“After all this running, he’s still got energy left?!” The twin Master Cloud Lightnings both frowned at the sight of Bai Xiaochun fleeing. “We can’t stretch things out any longer!”

Taking a deep breath, they decided that now was the time to finish combining their two halves. However, it was also in that moment that their expressions flickered, and they looked up into the sky.

Bai Xiaochun sensed the same thing they had. Gasping for breath, he turned back to see that an enormous face had taken shape up above, surrounded by so much swirling black mist that it was difficult to make out its facial features. However, it was profoundly sinister as it looked at the three other devas.

“Master Thousand-Ghost!” the twin Master Cloud Lightnings exclaimed. However, they didn’t slow down in their pursuit of Bai Xiaochun.

This newly-arrived deva was none other than Master Thousand-Ghost, who had been searching for other southern cultivators on the vast plain. After detecting the fluctuations of battle, he had sent his divine sense over to see what was happening.

Now that he had assessed the situation, he decided to continue on with his own affairs. As far as he was concerned, friction between the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect and the Nine Heavens Cloud Lightning Sect had nothing to do with him. Almost as soon as it appeared, his face began to fade away.

Seeing that Master Thousand-Ghost was leaving caused the twin Master Cloud Lightnings to both breathe sighs of relief. After all, if Master Thousand-Ghost interfered, it could very well make it impossible for them to get to Bai Xiaochun.

However, it was in that moment that Bai Xiaochun’s eyes lit up, and he cried, “Hold on a moment, Fellow Daoist Thousand-Ghost! There’s a chosen from the south named Sun Wu, right...?”

When Master Thousand-Ghost heard that, he stopped in place. Then, mysterious, sinister light shone in the eyes of his huge face as he turned to look at Bai Xiaochun again.

Bai Xiaochun immediately slapped his bag of holding, pulling Sun Wu, Big Fatty Zhang and Song Que out into the open.

“Fellow Daoist Thousand-Ghost, your disciple Sun Wu was in big trouble, and I rescued him. Doesn’t that mean the Dragon Totem Ghost Sea Sect owes me a favor?!”

Master Thousand-Ghost was taken aback. Sun Wu was indeed a chosen from the southern river, and if Bai Xiaochun had rescued him, it meant that the south truly did owe him a favor.

At any other time, Master Thousand-Ghost would have immediately nodded in agreement. However, he could see that the twin Master Cloud Lightnings were just about to combine forms. Considering the weakened state Bai Xiaochun was obviously in, even if he joined forces with him, the two of them would still not be a match for Master Cloud Lightning.

And thus, he hesitated.

In that moment of hesitation, the twin Master Cloud Lightnings’ faces fell, and they both cried out, “Master Thousand-Ghost. This is a personal issue between us and Bai Xiaochun. Please refrain from interfering, and we will give you a wonderful gift after everything is over!”

In response, Master Thousand-Ghost’s eyes flashed with determination. Waving his right hand, he pulled Sun Wu away, along with Big Fatty Zhang and Song Que. At the same time, his voice echoed out, as bizarre and mysterious as an evil ghost.

“Fellow Daoist Bai, you saved Sun Wu, and I will repay you by saving these two disciples from your sect. In fact, not only will I save them, I will ensure that they leave this trial by fire in safety.”

Bai Xiaochun smiled bitterly in response. However, he had known that Master Thousand-Ghost would not just interfere without good reason. And for him to have offered to save Big Fatty Zhang and Song Que left Bai Xiaochun feeling a bit more at ease. Flicking his sleeve, he quickly transmitted an explanation to Big Fatty Zhang and Song Que.

And thus, the three lower-level disciples were all whisked away by Master Thousand-Ghost.

It only took a moment for Master Thousand-Ghost to be far away in the distance. At that point, the eyes of the twin Master Cloud Lightnings flashed with cold light, and they proceeded with their earlier plan of completing the process of combining.

The withered sides of their two halves merged together, and in the briefest of moments, they became a single person!

In that moment, a burst of energy swept out in all directions, creating a shocking windstorm.

A 3,000-meter-wide tempest ravaged heaven and earth as, at its very center... a man appeared, tall and burly, like an immortal devil!

His eyes flickered with anger as his black hair whipped about. There was something netherworldly about him now, something indescribably monstrous!

Rifts were torn open into the air around him, as though it couldn’t handle the pressure radiating off of him. The slightest movement of his hand would cause thunderous rumbling sounds, and his will was so powerful that it was already beginning to drive Bai Xiaochun’s will away.

