This felt like the last straw that broke the camel's back! Watching the sixteen motionless figures, a silent sigh escaped nearly everyone present.

Something as miraculous as the "Abyssal Fire Nether Spring" was meant for the truly capable to obtain; for this fellow to possess it now felt utterly deserved!

"Who else wishes to step forward and try?"

Nie Kong's eyes narrowed slightly as he slowly swept his gaze over the crowd. That recent bout was merely to shatter the last shred of hope they harbored—the reliance on superior numbers. Now, if anyone dared to recklessly jump out, Nie Kong would oblige them without hesitation.

Fortunately, there were no fools in this passage willing to charge blindly toward certain death! Nie Kong loudly declared, "Since there is no one else, you may all depart now, lest you cause any unnecessary misunderstandings."

Nie Kong's words were clearly a directive for everyone to leave the "Dark Soul Hall." In fact, the threat embedded in his tone was unmistakable. With matters having reached this point, Nie Kong no longer cared about offending these bystanders further; of course, he did this to carve out a safe space for himself and Hua Mei and the others.

"..."

"This guy is going too far, actually driving everyone away like that..."

"Let's go! Let's go! There's no hope for the Abyssal Fire Nether Spring anyway. We should use these last twenty-odd days to check other places; perhaps we can still find something else good!"

"That's well said. I discovered a spot the day before yesterday; if I hadn't been rushing here, I might have made a decent haul!"

"..."

A hidden current of anger stirred in many chests, but Nie Kong’s power was too overwhelming, and with the Abyssal Fire Nether Spring now out of reach, there was no need to stay and tangle with him just to save face. Thus, amidst a rising clamor, the crowd in the passage began to disperse, with Spirit Masters continuously filing outward.

Nie Kong quietly sensed the shifting dynamics around him...

The major situation was settled, but Nie Kong knew clearly that there must still be a very small number of people here whose motives were not entirely pure. The moment one felt it was safe to relax was precisely when the utmost vigilance was required. This was especially true for the two young men who had arrived at the Dark Soul Hall first. Although Nie Kong hadn't clashed with them, he could faintly sense their formidable strength; perhaps they were comparable to that mysterious man in the green robe.

When the Abyssal Fire Nether Spring had leaped onto Nie Kong’s shoulder, they seemed to still be within the Hall's inner sanctum. Yet, through all the subsequent battles up to this moment, they had never shown themselves, and Nie Kong had never sensed their presence.

There was definitely something fishy afoot.

Now, Nie Kong possessed immense confidence in his own strength and wasn't afraid of them lurking in the shadows to cause trouble.

"The Abyssal Fire Nether Spring is finally secured."

Watching the proud, solitary figure standing in the passage, Hua Tang and the others let out a breath of immense relief.

Before coming here, they only knew that Hua Mei’s soul was in peril, and securing the Abyssal Fire Nether Spring was a matter of life and death for her. Therefore, they had to exert every ounce of effort to bring it back to the "Flower Butterfly Secret Realm" so that Her Majesty the Empress could administer the cure.

Now that Nie Kong had successfully protected the Abyssal Fire Nether Spring, their mission was halfway complete. As for whether Nie Kong would hand it over to Hua Mei, they were no longer overly concerned; the moment they realized the relationship between Nie Kong and Hua Mei was unusual, that problem ceased to be one.

"Mmm."

The taut strings in Hua Mei's heart finally relaxed completely, and her steps subconsciously followed the flow of people toward Nie Kong ahead. Yet, strangely, the closer she got to him, the harder her heart beat—a feeling that was both joyful and shy. As the distance quickly closed to only five or six meters—"Be careful!"

Nie Kong's explosive shout rang out like thunder.

Hua Mei suddenly noticed Nie Kong’s expression had turned incredibly grim and immediately sensed something was wrong, perceiving a dangerous aura rapidly closing in on her, causing her brow to tremble. However, before she could even fully summon her "Fluttering Jade Butterfly Spring" Heart Manifestation, her entire body went numb.

Instantly, a powerful wave of dizziness washed over her, and Hua Mei collapsed into unconsciousness, faintly hearing Nie Kong's furious roar in her ears...

"Insolent!"

Seeing a thin, withered man snatch Hua Mei around the waist, holding her tucked under his arm as he shot out of the passage like a spectral snake, Nie Kong’s face turned exceptionally dark. He had seen this man long ago; he had shown no unusual signs until just now when he moved with Hua Mei toward the exit.

Nie Kong had assumed he was preparing to leave, never suspecting he would suddenly attack Hua Mei, and with virtually no warning beforehand, as if the decision were spur-of-the-moment. Because of this, not even a Soul Spirit Sense could have detected it in advance.

However, this was no time to investigate the man's motives. Before Nie Kong’s roar had even fully subsided, the Heart Manifestation of the "Purple Luo Illusory Spirit Incense" shot out of his body, its branches and leaves rapidly sprouting and spreading, instantly traversing the gaps between the crowd and crossing dozens of meters of void to reach the passage exit.

