But right now, there’s nowhere left to run—Ryan Ling has to stand his ground and fight.
All he’s got left to use is his own Heaven-Tribulation power, the force of the Primeval Heavenwood, and that single wisp of immortal qi. But honestly, even if he goes full rampage mode with everything combined, that immortal qi is at best a one-shot at ninth-layer Heaven-Tribulation. He probably still can’t hold off the Western Pacifying King.
And honestly, it’s probably the same for Yama Dad—even if the whole Hell Court gangs up, fighting a Ghost Immortal is a losing game!
"Sigh!" Ryan couldn’t help but let out a groan. The way things are right now, he can only take it one step at a time.
And just as Ryan, the Ghost Elder, and Marshal Zhong Kui burst out from the Eighteenth Hell, they spot the Hell Court in the distance—already surrounded by a wall of ghostly fire. Clearly, the moment the Western Pacifying King succeeded, his crew couldn’t wait to make a move!
"These bastards! They actually dare to attack the Hell Court with Nine-Yin True Flame—this is straight-up rebellion!" Marshal Zhong Kui, being the Grand Marshal, immediately started yelling.
The Ghost Elder gritted his teeth and said coldly, "This is just the opening move—the real danger is still ahead."
And sure enough, as soon as the Ghost Elder finished talking, a whole bunch of ghost generals and soldiers started getting restless!
"Screw it, I’m going all in!" Marshal Zhong Kui’s got a fiery temper—seeing this, he just dives straight into the fray.
In an instant, the Nine-Yin True Flame around him is snuffed out by his charge.
"This is the Hell Court of the Netherworld! Who dares act out of line?" Marshal Zhong Kui shouted, whipping out his long blade. As the Grand Marshal, his aura was the real deal.
With that one shout, the whole crowd instantly went silent.
But that quiet only lasted a few seconds—suddenly, there was a muffled boom outside, and several powerful auras swept in.
"It’s the Hades Kings! Sixth-layer and seventh-layer Hades Kings—they’re here! These guys are the Western Pacifying King’s most loyal lapdogs, definitely here to show off for their boss!" the Ghost Elder yelled.
By now, Ryan and the Ghost Elder had already reached the skies above the Hell Court. Ryan could sense that Yama Dad was deep inside, powering up—or maybe refining some divine artifact—either way, he was cooking up a counterattack against the Western Pacifying King.
"Don’t worry, I’ll hold them off!" Marshal Zhong Kui was totally fearless, his eyes blazing with killing intent.
After eating Ryan’s Heavenwood Fruit, Marshal Zhong Kui’s power had skyrocketed—he was almost as strong as Ryan now. And as Grand Marshal, it was literally his job to hold the line against invaders.
With Marshal Zhong Kui charging out, Ryan and the Ghost Elder weren’t slacking either—they instantly started setting up defenses all around the Hell Court, activating every defensive array inside and out. These formations were tough enough to tank even a Heaven-Tribulation expert’s full-force assault.
"Kill!" Marshal Zhong Kui charged straight in, leading the charge—Heaven-Tribulation power poured down like a thunderstorm, blasting everything in his path.
In seconds, any ghost soldier who didn’t listen was instantly obliterated!
In the blink of an eye, ten thousand ghosts were shattered!
"Fall back, or you’ll all be wiped out!" Marshal Zhong Kui roared. His whole body instantly expanded ten thousand times over, and for a moment, even the two Hades Kings hesitated to move.
"Nice one, Zhong Kui!" the Ghost Elder shouted excitedly. Right now, everyone in the Hell Court knew the Western Pacifying King had just leveled up to Ghost Immortal. The pressure was insane, but Zhong Kui’s charge was a huge morale boost!
But Ryan knew the real crisis was still ahead.
Sure enough, just then, the two Hades Kings made their move—ancient, overwhelming Heaven-Tribulation power swept toward Zhong Kui. The force was earth-shattering, and definitely not weaker than Zhong Kui himself.
Zhong Kui’s face went stiff for a second, but he instantly unleashed his strongest moves to fight back.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sky erupted with wild explosions, one after another—sparks flew everywhere, and two thunder dragons of Heaven-Tribulation kept sweeping through the air. Zhong Kui didn’t hesitate for a second; in a flash, three forces collided and chaos broke out all around.
But Zhong Kui didn’t disappoint—his strength hit max output, and the two Hades Kings couldn’t even get close.
