As the entrance to the God-Slaying Cave came into view, Qing Yue’s small face lit up with a smile, her hands and feet dancing with excitement. The two wisps of pale green aura escaping from her palms made the Seal Spirit Tablet whirl with even greater speed.

Nie Kong was not as optimistic. They were still nearly a hundred meters from the God-Slaying Cave, and until they were truly inside, anything could happen.

"Poison!"

More than a dozen attacks tore through the void, descending simultaneously.

Nie Kong’s eyes narrowed slightly. The thick layer of Purple Illusionary Spirit Vine sheaths wrapped around the water sphere began to writhe with unprecedented velocity. As the incomparably violent death energy struck the surface, the entire purple sphere bounced up like a cannonball leaving the barrel, soaring dozens of meters away.

Manipulating the Purple Illusionary Spirit Incense this way put an even greater strain on Nie Kong.

The instant those attacks fully impacted the sphere, Nie Kong’s spiritual sense was completely exhausted, and a tremor ran through his brow; he nearly spat blood. Nevertheless, the great price paid yielded a significant reward. The distance between the sphere and the God-Slaying Cave was instantly halved.

At this moment, Nie Kong was also near the end of his tether. Although the core of the Purple Illusionary Spirit Incense was supported by the little creature’s innate medicinal power, without spiritual sense to control it, if attacked by a Ninth-Order expert, the layers of sheaths enveloping the water sphere would instantly disintegrate.

Fortunately, this maneuver had also widened the gap between Nie Kong and his pursuers, temporarily shielding him from attacks by Ninth-Order experts.

As for the Eighth-Order Black Spirit Masters, despite their large numbers, they posed no current worry. Throughout the chase, their continuous barrages had nearly exhausted their supply of Black Arrows; what remained was sparse enough that Qing Yue, wielding the Seal Spirit Tablet, could completely hold them off.

"Da Yan Ling Zun still hasn't shown up. Perhaps she truly finds it difficult to leave that Bone Space," Nie Kong quietly wiped the sweat from his brow. The gap between the sphere and the God-Slaying Cave was rapidly shrinking—Nie Kong constantly estimated the distance: thirty meters… twenty meters… ten meters…

Five meters… Three meters… Two meters…

One meter…

That suffocating black aura was right ahead, seemingly within reach.

"We’re finally safe!" Nie Kong let out a sigh of relief, storing the Seal Spirit Tablet into his Pet Backpack. However, just as the sphere was about to tumble into the God-Slaying Cave, a crimson shadow appeared out of nowhere directly in front of that black mist. A slender, delicate, and fair palm reached out effortlessly, as intangible as the trace left by an antelope hanging from a horn.

"Da Yan Ling Zun!" Nie Kong’s pupils contracted violently, and the Seal Spirit Tablet, which he had just recalled, flashed back into existence. Da Yan Ling Zun's hand moved with extreme speed; almost the instant the tablet materialized in front of Nie Kong, her hand pierced through the dense roots and vines and the thick water sphere, pressing toward him.

"Boom!" An aura, blood-red as a smear of blood, spewed forth from that palm. Crack! Snap!

Cracks burst open across the snow-white stone tablet, instantly covering it with fissures like a spiderweb. In the next moment, the Purple Illusionary Spirit Incense sheaths and roots disintegrated layer by layer. When the last trace of purple vanished, the stone tablet shattered with a bang, turning into a pile of fine dust.

The hand retracted instantly, like a spirit snake striking and withdrawing. Qing You’s water-sphere-like body, and Nie Kong seated within it, were completely exposed.

"Ling Zun! It’s Ling Zun!"

"Greetings to Ling Zun!"

"…"

Seeing that Da Yan Ling Zun had blocked Nie Kong’s path and shattered the damnable stone tablet they had cursed countless times with a single palm strike, the Ninth-Order experts and Eighth-Order masters from the Ling Zun Palace behind them were filled with surprise and elation. Their steps quickened as they converged toward the edge of the God-Slaying Cave.

"Nie Kong, this Venerable has waited a long time for you," Da Yan Ling Zun, clad in robes red as fire, gestured briefly to the crowd, then looked at Nie Kong and chuckled—a captivating, world-shattering smile blooming on her exquisitely perfect face. Witnessing such splendor, the Black Spirit Masters who had just surrounded Nie Kong looked on with utter deference, not daring to harbor the slightest hint of disrespect.

"Splash!"

With a crisp sound of water, Qing You’s body rapidly condensed, transforming into a small, exquisite form. She stood on Nie Kong’s shoulder, one on each side with Qing Yue, their bright red eyes glaring fiercely at Da Yan Ling Zun opposite them, though undeniable exhaustion shadowed their brows.

"You came after all!" Nie Kong rose to his full height, his face pale, yet entirely devoid of panic in his expression.

At the precise moment Nie Kong was about to escape his pursuers and return to the Tian Ling Continent, Da Yan Ling Zun had abruptly appeared, crushing his hope of escape. For Nie Kong, this felt like being suddenly pushed from a peak into the abyss. Any ordinary person facing such a turn of events would likely despair and collapse, yet as Nie Kong stood up, he remained calm, neither alarmed nor worried.

Even Nie Kong himself was surprised by his own tranquility.