He was strong!

Very, very strong!!

Bai Xiaochun could clearly sense that the combined Master Cloud Lightning’s cultivation base far surpassed the mid Deva Realm. It was in the late realm, and in fact, very close to... the great circle!!

Feeling deeply shaken, Bai Xiaochun began to back up. However, that was when the combined Master Cloud Lightning looked over at him with a derisive smile.

Then he took a step forward, a step which seemed to bend space, instantly bringing him directly next to Bai Xiaochun, where he waved his hand.

That casual motion sent out terrifyingly destructive power in the form of a black spark of electricity. Bai Xiaochun’s scalp tingled in terror, and all of his flesh seemed to be screaming along with it. Without any hesitation, he performed an incantation gesture to send out a defensive blast of energy.

A huge boom rang out as he flopped backward like a kite with its string cut, blood oozing out of the corners of his mouth. He flew more than 3,000 meters away before finally grinding to a halt.

“I can’t believe this guy got so powerful after combining his two halves!” Bai Xiaochun thought. If it weren’t for his incredible fleshly body power, he would have already been torn to pieces. All of a sudden, he realized that it was a really good thing he had only tried to use Breakup Pills, and not Aphrodisiac Pills. That would have been far too dangerous....

Before Bai Xiaochun could even stand up straight, Master Cloud Lightning’s voice echoed out, as cold as the dead of winter.

“I said you’ll die this day, Bai Xiaochun. And that means you won’t have a chance to see the light of tomorrow!” With that, Master Cloud Lightning took another step forward, and was just about to unleash another attack when....

All of a sudden, his face fell, and a second, unique voice spoke from his mouth!

“Brother, I don’t think the two of us are meant for each other. We’ll never be happy if we forcibly try to stick together!”

A spasm ran through Master Cloud Lightning’s perfectly combined body. Unexpectedly... a second version of himself suddenly appeared! Apparently, the younger of the twin Master Cloud Lightnings wasn’t willing to remain in a combined state.

A look of shock and horror overtook Master Cloud Lightning’s face, combined with an expression of intense disbelief.

“What’s going on?!?!” Nothing like this had ever happened to Master Cloud Lightning. It was as if there were two different consciousnesses within him that were rejecting each other.... His aura was destabilizing, and seemed like it might collapse at any moment. Even worse, his left hand began to struggle with his right hand....

Bai Xiaochun was overjoyed, and if it weren’t for the intense fear which still gripped his heart, he would have begun to dance wildly.

“The Breakup Pills are finally working!!”

Even as Master Cloud Lightning began to split apart, Bai Xiaochun howled, causing an enormous, shadowy figure to appear behind him!

The figure wore an imperial crown and imperial robes, and exuded the most domineering of airs. Bai Xiaochun clenched his hand into a fist, causing a black hole to appear that sucked in all of his life force, making him seem almost like he was dead.

However, the intense fluctuations that rolled off of his fist caused the air to distort with destructive power. Ripples spread out over the plain, crushing the grass flat as a fist appeared!

Undying Emperor’s Fist!!

Quintuple power!

Bai Xiaochun began to thrum with incredible energy as the shadowy emperor behind him merged with his fist, which then shot directly toward Master Cloud Lightning!

In that critical moment, Master Cloud Lightning’s heart pounded like mad. As the two consciousnesses within him struggled, Bai Xiaochun’s fist strike approached. Any advantage Master Cloud Lightning had seized earlier was now gone, and it had happened so fast that he didn’t have any time to contemplate how to respond.

However, he was a veteran of many battles, and thus wasn’t caught completely off guard. Crackling sounds could be heard, like that from a fire. Master Cloud Lightning’s hair then turned white as he burned his longevity to temporarily negate the effects of the Breakup Pills.

“Cloud Lightning Forefather: Sixth Transformation!!”

“Cloud Lightning Forefather: Seventh Transformation!!”

“Cloud Lightning Forefather: Eighth Transformation!!”

Master Cloud Lightning’s energy suddenly surged in heaven-shaking, earth-shattering fashion. He rapidly grew larger, until he was 240 meters tall, with a savage aura that made it truly seem as if the forefather of all humanity had appeared in the flesh!

He was burly and broad-shouldered, with wild, disheveled hair, and eyes that shone with madness. The sky trembled above, and the vast plain quaked around him. As of this moment, he had surpassed the will of the heavens, and was an embodiment of magical laws!

“Be destroyed!” he shouted, his voice crackling like heavenly thunder.