The further they chased, the wider the gap grew between them; before long, the figure and the beast ahead had vanished without a trace.

Ye Ziwei and Ye Zihao finally understood: the Phantom Eagle King had not exerted its full speed earlier. The reason it lingered was likely just to toy with them. Recalling Nie Kong's words from before, the two of them were so enraged they nearly spat blood.

After a while, the Lingyu Sword Sect appeared in the distance.

Nie Kong remained nowhere in sight, but a multitude of figures were clustered at the foot of the mountain. The two of them vaguely sensed that something was amiss. As they floated down before the crowd, they saw expressions ranging from furious anger to utter devastation. However, before they could even ask, seven more figures streaked toward them from afar.

They were Ye Xiantian and the six elders who had departed the sect at dawn.

"Sect Master?"

Looking at the disheveled, one-eyed elder leading the group, not only the disciples of the Lingyu Sword Sect but also the two elders, Ye Ziwei and Ye Zihao, exchanged bewildered glances. Silence descended upon the mountain base.

"What happened?"

Sensing their surprised gazes, Ye Xiantian’s face darkened.

The elder in blue reacted first, his voice laced with grit and fury: "Sect Master, esteemed elders, about fifteen minutes ago, that Nie Kong came to our Lingyu Sword Sect to provoke us. He deliberately lured away the two elders, but secretly dispatched Water Spirit and Medicine Spirit to sneak into the Pill Herb Hall. The three 'Nine Profound Green Brow Pills,' the three 'God-Seizing Pills,' and the two 'Frenzied Spirit Demon Heart Pills'—a total of eight supreme-grade Nether Pills—along with over a dozen types of top-tier herbs, and all the Nether Pills and herbs on the second floor were looted clean! Furthermore, the 'Myriad Sword Pavilion' where the spirit techniques were stored has also been destroyed..."

"What!"

This news struck Ye Xiantian and the assembled elders like a bolt from the blue, leaving them dumbfounded. After a long moment, as the others digested the words, Ye Ziwei and Ye Zihao staggered, nearly fainting. So this was the "grand gift" Nie Kong had mentioned!

Ye Xiantian flashed forward, snatching the blue-robed elder by the collar and hoisting him into the air. His one eye bulged, his fingers trembled uncontrollably, and his lips moved slightly. Before he could utter a word, he let out a "Pfft!"—a spray of blood splattered across his face—and his body pitched backward.

As the members of the Lingyu Sword Sect scrambled to deal with the crisis, the Phantom Eagle King was already galloping eastward. On its broad back, Qingyou continuously spat out the looted Nether Pills and herbs, which Nie Kong, Qingyue, and Xiangxiang quickly identified and stowed into the Pet Backpack.

Before long, Qingyou’s distended belly deflated, returning to its normal shape.

"Eight supreme-grade Nether Pills, one hundred and twenty-two high-grade Nether Pills, over five hundred mid-grade Nether Pills... and those herbs—over a dozen are primary ingredients for supreme-grade Nether Pills. Excellent! Well done! It seems you guys cleaned out just about everything of value in the Lingyu Sword Sect."

Nie Kong patted the three little ones, showering them with praise.

"Of course."

Qingyue’s eyes narrowed into tiny crescents, smugly declaring, "You have to consider who you’re dealing with. On the Heavenly Spirit Continent or the Netherworld, those who offend Grandma will never meet a good end!" Saying this, Qingyue couldn't help but sound hopeful, "If only more sects came after you to hunt us down. Then we could legitimately go rob their herbs and Nether Pills again."

"Yes! Yes! I want to rob!" Qingyou waved its tiny fists, its small body transforming back into a ball of "Prison Fire Nether Spring" in its excitement.

"Ah-yah-yah? Ah-yah-yah!" Xiangxiang, the little fellow, was clearly not one to let chaos go unstirred, nodding its flower bud repeatedly.

"If that truly happened, my Pet Backpack would burst at the seams."

