The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable sneered, gently waving her jade hand, and a sheet of milky white aura drifted out, soaring straight into the high heavens. In the blink of an eye, the dark, heavy sky had become clear once more.

Zhan Xinzi’s expression remained utterly calm: "God's Extermination!"

The instant those two syllables rang out, the world within a radius of dozens of meters instantly suffused with crimson, coalescing into a massive hurricane that swept toward the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable. The aura was terrifying to the extreme, seeming intent on destroying heaven and earth. This was the battle intent Zhan Xinzi had condensed within his Body over hundreds of years!

The Senluo Divine Curse consisted of four major incantations: Earth Overturn, Heaven Turn, God's Extermination, and Senluo Reincarnation! The third incantation, "God's Extermination," directly attacked the enemy’s mind and spirit using accumulated battle intent. The target had no choice but to endure it head-on—if one could not resist, there was only one outcome: spirit destroyed and soul vanished.

"Hmph!"

With a light snort, a ball of bloody light burst forth from the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable’s brow.

In a flash, the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable’s delicate figure seemed to transform into an endless sea of blood. The sky-filling crimson aura submerged this sea of bones, and a thick stench of gore permeated the entire void. Zhan Xinzi’s spear of battle intent dissipated rapidly in the blood pool at a speed visible to the naked eye. Several seconds later, the bloody light faded, and the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable’s beautiful figure reappeared.

The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable’s delicate eyebrows knitted almost imperceptibly. Her beautiful eyes glittered with icy red light, and her words carried the surging might of slaughter: "Zhan Xinzi, this Venerable has tolerated you out of pity for your arduous cultivation, yet you do not know when to advance or retreat. Do you truly wish to become another bleached skeleton here?"

"You don't want to kill this old man, but rather... you dare not!" Far from showing fear, Zhan Xinzi actually wore a faint smile.

"Dare not? Hahahaha..."

The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable laughed as if she had heard the greatest joke, her graceful body trembling with mirth.

Zhan Xinzi stared directly at the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable’s face: "My three attacks, and you have only neutralized them without striking back. This is not the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable I know. If it were your nature from days past, this old man likely wouldn't have even finished the first incantation of the Senluo Divine Curse before being reduced to dust!"

"Great Evolution Spirit Venerable, are you truly weakened to this extent? If so, this old man shall see how long your forbearance lasts!" As he spoke the last words, Zhan Xinzi’s eyes shone brilliantly with divine light. The intelligence he had initially received from Chi Lian was that the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable’s true body had fallen asleep. He had planned to investigate the situation in the Ghost Domain, immediately retreat, and then use the fastest route to break through to the Spirit Venerable realm. However, upon arriving here, he discovered things were amiss—the true body was not asleep, but her cultivation seemed to be declining. Zhan Xinzi immediately changed his plan.

"What a joke!"

The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable’s smile was as bright as a flower, but the blood-red glow in her eyes intensified. "Whether it is a joke, you must first test my Battle Soul Calamity Fire True Art!" Zhan Xinzi’s voice boomed like thunder. A colossal red shadow, dozens of meters high, rose from within his Body. The scorching red light shot straight to the heavens, and at the moment of its appearance, the layers of surrounding bones turned to ash...

The world fell deathly silent, without a single sound.

The layer of red light on his skin pulsed faintly now and then, guiding Nie Kong’s direction of travel.

Here, there was neither day nor night, and Nie Kong could not judge how long he had walked. Along this path, all he saw were bones, and more bones! This sea of bones seemed endless, and he wondered how many Nether Beasts had to die to form such a place.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, the red light covering his body generated a resistance.

Nie Kong immediately understood what Pan Hu was trying to convey and swiftly halted his steps.

The next moment, the resistance vanished, and a new force emerged from the red light, pulling him slightly toward the front left. Nie Kong turned his head, his gaze settling upon a bone mountain several hundred meters away.

"What is it?"

Nie Kong’s heart stirred, and he quickened his pace toward it.

The mountain was only dozens of meters high, and in just a minute or two, Nie Kong reached the summit. He lay prone on a gigantic Nether Beast femur, straining his eyes into the distance. His vision was still filled with ghastly white bones, but far off on the distant horizon, there was a trumpet-flower-shaped protrusion—it seemed to be another bone mountain.

"...must first test my Battle Soul Calamity Fire True Art!" A massive voice boomed from ahead, growing louder and louder, piercing metal and cracking stone, deafening him. When he clearly heard the final syllable, Nie Kong’s ears rang painfully, leaving him temporarily deaf.

"Battle Soul Calamity Fire True Art?"

The Zhan Clan's Second Golden Art! Hearing that familiar name, Nie Kong’s heart leaped violently, and a figure flashed reflexively through his mind: "Zhan Xinzi?"

Almost the instant this thought formed, an unusually huge, fiery red figure entered Nie Kong’s line of sight, its vast aura forcefully spreading outwards.

"Such powerful battle intent! Such a strong Battle Soul!"

Nie Kong marveled inwardly. Cultivating the Battle Soul Calamity Fire True Art would condense a powerful Battle Soul. The towering, mountain-like red figure in the distance was Zhan Xinzi’s Battle Soul. As that ball of intense red light pierced his eyeballs, even Nie Kong, stationed on this distant bone mountain, was inevitably affected by that Battle Soul. The Nether Force and blood in his body instantly began to boil, and battle intent surged within his chest. He had initially assumed Zhan Xinzi would become cannon fodder for Pan Hu to test the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable, but now, the situation seemed not so dire. Zhan Xinzi had cultivated the Zhan Clan’s Second Golden Art, the Battle Soul Calamity Fire True Art, to such a degree that perhaps he could escape with his life under the weakened Great Evolution Spirit Venerable.

