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The Spirit Sovereign of the Underworld was the Spirit God of the Celestial Spirit Continent. Nie Kong gazed at that small white silhouette in the distance, his heart churning with a thousand emotions.
Thanks to the information revealed by Chi Lian, Zhan Xinzhi had traveled through the Nether Sea to the Ghost Domain, becoming a tool for Pan Hu to scout the way. It was precisely because of his existence that Pan Hu could remain aware of Great Evolution Spirit Sovereign's situation even after leaving the Nether Sea.
However, Pan Hu only utilized Zhan Xinzhi, unlike how he controlled Chi Lian. Presumably, Pan Hu himself never anticipated that the tool he manipulated would actually leverage Great Evolution Spirit Sovereign to extract his War Soul, instantly turning him into the second Spirit Sovereign of the Underworld!
"Damn it!" Great Evolution Spirit Sovereign let out a fierce shout, genuine anger finally evident in his tone. "Zhan Xinzhi, do you think because you’ve ascended to Spirit Sovereign, this Sovereign cannot deal with you?
I intended to grant you a path to survival, but you refuse to cherish it. Since you insist, then die for this Sovereign!" "Sea of Blood Refining Souls, Myriad Bones Killing Formation!" As these eight characters left his lips, heaven and earth trembled.
A dense crimson color once again engulfed and obliterated the area spanning a thousand meters around that distant bone mountain. The skeletons, one by one, seemed to suddenly become sentient beings, surging towards the sea of blood like a tide.
Sharp whistling sounds continuously erupted from within, resembling the wails of ghosts and howls of wolves. "Creak!" The bone mountain beneath him also stirred.
Nie Kong slipped to the foot of the mountain at the fastest possible speed. Immediately afterward, the surrounding skeletons began to move.
Whether complete frameworks or isolated bones, they all lunged forward like hungry wolves scenting blood. Fortunately, these skeletons did not attack Nie Kong, allowing him to calmly dodge continuously and clear a path for the skeletons following behind.
"Trying to kill this old man? Not so easy." Zhan Xinzhi roared with laughter.
After breaking through to Spirit Sovereign, his aged voice had become significantly younger, his tone sharp and unyielding. "With my battle intent as the source, I draw upon the Curse of the Netherworld—Cycle of the Netherworld!" When the final four words were uttered, the sound wave soared into the sky, transforming into an incredibly fierce, dark-red storm that churned wildly within the vast sea of blood.
"Whoosh! Whoosh..." Violent shrieks agitated the air for dozens of miles.
The storm continuously expanded, doubling in size instantly. Countless skeletons were pulverized within the storm.
However, the very next moment, the sea of blood surged violently, and waves dozens of meters high erupted toward the center with immense, crushing power. Although the storm remained ferocious, it began to contract.
"Earth Overturn!" "Heaven Collapse!" "God’s Punishment!" As these six words were unleashed, the sea of bones flipped over, the sky seemed to crumble, and the dark-red storm appeared imbued with infinite kinetic force, sweeping from right to left like a colossal, sharp cone. "Devour!" Great Evolution Spirit Sovereign’s voice turned shrill.
The sea of blood churned again, condensing back into that eye-shaped flower. In an instant, it collided with the dark-red storm.
With a resounding boom, the crimson and dark-red light intertwined into a single mass, where they could no longer be distinguished. "Hiss!
Hiss! Hiss..." The moment the crackling sounds erupted, this pale, bone-filled space seemed on the verge of collapse, accompanied by the harsh, tearing sound of ripping silk.
High above, pitch-black fissures were torn open by the violent force, instantly swallowing the tens of millions of skeletons that had been flung into the air. Nie Kong stared unblinkingly at the ball of red light in the distance; the oppressive force radiating from it nearly suffocated him.
"Exhilarating! Hahaha..." Amidst hearty laughter, a white silhouette shot out of the red glow like lightning, heading east.
"Great Evolution Spirit Sovereign, we are both injured. Let this battle end here!" "You come when you please, and flee when you wish?
Do you take this Sovereign for a clay statue?" Great Evolution Spirit Sovereign roared in fury. A streak of blood-red light pierced the void, fiercely pursuing the fleeing white figure, vanishing rapidly.
Faintly, a muffled groan seemed to carry from the distance. Then, Zhan Xinzhi’s slightly ethereal laughter drifted over.
"Great Evolution, following after me, soon there will be a third Spirit Sovereign, a fourth, a fifth..." Great Evolution Spirit Sovereign offered no reply, but the violently fluctuating sea of blood in the sky vividly displayed her rage. "If there were more Spirit Sovereigns, they could perhaps join forces against Great Evolution.
If she hadn't died by Pan Hu's hand, the Underworld could never again be Great Evolution’s sole domain." Nie Kong chuckled inwardly, and the red glow enveloping his body suddenly began to pull forward relentlessly. "Pan Hu is making his move!" A thought flashed through Nie Kong’s mind, and with almost no hesitation, his figure darted forward like a phantom.
The red glow in the distant sky gradually dissipated, and the fissures high above quietly sealed themselves. Heaven and earth returned to tranquility.
But Nie Kong knew clearly that after this calm, the sea of bones would tremble again. Moments later, thousands of meters had sped past beneath his feet.
As the red glow vanished, skeletons continuously fell from the sky, piling several meters high around the distant bone mountain. As the distance closed, the peak of the bone mountain became increasingly clear in Nie Kong's eyes.
Only then did he realize with a start that it was not a mountain of bones, but a palace constructed entirely of white bones. Another thousand meters passed quickly.
