"Hold it," Mu Xueyi rose to his full height, his gaze sweeping over the five young men and women before settling on Kou Xilai. "She Qianbian was killed before he admitted defeat; that was his own doing, no one else to blame. Hall Master Kou, are you truly intending to disregard the rules of the Gan Tiandi Arena Guard to intervene on behalf of the Snake Spirit Clan?"

A sinister smile flickered across Kou Xilai's face, his lips moving, but before he could speak, a resounding clash like colliding gold and iron cut through the air: "The rules must not be broken! If the Spirit God Hall intends to bully the weak and disregard protocol, then don't blame the Dragon Spirit Clan for doing the same."

"Long Tiangong!"

Kou Xilai’s heart sank, his eyes fixed on the opposite side, where a golden silhouette was becoming increasingly dazzling, almost impossible to look at directly.

"The Dragon King speaks correctly!" Hua Caidie’s voice was exquisitely clear.

"Hall Master Kou, please do not act rashly. The rules of the Gan Tiandi Arena Guard have endured for thousands of years; they cannot be cast aside for the sake of the Snake Spirit Clan," Yu Qinglan said with a faint smile.

"Precisely. Today is the grand opening ceremony of the Medicine King Palace. Although the Spirit God Hall holds paramount influence across the Tianling Continent, they cannot act recklessly just because they are powerful," an aged voice slowly drifted into everyone’s ears. The speaker was an old man in blue robes standing beside the newly appointed Fish King, Yu Tinglei.

Kou Xilai’s expression grew increasingly grim. He had not expected that following the Yin Ruins incident, the Dragon Spirit, Flower Spirit, Feather Spirit, and Fish Spirit Clans would all come out in support of Nie Kong, one after another.

He was unsurprised by the reaction from the Yin Ruins and the Dragon Spirit Clan and Feather Spirit Clan, but he hadn't anticipated that the Flower Spirit Clan and Fish Spirit Clan would also voice their support. By this count, excluding the Half-Spirit Clan of the Yin Ruins, four of the five great Spirit Clans were now siding with Nie Kong.

Seeing this development, the five young men and women paused in their steps, and the other experts from the Spirit God Hall exchanged uncertain glances. However, the matter was far from settled.

"Although my Spirit Control City is not as mighty as the Spirit God Hall, Hall Master Kou, if you intend to throw the rules into chaos, the Spirit Control City will certainly not stand idly by," City Lord Meng Feiyang said with a casual smile.

"City Lord Meng speaks the truth. My Mo Xue family..."

"And my Heaven and Earth Sect..."

Voices continued to chime in sequentially.

This scene left the assembled crowd utterly dumbfounded.

For thousands of years, the Spirit God Hall had loomed over the Tianling Continent like a colossal mountain, a power that even sacred loci like the Spirit Control City, the Mo Xue Sect, and the Heaven and Earth Sect were reluctant to provoke easily. Yet today, all these powers were raising voices of opposition against the Spirit God Hall.

After about a minute, people began to notice that most of the small and medium-sized forces attending the Medicine King Palace ceremony remained silent, while the major powers—like the Yin Ruins, the Dragon Spirit Clan, and the Spirit Control City—were all condemning Kou Xilai.

The square was packed with people, yet the Spirit God Hall found itself isolated.

Kou Xilai, Lu Rong, and the other Spirit God Hall experts, along with the Snake Spirit Clan members, had faces shifting between pale green and dark purple, their moods mercurial. They had completely failed to anticipate that Nie Kong possessed such profound influence, having managed to win over the vast majority of the major powers without anyone noticing.

Did a single volume of Compendium of Materia Medica truly possess such immense power?

Kou Xilai had initially assumed Nie Kong’s relationship with powers like the Heaven and Earth Sect and the Immortal Hunting Sect was a simple alliance, but it now seemed far more complex.

"And the Demon-Roam Sacred Mountain..."

Kou Xilai abruptly snapped his gaze toward Mo Tian, who was not far away.

