Having inherited the lineage of the Scarlet Star Clan, Nie Kong finally understood that the "Heart Drum Battle Sound" was, in fact, a unique spiritual technique of the Scarlet Star Clan. It served as both a method for tempering the physical body and a potent offensive tool. In the current War Clan, Nie Kong was the only one, besides Chi Lian, who possessed a comprehensive understanding of the complete eighty-one beats of the "Heart Drum Battle Sound," especially now that he held the actual spiritual scripture for it.

This "Heart Drum Battle Sound" was a crucial component of his scheme against Pan Hu. To prevent Pan Hu from detecting his intent, Nie Kong had not practiced it overtly. However, before reaching the Ghost Domain, he had already grasped this spiritual technique to an exquisite depth. Now, unleashing it felt effortless, profoundly familiar.

"Thump! Thump! Thump…"

In mere moments, the heart within the "Medicine King Incarnation" began to beat violently. Immediately following, a sound of agonizing, soul-tearing pain echoed from the concave valley!

"Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong…"

The drumbeats grew increasingly rapid, one following the other, until within seconds, they merged into a continuous torrent. That wave of fluctuation layered upon itself, surging through the Celestial Needles and flooding into the "Medicine King Incarnation." For an instant, the golden needles vibrated with concentric golden afterimages, and the heart of Pan Hu throbbed with ever-increasing intensity.

"Nie Kong, this old man will kill you!" Pan Hu roared hoarsely, but no matter how fiercely the mass of flame burned and churned, it could not break free from the surging sea of blood surrounding it.

Nie Kong seemed not to hear Pan Hu’s enraged bellow; his expression remained utterly unchanged as the "Heart Drum Battle Sound" continued to resonate, beat by beat, in his left chest. The influence on Pan Hu’s heart inside the "Medicine King Incarnation" intensified dramatically. In a flash, the sound of the strong, rapid heartbeat reverberated throughout the entire Bone Space.

"Dong!"

The moment the eighty-first beat of the "Heart Drum Battle Sound" struck, Pan Hu's heartbeat threatened to shatter heaven and earth. Cracks began to spiderweb across the "Medicine King Incarnation."

"Nine Suns Heart Devouring Art!"

With a mere flicker of Nie Kong's thought, wisps of golden light seeped out from the (Ming Stars) hidden within the Yaochi, Xinhai, and Yuming acupoints. In an instant, they reached the Incarnation.

"Hum!"

The golden needles trembled violently, and the right chest area of the "Medicine King Incarnation"—formed by the nine-needle cycle—erupted in dazzling golden radiance. Nie Kong narrowed his eyes slightly, and with a sharp motion, tapped his right middle finger against the shaft of the Celestial Needle. With a loud boom, the tips of the nine needles vibrated rapidly, sending countless fine golden threads piercing into Pan Hu’s heart.

"Nie Kong, this old man… Ah…"

Pan Hu seemed to experience a pain beyond endurance. Before his scream could fully dissipate, thin streams of blood-red aura began to leak incessantly from his heart, traveling upward along the Celestial Needles into Nie Kong’s arm, where they were then absorbed by Nie Kong’s own heart at the fastest possible rate.

Gradually, the slender Celestial Needles transformed from gold to a crimson hue, like blood. The heart within the "Medicine King Incarnation" began to shrink at a rate visible to the naked eye. In a mere four or five seconds, Pan Hu’s heart had diminished by nearly half its size, and this contraction showed no signs of stopping.

"Truly worthy of being the heart of a Star God; no wonder Great Evolution Spirit Venerable desired to devour it! However, the repulsive force generated when merging with Pan Hu's heart is also immensely powerful. If I hadn't cultivated the 'Scarlet Star Battle Body' to the Third Level a few days ago, I would likely be ground to dust right now!"

As the blood-red aura poured in, Nie Kong clearly felt the power contained within his own heart skyrocketing. If he were to use this heart to play the "Heart Drum Battle Sound," augmented by the "War God Star Seal," an Eighth-Tier Dark Spirit Master like Ye Dengwen would have no choice but to perish!

"Hum!"

Amidst the rising and falling hum of the golden needles, Pan Hu's heart shrank by nearly half again.

"Great Evolution… Ah, if you let this old man pass to kill that bastard, I will give you all the hearts here!" Pan Hu's voice was laced with supplication. "You don't need to worry about me breaking my word; after killing that bastard, my heart, unsupported by a body, will be yours to command."

"If this Venerable one allowed you to pass, you would undoubtedly attempt to forcibly possess that ant immediately. In doing so, your strength would not weaken but rather increase greatly. You have calculated well, but do you take this Venerable one for a three-year-old child? Pan Hu, stay put obediently!" The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable sneered repeatedly.

Her hatred for Pan Hu far surpassed that for Zhan Xinzi. Never mind that Pan Hu still harbored wicked intentions; even if what he said were true, she would never agree.

In her view, so what if Nie Kong managed to scheme his way into possessing that heart? Reaching the Eighth Tier would be a good outcome for him. Although her own cultivation had severely diminished, an Eighth-Tier Dark Spirit Master still possessed no ability to resist her. Moreover, what she sensed was the continuous draining of Pan Hu's heart, indicating that Nie Kong was not absorbing it but continually breaking it down.

Once Pan Hu's heart was gone, she could instantly devour the residual power of Pan Hu, restoring her strength to the peak of the Ninth Tier. At that point, she could still effortlessly slay Nie Kong, not only reclaiming the stolen "Glance Back Grass" but also capturing both the Medicine Spirit and the Water Spirit in one fell swoop.

