At that moment, Xiangxiang had already extended a tendril of green into the pet backpack, drawing a mere trace of medicinal essence from the Hui Mou Grass. While this small amount was negligible to the entire Hui Mou Grass plant, the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable, being intimately connected to it, immediately sensed the depletion.

The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable's spirit trembled slightly. As an anomaly who achieved the Spirit Venerable status through a medicinal herb body, she knew precisely how arduous the transition to a complete human form was. For this transformation, she had paid too high a price—so high that both Pan Hu and Zhan Xinzi could come knocking to provoke her.

However, what others did not know was that when she separated her main body and her avatar, she had only expended half her cultivation; the remaining half was being gradually transferred into the dormant Hui Mou Grass avatar. This very process caused the signs of her main body’s declining power.

Originally, after today, the flesh-and-blood framework of the Hui Mou Grass avatar would be fully consolidated. Not only would she cease transferring cultivation to the avatar, but she would actually start drawing the power back into her main body. At that point, her strength would gradually recover to its former realm.

Following that, it would take a maximum of two more years for her to completely sever the connection between her main body and the avatar without any lingering side effects, allowing her to become the first Grand Venerable of the Netherworld. Once accomplished, she could easily shatter the Netherworld's seal and ascend to the "Grand Venerable Spirit Realm," which was far more conducive to cultivation.

Her plan held no significant flaws, yet she never anticipated that Pan Hu could detect her continuous cultivation decline through the source power within the Nether Beasts of the Undersea, and choose to arrive precisely today, at her weakest point, to engage her in a great battle.

If that were all, it would be one thing, but what shocked her even more was that the seventh-tier Black Spirit Master Pan Hu brought—Nie Kong, by some unknown means—had managed to steal the Hui Mou Grass from the palace. That palace was protected by immense power; as long as she lived, not even Pan Hu could enter.

Yet, Nie Kong succeeded. It was only at the precise moment the Hui Mou Grass left the palace's perimeter that she sensed it!

The Hui Mou Grass was the key to her ascension to Grand Venerable; no accident could befall it. Otherwise, it was highly likely to result in a total collapse of her efforts.

Although she could forcibly sever the connection with the Hui Mou Grass right now—even if Nie Kong swallowed it, it would hardly affect her, and she could still recover her former cultivation later—doing so would leave an irreparable flaw in her soul, rendering the rank of Grand Venerable impossible for her entire life.

She had strived for countless years with the sole ambition of one day stepping onto the supreme plateau of the Grand Venerable realm. How could she accept such an outcome? Therefore, the moment she felt the medicinal essence of the Hui Mou Grass vanish, she knew Nie Kong indeed possessed the ability to devour her avatar. The towering sea of blood immediately receded, and her figure manifested once more.

"Nie Kong, do you have any idea what you are doing?" The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable's expression was as gloomy as deep water, a thinly veiled ferocity flashing across her beautiful cheeks.

"Of course, I do."

Knowing his threat had worked, Nie Kong was overjoyed and chuckled, "Great Evolution Spirit Venerable, that was merely a warning. If I wished, I could drain the entire medicinal essence of the Hui Mou Grass instantly. However, you don't need to worry too much. I deeply cherish all sorts of medicinal herbs, especially rare treasures like the Hui Mou Grass. If you weren't chasing me so relentlessly, I would nurture it with great care; how could I bear to devour it?"

"Oh?"

The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable’s eyes narrowed, dangerous red glints flickering in her pupils. Her jade-like hands suddenly tore open the void without the slightest warning.

"Xiangxiang, eat more!"

Nie Kong had been continuously monitoring the situation behind him. Seeing this, he transmitted another thought to the Purple Luo Illusory Spirit Fragrance. At that moment, the little creature's green essence had thoroughly enveloped the Hui Mou Grass. Receiving Nie Kong's mental command without hesitation, a huge mass of medicinal power was extracted.

"Ah!"

The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable let out an involuntary cry of distress. Already halfway through the rift in the void, she tumbled out, fury blazing across her face, looking as if she could tear Nie Kong to shreds. The medicinal power lost by the Hui Mou Grass this time was dozens of times greater than before, and the sensation was far more intense.

Nie Kong spoke gravely, "Great Evolution Spirit Venerable, that is the second time! If you make such a dangerous move again, don't blame me for not warning you..."

"Look! White mist! White mist!"

Qing Yue, perched on Nie Kong’s chest near the collar, suddenly shouted with excitement. Nie Kong looked up, and thousands of meters away, a blanket of hazy white fog immediately entered his sight.

Nie Kong rejoiced inwardly and quickly focused his attention. His two "reminders" had made the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable hesitant, preventing her from pursuing at full strength. She maintained the same distance between them. Nevertheless, Nie Kong dared not let down his guard in the slightest.

With the speed of the Phantom Eagle King, a distance of several thousand meters was crossed in an instant.

"Huh? What's going on? This is clearly the location where we entered, but Grandmother can't sense the vegetation inside the white mist anymore!"

Qing Yue pointed towards the black belt tied to a skeleton as a marker at the edge of the white mist, her heart filled with anxiety. When they first entered, she had specifically taken a reading; even without Pan Hu's aid, she could clearly sense the flora within. If she could do that, even if she couldn't break the white mist illusion, she could navigate unimpeded. But the current situation was far beyond her expectation.

Nie Kong frowned slightly, though he was not entirely surprised. He had already considered this possibility while being pursued by the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable. Had he not stolen the Hui Mou Grass and provoked her, he should have been able to leave according to the original plan. Unfortunately, plans never quite keep up with reality.

As his thoughts raced, Nie Kong glanced back. The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable remained motionless, yet Nie Kong knew that this change in the white mist was undoubtedly linked to her.