But at this critical juncture, the master of the Demon-Roam Sacred Mountain remained motionless, eyes narrowed like an old monk in deep meditation, appearing utterly oblivious to the surrounding commotion and Kou Xilai’s fierce stare.

"Old fox!"

Kou Xilai cursed internally.

Back in Crashing Heaven City, he, She Qianbian, and Mo Tian had agreed that the three major forces would successively challenge Nie Kong today. However, She Qianbian’s death and the subsequent encirclement of the Spirit God Hall by the other powers seemed to have caused Mo Tian to change his original plan and prioritize self-preservation.

This cascade of unexpected events caused a sense of foreboding to rise within Kou Xilai. Almost instinctively, his eyes flicked toward the black-robed man. The black-robed man seemed to sense it simultaneously, turning his gaze toward Kou Xilai; the four sets of eyes met in the air for a brief moment before withdrawing.

"Everyone speaks well. No matter what, the rules of the Gan Tiandi Arena Guard cannot be violated. I must admit I was somewhat rash just now."

Kou Xilai’s eyes flickered briefly, then he let out a hearty, booming laugh. "Little brother Nie Kong's cultivation is exceptional; even the Serpent Lord was no match for him. He is completely qualified to establish his own sect. However, it would be too great a pity if the Tianling Continent’s only newly risen great sect were to conclude things so abruptly with the Gan Tiandi Arena Guard proceedings. How about this: let the Spirit God Hall handle the conclusion. What does the young brother think?"

By the final words, Kou Xilai’s gaze was fixed on Nie Kong in the center of the plaza. His expression was gentle, his smile charming, completely lacking the previous viciousness.

Nie Kong responded with a half-smile: "Is Hall Master Kou perhaps interested in stepping onto the stage personally to offer guidance?"

Kou Xilai smiled genially: "Although I have such an interest, this final opportunity should be granted to the younger generation of the Spirit God Hall... Kou Zhang, haven't you always wished to spar with the youngest Spirit Master on the Tianling Continent? Now is your chance."

The black-robed man gave a slight nod and slowly rose to his feet. The five young men and women quietly returned to their seats, traces of barely concealed awe in their eyes.

At this moment, Mo Tian’s eyes snapped wide open, staring unblinkingly at the figure of the black-robed man. Long Tiangong, Mu Xueyi, Hua Caidie, and the others also turned to look, their expressions grave.

Though the black-robed man named Kou Zhang appeared young, none of them truly considered him a mere youth. Judging by the fluctuation of his aura, his cultivation hadn't even reached the High Rank of Celestial Spirit, yet his soul presence was strangely extreme.

When the Spirit God Hall group emerged from the passage, Long Tiangong and Mu Xueyi had intentionally or unintentionally probed him, but every tendril of their spiritual sense was completely devoured the moment it neared Kou Zhang, as if what lay beneath his flesh and bone was not skeletal structure but a pitch-black firmament.

Even powerful figures like them couldn't help but feel a secret tremor in their hearts upon detecting this.

Coupled with Kou Zhang’s utterly unfamiliar face, Long Tiangong and the others had already concluded that Kou Zhang, like the other five young men and women, must be a High God descended from the "Supreme Spirit Realm," and that the true body of Kou Zhang must possess strength vastly exceeding theirs.

Now, with such a figure stepping forward to challenge Nie Kong, they had no choice but to pay close attention.

"Stomp!"

Kou Zhang moved his feet, his voice low, but the instant his right foot pressed forward, an extraordinarily heavy aura swept out wildly. Simultaneously, the previously brilliant sky began to dim, as if night were about to descend upon the Spirit Palace itself.

"Stomp! Stomp!"

The low sounds of footsteps echoed one after another. The sky grew darker, and the sense of extreme oppression intensified, filling everyone’s chests until they struggled to breathe. Some of the lower-level Spirit Masters had already collapsed onto the steps, falling into a heavy slumber.