Hong Shou’s mind felt hazy; he wondered if his ears were playing tricks on him. He remained frozen, mouth agape, his eyes darting toward Zhuo Yue, only to find the latter equally stunned, clearly unprepared for this turn of events.

“Elder Hong…”

Qian Tianlun’s voice suddenly rose in pitch.

“Yes! Yes…”

Hong Shou snapped back to attention. Seeing Zhan Tianlun’s sharp gaze, he hurriedly agreed, though his heart churned with disbelief. Fubo Mountain, such a minor Low-tier Sect—what merits did it possess to warrant the War Clan stepping in on its behalf?

“Thank you, Elder Zhan…”

Zhuo Yue was beside himself with elation and overwhelming gratitude.

His recent breakthrough from the peak of the Fifth Order to the Sixth Order was not solely due to accumulated cultivation; it was also thanks to a ‘Nether Elixir’ bestowed by Zhan Tianlun. Zhuo Yue knew perfectly well that once the news of Zhan Tianlun’s appearance at Fubo Mountain spread, even the Black God Sect would no longer dare treat Fubo Mountain as a mere subordinate sect. Therefore, he had never dared to press for other requests—and promoting to a Mid-tier Sect was something he hadn't even dared to dream about.

Yet, this very thing he never contemplated was now on the verge of realization, thanks to a single sentence from Zhan Tianlun. In that moment, Mi Luo, Feng Hu, Yan Luo, and the others from Fubo Mountain were overcome with a mix of joy and shock, unable to contain their excitement.

In the Netherworld, all sects were organized into the Sect Alliance, led by the five Ultra-tier Sects, with matters usually handled by the eight High-tier Sects. If the War Clan proposed upgrading Fubo Mountain to a Mid-tier Sect during the Alliance Assembly, it would face virtually no resistance—who would dare offend the War Clan over such a minor issue?

Of course, to the Ultra-tier and High-tier Sects, this was trivial, but to Fubo Mountain, it was a matter determining the sect's fate.

Once promoted to a Mid-tier Sect, Fubo Mountain would stand on equal footing with the Black God Sect, thus gaining the protection of the Sect Alliance. Moreover, as a Mid-tier Sect, they could freely choose a High-tier Sect to be their Superior Sect. Should an Ultra-tier Sect take notice, it wasn't impossible for them to become a subordinate sect to an Ultra-tier Sect directly.

Although they would still not escape the destiny of being a ‘subordinate’ sect, the treatment and status would be vastly different from that of a mere Low-tier sect.

Advancement to a Mid-tier Sect was an absolute pipe dream for every Low-tier Sect in the Netherworld, yet for the vast majority, it remained an illusion. Many failed even after a century, or even several centuries, of strenuous effort.

But today, this event with its pitifully low probability had descended fortuitously upon Fubo Mountain.

Seeing the sheer ecstasy on the faces of the Fubo Mountain contingent, Gong Teng, Ao Lang, and Fu Cheng were so jealous their eyes practically burned red. Not long ago, Fubo Mountain was theirs to oppress, yet in the blink of an eye, it was about to become an entity their three sects had to look up to.

This feeling of the world being turned upside down filled the three Low-tier Sect Masters with envy and jealousy, alongside a creeping sense of dread. Should Fubo Mountain hold a grudge over today’s events, the future of the Soul-Devouring Sect, the Wind-Hunting Valley, and the Yin Spirit Sect would be highly uncertain.

“This is what you deserve…”

Zhan Tianlun waved a dismissive hand, his gaze shifting to Nie Kong. A trace of admiration flickered in his bell-like eyes. “This fellow is even more of a pleasant surprise than you let on. It was a wise move to offer such a uniquely brilliant youngster to our War Clan. If he had stayed at Fubo Mountain, reaching the Sixth Order would have been his limit…”

“The Elder speaks the truth…”

Zhuo Yue’s features betrayed undisguised joy.

This exchange between the two instantly illuminated the situation for Hong Shou, Gong Teng, and the others present.

Previously, they had assumed Zhan Tianlun was merely passing by Fubo Mountain, discovered Nie Kong, and decided to recruit him then and there. But the truth was that Zhuo Yue himself had gone to the War Clan to transfer his outstanding disciple to them!

How utterly shameless!

Hong Shou, Gong Teng, and the others cursed internally, yet the envy shimmering in their eyes betrayed their true feelings. If they could establish ties with the War Clan, let alone one exceptional disciple, they would happily transfer their entire sect members over. Sadly, the War Clan looked upon neither them nor their disciples with favor.

“Ahem…”

A clear, crisp cough suddenly cut through the air. Nie Kong looked up at Zhan Tianlun and smiled easily, “My good sir, if I were to join the War Clan, what would the treatment be like? Could I enter the Nether Source to cultivate immediately, just like when joining the Black God Sect?”

Zhan Tianlun seemed quite taken aback, unable to help but freeze for a moment. “Uh, young fellow, what did you just call me? Big Brother…”

“…”

Zhuo Yue, Mi Luo, and the others nearby were momentarily stunned speechless.

Once they recovered, they frantically signaled Nie Kong with their eyes, their hearts burning with anxiety. This youngster was too audacious—daring to ask such a question, and addressing Zhan Tianlun as ‘Big… Brother’! The War Clan was not the Black God Sect. If Zhan Tianlun took offense at his words, serious trouble would ensue.

