Only a brief moment passed before a flurry of panicked cries erupted from the vast depression: "How is this possible? You... you... you wretch, how could you deplete the divine power within my 'Dark God Blood Pendant' so swiftly..."

Immediately after, a shadowy figure scrambled up from a dozen meters beside the giant, the dark aura swirling around it now exceedingly thin, seemingly ready to dissipate at any second.

"Get down here, you bastard!"

The Ghost Eagle King shrieked, whipping its massive wings downward.

Instantly, a tempestuous gale surged forth, batting Zhan Song back in front of the giant. At nearly the same instant, the giant lifted its right foot and stomped down savagely once more.

"Wretch... you won't take my life so easily!"

A fierce roar suddenly split the air, and boundless dark energy detached itself from the void, rushing toward the giant. In a flash, dense black mist engulfed the giant's form, twisting wildly while rapidly expanding outward. Soon, the entire indentation was swallowed by an inky, dark hue.

"Zhan Song, what is this, a death throe?"

The giant's scornful laughter echoed through the darkness, swiftly followed by the blossoming of an intense golden light, like the midday sun against ice and snow, which continuously drove the surrounding darkness away.

"Ah..."

When all the darkness vanished, a piercing, tragic scream resonated in all directions.

"Youhun, catch!"

With a flick of his right foot, Zhan Song’s bloody body was lofted into the air, immediately gripped by the talons of the swooping Black Eagle. The giant's mocking voice instantly boomed across the mountains: "A powerhouse from the Spirit God Hall? Nothing more than this!"

A powerhouse from the Spirit God Hall? Nothing more than this...

These short nine words nearly caused the eyes of the Spirit Masters gathered at the edge of the swamp to pop out. Not every Spirit Master knew of the Spirit God Hall’s existence, but those who did were invariably terrified by its horrifying strength, standing far above the great Holy Lands of Spirit Masters—hardly comparable to any ordinary sect!

Yet, here was the green-robed bandit declaring such an arrogant statement!

If this green-robed bandit had just emerged from the Spirit Banishment Swamp a few days ago, most onlookers would have secretly laughed at his overestimation of his own capabilities. But now, looking at the Spirit God Hall’s Heaven Spirit expert dangling like a dead dog beneath the Black Eagle's claws, a chilling sensation gripped their hearts, and faint fear surfaced in their expressions.

A Heaven Spirit expert from the Spirit God Hall, resolved so easily—if he wasn't qualified to say such things, who was?

"Ah!"

Another scream pierced the air.

The crowd snapped back to attention, realizing with a jolt that there was still another Spirit God Hall expert present: Zhan Qiong. They hurriedly turned their gaze, only to be struck speechless once more. Zhan Qiong was entirely enveloped by a mass of blood-red aura, within which a strange, eye-shaped flower could be faintly discerned.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, a violent detonation assaulted their eardrums.

The mass of blood-red aura appeared to have suffered a violent impact, causing a narrow fissure to appear, from which fiercely burning black flames madly surged. Along with the black flames, a slender black shadow seemed to flash into existence, disappearing almost instantly, swept away with the dark fire.

"Trying to escape!"

As his eyes shifted, Nie Kong witnessed this exact scene. A cold glint flashed in his eyes, and his massive form materialized abruptly next to the ball of red aura. His grinding-stone-like fist slammed into the void where Zhan Qiong had fled. The moment the dark-green spiritual cave appeared, a dazzling golden light shot into the void.

"Mn!"

A muffled groan sounded from the void a hundred meters away, accompanied by the explosive burst of a cluster of intense black flames. However, Zhan Qiong’s figure did not reappear.

Nie Kong frowned slightly. His spiritual sense melted into the world, spreading outward at an astonishing speed. A moment later, Nie Kong faintly detected a fleeting black shadow near the foot of a mountain several thousand meters ahead. When he tried to investigate further, he realized he had reached the limit of his spiritual sense's coverage.

Having instantly fled several thousand meters, pursuit was impossible.

What a pity he got away!

Nie Kong felt a touch of regret. Although he had declared that Spirit God Hall experts were "nothing more than this," he was quite envious of Zhan Qiong and Zhan Song. These fellows not only possessed treasures to save their lives but also the means to escape; otherwise, Zhan Qiong would never have slipped away from Tai Yan today.

"Tai Yan, Youhun!"

Nie Kong let out a light call, and the blood-red aura instantly transformed into the 'Hui Mou Grass,' sinking into Nie Kong's chest. The next second, Nie Kong shed the Scarlet Star Battle Form, returning to his normal self, and alighted upon the Ghost Eagle King's back. In an instant, the figures of Nie Kong, Zhan Song, and the Ghost Eagle King vanished from the sight of the crowd.

After a long while, those in the gully at the swamp's edge finally recovered from the shocking spectacle:

"..."

"So strong! That green-robed bandit!"

"Two Heaven Spirit experts from the Spirit God Hall, one dead and one fled—tsk, tsk. If he had intended to kill people a few days ago, we wouldn't have been worth two stomps to him!"

"I wonder how his body got so huge? Is it the 'Elephant Heaven Law Earth' technique from the Heaven Sect?"

"Didn't he say it himself? It's called the 'Scarlet Star Battle Form'!"

"And that flower, it's truly bizarre; it almost swallowed a Heaven Spirit expert... It must have become a spirit. Right, what was her name? Tai Yan?"

"..."

Various sounds of astonishment lingered long in the air...

...

On a hilltop several miles away, the Ghost Eagle King settled down gently. Nie Kong hopped off its back, and Tai Yan’s graceful figure manifested beside him.

"'Spirit God Hall powerhouse? Nothing more than this!' Nie Kong, your performance today was utterly dominant." Qing Yue hopped out, beaming. As soon as they left the swamp, Nie Kong had made the little one hide inside the Beast Talisman; with only two Heaven Spirit experts, she hadn't needed her illusionary arts for deterrence.

Nie Kong chuckled at her words. Just then, Tai Yan puffed out her cheeks, looking somewhat dejected. "Brother, I'm sorry, I let him escape."

"How can I blame you for that?"

Nie Kong shook his head and smiled. "Tai Yan, if I'm not mistaken, the dark spiritual energy Zhan Qiong erupted with at the end must have contained divine power."

Tai Yan nodded sullenly. "Mm, I can't devour anything that contains divine power."

"It's fine. A mere Heaven Spirit Master can't stir up any big waves, and he won't know our identities for the time being." Nie Kong couldn't resist reaching out and pinching Tai Yan's cheek. With a soft 'poof,' her round, puffed-up cheeks instantly deflated.

"Really?"

Tai Yan finally smiled.

"Of course. Now, let's see what this 'Dark God Blood Pendant' actually is?" Nie Kong walked over to Zhan Song, squatted down, and began rummaging through his robes. After a moment, he pulled out a smooth, round jade pendant. Its color was an inky black, and the moment it appeared, it seemed to absorb the surrounding light.

... ... The surnames of Zhan Qiong and Zhan Song... The shape of the jade pendant...