Qingyou’s slender form contracted slightly, instantly positioning itself beside Nie Kong. With her protection, Nie Kong made no move to defend himself; the hulking figure pressed forward.

"Thwack!"

The battle-blade sliced in, hurtling toward Nie Kong’s left waist.

The crimson water sphere was continually sundered, yet as the blade dug deeper, the severed portions of the water sphere instantly reconnected. When the blade finally sliced through Qingyou’s body and struck true, Nie Kong’s body merely swayed, and immediately, a ‘Flickering Light, Fleeting Shadow’ maneuver placed him directly in front of the white-haired old man.

"Bang!"

Nie Kong’s massive fist struck the old man’s left chest with the speed of thunder. Surging spiritual treasure essence and terrifying physical might erupted, shattering the death aura that had just oozed from the old man’s body, followed by the resonant Dong of the ‘Heart Drum Battle Sound.’

The old man staggered backward repeatedly, his expression drastically altered.

"Whoosh!"

Amidst a piercing sound of air being rent, a razor-sharp battle-blade condensed from death aura materialized out of thin air once more, cleaving toward Nie Kong’s head with the force of ten thousand mountains.

"Splash!"

A turbulent sound of rushing water emerged as Qingyou’s body flowed rapidly. In the blink of an eye, a huge, crimson water sphere squeezed in between Nie Kong’s head and the old man’s battle-blade.

The exact same scene as before unfolded.

"Bang!"

The battle-blade struck Nie Kong’s head, while Nie Kong’s fist made intimate contact with the old man’s left chest again, pulverizing the death aura he used for defense like dry weeds being trampled. As the tip of the fist pierced the outer garment and slammed against the old man's muscle, the Heart Drum Battle Sound resonated with even greater intensity.

A sickly flush rose on the old man’s cheeks. He roared suddenly, drawing his blade for a third time, acting like a madman. But the response was still Qingyou’s seemingly omnipresent body and Nie Kong’s colossal fist.

"Bang! Bang! Bang..."

The deafening impact sounds continued incessantly.

Initially, the old man could meet Nie Kong’s attack head-on, trading one blade strike for one punch. But after Nie Kong’s ninth punch slammed into the old man’s left chest, he abandoned offense entirely, pouring all his effort into marshalling his death aura to shield his body. Unfortunately, the ‘Heart Drum Battle Sound’ was inescapable; stimulated by the drumbeats, the old man found it increasingly difficult to resist Nie Kong’s fists. After several more blows, a look of sheer dread involuntarily appeared in the old man's eyes, and his body retreated rapidly.

With his little companion’s cooperation, Nie Kong brought his ‘Flickering Light, Fleeting Shadow’ to its absolute peak, shadowing the old man relentlessly, maintaining a distance of just over a meter, his fists continuing to land on the old man's left chest—the tenth punch... the twelfth punch... the fifteenth punch...

"Bang!"

The eighteenth punch!

Crack! The sound of splintering ribcage rang out. Nie Kong’s spiritual treasure essence surged out like an overwhelming tide, bombarding the heart within, synchronized with the resounding ‘Heart Drum Battle Sound.’ The old man’s flushed face instantly turned ashen white. He could no longer hold back, spitting out a jet of blood.

"Whoosh!"

Before his fist was even withdrawn, Nie Kong’s left leg lifted and swept out. The white-haired old man flew sideways, slamming between two rocks without stirring again.

Nie Kong let out a long breath. This was the first Ninth-Tier expert he had killed in four days; the previous Ninth-Tier Black Spirit Masters who died had generally fallen to the Ghost Soul Eagle King. The entire exchange with this old man had taken less than half a minute, yet Nie Kong's own expenditure had reached a terrifying degree.

It was fortunate Qingyou provided protection. Her body could maximally weaken or even devour the enemy’s attacks, allowing Nie Kong’s ‘Crimson Star Battle Body’ to withstand the Ninth-Tier expert’s battle-blade relatively easily. With his own body unharmed, Nie Kong used the ‘Heart Drum Battle Sound’ to agitate the enemy’s spirit, launching relentless, fierce assaults on the old man’s heart until it was utterly pulverized.

