Deep in the southwest of the Tianling Continent, amidst rolling mountain ranges, where canyons crisscross and ravines abound, lay the home of the Serpent Spirit Clan, one of the five great Spirit Clans: the Myriad Serpent Immortal Nest.

Above a deep chasm, the sheer cliff face had been almost entirely hollowed out and sculpted into a colossal stone hall.

On the broad stone platform before the hall entrance, a giant, brilliant red serpent was coiled into a mound, occupying nearly tens of meters of ground. Its head was held high, its lantern-like eyes flashing with cold glints, while its thick, long tail disappeared into the abyss below the cliff face.

“Hiss!”

Suddenly, the serpent’s tail stirred lightly in the chasm, and an unfathomable vortex, dozens of meters in diameter, instantly appeared. Immediately after, the entire deep chasm seemed to be whipped into a frenzy of towering waves; the water churned violently, ceaselessly smashing against the cliffs on either side, sending splashes of foam flying everywhere—the rumbling sound deafening.

The giant serpent appeared to relish the spectacle, occasionally flicking out its scarlet tongue, its demeanor utterly relaxed.

“Crack!”

Just then, a sharp crack echoed from within the stone hall. The serpent’s tail, which had been stirring the water, paused slightly, its head turning toward the interior of the hall, letting out a surprised hiss from its mouth.

“Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!”

Four more sharp sounds followed in quick succession.

“Hmm?”

With a soft exclamation, the giant serpent was replaced by a middle-aged man of handsome features and a pale complexion, clad in blood-red robes. The next instant, a flash of crimson, and the man materialized deep inside the palace, in a stone chamber. This room contained only one piece of furniture: a wide table.

Resting diagonally upon the tabletop was a single sheet of snow-white jade, crystal clear and thin as a cicada’s wing. Within its dense, crimson markings, names of Serpent Clan members were faintly visible.

There were over twenty in total.

However, at that moment, five of the jade tablets had crumbled into dust.

“Shentong, Sheling, Shenhan, Suisui, Sheying—all dead?”

His gaze swept over the piles of fine powder, the names of the five Serpent Spirit Clan members tumbling from his lips. The middle-aged man’s face was a mask of shock and fury, two beams of bloody red light, seemingly tangible, shooting from his pupils as he let out a hoarse roar, “Five Celestial Spirit experts, one peak Ninth-Grade Spirit Beast, and one Pill Spirit Master—it should have been a sure win. How could they all be dead without a single survivor? Could it be that we were careless and were discovered by the Dragon Spirit Clan?”

These jade tablets were the “Life Tablets,” secretly crafted by the Serpent Spirit Clan exclusively for Cave Spirit Masters, Celestial Spirit experts, and a few other vital individuals. They contained an imprint of the owner's soul. As long as one lived, the tablet remained; but upon death, the soul imprint would shatter, blasting the tablet to pieces.

The consecutive shattering of five Life Tablets meant that within those mere seconds, the five individuals who had left their soul imprints were utterly annihilated. Five Celestial Spirit experts—in the Dacheng Empire, even one could establish a noble lineage—yet the Dragon Spirit Clan had claimed five in succession. The loss was devastatingly profound.

As the words left his mouth, the middle-aged man’s eyes instinctively darted toward the last remaining jade tablet on the table. It too bore a name: Sheya!

Not far from the eastern coast of the continent stood a city of exceptional prosperity.

In a quiet courtyard, Sheya lay naked upon a spacious, large bed. Beside him, three young and beautiful women lay similarly unclothed, their fair bodies covered in bruises and teeth marks. Though dawn had broken, the four slept soundly, limbs intertwined.

“Buzz!”

Suddenly, a faint chime sounded from amidst the pile of scattered clothes.

Sheya seemed to stir, abruptly sitting up, which woke the three women beside him. Six delicate, soft arms immediately wrapped around him, sweet, seductive giggles and enchantingly alluring moans filling the room. Sheya looked content, reaching out to grab his clothes.

A moment later, a grave expression settled on Sheya’s face. It was a message transmitted via a spirit slip from his father.

“Out! Get out!”

Sheya hastily waved his hands, shooing away the three women he had summoned from a brothel. Once the door was firmly shut, his spiritual sense delved into the spirit slip in his hand, and he murmured with narrowed eyes, “Elder Shentong… Elder Sheling… Five of them are dead? All dead?”

A choked gasp escaped his throat, and the spirit slip clattered to the floor. Sheya stood dumbfounded.

He had been fully aware of the plan targeting Nie Kong; in fact, he had instigated it. The five great elders were to conceal their aura, one guarding near Dragon Island to relay word the moment Nie Kong appeared, while the other four were to lie in ambush on the beach based on that intelligence.

Five Celestial Spirit experts against one Pill Spirit Master and one peak Ninth-Grade Spirit Beast—the outcome was self-evident. Yet, this assassination attempt, which should have been without suspense, resulted in an outcome so unbelievable, so shocking: the total annihilation of all five participating elders?

“Buzz!” The spirit slip on the floor chimed again. Sheya snapped back to reality, picking up the slip with trembling hands; it was still a message from his father. After probing the contents with his spiritual sense, Sheya gave a jolt. He grabbed his clothes, scrambling to put them on while rushing toward the exit. However, just as his right hand touched the doorknob, his feet rooted to the spot as if they had grown into the ground.

The opponents possessed the ability to kill five elders in an instant; they must be numerous and powerful! If they had already left after the killing, all would be well. But if they were still present, wouldn’t barging out rashly be walking straight into a trap?

At the edge of the beach.

“Nie Kong, do you think these five had any companions?”

Looking down at the last old man whose soul had completely dispersed, Qingyue had returned to her petite, exquisite form. She patted her chest with a small hand, letting out a long sigh of relief. The fourth Celestial Spirit expert hidden on the beach, lying in ambush, had finally had his chest pierced by the sharp, hooked talons of the Spectral Eagle King, after which he was ripped to shreds.

The gruesome scene left the little one speechless, but the Spectral Eagle King seemed energized, head held high, its excitement reaching a fever pitch.

“Probably not,” Nie Kong mused. “They didn’t know our true strength. Sending one Celestial Spirit expert to track them, and four to ambush them, was already overkill. If they hadn't been wary of the Dragon Spirit Clan, using two Celestial Spirit experts on the beach would have been ample; there would have been no need for four.”

Qingyue floated to Nie Kong’s shoulder and urged, “If that’s the case, let’s leave quickly. This place makes Grandma very uncomfortable.”

“Go!”

Nie Kong smiled faintly, flicking out four balls of fire that landed on the four corpses on the beach. He then leaped onto the Spectral Eagle King’s back. Almost simultaneously as the Eagle King spread its wings, Tai Yan transformed into a streak of red light and darted into the opening of Nie Kong’s tunic.

“Caw!”

With a piercing cry, the Spectral Eagle King shot high into the sky.

Several hours later, a fisherman with a dark, grim face appeared on the beach, only to find a massive, star-shaped crater left behind.

“Th-this…”

This fisherman’s features bore a striking resemblance to Sheya’s. Terror spread across his face as he stared at the obvious signs of battle left on the sand. After a long pause, he stammered, his voice trembling, “What ruthless methods—they didn’t even leave the elders’ corpses behind!”