Suddenly, the elderly man from the Serpent Spirit Clan roared out, his voice ragged with desperation, "If any of you can lend this old man a hand, I promise a generous reward!"

The onlookers exchanged astonished glances. Help? Was someone pursuing him?

They soon realized the truth: someone was indeed hunting him down, and the pursuer was none other than the green-robed man who had just ripped off the arm of the Second Elder of the Spirit God Hall.

"Whoosh!"

With a nearly inaudible tearing sound in the air, the green shadow abruptly traversed dozens of meters of empty space, cutting off the thin old man's escape route.

The crowd inwardly marveled. The green-robed man hadn't attacked the Heavenly Spirit experts of the Serpent Spirit Clan when he first appeared; why was he chasing this one now? Had some deep-seated grudge formed between them in the short time he'd been away from the swamp center? The crowd was suspicious, yet not a single person stepped forward to intervene.

Just thinking of the green-robed man's technique that caused life force to drain away, even those Heavenly Spirit experts usually on good terms with the Serpent Spirit Clan lost any inclination to offer aid.

"Old man, I'll fight you to the death!"

Seeing the general inertia, the Serpent Spirit Clan elder shrieked, his eyes blood-red. His body abruptly transformed into a massive, dark-red serpent, opening its cavernous maw to tear at the green-robed man. Its crimson tongue flickered erratically, while its tail simultaneously swept out with ferocious force.

"Slap!"

The green-robed man flicked his arm, his left palm slamming directly onto the serpent's tail, while his right fist shot out. But at that very moment, the giant serpent leveraged the force of the palm strike, arching its body, springing into the air, and instantly reverting to its human form, soaring away with a layer of dark-red aura swirling around its skin.

"Get down here!"

The green-robed man roared, rocketing off the ground like an arrow loosed from a bow. He managed to grab the Serpent Spirit Clan elder's right foot, yanking him back down to the marsh floor.

Immediately following this, the man's right chest connected with the elder's sternum. A ball of golden light erupted from his fist. The Serpent Spirit Clan elder didn't even utter a grunt; his frail body exploded into a mist of blood with a muffled bang. Only a dark-red jade tablet dropped from the air, which the man snatched up.

"Brother!"

Suddenly, a joyous cry emerged from the cloud of blood near the Spirit Suppression Stele, instantly condensing into a streak of blood-red light that vanished into the green-robed man's chest. A moment later, the green-robed man used no visible artifact; his body became gradually enveloped in a layer of emerald-green energy, and within seconds, he had disappeared without a trace.

In the swamp, the onlookers stared at each other, silent for a long time.

Having reached their level of cultivation, they were long accustomed to life and death; the death of the Serpent Spirit Clan elder did not stir great waves in their hearts. However, the ease with which the green-robed man dispatched him shocked them considerably. Especially the golden light that shot from the man's fist at the end—it made their very spirits tremble. If their senses were correct, that was absolutely the aura of Divine Power.

That was true Divine Power, not the energy stored in artifacts like the "Thunder God's Blood Pendant," "Fire God's Blood Pendant," or "Dark God's Blood Pendant."

"It's said that after surviving the Second Spirit Tribulation, one can cultivate Divine Power. Could it be that he, like that old fellow, the Spirit God Hall Master, has already passed his Second Spirit Tribulation?"

Doubt filled their minds.

"How could he have passed the Second Spirit Tribulation? He hasn't even reached the Heavenly Spirit realm yet; he's probably only at the first or second stage of the Cave Spirit realm right now."

Listening to the incredulous murmurs of the surrounding Heavenly Spirit experts, Gu Changgong secretly smiled. When Nie Kong last returned to Spirit Imperial City, he was only a high-grade Core Spirit; reaching the Cave Spirit realm now was quite an achievement. He had no idea why his strength was growing so rapidly, even mastering Divine Power.

"..."

"That Serpent Bee was unlucky too. Just came to check things out, and ran into such disaster?"

"Perhaps he brought it upon himself. Otherwise, why didn't that man kill any of us Heavenly Spirit Masters from the various sects and noble clans, but targeted only him?"

"The Spirit God Hall faction was forced away this time. When they return, maybe the Spirit God Hall Master will lead them personally!"

"That person used the Flower Spirit to obstruct the Spirit God Hall—for what reason? With his strength, he could have waited until the Spirit God Hall broke the final barrier and then swooped in to loot. With that Flower Spirit, who could stop him? Could it be that he entered the Elixir Spirit Illusory Realm ahead of the Spirit God Hall through another route?"

"Let's go, let's go. Staring here for a few days has become tedious. We should return to Lou Tian City for a good rest. This gateway can only be opened by the Spirit God Hall's 'Spiritual Intent Deification Diagram.' We can come back and watch when they make their next move."

"..."

The Spirit God Hall experts departed, the Serpent Spirit Clan elder was dead, and both the green-robed man and his Flower Spirit vanished without a trace. The crowd lost interest, dispersing slowly, filled with lingering confusion.

In just two or three minutes, the central area of the swamp was left only with the four figures: Gu Changgong, Yang Tian, and Houtu, the three Hall Masters from Spirit Imperial City, and Yuan Xunyu, the Grand Elder of the Ink Snow Sect.

"Senior Brother, what are you thinking about?" Houtu couldn't help but ask, noticing Gu Changgong standing still, his expression rather peculiar.

"Nothing much. Let's go too!"

Gu Changgong's face relaxed, and he let out a hearty laugh, striding forward with his wide sleeves flowing. Yang Tian, Houtu, and Yuan Xunyu exchanged bewildered glances behind him. It seemed Gu Changgong had been acting strangely ever since that green-robed man appeared.

...

Spirit Prefecture Elixir Tower, Subterranean Illusion Formation.

"Finally, they're all gone!"

Watching the red dots at the edge of the illusion formation depart, Nie Kong, Tai Yan, and Qing Yue all showed expressions of relief. The Gourd also cracked a wide smile. After such a long time, its vigilance had slightly diminished, shrinking its distance from Nie Kong and the others from several tens of meters down to just a few.

Qing Yue said with a smile, "I thought driving them away would be difficult. Turns out it was this easy. We can wait here peacefully for Hua Mei and the Soul Ghost."

"You say that so easily," Nie Kong chuckled dryly. "The Spirit God Hall failed at the last moment; they won't just give up like that."

"What does it matter if they're unwilling? Can they really deal with Tai Yan?" Qing Yue was unconcerned.

"I'm not that powerful either. If a few more people had attacked today, I wouldn't have held on," Tai Yan smiled sweetly, a little embarrassed.

"Mmm."

Nie Kong nodded. "Although the power within Tai Yan can devour, it isn't limitless. Especially if a Divine Power attack like today's were even stronger, it would cause damage to her body. Besides, those dozen or so Spirit God Hall experts couldn't handle Hua Mei today, but that doesn't mean others can't."

Qing Yue realized suddenly. "You mean the Spirit God Hall Master? According to Wood Ancestor, he has already survived two Spirit Tribulations."

Nie Kong nodded. "You are correct. Having passed two Spirit Tribulations, he must have cultivated Divine Power within him. Tai Yan absolutely cannot devour a powerful expert like that." He paused slightly, his tone growing somewhat low. "However, that Spirit God Hall Master is only our first threat?"

"Who else?"

"The Spirit God Hall's Divine Envoys!"

"..."

...

...RO