The chamber was utterly bare, save for a low stone table. Upon this table rested a bowl of clear water, and seated before it on a cushion was Zhan Yunlan, his voice issuing forth in a steady stream.

Opposite Zhan Yunlan sat a figure cloaked in white, listening intently. The silhouette was upright and tall, the face indistinct in the surrounding red glow, impossible to make out clearly. However, the Pluto Star centered on their brow shone with a brilliant light, much like a night star beneath the vast heavens.

This person was none other than the most senior "Ancestor" of the Zhan Clan!

Though he had rarely interfered in clan affairs over the years, Zhan Yunlan, as the Clan Leader, still made it a point to visit this chamber periodically to apprise the Ancestor of crucial clan matters, as a mark of respect, even though the old man seldom offered his opinion.

But just as Zhan Yunlan finished speaking and prepared to rise and depart, a withered voice suddenly echoed from the white silhouette across the room: “Since that young fellow shows such exceptional aptitude in alchemy, visiting the ‘Nether Sea Fire Source’ is absolutely necessary. When do they depart?”

“……”

Accustomed to speaking his thoughts aloud and then departing in silence, Zhan Yunlan was momentarily stunned into stillness by the Ancestor’s unexpected interjection.

Since Zhan Yunlan assumed leadership, this Ancestor had barely shown any concern for Zhan Clan affairs, except for the one night when he appeared only to utter a single word—"Kill"—upon sensing the probe of a Ninth-Tier powerhouse. Today marked only the second time he had engaged.

Fortunately, Zhan Yunlan quickly regained his composure and replied promptly, “This very afternoon.”

The aged voice inquired again, “How many are going?”

Zhan Yunlan respectfully stated, “Besides Nie Kong, along with Fei Hong, Bai Ge, Fei Xing, and Tian He, I have also requested two Grand Elders to accompany them.”

“Three Eighth-Tiers, three Ninth-Tiers… In previous years, that might have sufficed. But the current ‘Nether Sea Fire Source’ is not as simple as it once was…”

“……”

Zhan Yunlan was inwardly astonished. Did the Ancestor’s words imply that something had changed at the ‘Nether Sea Fire Source’?

On this point, Zhan Yunlan was genuinely unclear. Although the concentration of Nether power at the ‘Nether Sea Fire Source’ was extremely high, it was not a suitable place for the majority of Black Spirit Masters to cultivate. Especially the central region; even ordinary Ninth-Tier powerhouses found it difficult to approach, unless they were exceptionally skilled Nether Alchemists. Unless the goal was to harvest a fire seed there to nurture a Nether Alchemist, no sect, not even a Super-Tier one, paid much attention to such a locale.

“Very well. This old man shall take a trip to that ‘Nether Sea Fire Source’ himself!”

“Ah?”

This time, Zhan Yunlan could not suppress an outcry. The Ancestor, who hadn't left the mountain peak in two hundred years, was going to the ‘Nether Sea Fire Source’? That young fellow named Nie Kong was indeed vital to the Zhan Clan, but surely not important enough to warrant the Ancestor’s personal involvement?

“Ancestor, absolutely not! Under no circumstances should you!” Zhan Yunlan pleaded repeatedly.

“Say no more!”

Before Zhan Yunlan could argue further, the white silhouette across the room waved a dismissive hand. Seeing this, Zhan Yunlan had no choice but to swallow the words rising in his throat. He rose, somewhat dazed, and left the stone chamber. Even after stepping outside, the entire affair felt utterly unbelievable.

Inside the stone chamber, as soon as Zhan Yunlan’s figure vanished, the Ancestor’s indistinct face subtly shifted. After a long pause, the aged voice resonated through the space: “Being confined to this chamber for two centuries, it is time to stretch my legs… I wonder if that old hag has finally taken that last step. Now is a good chance to test the waters…”

The moment the words fell, the stone chamber was empty.

The next instant, the white silhouette flickered into existence a thousand meters above the mountain peak. A faint wisp of black energy seeped out from the shining Pluto Star on the brow, rising like a thin veil of smoke, yet refusing to dissipate, soaring straight toward the zenith. The white figure moved directly northward…

...

Ten thousand miles away, amidst ethereal clouds, peaks towered, and halls were faintly visible, resembling a celestial palace seemingly suspended in the sky.

This was the Ten Thousand Peaks Range, home to the Sky Concealing Sect.

“Odd?”

A soft exclamation suddenly broke the silence of this void. A black shadow shot up from a peak amid the clouds. The figure focused its gaze into the distance. The face, wrinkled like dried tangerine peel, held unconcealed astonishment, mumbling aloud, “That direction… could it be…”

“The Zhan Clan?”

These two words suddenly escaped the lips, and two sharp, piercing lights flashed in the old man’s murky eyes. His shock intensified. “The only one in the entire Zhan Clan with such cultivation is Zhan Xinzi… That old fellow has been a tortoise hiding in his shell for two hundred years; why would he dare show his face today, and so openly at that? Isn't he afraid that woman will notice?”

Saying this, the old man’s expression suddenly dimmed. “What a powerful old dog! He’s only half a step away from the ‘Spirit Venerable’… It seems Zhan Xinzi can no longer suppress his cultivation level. It’s inevitable that he’d be noticed… Rather than waiting to die…”

“Alas!”

