The Lord of Void and Real
Chapter 1005

Chapter 1005: Chapter 1002: Martyrdom for the Daoist Cause Chapter 1005: Chapter 1002: Martyrdom for the Daoist Cause Shen Luo and Zhong Kui sped forward, and within a few breaths, they had reached the edge of the encirclement, on the verge of complete escape.

Suddenly, countless blood lights surged in the void ahead, and a blood banner that blotted out the sun and sky unfurled, blocking their way!

“Don't even think about escaping!” On the banner stood a person, none other than Lord Jiuming.

As his voice fell, he reached into the void with his right hand, and numerous blood clouds arose from the blood-red banner, rolling towards Zhong Kui and Shen Luo.

An overwhelming aura of malevolence enveloped them, and Shen Luo felt a darkness before his eyes upon its first charge, almost losing consciousness.

“It's the Chiyou Flag! I'll hold him off, Friend Shen, hurry and go!” Zhong Kui's expression changed, and a flash of determination crossed his eyes as he exhaled a stream of black qi, merging it into the ghost eye on his fingertip.

“Elder Zhong Kui!” Shen Luo was alarmed.

He could clearly see that the black qi emitted by Zhong Kui contained most of his soul power. This was a fight to the death!

The black qi that Zhong Kui spewed was shattered by the vortex in an instant, and the black vortex suddenly grew more than tenfold, like a gaping maw swallowing the sky, biting into the blood banner.

The blood clouds on the banner were also pouring into the black vortex, and the pervasive aura of malevolence surrounding them dispersed at once.

“You're pushing the ghost eye acupoint to such a limit; aren't you afraid of your soul dispersing completely, losing even the chance for reincarnation?” Lord Jiuming's body was also affected by the power of the vortex, and he had to use all his strength to stabilize his form.

Zhong Kui's situation was extremely dire, as fast streams of blood-red demonic light began to appear in his eyes, seemingly eroded by the demonic qi he had absorbed.

Moreover, his right arm was being continuously pulled into the black vortex, and it seemed the vortex was not only devouring everything in front of it, but also intent on swallowing Zhong Kui himself.

“Go now! This Chiyou Flag is a demonic treasure forged from Chiyou's own essence blood sacrifice; I can't hold out for much longer!” Zhong Kui said through difficulty.

“But you…” Shen Luo's face showed hesitation.

“The ghost eye acupoint has been activated to its limit; it's impossible to close it now. I have no chance of survival! Besides, as a ruler of the Netherworld, if I don't enter hell, who will? Hurry, go! The rest is up to you all!” Zhong Kui uttered with a faint smile, showing no trace of fear.

Shen Luo felt a rush in his chest, and his eyes became slightly teary.

But he was not one to dither. Without saying more, he gave Zhong Kui a salute with his hand, then darted towards the side, trying to circumvent the black vortex and leave.

“Don't leave!” Seeing this, Lord Jiuming bellowed, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood into the Chiyou Flag below him.

At the edge of the Chiyou Flag, a flash of light appeared, and a thick beam of blood light forcibly broke through the restraint of the black vortex, reaching out like a tendril towards Shen Luo.

“The world is full of suffering, all beings are in torment, burning my remaining body, to glimpse the true nature.” Zhong Kui recited a Buddhist verse, and his entire being blossomed with brilliant golden light from within, flashing into the black vortex.

Boom! The black vortex expanded again by several folds, frantically devouring everything around, and the Chiyou Flag and Lord Jiuming were also pulled deeply into the vortex in an instant, although their presence had not vanished, indicating they were merely trapped by the vortex.

The blood light reaching for Shen Luo was naturally pulled back as well.

Shen Luo took a deep breath, the Banana Fan in his hand emanating a bright yellow light, and he swung it fiercely forward.

A colossal yellow storm swept forth, connecting heaven and earth, tearing apart the ghosts in front and carving out a passageway to the outside world.

He then extended his arms, and two massive wings unfolded from his arms, transforming him into a meteor-like streak of golden light in an instant, shooting out through that passageway and vanishing into the distant sky.

