Chapter 834: Don't kill them, kill me

Kongwang stared at the "Chen Ling" in his hand, then at the lively Chen Ling standing before him. Even as the Ghost God of the Netherworld, who had guarded the world of the dead for countless years, he was momentarily bewildered.

Slowly, it dawned on Kongwang that the young man before him was likely a dual-soul entity. He had heard of such "anomalies" before, but usually, a dual-soul person had a formidable old master, or a super powerful expert who had tragically exploded due to an enemy's pursuit, residing in their mind. For both souls in a dual-soul entity to look identical was quite incredible.

Could they be twins?

"He actually severely injured the Ghost God of the Netherworld... these three young people are truly fiercer than the last."

"Indeed, for such young prodigies to appear in the human realm, our future missions will likely be very difficult..."

"How about we find an opportunity to eliminate all three of them later?"

"If we use our true strength and rank, we'll definitely be exposed! It's not worth it just to kill three young geniuses... Besides, we never used to do such despicable acts!"

"I was just saying that casually... How else would we appear to be villains?"

"Speaking of which, that young man in the Tang suit who just appeared, why does he look a bit familiar..."

"No, wait! Isn't that Diamonds 6?! I saw him once in the South Sea Realm!"

"What? He's one of us??"

"Then why did he suddenly jump out to help that God of War Dao kid emitting black aura? They seem to know each other."

"Hold on... I think I heard that Spades 6 among those ranked '6' is the God of War Dao... If that's the case, then the God of Drama Dao who appeared last and can transform into a bird, isn't that the legendary..."

"What?! They're all our people?!!!"

The "participants" quietly observing from the side looked as if they had discovered an earth-shattering secret, their jaws dropping in unison.

Audience expectation: 4Current expectation: 74

Meanwhile, Kongwang looked down at his body, which had been almost pierced through, and silent anger and killing intent flickered in his eyes. According to his original plan, he should have already slaughtered the entire old district. However, the successive appearances of Jian Changsheng, Sun Bumian, and Chen Ling had not only forcefully entangled him for several minutes but also ambushed him, leaving his body mutilated, severely injured, and bleeding.

Kongwang had not experienced such severe injuries for hundreds of years. That three annoying young people had pushed him to this extent was simply unacceptable.

"You... seek death!!" Kongwang said grimly. He seemed to have made a certain decision, and the soul chains behind him began to shake violently, clattering. The crimson mark on his forehead grew more vibrant, and a mysterious aura emanated from it. In the unseen, it seemed to pierce through time and space, as an illusory rift, similar to the crimson mark, slowly outlined itself behind him.

Winds and clouds began to gather behind him, as if the rift were an unfillable abyss. The already bone-chilling environment grew even more sinister.

"This is bad." Sun Bumian's gaze hardened upon seeing this. "He's opening the Ghost Gate!"

"What is the Ghost Gate?" Jian Changsheng asked.

"It's the entrance to the Netherworld. There's only one true Ghost Gate in the world, located in the deepest part of the lost Ancient Treasury of the Ghost Dao... But the six envoys of the Ancient Treasury of the Ghost Dao can briefly open a corner of it at the cost of permanently losing rank."

Sun Bumian watched the tiny rift gradually tear open behind Kongwang. Through the thumb-sized crack of the Ghost Gate, vague souls could be faintly seen surging behind it. This opened corner of the Ghost Gate was indeed very small, not even wide enough for anyone or any soul to pass through. But with a flick of Kongwang's hand, a chain shot from him towards the rift! The chain restrained a surging group of souls from behind the gate, and an endless stream of power began to surge wildly into Kongwang's body!

Kongwang's fingers formed seals repeatedly over his shattered chest. Between heaven and earth, the energies of Yin and Yang rapidly converged at his fingertips. The destructive aura was being continuously compressed; one could even see space collapsing at his fingertips!

"Ghost Dao Divine Ability, Reality-Shattering Finger." Sun Bumian said solemnly. "It seems he wants to swallow enough souls in one go, then annihilate all of us with a single finger..."

"A single finger? Is it that exaggerated?"

"This is a Ghost Dao Divine Ability capable of piercing heaven and earth, with terrifying destructive power. Even a slight graze would mean complete soul annihilation... But to activate it, it requires a massive accumulation of souls, which is why he had to forcefully open the Ghost Gate. It's clear he doesn't want to drag this out any longer."

"Don't you have a way to counter him?"

"What do you take me for, a wish-granting machine?" Sun Bumian shot him an annoyed glance. "For a minor divine ability like 'Soul-Shaking', I do have ways to counter it... But he's playing for keeps now, what can I use to block this?"

"Then what do we do?"

"What to do? We run!"

Sun Bumian didn't hesitate, stepping into the void and speeding away. Jian Changsheng paused for a moment, looked back at the rampaging Kongwang, and then moved in another direction, trying to avoid the finger's range. The "participants" nearby, sensing the killing intent contained within that finger, naturally wouldn't stay put. After exchanging glances, they tacitly began to maneuver around Kongwang as well.

"This time, no one escapes." Kongwang's form floated upwards. Seeing this, he pointed his bent fingertip directly at the old district below. The soul power from beyond the Ghost Gate had already been compressed to its extreme!

At the same time, he did not notice that among the army of souls restrained by the chains, a figure in a gray padded jacket had slightly opened his eyes a crack... He seemed to hesitate, but upon catching a fleeting glimpse of Chen Ling, he seemed to guess something and silently closed his eyes again.

"Here it comes!" A jolt went through the hearts of several "participants" as they caught sight of the intensely destructive aura in the distance!

The moment Kongwang flicked his finger, a figure advanced instead of retreating. He rushed directly to Kongwang, grabbed the destructive finger with his bare hands, forcibly lifted it, and pointed it at his own body. Kongwang never imagined that while everyone else was fleeing for their lives, someone would be fearless enough to charge directly at him. When he recognized the person's face, his pupils contracted slightly.

Amidst the swirling storm, Chen Ling smiled calmly.

"Don't kill them," Chen Ling said quietly. "If you have the guts... kill me."

Boom—!!!

The next moment, a black torrent capable of piercing heaven and earth instantly swallowed Chen Ling's form, then pierced through the entire old district, reducing all buildings and streets along its path to nothing! The horrifying torrent skimmed over the heads of the onlookers. They had almost all witnessed Chen Ling's act of "self-sacrifice to save others," and for a moment, they stood frozen in place.