The Heart of Flame suddenly dimmed, and the massive blaze began to thrash wildly. The once calm sea surface churned into a violent maelstrom, waves crashing furiously.

"Nie Kong! I am irreconcilable with you!"

A world-shaking roar tore through the Heart of Flame. A fiery aura rapidly ascended, coalescing into the shape of Pan Hu. He stared menacingly toward the south, his eyes seemingly burning with endless killing intent. His former benevolent appearance was utterly gone. In the Ghost Realm, the Bone Space.

Matters had reached this point; regret was useless.

Nie Kong’s mind raced, but before he could devise a plan, he saw the Grand Profound Spirit Venerable brutally tear open a rift in the void with both hands and slip inside. The next second, she tore open the void again, emerging from the fissure, her distance from Nie Kong having shrunk from a thousand meters to just a hundred.

"Hiss!"

Nie Kong gasped, his heart filled with dread. He instantly understood: the method the Grand Profound Spirit Venerable had just used must have been this spatial tearing, otherwise, her speed couldn't have been so preposterous. One move had covered nearly a thousand meters. If she did that again, she would instantly be ahead of him.

"Nie Kong, stop this instant!" The Grand Profound Spirit Venerable's face was saturated with murderous intent, her beautiful eyes now blood-red, flashing with crimson light.

"Stop? Grand Profound Spirit Venerable, do you wish to join my harem as well?"

Nie Kong roared with laughter, though his heart was extremely anxious. He slapped the back of the 'Phantom Eagle King' heavily. "Phantom, faster! Faster! If I die, you won't live either!"

"Brother, this is already my fastest speed."

The Phantom Eagle King was utterly dejected. "Logically, even a peak ninth-tier Black Spirit Master couldn't catch up. Who knew that woman behind us would be so monstrous? Although she currently only possesses peak ninth-tier strength, when it comes to speed, a ninth-tier Black Spirit Master like Zhan Bai Song isn't fit to carry her shoes!"

"Facing imminent death, yet you still dare to be glib!" The Grand Profound Spirit Venerable’s tone was chillingly cold.

"..."

Nie Kong wasted no more breath on her, ceaselessly contemplating an escape strategy.

Immediately, Qing Yue’s voice echoed in Nie Kong’s mind: "Nie Kong, Grandma, both the Phantom and I possess strength equivalent to peak ninth-tier. Add yours, the Scarlet Star Battle Body, the God of War Star Seal, and that recent sound attack, the War Drum Resonance—we should be able to contend with her. And there's that little one, Qing You; if she goes berserk, even a typical ninth-tier Black Spirit Master might not be her match.

If the four of us join forces, even if we can't defeat the Grand Profound Spirit Venerable, self-preservation should be manageable. What do you think, Nie Kong?"

"No!"

Nie Kong’s thoughts raced, but ultimately, he shook his head.

As Qing Yue said, with him, Qing Yue, Qing You, and the Phantom Eagle King against the Grand Profound Spirit Venerable, preserving his life should not be an issue. However, defeating the Grand Profound Spirit Venerable seemed unlikely. A powerhouse like her, even if her physical body was destroyed, could easily allow her spiritual consciousness to escape.

Furthermore, the sea of blood she conjured during her fight with Pan Hu was something Nie Kong deeply feared. If he were trapped in it, even teaming up with Qing Yue and the others, escaping would not be easy. And this was only the first reason Nie Kong rejected Qing Yue's proposal.

The second was the 'Spirit Venerable Hall.'

The moment he fully absorbed Pan Hu’s heart earlier, a massive influx of consciousness flooded Nie Kong’s mind. Nie Kong knew this was Pan Hu’s memory. Under those circumstances, he hadn't had time to examine it closely, but information regarding the 'Spirit Venerable Hall' appeared with extreme frequency. Moreover, the term 'Spirit Venerable Hall' left a very deep impression on Nie Kong, making it hard for him not to know about it.

That 'Spirit Venerable Hall' was not a temple built by the various sects of the Netherworld to worship the Grand Profound Spirit Venerable. Instead, it was a colossal sect faction. This sect was founded by the Grand Profound Spirit Venerable, standing above the Netherworld Sect Alliance, possessing formidable strength. However, across the entire Netherworld, only a select few knew of the 'Spirit Venerable Hall's' existence.

The Grand Profound Spirit Venerable, as the founding ancestor of the Spirit Venerable Hall, certainly maintained contact with the ninth-tier experts there. When she fought Zhan Xinzi and Pan Hu, she didn't summon them because they couldn't participate in a battle of that magnitude. But if Nie Kong entangled her and she couldn't win quickly, she might immediately transmit word to the 'Spirit Venerable Hall.' By the time they arrived, Nie Kong would likely be caught like a turtle in a jar.

Therefore, this was what truly made Nie Kong wary.

What he needed to do now was not to engage the Grand Profound Spirit Venerable, but to escape this Bone Space and leave the Ghost Domain as quickly as possible. Even after getting out, he couldn't afford to stop, heading straight for the 'God Extinction Cave,' lest the Grand Profound Spirit Venerable and those from the 'Spirit Venerable Hall' pursue him.

"Then what do you suggest?" Qing Yue asked, frustrated.

Nie Kong slightly turned his head and glanced back. He noticed the distance between himself and the Grand Profound Spirit Venerable had narrowed to only seventy or eighty meters. Yet, strangely, the Grand Profound Spirit Venerable hadn't used that spatial tearing maneuver again. A small joy rose in his heart—it seemed her current strength prevented her from using that move indefinitely. That previous leap was likely the limit of her capacity. Otherwise, the Grand Profound Spirit Venerable would have already surged ahead, not allowing him and the Phantom Eagle King to continue fleeing!