Nie Kong shook his head, chuckling. These three little ones had tasted success robbing the Lingyu Sword Sect today and were now addicted to pillaging! Nie Kong, however, didn't share their sentiment. No matter how great the spoils of robbery, they couldn't compare to successfully reaching the 'God Extinguishing Cave' and returning to the Heavenly Spirit Continent...

... War God Mountain.

"Finally rid of Pan Hu's control!"

Deep within the mountain's belly, Chi Lian’s two lantern-like eyes snapped open, and the red robe covering its massive frame subtly trembled.

"At most three years, and I will be able to move freely, my strength recovering to the level of an ordinary Star God." Chi Lian’s eyes opened and closed, but a faint smile touched its face as it murmured, "Pan Hu, by then, I’d like to see how you, traitor, dare to stand against me!"

"..." The summit of War God Mountain, the stone chamber.

"Hiss!"

A jet of blood erupted from Zhan Xinzi’s mouth, punching a hole the size of an infant's fist into the stone wall opposite him. After a long breath, Zhan Xinzi's white eyebrows rose slightly. A flicker of apprehension crossed his youthful face: "This Grand Evolution Spirit Venerable, even with her cultivation severely degraded, still possesses such terrifying power. If even half her strength were restored, this old man might not be able to contend with her."

"To completely suppress her, action must be taken sooner rather than later."

After a brief contemplation, Zhan Xinzi closed his eyes. A dense fighting intent surged from his body, rapidly congealing into a single mass, passing out of the stone chamber like a thick, blood-red smoke column soaring ten thousand meters into the sky. His majestic aura rippled outwards, instantly covering nearly the entire Netherworld.

"Hmm?"

At the peak of a mountain in the Heaven Escaping Sect, a short, thin elder sitting quietly suddenly raised his eyes and let out a soft exclamation. Less than a second later, an undisguised look of shock appeared on his wrinkled face, which resembled dried orange peel: "Is that Zhan Xinzi?"

"A Spirit Venerable? He has actually reached the Spirit Venerable realm?"

Immediately after, the old man cried out in disbelief, his entire body jerking uncontrollably. "Has that woman changed her temperament?" As he spoke to himself, a dark, inky aura leaked from his body, soaring toward the heavens and rushing rapidly toward War God Mountain.

"Zhan Xinzi? Indeed, Zhan Xinzi?"

"Much stronger than a few months ago... Did he take that final half-step?"

"He succeeded! He actually succeeded!"

"..." At almost the same moment, in the Heaven Escaping Sect, amidst the vast snowfields of the southern Netherworld, and within a luxurious palace in the southeastern dense forest... six powerful, dark auras ascended into the sky, spanning the horizon, converging toward the blood-red fighting intent emanating from War God Mountain, which resembled a sky-piercing jade pillar. In a mere few minutes, the seven auras had gathered, tightly intertwined, seemingly communicating something.

At noon that day, countless Black Spirit Masters across the Netherworld witnessed this miraculous and magnificent spectacle.

Soon, pieces of news began to leak out, spreading frantically through various channels between the sects of the Netherworld.

Ancestor of the Zhan Clan, Zhan Xinzi, traversed the Nether Sea, entered the Ghost Domain's White Bone Space, and battled the Grand Evolution Spirit Venerable, achieving the Netherworld's second Spirit Venerable in the fight!

The Heaven Escaping Sect’s "Pill King" Mo Huang took the final half-step in the Ten Thousand Peaks Mountain Range, becoming the Netherworld's third Spirit Venerable! The Heaven Escaping Sect Master, Mo Zhaoyi, issued a "Blood Slaughter Edict"!

Jing Ji, the forty-third Island Master of Killing Life Island, assaulted the Spirit Venerable realm in the Heaven Wind Snow Mountain and also issued a "Blood Slaughter Edict"!

The Grand Supreme Elder of the Void Cloud Sect, Hua Ruxian...

