Ye Xiantian’s expression shifted subtly. Hundreds of sword glows instantly pierced through his body, rapidly intertwining and swirling upward like a furious tornado.

In that instant, the "War God Star Seal" met the rotating vortex of sword light.

Triple Overlap Seal!

"Boom!"

A world-shaking sound reverberated through the clouds and sky, and the billions of golden lights that suddenly exploded illuminated the hazy valley entrance brilliantly. The triple "War God Star Seal" instantly annihilated the sword light, but Ye Xiantian used this moment of hesitation to retreat dozens of meters at maximum speed.

"Whoosh!"

Before Ye Xiantian could stabilize his figure, the Soul Phantom Eagle King swooped down, its eyes gleaming fiercely, the air forced by its beating wings as sharp as blades.

The Soul Phantom Eagle King’s strength fully restored, its pouncing momentum was incredibly fierce. Caught off guard, Ye Xiantian dared not confront its sharp edge directly and quickly dodged to the right. The next second, the spot where he had been standing was gouged out by the Soul Phantom Eagle King’s wings into two long ravines nearly ten meters deep.

"Body Merges with the Void!"

Nie Kong’s intent shifted, and he vanished from his position, instantly spanning dozens of meters of space to appear beside Ye Xiantian.

Ye Xiantian, as a peak Ninth-Tier expert and the Sect Master of the Feather Sword Sect for many years, had never felt so utterly humiliated as he did today. He recalled killing no fewer than ten peak Ninth-Tier nether beasts in the Ghost Domain back then, yet now he was being pressured into such a sorry state by one peak Ninth-Tier nether beast and one Heaven-Initiating Black Spirit Master.

Such a stark contrast filled Ye Xiantian with an overwhelming sense of disgrace!

"Nie Yan!"

At this moment, seeing Nie Kong actually venture over to his side, Ye Xiantian’s eyes were nearly spitting fire. He squeezed out those two words from between his teeth, and then a massive black sword shadow violently erupted from within his body, rushing toward Nie Kong like a ferocious beast breaking free from its cage, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws.

"Floating Light Fleeting Shadow!"

Nie Kong’s body was encircled by a dense layer of "Spiritual Treasure Essence Qi." His figure moved like a phantom glimmer, ghost-like, as he evaded the sword shadow and materialized to Ye Xiantian’s right. This was Nie Kong’s first time employing the Sixth-Tier skill the little guy had comprehended; its sheer speed and agility filled him with pleasant surprise.

"That is not Nether Power!"

The massive sword shadow chased Nie Kong, coiling back, but upon seeing the dark-green luminescence around Nie Kong’s body, Ye Xiantian couldn't help but have his pupils contract slightly, lost in thought for a moment.

"Caw!"

Just then, a piercing shriek suddenly echoed directly in his mind, making Ye Xiantian feel as if his soul was being torn in half by the sound.

In that instant, an irresistible sense of intense dizziness washed over him, and his vision blurred. However, Ye Xiantian was, after all, a peak Ninth-Tier expert; his body only swayed slightly before adapting. But just as his consciousness cleared, a gigantic palm shadow slammed into his view.

"Slap!"

Nie Kong’s massive palm, swollen dozens of times its original size, brutally struck Ye Xiantian’s head.

"Whoosh!"

Like a kite severed from its string, Ye Xiantian’s body was sent flying sideways. Almost simultaneously, the enormous sword shadow, propelled by inertia, crashed into Nie Kong’s back. Unfortunately, without Ye Xiantian's control, the sword shadow's attack power was greatly diminished, and it vanished into smoke instantly.

"Hahahaha, old fellow, my name is Soul Phantom, and soul attacks are my specialty. Now you know how formidable Grandpa is!" The Soul Phantom Eagle King spat out a string of sharp notes, its figure like lightning, its claws like hooks, relentlessly raking toward the still falling Ye Xiantian.

"Hmm?"

Nie Kong’s expression shifted slightly. While transmitting a thought to the Soul Phantom Eagle King, he beckoned towards Qing You. The "Prison Fire Nether Spring" instantly transformed into a stream of light and splashed onto Nie Kong’s shoulder.

