Necropolis Immortal

All was quiet around Cloudexit City. Cultivator and ghost alike paused to stare dumbly at the Skyfall King in the air. He was only a second step king, but he appeared incomparably strong and mysterious in this moment.

He'd slain a second step ghost king with a casual wave of his hand!

What kind of strength was that? Or was the glyph he'd released just that strong?

And, he'd said that he was here with the Immortal King's decree—did the Immortal King really mean to set up a branch of the Immortal Pagoda in Cloudexit City?

Though Lu Yun had made that claim earlier, general belief held that the Immortal Pagoda would establish a branch only after the ghosts were defeated. Who would've thought that its representative would arrive at a crucial moment and save them all?

The Nineturns Sky Curtain Formation operated calmly over the city. Apart from the first curtain that the second step king had destroyed, the remaining eight gracefully spread throughout the land and reached a range of six hundred million kilometers that the previous Demonward Formation had encompassed.

Every single ghost they touched along the way disintegrated into dust.

"Retreat!" The ten ghost kings in the air and three on the ground left without hesitation. Their departure was the signal for hordes of ghosts to retreat like the tides.

"It's over." Everyone sagged to the ground. There was no cheering or celebrations, just blank stupefaction at their survival and the Skyfall King in the air.

He was here bearing a decree from the Immortal King. One glyph and one formation had dissuaded a hundred million ghosts! The title of the Immortal King engraved itself on everyone's hearts.

The Azureclad Duke was silent, the Purpleclad Duke could find no words, and the Crimsonclad Duke sat on the ground. She propped her chin up with her hands and looked at the Skyfall King in the sky—his attention was on the withdrawing ghosts. No one knew what she was thinking.

"Champion Duke, you're from the Trueriver Sect. Have you ever met the Immortal King?" One of Li Zhen's arms had been chopped off and foreboding ghostly qi rose from the stump, but he didn't care. He was more concerned about his whispered question to Lu Yun.

"The Immortal King is the master of the Immortal Pagoda and I'm just a disciple of the Trueriver Sect. How would I ever have the chance to meet him?" Lu Yun immediately denied.

"What a pity." Li Zhen smacked his lips. "I would die happy if I ever met the Immortal King."

Lu Yun shuddered and subconsciously shifted to the side.

"He's only sent a representative, do you really need to go that far?" He tugged his lips up.

"You don't know shit!" Li Zhen glared hotly at him. "Though the Immortal King isn't a titled king through cultivation strength, he's killed sixth step kings! He refined creation, broke the Supplemental Dao Alliance's monopoly, and is one of the greatest personages in the Hongmeng!

"He took pity on your sect and compensated you with nine thousand premium crystal veins. That's endless treasure, and not only do you not cry with gratitude, but you suspect him instead!

"You're such a rat, a disgusting ingrate! I'm ashamed to be seen with you!" Li Zhen's fervent denouncement sprayed spit all over Lu Yun's face.

"…give me back the blade!" Lu Yun glared.

"Eh… ahem!" The hotly righteous Li Zhen immediately slapped a new expression on his face and asked carefully, "Isn't the blade my compensation?"

"For what? Your rusted hunk of metal? Is it worth a ghost-headed blade?" Lu Yun harrumphed. "Meh, forget it. You can hang onto it for now."

He felt a gust of cool air by his side as soon as he finished; Li Zhen was gone.

"But hey, when did I become so popular in the Hongmeng that any random person I meet is my fan boy?" A smile floated onto Lu Yun's face.

……

Cultivators who'd left the city dragged their weary selves back to Cloudexit, sometimes with the corpses of their comrades. No atmosphere of overwhelming sorrow or joy of victory developed—the ghosts still occupied Starspace Region and they would return at any moment. Instead, anxious unease hung over everyone's hearts.

"A moment." The Skyfall King unexpectedly spoke up when the eighteen kings were about to reenter the city.

"Yes?" Earthmartial frowned.

"The enemy's spy is among you. Before we identify who is the ghost king, it would be better for all of you to remain outside," Skyfall responded brusquely.

He'd been on the scene early on and waited in the background. He'd coldly watched the eighteen kings suspect and take precautions against each other, all of them refusing to act with their full strength due to fear of death. Their refusal to commit almost resulted in the reversal of an advantageous situation.

If the eighteen had brought out their strongest response from the very beginning and destroyed the ten ghost kings before anyone could react, the remainder of the ghosts on the battlefield would've been quickly overcome.

One had to know that out of the ghost kings in this expedition force, the strongest was the second step king that Skyfall had just killed with a Principal Nineheavens Talisman. In the current Starspace Region, the troops in this offensive wouldn't even count as cannon fodder.

"What did you say?!" Instead of Earthmartial replying, the Dawn King grew anxious. "This is Cloudexit City and I am the city lord! What right do you have to investigate us?!"

"You are the city lord of Cloudexit?" Skyfall sized up the other and nodded. "You're not anymore."

"This is ludicrous!" The Dawn King flew into a rage. "The Cloudruin King personally decreed this king as the city lord of Cloudexit and I command its core essence! Does the Immortal Pagoda seek to extend its grasping fingers into Cloudruin Region?!"

Earthmartial and the others frowned as well, displeased by Skyfall's actions. They were all kings of the region.

"The Cloudruin King personally bestowed your position?" Skyfall snorted. "Then I'll go back and ask that king if you're still worthy of being city lord when I have the time to.

"But Dawn King, I must commend your courage. All of the other city lords on the border can't resign their positions fast enough and make themselves scarce, but you hold onto your title with a death grasp," he remarked offhandedly.

Alarm bells rang for Earthmartial and the others; they swiftly widened the distance between themselves and the Dawn King.

"You!!" The Dawn King purpled with outrage before forcing himself to be calm. "How dare you cast aspersions on my character! This king's roots are in Cloudexit City and my people are here. How can I throw away my city and flee for my life??"

"Have I said anything about you?" Skyfall put away his supercilious smile. "Alright, all of you can just stay here for now. Someone will be along to determine which of you is the ghost king."

With that, he refrained from speaking further.

The eighteen kings exchanged numerous glances with each other, but no one said a word.

Their earlier performance had not gone unnoticed by the public, so most viewed their current straits with cool indifference. General confidence had wavered in the eighteen kings when Lu Yun killed the first spy, not to mention that no one below kinghood had the right to be involved in the affairs of kings.

Purpleclad and the others reentered the city, wholly unconcerned with the eighteen kings.

"Very well then, let us wait here a while and see what methods the Immortal Pagoda can wield to determine which of us is the ghost king." Earthmartial nodded with equanimity.

A figure landed beside Skyfall before he finished speaking—the Meteorite King.

His arrival turned the Dawn King's expression very unpleasant.