"This is not my doing!"
Ksitigarbha stared quietly at the Wraithlord. Eleven golden beads floated within the halo behind Ksitigarbha, flickering with radiant light.
I felt the air grow much warmer. The rumbling around us continued incessantly. At Dragon Plaza in front of Putian Temple, beams of golden light pierced the pitch-black sky, enveloping everything below in a shimmering glow.
A massive golden Taiji appeared in the sky. The nine pillars surrounding Dragon Plaza began to crack, and golden light seeped out from within. Amid the sounds of shattering and the roars of dragons, nine golden dragons burst from the pillars, instantly coiling in the air.
The Wraithlord gazed at his wound that refused to heal, as if he had realized something, and burst into wild laughter.
"So that's it. Yin Choujian, that fellow... But do you really think you can defeat me?"
The Wraithlord smiled faintly, raised one hand, then suddenly crouched, pressing his palm to the ground.
"Let me show you the true nature of this world!"
As soon as the Wraithlord finished speaking, the stones and soil around us, swollen and compressed, began to loosen. Black streams of energy erupted from all sides, and I felt a deep sense of dread.
With a series of strange, guttural howls, I saw a gigantic black creature with only a mouth appear. Then, from every direction, countless similar monsters—each with only a mouth and shark-like rows of white teeth—flew toward us.
With a gentle chime, Ksitigarbha mounted the Truth-Hound and soared into the sky. The eleven Buddha Statue of Visions erupted in radiant light, and I felt a comforting warmth fill my body. The monsters that had just appeared vanished into black smoke the instant they touched the light.
The pitch-black clouds were instantly torn apart. I widened my eyes as the light blanketing the earth continued to expand.
With a thunderous boom, the Wraithlord moved in front of Ksitigarbha, swinging his fist at him. The Truth-Hound roared, and golden halos spewed from its mouth, growing rapidly in size. In an instant, the Wraithlord's attack was completely halted; glowing halos, like ropes, bound him tightly. Ksitigarbha sat cross-legged, hands pressed together in prayer.
The eleven Buddha Statue of Visions flew off to distant corners, radiating light. I saw incarnate Buddhas manifesting in the sky—more and more appearing, some seated, some lying down, each in different forms.
I could barely sense the Wraithlord's power anymore, but he quickly broke free and threw a punch at Ksitigarbha.
With a deafening crash and a surge of immense force, the earth was torn apart once again. The golden Cycle Sigil before Ksitigarbha began to shatter.
A flash of azure lightning streaked by, and the Azure Dragon perched atop a pillar instantly moved to the Wraithlord's side. The Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, and White Tiger charged in as well. The Wraithlord raised both arms; a crushing pressure filled the world, as if it would pulverize him. Black blood continued to seep from the wound my golden flame arrows had just opened in his flesh.
The black blood sizzled as it oozed out, instantly turning into black smoke.
"The world... is in the palm of my hand!"
Suddenly, the Wraithlord raised a hand and made a grasping motion as it fell. A black space appeared, instantly swallowing the Four Guardians. Amid mournful cries, the Four Guardians were torn apart in an instant.
The Truth-Hound lunged forward, its body instantly growing gigantic. But the Wraithlord struck its head with a single punch. Blood sprayed, and the Truth-Hound plummeted to the ground, unable to move, black energy burning its flesh. Ksitigarbha remained seated in the air as countless incarnate gods and Buddhas drifted toward the Wraithlord.
"Buddha? Dao? Hahaha, before me, they are nothing."
The Wraithlord stood in the air, facing the Buddhas flying toward him. He crushed these incarnations with his fists, golden fragments scattering across the sky.
Beneath the massive Eight Trigrams in the sky, the nine golden dragons joined the fray. They plunged into the golden debris around the Wraithlord, each spitting a golden chain that instantly bound his body. The Wraithlord stared silently as Ksitigarbha floated before him.
The falling golden fragments transformed into Sanskrit Script, crawling over the Wraithlord's body and quickly covering his surface. I stared wide-eyed.
The Wraithlord struggled violently but could not break free from the nine chains restraining his body.
The Four Guardians appeared again atop the four pillars, accompanied by fire, lightning, water, and wind. Their powers intertwined and surged toward the Wraithlord.
"Hahaha..."
The Wraithlord laughed wildly, shaking his head.
"Do you think you stand a chance against the world? You're nothing but grains of sand—gathered together, you're still just a broken stone!"
Suddenly, black currents ignited on the Wraithlord's body, swirling like flames. I sensed something was wrong—the light was fading.
The Truth-Hound rose from the ground, growing gigantic once more. It sped toward Ksitigarbha. Then, behind every golden incarnate god and Buddha in the sky, a Wraithlord appeared. In an instant, all the gods and Buddhas vanished, and the eleven Buddha Statue of Visions returned to Ksitigarbha's halo.
With a crackling sound, the chains binding the Wraithlord snapped the moment they were tainted by black energy. The Wraithlord roared in fury, yanking the chains and dragging the nine golden dragons together in a violent collision. He clenched his fists and struck the sky with a powerful blow.
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Instantly, blackness enveloped the nine golden dragons. A beam of black light shot skyward, chilling the air and saturating it with the stench of death.
The Wraithlord crouched in midair. The golden light around Ksitigarbha flickered in the night like lonely lanterns, struggling to endure.
Putian Temple, not far from my inn, was now in ruins. Cries rang out everywhere. I drew Belle, and a pair of purple flaming wings unfurled from my back. Now that Jiuchen had been taken, I had nowhere left to retreat.
Even those powers capable of purifying ghostly energy were useless against the Wraithlord. I noticed that many members of the Ghost Burial Squad in Gourd Village hadn't left, but were setting something up around us.
I beat my wings, and the Soul Guest Inn behind me crumbled into fragments, dissolving into darkness. I became a streak of purple light and shot toward the Wraithlord.
Furious, I swung Belle at the Wraithlord. He turned, raised a finger, and blocked my strike. Belle slipped from my grasp and vanished. A burst of golden fire erupted from my hand—the Phoenix Blade's flames surged fiercely at the Wraithlord.