"Caw?"

After a questioning cry, the Soul Phantom Eagle King glanced back toward the left side of the valley with reluctance. Suddenly, it folded its wings and, abandoning Ye Xiantian, shot straight into the sky. Nie Kong's figure flashed, ascending like a cannonball fired from its muzzle, landing lightly on the Soul Phantom Eagle King's back.

Man and eagle ascended rapidly...

In the blink of an eye, Nie Kong and the Soul Phantom Eagle King were a hundred meters high. Just then, six figures abruptly appeared on the road to the left of the valley, hurtling toward them like meteors, while streaks of sword light pierced the void, shooting like arrows loosed from a bow toward Nie Kong and the Soul Phantom Eagle King.

Regrettably, the six figures acted a second too late. By the time the sword light reached the hundred-meter altitude, the Soul Phantom Eagle King carrying Nie Kong had already climbed another twenty meters higher.

The six figures instantly split; three pursued Nie Kong and the Soul Phantom Eagle King, while the other three rushed toward Ye Xiantian, who had just crashed to the ground.

When they anxiously arrived at Ye Xiantian’s landing spot, the Sect Master of the Feather Sword Sect was shakily pulling himself up from the ground.

"Sect Master?"

The three were greatly alarmed. At this moment, Ye Xiantian was covered in blood, his mouth split, his face askew, his left ear torn, and his left eye burst—his appearance was utterly tragic.

Was this still their Sect Master?

The three exchanged glances, disbelief etched on their faces.

After receiving the "Blood Kill Edict" from Grand Elder Ling Zun, Ye Xiantian had summoned the other elders. Subsequently, Ye Xiantian received a message transmitted by Bai Lian, the Palace Master of the Ling Zun Hall, learning that Nie Kong was highly likely to escape the Ghost Domain through a secret passage and appear near the White Tower Sect.

The Feather Sword Sect was the closest Super-Tier Sect to the White Tower Sect. Upon hearing this news, everyone regarded it as a priceless treasure. After selecting two elders to remain behind, Ye Xiantian hastily led the remaining six elders toward the White Tower Sect. Among the seven, Ye Xiantian had the highest cultivation and naturally took the lead.

However, since they were all Ninth-Tier experts traveling at full speed, Ye Xiantian could only be ahead of them by about half a minute from the Feather Sword Sect to the White Tower Sect. What the three elders never expected was that by the time they reached the White Tower Sect, their Sect Master had become so terribly mutilated.

Ye Xiantian was oblivious to how terrible he looked; his entire head was throbbing, and his face felt numb, but the flames of rage in his chest burned fiercely. He wished he could instantly tear Nie Kong and that nether beast to shreds to wash away the great shame he had just suffered.

Ye Xiantian violently slapped his right cheek. With a crack, his dislocated jaw snapped back into place.

"Pursue!"

After spitting out a mouthful of saliva with venomous hatred, Ye Xiantian angrily issued the command, air hissing out as his mouth leaked wind, resembling a punctured bellows.

The three elders finally noticed that Ye Xiantian’s blood-soaked mouth contained not a single tooth. By the time they recovered their senses, Ye Xiantian was already tens of meters away. After exchanging a look, they hastily chased after him, though a premonition of ill fortune about this operation began to creep into their hearts...

The sky grew brighter, and high above the thousand-meter mark, the Soul Phantom Eagle King streaked like a black flowing light, weaving through the air at high speed.

"What a pity!"

Qing Yue clutched Nie Kong's lapels with both hands, her small body stretched into a straight line by the powerful wind.

"That Ye Xiantian is a peak Ninth-Tier Black Spirit Master, the Sect Master of a Super-Tier Sect. Did you think he would be as easy to kill as Mo Mo or Tie Liu?" Hearing Qing Yue’s lament, Nie Kong let out a wry chuckle.

