Under the dim night sky, two figures floated on the sea surface like weightless duckweed, swaying intermittently with the rise and fall of the waves.

"What potent sword qi!"

Gazing at the pale azure glow fading in the distance, a soft exclamation arose. It came from a young man, clad in loose, pale green robes, appearing to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight. He was tall and slender, with refined features and skin as fair as jade; his handsome countenance rivaled a woman's.

Standing beside him was a woman in her early thirties. Her tight-fitting green attire perfectly showcased her voluptuous curves, making her look alluring, sexy, and graceful. Her features bore a slight resemblance to the young man's, but hers possessed a captivating, intoxicating charm.

Hearing the young man's awe, a faint smile touched her lips. "Judging by that sword qi, someone near the Fallen Abyss must have disturbed the seal. That person intends to enter our Celestial Spirit Continent, but with that sword present, how could they succeed? They must have been cut down by the sword qi already."

The young man nodded, his eyes flickering momentarily. He murmured, "For nearly several thousand years, no one from the Fallen Abyss has dared touch the seal, yet tonight an anomaly has occurred... I wonder if the one who disturbed the seal is him?"

"Oh?"

At his words, the woman in green turned her head slightly, a hint of surprise in her expression. "Ting Lei, are you referring to Nie Kong, the one who obtained the Water Spirit during the opening of the 'Nether Fire Abyss' last year? I recall you mentioning that shortly after acquiring the Water Spirit, he entered the trench leading to the entrance of the Fallen Abyss?"

"Yes, Mother Sovereign," the young man confirmed with a nod.

"Could it be that he actually entered the Fallen Abyss last year?" The woman in green knitted her delicate brows, speaking softly. "If he managed to forge a Second Incarnation through the 'Nether Fire Abyss,' then upon entering, it would indeed be possible for him to breach the seal of the Fallen Abyss and return here unharmed."

"..."

After a moment of contemplation, the woman in green suddenly smiled. "Ting Lei, go over there and check. If it truly is that Nie Kong, invite him to our 'Sea God Palace.'"

"Understood, I shall depart immediately."

The young man's figure instantly sank beneath the water. With a flick of his legs and waist, he shot forward like a marlin, covering tens of meters in an instant...

...

Entrance to the Abyss.

The moment Nie Kong circulated his Spirit Art, he detected numerous fine fissures within his bones, muscles, blood vessels... meridians, the Nine Nether Stars, and even his Spiritual Apertures.

Although the 'Crimson Star War Body' and 'Life Barrier' had withstood the potent attack from the Grand Evolution Spirit Venerable outside the God Annihilation Cave, they had inflicted severe damage upon his body. Fortunately, despite the sheer number of cracks, they were all capable of complete repair.

Thus, once his Spirit Treasure Essence recovered slightly, Nie Kong circulated the 'Yin-Yang Spirit Devouring Art' and the 'War God Star Seal' within his body.

Practicing two Spirit Arts simultaneously was not unfamiliar to Nie Kong; however, previously, his main body and his Second Incarnation practiced one each. Now, both were operating within his main body, making the cultivation far more difficult and demanding greater mental focus and effort.

Fortunately, there were parallels between the two scenarios. Nie Kong adapted within an hour or so, and under the synergy of the two Arts, the minute cracks throughout his body began to mend... Unknowingly, a trace of normal complexion gradually returned to his face, which had been pale as paper.

"Hoo!"

After an unknown duration, Nie Kong finally exhaled a long breath of stale air.

Glancing to the side, Nie Kong couldn't help but chuckle softly. Qing Yue and Xiang Xiang were nestled together, sound asleep. Beside them lay more than a dozen empty medicine bottles, their Nether Pills entirely consumed. Scattered among the bottles were over thirty withered medicinal herbs, their potency utterly spent.

Not far from Qing Yue and Xiang Xiang, Qing You's entire form was spread out, resembling a thin, large red paper effigy, occasionally emitting faint ripples and a sporadic, weak splashing sound of water.

During the pursuit by the ninth and eighth-tier experts of the Spirit Venerable Hall, Qing You had been constantly helping to deflect attacks, resulting in massive depletion. While Xiang Xiang’s inherent life force could be replenished via Nether Pills and herbs, Qing You’s power was exhausted and could only be temporarily sustained by Nie Kong's Spirit Treasure Essence.

Nie Kong had cultivated for a long time, his internal Spirit Treasure Essence fully restored and the cracks in his body healed, yet Qing You, the little fellow, remained listless.

"Too careless!"

Nie Kong felt a pang of shame. He moved his body closer to Qing You, placing his right palm directly against it. Immediately, Spirit Treasure Essence surged out from his palm like monstrous waves. In a mere two or three seconds, the dark green aura enveloped Qing You's body.

"Splash!"

The sound of water instantly grew louder, and Qing You's form convulsed violently, wrapping around Nie Kong's right palm, greedily devouring the endless supply of Spirit Treasure Essence.

Gradually, a faint red glow began to bloom from within Qing You's body. As the absorbed Spirit Treasure Essence increased, this red light grew more brilliant. After two or three minutes, Qing You shone like a scarlet sun, its dazzling luminescence almost too bright to behold.

"Splash, splash..."

The sound of water grew more intense. Qing You, having reverted to its 'Nether Fire Abyss' form, was like a gluttonous child who had found a delectable treat, clearly overjoyed.

"Eh?"

