Chapter 420 All Captured

“It’s rare for me to say this much to you. There are things I’m not withholding out of selfishness—giving them to you would only bring you more trouble.”

The Ghost King, a seasoned figure with years of reputation, regained his composure quickly despite the earlier slip.

With a twist of his palm, a soul bone appeared in his hand.

“After much research, I discovered that only soul bones can avoid detection by that thing. That’s also the reason the Ghost King Hall still exists!”

“But soul bones contain my own understanding and will. If you rely on them too much, they may become your shackles. Use it with caution.”

After speaking, he released the soul bone, which floated in front of Chen Fei.

Before Chen Fei could even react, the Ghost King raised a hand and gently pressed it onto Chen Fei’s head.

“Alright. Time for you to go back. The cataclysm has already begun. Whether you can endure it… depends on all of you now.”

Chen Fei looked up, wanting to say something, but the Ghost King’s palm suddenly pressed down—and his consciousness began to plunge rapidly.

The sensation of falling at such speed was far from pleasant.

Inside the starry void, the Ghost King scowled and barked out:

“You bunch of bastards—just laugh if you want to!”

As his words fell, the silhouettes of several figures appeared—though all were only manifestations of divine sense.

Everyone stared at the Ghost King with a smile, their amusement clear. This only made the Ghost King more annoyed.

“You’ve all recovered quite well, haven’t you? Come on then—it’s been years since I’ve had a real fight. Maybe it’s time to shake off the rust!”

“Oh no need, Ghost King! We’ve been waiting for this moment for ages!”

“You don’t have to dirty your hands, hahaha!”

The Ghost King shook his head helplessly at the playful group, then looked at Fang Zhen.

“You’re the most cautious one of the lot. And yet you picked that little trickster?”

Fang Zhen, known for his rigid and disciplined nature—why he was chosen to lead the Hall of Law—still agreed with the Ghost King’s evaluation of Chen Fei.

He believed that being rigid didn’t mean being right. In fact, he appreciated Chen Fei’s adaptability and flexible thinking.

“It’s rare to come across such a promising seedling. My hands were itching to move!”

“Then why drag me into this?!”

complained Sun Wuya, whose head bore a bloody wound and whose long hair was in disarray.

Fang Zhen glanced at him.

“I could just take the soul bone back right now if you’d prefer.”

“Hell no! I’ve never reclaimed something I’ve given away!”

Sun Wuya responded quickly.

Fang Zhen scoffed.

“You’re just being stubborn!”

Sun Wuya looked away and refused to argue further.

The Ghost King hadn’t enjoyed such lively banter in ages. It was a rare and cherished moment.

But then his expression turned serious.

“I wasn’t trying to scare Chen Fei earlier.

This really is our last chance.

If we can lure that bastard out, then it’ll all be worth it.”

Fang Zhen raised a brow.

“So everyone’s ready?”

“We’ve been ready,”

the Ghost King replied with a firm nod.

Chen Fei, unaware of everything happening inside the void, was focused on something else—his own suffering.

The Ghost King clearly hadn’t considered his comfort when ejecting him.

Chen Fei plummeted head-first toward the ground, only to be abruptly pulled into his physical body by a strong suction force.

The return wasn’t graceful. Even with his powerful physique, the sensation left him dizzy and disoriented.

He opened his eyes and looked at the statue in front of him.

Somehow, he felt as though a monster might suddenly crawl out from it.

Steadying himself, he stood up from the prayer mat.

After hearing the Ghost King’s revelations, Chen Fei had finally touched the true hidden depths of the Xuanhuang Continent.

But what filled his thoughts was Su Ran.

Though she had never revealed her true identity, based on the words of Patriarch Tianqing and the Ghost King, it wasn’t hard to infer—Su Ran was clearly linked to the Upper Realm.

But if the Ghost King was right and the path to the Upper Realm was already sealed, didn’t that mean… Su Ran hadn’t left yet?

Chen Fei’s eyes lit up at the thought.

Just then, the Yi Nian Hall in front of him began to tremble. A surge of violent aura erupted outward.

Chen Fei didn’t hesitate. He leapt backward immediately.

A black spike shot out from where he’d just stood.

Thanks to his quick reflexes, he’d avoided being skewered—but only barely.

“Strange…”

he muttered, narrowing his eyes at the spike.

The Ghost King said the monsters wouldn’t appear—so what was going on?

He turned sharply and looked at the statue.

It was still a statue—its face shrouded in mist, impossible to see clearly.

There were no signs of it breaking, no monsters crawling out like in the starry void.

“Your reflexes aren’t bad~”

came a mocking voice.

A seductively beautiful yet demonic woman slowly stepped into view. Her eyes danced with ridicule as she looked at Chen Fei.

Chen Fei’s gaze went past her—to the tentacles behind her.

On them was Fan Chen, impaled through the body.

He was in agony, his hands clinging to the spike that ran through him, struggling to break free.

“H-Help me!”

Fan Chen’s eyes lit up as he saw Chen Fei.

His desperate survival instinct took over. He no longer cared about his past grudges with Chen Fei—all he wanted was to live.

But as he cried out, the demonic woman snapped her fingers.

Fan Chen’s body was instantly riddled with hundreds of tiny black spikes, turning him into a human pincushion.

The light in his eyes faded.

Even though they’d been enemies, watching Fan Chen die so horrifically still sent a chill through Chen Fei’s heart.

“This damn place made me wait far too long.

It never should have existed!”

The woman’s eyes flashed with cold light.

With a wave of her hands, the ground exploded.

Several dark shadows suddenly surged toward Chen Fei.

Xing Zheng appeared, clutching his chest in pain—obviously injured.

Next to him was Peach Blossom Fairy, staring in disbelief at Fan Chen’s corpse.

Behind them was Qin Shuang, her face tense.

Tong stood near her, clearly rattled.

And even Ji Wugou looked pale. Her treasure pouch had a small hole, indicating she, too, had narrowly escaped.

“A bunch of ants wasting so much of my time…

But I, the mighty Queen Yaoye, don’t lower myself to your level.

I shall feast upon your fresh flesh!”

Her laughter turned hysterical, her expression maniacal.

Chen Fei turned to Tong.

“Where the hell did this lunatic come from?”

Before Tong could reply, Queen Yaoye’s gaze sharpened.

“I hate being disrespected.

So I’ve decided—you’ll be the first to die.”

Everyone’s expressions shifted in horror.

They turned into streaks of light, fleeing in every direction.

Just as Chen Fei moved, he suddenly felt a massive weight on his shoulders—as if a mountain had crushed him.

Black spikes erupted from the ground, forming a massive prison around him.