"Ah-ya-ya!" Suddenly, a long-unheard cry sounded in Nie Kong's mind. Xiang Xiang, that little creature, was dancing wildly inside his Spirit God Acupoint, utterly ecstatic.
Nie Kong was intimately familiar with the little fellow's specific cry. "Are there medicinal herbs ahead?" This place was nothing but white bones—where could medicinal herbs be?
Nie Kong felt a mixture of amusement and exasperation, but then he immediately felt resistance against his body, forcing him to halt his forward momentum abruptly. "Hoo!" The red glow around his body retracted into his right chest.
Simultaneously, a cloud of red mist burst out of his right chest, whistling forward. A thread-like voice slipped into Nie Kong's ear: "Nie Kong, stay put here.
Once I deal with Great Evolution Spirit Sovereign, I will leave this place with you." Nie Kong quickly nodded, watching the cloud of red mist vanish before him. A sense of relief washed over him.
He vaguely sensed that the majority of Pan Hu’s power had rushed out with that mist, leaving only a small portion within his right chest. Since Pan Hu commanded him to stay put, Nie Kong naturally did not obey blindly, and instead crept quietly forward.
He was only ten meters from the newly piled bone wall, which he easily scaled. Then, peering through the eye socket of a skull ahead, he looked out.
Countless skeletons were piled up ahead, forming a massive depression. The trumpet-shaped white bone palace Nie Kong had seen earlier sat at the center of this hollow.
At this moment, before the entrance of the White Bone Palace, a young and beautiful woman sat quietly in meditation, clad in red robes, though her cheeks appeared somewhat pale. "Great Evolution Spirit Sovereign!" The instant he saw her beautiful face, Nie Kong recognized her identity.
Back in the Yin Ruins, the wisp of divine thought from Great Evolution Spirit Sovereign had also taken human form, her appearance identical to the woman now seated before the palace entrance, although the aura was completely different. "I didn't expect my domain to be so lively today.
One escaped, and now another has arrived... no, two!" Watching the streak of red mist shoot towards her, Great Evolution Spirit Sovereign sat ramrod straight, utterly unmoved, a faint, mocking smile playing on her lips.
"She knows I'm here!" Nie Kong's spirit flickered, then he silently laughed at his own shock. Pan Hu wasn't masking his aura for him now, and he hadn't used any methods to conceal himself.
If she couldn't sense him under these circumstances, then she wouldn't be Great Evolution Spirit Sovereign. Soon, the red mist floated above the avenue paved with ribs.
"Speak, who are you? You even brought a mere Seventh-Tier little ant along—truly courting death." Great Evolution Spirit Sovereign’s lips curved slightly, but then an almost imperceptible surprise crossed her face.
"Wait, why do I find you somewhat familiar?" The red mist shifted, condensing into the form of a benevolent, kind-faced old man who floated down and asked with a sunny smile, "How did Zhan Xinzhi arrive here?" "The Nether Sea!" Great Evolution Spirit Sovereign nodded in sudden realization, offering a sweet smile. "I finally understand!
No wonder Zhan Xinzhi knew about the passage deep in the Nether Sea—it was you old nuisance causing trouble! It must have been difficult for you to find such a fine vessel and bring yourself here." "Indeed, this old man is Pan Hu." Pan Hu did not rush to action.
He smiled broadly, examining Great Evolution Spirit Sovereign, his tone overflowing with immense satisfaction. "Great Evolution, I am the dignified Clan Leader of the Pan Star Clan in the Supreme Sovereign Spirit Realm.
You dared to use Nether Beasts to scheme against me, yet you never imagined I possess secret arts to extract the origins of those Nether Beasts to investigate your foundations, ultimately using Zhan Xinzhi to enter this place and counter-scheme against you." Great Evolution's smile gradually turned cold as she narrowed her eyes at Pan Hu. "I miscalculated, it is true.
But you, an old thing without even a physical body, what can you do to me now that you’ve arrived here? You have only one end: to be completely devoured by me!" "Devour?" Pan Hu pointed his right index finger at Great Evolution Spirit Sovereign and roared with laughter.
"A truly stubborn woman. If you had the ability to devour this old man now, you would have done so already!
If it were before today, I couldn't guarantee it, but after your battle with Zhan Xinzhi, you are both wounded. Your current strength is at best the peak of Ninth-Tier.
My heart has the support of that little fellow's body behind me; killing you is as easy as turning my hand." Great Evolution Spirit Sovereign sneered, "Since that's the case, why don't you try it then." "No rush! No rush!" Pan Hu waved his hand, his smile abundant.
"Your power is still draining away. Only after the Beast Tide ends tomorrow morning and you absorb the flesh and blood of those Nether Beasts might your strength recover somewhat.
Although we cannot see the sky here, it definitely hasn't turned dark today. I have plenty of time to play with you." "This damned old man!" Hearing Pan Hu’s words, Nie Kong frowned slightly, cursing silently in his heart.
"Ah-ya-ya, ah-ya-ya..." The little fellow was still bouncing around in the Spirit God Acupoint, extremely agitated. If Nie Kong hadn't been restraining it, it would have surely slipped out on its own.
If the great battle between Pan Hu and Great Evolution Spirit Sovereign had already begun, Nie Kong wouldn't have minded letting the little one go find the herbs it had discovered. After all, when the two were locked in a life-or-death struggle, even if the little fellow was discovered, they wouldn't be distracted enough to interfere.
But now, the two were engaged in idle chatter, making any risk unacceptable. ...
: Second update arrived. The third update will be around 10:30 PM...
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