A slight shadow of suppressed frustration crossed Da Yan Ling Zun’s eyes. She spoke next: "Nie Kong, for someone of your cultivation to evade the pursuit of so many sects, especially dozens of Eighth and Ninth-Order Black Spirit Masters from the Ling Zun Palace, and reach this point, is truly no small feat. However, with this Venerable here, you are now trapped with no path to heaven and no way into the earth. If you hand over the Huimou Grass and join the Ling Zun Palace, this Venerable will forgive your past transgressions."

"Handing over the Ling Zun’s Huimou Grass avatar is not impossible, but I have always been curious: how did you deduce I would come here, and even deploy so many people to wait in ambush around the area?" Nie Kong asked with a faint smile, his mind racing furiously.

This time, he did not use the Huimou Grass as a threat against Da Yan Ling Zun. Since she could leave the Bone Space and come here, she must have devised a countermeasure. If Nie Kong produced the Huimou Grass now, he might not only fail to intimidate her but might also have it snatched away. At that moment, he would truly be the fish upon the carving board.

"Nie Kong, do you know what this is?" Da Yan Ling Zun lightly raised her right hand. A ball of blood-red aura materialized in her fair palm.

Nie Kong paused, only to watch the blood-red color of the aura in Da Yan Ling Zun’s hand rapidly dissipate, turning to a murky green in the blink of an eye. What astonished Nie Kong most was that he sensed an identical aura to his own emanating from this murky green substance.

With a gentle wave of her jade hand, the ball of murky green aura vanished into the void: "Nie Kong, this is the trace of your essence left behind in that space. This Venerable collected all of it and then spent two days deciphering the secrets within."

"Oh?" Nie Kong’s heart stirred. He hadn't expected Da Yan Ling Zun possessed such methods. When he arrived before that bone palace, his aura had been concealed by the Pan Hu seal. During his departure from the Bone Space, his aura was shielded by the Ling Xi Battle Robe. However, during the period when Pan Hu and Da Yan Ling Zun battled fiercely, his aura had been completely exposed. Da Yan Ling Zun’s words were not baseless fabrication.

"Most surprisingly, this Venerable sensed a familiar scent within your essence," saying this, Da Yan Ling Zun cast a half-smile toward Nie Kong. "Nie Kong, if this Venerable has not guessed incorrectly, you must originate from the Tian Ling Continent, and the wisp of spiritual thought this Venerable sent to the Tian Ling Continent must have been devoured by you. Otherwise, a Spirit Master originating from the Tian Ling Continent like you could never condense the Nine Underworld Stars, nor could your cultivation speed increase to such a degree." A flicker of genuine shock finally crossed Nie Kong's face.

He had not expected Da Yan Ling Zun to be able to detect that he had once consumed that wisp of her spiritual thought! Once she knew this, it was child’s play for her to deduce his origin, and laying an ambush near the God-Slaying Cave beforehand was no longer surprising.

In this moment, Nie Kong could only offer a wry smile.

Indeed, it was both his fortune and his downfall. That wisp of spiritual thought from Da Yan Ling Zun allowed him to successfully transform into a human of the Netherworld, providing him the foundation to cultivate in this strange world. But that same wisp of spiritual thought became the root of exposing his whereabouts.

Da Yan Ling Zun smiled lightly: "Nie Kong, over thousands of years, you are the only little fellow who has stirred a sentiment of cherishing talent in this Venerable. If you are willing to surrender your avatar, the Huimou Grass, and join the Ling Zun Palace, you shall be this Venerable’s sole disciple. Once your cultivation reaches the Ninth Order, this Venerable will appoint you as the Palace Master of the Ling Zun Palace. Furthermore, when you reach the peak of the Ninth Order, this Venerable will even assist you in breaking through to the Ling Zun realm!"

"This…" Nie Kong’s expression became hesitant.

For other Black Spirit Masters, becoming Da Yan Ling Zun’s sole disciple would be an unimaginable windfall, especially with the promise of the Palace Master position and the lure of breaking through to the Ling Zun realm awaiting him. Logically, no one could refuse Da Yan Ling Zun. This was evident from the jealous and envious gazes of the surrounding Ninth-Order experts and Eighth-Order masters.

But in Nie Kong’s heart, these temptations were negligible.

His purpose in coming to the Netherworld was for cultivation, and the purpose of his cultivation was to resolve Hua Mei's soul crisis. How could he change his original intention because of a single sentence from Da Yan Ling Zun? Yet, looking at the current situation, if he refused, it was likely Da Yan Ling Zun would unleash a lightning strike immediately.

The option of temporarily agreeing and then seeking an opportunity to slip away held little feasibility either. Since Da Yan Ling Zun knew his origins, she would certainly take precautions. If he truly followed her to the Ling Zun Palace, he might never have another chance to leave, and returning to the Tian Ling Continent would remain an uncertain dream.

Seeing Nie Kong hesitate, Da Yan Ling Zun smiled again: "Nie Kong, you need not worry that this Venerable will go back on her word after reclaiming the Huimou Grass avatar and immediately turning hostile to settle scores with you. This Venerable has been a Ling Zun for millennia; my word is law. Why would I deceive a little fellow like you?"

"Of course, if you are still uneasy, this Venerable can find a few people you trust to serve as witnesses."

Saying this, Da Yan Ling Zun suddenly turned her gaze toward the "God-Slaying Cave," her eyes sharp as lightning, seeming to pierce through that hazy void. "Zhan Xinzi, Mo Huang, Jing Ji, Hua Ruxian—since you four are here, why not reveal yourselves for a viewing? Hiding in the shadows only invites ridicule!"