“What are those?” 

The strange appearance of the corpses, along with the blood and aura of the specter race, coupled with Tianming's special identity to attract the attention of all eight hundred thousand warriors of Nonahall, Hexapath, Heptastar, and Quadform. The legions that had been about to rush into Xuanyuan Lake suddenly stopped in their tracks. They stared wide-eyed at the details. These corpses had stars in their eyes. They were very strange in appearance; some were a combination of man and beast, some had extra arms and legs, and others had two heads, one big and the other small.

Green, blue, and white blood was more in line with certain terrifying beings described in ancient records. Rumor had it that these beings had controlled the Flameyellow Continent for millions of years and enslaved the human race. Although there were many questionable areas in the historical records, they were accurate overall, and could prove everything. 

On scene were Samsara powerhouses, most of whom were over a hundred years old so their knowledge wasn’t superficial. There were also elders that specialized in the study of the demon race. Many third-origin tribulation elders, including those of Nonahall, exclaimed at once. 

“The demon race!” 

Those three words had all of Xuanyuan Lake in shock. Even Nonahall’s troops were shaken, their eyes wide as they drew in a cold breath. Many people rubbed their eyes in disbelief. 

"Green blood, blue blood, multiple arms, an average height of more than three meters, hideous appearance, boundless vitality, powerful physique, and feeds on lifebound beasts. This... this is the demon race that’s recorded in the ‘Ancient Times’.” 

"There’s also such a description in the ‘Ancient Classics.’ Unfortunately, most people still think it's complete nonsense!" 

“The demon race actually exists? Li Tianming, where’d these corpses come from?” 

In that instant, everyone in Xuanyuan Lake looked at Tianming with shock and caution.

It was clear that even in Nonahall, there were only a few ghoul kings that actually knew the truth about the Ninefold Hell. Their third-origin tribulation elders had all been kept in the dark. The most frightening thing was the fact that the remnants of the specter race had secretly flourished in Nonahall for a hundred millennia, ever since the time of the Nonahall Specter. They must have a perfect way to conceal themselves, since they remained undiscovered for so long. 

Of course, even if certain people had discovered them, they must have been dealt with. The fear and prudence toward the demon race was exactly as Tianming had predicted. Fear of enslavement and being brutally butchered for millions of years existed in their blood. 

The moment they saw the specter race, every human being present felt their scalp tingle. Although they personally had no memory of being enslaved, they had instincts inherited from the blood of their ancestors. It was just like how lambs instinctively trembled in front of the lion. Even if the lamb had never seen a lion before, it knew to run the moment it came upon the lion. 

Amid the deathly stillness, Tianming glanced at Ghoul King Di Zang. Just as he had expected, the moment the man saw the corpses, his expression drastically altered. His narrowed eyes turned red. 

Rage and killing intent filled his being. Tianming could immediately tell that this man was one of the specter race. Before Tianming could speak, Di Zang snorted contemptuously and shouted, “Everyone, don't be tricked by Li Caiwei's illusion. They’re trying to scare us. The demon race has been extinct for two hundred thousand years. Is this kid hoping to protect Xuanyuan Lake with this cheap trick? What a joke! Everyone, listen up. Don’t stop, commence fighting at once! Christen your swords with the blood of our enemies!” 

With that, he suddenly shot toward Tianming, aiming to kill the white-haired youth as well as destroy the corpses. 

It doesn’t matter where these corpses came from. As long as you die, the corpses are destroyed, and our legions rush in, there will be no looking back! Di Zang sneered. 

Under such circumstances, could the corpses of the specter race destroy their hundred-millennia plan? Dream on! Who would care about the specter race once they started killing? 

However, Di Zang was furious at the other three sects’ inaction. Even among the Nonahall warriors, only half of them had responded. A large number of their third-origin tribulation elders frowned and stared at each other, still hesitating. At their cultivation level, they could certainly tell if this was an illusion. 

"Brother Di Zang, why not give him a moment and let him explain? We can still kill him after." a cold voice sounded from behind him.

Di Zang didn't need to look to know it was Feng Qingyu that had spoken. His gaze had been fixed upon the corpses for a long time. Glancing at Li Caiwei, he suddenly recalled the conversation between them—it turned out to be the truth! 

When Feng Qingyu closed his eyes, he sensed the instinctive fear inherited from his ancestors. It was a feeling similar to a cat's piloerection, and it made his scalp tingle. 

"Yes, give him a chance to speak. I sense something wrong about this," Changsun Shenqiong whispered. 

"Are you afraid, Ghoul King Di Zang? The existence of the demon race is a matter of life and death for all races, surpassing our struggle for dominance, internal fighting, and internecine strife! Figuring out what’s going on is beneficial for everyone!" 

"Tianming, tell us, where did these demon race corpses come from?” The Octagram Sect Master, Lin Yuntian, patted Tianming on the shoulder.

