Seeing the unusual commotion, Zhan Feihong paused for a moment before his face lit up with elation. Even Zhan Baisong and the others breathed a collective sigh of relief. Such violent fluctuations in Nether Energy could only mean one thing: Nie Kong had finally begun his breakthrough from the fifth tier to the sixth.

"Boom!"

At this moment, Nie Kong's mind was utterly clear, allowing him to perceive the surging, cracking sounds within his bones as if he were an outsider looking in.

Each explosion sounded like a bomb dropped into placid seawater, instantly stirring up monstrous waves that violently agitated the Death Qi within Nie Kong. The aftershocks from the previous disturbances hadn't even subsided before the next wave crashed in. Under this relentless stacking, the oscillation of the Death Qi intensified, and its overall power escalated maniacally.

In just two or three minutes, the increase in Death Qi intensity had reached its peak. At this instant, a sudden calm descended upon Nie Kong's body.

The final moment of the breakthrough from the fifth to the sixth tier had arrived!

Nie Kong seemed to wake from a dream, instantly snapping out of his detached state, his attention fiercely focused on the Nine Nether Stars within him. In his thoughts, the twinkling speed of eight of the stars began to slow, while the single star in his Yaochi Acupoint pulsed ever faster.

Rings of brilliant golden light rippled outward as the Nether Star flickered. The Death Qi acted like iron filings drawn by a powerful magnet, rushing swiftly toward that star in the Yaochi Acupoint. In the span of a single breath, Nie Kong's body was rendered almost hollow.

As the "War God Star Seal" circulated, the twinkling speed of that Nether Star continued to climb relentlessly. Initially, Nie Kong could still catch the brief interval between two flashes, but after another two or three minutes, that interval seemed to vanish entirely.

For a time, the Nether Star became like a small golden sun, embedded within Nie Kong’s Yaochi Acupoint. Its dazzling golden light entirely obscured the black core at its center, even illuminating Nie Kong's bones, muscles, and internal organs to a translucent sheen.

Another two or three minutes passed, and Nie Kong sensed that the twinkling frequency of that Nether Star had reached its absolute limit.

"Boom!"

Indeed... an instant later, the Nether Star first trembled, then, with a sound like a sudden thunderclap in a clear sky, billions of streaks of golden light erupted, instantly piercing through the Yaochi Acupoint, through the organs, muscles, bones, and skin... escaping through the thirty-six thousand pores on Nie Kong’s surface.

Simultaneously, the Death Qi that had been consumed by the Nether Star surged out like a breached dam. The process of consumption and release was akin to a trial by fire—the Death Qi entering and exiting was fundamentally different; its intensity had actually elevated an entire tier compared to before.

As the Death Qi poured forth, the golden light within the Nether Star in the Yaochi Acupoint began rapidly spreading from the edges toward the center. The black residue remaining in the star was visibly swallowed by the gold, shrinking by half in the blink of an eye...

...

The Heart of Flame.

Several beams of golden light suddenly pierced through the thick, crimson cocoon, shooting out and causing Zhan Baisong, Zhan Feihong, and the others nearby to instinctively squint.

"What is this..."

Staring at the dazzling golden sphere, Zhan Feihong's mouth fell open in astonishment.

The faces of those beside him could not help but show expressions of bewilderment. As high-ranking Nether Alchemists and Supreme Elders of the Zhan Clan, they had witnessed countless disciples advance from the fifth to the sixth tier, yet this spectacle before them was something they had never encountered.

"Could it be the effect of the 'War God Star Seal'?"

Zhan Baisong suddenly recalled the golden light that merged into Nie Kong's body when he obtained the spiritual technique, murmuring to himself. After the "War God Star Seal" was transcribed, he, along with the Clan Leader and the Elders, had studied this spiritual art in the 'War Heart Palace,' but they had made no headway.

"The 'War God Star Seal'?"

The others exchanged glances; it seemed that was the only possible explanation...

...

"Finally, the sixth tier!"

The immense sense of power accompanying the surging, abundant Death Qi within him brought a slight smile to Nie Kong's lips. The difference between the fifth and sixth tiers was indeed vast. If a fifth-tier Black Spirit Master was a small hill, a sixth-tier master was a towering mountain.

Standing atop a hill, one could only see the immediate surroundings; but standing at the summit of a mountain allowed one to look down upon the entire landscape. Now that the small hill had transformed into a mountain, Nie Kong's state of mind had undergone a tremendous shift, and his sensory capabilities had increased severalfold.

This was just one aspect. What delighted Nie Kong even more was that after all the Death Qi had returned, the Nether Star in his Yaochi Acupoint had transformed into pure gold.

Although he had only completed the first step of cultivating the "War God Star Seal," Nie Kong could clearly sense the astonishing power that would erupt if the Seal were unleashed. Purely in terms of attack intensity, the "War God Star Seal" should rank first among the spiritual arts he cultivated.

"Now that I have successfully broken through to the sixth tier and the Nether Star has transformed, the next task is to advance my main body's cultivation past the Ninth Grade of Spirit Control and enter the Void Spirit realm!"

A thought flashed, and Nie Kong took a light breath, calming his spirit once more.

Before pausing his cultivation to request Nether Pills from Zhan Feihong, Nie Kong had already sensed the invisible barrier in his Spirit God Acupoints. However, no matter how he cultivated these past few days, the barrier remained unyielding, showing no signs of shattering.