Startled by Qing You's ecstatic cries, Qing Yue released Xiang Xiang’s little blossom and sat up groggily. A moment later, her eyes lit up. She hastily lifted the little fellow by its root, floated over to Qing You’s body, and began rubbing against it energetically. "Nie Kong, you big brute! You have delicious food and don't even call your granny? Even if the meat isn't for me, a sip of the broth would suffice!"

"Aiya-ya!"

In an instant, Xiang Xiang, the little one, also waved its tendrils and leaves, closely following Qing Yue to join the pillaging party. Watching the three little creatures eagerly snatching and fighting, Nie Kong felt a mix of laughter and tears.

However, he couldn't entirely blame them. Back in the Netherworld, to conceal his true identity, Nie Kong had to administer the Spirit Treasure Essence to them stealthily. On the journey from the Ghost Domain to the God Annihilation Cave, Nie Kong no longer needed to hide it, but he had to maintain a constant reserve of Spirit Treasure Essence to fend off sudden threats, leaving little to spare for them.

Now that they were back at the Abyss entrance with no immediate dangers, how could they restrain themselves?

In less than ten minutes, Nie Kong’s Spiritual Apertures were completely drained. The Spirit Treasure Essence he had painstakingly recovered was entirely devoured by the three little ones: Qing Yue, Xiang Xiang, and Qing You. It wasn't until several hours later that Nie Kong’s meridians and Spiritual Apertures felt full once more.

"Nie Kong, give me some more, Granny hasn't had enough," seeing Nie Kong open his eyes, Qing Yue floated towards him with a beaming smile, as if she had spotted a glittering treasure vault.

"So greedy!"

A sharp rap landed on Qing Yue’s smooth forehead. As the little Medicine Spirit cried out in pain, Nie Kong rose to his feet, waved his large hand, and laughed, "Let's go!"

Xiang Xiang and Qing You immediately ceased their play. One returned to Nie Kong's Spiritual Apertures, the other floated onto Nie Kong’s shoulder, rapidly spreading out until, in an instant, a layer of scarlet water tightly enveloped Nie Kong’s body. Qing Yue muttered something under her breath, then wrinkled her little face and burrowed into the Beast Token.

Taking one last look at the Abyss entrance, Nie Kong took a deep breath. With a flick of his finger, he escaped the range of that pale azure glow and plunged into the pitch-black, deep sea trench outside.

Before coming here last year, Nie Kong had exchanged Spirit Slips with Mu Jinzhu. According to their agreement, upon returning to the entrance, Nie Kong was supposed to send a message to her so she could come and fetch him. However, now that Nie Kong possessed the Spirit Rhyme Battle Robe, the Crimson Star War Body, and the Nether Fire Abyss, he could navigate this sea area unimpeded. Returning to shore, there was no need to trouble Mu Jinzhu with extra travel.

As soon as he burst out of the cluster of azure waves and bright light, Nie Kong unleashed the 'Crimson Star War Body.' The Spirit Seal within the 'War God Star Seal' also proved immensely useful. A layer of golden radiance covered Nie Kong’s body, illuminating the area several meters around him, preventing him from having to navigate in complete darkness.

Seawater pressed in from all directions, yet it was entirely repelled by Nie Kong’s 'Spirit Rhyme Battle Robe' and the 'Nether Fire Abyss.' That overwhelming pressure and bone-chilling cold had no effect on him. Compared to his first journey into this trench last year, Nie Kong felt far more relaxed and at ease now.

"Splash, splash..."

The surroundings were utterly silent, save for the ceaseless sound of Qing You’s body undulating.

One hour, two hours...

...

After swimming in the darkness for a long time, a faint light finally began to filter down through the seawater above. The higher Nie Kong ascended, the brighter the light became.

"Whoosh!"

About fifteen minutes later, the seawater rippled slightly, followed by a spray of water. Nie Kong's robust figure suddenly broke through the azure seawater, soaring dozens of meters into the sky before gently settling back onto the surface. His feet did not sink into the water at all, as if his entire body carried no weight whatsoever.

At this moment, the sun had just risen to the height of a person.

Nie Kong squinted for a moment to adapt, then looked towards Sword King Island, which pierced the clouds like a sharp sword hundreds of meters away. For an instant, he felt as if he had been separated by ages.

Last year, under Mu Jinzhu's escort, Nie Kong had traveled from here to the Abyss entrance, passing through the seal to reach the Netherworld. In the time since becoming a disciple of Fubo Mountain and then joining the Transcendent Sect War Clan, Nie Kong had seized countless opportunities, his cultivation advancing by leaps and bounds.

Before entering the Netherworld, Nie Kong was merely at the third rank of Spirit Control; by the time he left, his cultivation had broken through to the sixth rank of Pill Spirit! During this miraculous ascent, Nie Kong had faced numerous crises, especially after Pan Hu and the Grand Evolution Spirit Venerable appeared, putting him in a situation like dancing on the tip of a knife, where a single misstep meant utter destruction. Fortunately, Nie Kong had endured and finally returned to this familiar continent.

"I wonder how Hua Mei is doing now?"

The experiences in the Netherworld flashed through Nie Kong's mind, the images finally coalescing into Hua Mei's delicate face, stirring an involuntary ripple in his heart.

After a long while, Nie Kong’s emotions calmed. Just as he was about to leave, his heart suddenly jolted. He quickly turned his gaze and saw a figure in cyan emerge from the right side of Sword King Island, stepping onto the waves as if strolling leisurely, its robes fluttering elegantly and gracefully...

...