…… …… “This fifth peculiarity is the golden light surrounding you.” The old man said with a smile, “This should be the War Clan’s ‘War God Star Imprint.’ I’ve seen quite a few members of the War Clan in the millennia since I awoke, but this is the first time I’ve sensed the aura of that old friend.” As he finished speaking, a look of remembrance crossed the old man’s face. “Old friend?” Nie Kong was momentarily stunned.

A thought suddenly surfaced in his mind: the ‘War God Star Imprint’ he had obtained was chosen by a War Spirit with weak spirituality from the Listening God Platform below War God Mountain, and that giant was likely the master of the red-robed War Spirit. In that case, the ‘War God Star Imprint’ might originate from him.

Could he actually be good friends with this old man before him? If it was merely about cultivating spiritual techniques, how could his aura reside within him?

“I understand now…” A moment later, a thought flickered in Nie Kong’s heart, and he instantly recalled the golden auras that had merged into the nine Dark Stars within his body when he acquired the spiritual technique. “It seems you have figured it out.” The old man chuckled good-naturedly, “Since you possess the ‘War God Star Imprint,’ you are considered his direct disciple, and of course, I must see you.

However, this is only one reason I invited you here. What interests me more is, from where outside the Netherworld do you hail?” Nie Kong’s eyes twitched violently.

This old man actually knew he wasn't from the Netherworld! As expected, after a brief pause, the old man continued, “Ten thousand years ago, the ‘Grand Sovereign Spirit Realm’ underwent a massive upheaval, resulting in devastation for the beings below.

The Phantom Spirit Continent collapsed and split into three: one floating high in the sky, one remaining on the surface, and one sealed beneath the deep sea—which is the current Netherworld. Little fellow, since you are not from the Netherworld, are you from one of the former two continents?” Nie Kong smoothed his composure with the utmost speed.

He cultivated mutated Wood Spiritual Power, whereas the Black Spirit Masters here could only cultivate Death Qi. In light of this, wasn't it obvious whether he was a native of the Netherworld?

Now that the old man had seen through him, there was no need to conceal it further. However, what Nie Kong hadn't anticipated was that one of the three continents split from the Phantom Spirit Continent was actually suspended in the air.

With this thought, Nie Kong calmly stated, “Senior’s guess is correct. I hail from that continent that remained on the surface—the Heavenly Spirit Continent.” “Heavenly Spirit Continent…” The old man nodded slightly.

“That explains it. That continent was located in the west of the former Phantom Spirit Continent, and only there did the ‘Ancestral Heaven Divine Luo Tree’ exist.” As he spoke, a wistful look crossed the old man’s face.

“Back then, the eastern part of the Phantom Spirit Continent had the densest spiritual energy elements, followed by the central part, and then the west. I never expected the central part of the continent to have become this way…” “Isn't the current Netherworld quite good?” Sensing the dissatisfaction in the old man’s words, Nie Kong paid it no mind.

In Nie Kong’s view, the Netherworld was an excellent place for cultivation, especially for Black Spirit Masters. While the Heavenly Spirit Continent had a relatively even distribution of various spiritual energy elements, the concentration of any single element could never match the Netherworld’s, even by a long shot.

“Good?” Hearing Nie Kong describe the Netherworld with that word, the old man suddenly burst into roaring laughter. “Little fellow, do you even know what the Netherworld is?” Without waiting for Nie Kong to speak, the old man roared in anger, “This is a graveyard!

A Star God's graveyard! War God Mountain is the tomb of my old friend, and the Nether Sea is my tomb!” As he uttered the last words, the old man’s hair and beard bristled, his eyes flew wide open, filled with rage.

The beating of the heart behind him suddenly accelerated several times, the sounds of “thump,” “thump” echoing violently in the space, seemingly capable of piercing one’s eardrums. “This is… a graveyard?” Nie Kong was utterly dumbfounded.

The resentment the old man had suppressed for countless years seemed to have erupted entirely in those words. The sheer weight of it made Nie Kong feel breathless.

His words were too incredible, leaving Nie Kong’s face filled with disbelief. After a long pause, the rapid heartbeat gradually subsided, and the old man’s emotions seemed to calm down considerably: “Little fellow, not only are the Nether Sea and War God Mountain tombs, but every place in the Netherworld where sects can be established is also a tomb, burying the Star Gods who perished in the ‘Grand Sovereign Spirit Realm’ ten thousand years ago.” “Star Gods?

You mean Spirit Gods?” Nie Kong’s spirit was greatly shaken. According to the old man, weren't the people of the Netherworld all living in a graveyard?

And he and those Black Spirit Masters were cultivating right on top of these tombs, and the Death Qi used for cultivation was all derived from those very Star God corpses? Thinking of this, even Nie Kong couldn't help but feel a chill, but he was already inclined to believe the old man’s words seven or eight parts.

Although this place also contained various spiritual energy elements, the density of Death Qi far surpassed the rest; describing the Netherworld as a “graveyard” was quite fitting. “To call a Star God a Spirit God is not entirely wrong,” The old man let out a long sigh.

“To the people of the Phantom Spirit Continent ten thousand years ago, the ‘Grand Sovereign Spirit Realm’ was the final destination for Spirit Gods. However, within the ‘Grand Sovereign Spirit Realm’ there were also humans born and raised there, the most powerful of whom belonged to the three great Star Clans: the Crimson Star, the Immortal Star, and the Planetary Star.