The breakthrough of a major realm was not like minor grade advancements where sufficient spiritual power ensured success. Advancing to a new realm required personal enlightenment. To move from Spirit Control to Void Spirit, one needed to comprehend the concept of "Body Merging with the Void."

Nie Kong was not unfamiliar with the technique of "Body Merging with the Void"; in fact, he was very familiar with it.

Back when he was in the 'Underworld Fire Deep Spring,' Nie Kong had used his Pet Pack in conjunction with the 'Instant Movement' skill that his little companion had mastered, achieving an effect similar to "Body Merging with the Void." Regarding how to comprehend this technique, Nie Kong had already considered the path clearly.

Now that his main body had reached the sixth tier, Nie Kong could fully transform his previous ideas into action. However, his next move was likely to arouse suspicion from Zhan Baisong and Zhan Feihong. Fortunately, Nie Kong now possessed a method to disguise his actions.

With a thought, a golden light flashed in the Yaochi Acupoint. The "War God Star Seal" detached itself from the shining star, pierced through the outer crimson cocoon, and hovered in the empty space above his head, flickering ceaselessly like a Nether Star. With every flicker, the Seal expanded slightly.

In less than half a minute, the "War God Star Seal" grew as large as a dustpan. It then twisted and transformed, instantly becoming a radiant replica of Nie Kong, its body gleaming with flowing golden light. Its features, face, build, and attire were indistinguishable from Nie Kong himself.

"Buzz!"

The void hummed and undulated as the golden Nie Kong rapidly descended, sinking into the crimson cocoon in a flash, merging with the Nie Kong inside. If the surrounding cocoon were removed, he would appear as if a layer of gold leaf was affixed to his skin, shimmering brightly.

The "War God Star Seal" had multiple methods of application; the one Nie Kong was utilizing now was just one of them—

"Spirit Seal!"

First, use the "War God Star Seal" to condense a spiritual body, and then merge the spiritual body with the physical body. From that point on, as long as the spiritual body remained intact, all of the physical body's aura would be masked, revealing only the aura of the spiritual body... This was the "Spirit Seal"!

Of course, the "Spirit Seal" could also offer protection. However, since Nie Kong had only cultivated one Nether Star, confusing the perception of high-tier Black Spirit Masters like Zhan Feihong and Zhan Baisong was its current limit; the protective function of the "Spirit Seal" could be disregarded for now.

"This should be safe now!"

With a thought, Nie Kong's brow twitched, and his spiritual sense rapidly expanded outward. Ever since listening to the 'Heart Drum Battle Sound' that day and unexpectedly glimpsing the realm of the Celestial Spirit, Nie Kong's spiritual sense had been rapidly improving, now reaching nearly the Ninth Grade of Void Spirit.

In just a few seconds, Nie Kong's spiritual sense had merged with the void...

As Nie Kong quietly contemplated "Body Merging with the Void," the six figures around the Heart of Flame stared blankly at the golden-glowing, fiery red cocoon, their eyes filled with astonishment, as if they were witnessing something profoundly shocking.

"This... what power is this?"

Zhan Baisong finally snapped back to reality, his brow furrowed deeply, murmuring under his breath.

The moment the golden Nether Star appeared, none of the six, including Zhan Baisong, paid it much attention. But an instant later, an extremely strange power emanated from the star.

Although that power was still extremely faint, the aura it displayed made them feel a deep, instinctual tremor—like mortals suddenly encountering a lofty deity. They had never experienced such a feeling, even when facing the Zhan Clan's ancestor, Zhan Xinzi, yet now they felt it emanating from Nie Kong’s Nether Star. How could this not shake their spirits?

They were all Eighth and Ninth Grade Black Spirit Masters, while Nie Kong was only at the sixth tier. To put it bluntly, in a real life-or-death struggle, they could snuff out the sixth-tier Black Spirit Master with a single finger. That inexplicable feeling should not have occurred.

"If that power grows stronger, facing him, we might not even have the thought of resisting!" As he spoke, Zhan Feihong couldn't help but vigorously rub his cheeks, loosening the somewhat stiff muscles.

"Judging by the situation just now, that lad Nie Kong must have executed the 'War God Star Seal.' I never expected this spiritual art to be so potent!" Zhan Baifeng nodded.

"It is said..."

Uttering those two words, Zhan Baisong seemed to sink into contemplation. After a long while, he slightly raised his head, looking at Zhan Baifeng, Zhan Feihong, and the others, and continued, "It is said that the 'War God Star Seal' originated from the ancient Spirit Gods. Now it seems that legend is true!"

In the Nether Lands, 'ancient' referred to the era of the Illusory Spirit Continent! Therefore, when Zhan Baisong uttered this, the surrounding figures were struck with shock.

After a pause, Zhan Baige mumbled somewhat woodenly, "The Ancient Gods of that time were equivalent to the current Spirit Venerables... Our Zhan Clan's 'First Gold Art' actually has such a profound origin. I wonder how our clan's founding ancestor obtained this 'War God Star Seal'?"

"..."

Silence descended upon the group. After a moment, Zhan Baisong suddenly cautioned, "This matter must be kept absolutely secret, not to be disclosed. When Nie Kong wakes, we must also instruct him that he must not easily use the 'War God Star Seal,' whether within the Zhan Clan or outside!"

Zhan Feihong and the others involuntarily nodded in agreement.

...

...