Staring at the burly man striding toward him, Nie Kong suddenly sneered, "State your name!" His voice was like rolling thunder, echoing violently through the passage. "Langya Sect, Yan Mang..." The burly man, momentarily stunned by Nie Kong's imposing aura, responded unconsciously. The moment the words left his mouth, he realized his mistake, his face flushing slightly. However, since his skin was already dark, it was unlikely to be noticed. Still, this feeling of being immediately disadvantaged before even making a move was certainly unpleasant.

The surrounding crowd, however, felt a surge of excitement upon hearing the exchange.

In the northeastern corner of the Tianling Continent lay a small country called Beihai. The Langya Sect was the only Spirit Master sect in Beihai, and rumor had it that every king of that nation was a disciple of the Langya Sect. While this sect couldn't compare to sacred Spirit Master grounds like the Heaven and Earth Sect, the spirit techniques it possessed were notoriously bizarre.

Since Yan Mang hailed from the Langya Sect in Beihai, the fact that he still dared to step forward after witnessing Gu Sa's defeat suggested his strength must be considerable.

"A disciple of the Langya Sect! Since your surname is Yan, you must be from the Yan royal family of Qianhai Kingdom, I presume!" Nie Kong smiled faintly. On the way to the "Barren Sand Valley," he had heard Chang Gong mention the Langya Sect of Beihai; it was certainly a highly distinctive sect.

"Hmph!"

Yan Mang let out a cold snort and took a step forward with his right foot, only to sense something was wrong again. He had announced his name because he was asked; he was supposed to attack when told. He felt as if he were operating like Nie Kong's puppet. Yan Mang cursed inwardly and subconsciously retracted the right foot he had just advanced.

Seeing this action, quite a few Spirit Masters nearby shook their heads secretly. After hearing Yan Mang’s earlier speech full of imposing zeal, they had thought him a significant figure, but now it seemed they had overestimated him.

Facing an opponent yet being so hesitant—how could they expect him to win?

Nie Kong, observing this, allowed the corner of his lip to curl upward slightly.

Yan Mang, feeling deeply ashamed and annoyed, let his black robe ripple, and his body suddenly vanished from everyone's sight. The crowd quickly searched but failed to detect the slightest fluctuation of Yan Mang's spiritual energy. Their eyes brightened slightly; the reputation of the Langya Sect's bizarre spirit techniques was well-deserved, though they wondered about the effectiveness in practice.

Crack!

Nie Kong narrowed his eyes and flicked his "Violet Luo Illusory Spirit Incense" into the air. As the crisp sound erupted, stems and leaves spread out like a vast tide, covering the void within a dozen meters in the blink of an eye. Under the stunned gazes of the crowd, Nie Kong suddenly shook his right arm.

Whoosh!

The dense stems and leaves suddenly began to spin rapidly. In an instant, the "Violet Luo Illusory Spirit Incense" was wound into a ball, whirling dizzily in the air. Seeing this, the others were even more bewildered. What was this fellow doing?

Swish!

Just then, Nie Kong flung his right arm, and a figure was actually ejected from the leading edge of that bundle of foliage, slamming directly against the smooth cliff face opposite before dropping to the ground with a thud, sprawled awkwardly for all to see. It was none other than the Langya Sect disciple, Yan Mang, who had just vanished.

Though not dead, he was utterly unconscious!

The crowd felt speechless. This fellow's spirit technique was indeed bizarre enough, but the speed of his defeat was equally remarkable. He had been dealt with so silently, posing no threat to his opponent. What a waste of such a majestic and sturdy physique, and what a waste of the slight anticipation everyone had held for him.

"Nothing more than that!" With a whoosh, all the leaves retracted, leaving only a single stalk of the Violet Luo Illusory Spirit Incense. Nie Kong scoffed, his eyes sweeping over the crowd, "Who else dares step up?" His tone was flat, just these few simple words, yet the derision dripping from his voice was unmistakable.

"Mo Family of the Shatu Empire—Mo Wuwei!" A figure soared high, leaping over several people in front. Before even landing, he launched a swift, decisive attack against Nie Kong, wielding two massive axes condensed from spiritual energy elements. They whistled as they swung down toward Nie Kong's neck from either side, the red light emanating from the axe blades fiercely like blazing fire.

Whoosh!

Nie Kong swung his right arm, and the "Violet Luo Illusory Spirit Incense" rotated rapidly, resembling a fan blade.

With two clangs, when Mo Wuwei's twin axes struck the dark green mass, two broad leaves suddenly curled out, enveloping both axes. For a moment, Mo Wuwei’s body was caught up in the rotation. After one full rotation, Mo Wuwei hastily let go, spun, and drifted back to the ground.

"Since you are Wuwei (fearless), I shall grant your wish!"

Nie Kong sneered, and his body suddenly darted through the rapidly spinning mass of the "Violet Luo Illusory Spirit Incense."

Instantly, he appeared beside Mo Wuwei, and two fingers, completely encircled by dark green tendrils, stabbed toward his chest. Mo Wuwei, seeing this, was startled but showed no panic whatsoever.

Boom! Boom!

The instant Nie Kong's fingers touched Mo Wuwei's chest, a thick layer of fiery red light erupted outwards. Nie Kong's fingers then struck this barrier.