"Can't find the way out?"

Stopping about thirty meters from Nie Kong, a smile surfaced on the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable's somber, pretty face. "Nie Kong, this is an illusion technique originating from the Illusory Spirit Continent. It shifts every moment. Unless one of your souls surpasses mine, you absolutely cannot escape."

She paused, fixing her gaze on Nie Kong, and then smiled faintly, "You don't need to threaten this Venerable with the Hui Mou Grass. I hate being threatened more than anything in my life. You have already threatened me twice. If you dare threaten me a third time, this Venerable will break through to Grand Venerable be damned, and forcibly sever the connection with the avatar to slay you! Therefore, you had best put down the Hui Mou Grass, and this Venerable will let you go."

"Is that so?"

Nie Kong's frown suddenly smoothed out. "Great Evolution Spirit Venerable, you laid this illusion, and the Hui Mou Grass avatar was separated from your main body. If I hold the Hui Mou Grass, I can break through any illusionary technique you set up!" As he spoke, Nie Kong willed it, and with a flash of crimson light, the Hui Mou Grass appeared in his right palm.

"You..."

The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable’s expression shifted slightly, her pupils contracting sharply. Her gaze locked onto the Hui Mou Grass, and a thick aura of blood surged violently from her graceful figure, forming a pool of blood spanning a ten-meter radius, shrinking and expanding intermittently—a clear sign of her turbulent emotions.

Nie Kong let out a cold snort. Green essence instantly pierced through his palm, enveloping the Hui Mou Grass, and another burst of medicinal essence was drawn out by Xiangxiang.

"Mm!"

A low groan echoed from within the pool of blood.

"Go!"

Nie Kong roared, and the Phantom Eagle King flapped its massive wings violently, its huge body plunging like a meteor into the dense white mist. Instantly, the Hui Mou Grass exploded in a burst of blood-red luminescence, melting the white mist within a twenty-meter radius like snow, and the vegetation reappeared.

"I bet right!"

Both Nie Kong, Qing Yue, and the Phantom Eagle King sighed in relief. If the Hui Mou Grass had been ineffective, Nie Kong would have had to summon Xiangxiang. Although the little creature was only sixth-tier, its sensitivity to vegetation, especially medicinal herbs, was far greater than Qing Yue's.

Suddenly, Nie Kong’s heart moved. He glanced back swiftly, only to see the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable standing rooted to the spot, not continuing the pursuit. Puzzled, he couldn't help but test her, "Great Evolution Spirit Venerable, this is my third threat. If you have the guts, forcibly sever the connection between your main body and the avatar!"

The moment his voice fell, the white mist twenty meters behind him converged again.

"..."

The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable stared at the swirling fog, remaining silent. However, the bloody aura seeped from her body once more, fluctuating with increasing intensity. After a moment, it had formed a massive blood-red vortex at the edge of the white mist, flinging countless skeletons high into the air, grinding them to dust.

After a long pause, the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable finally exhaled slowly, her voice chilling, "Nie Kong, this Netherworld is my domain. We shall see how far you can flee!" The blood-red vortex grew larger and larger, engulfing her figure in the blink of an eye, and she spun madly back along the path they had taken...

..."Could it be that the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable cannot leave that bone-filled space?" After bursting through the white mist, the surrounding Ghost Domain was pitch black—it was the dead of night. Nie Kong noticed there was still no movement behind him and became suspicious.

"We're finally out!"

Qing Yue, curled up on Nie Kong's collar, waved her small hands in celebration, her face alight with an excited smile. Even Qing You emerged from the jade bottle, squeezing in with her.

The smile on Nie Kong’s face vanished in a flash.

However, even if the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable wasn't pursuing, this was no time for celebration! Mentally, the Hui Mou Grass returned to the pet backpack, and the Ling Xi Battle Robe on Nie Kong instantly changed from black to cyan. The collar extended upward, quickly obscuring Nie Kong's face, leaving only two eye slits visible. Then, Nie Kong rapidly searched through Pan Hu's memories.

"Go!"

Ten seconds later, a thought moved in Nie Kong's mind.

"Whoosh! Whoosh..."

The Phantom Eagle King’s eyes flashed crimson, and its massive wings flapped powerfully. The direction it headed was not toward the sealed exit, but northwest of the Ghost Domain...

...

The Ghost Domain Seal.

"Huh?"

Inside the tent, Zhan Tianlun let out a surprised gasp while holding the Golden Armor Jade Slip.

After learning Nie Kong’s situation from Zhan Baisong, Zhan Tianlun was startled. Seeing that Nie Kong’s spiritual imprint in the Golden Armor Jade Slip had not vanished, he was slightly relieved. He immediately rushed back here, continuously attempting to contact Nie Kong. But what frustrated him was that every message he sent to Nie Kong failed to go through, as if Nie Kong had vanished from the Ghost Domain and entered another independent space.

Finally, Zhan Baisong and the others concluded that Nie Kong had likely strayed into that bizarre and mysterious fog deep within the Ghost Domain.

"What's wrong?"

Zhan Yunqing, standing nearby, asked with confusion.

"My message went through..." Zhan Tianlun mumbled, unable to fully believe it. He had merely intended to try one last time before resting, yet his spiritual sense unexpectedly felt a sense of sudden clarity, meaning the Golden Armor Jade Slip had successfully relayed his message to Nie Kong’s location.

"What?"

Zhan Yunqing’s eyes snapped wide open, and he sprang up so forcefully that he nearly lifted the tent, ecstatic with joy, "It seems he got out of the fog! Hurry, check if he responded!"

"No."

"Then keep sending the message until he replies!"

"..."

...

: First update delivered, one more to go... ...