If he could keep his life, and Pan Hu managed to resolve the threat of the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable, Zhan Xinzi becoming the second Spirit Venerable of the Nether Lands would be just around the corner.

"Kill!"

A fierce roar echoed in the distance.

Nie Kong focused his gaze and saw the Battle Soul spread its gigantic palm, bringing it down upon the trumpet-shaped bone mountain. Compared to the giant palm of the Battle Soul, that bone mountain looked like a small skiff floating in a heavy tide, liable to be capsized and shattered into fragments at any moment.

"Zhan Xinzi, your Senluo Divine Curse is useless, and your Battle Soul Calamity Fire True Art is equally useless." This female voice, almost devoid of emotion, rang out suddenly. Immediately afterward, a streak of bloody light pierced through the bone mountain, instantly penetrating the giant palm of the Battle Soul and spreading out overwhelmingly.

"Is that woman the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable?"

Nie Kong’s heart skipped a beat; he felt a touch of surprise. "Zhan Xinzi actually cultivates both the Senluo Divine Curse and the Battle Soul Calamity Fire True Art, two Golden Arts?" But after a brief thought, Nie Kong understood. The spiritual art chosen by the Battle Spirit Divine Altar was merely the most suitable; it didn't mean one could not cultivate other spiritual arts, just that the chosen one must be prioritized during cultivation.

Just then, the bloody light condensed into a massive flower shaped like an eye. In the center of the flower, countless layers of petals burst open, spewing forth streams of crimson aura. In less than a second, the giant Battle Soul was enveloped by it.

"Devour!"

The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable spoke with an icy tone. Zhan Xinzi’s Battle Soul struggled violently for a moment before being sucked into that flower.

Nie Kong’s heart twinged watching the scene. Could the powerful Battle Soul condensed by the Battle Soul Calamity Fire True Art be destroyed so easily? Losing his Battle Soul would severely damage Zhan Xinzi’s vitality; he must be in grave danger! In the next moment, he heard the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable sneer, "The Battle Soul Calamity Fire True Art is nothing more than this!"

However, despite his Battle Soul being devoured, Zhan Xinzi showed no regret. Instead, it was as if he had shed some kind of restraint—he let out a loud, unrestrained laugh: "Hahahaha, Great Evolution Spirit Venerable, thank you for fulfilling this old man’s wish."

"Hm?"

Faintly, a surprised gasp seemed to come from within the massive flower.

Nie Kong was utterly confused upon hearing Zhan Xinzi thank the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable. At that precise moment, Nie Kong suddenly sensed with sharp clarity a vast, fiery red aura vibrating out from the direction of the bone mountain, climbing steadily, its intensity multiplying several times in an instant.

The owner of that aura was Zhan Xinzi, whose Battle Soul had just been devoured!

"Whoosh!"

It was as if a twelfth-level hurricane swept across the world, centered on that bone mountain. A towering, fiery red wave rolled out in all directions like an overwhelming tide. Wherever it passed, vast swathes of bones were swept high into the air and ground into dust. Furthermore, as Zhan Xinzi’s aura continued to ascend, the waves of fiery red energy vibrating outward grew increasingly violent. Even the bone mountain where Nie Kong was situated groaned audibly, seemingly on the verge of collapse.

"What is Zhan Xinzi doing?"

Nie Kong narrowed his eyes, forcibly suppressing the tremor in his spirit.

His confusion was quickly answered. The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable’s voice echoed through heaven and earth: "Zhan Xinzi, you have the audacity to attempt breaking through to the Spirit Venerable realm in front of this Venerable?"

Her tone was still cold, but it involuntarily carried a trace of shock and anger.

"If this old man were not bold, why would I come here?"

Zhan Xinzi roared with laughter, his aura still skyrocketing. "I cultivated the Battle Soul Calamity Fire True Art precisely to use the Battle Soul to mask the comprehension power generated during my breakthrough to the Spirit Venerable realm, thereby avoiding your devouring. Over the years, my goal has been achieved. Once I extract the Battle Soul, I can immediately become a true Spirit Venerable. However, if I were to do it myself, my spirit would inevitably carry flaws, and my cultivation would stagnate even after achieving the Spirit Venerable realm. But with you acting, there is absolutely no need to worry about leaving regrets."

"Great Evolution Spirit Venerable, for you to voluntarily assist this old man in achieving the Spirit Venerable status, how could I possibly refuse?"

At this point, Zhan Xinzi’s terrifying, horrifying aura finally stopped rising. The surrounding fiery red waves suddenly converged and condensed toward the location of Zhan Xinzi, like a receding tide. Immediately afterward, the sky seemed to give birth to a brilliant, crimson sun.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, the red sun exploded.

It was as if tens of thousands of catties of explosives detonated simultaneously, sending billions of fiery red beams scattering in all directions.

In that instant, heaven and earth trembled, and the sea of bones churned.

Nie Kong’s vision was filled with red light, making it impossible to look directly. He squinted with difficulty, vaguely discerning a white shadow flickering in and out of existence within the explosive crimson radiance in the sky.

"Phoenix Nirvana, Rebirth from Ashes!"

For some unknown reason, these words suddenly flashed through Nie Kong's mind. Immediately afterward, he heard a wild, triumphant laugh reverberating across the sky: "Spirit Venerable! This old man is finally a Spirit Venerable..."