At this point, he had withdrawn from the "Crimson Star Battle Body" state, and the "Spiritual Rhino Battle Robe" had also reverted to normal. The Crimson Star Battle Body was only at the third level and couldn't be maintained for long. Moreover, with the Blood Kill Edict spreading throughout the entire Nether Land, and the presence of the Soul Phantom Eagle King, concealing his appearance with the Spiritual Rhino Battle Robe was now utterly meaningless.

"You’re right. It was wise and decisive of Big Brother to immediately retreat the moment he sensed things were wrong. Otherwise, we would definitely be surrounded by Ye Xiantian and those six old fellows who arrived later. Seven Ninth-Tier Black Spirit Masters are not something we can handle."

The Soul Phantom Eagle King flattered Nie Kong with a sycophantic smile.

Nie Kong couldn't help but smile. The Soul Phantom Eagle King’s words were not wrong; Ye Xiantian was overwhelmingly powerful. The reason he was forced into such a sorry state was primarily due to the perfect coordination between him, the Soul Phantom Eagle King, and Qing You, catching Ye Xiantian entirely off guard. Under those circumstances, the chance of killing him was not small, but achieving it would require wasting a considerable amount of time. Once surrounded by arriving Ninth-Tier experts, neither he nor the Soul Phantom Eagle King would escape.

His thoughts drifted as he glanced backward. Faint black dots were visible in his sight—likely the persistent Ye Xiantian and his seven companions.

"If I recall correctly, two hundred li east of Dark Spirit City is the Feather Sword Sect's destination, the 'God-Slaying Cave.' We happen to pass by there..." Withdrawing his gaze, Nie Kong smiled faintly. To reach the "God-Slaying Cave" in the shortest possible time, Nie Kong had asked Zhan Tianlun to draw him a map of the Nether Land during their journey to the Ghost Domain, and he had already committed the locations of those High-Tier and Super-Tier Sects to memory.

"What do you mean?"

Qing Yue was momentarily stunned, then her eyes suddenly lit up. "I understand! Nie Kong, are you planning to cause a major incident at the Feather Sword Sect? Although the Feather Sword Sect is powerful, their Ninth-Tier experts are either in the Ghost Domain or chasing us now. The Feather Sword Sect must be extremely empty right now; having even one or two Ninth-Tier experts stationed there would be fortunate."

"We can definitely slaughter our way through until the rivers run red there." As she spoke of the latter part, Qing Yue's brow curved with excitement, her small face flushed crimson. Nie Kong suppressed a smile. "Slaughtering until the rivers run red isn't entirely necessary; it wastes too much time. However, if Ye Xiantian and the others dare to chase and kill me, how can I let them get away without paying some interest?"

"Interest?"

Qing Yue’s eyes darted around shrewdly.

Nie Kong nodded: "The Feather Sword Sect is a Super-Tier Sect. Even if their alchemy skills are subpar, they can't be too bad. They must have stockpiled quite a few Nether Pills and medicinal herbs..."

"What interest? Isn't that just robbing them?"

Qing Yue suddenly understood. She waved her small hands energetically, her eyes shining green light, resembling a weasel that had discovered a flock of tender chicks. "Robbing things? Grandma loves that the most! Hahaha, Feather Sword Sect, all your Nether Pills and medicinal herbs belong to me now!"

Seeing this, Nie Kong couldn't help but roll his eyes. "When the time comes, the sweeping and looting task will be left to you and Xiang Xiang."

"I want to go robbing too!" Qing You transformed back into a pool of spring water, jumping continuously on Nie Kong's shoulder, cheering jubilantly with a splash.

"Ah-yah?"

Seemingly sensing Nie Kong calling its name, the little fellow drilled out of the Spiritual Intelligence Aperture and landed in Nie Kong’s palm, its roots tickling his fingers. It tilted its little calyx in confusion before Qing Yue snatched it up, dragging it to Nie Kong's chest, where she rubbed and squeezed the little fellow.

Nie Kong patted the Soul Phantom Eagle King's back: "Soul Phantom, head north—lose them first!"

"Caw!"

With a long cry, the direction of the Soul Phantom Eagle King's flight gradually shifted northward...