Two or three hours later, two figures appeared outside a dense forest. On the flat grassland, a circular area spanning over ten meters was conspicuously devoid of even a single blade of grass.

"It seems this is the place," one of the handsome middle-aged men said after taking in the scene for a moment.

He was Mo Yu of the Duntian Sect.

"Uncle Hua, have you found anything?"

Mo Yu glanced at the short, thin elder beside him. This man was named Luo Chen, a Ninth-Rank Peak expert from the Duntian Sect. Ever since the disappearance of Mo Tieliu's brand, Mo Yu had used the 'Golden Armor Jade Tablet' to contact Guiyu and Mingtu, who were clearing Nether Beasts in Area One. Since Guiyu and Mingtu were essentially two independent spaces, the 'Golden Armor Jade Tablet' was useless. However, if he could connect with Guiyu, the tablet would have its purpose. Mo Yu had specifically sought out Luo Chen because his sensory abilities had reached a terrifying level. It was thanks to Luo Chen’s presence that they could pinpoint this exact location.

"There are four faint residual auras here: one belongs to Tieliu, one to Nie Kong, and the other two are completely unfamiliar. They haven't appeared at all along the way, only suddenly revealing themselves here," Luo Chen frowned, walking about ten meters toward the dense woods in confusion. "Finally, Nie Kong headed this way, but those two auras vanished without a trace. Strange! Truly strange! Those two didn't leave with Nie Kong, so where did they go?"

"Is that so?"

Hearing Luo Chen's words, Mo Yu was equally perplexed. He quickly spoke, "Senior Brother Tieliu must have been killed here. Martial Uncle, perhaps we should check that direction again; maybe we can track down Nie Kong. This man must not be allowed to remain in the world."

"No need to go there," Luo Chen waved his hand. "His aura has broken off here. I don't know what method he used to conceal his presence."

Mo Yu was unwilling to concede. "Then we just let him go like this?"

Luo Chen replied, "As long as he isn't dead, there will be another chance later. What puzzles me is how those two appeared and how they vanished. Moreover, Martial Nephew Tieliu was a Ninth-Rank Black Spirit Master; killing him should have caused a massive commotion, yet judging by the situation here, it doesn't seem that way."

"..."

After deliberating for a long time without any breakthrough, the two reluctantly departed in another direction.

Half an hour after they vanished, two more figures arrived. They were the two Supreme Elders of the Zhan Clan: Zhan Yunqing and Zhan Baisong! Unfortunately, the residual auras here were already faint and had completely dissipated by this time. Glancing around, the two looked at the markings on the ground, their expressions growing increasingly grim.

Zhan Yunqing sighed. "Nie Kong seems to be in grave danger."

"If this Elder finds out who did this, I will ensure his corpse is ripped to shreds," Zhan Baisong declared, his brows furrowed and his hair standing on end, reaching the absolute peak of his fury.

Zhan Yunqing's face was gloomy. After a long silence, his eyes suddenly lit up. "Wait, that kid Tian Lun seemed to have exchanged a Golden Armor Jade Tablet with Nie Kong. Let's go check that out."

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"..."

As dusk settled, the setting sun sank below the horizon, casting radiant beams of afterglow obliquely across the sky, bathing the entire Ghost Domain in a faint, blood-red hue.

"No more road?"

After bursting out of another patch of dense forest, Nie Kong abruptly stopped. Before him lay a thick, white mist, stretching boundlessly to the left and right as far as the eye could see.

"The path is ahead."

The moment Pan Hu’s voice fell, a crimson light pierced through Nie Kong's right chest, instantly enveloping his body completely. "Keep moving forward! Nie Kong, you must remember, after passing through this white mist, you absolutely cannot speak, lest you alert that woman."

"Understood!"

Seeing Pan Hu's grave tone, Nie Kong nodded solemnly. Until the threat of the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable was resolved, Nie Kong and Pan Hu had to cooperate closely.

Taking a shallow breath, Nie Kong took a tentative step forward. Nie Kong had expected the visibility within the white mist to be blurry, but as his form merged into the fog, he was surprised to find his sight entirely unaffected. The trees, mountains, and forests within the mist were clearly visible; Nie Kong knew this must be due to the red glow covering his body. However, the sensation of moving inside the mist was distinct from being outside. At this moment, Nie Kong felt a constant, oppressive sensation, and he could even detect a faint scent of blood in the air.

About half an hour later, the discomfort suddenly vanished.

Walking with his head lowered, Nie Kong abruptly raised it, and his heart gave a jolt. He opened his lips, ready to cry out in astonishment. Fortunately, Nie Kong reacted quickly enough to swallow back the sound that had rushed to his throat, but the shock reflected in his eyes remained undiminished.

As far as his sight could reach, everything was a stark, uniform white. And what constituted that intense whiteness were endless skeletons of Nether Beasts. Skulls, rib cages, leg bones, vertebrae... complete skeletons, broken fragments... they were stacked layer upon layer, dense and numerous! This was an ocean formed entirely of skeletal remains! In this sea of bone, almost no other debris was visible. After staring dumbfounded for a moment, a chill involuntarily ran down Nie Kong's spine.