If the old man had recognized the danger after the first few punches and fled immediately, Nie Kong would have struggled to keep him. By the time he realized his predicament and tried to escape, it was too late. His heart was already damaged and could no longer withstand the impact of the ‘Heart Drum Battle Sound.’ He could only strain to mobilize the death aura within him, passively enduring Nie Kong’s fists. Once his body reached its limit, death became inevitable.

This Ninth-Tier expert died a remarkably frustrating death. In fact, every Ninth-Tier expert who had perished recently due to Nie Kong had met a similar fate—the one from the Sky-Fleeing Sect named Mo Tieliu, and those dispatched by the Ghost Soul Eagle King these past few days.

"The old man is dead; it’s time for the next one!"

Nie Kong’s gaze fell upon the Eighth-Tier Black Spirit Master across from him. That man had been resisting the intrusion of the ‘Heart Drum Battle Sound’ and hadn't been able to strike. Now that the sound had paused, he instantly recovered, swiftly shooting an arrow and retreating toward the dense forest in a flurry.

However, just as he was drawing his bow, Nie Kong’s three ‘War God Star Seals’ had already spun out, showering down upon him in a blaze of golden light.

"Boom!"

In an instant, the magnificent, dazzling golden radiance engulfed the Eighth-Tier Black Spirit Master’s body. The black arrow, which was only four or five meters from Nie Kong when loosed, seemed to lose all its power, abruptly stopping in mid-air before clattering to the ground. The ball of death aura condensed at the arrowhead immediately dissipated.

"Caw!"

A sharp cry echoed again from behind him. The sound carried a soul-shaking power—the Ghost Soul Eagle King was launching a psychic attack!

Nie Kong spun around abruptly and saw the Ghost Soul Eagle King gripping the shoulders of the other Ninth-Tier expert with its talons, its beak having just punctured the man's bald head. Then, the Ghost Soul Eagle King actually held the Ninth-Tier expert’s corpse in front of it, soaring toward the bow-wielding Eighth-Tier Black Spirit Master dozens of meters away.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Seeing the Ghost Soul Eagle King rapidly closing in, the man’s eyes showed stark terror. He pulled the last three black arrows from his quiver, firing them toward the Eagle King’s head and wings, respectively. These three shots seemed to demand the utmost exertion from the Eighth-Tier Black Spirit Master; the arrowheads arrived before the Ghost Soul Eagle King almost the instant the black light flashed.

With a whoosh, the Ghost Soul Eagle King violently tumbled in the air. The corpse of the Ninth-Tier expert swung around with it, and the three black arrows embedded themselves simultaneously in the body.

"Bang!"

The arrow light exploded violently. The Ghost Soul Eagle King ripped through the rain of blood formed by the Ninth-Tier expert’s disintegrating corpse and appeared above the Eighth-Tier Black Spirit Master. With a flap of its right wing, a furious gust of force rained down, slicing the man’s body diagonally in two. A shrill scream echoed above the Gobi.

"Damn it, you dared to shoot me."

Fierce red light flickered in the Ghost Soul Eagle King’s eyes. It grabbed the upper half of the still-not-quite-dead Eighth-Tier Black Spirit Master and repeatedly struck the stones on the ground with the bloody wound, reveling in the agonizing screams of the man.

By this time, Nie Kong had already traversed the void, arriving beside the Ghost Soul Eagle King, stopping it from further torturing the unfortunate soul who was moments from death: "Ghost Soul, stop wasting time!"

Although barely half a minute had passed since these four figures appeared, in the current situation, lingering for even a second posed immense danger. Therefore, as soon as he spoke, Nie Kong unflinchingly sped toward the black pillar of smoke deep in the Gobi.

"Big Brother, almost done."

