A flash of flame-red tore through the void, the longsword condensed from fire spiritual energy in Nie Fenghua’s palm striking down like a thunderbolt before Wu Dongliu.

Sharp sword light erupted, slicing apart the encroaching blood-red fluid right before Wu Dongliu's feet. At almost the same moment, the ground coated with the blood-red fluid curled up, flashing like lightning to wrap around the body of the "Blood Soul Jade Belt Worm." This maneuver created a gap of about one meter between Wu Dongliu and the "Blood Soul Jade Belt Worm."

A breath later, the longsword in Nie Fenghua's hand suddenly flicked upward.

"Clang!"

The blade struck horizontally against Wu Dongliu's abdomen. His body, which had been glued to the ground, finally lifted into the air and tumbled over a dozen meters away. By this time, the spread of the blood-red fluid had halted just below Wu Dongliu's nostrils, and in his eyes, filled with despair moments before, a glimmer of hope and gratitude appeared due to Nie Fenghua's action.

With a whoosh, Nie Fenghua's slender figure retreated. Sunlight fell upon Wu Dongliu, and she frowned slightly, clearly unsure of the next step.

Nie Kong chuckled inwardly. Nie Fenghua's move was swift and clean, but so what? Even severing the connection between Wu Dongliu and the "Blood Soul Jade Belt Worm" was pointless. Within seconds, Wu Dongliu would inevitably be submerged once more by the blood-red ** secreted from the body of the "Blood Soul Jade Belt Worm."

"Rumble..."

Suddenly, the sound of running water, which had been silent for a moment, resonated louder, striking everyone's ears. Immediately after, the long river of blood-red substance began to writhe violently, constantly drawing closer toward the center. In an instant, the thin river thickened several times over, as if the "Blood Soul Jade Belt Worm" had been enraged by Nie Fenghua's malicious strike.

"Not good!"

Lan Shang and Liu Heming realized this instantly, their expressions changing drastically.

Nie Fenghua glanced at the ever-thickening blood-red river ahead, her pretty face paling slightly. Then, without turning back, she called out sharply, "Qingying, take everyone and leave immediately. Get as far away as possible!"

"Junior Sister Fenghua? You—" A woman with a melon-seed face hesitated. "Go!"

Nie Fenghua cut her off before she could finish, asserting, "If I leave with you, I fear none of you will escape."

The melon-seed faced woman understood immediately. She gave Nie Fenghua one last look, then could only wave helplessly to the others. Streaks of azure light flashed across the void as eight disciples of the Muxue Sect quickly departed.

Lan Shang and Liu Heming did not hesitate either, but after a moment, they noticed that not only had Nie Kong not moved, but Bai Yuqing was also standing rooted to the spot. They shouted urgently, "Junior Brother Nie Kong! Junior Sister Yuqing! Hurry and get out of there!"

However, as soon as the words left their mouths, Bai Yuqing instead walked slowly toward Nie Kong.

"Senior Brother Lan Shang, don't worry."

Nie Kong turned back with a smile, his gaze returning to the blood-red river. Seeing this, a strange look flashed in Nie Fenghua's eyes, followed by a slight knit of her delicate brows. She spoke coldly, "Nie Kong, this mess is my own doing. You don't need to stay and help just because we both hail from the Nie family of Jiyang."

Nie Kong smiled faintly, "Little Sister Fenghua, don't flatter yourself so much. My staying has nothing to do with whether we come from the Nie family or not. Furthermore, let me remind you, addressing me only by my given name is quite impolite. Next time, remember to call me Clan Brother Nie Kong or Brother Nie Kong."

"You..."

Nie Fenghua gritted her teeth, finally swallowing the rest of her words.

While they spoke, the river before them had thickened to nearly ten meters, while its length had shrunk to about a hundred meters, visible head to tail with a quick glance. However, Nie Kong did not strike yet. According to the instructions from the "Ethereal Eagle King," the optimal moment to act would be when the "Blood Soul Jade Belt Worm" had fully gathered.

Sensing Bai Yuqing arriving by his side, Nie Kong slightly turned his head and asked, "Little Sister Bai, aren't you afraid?"

"Afraid? How do you spell those two words?"

Bai Yuqing maintained an air of detached calm, her tone completely level as she spoke.

Nie Kong almost laughed; he hadn't expected this little girl to display such unexpected humor. He deliberately pressed, "Staying here, there's a high chance we might die."

"We are friends!"

Bai Yuqing stated calmly. "Besides, you are definitely not the type to seek death. If you are staying, you must have a method to deal with this 'Blood Soul Jade Belt Worm.'"

"You certainly have faith in me."

Nie Kong felt a surge of emotion amidst his gratitude. He hadn't been in the 'Prison Fire Underworld Spring' for even two days, yet this little girl had already moved him twice. Dozens of meters away, Lan Shang, Liu Heming, and the others were dumbfounded seeing Nie Kong and Bai Yuqing calmly chatting and laughing at such a perilous moment. They were jolted back to reality by a violent rushing sound.

Lan Shang gritted his teeth and gave a wry smile, "These two shouldn't be showing off right now. Heming, Ruofei, Jinglan, join me. No matter what, we must grab them and pull them over."

"Agreed!"

Liu Heming, Gu Ruofei, and Jinglan responded simultaneously. They had stood by earlier when Wu Dongliu was entangled by the "Blood Soul Jade Belt Worm" because they were powerless, but now they could not just watch Nie Kong and Bai Yuqing stay there to die; they would have to physically drag them away.