"It seems the corpses of the Nether Beasts killed during each clearing of the Ghost Domain have all been brought here by the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable," Nie Kong realized with dawning understanding, though a sliver of doubt surfaced in his heart. "I wonder what that woman intends to do by gathering the flesh and blood of the dead Nether Beasts?"

After some time, Nie Kong managed to calm his mind, glanced back at the dense white mist behind him, and continued moving forward. Under the effect of the red glow on his body, Nie Kong trod upon the surface of the without making the slightest sound, as if his body weighed almost nothing.

Some of those skeletons were as large as hills, others as fine as threads, and countless more were oddly shaped, offering Nie Kong an eye-opening spectacle. Initially, Nie Kong would marvel at them secretly, but after ten minutes or so, he grew numb to the sight...

Deep within the Sea of Bones.

Innumerable bones arched inwards from all directions, constructing a palace-like structure. The foundation was colossal, but it rapidly narrowed as it ascended, until the spire pierced the high heavens like a sharp sword. Viewed from a distance, the palace resembled a trumpet flower magnified countless times.

Ten miles east of the White Bone Palace, an exceptionally massive skull lay quietly in the bone sea, occupying an area of over ten square meters. Within its deep eye sockets, a figure sat motionless. This was Zhan Xinzi, the ancient ancestor of the Zhan Clan, who had long since entered the Ghost Domain from the Nether Sea and proceeded directly into its depths!

Zhan Xinzi suddenly opened his eyes, and with a flash of movement, his figure appeared outside the skull. "It is time!"

Turning to look west, Zhan Xinzi waved his wide sleeve, and he was already a hundred meters away. In the blink of an eye, the towering White Bone Tower was clearly visible ahead. The distance closed rapidly...

Soon, Zhan Xinzi stood outside the main hall. A broad avenue paved with ribs approximately ten meters long stretched straight before him. At the end of this path was the entrance to the White Bone Palace: two massive scapulae serving as closed doors.

Zhan Xinzi slowed his pace and proceeded deliberately. Gradually, his hazy features became clear. Apart from his snow-white beard and eyebrows, his countenance resembled that of a young man in his early twenties, with sharp, resolute facial contours. Currently, this face was filled with a grave expression.

"Zhan Xinzi..."

A sound like silver bells echoed through this world of white bone, followed immediately by the void before the palace doors tearing open without warning. A tall, graceful figure emerged slowly from the rift—a captivating young woman clad in a red robe.

"Great Evolution Spirit Venerable." As Zhan Xinzi looked at the woman's exquisitely perfect features, his pupils contracted slightly, and his steps involuntarily paused.

"Heh heh..." The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable chuckled delicately. "Zhan Xinzi, you've been hiding over there for days; did you think I didn't know? I haven't made a move to kill you simply because it wasn't easy for you to cultivate to this degree. Yet, you dare approach my hall? Do you think I truly can't bear to kill you?"

As she finished speaking, the Spirit Venerable's beautiful face darkened. Instantly, an overwhelming, murderous aura filled the white bone space. Cracking sounds resonated across the land, as if countless bones were roaring madly in unison.

Zhan Xinzi's expression showed no fluctuation; he merely lifted his eyelids to gaze at the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable opposite him, his aged voice flowing out. "My cultivation is infinitely close to the Spirit Venerable realm; I can take that final step at any moment. Even if I hadn't come today, I would still be unable to escape death when attempting to break through to the Spirit Venerable realm tomorrow. Rather than dying that way, I might as well fight the Spirit Venerable here; it would be a worthy end."

The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable curled her lips into a faint smile. "Below the Spirit Venerable, even the strongest Ninth-Rank Black Spirit Master is an ant! To fight me? Zhan Xinzi, do you possess that qualification?"

"Whether I qualify will be known after the battle!"

Zhan Xinzi took a sudden step forward, his slightly narrowed eyes instantly snapping wide open, and he roared, "With my battle intent as the source, I invoke the Curse of Senluo! Earth Overturn!"

The instant the last two syllables burst from Zhan Xinzi’s mouth, thunderous, explosion-like sounds reverberated through the sky. The space within several hundred meters beneath Zhan Xinzi's feet suddenly collapsed, and countless skeletal remains surged like monstrous waves, rolling from all directions toward the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable at the palace entrance. In that instant, it seemed the ground had flipped over, and the slender figure at the doorway was instantly submerged by the sea of bones.

"Curse of Senluo?" A clear, beautiful voice sounded. The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable let out a cold hiss, "Go!"

In the blink of an eye, the endless stream of skeletons inverted and rushed back. The collapsed ground rose again, and the figure of the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable quickly reappeared. Soon, the sea of bones regained its quiet, and the sharp White Bone Palace behind her remained completely undamaged.

"Heaven Flip!"

A vigorous voice erupted once more from Zhan Xinzi’s throat. Ferocious battle intent surged from within his body, instantly causing the bone sea to feel as if the end of the world had descended. The lofty vault of the sky immediately collapsed and pressed downward, transforming countless skeletons into a pile of fine dust.