The Ghost Soul Eagle King crushed the man’s head with a swipe of its talon, ending his torment. "Damn it, you got off easy!" it cursed, then quickly flapped its wings and pursued. When it caught up with Nie Kong dozens of meters ahead, eight figures appeared sequentially where the battle had just taken place.

"Nie Kong, and that Ninth-Tier flyingbeast, they are right there!"

"Don't let Nie Kong run!"

"What vicious methods, all four of them are dead!"

"..."

Hearing the shouts rising from behind, Nie Kong’s expression grew grave. Although he was surprised by the speed of their arrival, he showed no panic. Being flustered now would only invite death; only a calm response could reveal a path to survival amid the pursuit of the Spirit Venerable Hall.

"Whoosh!"

The familiar whistling sound of air being rent arrived.

Nie Kong didn't even need to look to know it was one of those black arrows aimed at him.

A white flash, and a snow-white stele, two meters high, appeared in Nie Kong’s grasp—it was the ‘Spirit Sealing Stele’ that had once suppressed Qingyue! This stele could not only seal spiritual entities but was also incredibly sturdy, incapable of being damaged unless one possessed power surpassing the Celestial Spirit level. If Qingyue hadn't just reminded him mentally, Nie Kong would have nearly forgotten he possessed such a useful artifact.

"Whoosh!"

Nie Kong shifted his right arm, and the Spirit Sealing Stele appeared behind him.

"Boom!"

The arrowhead burst apart, the residual force raging wildly. The body of the stele merely trembled, entirely unharmed. Nie Kong was overjoyed. He paused momentarily, then roared: "Ghost Soul, get in front of me!"

The Ghost Soul Eagle King had been injured twice in succession. If the archers behind it continued firing consecutively, it would surely die. Of course, as long as its head wasn't destroyed, Nie Kong could recall its soul in time, but losing its physical body would be too great a waste. Even if he returned to the Celestial Spirit Continent, finding another body compatible with the Ghost Soul Eagle King’s soul would be difficult, unless the ‘Nether Fire Spirit Spring’ space reopened in fifty years.

"Caw!"

The Ghost Soul Eagle King was thrilled that Nie Kong possessed such a powerful treasure, capable of resisting those agonizing black arrows without the slightest damage. Upon hearing Nie Kong’s command, it did not hesitate, its massive body instantly appearing directly in front of Nie Kong.

"Whoosh! Whoosh..."

A series of piercing aerial whooshes sounded again.

Nie Kong’s body suddenly shrank, shedding the ‘Crimson Star Battle Body’ state, and he handed the Spirit Sealing Stele to Qingyue, who was standing on his shoulder.

"Whoosh!"

The little one’s palms transformed into a massive ball of azure energy, coiling around the Spirit Sealing Stele and spinning it wildly. A halo of snow-white light materialized behind Nie Kong.

"Boom! Boom! Boom..."

Explosions erupted one after another. All the black arrows were blocked by the Spirit Sealing Stele. In less than two seconds, the next, even denser volley of black arrows shot forth. The Spirit Sealing Stele performed its duty again, but one black arrow strangely bypassed Nie Kong, angling toward the Ghost Soul Eagle King from the side.

Fortunately, the creature reacted quickly, retracting its right wing just in time, but the arrow, grazing its wingtip, still startled it greatly. The Ghost Soul Eagle King then tucked away both wings exposed to the archers’ line of fire and resorted to running on the ground with its two stout talons, yet its speed was not at all slow.

"Nie Kong, there are eighteen people now, nine of them with bows... Oh dear, two more villains appeared, so there are ten archers..."

Qingyue’s voice constantly drifted into Nie Kong’s ears.

Nie Kong continuously utilized ‘Body Merging with the Void,’ preventing the Ninth-Tier experts behind him from closing the distance immediately. Coupled with the protection of the Spirit Sealing Stele, Nie Kong wasn't worried about the increasing numbers pursuing them. However, several minutes later, when he saw ten black dots flashing ahead of him, Nie Kong could no longer maintain his composure...

: First update complete. Next update around 11:30...