The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable frowned slightly. Nie Kong claimed his independent space wasn't on him, a statement she found hard to swallow. After all, the only reason Nie Kong was here was to use the "God Annihilation Cave" to return to the Celestial Spirit Continent—how could he possibly leave something so precious elsewhere?

If Nie Kong had been a native of the Netherworld, there might have been some credibility to his words. Unfortunately, he was not. Ultimately, the most likely scenario was that Nie Kong was stalling for time. Yet, against absolute power, all tricks were futile. Nie Kong was indeed a peerless prodigy, sparking a desire in her to recruit him; however, if he remained uncooperative, she wouldn't hesitate to erase him.

"Let's see what tricks you can pull," she mused.

As Nie Kong approached, the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable squinted, sneering inwardly. She failed to notice that Nie Kong was subtly shifting his trajectory away from her front. When Nie Kong finally halted, a marvelous spatial shift had occurred between them. Previously, the Spirit Venerable stood squarely between Nie Kong and the "God Annihilation Cave." Now, Nie Kong and the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable stood side-by-side before the entrance.

"Spirit Venerable, my independent space is right..."

Nie Kong lowered his voice, leaning conspiratorially close to the Spirit Venerable, his eyes flicking toward the Alchemist Sovereign Mo Huang and his companions who were currently locked in confrontation with Bai Lian nearby.

The Spirit Venerable's gaze followed instinctively.

"Here!"

At that precise moment, Nie Kong suddenly blurted out those two words, his hands shooting up without warning. He seized the two plump, rounded mounds of exquisite jade on the Spirit Venerable's chest with brutal force, simultaneously unleashing his "Crimson Star Battle Body," causing his physique to instantly swell.

"Life Barrier!" Almost concurrently, Nie Kong sent a thought to the little creature, and the vibrant, emerald essence of his natal medicinal power surged forth from his Spirit Abyss Acupoint.

"Ah?" Gasps erupted from the onlookers.

The Black Spirit Masters watching stared, mouths agape like geese with their throats constricted, simply unable to process the scene unfolding—the supreme Great Evolution Spirit Venerable, who had dominated the Netherworld for millennia, being so brazenly desecrated by this Nie Kong...

Not only were they stunned, but the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable herself was completely taken aback by Nie Kong’s sudden, audacious act of vulgarity. She paused for a beat before being jolted back to reality by the strange sensation—a mixture of pain and tingling—coursing through her chest. A blush instantly flooded her beautiful, delicate features.

For thousands of years, countless Peak Ninth Stage experts, merely half a step from reaching the Spirit Venerable realm, had prostrated before her, trembling in awe. Yet, never had a man dared to violate her in such a manner, especially not under the gaze of so many witnesses?

"You court death!"

A deep crimson light flashed in the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable's exquisite eyes. She shrieked in a fit of shame and rage, her slender, ivory hand instinctively lashing out. The next instant, an overwhelming torrent of energy slammed into Nie Kong's abdomen with no suspense whatsoever.

"Bang!" With a violent clang, Nie Kong grunted, his robust frame violently thrown backward, crashing instantly into the plume of black mist and rapidly sinking toward the God Annihilation Cave.

"Thank you, Spirit Venerable, for the assistance!"

Nie Kong's slightly weakened voice echoed, laced with mockery. "Furthermore, the elasticity is truly excellent. It certainly hasn't wasted the Spirit Venerable's ten thousand years of cultivation. It will give me much to savor..."

"Nie Kong!"

The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable was consumed by a storm of shame and fury. The killing intent in her eyes seemed to solidify, and a dense, sanguine aura erupted, instantly coalescing into a magnificent sea of blood, surging forward like a broken dam, cresting into hundred-meter waves that roared into the God Annihilation Cave.

"Buzz!" Suddenly, a piercing sword chime sounded. A thick, azure, radiant light burst forth in the darkness, instantly shattering the towering tide of blood. Cold, sharp sword qi shot toward the high heavens.

Instantly, an overpowering, unparalleled sense of pressure swept out from the azure sword energy, expanding outward like a hurricane.

"Whoosh!" The surrounding Eighth Stage Black Spirit Masters were the first to be blown away. Those Ninth Stage experts with slightly lower cultivation followed suit. Within seconds, even the Peak Ninth Stage powerhouses could not withstand the excruciatingly potent pressure, all tumbling backward like rootless duckweed.

In that instant, only the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable, Bai Lian, Zhan Xinzi, Mo Huang, Jing Ji, and Hua Ruxian—the six Spirit Venerables—remained outside the God Annihilation Cave. However, even they struggled to fully resist the sword qi that pierced the clouds, forcing them to retreat step by step.

After nearly a minute, the azure sword energy slowly dissipated, and the black mist, previously suppressed, once again rose from the God Annihilation Cave.

"No wonder no one has been able to leave the Netherworld in ten millennia. This God Annihilation Cave is enough to be the nightmare of any powerhouse, even a Spirit Venerable. I wonder how Nie Kong managed to enter?" Looking at the pillar of black smoke, Zhan Xinzi, Mo Huang, and the others exchanged glances, their expressions betraying unconcealed shock.

"Hmph!" At that moment, the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable flashed, instantly crossing a hundred meters of space to return to the edge of the God Annihilation Cave. Peering in, she saw only deep darkness; Nie Kong’s shadow was nowhere to be found.

"Recalling Blood Refinement, Soul Returns to Source!"

With a delicate cry, the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable’s graceful body transformed into a sea of blood. First, a gigantic crimson, eye-shaped blossom ascended. Immediately afterward, the blood sea rapidly contracted and reshaped: a stalk, leaves, and roots gradually emerged, forming a ten-meter-tall "Recalling Grass"—the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable in her transformed state.

The red light flickered faintly. This "Recalling Grass" had actually transformed into the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable. The moment she resumed human form, she urgently closed her eyes.

"My incarnation is still there!" Less than a second later, the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable's eyes snapped open. Before coming here, to prevent Nie Kong from holding leverage over her, she had severed the connection between her main body and her incarnation. Now, she had restored that link and, through it, immediately sensed the general status of her incarnation.

Since the incarnation still existed, it meant Nie Kong... was not dead!

"Nie Kong, I have been schemed against by you again!"

The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable ground her shell-like teeth, her beautiful face twitching slightly, her eyes clouded with gloom.

When she had heard Nie Kong’s initial words, she had understood: Nie Kong clearly knew that with her blocking the front, he had no chance of entering the God Annihilation Cave. He had used the "Recalling Grass" incarnation as bait to distract her.

Subsequently, Nie Kong deliberately grabbed her chest to provoke her into an impulsive attack when she became enraged, using her hand to propel himself into the God Annihilation Cave.

Finally, Nie Kong endured her attack and successfully escaped, just as he intended!

"Master."

Bai Lian’s figure suddenly appeared beside the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable.

The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable glanced sideways, catching sight of Zhan Xinzi and the other three. A wave of shame and fury, indescribable in words, surged wildly within her heart.

"Kill!"

In the end, the Spirit Venerable’s shame and rage transmuted into boundless killing intent...

That day, a world-shaking, intense battle commenced outside the God Annihilation Cave.

Zhan Xinzi lightly injured; Mo Huang heavily injured; Jing Ji heavily injured; Hua Ruxian heavily injured; the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable lightly injured; Bai Lian heavily injured... Following a brief period of calm, the Sect Alliance, the Spirit Venerable Hall, and the sects supporting the Spirit Venerable Hall stirred up even more violent currents throughout the Netherworld, pulling almost every Black Spirit Master into the fray.

The instigator of this massive upheaval, however, never reappeared...

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