Tianming stepped forward.

"Seniors, Elders, please allow me to explain everything. Before that, look at the sky, at the five-colored star guarded by the Heaven Cauldron. It originated from the Kilostar Domain and was originally a grey star. I witnessed its birth. It’s called the Ninefold Hell. So where did the corpses come from? In fact, I broke through the five-colored formation and entered the Ninefold Hell, killed the descendants of the specter race who’d been imprisoned for two hundred thousand years, and fled for my life. If you don’t believe me, you can take these corpses and study them with your own eyes. Their blood is still warm! These corpses were all freshly killed!" 

With his loudest voice, Tianming made sure everyone heard every word clearly. As he spoke, he stared at Di Zang, whose expression was strange. Learning that Tianming could sneak into the Ninefold Hell was a bolt from the blue for him. 

This meant that the young man could release the specter race without needing to destroy the divine body. What a surprise! 

Tianming’s words caused a sensation. He added, "Keep listening, everyone. I’m going to tell you the real secret behind the Kilostar Domain and the earth-shattering conspiracy of the specter race that has remained among us since two hundred thousand years ago, as well as the true identity of the Nonahall Specter! I believe anyone who’s capable of reaching Samsara isn’t a fool and should be able to judge what’s true and what isn’t. Most importantly, I’ll reveal the truth behind today’s battle. The purpose of the remnants of the specter race is to destroy Great Emperor Xuanyuan’s divine body in the Heaven Cauldron, break the final restrictive formation of the Ninefold Hell, release the specter race back to our world, and enslave the human race for millions of years to come!" 

Tianming's voice echoed through the battlefield.

"What?!” 

Those words were startling. In an instant, the entire audience was in chaos, everyone staring at Tianming. His words were obviously well-organized. Everyone could judge if he was telling the truth. 

Then, Tianming quickly and concisely explained the truth about the Kilostar Domain, the Blooddragon Sealing Formation Enchantment, the treasures left by Great Emperor Xuanyuan, the task he had been entrusted with, as well as the two keys to the Heaven Cauldron. The only thing he left out was the Divine Moon Realm. 

After all, Great Emperor Xuanyuan had instructed him to only seek help from the Divine Moon Realm when the specter race reappeared. As he spoke, Tianming laid out the treasures from Great Emperor Xuanyuan, including the caeli of the man and five dragons. Xuanyuan’s caelum was certainly strong proof of the authenticity of his words, and the warm corpses of the specter race was even better proof. As long as they could think, these people could evaluate the truth of the matter. 

The five-colored star in the sky was without a doubt the nest of the specter race that had treated the human race as livestock two hundred thousand years ago. Tianming had even mentioned the giant cocoon, which was clearly a sign of awakening from their deep sleep. 

"None of us could ever have imagined that the specter race has been lurking among us, undiscovered for two hundred millennia , more careful than any of us in order to make a comeback. Even if someone discovered them, they were most probably killed! For them to be able to dictate this battle shows that they have an elevated status and are extremely powerful! So you should already have the answer to their identities!” 

As he spoke, his eyes and finger were pointed at Di Zang.

Everyone turned to look at Di Zang, especially the stunned Nonahall powerhouses. Only ghoul kings were allowed to participate in the core matters of the sect. 

The Nonahall powerhouses and remnants of the specter race were two completely different things. If a secret was known by many, there would be a risk of exposure and a cover up would be of no use when that happened. Therefore, apart from the ghoul kings, the Nonahall powerhouses had been kept unaware of the truth. 

Some of their ancestors had died bizarrely, yet the murderers were never found. Those people might have been silenced for inadvertently discovering the secrets of the specter race. 

For a while, there was only silence. Then, someone pointed out, "No! Li Tianming, you’re wrong about this. Ghoul King Di Zang isn’t a remnant of the specter race. Those specters have stars in their eyes and no lifebound beasts. All nine ghoul kings have lifebound beasts." The speaker was a third-origin tribulation elder of Nonahall. 

"Yes, Ghoul King Di Zang has a lifebound beast. He isn’t one of them," Changsun Shenqiong echoed. 

"The real remnants of the specter race must be well-hidden, and have never shown themselves." 

“But how can they manipulate the situation if they don't appear?” 

“So we haven’t been manipulated. They were hiding, waiting to take advantage of Xuanyuan Xi’s death!" 

“It can’t be Ghoul King Di Zang. I’ve seen his lifebound beast with my own eyes. We’ve all seen it.” 

“Forget about blood pacts! How can such a lifebound beast evolve to have more than nine hundred stars? How can they become ghoul kings? They’d have to thank the heavens if their beasts had more than fifty stars!” 

Voices debating the matter came from all around.

“Why don't we ask Ghoul King Di Zang for an explanation?” Feng Qingyu suggested.