Amidst violent explosions, Mo Wuwei’s body was thrust backward by the fierce force. A flicker of triumph flashed in his eyes.

However, before he could retreat half a meter, two stems shot out from behind Nie Kong, wrapping around his wrists. They pulled him right back to his original position—it was Nie Kong’s two fists again. But this time, what pierced through Nie Kong's fingertips was not dark green, but a dense cyan energy.

Boom! Boom!

Two more loud bangs followed. The look of triumph in Mo Wuwei’s eyes hadn't fully faded when he felt a sharp pain in his chest. Nie Kong’s two fingers had pierced through the thick, blood-red barrier before him, directly striking his left and right pectorals. Sharp cyan light flashed like lightning, penetrating his body.

Thump!

The stems retracted, and two streams of blood shot out from Mo Wuwei’s back. His body flew backward and crashed down beside Yan Mang, showing no further signs of life. His eyes, growing increasingly vacant, stared straight into the void, a trace of incredulous disbelief still lingering in their depths.

Nie Kong’s movements were as fast as lightning. The onlookers were dumbfounded, and even after Mo Wuwei landed, they hadn't recovered from the two crimson streaks that had erupted from his back.

Did this guy kill someone again?

Only those Spirit Masters who had witnessed Nie Kong employ such a technique in the main hall felt a jolt in their hearts, and the thought leaped out quickly.

Whoosh!

The Violet Luo Illusory Spirit Incense returned to his palm. Nie Kong smiled faintly and said, "A mere ninth-grade Hualing (Spirit Transformation) dares to rely on such a protective treasure for a war of attrition to drain my strength? That’s sheer delusion! From now on, any cultivator below the Yuling (Spirit Control) realm who dares to jump out—kill!"

Before Mo Wuwei stepped out, he and his companions had planned exactly this strategy. After he engaged, his comrades had been quietly inciting other Spirit Masters nearby to engage in a war of attrition.

Unfortunately for them, they didn't realize how vast Nie Kong's spiritual sense was; he had already captured every word they spoke. Furthermore, when Mo Wuwei attacked, Nie Kong had obliterated him from this world with the swiftness of lightning.

"Cultivators below the Yuling realm, kill." These nine words were imbued with palpable killing intent, especially the tone and demeanor Nie Kong adopted while speaking them, which involuntarily sent a chill down everyone’s spine.

Especially those Spirit Masters who had been entertaining such ideas felt cold sweat trickle down their spines.

Mo Wuwei’s protective treasure could certainly withstand the full force of an attack from a low-grade Xuling (Void Spirit) Spirit Master. Yet, this guy had broken through it so easily after just two rounds of attack. Had his cultivation already reached the high-grade Xuling realm?

There was no need to ask this question; the answer was clearly no!

Despite this, the Spirit Masters below the ninth-grade Hualing had no more courage to provoke this ruthless fellow, unless they rushed forward together as they had initially planned. Even then, there was the issue of who went first; looking at the might of Nie Kong's attack, the first to strike was certainly doomed. "Who else?" Nie Kong stood silently, his eyes sweeping around, his gaze accidentally lingering on Hua Mei in the distance. Her tender, meaningful look made his spirit tremble slightly, intensifying his desire to quickly dispatch these annoying fellows around him. However, this matter couldn't be rushed.

If he didn't extinguish their greed...

After leaving the "Dark Soul Hall," he would likely face endless troubles. He wasn't afraid for himself, but he worried about implicating Hua Mei, Bai Yuqing, Mu Hongling, as well as the Lingyu City disciples like Lan Shang and Liu Hemin, because at that time, their relationships would very likely be exposed.

Using Qing Yue's soul power just now to break through Mo Wuwei's protective treasure and kill him—this decisive "killing the chicken to scare the monkeys" had indeed managed to frighten off quite a few monkeys. But those monkeys were all Spirit Masters below the ninth-grade Hualing. Those whose cultivation had broken through to the Yuling realm certainly hadn't given up their ambitions.

Nie Kong knew that some individuals wouldn't jump out to fight at this moment. They would likely conspire with their companions, hide in the shadows, and launch a thunderous strike when the time was right to seize the "Prison Fire Nether Spring." But this didn't negate the effectiveness of Nie Kong's current actions. The stronger the power he displayed, the more cautiously those hidden figures would weigh the pros and cons when they finally decided to strike.

"Who else!"

Nie Kong roared again, his eyes sharp. As his gaze swept past, the surrounding Spirit Masters instinctively lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.

"Hahaha..."

Suddenly, a clear, bright laugh rang out. "Since no one is stepping up, allow me to join the fun." Nie Kong turned to look and saw a man in green robes quickly stepping out from the crowd. This man appeared to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, handsome with refined features, his face like polished jade.

There was an air of upright integrity in his movements.

Fixing his gaze on Nie Kong, the man in green smiled, "Brother, although I don't know your background, I greatly admire your cultivation and methods. I am already a second-grade Yuling cultivator, but in terms of true strength, I am far inferior to you. However, the reason I came here is for the 'Prison Fire Nether Spring' on your person. This contest with you this time, regardless of victory or defeat, means I haven't made this trip in vain."

Second-grade Yuling!

Upon hearing these four words, a wave of gasps erupted from the surroundings. They looked at the man in green with surprise, paying no attention to the rest of what he said...