The voice faded until only a sigh remained, drifting through the void...

...

In the southern region of the Nether Earth, across a vast expanse of white snow, a massive coil of black energy lingered, refusing to disperse.

“That Zhan Xinzi from the Zhan Clan is still not dead?”

Suddenly, the black energy thrashed violently, and a deep voice boomed from within. “I didn’t expect his cultivation to improve so rapidly over the years… I wonder how that old hag is doing now? Perhaps there’s a good show to watch, hehehehe…”

...

“…Zhan Xinzi? Heading north with such fanfare, and for what purpose?”

At the entrance of a magnificent palace, a richly dressed elder stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing toward the distant horizon, his brow furrowed slightly.

“North… to the north… what is there?”

Muttering for a while, the elder’s brow twitched suddenly. “Could it be the ‘Nether Sea Fire Source’? Although that place is saturated with Nether power, it’s unsuitable for general Black Spirit Masters to cultivate there. It shouldn’t be enough to draw a powerhouse like him… Does he have some ulterior motive in doing this? I must have someone observe the Zhan Clan’s movements…”

...

In a certain mysterious location within the central region of the Nether Earth.

A beautiful woman, appearing to be around thirty years old, abruptly awoke from her cultivation. Her lovely eyes opened, and two cold gazes fixed upon the distant void.

“Courting death!”

A faint, almost imperceptible cold smile touched the corner of her lips as the woman uttered these two syllables softly, before her eyelids closed once more…

...

Zhan Xinzi’s departure from the God of War Mountain, done openly without concealment as he soared north, caused a stir that alerted nearly every Super-Tier powerhouse in the Nether Earth. In an instant, countless streams of information flowed from every direction toward Ring Moon City at the base of the God of War Mountain.

Thus, within mere hours, the Zhan Clan, due to Zhan Xinzi’s actions, became the focus of intense scrutiny. Disciples from various sects stationed in Ring Moon City, having received orders from their elders, watched the Zhan Clan’s movements with wide-eyed attention.

In the afternoon, as the red sun sank, a contingent from the Zhan Clan finally descended the God of War Mountain, left Ring Moon City, and headed north. The moment this group appeared, the identities of all but one—a young man—were immediately recognized.

The four high-ranking Nether Alchemists of the Zhan Clan: Zhan Bai Ge, Zhan Fei Hong, Zhan Fei Xing, and Zhan Tian He; and the two Grand Elders of the Zhan Clan: Zhan Bai Song and Zhan Bai Feng. Among these six, three—Zhan Bai Ge, Zhan Bai Song, and Zhan Bai Feng—were Ninth-Tier Black Spirit Masters, with the remaining three being Eighth-Tier Black Spirit Masters.

With so many powerful Zhan Clan experts and masters moving simultaneously, especially with all four high-ranking Nether Alchemists dispatched, what exactly were they planning? And that young man, who appeared to be an adopted disciple, was actually participating in this expedition?

As Zhan Bai Song and the other six passed through the North Gate of Ring Moon City, messages flew in every direction. Such a significant event could not be taken lightly.

“Third Uncle, it seemed like a lot of people were watching us just now?”

Nie Kong couldn’t help but glance back, those subtle yet curious gazes still seeming to linger, making him feel deeply suspicious. Why was their departure from the God of War Mountain drawing such massive attention? It felt profoundly strange.

“Pay them no mind.”

Zhan Fei Hong couldn’t help but chuckle.

In the Nether Earth, it was an almost tacit, established rule for Super-Tier sects like the Zhan Clan and the Sky Concealing Sect to send disciples into each other’s territories to gather intelligence. As long as their own actions weren't too egregious, the other side would generally turn a blind eye and not worry too much.

Initially, when he noticed so many eyes fixed upon them, Zhan Fei Hong had been puzzled, but he quickly understood. Four high-ranking Nether Alchemists and two Grand Elders moving together—it was hard not to attract attention. Since that was the case, there was no need to conceal anything. Besides, the ‘Nether Sea Fire Source’ was hardly a secret location; there was no need to sneak around.

Zhan Bai Ge, Zhan Fei Xing, and Zhan Tian He all nodded in agreement. After testing Nie Kong that morning, they, like Zhan Fei Hong, treated him as a treasure and immediately approached Clan Leader Zhan Yunlan to finalize the departure time and personnel.

For them, undertaking the task of helping Nie Kong temper his fire seed at the ‘Nether Sea Fire Source’ was not something they worried about being disrupted by other sects, nor did it require any concealment. However, the two Grand Elders, Zhan Bai Song and Zhan Bai Feng, who had previously appeared on the ‘War Spirit Divine Listening Platform,’ wore perpetual frowns, seemingly troubled by something.

This was understandable. Zhan Yunlan had not informed everyone about Zhan Xinzi’s departure. Furthermore, the disturbances caused by Zhan Xinzi were only perceptible to Ninth-Tier powerhouses of similar strength or those significantly stronger; ordinary Ninth-Tier Black Spirit Masters would struggle to notice.

Zhan Bai Song and Zhan Bai Feng had sensed something vaguely, and with Zhan Yunlan’s subtle prior warning, they were not as optimistic as Zhan Bai Ge and the others. With the Ancestor himself roused, this journey to the ‘Nether Sea Fire Source’ might not be as simple as anticipated!