The White-Haired Blood Immortal roared. His demonic aura vanished instantly, and he collapsed on the ground.

The surrounding Blood Sea Divine Ability dissipated, and his six-armed Dharma Form faded along with it.

Nezha lifted his hand. Demon-Binding Chains snaked through the air like a dragon, ensnaring him.

“Mister Chen, the demon is subdued.”

Chen Changsheng gave a warm smile. “Much obliged.”

He stepped forward towards the White-Haired Blood Immortal.

Bound tightly by Immortal-Binding Ropes, the White-Haired Blood Immortal lay immobilized.

Chen Changsheng looked down at him. “Are you convinced?”

The Blood Immortal sneered. “You took advantage of others. Where’s the honor in that?”

Chen Changsheng replied, “Conviction matters not. You’ve lost regardless.”

The Blood Immortal scoffed. “I am a Blood Immortal—undying and eternal. Defeated? How absurd.”

Chen Changsheng said, “I’ll watch you dissolve into blood and flee now. Let’s see if you escape my Heaven and Earth Seal!”

With a derisive laugh, the Blood Immortal exploded into crimson mist.

The Demon-Binding Chains returned to Nezha’s grasp.

Both Nezha and the chains vanished as strands of golden light into Chen Changsheng’s hair.

Chen Changsheng leaped upward, leaving the formation behind.

His gaze swept the Heaven and Earth Seal array. Within it, waves of blood mist dispersed in all directions.

Chen Changsheng raised two fingers, issuing a Divine Decree.

“Smaller!”

Immediately, the formation began to shrink.

“Smaller! Smaller! Smaller…”

The great formation contracted foot by foot—from hundreds of feet wide it squeezed to barely ten feet. It trapped the churning blood mist within an ever-tightening prison.

A mocking voice echoed from the confinement.

“Do you think trapping me is enough?”

Chen Changsheng remained calm. “I know you’ve hidden soul fragments elsewhere. But do you truly believe they can still link back to you?”

As he spoke, Chen Changsheng gestured in the air.

“By ancient words: One flower, one world. So then comes this Divine Ability…”

Two fingers pointed. The earth trembled. Everything around them inverted and churned as if a great dome rose from nothing.

“Contain!” 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Chen Changsheng spoke another word.

Inside the trapped formation, the Blood Immortal froze.

This power resembled his own Blood Sea Divine Ability. He’d unwittingly gifted Chen Changsheng inspiration.

Creating a true Miniature World required immense effort. But fashioning a prison between dimensions? Far simpler.

Suddenly, the Blood Immortal felt his connection to his external soul fragments cut off.

Dread gripped him.

“You…!”

The crimson mists thrashed madly, eerie whispers hissing within.

Ignoring this, Chen Changsheng watched the prison coalesce—shimmer, shrink, and become a white flower. All sounds silenced as the blossom settled into his palm.

…

Meanwhile…

Across forests, along Imperial Roads, throughout the Northern Frontier… walking corpses collapsed simultaneously. Many bodies rotted within moments. Startled birds took flight amid the woods’ sorrowful weeping.

The Northern Frontier’s corpse disaster had ended.

Yet those whose souls had been devoured? They’d never wake.

Corpses littered the land beneath chaos.

As if heaven pitied mortals, heavy snow fell across the Northern Frontier—blanketing horrors under solemn white.

—

Upon Mangxue City’s walls…

Lv Shan stared towards distant walking corpses collapsing one by one. Realization dawned.

“They’ve lost control!”

Watching this, Ying En whispered, “The evil cultivator must be dead.”

Yingyuan inhaled deeply. “Mister Chen succeeded…”

The Old Dragon King remained impassive. Victory was inevitable.

“We must ensure no corpses remain,” Ying En stated.

“Agreed.”

Ying En flew from the city walls straight into the forests.

Corpses piled beneath trees. Death Qi smothered mountains and valleys.

The group searched cautiously.

Yingyuan’s brow furrowed. “Living presence!”

“Hmm?”

Eyes scanned corpse mounds until they found one man breathing faintly.

“How?”

Astonishment rippled through them.

Lv Shan felt perplexed. Weren’t all victims soul-devoured? How did this survivor escape?

Ying En approached, channeling Power of Worship into the dying man.

Weakly, the man’s eyes fluttered open. “Where… am I…?”

They eyed each other, mystified.

“His Soul Spirit remains intact.”

“Take him to town. Await Mister Chen’s return.”

“There might be others! Keep searching.”

Thus began their sweeping search across the Northern Frontier.

—

Chen Changsheng returned to Mangxue City at dusk.

Finding no Old Dragon King upon the City Tower, he descended. Below, Lv Shan carried a man towards the city.

After settling the man, Lv Shan hurried to greet Mr. Chen.

“Sir!”

Chen Changsheng nodded. “Who are these people?”

Lv Shan explained.

Chen Changsheng paused. “How many?”

“Seventeen discovered so far. The Dragon Lord and others search for more.”

“Show me.”

Lv Shan led Chen Changsheng to survivors. Some had awoken—confused, unaware of where they were or what occurred.

Chen Changsheng swept his Dharma Eye across the room but discerned nothing.

Focusing on one survivor, he delved into their Sea of Consciousness with his Soul Spirit.

There it was—something pulsed like a crimson worm coiled in the depths. This was the Blood Immortal’s implanted fragment of Divine Sense.

Chen Changsheng unmade the worm with a thought.

Lv Shan asked, “Sir, these people…”

Chen Changsheng frowned. “The Blood Cultivator planted blood worms in their minds. Preparing escape routes through Soul Possession.”

A shudder ran through Lv Shan. “Then…”

“Too soon to say,” Chen Changsheng said grimly.

Though the Blood Immortal’s connection to these fragments was severed, Chen Changsheng’s intuition screamed: This isn’t over. Backup plans surely existed.

What stunned him? Thirty-seven such vessels lay scattered.

By nightfall, the Dragon Lord and Ying En returned. Thirty-seven living survivors sat before them.

A few weren’t worm-infected—their souls simply hadn’t been consumed yet. Spared by timing.

Thirty-seven souls salvaged from countless thousands.

Chen Changsheng sighed softly. “Demonic Cultivator factions… truly bring eras of ruin…”