A large black hand descended from the sky, fiercely slamming down towards Zi Linling.
Zi Linling immediately felt herself immobilized, utterly unable to move.
"No! Girl, be careful!"
Elder Du cried out anxiously.
He wanted to fly in front of Zi Linling, using his powerful physique to shield her from this attack, but the Ghost Emperor's aura was too immense, suppressing him so much that he couldn't even budge.
"Sister Zi..."
Shen Liuxing called out, his heart burning with worry.
He also wanted to go help Zi Linling, but like everyone else, he was completely frozen.
As the black hand was about to strike Zi Linling, Shen Liuxing's eyes bulged with desperation.
"No!"
Veins bulged on Shen Liuxing's body, and his fingers made cracking sounds from the excessive force.
Suddenly, his foot moved. Although it was only a difficult small step, barely closing the distance between him and Zi Linling, this single step was enough to be proud of.
Having taken the first step, he would take a second, a third...
Shen Liuxing's legs trembled violently under the immense pressure, blood seeping out and flowing towards his ankles.
Yet, his steps were firm; he showed no intention of giving up.
"Liuxing! You're crazy!"
Elder Du roared through gritted teeth upon seeing Shen Liuxing's frenzied state.
Shen Liuxing did not respond, continuing to inch towards Zi Linling.
He cried out in his heart: "Not enough! Not enough! Still not enough! I want to save Sister Zi! I need power! I need strength!"
...
"Since I can't dodge, I'll have to fight back!"
Zi Linling made up her mind, closed her eyes, and quickly communicated with the power of judgment.
In an instant, lightning and thunder tore through the dim sky, and the weapon of judgment slowly formed in Zi Linling's hand.
The eerie ghost laughter and wails abruptly ceased.
The Ghost Emperor's black hand, at the moment it struck Zi Linling, suddenly exploded, vanishing into nothingness.
Zi Linling knelt in mid-air, still holding the uniquely shaped weapon of judgment.
Her hair was disheveled, sweat dripped from her, and she gasped for air.
With the black hand broken, the Ghost Emperor's oppressive aura within a thousand-mile radius dissipated. The Ten Ghost Envoys and Elder Du all knelt on the ground, panting heavily.
Shen Liuxing looked at the disheveled figure in the sky, a smile of relief gracing his lips, then closed his eyes and collapsed onto the ground.
The Ghost Emperor's mask split down the middle, revealing a peerlessly alluring face, no less striking than Ye Lingyuan's.
However, where Ye Lingyuan exuded noble and cold elegance, the Ghost Emperor possessed a charm that was both wicked and sinister.
The Ghost Emperor was visibly shocked, looking at Zi Linling in disbelief.
More accurately, he looked at the weapon of judgment in Zi Linling's hand.
"This... the weapon of judgment? How is this possible? How could you be a Heavenly Dao enforcer?"
The Ghost Emperor staggered, as if unable to believe his own eyes.
Zi Linling, equally surprised, looked at the Ghost Emperor and asked, "You actually recognize the weapon of judgment?"
Hearing her utter the words "weapon of judgment" himself, the Ghost Emperor stumbled, nearly falling from the clouds.
If he hadn't suddenly sensed danger and unleashed his full power, he might have perished at the hands of a twenty-year-old girl today.
To think that he, the Ghost Emperor, who had stood at the pinnacle of cultivation for a hundred thousand years, had suffered such a humiliating setback, nearly capsizing in a ditch. Alas, alas!
With this thought, the Ghost Emperor suddenly burst into frenzied laughter, leaving Zi Linling, Elder Du, and the Ten Ghost Envoys utterly bewildered.
Fortunately, the Ghost Emperor soon regained his composure.
He looked at Zi Linling, a flicker of struggle in his eyes.
Finally, the Ghost Emperor sighed and said, "Little girl, I haven't made a move in a hundred thousand years, not since the last great war of protection."
"I never expected that after a hundred thousand years, I would witness the unfathomable judgment laws once more, and behold the weapon of judgment of a Heavenly Dao enforcer."
"Little girl, I'll tell you the truth: if it weren't for the vast difference in our cultivation levels, that last strike would have been enough to end my life!"
"Fine! The divine artifact, the Gate of Ghosts, I'll give it to you!"
With a thought, a black silhouette flew from the depths of the Imperial Hall.
The silhouette rapidly shrank and landed in the Ghost Emperor's palm.
Zi Linling looked closely and saw a black gatehouse shrouded in Yin energy.
She asked incredulously, "This is... the Gate of Ghosts?"
The Ghost Emperor nodded and said, "Indeed! I obtained this Gate of Ghosts a hundred thousand years ago, yet I've never been able to open a passage to the Underworld that connects the three continents. Even when I used a Yin-Extreme Yang body as a catalyst, I failed."
"Looking back now, this Gate of Ghosts was never meant for me to possess. Today, I give it to you, hoping that after you open the passage to the Underworld, you will leave an entrance for the Ghost Realm."
After speaking, the Ghost Emperor's mind shifted, and a drop of black blood was drawn from the Gate of Ghosts.
He reached out and caught the drop of black blood, then thrust it back into his own chest.
"Little girl, the contract between me and the Gate of Ghosts is now severed. The Gate of Ghosts is yours."
The Ghost Emperor reluctantly caressed the Gate of Ghosts, then abruptly pushed it towards Zi Linling.
Zi Linling instinctively reached out.
The Gate of Ghosts landed directly in her palm, a familiar sensation flowing through her limbs.
Suddenly, her palm ached, and the blood within her began to surge into the Gate of Ghosts.
She tried to stop it, but it was impossible.
Zi Linling exclaimed in alarm, "What is happening?"
The Ghost Emperor calmly replied, "It must be the Gate of Ghosts recognizing its master!"
"Recognizing its master?"
Zi Linling was greatly surprised.
She possessed many divine artifacts, and each time, they only required a drop of her blood to recognize her as their master.
This was the first time she had encountered a divine artifact that absorbed blood so voraciously.
Zi Linling even wondered if the Gate of Ghosts' master recognition would drain all her blood.
Amidst her anxieties, the Gate of Ghosts finally stopped absorbing blood.
In that brief moment, she had lost one-third of her blood.
Having lost a third of her blood just like that, Zi Linling's bitterness was worse than that of yellow連 (a bitter herb).
However, despite the immense price, the connection between her and the Gate of Ghosts was now clear.
Zi Linling could feel the Gate of Ghosts' joy and a sense of intimacy that she hadn't felt in a long time, as if it had always belonged to her.
After the Gate of Ghosts recognized its master, the weapon of judgment suddenly vanished.
Yet, Zi Linling could still feel the faint threads of connection, knowing that the weapon of judgment would return if she summoned it again.
"Alright, I have handed over the divine artifact, the Gate of Ghosts, to you. I must now return to seclusion!"