"Grand Profound Spirit Venerable, take this staff strike from me!"

Nie Kong roared suddenly. The Nether Star within his body flashed violently, and a massive 'God of War Star Seal' shot out from his frame, spinning toward the Grand Profound Spirit Venerable behind him. Immediately after, the second and third seals appeared. In an instant, dazzling golden light filled the space spanning tens of meters around them.

Triple Overlap Seal!

"Poison!"

As the 'God of War Star Seals' overlapped and descended, the Grand Profound Spirit Venerable paused only slightly before her body became a streak of blood, piercing through the dense golden light. She let the 'God of War Star Seals' blast a large pit in the ground of bones, floating down lightly from the sky. The Grand Profound Spirit Venerable's speed was completely unaffected. She sneered mockingly, "God of War Star Seal? Nie Kong, is this your 'staff'?"

"Of course not."

The distance between them hadn't increased; instead, it had closed another ten meters. Nie Kong felt even more anxious, but he showed nothing on his face. He laughed loudly, "These three 'God of War Star Seals' are just the dessert before I swing my staff. My staff can bend and stretch! It can be large or small! Most miraculously, the prettier the female opponent it encounters, the stronger its battle intent becomes. Even someone as mighty as you, Spirit Venerable, can be killed by one strike, left utterly defeated and stripped bare. It is truly a divine artifact rarely seen in a millennium! Grand Profound Spirit Venerable, do you still wish to sample my staff now?"

"Oh? This Venerable must see it for herself!"

The Grand Profound Spirit Venerable sneered, "This Venerable has lived for over ten thousand years and has been a Spirit Venerable for several thousand. I have never possessed such a miraculous weapon. How can a mere ant like you, with only seventh-tier cultivation, obtain it? Hmph, let’s see how you make this Venerable lose her armor and be stripped bare?"

Nie Kong let out a strange cry, "Ah, Grand Profound Spirit Venerable, I truly apologize. If you wish to witness my divine artifact, you’ll probably have to wait until you join my harem. Once you join my harem, I can immediately let you taste the sensation of being defeated and stripped bare."

"Heh heh, Nie Kong, you are too wicked." Qing Yue squeezed out from Nie Kong's embrace, covering her small mouth and letting out strange giggles, "Goo, goo, goo."

"Brother, I truly admire you. When can I, your little brother, flirt with a Spirit God like that?" The 'Phantom Eagle King' twisted its neck, and its eagle eyes actually revealed a highly human-like fawning expression.

"Hmm?"

The Grand Profound Spirit Venerable’s delicate eyebrows furrowed. She finally understood what Nie Kong meant by 'divine artifact.' Instantly, her chest swelled with rage, her steps halted, and her beautiful face twitched slightly.

Although she had lived for over ten thousand years, almost all of that time was spent cultivating. She had never been exposed to certain things. As a result, it wasn't until Nie Kong uttered the word 'harem' that she belatedly grasped the meaning. If it were a woman like Mo Xinyue, she would have understood immediately.

Of course, this was also because of the Grand Profound Spirit Venerable's status; she was unquestionably supreme in the Netherworld, always aloof and above others. No one had ever dared to tease her with such vulgar and crude language, not even Pan Hu. She never imagined Nie Kong would possess such audacious nerve!

"Nie Kong, it has been a long time since this Venerable has been this enraged."

The Grand Profound Spirit Venerable’s eyes burned like blood-red torches. After taking a deep breath, her tone was level, but her voice was like the howling cold wind over ten-thousand-year-old ice peaks, imbued with a bone-chilling coldness. "When I capture you, I will certainly press you into the Blood Pool of the Bone Palace, making it impossible for you to live or die!"

"Haha, say that after you catch me!"

A hint of delight flickered in Nie Kong's heart. His flirtatious banter had finally worked, albeit only causing a slight pause. However, the Phantom Eagle King’s speed was astonishing, instantly increasing the distance between them from seventy or eighty meters to over a hundred.

But Nie Kong didn't rejoice for long. A dozen seconds later, the gap between them shrank back to within a hundred meters.

What frustrated Nie Kong the most was that, having learned from the previous lesson, no matter how he teased her, the Grand Profound Spirit Venerable didn't fall for it again. Thus, as the Phantom Eagle King fled and the Grand Profound Spirit Venerable pursued, the distance continued to shrink: eighty meters! Seventy meters! Sixty meters!

Fifty meters, forty meters...

Thirty meters...

"Whoosh!"

A fierce whooshing sound suddenly erupted from behind him, and the void above Nie Kong’s head was gradually covered in a bloody hue. Nie Kong glanced sideways and realized the Grand Profound Spirit Venerable’s figure had vanished behind him, replaced instead by a surging, turbulent sea of blood, waves churning and tides reaching the heavens.

Seeing the cresting waves, Nie Kong instantly recalled that blood-red, eye-shaped flower.

"Recalling Bloom! How could I forget it!"

A spark of inspiration flashed in Nie Kong's mind. He abruptly raised his hand and smacked the back of his head hard, letting out a shout that tore from his throat. "Grand Profound Spirit Venerable! If you keep pursuing relentlessly, don't blame me for devouring your 'Recalling Bloom' avatar right now!" As he spoke, a thread of Nie Kong's consciousness simultaneously transmitted to Xiang Xiang.

"Devour this Venerable's avatar? Heh heh heh heh, Nie Kong, are you joking, hmm?" The Grand Profound Spirit Venerable's cold laugh abruptly turned into a startled cry.