Deep within the bone-white expanse. "Hoo!" Amidst a wild roar, a crimson storm swept from the distance, instantly descending before the gate of that bone palace, then rapidly contracting, revealing the figure of Great Evolution Spirit Venerable in a flash.
With a light step forward, she passed through the grand doors, appearing at the edge of the blood pool inside the hall.
Great Evolution Spirit narrowed her eyes, a ball of crimson light piercing through her brow and sinking into the pool.
In an instant, spectral images of Nether Beasts, blood-red in hue, rose from the water, struggling and roaring in the air.
In just a few seconds, the entire bone palace was filled with these spectral projections. "Hundred Soul Birth Gate, Transform Blood into Dao!" Accompanying Great Evolution Spirit Venerable's sharp cry, the Nether Beast phantoms merged at high speed, condensing in the blink of an eye into a sphere of blood two meters in diameter.
Immediately following, with a resounding "Boom," the blood sphere violently burst open, and a dazzling scarlet gate sprang forth from within, leading to a pitch-black rift in the void before the threshold. "Tss! Tss! Tss..." Threads of crimson light emanated from the slender fingertips of Great Evolution Spirit Venerable, intricately weaving together above the blood pool. "Go!" A sharp note burst from her lips as Great Evolution Spirit Venerable’s ten fingers trembled slightly.
The blood in the pool seemed to be drawn by an immense force, ceaselessly transforming into a blood-colored ribbon, about a meter wide, which shot like a silk banner through the gate of blood in the void, stretching toward the endless, dark fissure.
In less than a minute, the blood pool was completely drained.
Great Evolution Spirit Venerable lowered her delicate hands and let out a long sigh.
A faint flush of red involuntarily rose upon her alabaster cheeks...
The Center of the Netherworld.
Nestled among towering mountains, a vast lake lay situated—its center veiled in mist, ethereal and dreamlike.
Within this fog, extensive palatial structures were built, yet they seemed to float upon the water like duckweed.
The upturned eaves and soaring corners flickered in and out of sight amidst the vapor, "as if in an immortal realm, breathtakingly beautiful." At this moment, in an exquisitely crafted hall, the lights blazed brilliantly.
A woman in white, appearing to be around thirty, with a refined and beautiful countenance, sat cross-legged on a cushion.
Ten meters before her, upon a low table, a statue stood silently.
The statue depicted Great Evolution Spirit Venerable. "Crack!" The sculpture shuddered faintly, suddenly splitting into two halves—a blood gate manifested within.
The woman in white snapped her eyes open, perceiving a flash of red light before her.
A blood-colored ribbon, about a meter wide, surged out of the gate, reaching directly to her.
This ribbon seemed paved with fresh blood, continuously shimmering with rippling waves, appearing profoundly eerie. "Master?" Whispering these two words softly, the woman in white rose to her full height and stepped onto it in one stride.
The blood ribbon churned violently, enveloping her entire body before swiftly pulling her through the blood gate.
A moment later, the crimson color covering her receded like a tide.
Opening her eyes, she found herself submerged in the blood pool within the bone palace deep in the Ghost Domain.
At the edge of the pool, Great Evolution Spirit Venerable stood with her hands clasped behind her back—her flawless, perfect face clouded with shadow.
The woman in white quickly bowed: "Your servant greets the Master!" "Bai Lian, this Venerable has a task for you." Great Evolution Spirit Venerable spoke in a deep voice. "Please command, Master." Bai Lian was exceptionally respectful, her gaze fixed upon Great Evolution Spirit Venerable, revealing an unconcealed adoration.
Great Evolution Spirit Venerable waved her jade hand lightly, and blood-red energy seeped from her palm, instantly condensing before Bai Lian into the likeness of a young man. "This man is called Nie Kong!" Great Evolution Spirit Venerable's expression turned grim. "Send out every Rank Eight and Rank Nine Dark Spirit Master from the Spirit Venerable Hall—find him! Kill him! Furthermore, you will issue this Venerable’s Blood Divination Killing Edict to the entire Netherworld—whoever manages to kill or capture him alive will receive this Venerable's aid in breaking through to the Spirit Venerable realm." "Spirit Venerable?" A flash of astonishment crossed Bai Lian's eyes.
She truly couldn't imagine how that young man named Nie Kong had managed to provoke her Master into such a rage that she not only dispatched the experts of the Spirit Venerable Hall to hunt him down but also issued a 'Blood Killing Edict,' even offering a 'Spirit Venerable' slot as a reward! Great Evolution Spirit Venerable spoke coldly: "Bai Lian, there is no need to hide this from you.
Not long ago, this man stole this Venerable's Incarnation of the Regretful Glance Grass.
This Venerable had reservations then and was forced to let him leave.
Once you find him, you must, at all costs, retrieve this Venerable’s Incarnation." "Ah?" Bai Lian’s face shifted to horror.
A tidal wave of shock surged through her chest.
For Nie Kong to steal her Incarnation right under the Master's nose was almost unbelievable.
But coming from the Master’s mouth, it could not be false.
Just who was this Nie Kong? After a moment's thought, Bai Lian suddenly asked anxiously, "Master, what if..." "Worry not." Seemingly anticipating Bai Lian’s question, Great Evolution Spirit Venerable waved her hand and sneered, "In fifteen minutes, the connection between this Venerable and the Incarnation will be temporarily severed.
If you encounter him, even if he uses the Incarnation to threaten you, there is no need for hesitation.
That Incarnation is his protective charm; this Venerable suspects he would never truly dare to destroy it.
In three days, this Venerable will no longer be bound by this palace, and by then, this Venerable will intervene personally!" "Here is all of Nie Kong's information!" Great Evolution Spirit Venerable flicked her jade finger, and the figure of Nie Kong in the void condensed into a ball, directly integrating into Bai Lian’s brow. "Also, upon your return, immediately command the forces here to seal the two exits of the Ghost Domain.
