In the boundless void, fragments drifted like scattered stones. In this region, there was no cycle of day and night, making it difficult for Nie Kong to gauge the passage of time; he only knew that the concentration of spiritual energy elements around them was slowly increasing.

The nearly unchanging scenery was inevitably tedious. Tai Yan and Qing You had long since lost their initial curiosity, clinging listlessly to Nie Kong.

Only Lan Ling continued without pause; fortunately, due to her unique physique, this method of travel consumed negligible power for her, a being with countless vines. Perhaps several days, or perhaps more than ten, had passed...

Suddenly, a massive dark shadow fragment appeared in the distance, and the sensed concentration of spiritual energy elements instantly nearly doubled. Nie Kong's spirits immediately lifted.

After such a long time, this was the first time he had seen a fragment of this size. ...

On the continental fragment spanning over a thousand meters, a few sparse, dark-red saplings were dotted. At this moment, four figures were engaged in fierce combat in pairs.

Illusions burst forth from their bodies, colliding violently! Sharp surges of energy spread wildly in all directions, continuously tearing tiny, narrow spatial rifts in the void, yet all this commotion had no effect whatsoever on those few saplings.

"Stop! Everyone, stop!" One of the middle-aged men suddenly shouted.

Just then, in the corner of his eye, he had glimpsed a faint green shadow in the distance, stirring a hint of worry. "Stop?" The white-haired, wrinkled elder across from him let out a few sinister laughs.

"Lu Chen, are you perhaps afraid? Don't worry, as long as you two give up this item, my junior brother and I won't pursue a massacre.

After all, our 'Huang Ji Dao' and your 'Wan Xiang Sect' have a decent relationship." Even as he spoke, the old man's attacks showed no sign of weakening. The middle-aged man named Lu Chen heard this and laughed back in exasperation: "You actually know that 'Huang Ji Dao' and 'Wan Xiang Sect' have a good relationship?

This item was discovered by us brothers first. Are you two daring to forcibly seize it not afraid of affecting the amity between 'Huang Ji Dao' and 'Wan Xiang Sect'?" "Childish..." The elder's lips curled, but before he could finish his next words, he was interrupted by a loud shout from dozens of meters away: "Something's not right, everyone look quickly!" Almost the instant those words fell, a strange sound traveled from afar: "...Whoosh...

Someone... truly saw people...

Whoosh... Whoosh..." The tone carried an undisguised excitement, yet the clear syllables were interspersed with a sound like rushing water, with no apparent interference between them.

What was even more shocking was that accompanying this sound came two unusually bizarre and vast presences, rapidly approaching their location. That was...

"Spirit Creature!" The two words flashed through their minds, and the four simultaneously ceased fighting, turning to look in the direction of the sound. A colossal green shadow instantly entered their vision.

Lu Chen and the others felt their hearts tremble; the green shadow turned out to be a startlingly large spirit grass, with countless tendrils, each as large as an infant's fist, contracting and extending erratically. In the midst of these crisscrossing vines, a massive azure blue flower bloomed proudly.

The spirit grass moved as if alive, navigating the void with ease! The four completely abandoned their struggle, instinctively exchanging glances, their expressions revealing a slight horror.

A dozen seconds later, the spirit grass with the blue flower and green vines was less than a hundred meters from the continental fragment beneath their feet. It was then that they noticed a white figure seated cross-legged in the center of the blue petals, with a red flower emerging from the breast pocket of its attire, vividly striking.

Beside the white figure, a round, large ball of water bounced happily, the sound of rushing water growing deafening. Staring at the rapidly approaching behemoth, the four were somewhat dumbfounded.

The combination opposite them was truly bizarre: a spirit grass whose physical size far surpassed the fragment, a talking water ball, and the motionless white figure... Suddenly, Lu Chen and the others' expressions shifted slightly.

They could sense the aura of the spirit grass and the water ball, but they sensed absolutely nothing from the white figure. If they closed their eyes, they would never know that a person was actually seated in the center of that blue flower.

This realization filled them with great suspicion. In the cultivation system of the Shen Kong Realm, there were nine tiers of Phantom Spirit Masters, followed by Spirit Gods.

That water ball definitely possessed the strength of a peak Ninth Tier, roughly equal to themselves, while the spirit grass was a notch stronger than the water ball, likely having already passed through the first Spiritual Tribulation. From the current situation, the spirit grass was clearly being controlled by that person, which indicated that his strength might be even greater than the spirit grass itself.

What was the purpose of such a powerful being suddenly appearing in the continental fragment belt? These thoughts flashed rapidly through the four men's minds, filling them with unease, daring not to make the slightest rash move for fear of causing misunderstanding from the other side.

They were observing Nie Kong on the God Devouring Flower, and Nie Kong was actually observing them as well. These four could be considered the first group of cultivators from the Shen Kong Realm Nie Kong had encountered.

The path of cultivation in the Shen Kong Realm differed from that of the Underworld Soil, but the division of realms was the same. If Nie Kong’s senses were correct, the strength of these four should be equivalent to the Ninth Tier Black Spirit Masters of the Underworld Soil.

With this assessment, Nie Kong immediately felt relieved. The four had been fighting just now, apparently over some treasure.

His sudden appearance might have aroused their suspicion. However, their strength did not pose a threat to Nie Kong; if a conflict truly arose, even if Tai Yan, Lan Ling, and Qing You did not intervene, he could handle it easily.

However, this situation did not materialize. When the God Devouring Flower paused before the fragment, the old man with wrinkled skin and white hair suddenly showed a slight respectful look: "This junior, Luo Yong of 'Huang Ji Dao,' greets the senior." Lu Chen snapped back to his senses and quickly spoke: "'Wan Xiang Sect,' Lu Chen, greets the senior!" "'Wan Xiang Sect,' Lu Tong greets the senior!" "'Huang Ji Dao,' Yan Xueshan..." "Senior?" Hearing this address, Nie Kong’s gaze suddenly became somewhat strange.

Among them, perhaps not a single person was under fifty years old, yet they were all addressing him as 'Senior' now... Nie Kong’s mind raced, and he quickly understood: these people probably could not discern his cultivation base, but due to the presence of Lan Ling and Qing You, they perceived him as some kind of peerless expert.

Since that was the case, this old man would play the part of a senior. Nie Kong sat motionless, merely nodding slightly, his gaze sweeping over the four, then speaking with an air of utter composure: "You four little fellows have passable cultivation.

What positions do you hold in 'Huang Ji Dao' and 'Wan Xiang Sect'? I haven't been out and about for many years and am unaware that Huang Ji Dao and Wan Xiang Sect have gained two more masters." As he spoke, the Dark Star flashed faintly, leaking an almost imperceptible aura of divine power.

Luo Yong noticed immediately, and far from feeling any offense at Nie Kong calling them 'little fellows,' his expression grew even more respectful: "This junior and my junior brother are both Elders of 'Huang Ji Dao.'" "This junior and my brother are also Elders of 'Wan Xiang Sect,'" Lu Chen quickly replied. Although Nie Kong appeared to be no older than his early twenties, Lu Chen showed no disdain, especially after that fleeting glimpse of divine power which made his heart tremble.

Possessing divine power meant he had certainly passed the First Spiritual Tribulation; the spirit creatures this senior commanded already possessed such cultivation, so his own strength must be far greater—perhaps having passed the Second, or even the... Third Spiritual Tribulation!

... ...RO