At that moment, Black Fog found peace. Everyone has to die eventually! If I’m to die protecting the Heavenly King Hall, then it’s a death with purpose. He gathered his courage, preparing to charge out the moment Kuang Ling and his army broke through the Array. Even if he was destined to die in battle, he would leave an indelible mark on the enemy.

"To think such an inferior Array could withstand several of my attacks! That was unexpected. Still, it’s nothing more than a desperate struggle."

"Watch closely!" Kuang Ling immediately shot into the sky. He crossed his two Death Scythes before him and then dove straight down.

The instant he made contact, the Array shattered completely. At that moment, the Martial Artists of the Heavenly King Hall felt neither despair nor fear. Instead, they cast aside all thoughts of life and death. No matter how weak they were, they would still charge bravely forward. This was the very reason the Heavenly King Hall was established. Black Fog took the lead, charging toward Kuang Ling. At this moment, they were simply a band of Guardians fighting for their totem.

Kuang Ling landed on the ground and said with a sneer, "What a bunch of ants who don’t know their place. But you’ll soon find out what true despair is."

Kuang Ling immediately unleashed his power. A deathly energy swept through the entire Heavenly King Hall. The moment it did, the Heavenly King Hall’s Martial Artists were horrified. Even Black Fog lost his composure.

They hadn’t even gotten close to Kuang Ling, but their strength was already draining away. They could feel their very souls being extracted from their bodies. The sensation was one of utter despair, as if their souls were being peeled away from their flesh. Expressions of hopelessness appeared on the faces of the Heavenly King Hall’s Martial Artists.

Is this how I die? I can’t accept this! Black Fog raged inwardly. But what could he do? Faced with such a terrifying foe, even their peerless courage was not enough to mount a defense.

Kuang Ling sneered, "Let me give you a taste of having your soul extracted. Isn’t it a delightful sensation? I’m so looking forward to seeing the looks on your faces as you die in despair!"

Kuang Ling was arrogant. He was a Spirit Clan Commander, but he was unique among them. Within the domain of the Spirit Clan, the other Commanders ostracized him, viewing the power he cultivated as extreme. But he couldn’t care less. In his eyes, the method was irrelevant so long as it made him stronger. At the very least, after cultivating the energy of death, he had become one of the most prominent Spirit Clan Commanders. Few could match him; they were a mere handful. Though Kuang Ling’s methods were the most unconventional among all the Spirit Clan Commanders, his power was undeniable. Especially when it came to soul extraction, he was unrivaled. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Just as Black Fog felt his soul being completely pulled from his body, a formidable power blasted through the air, changing his fate.

"Slaughter Sword Dao!"

A powerful stream of Sword Qi shot forward. Kuang Ling was shocked and tried to dodge, but he couldn’t evade it in time. He was severely wounded by Ye Fan’s sword strike and sent flying backward. As his power dissipated, the deathly pressure vanished. Black Fog and the others were deathly pale, having lost all their vitality. They had been moments from losing their very lives.

At that moment, Ye Fan shouted, "How dare you launch a sneak attack on my main camp! I’ve been waiting for you!"

In truth, Ye Fan was also furious. He had been tricked by Kuang Ling’s earlier feint. If he hadn’t been so vigilant, the Heavenly King Hall would likely have been wiped from existence by now.

Kuang Ling struggled to his feet. "You actually made it here, kid. Seems you’re not as stupid as I thought!"

"Today is the day you die!" Ye Fan declared.

The two faced off as the other Martial Artists helped the injured members of the Heavenly King Hall back inside.

Black Fog said weakly, "Chief, Di Que... he died defending the Heavenly King Hall!"

Hearing that Di Que had fallen, Ye Fan was overcome with rage. He had never imagined Di Que would actually die. He was one of his most loyal subordinates, with him from the very beginning! Ye Fan shared his closest bond with Tian Can and Di Que. Even when their strength couldn’t keep pace with the Heavenly King Hall’s development, Ye Fan had spent a fortune to help them grow. Who could have thought he would receive such devastating news!

Ye Fan’s heart was a storm of fury, yet his expression was eerily calm. He said, "Go and tend to your wounds. Di Que will not have died in vain."

Black Fog immediately retreated.

Kuang Ling said to Ye Fan, "An ant is just an ant. For someone of your realm to still have his heartstrings plucked by a mere ant... it seems this is your limit."

Ye Fan retorted, "A heartless bastard like you could never understand our bond. You killed him, so I will offer up your life in his memory! I will sever your head and make it kneel before his grave in eternal repentance!"

Ye Fan’s anger was now blazing, and his strength had returned to its peak.

But Kuang Ling sneered, "A pity you lack the strength to back up your words! Besides, do you think I’m as foolish as the Blood Spirit? Did you expect me to just walk into a death trap? Since I dared to follow you to this world, how could I not come prepared?"

"Come out, all of you!"

At his command, several Great Elders appeared. They were the elders of the Ghost-suppressing Clan.

The Great Elders immediately surrounded Ye Fan, but he could tell they were already dead—nothing more than puppets summoned by Kuang Ling. These puppets were special, however; they felt as if Kuang Ling had personally and painstakingly refined them.

"Get him!" Kuang Ling roared.

With him as the focal point, the Great Elders tightened their circle around Ye Fan and activated the Death Array Formation.

Inside the Array, Ye Fan heard the wailing of ghosts and the howling of wolves. The sounds were tragic to a degree beyond compare. How many souls did it take to create an Array like this?

The souls were formless and terrifying. His Swordsmanship was useless against them, for they were nothing but illusions.

Ye Fan unleashed his Pure Yang Divine Gang. The divine energy swept out, but the dead spirits still relentlessly attacked his soul. This Kuang Ling really is full of tricks.

Even Ye Fan was forced to fall back. He tried to attack Kuang Ling directly, but the souls’ attacks against him were corporeal, while his own attacks passed harmlessly through them.

Ye Fan roared and charged the Great Elders with his most overbearing posture. But the ghostly phantoms hindered him too much. Nangong and the others wanted to help, but they were powerless to do so; all their attempts were futile.

"Pure Yang Divine Gang!"

Ye Fan threw a punch straight at Kuang Ling. Kuang Ling silently chanted an incantation, and a swarm of souls moved to block Ye Fan’s attack. Unwilling to harm these innocent souls, Ye Fan found himself in a dilemma.

Damn it! This guy’s methods are too bizarre. Is there really no way to defeat him? Ye Fan cursed inwardly. For a moment, he could think of no way out.