"…"

Hearing the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable's words, Pan Hu fell silent. His flames lunged left and right, accompanied by incessant, mournful shrieks. After a moment, Pan Hu could no longer suppress himself, forcing down the pain, and lamented, "Great Evolution Spirit Venerable, my heart is almost gone. If you let me return, even if I succeed in possession, I will no longer be your match—you know this well. I only beg to kill that bastard!"

"Mmm, Pan Hu, what you say is not entirely wrong. But why should this Venerable one let you go? This Venerable one is still waiting to be the 'First Star Consort' to you, the Patriarch of the Pan Star Clan, heh heh heh heh…" The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable’s laughter was crisp, like pearls dropping onto a jade plate, her delight utterly unconcealed.

"Ah…"

Pan Hu let out a cry of utter despair.

"Hum!"

Nie Kong flicked his finger. Accompanied by the humming of the nine golden needles, the heart within the "Medicine King Incarnation"—now only the thickness of a little finger—dissolved into the final streak of blood-red aura, traveling up the Celestial Needles into Nie Kong’s body to be completely absorbed by his heart.

The moment the heart vanished completely, Pan Hu's wretched scream abruptly ceased. The mass of flame in the concave valley rapidly melted away, shrinking by half instantly.

"Heh heh…"

The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable let out a light laugh. The blood-sea surged, and the eye-shaped blood-colored flower reformed, instantly swallowing the remaining half of the flame. At that very moment, Nie Kong’s "Medicine King Incarnation" and the nine golden needles abruptly shattered and vanished without a trace.

"Run!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Nie Kong’s thought moved. Xiang Xiang and Qing Yue, who had clustered together, separated and entered the Ling Shen Acupoint and the Beast Token, respectively. The "Glance Back Grass" was tucked into the "Pet Backpack." As Qing You darted into the Soul Sealing Jade Bottle, the massive, two-meter-tall body of the "Ghostly Soul Eagle King" materialized alongside it.

A flash across Nie Kong's brow sent a dense plume of black energy directly into the "Ghostly Soul Eagle King's" head. In the next instant, the "Ghostly Soul Eagle King's" enormous wings flapped open with a whoosh, beating faster and faster. Compared to the Dark Soul Hall in the 'Prison Fire Ghost Spring' space, the now fully recovered "Ghostly Soul Eagle King" adapted to its body with even greater speed.

"Eh?"

The blood-sea rapidly receded like the tide, instantly merging back into the body of the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable standing at the entrance of the Bone Palace. A look of faint astonishment crossed her flower-like smiling face, which immediately twisted into one of shock. "How is this possible? The aura of that little ant, the Medicine Spirit, the Water Spirit, and this Venerable One's 'Glance Back Grass' have all vanished without a trace? Wait, there's a living Peak Ninth-Tier Nether Beast?"

A red shadow flickered, and the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable's body disappeared from the palace entrance, reappearing atop the bone wall outside the concave valley, gazing into the distance.

"Caw!"

Several thousand meters away, a giant black eagle suddenly soared into the sky and shot away into the distance like lightning.

"Flying Nether Beast!"

The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable’s face instantly darkened. Perched on the back of that flying Nether Beast was indeed a figure shrouded in black.

Seeing this, although the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable still could not sense Nie Kong's presence, she understood in her heart that the person on the black eagle was the one she sought. He had merely used some method to completely conceal his own aura.

As for the sudden appearance of the Peak Ninth-Tier flying Nether Beast, there was only one explanation: Nie Kong carried some magical artifact possessing an independent space. Her "Glance Back Grass" incarnation must also have been stored within that artifact.

This secret, Pan Hu probably didn't even know. Otherwise, given Pan Hu's treacherous cunning, even if he had attached his heart to Nie Kong, he would have maintained sufficient vigilance and placed countermeasures within Nie Kong, ensuring that the heart containing most of his strength wouldn't be completely wiped out.

An inexplicable surge of fury welled up in the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable's chest. This mere Seventh-Tier ant had manipulated both her and Pan Hu as though they were toys in the palm of his hand. Perhaps he had calculated that she would never let Pan Hu go, thus giving him the confidence to decompose Pan Hu's heart to escape her control, and then flee her pursuit using this Ninth-Tier peak Nether Beast!

"You court death!"

The two words slipped out coldly from her lips. Blood-red light surged around the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable. She clawed forward with both delicate, pale hands, tearing open a fissure in the void several feet long, stepping into it. An instant later, another rift appeared thousands of meters away in the void.

"Whoosh!"

The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable reappeared abruptly, grasping with both hands. As a new void rift opened, the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable plunged into it once more… Six times in succession, when the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable's blood-red silhouette flashed again, the distance between her and the black eagle had rapidly shrunk to just over a thousand meters.

"Nie Kong, do you truly believe you can escape this Venerable one relying on this flying Nether Beast? Surrender this Venerable One's incarnation and hand over the Medicine Spirit and Water Spirit, and perhaps this Venerable One will spare your life!" The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable's voice was like a chilling gust blowing from the Nine Hells.

"Hmm?"

Nie Kong subconsciously glanced back, seeing the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable a thousand meters away—her red robes billowing, her long hair flying wildly, her fair face etched with coldness sharper than a knife, looking like a descending god of slaughter.

Nie Kong had not anticipated that the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable’s pursuit speed would be this terrifying. Even before the Ghostly Soul Eagle King had flown a thousand meters, she was nearly upon them! Nie Kong’s heart involuntarily gave a lurch; he cursed inwardly. If he had known she still possessed such power after being severely injured by Pan Hu, he should have had the "Ghostly Soul Eagle King" fly in this direction to draw her attention while he escaped elsewhere!

It was a complete miscalculation!

…… : First update delivered. There will be another update today. ……