... Every piece of news was like a violent hurricane, stirring up waves across the Netherworld.

For countless years, the Grand Evolution Spirit Venerable had reigned supreme in the Netherworld, yet unexpectedly, in the span of just two days, Spirit Venerables appeared in succession. Most remarkably, every high-tier sect possessing a Spirit Venerable publicly rescinded the Grand Evolution Spirit Venerable’s "Blood Slaughter Edict," refusing to carry out the command to hunt Nie Kong. Were the Zhan Clan, the Heaven Escaping Sect, and these other high-tier sects attempting to unite and challenge the Grand Evolution Spirit Venerable?

In terms of sheer numbers, Zhan Xinzi, Pill King Mo Huang, and the others held the advantage. However, the Grand Evolution Spirit Venerable had attained the Spirit Venerable realm millennia ago, possessing strength that shook the ancient world. In contrast, Zhan Xinzi and Mo Huang had only recently become Spirit Venerables. If war broke out, predicting the victor would be difficult.

For a time, the sects of the Netherworld struggled to adapt. Nevertheless, a significant number of sects quietly ceased their pursuit of Nie Kong, choosing to observe the unfolding situation. Of course, many sects, inflamed by avarice over the Spirit Venerable status, independent spaces, Medicine Spirit, and Water Spirit, were not so easily deterred.

But soon, more reports circulated rapidly, stirring another tidal wave across the already churning Netherworld:

The Lingyu Sword Sect Master Ye Xiantian and his six elders failed to capture Nie Kong. Not only was Ye Xiantian crippled by Nie Kong, but all mid-grade and above Nether Pills and nearly all the medicinal herbs in the Lingyu Sword Sect’s Pill Herb Hall were swept clean by Nie Kong. Upon learning the news, Ye Xiantian spat blood on the spot and fainted from rage!

An elder from the high-tier Nine Cauldrons Sect inadvertently discovered Nie Kong resting. He subsequently gathered two Ninth-Rank experts and ten Eighth-Rank masters from his sect to launch a massive assault, only to have one Ninth-Rank expert killed and the other injured, leaving only three Eighth-Rank masters alive—a devastating loss. After breaking out, Nie Kong quietly returned to the Nine Cauldrons Sect, plundered all their Nether Pills and herbs, and then burned the entire sect to ashes!

A Ninth-Rank expert from the supreme-tier Divine Sound Sect, skilled in stealth, happened upon Nie Kong's trail and secretly followed him, unaware that Nie Kong had detected him long ago and lured him into a fatal trap. When the other Divine Sound Sect experts arrived, all they found was their fellow disciple’s corpse...

... Lingyu Sword Sect, Nine Cauldrons Sect, Divine Sound Sect...

Whether supreme-tier or mid-tier, these sects were thoroughly humiliated by one Seventh-Rank Black Spirit Master and one Ninth-Rank peak Flying Nether Beast. Hearing this news, countless Black Spirit Masters were stunned speechless, and many who prided themselves on their strength began to waver internally.

If even supreme-tier sects like the Lingyu Sword Sect and the Divine Sound Sect were left utterly disgraced by Nie Kong, how could the Spirit Venerable avatars, the independent space, the Medicine Spirit, and the Water Spirit he possessed be so easily acquired?

Furthermore, Nie Kong was a disciple of the Zhan Clan, and the Zhan Clan had produced a Spirit Venerable like Zhan Xinzi. If they succeeded in killing Nie Kong, they might gain the protection of the Grand Evolution Spirit Venerable, thus having no need to fear the Zhan Clan. But if they failed, they faced the real possibility of retaliation from the Zhan Clan.

However, just as those sects began to retreat, the little-known Spirit Venerable Hall suddenly emerged, boasting a formidable lineup of nearly thirty Ninth-Rank experts that chilled the bone. Driven by this fierce gale, some of the retreating sects once again eagerly resumed executing the "Blood Slaughter Edict"!