First, it was Xu Wan, who proclaimed himself the Netherworld Saint, solely focused on killing, soul-snatching, and soul refinement. At that moment, in the Demon Realm, the ghosts of those he had killed emerged by the thousands, swarming around him from all sides. Some ghosts hung upside down from above with blood streaming from their seven orifices, wailing at him, "I died so miserably..."

Some rose from beneath the ground, grasping at his ankles and thighs, as if trying to drag him into Hell, saying, "I want you to go down with me for my burial!"

These were not real ghosts, but rather, illusions of the Heavenly Demon, some mere illusions, and some indeed actual manifestations of the Heavenly Demon seeking to capture him.

Xu Wan, being experienced and knowledgeable, understood the trick. He did not use any ghost-eliminating techniques, only the Demon Refining Technique to protect himself, while he closed his eyes to concentrate and steadfastly guarded his consciousness, unshaken.

Suddenly, without opening his eyes, he "saw" a female ghost in red dancing attire drifting towards him, extraordinarily beautiful and attractive. It was Qiaoqiao, a ghost from his Ghost Palace.

Qiaoqiao was originally a palace maid during the Yongle Emperor's reign, who, due to her remarkable beauty, caught the emperor's eye but was killed by the design of a jealous consort before she could receive any favor.

In the second life, she was born into an ordinary family and was given in marriage to a village idler, whom she despised for his ugliness and refused to share a bed with, leading to insults and her eventual suicide by hitting her head in anger.

In the third life, she was born into a wealthy family with the surname Qiao in Shanxi, more beautiful than in her previous lives but with a strong personality, despising men and vowing never to marry. Nevertheless, her parents betrothed her, and the family fell into decline before the wedding could take place amid bandit chaos. In an attempt to protect her purity, she committed suicide.

She died with grievances from three lifetimes, her true soul wandering the human world, coincidentally encountered by Xu Wan, who took her back to Beimang Mountain and taught her the technique to refine her form and firm her spirit. Loving her natural beauty and her deep-rooted potential, he intended to make her his wife, the Netherworld Queen.

Xu Wan truly loved her, but she remained wary of him, continually making excuses to postpone their marriage and guarding her chastity while also constantly having Xu Wan teach her spell techniques.

Years passed, and she learned Xu Wan's "Taiyin Ghost Talisman" almost completely, except for the final few most profound chapters, which her own abilities were not yet sufficient to master, yet she successfully cultivated the rest.

As Xu Wan sought to marry her again, she scorned him, finding his wayward paths unable to lead to ascension and true enlightenment. Given her beauty, she was unwilling to usurp someone else's body for rebirth, but even reincarnation would still not place her in the true flow of the Great Dao, so she harbored other plans.

Years passed, and Xu Wan gradually sensed her intentions but persistently kept her close, carefully guarded, hoping one day she might change her mind.

This time coming to the Star Constellations Sea for sword refining, due to its extreme danger, he only brought other disciples along, leaving Qiaoqiao and his fourth disciple behind at Beimang Mountain to watch over the home.

The instant he saw Qiaoqiao, Xu Wan knew this was a Heavenly Demon Illusion, and he couldn't take it seriously. He let Qiaoqiao approach him from afar and speak to him.

"Master, I might have to leave..."

Xu Wan recognized it as an illusion, his heart remaining steadfast.

Qiaoqiao sighed faintly, "I knew long ago that your 'Taiyin Ghost Talisman' had no future, couldn't achieve true enlightenment, and your self-proclaimed title as the Netherworld Saint wouldn't last long, that disaster would strike you sooner or later. Let me tell you a secret, many years ago when I went out once, I had a chance encounter with the Xuanyuan Dharma King's second disciple, the Devil Ancestor Gu Ying.

He thought highly of me and wanted to take me into his palace, naming me the Ghost Concubine. Initially, I refused, thinking he was similar to you, but after witnessing his cultivation techniques, I truly felt he was much stronger than you! This time when you went out to refine swords, just after you left, he arrived saying your fate has ended, this time you will surely meet disaster, and won't return to Beimang Mountain, asking me to leave with him."

She emitted a cold breath at Xu Wan and asked, "What do you think, should I go with him?"

Xu Wan still took all of this as a Heavenly Demon Illusion and did not entertain it.

