The stir caused by the deaths of eight Serpent Spirit tribesmen at the entrance to the Prison Fire Underworld Spring had barely subsided two days prior, only to erupt anew with the news brought back by several Spirit Masters who had exited the space early. Many Heavenly Spirit powerhouses and Cave Spirit masters who had escorted their junior disciples to this location were greatly shaken.
The fellow who died that day had indeed been killed by one person, and that assailant was, in fact, a Wood Spirit Master!
That Wood Spirit Master had confronted Spirit Masters from various sects within the "Dark Soul Hall," successively defeating the disciples of the Heaven and Earth Sect who cultivated the "Heaven and Earth Manifestation," a second-rank Water Spirit Master, and a woman suspected to be the Saintess of the Mara Sect—overwhelming hundreds upon hundreds of disciples from various sects and clans into a state where they could not even lift their heads!
The Wood Spirit Master's cultivation was only at the first rank of the Spirit Command realm, yet his Spirit Sense was as strong as the Void Spirit realm!
That Wood Spirit Master claimed the Water Spirit from the very source of the "Prison Fire Underworld Spring" as his own. From now on, within this illusory space, there would be no more "Prison Fire Underworld Spring" for other Spirit Masters...
Any one of these pieces of news would be enough to draw serious attention, yet they all originated from one person, making the resulting uproar unimaginable. It was foreseeable that once this illusory space closed and everyone departed, that Spirit Command realm Wood Spirit Master would certainly become renowned throughout the world!
For a time, everyone began speculating about the identity of that Wood Spirit Master!
"Brother Luo, in your view, are the tidings brought by those youngsters true or false?"
At the edge of the oasis, two old men stood with their hands behind their backs, gazing toward the entrance of the illusory space. The old man who spoke was powerfully built and robust, yet his head was completely bald, without a single strand of hair. The old man beside him was tall and thin, his features indistinct, a long beard sweeping his chest, clad in white robes that billowed in the wind.
One was Elder Huo Shan of the Heaven and Earth Sect; the other was Elder Luo Xian of the Mara Holy Mountain.
Hearing this, Luo Xian smiled faintly. "Brother Huo, are you merely unconvinced because you heard that your Heaven and Earth Sect disciple cultivating the 'Heaven and Earth Manifestation' was defeated?"
Huo Shan raised his thick palm, stroked his bald head, and grinned. "I'm not exactly unconvinced, but what those youngsters just claimed seems too exaggerated to be believable. I watched that boy Gu Sa grow up. If he broke through to the Spirit Command realm and deployed the 'Heaven and Earth Dharma Body,' even a fifth-rank Spirit Command Spirit Master would have a hard time defeating him, let alone a first-rank Wood Spirit Master?"
He paused, then shot a sideways glance at Luo Xian. "Brother Luo, the little girl you brought cultivated the 'Nine Spirit Sacred Art' of the Mara Holy Mountain, specifically designed to refine Spirit Sense. It’s normal for her Spirit Sense to far surpass her cultivation. If I'm not mistaken, that little girl's Spirit Sense is likely already high-rank Spirit Command. To suppress her with Spirit Sense would require at least Void Spirit level awareness. Do you truly believe the Wood Spirit Master’s Spirit Sense reached that intensity, just as those youngsters claimed?"
Luo Xian's eyes flickered slightly. "That's hard to say. In this world, stranger things have happened."
"Enough, stop being so stubborn."
Huo Shan waved his hand, laughing oddly. "In your heart, you probably believe even less that the little girl was defeated by Spirit Sense!"
"..."
On a small hillock, Gu Changgong listened intently for a long while, his face filled with disbelief. He stroked his long beard, murmuring, "That little fellow became so formidable after going inside. Defeating the Heaven and Earth Sect disciple cultivating 'Heaven and Earth Manifestation' and the second-rank Water Spirit Master is one thing, but even the Saintess of the Mara Sect was defeated?"
"We’ll know everything once we ask the little guy when he comes out,"
Ming Tian said enthusiastically. "Those people who came out said the little guy managed to seize the Water Spirit at the source of the 'Prison Fire Underworld Spring.' I wonder if that's true? It’s hard to imagine that the 'Prison Fire Underworld Spring' would actually become something the little fellow could take away. After this, the illusory space will be no better than a useless thing—tasteless to consume, yet regrettable to discard."
"Indeed!"
Gu Changgong nodded slightly. "We need to prepare and figure out how to deal with the other sects. Those fellows might have considerable objections to this."
"Let them!"
Xian Tian chuckled dismissively. "What if they have opinions? Now that the 'Prison Fire Underworld Spring' is secured, are we going to ask the little fellow to put it back? It's normal for them to be envious because their own disciples lacked the ability to obtain such a treasure. As long as they don't fight, we don't need to pay them any mind. However, we truly need to guard against that old snake. He hasn't left yet. If he attacks while the little fellow is coming out, we standing here might not be able to rescue him in time. We must move closer to intercept; that will be safer. We absolutely cannot let him succeed."
"..."
Gu Changgong and Ming Tian's figures flashed, and they strolled as if taking a leisurely walk toward the space entrance.
Not far away, Hua Yanji watched the two figures' movements, a slight smile playing on the corners of his lips. He murmured in a voice only he could hear, "It has only been just over a year since I last saw him, yet that little fellow from Jiyang City has grown to this extent. It seems he successfully awakened his bloodline after entering the Yin Ruins during this time. It’s a good thing the 'Prison Fire Underworld Spring' fell into his hands; Hua Mei still has a chance to obtain it."
