One was the ancient ancestor of the War Clan, one the Pill King of the Heaven-Escaping Sect, one the current Island Master of Killing Life Island, and one the Grand Elder of the Void Cloud Sect. Their titles were irrelevant; what mattered was that all four had recently succeeded in crossing that final half-step to become Spirit Venerables!

Even if the time they had spent as Spirit Venerables was short, perhaps their cultivation was still unstable. Still, a Spirit Venerable was a Spirit Venerable, incomparable to any Ninth-Rank powerhouse.

Who would have thought they would all converge at this very spot today!

In an instant, the Black Spirit Masters of the Spirit Venerable Hall nearby followed the gaze of the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable and looked over, and even Nie Kong couldn't help but turn his eyes.

“Great Evolution, Nie Kong is a disciple of my War Clan. To poach from the War Clan right under my nose—isn't that a bit too dishonorable?” Accompanying this thunderous, booming voice, a stalwart white figure materialized suddenly from the void to the left of the God Extinction Cave and descended gracefully.

His hair and beard were snow-white, yet his face was remarkably youthful—it was Zhan Xinzi, the Ancestor of the War Clan. Following closely behind him, a gaunt figure tore through the void, arriving right after. This person’s face was a tapestry of deep wrinkles, looking as if one foot was already set inside the coffin.

“Mo Huang!”

“It really is the Pill King of the Heaven-Escaping Sect!”

“...”, a smattering of murmurs rose from the crowd.

After the Pill King Mo Huang came another elder apparition—clad in magnificent robes, his eyes sparkling like stars, his eyebrows slanted sharply like swords, and his bearing utterly ethereal.

“Hua Ruxian!”

Beside Hua Ruxian stood a slender middle-aged man.

This man looked about forty, his gaze cold and ruthless. His square, upright face was a roadmap of dark red scars—like thick, writhing earthworms. The moment he appeared, a palpable aura of murderous intent radiated from his body, sending an involuntary chill down the spines of onlookers.

“Jing Ji!” Every appearance by these four triggered an outcry.

Watching the four figures land one after another, the crowd’s expressions were complex. Once upon a time, under the shadow of the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable, these individuals were forced to constantly suppress their cultivation, lurking in the shadows like cowards, and they had maintained this guise for decades, even a century!

Yet, in the span of just a few days, those old turtles had all become Spirit Venerables, now possessing the power to stand against the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable. The golden days of the Spirit Venerable Hall, it seemed, were about to vanish forever with the arrival of these four.

“Four Spirit Venerables appearing together—maybe this presents an opportunity for me to slip away…” Nie Kong glanced at the God Extinction Cave, which was tantalizingly close, his eyes darting around.

“Dishonorable?” The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable narrowed her eyes, assessing Zhan Xinzi and Mo Huang and the other three, then let out a soft, delicate laugh. “Zhan Xinzi, so what if I poach from your War Clan? The fact that I haven’t annihilated your entire clan right now should prove how magnanimous I am!” As she spoke the last words, the beautiful face of the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable hardened like ten-thousand-year-old ice.

Hua Ruxian spared a glance for Nie Kong before returning his gaze to the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable, stating in a deep voice, “Great Evolution, times have changed! You were the sole Spirit Venerable, unchallenged across the Underworld for millennia. But now, your cultivation has severely waned, and your incarnation has been stolen by this young brother. Perhaps none of us alone can best you, but with four of us here, we are more than capable of slaying you!”

“Oh?”

The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable curled her lips upward, pointing a slender, jade-like finger toward the right side of the God Extinction Cave, and sneered, “Hua Ruxian, what if you add her to the count?”

Nie Kong and the surrounding crowd quickly looked. A deep, dark fissure suddenly bloomed in the void, and a white silhouette flashed out, drifting down like a loose strand of silk to land lightly beside the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable. It was a woman, appearing to be in her early thirties, slender and possessed of exquisite beauty.

“Mistress of the Spirit Venerable Hall!”

Seeing this beautiful woman, Zhan Xinzi, Mo Huang, Jing Ji, and Hua Ruxian all froze in stunned silence.

“Greetings to the Mistress!”

The Black Spirit Masters of the Spirit Venerable Hall immediately bowed in reverence.

Nie Kong’s heart skipped a beat. In his senses, this woman felt like a white vortex—immeasurably deep. Her cultivation might rival Zhan Xinzi’s before he broke through to the Spirit Venerable realm, but why hadn’t she been among the pursuit party earlier? If she had attacked, he might not have lasted long enough to reach this point. Was she hesitant because of the presence of Zhan Xinzi and Mo Huang, these four newly ascended Spirit Venerables?

Just as Nie Kong was deep in speculation, the woman bowed low, saying, “Your humble servant greets the Master.”

“Bai Lian, show them your true cultivation,” the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable commanded, waving her hand, a strange smile playing on her delicate face.

Hearing the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable’s words, the four—Zhan Xinzi, Mo Huang, Jing Ji, and Hua Ruxian—exchanged quick glances, a faint sense of foreboding washing over them.

It wasn't just them. Nie Kong, and even the surrounding Black Spirit Masters of the Spirit Venerable Hall, were momentarily stunned. Had Bai Lian been concealing her cultivation all this time?

“Yes,” Bai Lian nodded respectfully, sweeping her expressionless gaze over Zhan Xinzi and the others.

Then, a terrifying aura surged from within her body, skyrocketing at a jaw-dropping pace. In the blink of an eye, the intensity of that power surpassed the peak of the Ninth Rank and breached the threshold into the Spirit Venerable realm. But that was not the end; it was merely the new beginning.

After another dozen seconds or so, Bai Lian seemed to merge entirely with the void. A vast, overwhelming presence blanketed the area, saturating every inch of space.