Dense, thick stalks shot upward with frenzied speed, and in less than two seconds, a towering wall of Purple Luo Illusory Spirit Incense, dozens of meters high, completely sealed the passage exit. The withered man carrying Hua Mei slammed into it abruptly, instantly recoiling.

"Whoosh!"

Nie Kong’s figure appeared beneath the vine wall, locking eyes on the withered man retreating with Hua Mei. His gaze was as cold as a blade, and he articulated each word with chilling emphasis: "Let---Go---Of---Her!"

...

The sound was bone-chilling, like an icy gust rising from the depths of the Nine Hells. Staring at Nie Kong, whose killing intent was fully revealed, the Spirit Masters preparing to exit the passage froze mid-step.

This sudden turn of events had happened too swiftly! From Hua Mei's surprise attack to Nie Kong deploying his Heart Manifestation to block the path—it all occurred in a flash of lightning. The onlookers were too stunned to react, their eyes passively following Nie Kong's gaze: standing in that small area was a young man, lean and ordinary in appearance, but with eyes that were viciously sharp. Upon seeing him, the crowd instantly conjured the image of a venomous snake.

And cradled in the arm of this serpentine, withered man was a gracefully slender young woman. Though she appeared faint, her features were exceptionally beautiful; however, fine, dense black threads were beginning to spiderweb across her fair, delicate skin—a sign of severe poisoning.

Looking from Nie Kong to the young woman...

The crowd vaguely grasped the situation: were they companions these past two days? Did that guy seize the woman to threaten him into handing over the Abyssal Fire Nether Spring?

This abrupt development had thoroughly awakened Hua Tang and the others.

Seeing Hua Mei poisoned and captured, the four were consumed by rage. Just when everything seemed resolved perfectly, disaster struck unexpectedly—someone had moved against Hua Mei! Their primary mission in this space, besides locating the Abyssal Fire Nether Spring, was ensuring Hua Mei’s safety!

Among the five of them, although Hua Mei had awakened royal bloodline—a very rare one at that, the Fluttering Jade Butterfly Spring Heart Manifestation—her awakening had been the most recent, and she possessed almost zero practical combat experience. While she had taken part in fights after entering the space, it was mostly just to swell the numbers.

Originally, Hua Lanyan intended to leave Hua Mei outside, but given the complex and volatile situation within the space, there might be no chance to retrieve the Abyssal Fire Nether Spring contained within a bottle. Thus, the final decision was to have Hua Tang and the other three escort Hua Mei inside, ensuring that in case of an accident, she could utilize the spring water first.

Because of this, Hua Tang and the other three had never let their guard down throughout the journey. They were now filled with agonizing regret that they had relaxed for those brief seconds just now, leading to this incident. With Hua Mei's minimal combat experience and reaction time, being successfully ambushed was hardly surprising.

"Release her!"

Almost simultaneously, four sharp cries rang out, and four graceful figures shot forward like arrows.

But after only covering a few meters, figures from the surrounding crowd flickered out with uncanny speed, intercepting the path of Hua Tang and the others. These seven individuals varied in build, but they shared one conspicuous trait: their eyes blazed with intense greed...

...

"Be ready!"

Lan Shang's expression also shifted subtly, and she quietly cautioned Liu Hemin and Gu Ruofei beside her. Meanwhile, Nie Fenghua watched Nie Kong and Hua Mei, her eyes reflecting deep contemplation...

"Hua Mei! It's actually Hua Mei!"

In the crowd, Mu Hongling gasped in disbelief, her small face immediately flushing with indignation. "That’s despicable! How dare he attack Hua Mei!"

"You know her?" Bai Yuqing asked, slightly surprised.

"Yes!"

Mu Hongling didn't have time to explain the details; she swiftly confirmed and began weaving through the crowd, slipping toward the withered man.

Bai Yuqing frowned slightly, then quickly followed.

"Brother, don't meddle in other people's business!"

Seeing Nie Kong blocking his way with such a hostile expression, the withered man’s sallow face showed a flicker of astonishment. He hadn't expected his move against Hua Mei would provoke such a formidable figure, and his eyes darted around rapidly, seemingly contemplating a countermeasure.

Hearing his words, the surrounding onlookers gaped. So, the man's goal wasn't to trade for the Abyssal Fire Nether Spring but only for the woman? What was going on? Did the woman possess some other treasure, or was her status so special that she was worth more than the Nether Spring?

Nie Kong said coldly, "I'll say it again: let her go!"

"She’s already succumbed to my potent poison. Even if you release her, can you wake her up?" The withered man chuckled sinisterly, his body beginning to retreat backward, seemingly intending to rejoin his companion. As he moved, he didn't look back, yet he deftly dodged and weaved around the reaching Spirit Masters as if he had eyes on his back.

"Courting death."

Nie Kong’s brow convulsed, and immense Spiritual Power surged out, sweeping over the area like a tidal wave. The ferocious pressure forced the withered man’s body to hesitate momentarily.

At this instant, a profoundly mysterious sensation arose again within Nie Kong’s mind, as if his spiritual thought had completely merged with this void. With a slight flicker of intent, Nie Kong's figure vanished abruptly from his original spot and reappeared instantly, spanning over twenty meters of space, moving with uncanny precision right beside the withered man!...

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