cultivators in Dahe Market as nothing more than ants!" Pang Renxiong gritted his teeth as he spat out these words. Black threads crisscrossed around him, attempting to bind him. Slivers of sword energy erupted from within him, slicing through the dark threads.These threads were no ordinary restraints. They were the lifeblood of the three Ghost Kings, their innate ghostly energy. Even after being suppressed by Dahe Market’s formation for centuries, remnants of their power still remained. Not only that, but these threads had also begun merging with the very land itself. At first glance, it seemed that the three Ghost Kings were restraining Pang Renxiong with their ghostly energy, but in truth, it was Dahe Market itself that was trapping him. Watching the scene unfold, the gray-robed cultivator continued to retreat, chuckling softly without a word. "You have violated the rules of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect! You will be hunted for the rest of your life—where do you think you can run?" Seeing that the man remained silent, Pang Renxiong stretched out his hand. His life-bound sword orb, which had been hidden in the void, fell into his grasp and solidified into a colossal golden sword. "You don’t actually believe that three Ghost Kings, suppressed for centuries and nearly depleted, are enough to kill me, do you?" Even as he spoke, the three Ghost Kings began to move! They each took massive strides, their thunderous steps shaking the ground as they charged toward Fallen Phoenix Mountain. Wherever they passed, ghostly energy swirled, consuming every living being in its path. The moment they were touched by the eerie mist, they perished instantly. The souls of countless fallen cultivators were absorbed into their bodies, solidifying their once-ethereal forms. Six pairs of eyes gleamed with an eerie green light, glowing like ominous lanterns. At this moment, Dahe Market had become a ghost abyss. "Luo Tianhong! Miao Wen!" The shout cracked the silence like thunder. Two figures shot out from the Sword Pavilion. "Activate the third-tier formation!" Without hesitation, the two Foundation Establishment cultivators channeled vast amounts of spirit energy into the main hall of the Sword Pavilion. A vast barrier of light surged into existence, spanning from the southernmost to the northernmost point. It sealed off the entire inner city of Dahe Market. Seeing this, the gray-robed cultivator finally stopped retreating. He lifted his gaze to the light barrier overhead. "A third-tier formation, huh? Not bad. "But what a pity—it only has a large first-tier spirit vein to draw upon. It won’t be able to sustain it for long." The art of formations contained profound truths of the Great Dao. It wasn’t as simple as setting up a few formation flags or embedding a formation disc. A third-tier formation alone contained over ten thousand layers of restrictive measures. Merely relying on formation tools wouldn’t unleash its true potential; it required a spirit vein of the corresponding tier to fully activate. However, Dahe Market possessed only a single large first-tier spirit vein—far from sufficient for sustaining a third-tier formation. Almost the moment the grand formation was deployed, a thunderous rumbling echoed from Fallen Phoenix Mountain. Countless streams of spirit energy surged skyward, drawn into the formation like a dragon siphoning water. Enormous boulders tumbled down the slopes. The newly constructed Debate Platform trembled violently before collapsing with a resounding crash! Its former glory was lost forever. Yet, the Jade Cauldron sword cultivators appeared unfazed by the sight. The two Foundation Establishment Initiates responsible for controlling the formation—Luo Tianhong—let out a cold laugh. "Short-sighted like a rat [2], how could you possibly understand the mysteries of our Jade Cauldron Grand Formation? Contract!" "Contract!" Miao Wen’s voice echoed from the side. In the next moment, the massive barrier enveloping Dahe Market began to shrink at an unimaginable speed, condensing until it completely sealed Fallen Phoenix Mountain. Only now did the formation’s power reach its peak. At the same time, Pang Renxiong had already engaged in battle with the three Ghost Kings. His overwhelming sword light clashed against the boundless ghostly energy, slashing and weaving through the darkness without showing the slightest sign of weakness. Seeing this, the gray-robed cultivator remained unhurried, sitting cross-legged in the void. He closed his eyes, seemingly indifferent to the battle raging around him. Yet, only Pang Renxiong, as a fellow Golden Core cultivator, could perceive the intense tremors rippling through the man's divine consciousness. "What kind of technique is this? How are you able to control three Ghost Kings of this level? "Not going to answer? "You don’t actually think these three Ghost Kings alone are enough to grind me down to death, do you? "Come then, let me see what other tricks you have up your sleeve!" 1. 狮子搏兔亦用全力 (shi zi bo tu yi yong quan li), A Chinese idiom meaning that even the strong must give their full effort against weaker opponents, emphasizing caution and diligence in all matters. ☜ 2. 鼠目寸光 (shǔ mù cùn guāng) – A Chinese idiom describing someone who is short-sighted, narrow-minded, and lacking long-term vision or strategic thinking. ☜