A collective sigh of relief filled the tent, the atmosphere instantly relaxing.

Zhan Yunqing’s eyes brightened with joy. "Tianlun, quickly! Find out where Nie Kong is. I will rush over immediately to bring him back."

"Yes!"

Zhan Tianlun was practically beaming, but he forced himself to suppress his excitement, centering his mind. A moment later, he looked up, his face etched with disbelief. "The message still won't go through."

"..."

Everyone stared, exchanging stunned glances.

It was precisely at this moment that across all the sects of the Underworld, the statues of the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable, enshrined in the Spirit Venerable Halls, suddenly erupted in brilliant, dazzling crimson light.

Duntian Sect.

Within a pavilion, a dignified and beautiful middle-aged woman was wielding her brush, splashing ink onto parchment. Though her eyes were closed, peak after peak spilled forth from the tip of her brush onto the pure white paper—some majestic and grand, others jagged and treacherous, still others exquisitely beautiful... The overwhelming spiritual energy seemed to leap right off the page.

She was Mo Zhaoyi, the Sect Master of the Duntian Sect, and what she was painting was the Ten Thousand Peaks Mountain Range where her sect was situated.

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Mo Zhaoyi gasped, her eyes snapping open. In the next instant, she vanished from the pavilion and reappeared in the Spirit Venerable Hall.

The crimson light emanating from the statue now illuminated the entire hall brilliantly.

As if sensing an intrusion, the red light rippled like water, and in a flash, a massive character, the word "KILL," materialized before the statue, crimson as fresh blood.

"The Blood Kill Edict?"

A look of unconcealed shock crossed Mo Zhaoyi’s fair features. Instinctively, she beckoned, and the character "KILL" floated into her palm.

A dark glimmer flashed between her eyebrows as a strand of spiritual thought rapidly merged with the character.

"Nie Kong? Such a familiar name."

A faint trace of surprise first touched Mo Zhaoyi’s face, but that surprise was instantly replaced by utter astonishment. "Seventh-Rank Black Spirit Master, a disciple of the Zhan Clan... possesses a flying Nether Beast of Ninth-Rank peak... carrying an independent space, a Medicine Spirit, and a Water Spirit... has stolen the Spirit Venerable's 'Glancing Back Grass' avatar... if he can be killed or captured alive, the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable will assist in his breakthrough to the Spirit Venerable realm? This Nie Kong has incredible audacity!"

...

Plum Feather Sword Sect.

"Nie Kong, Nie Kong..."

In the Spirit Venerable Hall, an elder nearing seventy, with white hair and beard, murmured the name repeatedly. Suddenly, his expression shifted. "I remember now. This Zhan Clan disciple named Nie Kong—isn't he the young one that Zhan Baisong and the others escorted to the Nether Sea back then?"

"This Nie Kong dares to steal the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable's 'Glancing Back Grass' avatar? Even that old fellow Zhan Xinzi probably wouldn't dare attempt such a thing!"

"And an independent space, a Medicine Spirit, and a Water Spirit... I truly wonder where this kid got all these treasures?"

"If I could capture Nie Kong alive or slay him, I would not only gain his independent space, Medicine Spirit, and Water Spirit, but also secure the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable's promise. I have been stuck at the peak of the Ninth Rank for decades; with her help, breaking through to the Spirit Venerable realm would be within sight! Then, I would become the second Spirit Venerable in the Underworld!"

"..."

The elder’s eyes glittered, his expression growing increasingly frenzied. He abruptly turned toward the doorway and roared, "Ye Fei, hurry and invite the other elders here."

"Yes, Sect Master!"

...

Fubo Mountain.

"Nie Kong? A Seventh-Rank Black Spirit Master?"

Staring at the blood-red 'KILL' character in his hand, Zhuo Yue’s face dramatically changed. "The 'Blood Kill Edict' issued by the Spirit Venerable is actually aimed at Nie Kong?"

"The same Nie Kong who joined us at Fubo Mountain and was later taken away by Zhan Tianlun?" Mi Luo, Feng Hu, and Yan Luo looked at each other in astonishment.

"Who else could it be?"

After a long silence, Zhuo Yue finally regained his composure, his voice trembling slightly. "This fellow is truly insane, stealing the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable's avatar!"

"What?"

Mi Luo and the others exclaimed simultaneously, their eyes flickering with apprehension.

Back when Nie Kong first arrived at Fubo Mountain, he was just an ordinary person who had never cultivated. Who would have thought that in such a short time, he would become a Seventh-Rank Black Spirit Master and manage to offend the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable so badly that she would issue a 'Blood Kill Edict'!

"If the Spirit Venerable finds out Nie Kong came from Fubo Mountain, I wonder if she will take her anger out on us?" Zhuo Yue suddenly remarked.

"That... shouldn't be necessary, right?"

Mi Luo shuddered slightly, shaking his head with faint uncertainty.

Although Fubo Mountain, under the protection of the Zhan Clan, now held sway over the other three low-tier minor sects nearby, allowing them to advance to a middle-tier sect once the Sect Alliance Conference convened, if the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable wished to vent her displeasure upon Fubo Mountain, she wouldn't even need to act—a single hint would reduce Fubo Mountain to dust.

The four exchanged glances, all filled with deep worry...

...

At almost the exact same moment, the "Blood Kill Edict" spread across the entire Underworld. Similar scenes manifested in the Spirit Venerable Halls of countless sects.

War God Mountain.

In the Spirit Venerable Hall, also blazing with crimson light, Clan Leader Zhan Yunlan and the Supreme Elders remaining at the clan gathered. The blood-red 'KILL' character cast an even deeper shadow of gravity upon their faces. Once the initial shock from the "Blood Kill Edict" faded, a heavy silence descended upon the hall.