As for the Nether Sea, you need not concern yourself.
If you can seal the access here, that is naturally best.
As for the Nether Sea, you need not concern yourself.
If you can seal the access here, that is naturally best." "Your servant understands!" After merely closing her eyes for a moment, Bai Lian had absorbed all the data contained within that energy mass.
Without further delay, she quickly turned and leaped back onto the blood ribbon, which still flowed with a faint gleam.
With a flash of crimson light, her body, once again enveloped, plunged into the blood gate and vanished...
The dark night offered no light; the mountain forest was utterly silent, save for the occasional roar of a Nether Beast.
Such an environment presented no obstacle to the "Phantom Eagle King." It continuously flapped its wings, flying like lightning toward the northwest.
Along the way, it encountered quite a few flying Nether Beasts, but upon seeing the "Phantom Eagle King," they all retreated, daring not to obstruct its path.
Nie Kong sat on the "Phantom Eagle King's" back, still closely monitoring the surroundings.
For Nie Kong, vigilance was paramount until he reached the 'God Extinguishing Cave.' "Tss!" A nearly inaudible light chime sounded again from his chest.
Nie Kong knew this was Zhan Tianlun contacting him through the 'Golden Armor Jade Piece.' Since leaving the bone-white space, the 'Golden Armor Jade Piece' had chimed at least a hundred times.
Nie Kong had ignored every one, yet Zhan Tianlun persisted, sending message after message.
Initially, Nie Kong planned to leave the Ghost Domain quietly after shaking off Pan Hu’s heart.
But after causing such a commotion in the bone-white space tonight, Great Evolution Spirit Venerable certainly would not allow him to keep her 'Regretful Glance Grass' Incarnation.
Leaving the Netherworld secretly was now impossible.
Nie Kong could imagine that his name would soon spread throughout the entire Netherworld.
If they learned he had provoked Great Evolution Spirit Venerable, what would Zhan Yunlan and Zhan Baisong think? However, even without him, due to Zhan Xinzi's matter, Great Evolution Spirit Venerable would not let the Zhan Clan off easily.
Fortunately, Zhan Xinzi had already become a Spirit Venerable, and other High-Tier Sects likely possessed figures comparable to him.
If they also broke through to the Spirit Venerable realm, they would not need to fear Great Evolution Spirit Venerable. "Look there, quickly." Qing Yue suddenly tugged at Nie Kong's robe.
Nie Kong quickly composed himself and looked up.
In the dim distance under the dark night sky, a dense column of black Qi shot up like a colossal jade pillar, reaching into the heavens.
Even from here, Nie Kong could sense the thick death energy emanating from the black column.
Compared to the bone-white space, however, it was significantly weaker. "We've finally arrived." A smile touched Nie Kong's lips.
In Pan Hu's memories, there were two passages in the Ghost Domain.
One was the seal—the safest, allowing entry and exit without encountering any danger.
The other was at the edge of the bone-white space, leading directly to the Nether Sea; it was created by Great Evolution Spirit Venerable specifically for the Nether Beasts.
For humans to pass through, one needed at least Rank Nine strength; Zhan Xinzi had come from there.
Besides those, there was actually a third passage, which Chi Lian had told Nie Kong about.
This passage had long existed, connecting to the Nether Source of a Mid-Tier Sect outside the 'Dark Spirit City' in the eastern part of the Netherworld—it was extremely secret.
However, it was exit-only, and very few knew of it.
Moreover, the passage was riddled with spatial rifts.
But for Nie Kong, this dangerous passage was precisely the safest.
Because his 'Crimson Star Battle Body' had reached the third level, as long as he didn't encounter the vast spatial tears like those present during the fierce battle between Great Evolution Spirit Venerable and Pan Hu, he would not be swallowed by the void fissures. "Hoo!" The wind whistled, and the "Phantom Eagle King" soon carried Nie Kong to its destination, descending to the ground.
The black Qi erupted from an oval-shaped opening.
Nie Kong focused his gaze and saw that the cave was utterly dark, bottomless, like a ravenous beast waiting to devour.
With a thought, a cloud of dark, ghostly energy floated out from the head of the "Phantom Eagle King." "Oh dear, Big Brother, let little brother stay a bit longer, Big Brother, Big Brother..." Fawning voices echoed from the soul of the "Phantom Eagle King," but as soon as the words were spoken, its soul was absorbed by the 'Purple Luo Illusionary Spirit Incense' Heart-Realm between Nie Kong's brows.
Immediately after, Nie Kong stored its body into his pet backpack.
Seeing this, Qing Yue and Qing You also sprang into action—one slipped back into the beast token, the other dove into the jade bottle.
Everything was prepared! "Tss!" Just then, another chime sounded from his chest.
Nie Kong frowned slightly, letting out a quiet, slightly guilty sigh: "Forget it.
They will find out about me soon anyway; hiding it is pointless now.
Let's ease their worries for a bit." He pulled out the 'Golden Armor Jade Piece' from his robes, and a dark gleam flashed between his brows as a wisp of consciousness pierced into it.
Inside a tent within the Ghost Domain seal, the space was crowded with figures.
Zhan Yunqing, the Rank Nine expert, along with young Zhan Clan disciples like Zhan Qingzhu and Zhan Zichuan, were all present.
Gazes fixed upon Zhan Tianlun, who sat on the ground, mixed with concern, anxiety, and worry...
The atmosphere inside the tent felt quite oppressive. "He's back! He's back!" A few seconds later, Zhan Tianlun’s face suddenly tightened, but then his face contorted like a bun as he shouted excitedly, smashing the ground repeatedly with his right fist, "Bang! Bang! Bang!"