Among these, the Planetary Star Clan was preeminent.” “The cultivation methods in the current Netherworld are inherited from the lineage of the Star Clans, but in the ‘Grand Sovereign Spirit Realm,’ the ‘Dark Stars’ were also called ‘Heavenly Stars.’ Cultivating through the Nine Great Heavenly Stars sequentially allowed one to achieve the rank of Star God upon breaking through the Ninth Star. These Star Gods are equivalent to Spirit Gods, yet the power of a Star God far surpasses that of a Spirit God.” “Despite the large number of Spirit Gods who came from the Phantom Spirit Continent, they dared not contend against the Star Gods.

Moreover, the locally born Spirit Gods of the ‘Grand Sovereign Spirit Realm’ were all dependent upon the three great Star Clans. For countless years, the ‘Grand Sovereign Spirit Realm’ had always been the dominion of the Star Gods.” “Yet, despite this, the three great Star Clans treated the incoming Spirit Gods with great kindness, never oppressing them, and even allocating vast, excellent territories for them to reside and cultivate.

Initially, those people were content. Alas, the greed in human hearts is endless.

They could restrain themselves when their power was insufficient, but once one among them broke through to the Spirit God level and became a Grand Sovereign, friction with the three great Star Clans became inevitable. Finally, ten thousand years ago, the three great Star Clans engaged in a great war with those foreign Spirit Gods.” “Originally, in my estimation, even if those Spirit Gods included Grand Sovereign experts, they were bound to lose.

They had one Grand Sovereign, while the Immortal Star and Planetary Star Clans among my three great Star Clans each had a Grand Sovereign. Victory should not have been difficult to achieve.” “However, the outcome was far beyond my expectations.

While the Star Gods of the Planetary Star and Crimson Star Clans were locked in fierce battle with those Spirit Gods, the Star God of the Immortal Star Clan, who was long overdue, finally appeared. But they did not offer aid; instead, they turned against us and attacked us fiercely.

The tide of the battle abruptly turned. The Star Gods of the Planetary Star and Crimson Star Clans fell one after another, and the Grand Sovereign of the Planetary Star Clan, fighting against two enemy Grand Sovereigns simultaneously, vanished without a trace.

I presume he was either killed in battle or sealed away, otherwise, this continent would not have been jointly sealed beneath the deep sea by those Spirit Gods.” Hearing the old man recount the events of the ‘Grand Sovereign Spirit Realm’ ten thousand years ago, Nie Kong, though he hadn't witnessed it, felt a sense of breathtaking intensity. A large number of Star Gods, Spirit Gods, and the three Grand Sovereigns above them were all involved.

One could easily imagine how fierce the battle must have been—otherwise, the Phantom Spirit Continent wouldn't have fractured. Before coming to the Netherworld, Nie Kong had heard the Wood Ancestor mention the changes that occurred ten thousand years ago, but compared to what he knew now, the Wood Ancestor’s account was overly brief and somewhat vague.

In contrast, the old man’s account was undoubtedly more accurate. It now appeared that Nie Kong’s previous speculation about the old man's identity was mistaken.

Calming his turbulent emotions, Nie Kong couldn't help but ask, “May I know if Senior is a Star God of the Planetary Star Clan or the Crimson Star Clan?” “My name is Pan Hu… I was the Clan Leader of the Planetary Star Clan in those years.” After a moment of silence, the old man sighed, “After the defeat back then, my physical body fell to this place, but a sliver of my spiritual thought fortunately escaped. After this continent was sealed, I fell into a deep slumber, only awakening four thousand years ago.

I labored for another thousand years before I managed to generate a spark of fire through this remaining heart using the Dark Spiritual Energy Element, nurturing it until this very day.” Speaking of this, Pan Hu looked at Nie Kong, a benevolent smile returning to his face: “That Star God beneath War God Mountain is Chi Lian, the Great Elder of the Crimson Star Clan. Among the three great Star Clans back then, he was known as the ‘War God,’ and his cultivation surpassed even mine.

Had the great war of ten thousand years ago not occurred, he would have become the third Grand Sovereign of the Star Clans, following the Planetary Star and Immortal Star Clans, within a century. What a pity…” Sighing regretfully, Pan Hu continued, “Nie Kong, your talent is astonishing, and you were fortunate enough to obtain the ‘War God Star Imprint’ created by my old friend, and to receive his divine power inheritance.

Given time, you will certainly cultivate to the realm of a Star God.” Nie Kong subconsciously nodded, then suddenly recalled the four words Pan Hu had spoken, and was startled: “Senior Pan Hu, the divine power inheritance you mentioned is…” Pan Hu chuckled wryly and pointed at Nie Kong’s body: “When you obtained the ‘War God Star Imprint,’ did a golden light merge into your Dark Stars?” “Yes,” Nie Kong asked curiously, “Is that the divine power?” “Precisely. With that divine power, your Dark Stars have been fundamentally transformed, turning into the ‘Nine Great Heavenly Stars’ cultivated by our Star Clan.” Saying this, a trace of doubt appeared in Pan Hu’s eyes.

“Logically, Chi Lian should have passed the ‘Crimson Star War Body’ on to you as well, as that is required to exert the greatest power of the ‘War God Star Imprint.’ But judging by your condition, it seems you have not cultivated the ‘Crimson Star War Body.’ Although Chi Lian awoke later than me, and his consciousness was very weak, he shouldn't have made such an error. That is rather strange.” Nie Kong gave a dry laugh: “When listening to the ‘Heart Drum Battle Sound’ in the War Clan, I did hear Great Elder Chi Lian’s summons, but I did not enter.” “What a pity, what a pity.” Pan Hu was momentarily stunned, then shook his head helplessly.

“Nie Kong, you missed out on a great fortune. If you had entered back then, you wouldn’t only have obtained the ‘War God Star Imprint,’ but also the ‘Crimson Star War Body’ and all other inheritances of the Crimson Star Clan.” …… ……RA