Chapter 54: The Forbidden Sea of Consciousness

"Celestial Emperor?" Kongjing's ears twitched. He thought he heard an extraordinary term. Looking at Ling Ji, his eyes transformed from worried to peculiar and hesitant.

This tone, this power, this demeanor—she increasingly resembled an ancient, reclusive great demon suddenly emerging.

And...

Kongjing looked up at the darkened sky, then at the girl whose eye had turned completely black. He quietly swallowed.

"Night's vision, the ability of the Candle Dragon of Zhong Mountain," he mused.

Earlier, the girl had called herself Ling Ji. Candle Dragon?

Kongjing was beginning to panic.

"Go," Gao Buhann commanded, his eyes filled with deep caution as he waved his soul-refining flag. He summoned hundreds of malevolent spirits and dozens of ghost generals, pointing them towards Ling Ji. "Stop her."

"Aaaaah!" Hundreds of ghosts emerged, their cries filling the air with an eerie wail, their shadows making the surroundings increasingly dark and ominous.

"Humph, overestimating yourselves," Ling Ji muttered, rolling up her sleeves. She unleashed a wave of Netherworld Black Flame.

The moment the fire appeared, it grew with the wind. Upon touching the ghosts, it engulfed them instantly, reducing them to ashes in a few breaths.

Even the ghost generals, raised with ninety-nine malevolent spirits, barely lasted ten seconds.

"This is the legendary Netherworld Black Flame, truly living up to its reputation," Kongjing marveled at the red and green flames. "It can burn humans, ghosts, demons, and even gods. It is the Candle Dragon's innate ability, unique in the world."

"That dog of a motherfucker Gao Buhann won't escape now," Kongjing chuckled, then looked around. "Huh, where did he go?"

Flying to where Gao Buhann had stood, Kongjing found nothing. "Damn it, he got away again."

"He can't escape," Ling Ji said, floating beside Kongjing. She looked into the darkness and beckoned with her finger. "Come."

A shadow, uncontrollable in the darkness, flew out. "What manner of demon are you?"

Gao Buhann, seeing the black-clad girl drawing closer while he felt like a puppet, truly panicked for the first time. "Let me go. Do you know who I am? Who I serve?"

Fear spread through him like vines, tightening with each struggle until his breathing became labored.

"Who do you serve?" Kongjing asked, his face stern as his magic staff transformed into a light net, binding Gao Buhann tightly. "Speak!"

The Lion's Roar technique, carrying true energy, bore down on Gao Buhann, who, already terrified by Ling Ji's powers, had his mental defenses shattered. "It's..."

Before he could finish, his body swelled like an overinflated balloon and burst with a loud pop.

"Watch out!" Kongjing shouted. Sensing something wrong, he pulled Ling Ji back and covered them with a tattered cassock.

A foul-smelling blood mist, mixed with chunks of flesh, hit the barrier and fell to the ground.

When the blood mist cleared, Gao Buhann was gone. Only a few pieces of mangled flesh and some black cloth remained where he had stood.

"His soul was restricted. If he spoke forbidden words, his sea of consciousness would explode, destroying his soul. There's no way to search his soul now," Kongjing said, recognizing a control method used by those in power to manage their dead soldiers.

"Oh," Ling Ji nodded. "This is similar to the symbiotic contracts humans and demons used to sign."

Only instead of mutual survival, was it now servant death and master safety.

Many great demons liked signing such contracts in the past.

Kongjing's thoughts drifted. Wasn't that contract from the era of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors?

How old are you?

Seeing the fragmented remains, Ling Ji dispelled the dark realm. Her left eye returned to its normal black and white.

As the sky brightened, Kongjing snapped back. "Is this your domain?"

A domain, mastered by those who understood the laws of space, was a personal world where the master ruled and intruders were at their mercy.

No wonder Gao Buhann couldn't escape once trapped.

Ling Ji, surprised he knew this, nodded. "Yes."

She then summoned a tattered flag from the remains. Covering her nose, she washed it with a stream of water before examining it. "There's a soul's presence."

Kongjing, tense, took the flag from her. His divine sense penetrated it, revealing restless souls within.

"Amitabha," Kongjing chanted, sitting cross-legged with the flag. His eyes closed, and a Rebirth Mantra flowed from his lips.

The mantra, imbued with Buddhist power, entered the flag. The souls, drawn to it, surged towards the light.

Sunlight refracted off Kongjing's shiny head, casting a sacred aura over his stern features, making him appear holy and solemn.

Ling Ji, noting his seriousness, created a barrier around him and began exploring his surroundings.

The place had been sealed, hiding secrets she intended to uncover.

Picking up the shattered copper cover, she examined the glowing gold fragments and stowed them in her space.

Although broken, it could be reshaped into a ball for play, given its toughness.

Ling Ji sighed, feeling her limited resources.

"Is anyone there? Help, please," a weak cry came from a cave ahead, mingled with a heavy scent of blood.

Covering her nose, Ling Ji flashed into the cave.

It was deep, dug dozens of meters down, dark and damp, filled with the stench of blood and earth.

At the cave's bottom, a ten-meter by six-meter pool held dark red blood water, with white bones floating on its surface.

Nearby cages held humans and demons.

Seeing her, they brightened, clinging to the bars and hoarsely begging, "Save us, please."

"Help," the earlier voice called again. Ling Ji spotted a young cub lying weakly on the ground.

"Hey, how are you?" Ling Ji asked, examining the cub's cold, sweaty body, red cheeks, and dry lips, indicating semi-consciousness.

"Damn, that bastard," Ling Ji cursed, picking up the cub. Glancing at the caged beings, she kicked, breaking the cages. "Follow me."

The freed adults, human and demon alike, gratefully followed her out.

But Ling Ji didn't notice a dark spot in the blood pool that wriggled and vanished.

"Lady Ling Ji," a voice called as they exited. Xing Miao and the others, following the star chart, had arrived. Seeing the cub, Ying Ning rushed over. "An'an!"

Ying Ning took An'an from Ling Ji, her eyes scanning the child as her hand trembled on An'an's cheek. "It's okay, I'm here now."

"Can you help An'an?" Ying Ning pleaded.

"She has a common fever. You should see a doctor," Ling Ji declined. "If I use my power, she might die."

An'an's body was too weak for her spiritual energy.

"She's right. An'an needs a hospital," Hu Li explained to avoid misunderstanding.

"Sorry, I was too anxious," Ying Ning apologized, kissing An'an's forehead.

"No harm," Ling Ji waved off. "Hu Li, teleport them. It's faster."

"And you?"

Ling Ji pointed behind her. "We have to handle the aftermath."

A large blood pool required cleanup.

Hu Li nodded, taking An'an from Ying Ning and preparing to teleport. But then she noticed something behind Ling Ji. "Is that Li Li?"

Li Li, having lost a lot of blood, looked at the approaching figure before fainting from exhaustion.

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