Time quietly slipped away, and Spirit Masters emerged one or two at a time from within.
As soon as they appeared, they were surrounded by the crowd. Through their accounts, news about the Wood Spirit Master was confirmed again and again.
Where there's smoke, there's fire. Even those who initially didn't quite believe it now quietly shifted their views. If the first few were lying, surely not everyone emerging was lying!
Unbeknownst to them, the entrance to the illusory space grew increasingly noisy, and curiosity about the Wood Spirit Master’s identity intensified. Which sect or clan had cultivated such a little monster who managed, single-handedly, to intimidate all opponents and claim the "Prison Fire Underworld Spring" for himself?
"Buzz!"
Suddenly, the void at the entrance rippled once more. Sensing the movement there, everyone urgently fixed their gaze upon the spot. By now, every fluctuation at the entrance attracted numerous eyes.
In an instant, a flash of azure light appeared, and six figures emerged: one male and five females.
They were Nie Kong and the Hua Spirit tribespeople, including Hua Mei and Hua Tang. After leaving the "Dark Soul Hall," the six had rushed nonstop for more than a day before finally exiting the illusory space. Along the way, Nie Kong faintly sensed numerous figures trailing them—some Spirit Masters, some Spirit Beasts.
Although those Spirit Masters coveted the "Prison Fire Underworld Spring," they presumably hesitated to act due to the strength and methods Nie Kong displayed within the "Dark Soul Hall." As for the Spirit Beasts, they immediately launched fierce attacks upon appearing, but they were all dealt with by Nie Kong and Hua Tang and the others.
"It’s him! He’s out!"
"That man is the Wood Spirit Master! Look, the 'Prison Fire Underworld Spring' is still on his shoulder!"
"..."
As the azure glow enveloping Nie Kong and the others subsided, shouts erupted around them.
At that moment, almost every eye was fixed on Nie Kong. Nie Kong’s eyes swept quickly, noticing many somewhat familiar faces at the entrance, and he immediately understood what was happening.
"How dare you kill my tribesmen, pay with your life!"
Suddenly, a sinister voice pierced everyone's ears. Immediately following, a small figure appeared high above, cruising on the void, moving with ghost-like speed. In the blink of an eye, it crossed a hundred meters, closing to less than fifty meters from Nie Kong, its chilling killing intent pressing down, making one’s blood run cold.
"Whoosh!"
Without hesitation, Nie Kong’s figure shifted laterally about twenty meters.
Before stepping out of the exit, Nie Kong had already considered that such a situation might arise, and he had devised a countermeasure. After all, Nie Kong had killed many people inside. If their elders sought revenge, and he had made no preparations, wouldn't he die unjustly if Gu Changgong and Ming Tian were too slow to provide aid?
However, Nie Kong’s preparations seemed somewhat superfluous. The two Heavenly Spirit powerhouses from Spirit Imperial City reacted with extreme speed. Just as he was about to summon the "Spirit Sealing Tablet," a chubby figure shot into the sky, positioning itself in front of the thin, short figure...
At this moment, the crowd was not looking up to see who had intervened. They were all stunned by Nie Kong’s sudden maneuver just now.
"..."
"Body Merging with the Void? Did I see that correctly?"
"Although the distance covered in that single move wasn't very far, it was indeed 'Body Merging with the Void.' Tsk tsk, truly strange!"
"Isn't that something only attainable after one's cultivation breaks through to the Void Spirit realm? This fellow is clearly only a Spirit Command Master!"
"..."
They did not know that Nie Kong’s technique was extremely similar to the "Body Merging with the Void" exclusive to Spirit Masters above the Void Spirit realm, yet it was not truly the same thing. The reason Nie Kong took so long killing those eight Serpent Spirit tribesmen was that he had been practicing this very technique on them.
At the Void Spirit realm, one could manipulate the spiritual energy of heaven and earth with their Spirit Sense, causing the void to exhibit an effect akin to spatial compression. To outsiders, distances spanning tens or even over a hundred meters seemed to be crossed in a single step, making it look as if the person had dissolved into the void and instantly reappeared elsewhere. This technique sounds simple, but achieving it is incredibly difficult.
Void Spirit cultivation is merely the most basic prerequisite.
As for what Nie Kong actually executed just now, his 'Body Merging with the Void' did not create a spatial compression effect. Instead, it utilized the little creature's 'Pet Backpack' and a skill it comprehended upon advancing to the fifth rank to generate an effect resembling 'Body Merging with the Void.'
When Xiang Xiang awoke, she comprehended several skills: the fifth-rank same-body combat skill "Hundred Flowers Chaotic Dance," the fifth-rank same-body combat skill "Myriad Forms Gloom," the fifth-rank same-body combat skill "Life Barrier," the fifth-rank same-body combat skill "Instant Movement," and the fifth-rank auxiliary skill "Pure Heart Enlightenment." Among these skills, "Hundred Flowers Chaotic Dance" and "Myriad Forms Gloom" were the advanced forms of the fourth-rank skills "Floating Flower Overlapping Shadow" and "Purple Luo Illusion," respectively.
"Life Barrier" belongs to the Apothecary skills in the Demon Monster Game; it can instantly increase defense fourfold, but its duration is only a brief sixteen seconds, with a cooldown of five minutes. It remains to be seen what effect it will have on the Heavenly Spirit Continent. "Pure Heart Enlightenment" is also an Apothecary skill that can dispel negative effects like dizziness and weakness. It is somewhat similar to "Heavenly Return Codex," but as dispelling negative effects is only secondary to the Codex, it naturally cannot compare to a specialized skill like "Pure Heart Enlightenment."