I, the Emperor, shall return

"Die!"

Boom—!

At that moment, ten thousand streaks of silver divine lightning suddenly appeared in the nine heavens. In an instant, the countless bolts of thunder converged, forming a massive silver eye—cold and merciless.

"Heaven's Punishment Eye!"

Old Ghost's expression instantly changed. He no longer dared to attack Gu Qingfeng, turning instead to flee in terror.

Gu Qingfeng roared in fury, "Damnable Heavenly Dao! How dare you interfere with this Emperor's affairs!"

Rumble—!

A blinding silver light, as if capable of annihilating the world, shot forth from the colossal silver eye. Its speed surpassed the limits of time itself.

No matter how Old Ghost tried to evade, it was futile. The light pierced ruthlessly through his body.

"Ah!"

Old Ghost let out a blood-curdling scream as he plummeted from the void, his body drenched in blood. A ghastly hole gaped where his heart should have been.

Severely wounded, Old Ghost had no will left to resist. Struggling to his feet, he attempted to flee again, but the Heaven's Punishment Eye had already locked onto him.

Boom!

Another silver light erupted, infused with endless Dao patterns—the most devastating attack this world had ever witnessed.

Old Ghost's face drained of color as he collapsed to the ground. "My life ends here!"

At the critical moment, an unexpected figure stepped in front of him—towering, fearless, and heroic.

Old Ghost stared blankly at the man's back, the sunlight casting a shadow over him. He couldn't make out the man's face, but as he crouched within that shadow, an inexplicable sense of safety washed over him.

He watched as the man endured the Heaven's Punishment, standing firm despite his frail body, refusing to retreat even half a step.

Bang!

The man's body was obliterated by the divine retribution. The silver light continued toward Old Ghost, but its power had weakened significantly, allowing him to block it with ease.

The next moment, the shattered figure reassembled from endless malevolent thoughts, standing tall before Old Ghost once more.

It was Gu Qingfeng.

"Why?" Old Ghost asked, his voice hoarse with emotion he didn’t even realize he was feeling.

Gu Qingfeng tilted his head slightly, revealing only half of his devilishly handsome profile. His thin lips curled into a faint smirk. "Perhaps... because this world would be far less interesting without you."

Old Ghost shuddered violently. Gu Qingfeng's words struck like a hammer against his heart, sealed away for countless eons. Overwhelmed with emotion, he was deeply moved—until...

The next instant, the face hidden in the shadows twisted into something monstrous.

"Keh keh keh... Since you're so kind, why not see your goodwill through to the end?"

Old Ghost swiftly formed a hand seal, unleashing an invisible ripple from his body.

At the same time, deep within the Primordial Forbidden Land, billions of miles away...

The substitute puppet that had been bound by the Heavenly Dao's chains in Gu Qingfeng's place shattered into pieces!

The chains that had ensnared the puppet now lost their target—but in the next breath, they sensed the overwhelming aura of sin radiating from Gu Qingfeng. Defying space and time, they stretched across the void, coiling around him like furious dragons.

Countless Heavenly Dao chains materialized in the void, wrapping around Gu Qingfeng in an instant.

Gu Qingfeng froze, staring in disbelief at Old Ghost's grinning face.

Why... why must the one time I choose to be good end like this?

"Keh keh keh... Gu Qingfeng, you shall bear the Heavenly Dao's wrath in my stead. Now that you've grown so powerful, the Heavenly Dao will surely expend greater strength to restrain you—and that will be my chance!"

Old Ghost's words proved true. To the Heavenly Dao, whether it was the Sin Incarnate, the Heavenly Demon, or Old Ghost himself—all were enemies.

And among the three, the weakest was the Sin Incarnate. Now that Gu Qingfeng was bound, even a fool would know to strike him first.

Boom!

The Heaven's Punishment Eye unleashed another silver light—this time aimed squarely at Gu Qingfeng.

The Heavenly Dao understood: wounding one enemy was not as effective as eliminating one entirely.

The light struck the chains, causing them to erupt with blinding radiance. The sealing power intensified, binding Gu Qingfeng completely.

At the same time, a tremendous force yanked the chains back, dragging Gu Qingfeng through the void toward the depths of the Primordial Forbidden Land.

"Old Ghost! I’ll your ancestors! Just you wait—this Emperor will return!"

Gu Qingfeng's furious roar echoed through the void.

"Master!"

Little Corpse Charm cried out in alarm, unleashing a barrage of attacks on the chains. Though they trembled under her assault, they refused to break.

Desperation mounting, she chased after Gu Qingfeng, determined to save him.

Old Ghost, still coveting the Heavenly Mandate, moved to intercept her. But between his grievous injuries and the Heavenly Dao's relentless attacks, he couldn’t lay a hand on her.

"Get lost!"

Bright Moon Heavenly Emperor's delicate brows furrowed as she unleashed the Thousand Illusions Demonic Path.

Under normal circumstances, such an attack would mean nothing to Old Ghost. But now, wounded and besieged, it was a death sentence.

Sent flying, Old Ghost was quickly entangled by the Heavenly Dao, forced to watch helplessly as Little Corpse Charm pursued Gu Qingfeng.

Fortunately, the Heavenly Dao had diverted part of its power to suppress Gu Qingfeng—otherwise, Old Ghost would have perished on the spot.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Heaven's Punishment Eye continued bombarding Old Ghost with silver light.

But this time, he didn’t dodge. Instead, he endured the assault, battered but unbroken.

Suddenly, a ruthless glint flashed in Old Ghost's eyes.

"Now or never! If I fail, what use is immortality?"

With a roar, he activated a forbidden technique—one that burned his lifespan. His body swelled monstrously, shaking the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, his presence blotting out the sun, moon, and stars.

A single step warped the void, splitting the sky and earth as terrifying laws surged forth, threatening to overturn the entire Cangming Realm.

Yet this strike wasn’t aimed at the Heaven's Punishment Eye—but at the endless void itself!

Seeing this, the Heavenly Dao could no longer focus on Old Ghost. It scrambled to divert power to stop him, but with its strength divided between Old Ghost, Gu Qingfeng, and the Heavenly Demon, it was powerless to prevent him from tearing through reality.

Rumble—!

Old Ghost blasted open a colossal black hole in the void. From within surged a twisted, malevolent force—as if the other side led straight to hell.

Absolute darkness reigned inside, devouring even light itself. And from within came sounds—

The roar of an endless tide, the churning of a boundless abyss.