The remaining ghosts and members of the Demon Clan, not affected by the black vortex, roared in anger and gave chase, but Shen Luo's trace was long gone, and after a futile pursuit, they had no choice but to give up.

The several formidable leaders of the Demon Clan communicated briefly; one of them, vampire-like in appearance, turned and flew back towards Yama's Palace, while the others continued the chase with their subordinates.

The Vampire flew back near the Black Vortex, which was still rotating with a rumbling sound, not daring to approach, only standing at a distance with an anxious expression on his face.

“Chiyou's true source, Heaven and Earth Green Blood!” A furious roar came from within the Black Vortex.

Bundles of blood-red flames shaped like lotuses emerged out of nowhere, as if burning the surrounding void, fiercely striking at the Black Vortex.

The Black Vortex trembled violently and then completely collapsed.

Lord Jiuming, wrapped in the Chiyou Banner, shot out from it, his clothing ragged and his hair disheveled, looking extremely wretched.

“Lord Jiuming, your subordinate is incompetent and let that human cultivator escape.” The Vampire hurriedly approached, knelt to the ground, and said with a trembling voice.

“That person has profound cultivation and is protected by powerful Magical Treasures, though you are many, it's still difficult to stop him. Let him go then. Go and recall all the ghost soldiers and demon generals, and defend the City of Ghosts.” Lord Jiuming, upon hearing this, did not show any change in color and calmly commanded.

The Vampire was startled for a moment, hastily acknowledged the order, and flew away into the distance.

“What's the situation with the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk?” Lord Jiuming turned his head and spoke to an Ox Headed Ghost dressed as a leader beside him.

“It has already stopped operating, and the passageways connecting the Underworld with the outside world have all been closed. Currently, the only way from the Underworld to the Yang Realm is through the Reincarnation Well.” The Ox Headed Ghost said.

“Good, immediately dispatch heavy troops to completely surround the Reincarnation Well. No one is allowed to approach it. As long as we can keep these people in the Underworld for a few days, Chiyou will be able to break free completely. At that time, both of us will have great merit.” Lord Jiuming said.

“Yes!” The Ox Headed Ghost also showed a hint of joy on his face and immediately went to make arrangements.

Lord Jiuming glanced in Shen Luo's direction from afar, a hint of triumph appearing on his lips, then turned and flew towards the City of Ghosts.

…

Thousands of miles away from the City of Ghosts, above a gloomy river, a golden comet streaked from a distance and in the blink of an eye, stopped above the river.

A figure appeared–it was Shen Luo.

He looked back with a silent sigh, waved his sleeve, and Zhenyuanzi, Yang Jian, and Nie Caizhu flew out from within the Heavenly Book.

“To have escaped so quickly, Brother Shen's Thousand-mile Wing Flapping Technique is indeed extraordinary,” the Bull Demon King said, looking around in admiration.

“Brother Niu flatters me,” Shen Luo said modestly, handing back the Banana Fan.

“Where is Daoist Zhong Kui?” Zhenyuanzi said, noting Shen Luo's expression and seemingly guessing something, yet he still asked.

“In order to cover my escape, Elder Zhong Kui has fallen,” Shen Luo said slowly.

Zhenyuanzi fell silent upon hearing this, turned, and saluted in the direction they had come from. The others also fell silent and saluted along with Zhenyuanzi.

“Although we are already far from the City of Ghosts, this place is still not safe. It would be wise to leave as soon as possible,” Shen Luo said after a moment.

“Indeed,” Zhenyuanzi nodded slightly.

“Let's return to the Human World first, gather everyone's strength, and then head to Chang'an City!” the Bull Demon King took out his Mixed Iron Staff and affixed a Black Talisman onto it.

The Black Talisman emitted strong fluctuations of the Power of Space, revealing it to be a Breaking Realm Talisman, capable of breaking the spatial barriers between the Underworld and the Human World.

With a swing of his arm, the Bull Demon King drew the Mixed Iron Staff across the midair void above his head.

With a “sizzle,” the void tore open into a giant crack resembling a Light Door; he flew into it and instantly disappeared.

But in the next moment, the void tens of miles away fluctuated, and the Bull Demon King's figure reappeared, having flown back again.