As their figures moved, the writhing of the "Blood Soul Jade Belt Worm" intensified manifold.

In the span of a breath, its thickness reached nearly thirty meters, while its length shrank to less than fifty meters. This "Blood Soul Jade Belt Worm" possessed no features, no organs, and no limbs. From a distance, it resembled a massive, blood-red, translucent bladder, instilling a sense of insignificance in those standing before it.

"Crash..."

With a deafening sound, the transparent body of the "Blood Soul Jade Belt Worm" suddenly contracted inward. Wu Dongliu, who had been lying flat on the ground, was like iron filings drawn to a magnet; his body soared upward, hurtling toward the concave center of the enormous bladder. Knowing death was inevitable, Wu Dongliu closed his eyes helplessly.

"Whoosh!"

Nie Kong's figure flashed. A dense plume of dark-green energy shot out from his palm like an arrow from a bowstring, tightly wrapping around Wu Dongliu's legs and forcefully pulling him back down to the ground. However, the immense suction dragged both of them several meters forward before they managed to stabilize their footing.

At that moment, the blood-red fluid began to spread across the ground again, reconnecting with Wu Dongliu's body. In less than a second, the fluid that had been stopped beneath Wu Dongliu's nostrils continued its flow, instantly enveloping his entire head.

"Hoo!"

Nie Kong did not hesitate, slamming his right palm onto Wu Dongliu's back. The dark-green energy in his palm condensed into a tiny vortex.

"Nie Yu!"

Seeing this, Lan Shang, Liu Heming, and the others couldn't help but cry out.

Nie Fenghua’s eyes widened in astonishment, not expecting Nie Kong to intervene in such a manner. Wasn't this equivalent to willingly offering himself up to be devoured by the "Blood Soul Jade Belt Worm"?

Bai Yuqing's eyes flickered slightly. Her broadsword sprang up from her shoulder, the tip pointing directly at Nie Kong’s shoulder. An azure, ethereal light flowed faintly across the blade, radiating a chilling aura. It seemed that should the "Blood Soul Jade Belt Worm" show any signs of spreading uncontrollably, her blade would fall upon Nie Kong’s arm—losing an arm was better than losing one's life!

Yet, to everyone's surprise, before the blood-red fluid could reach Nie Kong's hand, the dark-green vortex rapidly expanded, enveloping Wu Dongliu's entire body. Threads of crimson, blood-like energy separated from the fluid on his skin and melted into the depths of the vortex.

"Hoo!"

The major and minor acupoints within his body vibrated and spun fiercely. At this critical moment, Nie Kong mobilized all his spiritual power. The dark-green energy surged out like a flood from a breached dam, converging into the vortex. With this massive replenishment of spiritual power, the vortex continued to expand relentlessly.

One meter, two meters... five meters... ten meters...

Twenty meters!

In just a few seconds, it had reached this extent. The environment here was certainly not comparable to the outside of the Yin Ruins Wood Spirit Hall; the vortex's expansion relied entirely on Nie Kong's own spiritual power. Reaching twenty meters was already the limit Nie Kong could currently achieve. Of course, if he were to release the dark-green energy stored in the "Seal Spirit Tablet," the result would be entirely different.

But Nie Kong would not waste that unless absolutely necessary.

The "Blood Soul Jade Belt Worm," seemingly stunned by the vortex that had suddenly emerged from Nie Kong's palm, abruptly ceased its writhing. But during this brief moment of hesitation, the blood-red energy on Wu Dongliu's surface was completely absorbed by the vortex, and the blood-red fluid immediately withered, flaking off piece by piece.

An instant later, the brilliant, shimmering light emanating from the "Azure Sea Blue Sky" began to circle Wu Dongliu again. The powerful suction from behind firmly adhered to his body, making it difficult for him to pull back. Although he couldn't see what was happening behind him, he knew he had narrowly escaped death and could guess that the one who saved his life at the crucial moment was Nie Kong, the very person he had been dissatisfied with earlier!

But before he could savor the joy of surviving death, an intense wave of dizziness rushed over him, causing him to instantly pass out. At this moment, the fierce suction had swept past Wu Dongliu's body and surged toward the "Blood Soul Jade Belt Worm" opposite like a spiral, with increasingly dense blood-red energy pouring into the vortex.

"Rumble..."

The Blood Soul Jade Belt Worm instantly awoke. A sound like rolling thunder echoed from within its translucent body, and its long form began to writhe violently. In the next moment, the Blood Soul Jade Belt Worm charged toward Nie Kong like a colossal wave tens of meters high, stirred up by a hurricane.

"Just in time!"

The corner of Nie Kong's lips curled up into a cold sneer. Immediately, his brow twitched, and his Mind Aspect, already obscured by dark-green spiritual energy, flashed forth, condensing in the void into several-meter-tall branches and leaves of the "Purple Luo Illusory Spirit Incense," which began to extend from the stem. In an instant, a dense thicket of leaves cascaded down over Nie Kong's head.

In the space of a breath, the Purple Luo Illusory Spirit Incense completely enveloped Nie Kong. And at that very moment, the raging, tidal wave of blood-red fluid enveloped Nie Kong and the dark-green vortex connected to his right palm. Then, as if injected with adrenaline, it began to change shape rapidly with a loud rush...