"The Heart-Devouring Sect, the Wind-Hunting Valley, and the Yin Soul Sect couldn't hold back already?" Listening to the murmuring sounds drifting from nearby, Nie Kong's brow furrowed slightly.

That very noon, the Heart-Devouring Sect, the Wind-Hunting Valley, and the Yin Soul Sect had sent word: their respective Sect Masters would soon be paying a visit. Ostensibly, it was to temper the younger generations of the four sects, arranging several "sparring matches" among the junior disciples. The Heart-Devouring Sect, Wind-Hunting Valley, and Yin Soul Sect were prepared to stake one of their own spirit veins as the prize. Naturally, Fubo Mountain would have to put up its own "Black Armor Vein."

The purpose behind these three sects coming forward and imposing this so-called "sparring match" upon Fubo Mountain was obvious to anyone who cared to look. Yet, Fubo Mountain was currently weak and had lost the protection of the Black God Sect; refusing such a "sparring session" was simply impossible.

By now, the matter had become a hot topic among the Fubo Mountain disciples. Only Nie Kong, who remained perpetually atop the summit, and those few Fourth-Tier Black Spirit Masters had remained unaware until now.

"This is proving to be rather troublesome."

Nie Kong's thoughts raced.

As a Spirit Master from the Heavenly Spirit Continent, Nie Kong held no true allegiance to Fubo Mountain. Even if this minor sect were seized and divided, it hardly provoked his indignation. However, once Fubo Mountain was gone, it would be difficult to find another stretch of several months as comfortably conducive to cultivation as the last.

Following the customs of the Underworld, if Fubo Mountain were annihilated, key figures like Miluo, Fenghu, and Yan Luo would undoubtedly be the first to perish. Next would be the disciples with potential. Only if the aggressors showed some strange mercy might those disciples without much future prospect be spared.

If Nie Kong were to rely on his talent and attempt to join the Heart-Devouring Sect or similar powers while remaining on the Fubo Mountain summit to cultivate, he would certainly be met with slaughter, not warm welcomes. If they knew of his "peerless innate genius," they might even categorize him as a target for elimination on par with Miluo and the others.

After all, who would believe that a Fubo Mountain disciple of such caliber truly intended to submit? If such a talented figure were to advance in cultivation later and seek vengeance for Fubo Mountain, wouldn't the Heart-Devouring Sect and the others find nowhere to run? In the history of the Underworld, such incidents were far from uncommon; the safest course of action was always total eradication.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

After a long pause, three dull bell tolls rang out in succession, echoing throughout Fubo Mountain.

Hearing this sound, the disciples of Fubo Mountain knew the Elders were summoning them. Though apprehension weighed heavily on their hearts, they could only steel themselves and hurry toward the Spirit Sovereign Hall on the mountainside from all directions. Above the summit's "Dead Spirit Cave," those few Fourth-Tier Black Spirit Masters who had only recently been cultivating emerged from their black pillars of light. After exchanging a look of confusion, they swiftly descended the mountain.

"It seems the Sect Masters of the Heart-Devouring Sect, Wind-Hunting Valley, and Yin Soul Sect have already arrived."

At the tail end of the crowd of young disciples, Nie Kong paced unhurriedly, his mind continuously churning. According to the established conventions of the Underworld, junior disciples for such contests should not exceed the age of twenty-five.

In this age bracket, Fubo Mountain truly had no disciple worth mentioning. Lin Jun and Yan Xiong possessed decent cultivation, both already Third-Tier Black Spirit Masters, but alas, their ages had long surpassed twenty-five, making them ineligible to participate this time. Barring a miracle, Fubo Mountain was destined to lose this confrontation. If the Heart-Devouring Sect, Wind-Hunting Valley, and Yin Soul Sect managed to win the "Black Armor Vein," it was feared that soon afterward, they would push their luck and present Fubo Mountain with even more outrageous demands.

However, even if things moved quickly, there were still perhaps two or three months before Fubo Mountain was truly backed into a corner. This meant Nie Kong could still cultivate peacefully for two or three more months.

"Cultivate elsewhere after two or three months?"

Nie Kong shook his head lightly. Doing so would require him to leave Fubo Mountain early to potentially evade the conflict between these minor sects. Moreover, finding a new base would consume a considerable amount of time, and even if he found one, whether he could secure a cultivation environment akin to the "Dead Spirit Cave" was an unknown factor. Such turmoil would waste precious time, making it extremely difficult to reach the Core Spirit realm within two years!

Roughly fifteen minutes later, Nie Kong finally arrived at the Spirit Sovereign Hall.

The wide clearing before the hall was already filled with dozens of figures. Aside from Miluo, Fenghu, and Yan Luo—the three Elders with the highest cultivation—the rest were all Fubo Mountain disciples. Along the surrounding paths, one could still occasionally see one or two figures rushing toward them.

At this moment, the three Elders—Miluo, Fenghu, and Yan Luo—wore stern expressions, their eyes tinged with anger, clearly deeply vexed by the aggressive visit from the Heart-Devouring Sect, Wind-Hunting Valley, and Yin Soul Sect. Nie Kong glanced briefly, then moved with the other young disciples to the rear of Miluo and the others, taking the very last spot.

Soon, all the Fubo Mountain disciples had gathered.

The mountain winds howled around them, and their robes flapped wildly, but the crowd was enveloped in profound silence. Not a sound escaped for a long moment, especially the younger disciples who had only joined a month prior; they were so tense they dared not even draw a deep breath, allowing a suffocating atmosphere to permeate the area.

"Hahaha, Elder Miluo, Elder Fenghu, Elder Yan Luo, long time no see..."