"Such insane power—Zhong Kui, you’re officially our Hell Court’s number one vanguard!" the Ghost Elder cheered. At that moment, Black-and-White Impermanence and a bunch of ghost generals burst out from the hall—the great war was about to kick off!
"Come on, bring it! You mess with the Hell Court, you must have a death wish!" Zhong Kui shouted, pumped up. After driving back the two Hades Kings, his confidence shot through the roof.
Behind him, all the ghost generals and soldiers started cheering—obviously, Ryan had fired up the whole squad.
But just then, more and more powerful forces started gathering in the distance.
"The Ghost Emperor is about to make a move!" Ryan blinked in surprise. In a flash, a massive power blasted toward Zhong Kui, moving so fast it completely surrounded him.
"Zhong Kui, you really think you’re invincible? Time to taste the price of arrogance—die!" In an instant, Ghost Emperor power exploded down on Zhong Kui, while the two Hades Kings’ Heaven-Tribulation lightning slammed in from the sides. Three forces hit Zhong Kui at once!
Zhong Kui clearly couldn’t handle that much power—his whole body started twisting, and his face changed color inside and out.
"Damn, their side’s way too strong—three top experts attacking at once, Zhong Kui’s got no chance!" The Ghost Elder was getting anxious, ready to jump in.
"Don’t move—hold the rear! I’ll handle this!" Ryan didn’t want the Ghost Elder risking himself. Sure, the Ghost Elder’s powers were back up to Heaven-Tribulation level, but he was still pretty weak. He was better off commanding the ghost generals and soldiers; for the real fighting, Ryan would take the lead.
All around, the Ghost Emperor and Hades Kings kept howling—Zhong Kui’s whole body looked like it was about to be torn apart. He was clearly at his limit!
"Zhong Kui, perish!" The strongest Ghost Emperor lunged, ghost claw aimed straight at Zhong Kui’s forehead. If he got hit, Zhong Kui would be utterly obliterated.
Ryan didn’t hesitate—he dove straight into the fight!
(Irrelevant system message skipped.)
Just as the Ghost Emperor was about to finish off Zhong Kui, Ryan blasted in with a surprise iron fist. The punch hit so hard, there was a thunderous boom—the Ghost Emperor was sent flying, his body completely twisted out of shape.
"Brother-in-law, you—you finally made it!" Zhong Kui couldn’t hold out any longer and collapsed to the ground.
Ghost Elder quickly called for some ghost soldiers to carry Zhong Kui away, while nearby, ghost physicians rushed to treat the wounded—Zhong Kui, the ghost generals, and the soldiers alike.
"Ryan, you’re Yama’s son?" The Ghost Emperor, just blasted away, stared in shock—while the two Hades Kings were clearly stunned.
"Enough talk. I’m guarding this place now—get lost!" Ryan unleashed a wave of Heaven-Tribulation power, way beyond Zhong Kui’s level. The two Hades Kings were blown back a hundred miles, their shapes totally warped.
In an instant, tons of ghost generals clustered around Ryan inside the Hell Court.
Right now, Ryan was still only at third-layer Heaven-Tribulation, but he could hold off even seventh-layer experts. This was his absolute limit—if another top-tier enemy showed up, he’d have to fight to the death!
"Let me tell you—this is the Hell Court, home of the Yama Emperor. Anyone who tries to rebel, I’m the first to say no!" As Ryan finished, waves of force blasted out, instantly covering a hundred miles. His aura barely wavered; the two Hades Kings exploded on the spot, leaving only the Ghost Emperor to escape!
"Ryan, I never expected you to grow this strong. Today, I'm going to see for myself—just how powerful are you?" A streak of light blasted out, ripping straight through the thunder-soaked battlefield.
"An eighth-layer Heaven-Tribulation expert!" Ryan froze. The Hades King and Ghost Emperor earlier were just testing the waters—now the real master had arrived. No doubt about it, the Western Pacifying King was officially rebelling.
An eighth-layer Heaven-Tribulation expert was terrifying enough!
And behind him, there might be a ninth-layer monster—or even the Western Pacifying King himself.
Ryan clenched his fists. Never mind the others—even just this eighth-layer Heaven-Tribulation, he might not be able to withstand it!
Yama Dad was still powering up inside—he wasn't coming out unless it was doomsday!
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva hadn't shown up either. Sure, he'd taken Ryan's Heavenwood Fruits, but who knew if he'd actually show?
Right then, the eighth-layer expert charged in—his Heaven-Tribulation aura instantly replaced Ryan's, and Ryan felt a pressure like he'd never experienced before...