At this point, a petty voice came from the blood mist on the right: "Beloved concubine, didn't you say you had no love for him? Why speak so politely? Why don't you just tell him that this time not only am I taking you away, but I also plan to take his life and seize his newly refined Heavenly Demon Immortal Slaying Sword?"

This voice, Xu Wan had heard before, knowing it belonged to that Devil Ancestor Gu Ying, the second disciple of the Xuanyuan Dharma King, causing his heart to jump suddenly: "Could all of this be real? Has Gu Ying truly arrived?"

He hadn't finished the thought when the six lamps in front of him turned a jade green, shooting up more than three feet high as flames revealed a young man dressed in a black cloak. There were six such figures, all laughing wildly at him.

The lamp array he had set up had six lamps in front corresponding to the Southern Dipper Six Stars, and seven lamps behind corresponding to the Big Dipper Seven Stars. As it is said, the Big Dipper governs death and the Southern Dipper governs life, and all his vitality depended on these six lamps in front.

Now, as the six lamps changed color, it signified that his lifeline had been severed...

There were two possibilities: one was a Heavenly Demon Illusion making him see the lamps changing color, while in reality they remained the same.

The other possibility was that the lamps did indeed change color, and Gu Ying had truly arrived!

Xu Wan was still in shock and disbelief when the six Gu Yings in the flames each formed a seal and simultaneously cast a talisman made of jade green flames.

He saw clearly that the talisman was the Taiyin Ghost Talisman, which he had painstakingly cultivated for hundreds of years!

Xu Wan hurriedly formed his own seal to break it, scattering the six ghost talismans as he shouted loudly, "How do you know my unique secret technique?"

"How else would I know? Naturally, it was taught to me by my Ghost Concubine!"

Just then, the seven lamps behind Xu Wan also turned jade green, revealing seven more Gu Yings who cast spells in tandem. This time they released flying knives formed of yin evil, thirteen black blades moving to strike Xu Wan from front and back!

To guard against the Heavenly Demon, Xu Wan had always kept the Avici Pearl suspended above his head. Now, with an angry shout and a pointing finger, the pearl spun, and the thirteen lamp lights immediately turned from jade green to a ghastly pale. Simultaneously, with a "pop," white sparks erupted, and the images of Gu Ying inside instantly disappeared, along with Qiaoqiao, who had been seen earlier.

The surroundings returned to their original calm, with the six in front and seven behind, all thirteen lamps quietly burning, as if nothing had ever happened.

Was it really just a Heavenly Demon Illusion? Xu Wan couldn't determine what was real and began to doubt again.

At that moment, he sensed a disturbance from the Heavenly Demon Immortal Slaying Sword placed not far in front!

Actually, he had long since regretted crafting this sword. Initially, the Taiyin Hunyuan Ancestor was supposed to teach him the Refining Hundred Spirits Immortal-Slaying Sword, but due to a whim to craft nine at once, he had spur-of-the-moment followed suit. Now, with all his disciples dead, and sensing impending doom, he feared he wouldn't survive the day...

But the sword crafting had already begun, and he couldn't stop midway; he had to painfully continue!

At this moment, as the Heavenly Demon Immortal Slaying Sword resonated with his intentions, he felt the Demon Sword moving, as if an invisible giant hand had grasped it, about to fly through the air.

Yet the sword was right there in front of him, and despite the damage to the sanctuary, most of the blood fog was still kept outside. He could see the sword with his eyes, firmly planted there, not moving an inch.

What he saw with his eyes and felt in his heart were inconsistent; which one should he believe?

Xu Wan looked up, exhaling a breath of essence energy, his left hand forming a seal holding the Avici Pearl aloft, and his right hand pointing forward, casting a Taiyin Ghost Talisman.

The ghastly pale flames formed into a talisman which shot straight forward, striking the sword. With a "pop," it sounded as if a layer of glass on the surface had broken, revealing the true form behind: his most beloved ghost, Qiaoqiao, hovered above the Demon Sword. In her left hand, she held a bloody severed head, and in her right, a dark ghost blade, continually stabbing the head while blood dripped onto the Demon Sword below, immediately absorbed by it.

Xu Wan recognized the head as that of his fourth disciple, Chen Hui. When he had left, he'd had a bad feeling and specifically left this disciple behind to watch over his home and protect his wife.

Still hesitating about whether this scene was real, suddenly the Avici Pearl seemed wrapped by an immense force, forcibly pulled and flown backward!

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