"Elders, what are your thoughts?"

Zhan Yunlan surveyed the Supreme Elders opposite her, her low voice shattering the surrounding stillness.

"This young man Nie Kong has caused a terrible disaster. Out of everything, he had to steal the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable's avatar. Once the 'Blood Kill Edict' is issued, Nie Kong will soon be hunted by every sect in the Underworld. Even if our Zhan Clan wanted to protect him, we would be powerless." A Supreme Elder sighed mournfully.

"Indeed. Even setting aside the Spirit Venerable's promise, the mere existence of Nie Kong's independent space, Medicine Spirit, and Water Spirit is enough to drive those sects into a frenzy. This kid has concealed his depths remarkably well; who knows where he procured these things? Especially that independent space—even someone as mighty as the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable couldn't carry one around so casually."

"So, we just stand by and watch Nie Kong be hunted by every sect?"

"That is not the case. Nie Kong is, after all, a disciple of our Zhan Clan. But now that things have come to this, we can only offer him covert support. It is just that with the strength of our Zhan Clan alone, how can we oppose all the sects of the Underworld? I fear in the end, he will still meet the fate of utter annihilation."

"But if the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable discovers our interference, our clan might face extinction!"

"..."

The Supreme Elders argued with increasing intensity.

Zhan Yunlan closed her eyes, a profound sense of helplessness rising within her heart.

The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable and the Spirit Venerable Hall she founded were like an insurmountable mountain, perpetually weighing down the Zhan Clan. In fact, many within the clan secretly believed that the disaster a thousand years ago, which severely diminished the sect's strength, was likely the handiwork of the Spirit Venerable Hall.

Now, Nie Kong's theft of the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable's avatar had prompted the Spirit Venerable Hall to issue the "Blood Kill Edict," placing Zhan Yunlan in an agonizing dilemma.

Nie Kong possessed peerless talent; he had heard the complete 'Heart Drum Battle Sound' and cultivated the Zhan Clan's supreme golden technique, the 'War God Star Seal.' He was truly the hope for the Zhan Clan's future. If there were any possibility, who would want to see him hunted by the entire Underworld? Yet, if the Zhan Clan intervened, they risked retribution from the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable, in which case, whether the Zhan Clan could continue to exist in the Underworld would be an open question.

"What to do? What to do..."

These words cycled endlessly in her mind, causing Zhan Yunlan extreme anxiety. Suddenly, her heart stirred, and she quickly opened her eyes to gaze out beyond the Spirit Venerable Hall. The Supreme Elders sensed it simultaneously and turned their gazes outward. The hall instantly became so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

In the next moment, a small white dot entered their view, streaking toward the hall from the distant night sky like a meteor, growing rapidly larger.

"Whoosh!"

In the blink of an eye, the white dot transformed into a white figure that appeared within the hall: a white-robed man with a head of white hair but an extraordinarily young face.

"Ancestral Founder?"

Zhan Yunlan and the others paused in shock, then erupted in ecstatic surprise. They bowed in reverence, feeling as though they had suddenly grasped a lifeline, subconsciously exhaling a breath of relief...

...

Ghost Domain Seal, the sky just beginning to lighten.

"Why is it still not sending?"

After failing to transmit the message one more time, Zhan Tianlun gripped the 'Golden Armor Jade Slip,' scratching his head restlessly, utterly unable to sit still. Zhan Qingzhu and the others nearby were also growing anxious.

"Did he perhaps wander back into the central mist of the Ghost Domain?"

Zhan Tianlun was perplexed. After a moment, he calmed himself to try again when Zhan Yunqing suddenly flung open the curtain and hurried into the tent.

"Tianlun, stop trying." Upon entering, Zhan Yunqing called out to stop Zhan Tianlun.

"What is it?"

Zhan Tianlun and Zhan Qingzhu looked over suspiciously. When the message failed repeatedly, Zhan Yunqing had used the exit within the seal to leave the Ghost Domain and report the situation back to the Zhan Clan. Now, judging by his expression, it seemed he had received news from War God Mountain.

"I just received a message from the Clan Leader, and it’s bad news." Zhan Yunqing’s face was grim. "About fifteen minutes ago, the Clan Leader received the 'Blood Kill Edict' issued by the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable to hunt Nie Kong. By now, I suspect every sect in the Underworld is already mobilizing."

"Blood... Blood Kill Edict?"

Zhan Tianlun trembled, nearly collapsing. The faces of Zhan Qingzhu and the others nearby also instantly turned pale. In the history of the Underworld, the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable had issued the 'Blood Kill Edict' twice before, targeting two peak Ninth-Rank experts. The end for both of them had been utterly tragic.

Under the "Blood Kill Edict," no one survived! Now that Nie Kong was the target of the third edict, did that mean he only had a dead end ahead?

"I also received some good news from the Clan Leader."

A faint smile touched Zhan Yunqing's lips as he lowered his voice. "Our Zhan Clan's Ancestral Founder has taken that final half-step and become the second Spirit Venerable of the Underworld!"

"Ah?"

Gasps of amazement erupted. Their mouths dropped wide enough to swallow two eggs, their expressions frozen. After a long pause, a cheer, deliberately suppressed, echoed through the tent...

"I'm finally out!"

At that moment, Nie Kong, utilizing the 'Crimson Star Battle Form,' suddenly appeared within a massive, death-energy-shrouded black hole, a relaxed smile on his face, completely unaware that his name had just sent shockwaves through the entire Underworld...

... : First update delivered... ... ...