Zhuo Yue and the other three had not discussed the matter of transferring Nie Kong with him. Transfers were commonplace in the Spiritual Master Registry; as long as both parties were willing, no one would comment much, especially a transfer from a Low-tier Sect to an Ultra-tier Sect like the War Clan—others would only feel intense jealousy and envy.

Thus, Zhuo Yue and the others felt there was no need for consultation; once Nie Kong successfully became a member of the War Clan, he would only be grateful to them.

But now, they were filled with regret. If they had known Nie Kong would be so impulsive, they should have explained things to him, at least advising him on what was permissible and what was forbidden, lest he offend an Elder of the War Clan.

It wasn’t just them. Hong Shou, upon hearing Nie Kong compare the Black God Sect to the War Clan, also felt a pang of unease, followed by intense loathing for Nie Kong. Despite the hatred, however, he dared not show the slightest hint of displeasure on his face.

Nie Kong, seemingly oblivious to the frantic looks from Zhuo Yue’s group, merely smiled. “Indeed, you look to be only about a decade older than me. Calling you ‘Big Brother’ is perfectly normal…”

“Hmph,” Zhan Tianlun grunted, his expression suddenly turning sharp.

Seeing this, Zhuo Yue and the others held their breath, too terrified to exhale. However, Nie Kong’s expression remained utterly composed, his lips curved in a faint smile as he met Zhan Tianlun’s gaze calmly. For Nie Kong, joining the War Clan was purely for the sake of cultivation. Since the War Clan was willing to accept his transfer, they must have their own motives; this was simply a transaction between two parties.

Given that understanding, Nie Kong felt no need to be grateful, fearful, ingratiating, flattering, or timid when facing Zhan Tianlun. Without these extraneous emotions clouding his mind, he stood naturally and openly.

“Good!” Zhan Tianlun suddenly clapped his hands sharply and roared with laughter. “Since you call me… ah, I mean, I am your elder brother, then from this moment forward, I am your big brother!”

His words were delivered with decisive ease, yet they shocked the surrounding onlookers so much that their eyeballs nearly popped out. This War Clan Elder, Zhan Tianlun, not only disregarded Nie Kong’s perceived disrespect but actually accepted the role of his elder brother?

At that moment, a thousand complex emotions swirled in the hearts of Zhuo Yue, Hong Shou, and the others.

Zhan Tianlun might describe himself as an unknown junior within the War Clan, but the fact that he was an Elder proved his strength was unquestionable. If the news spread that Nie Kong was his sworn brother, even if Nie Kong only possessed the cultivation of a peak Third Order spiritualist, very few in the entire Netherworld would dare provoke him.

After all, provoking Nie Kong would be tantamount to provoking his elder brother, Zhan Tianlun, and provoking Zhan Tianlun meant provoking the entire War Clan. Of course, this assumed Zhan Tianlun truly considered him a brother.

Zhan Tianlun paid no mind to the stares around him and stated, “Young brother Nie Kong, our War Clan is different from other sects. Upon joining, you cannot immediately enter the Nether Source to cultivate. The War Clan’s Nether Source is only open to Black Spirit Masters of the Sixth Order and above; even I only qualified after breaking through to the Sixth Order. However, even without access to the ‘Nether Source,’ the cultivation grounds available to us in the War Clan are in no way inferior to those of the Black God Sect, the Nether Source…”

He paused slightly, then chuckled, “Brother Nie Kong, are you still willing to come to the War Clan now?”

“If even the training areas outside the Nether Source are not inferior to the Black God Sect’s, I truly find no reason to refuse,” Nie Kong replied with an easy smile, though a hint of confusion followed. “Elder Brother Zhan, could you tell me what kind of sect the War Clan is?”

Although he had been a disciple of Fubo Mountain for a month, Nie Kong had spent nearly all that time cultivating in the ‘Death Spirit Cave’ atop Fubo Mountain, never interacting with other disciples. To this day, his knowledge of the Netherworld sects was meager, gleaned only from a boy named Huo Yan in Shuiyun Town previously.

Currently, he knew nothing about the War Clan. However, Nie Kong was certain of one thing: the War Clan must be an incredibly powerful organization, otherwise, an Elder of the Black God Sect like Hong Shou would not have been so terrified of Zhan Tianlun.

“What…”

Even someone like Zhan Tianlun was momentarily dumbstruck by Nie Kong’s question, his round eyes blinking several times as he scrutinized Nie Kong from head to toe as if examining a strange creature.

Zhuo Yue and the others exchanged glances, their gazes instantly settling on Yan Luo. Yan Luo was equally astonished; he had never imagined that the disciple he recruited in Shuiyun Town could be so utterly ignorant.

If he had never even heard of the War Clan, then his previous impetuous address to Zhan Tianlun as ‘Big Brother’ was perhaps understandable. But if he had known the War Clan’s true might beforehand, would he still have dared to ask Zhan Tianlun to treat him as a brother? Such matters were unpredictable.

After a long pause, Zhan Tianlun finally collected himself, his eyes blinking twice as he stared into Nie Kong’s face. Yet, Nie Kong’s expression remained guileless, seemingly unaware of his gaffe. Finally, Zhan Tianlun could only manage a wry laugh. “Young brother Nie Kong, you, you… Zhuo Yue, come here. Explain to my brother what kind of sect the War Clan is.”

“Yes!” Zhuo Yue moved forward immediately, as if receiving a sacred decree…