Suddenly, a burst of loud laughter echoed, the sound like a thunderclap vibrating near everyone's ears. For a moment, the lower-cultivation Fubo Mountain disciples turned pale. Immediately afterward, a figure clad entirely in blood-red floated gently up from the foot of the mountain, seemingly drifting on the wind. Beneath that crimson silhouette, figures could vaguely be seen moving quickly along the path, ascending toward the Spirit Sovereign Hall in tandem.

"Sky Floating Technique? Sixth Tier!"

Seeing the leisurely approach of the red figure, gasps erupted from the previously still crowd, followed by an even deeper, dead silence. The faces of many Fubo Mountain disciples grew even uglier, and unconcealed panic and dread appeared in numerous gazes.

" Gong Teng!"

Miluo uttered these two words in a low voice. He exchanged a look with Fenghu and Yan Luo beside him, their expressions betraying deep shock.

Nie Kong felt a surge of surprise at the sight. According to the information he had gathered, the highest cultivation among the four sects—Heart-Devouring Sect, Wind-Hunting Valley, Yin Soul Sect, and Fubo Mountain—was the Fifth-Tier Black Spirit Master. Yet, the man named Gong Teng descending below was clearly employing a skill only usable after breaking through to the Sixth Tier!

The "Sky Floating Technique" of the Underworld was entirely different from the "Air Control" of the Heavenly Spirit Continent. On the Heavenly Spirit Continent, only upon reaching the Heavenly Spirit realm could Spirit Masters move freely through the air—that was true "Air Control." The Underworld's "Sky Floating Technique," however, involved using one's own cultivation to manipulate the death energy suspended above the mountain range, lifting the body to achieve the effect of hovering in the void. This technique could generally only be performed within sect strongholds like Fubo Mountain; the conditions for its use did not exist in other regions.

Even so, the "Sky Floating Technique" distinctly demonstrated the might of a Sixth-Tier Black Spirit Master. Just as the Void Spirit and Spirit Control realms represented a massive gulf on the Heavenly Spirit Continent, so too was there a profound gap between the Sixth and Fifth Tiers in the Underworld.

For a Sixth-Tier Black Spirit Master to lead others up the mountain now sent an immensely oppressive message to the relatively weak Fubo Mountain disciples. After all, the highest-ranked Black Spirit Master in all of Fubo Mountain was only Fifth-Tier, and the Sect Master, Zhuo Yue, seemed to be absent! If the Heart-Devouring Sect, Wind-Hunting Valley, and Yin Soul Sect, possessing a Sixth-Tier Black Spirit Master, decided to attack, obliterating Fubo Mountain would be effortless.

"Fubo Mountain is truly out of luck; one of those three sects actually managed to break through to the Sixth Tier..."

Nie Kong's gaze swept quickly, and Gong Teng's appearance became clearer in his sight. He was a burly old man in red robes, his face thick with flesh. Though his eyebrows were frosty and his hair white, suggesting he was well over seventy, he exuded an undeniable air of robust ferocity.

Woven among the foliage, eleven other figures moved swiftly, like the wind. Including the floating Gong Teng, the Heart-Devouring Sect, Wind-Hunting Valley, and Yin Soul Sect had brought a total of fourteen individuals this time.

Within a few short minutes, these people arrived before the Spirit Sovereign Hall. Almost simultaneously, Gong Teng landed in front of them. Immediately, two figures emerged from behind him and positioned themselves on either side of Gong Teng. One was a man in his forties, appearing refined and debonair; the other was an older man with triangular eyes and a sinister cast to his features. Both men stood half a pace behind Gong Teng.

Yan Luo's shiny forehead showed a slight twitch of veins as he forced out a grim chuckle, "Three Elders, you've arrived quickly! It seems our Fubo Mountain's Black Armor Vein is quite the temptation!" His tone held no attempt to conceal his sarcasm.

"Elder Yan's tongue is as sharp as ever!"

The middle-aged man showed no offense, simply letting out a hearty laugh. His gaze swept past Yan Luo and Miluo, finally settling on Fenghu. "Elder Fenghu, ten years, and you haven't aged a day? Still well?"

"Not dead yet..." Fenghu squinted, letting those three syllables fall coldly from his lips.

"..."

Listening to this tense exchange of hostile pleasantries, Nie Kong finally understood their identities. The red-robed old man named Gong Teng was the Sect Master of the Heart-Devouring Sect. The middle-aged man was Ao Lang, the Sect Master of the Wind-Hunting Valley. And the last old man was Fu Cheng, the Sect Master of the Yin Soul Sect.

Among the nine people behind Gong Teng, Ao Lang, and Fu Cheng, the Heart-Devouring Sect, Wind-Hunting Valley, and Yin Soul Sect each had three representatives. The personnel configuration was identical: one older individual, and the remaining two being notably young—presumably the disciples brought for the "sparring" against Fubo Mountain.

Nie Kong discreetly probed with his senses. Excluding the three Sect Masters, the three older accompanying figures were likely all Fifth-Tier Black Spirit Masters. Among the six younger disciples, every single one had reached the Third-Tier standard. If the "sparring" truly commenced, one opponent from their side could sweep aside all of Fubo Mountain's disciples under twenty-five... This conclusion naturally excluded Nie Kong; he had never considered himself a Fubo Mountain disciple.

"They even revealed a trump card like a Sixth-Tier Black Spirit Master; what they want is certainly more than just one 'Black Armor Vein.' Fubo Mountain might not survive today's difficulties!" Nie Kong's brow tightened; he had already prepared for the worst.

"Three Elders, have you thoroughly considered our proposal?" After the brief pleasantries, Gong Teng's overbearing statement instantly made the atmosphere before the Spirit Sovereign Hall extraordinarily tense.

PS: Apologies, I am resuming updates. The pace won't be very fast until August, but don't worry, it won't be abandoned. ...