“It truly is a Spirit Venerable!” The Black Spirit Masters of the Spirit Venerable Hall were utterly dumbfounded, having never suspected that the Hall Mistress they saw daily was actually a Spirit Venerable.

Zhan Xinzi, Mo Huang, Jing Ji, and Hua Ruxian could no longer maintain their composure; undisguised astonishment etched itself onto their faces. This woman was indeed a Spirit Venerable, and the duration of her breakthrough into this realm undoubtedly far exceeded their own.

The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable gestured to Bai Lian, and the heaven-and-earth-filling aura instantly vanished without a trace, as if it had never been. Bai Lian seemed to revert to the powerhouse at the peak of the Ninth Rank.

“Bai Lian is a White Tuber Spirit that took shape; she reached the Spirit Venerable realm two hundred years ago. Zhan Xinzi,” the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable said, her tone light and effortless as she revealed Bai Lian’s origin while a flicker of mockery crossed her beautiful eyes as she noted the four’s shocked expressions, “You are all still far too green!”

“This Bai Lian is actually a Flower Spirit!” Nie Kong took a sharp breath. He had assumed Zhan Xinzi was the second Spirit Venerable of the Underworld, only to discover that the second Spirit Venerable had emerged two centuries ago, and she served as the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable’s maid.

This outcome was both unexpected and, upon reflection, perfectly logical.

In her quest to achieve the Great Venerable realm, the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable had systematically absorbed the comprehension force generated whenever any peak Ninth-Rank cultivator attempted to break through to the Spirit Venerable realm over the past millennia. With that comprehension force, combined with the power of faith across the entire Underworld, she possessed enough to become a Great Venerable, yet due to limitations in her physical form, she had forever failed to take that final step.

Thus, the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable devised the method of swapping her true body with her incarnation. Since she knew this maneuver would severely deplete her own cultivation, she would certainly have made preparations beforehand. Helping Bai Lian break through to the Spirit Venerable realm was a natural step. After all, losing the comprehension force of one more peak Ninth-Rank expert would have little impact on the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable, who was already at the apex of the Spirit Venerable stage.

“Great Evolution, I did not expect you to harbor a Spirit Venerable hiding by your side,” Zhan Xinzi said, having regained his composure. “With Bai Lian assisting you, we admit we lack the certainty of victory. However, for the two of you to eliminate us will not be simple either.” “Simple or not, we must try to find out,” the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable replied, her voice cooling slightly as she suddenly commanded, “Bai Lian! Keep an eye on them!”

“Yes, Master.”

Bai Lian flashed forward and positioned herself directly between Zhan Xinzi’s group and the others.

Zhan Xinzi guessed the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable’s intentions. He glanced at Nie Kong, his brow furrowing tightly, but upon seeing the icy calm in Bai Lian’s demeanor, he dared not make any rash moves.

In truth, when Nie Kong and the Ghost Eagle King had slain those Ninth-Rank Black Spirit Masters and Eighth-Rank archers near the edge of the dense forest, he and the other four had already arrived. However, they had deliberately held back from taking Nie Kong, sensing someone else observing them nearby. That presence was faint, elusive, and highly peculiar. They had initially assumed it was the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable, but now realized the silent watcher was the Hall Mistress, Bai Lian. Naturally, their presence had also kept Bai Lian from making a move against Nie Kong until this moment.

Zhan Xinzi had presumed the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable harbored an intent to kill Nie Kong for stealing her incarnation. Thus, even upon detecting the hidden presence, he hadn't retreated but had instead tailed the Spirit Venerable Hall’s Black Spirit Masters all the way to the exterior of the “God Extinction Cave.”

But the turn of events vastly exceeded his expectations.

First, the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable had apparently abandoned her plan to kill Nie Kong, instead attempting to recruit him into the Spirit Venerable Hall, even promising him the position of Hall Master and assistance in reaching the Spirit Venerable realm. Second, Nie Kong was not a native of the Underworld but hailed from a continent beyond it. His desperate flight here was likely an attempt to use the God Extinction Cave to return to that place called the Heaven Spirit Continent.

For Zhan Xinzi, whether Nie Kong belonged to the Underworld was secondary. What mattered was that Nie Kong could not be allowed to join the Spirit Venerable Hall, even if he entered the God Extinction Cave. If he possessed such earth-shattering talent, coupled with the Great Evolution’s aid, he could potentially reach the Spirit Venerable realm within twenty years. In that scenario, the Spirit Venerable Hall would boast three Spirit Venerables. If the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable also recovered her former strength, even if the War Clan and Heaven-Escaping Sect produced two or three more Spirit Venerables, they would be at an insurmountable disadvantage, destined only for eradication by the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable later on.

The Great Evolution must not succeed!

Zhan Xinzi narrowed his eyes slightly and took a slow step forward. Mo Huang, Jing Ji, and Hua Ruxian moved in tandem beside him. Detecting their shift, Bai Lian remained motionless, yet her form seemed to transform into a massive white vortex, causing the surrounding void to ripple in response.

At this moment, the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable’s gaze settled upon Nie Kong, and she smiled faintly. “Nie Kong, after all this time, you must have made up your mind. Hand over that Return-Gaze Grass to me now.” Her tone was flat, yet carried an undeniable weight of command.

“I have indeed made up my mind.”

Nie Kong suddenly broke into a wide smile. “Spirit Venerable, your incarnation resides within my independent space, but that space is not currently on my person.” Seeing the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable’s pretty face instantly cloud over, Nie Kong hurried to add, “Don't worry, though the space isn't with me, I can tell you its location.”

“Where?” The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable scoffed.

“It’s at…” Nie Kong cast a swift glance at the four surrounding Zhan Xinzi, suddenly swallowing the rest of his words, and then walked toward the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable with a mysterious air…