"Ah!" Luo Yong let out a piercing scream as his arm was wrenched off at the shoulder, followed by a loud boom as his right arm disintegrated into a mist of blood, vanishing at the same moment as the massive golden palm.

A tremor of shock ran through Lu Chen and the others; the event had transpired so suddenly. They hadn't even had time to turn their eyes before Luo Yong's arm was gone.

Staring at Luo Yong's bloody, bare right shoulder, Lu Chen and the others dared not even draw a full breath.

They never imagined that the senior expert could be so incredibly powerful. Luo Yong, after all, was a ninth-tier peak Illusionary Spirit Master, yet he couldn't withstand a single move!

Even Yan Xueshan, Luo Yong's fellow disciple, felt no inclination to avenge his senior brother at this moment. As for Luo Yong himself, his face was now bloodless, his deeply lined old face etched with panic and sheer terror, yet he made no move to flee. He knew perfectly well that if the other party chose to attack again, escape would be useless.

"To speak such vulgarities as an elder of the Imperial Dao! I am in a good mood today, and furthermore, the former Dao Master of the 'Imperial Dao' was an old acquaintance of mine. I won't bother too much with you, junior. Consider this a lesson for the loss of an arm," Nie Kong smiled calmly, patted the flower petals before him, and Lan Ling turned, returning the way they came. In the blink of an eye, the green shadow vanished into the distant void.

"That senior actually knew the former Dao Master of the 'Imperial Dao'? How old must he be now?" After a long pause, Lu Tong couldn't help but click his tongue, while Lu Chen and Yan Xueshan also wore expressions of astonishment. Nie Kong had spoken casually, making things up, yet they believed him eighty to ninety percent.

"Who knows what that old..." Luo Yong’s face was pale, his heart filled with both fear and resentment. He instinctively started to curse, but as the words formed, he recalled the recent lesson and hastily swallowed the final two syllables. "The former Dao Master entered the Supreme Spirit Realm over two hundred years ago. Who knows if what he said is true?"

"Regardless of truth or falsehood, the cultivation of that senior cannot be faked."

Yan Xueshan stared in the direction Nie Kong had vanished, a touch of envy in his eyes. "Such dense divine power. It seems he really has [Baidu Tieba First Release] passed the Threefold Spirit Tribulation and could ascend to the 'Supreme Spirit Realm' at any moment."

"Hmph!" Luo Yong groaned, feeling utterly dejected.

He knew clearly that with his own strength, he was no match for Nie Kong, and the Imperial Dao would never risk offending such a supreme expert over such a trivial matter. It seemed this arm had been severed for nothing.

Yan Xueshan withdrew his gaze and sighed, "Senior Brother, let's go!"

"Go?" Lu Chen suddenly sneered. "Go where? If you don't compensate for something of equal value to that 'Spirit Soul Phantasm Crystal,' neither of you will leave this place!"

"You..." Luo Yong, seeing Lu Chen's hostile expression, became flustered and furious. When his right arm was torn off, his internal organs had also suffered significant hidden injuries from the invasion of divine power. If the Lu brothers pressed the issue now, he and Yan Xueshan were certainly no match. His mind raced, and Luo Yong quickly forced a smile. "Young Brother Lu, don't be rash. Elder..."

"Afraid now?"

Lu Chen let out a couple of cold laughs, and the two brothers lunged forward simultaneously...

"Threefold Spirit Tribulation..."

Hearing the faint voices carrying from behind, Nie Kong secretly smiled. He hadn't expected that in the eyes of those four ninth-tier Illusionary Spirit Masters, he would be viewed as an expert who had already [Baidu Tieba First Release] passed the Threefold Spirit Tribulation.

Recalling his spiritual sense, Nie Kong stopped paying attention to the commotion several thousand meters behind him.

"Nie Kong, what exactly is this 'Spirit Soul Phantasm Crystal'?" Qing You bounced up with a splashing sound. Previously, to avoid revealing any flaws, Qing You had remained silent under Nie Kong’s subtle instructions. Now that they were far from that continental fragment, the fellow could no longer contain himself.

The petals of the Tai Yan flower and the God Devouring Flower both swayed slightly, clearly indicating that Tai Yan and Lan Ling, like Qing You, were intensely curious about that dark red object.

"This is quite a treasure."

Nie Kong swayed the 'Spirit Soul Phantasm Crystal' in his palm. "When the Illusionary Spirit Continent still existed, one had to use a 'Spirit Soul Phantasm Crystal' to condense a Dharma Image in order to become an Illusionary Spirit Master. The Divine Void Realm is the same now. These items also have grades of quality; this one is considered a top-tier phantasm crystal."

He paused, then continued with a jovial smile, "The spatial instability within the Fragment Belt increases the probability of cultivating such a top-tier 'Spirit Soul Phantasm Crystal' higher than in other parts of the Divine Void Realm. Powerful Illusionary Spirit Masters often delve into the Fragment Belt searching for them. We managed to obtain one as soon as we arrived in the Divine Void Realm; we are quite lucky."

"Brother snatched it," Tai Yan chirped sweetly.

"If they don't have the ability to hold onto such a treasure, they only have themselves to blame!" Nie Kong laughed heartily.

"I want to snatch a 'Spirit Soul Phantasm Crystal' too!" With a pop, the water sphere transformed into a small, transparent figure. Qing You glanced furtively at Nie Kong's palm, eager to try, but was flicked away by a single finger from Nie Kong.

"..."

Just then, Lan Ling's clear voice drifted from within the petals. "Nie Kong, the Heavenly Spirit Continent and the Divine Void Realm both originated from the ancient Illusionary Spirit Continent. Why have we never unearthed a 'Spirit Soul Phantasm Crystal' where we are?"

"Indeed?"

Nie Kong was momentarily stumped. Lan Ling was correct; not only was the Heavenly Spirit Continent devoid of them, but the Nether Earth was as well. He couldn't fathom why?

Nie Kong's knowledge of the Divine Void Realm came entirely from that text, the Annals of the Divine Void.

After meeting Luo Yong, Lu Chen, and the others, many details recorded in the Annals of the Divine Void had been verified—for instance, the language of the Divine Void Realm being identical to the Heavenly Spirit Continent and the Nether Earth; or the existence of the 'Imperial Dao' and the 'Myriad Forms Sect'… However, the secrets concerning the 'Spirit Soul Phantasm Crystal' were completely unmentioned in the Annals. He supposed even the book's author was unaware, as he had never visited the Heavenly Spirit Continent or the Nether Earth, nor did he know that these two continents had independently developed cultivation methods that, while divergent, led to the same destination.

"Forget about it."

Since he couldn't figure it out, he wouldn't dwell on it. That question was irrelevant to Nie Kong's objective in entering the Divine Void Realm. Pushing the doubt from his mind, Nie Kong instructed, "Tai Yan, Lan Ling, Qing You, pay attention to the movements around us. I need to study this 'Spirit Soul Phantasm Crystal.'"

The three replied in unison.

Nie Kong placed the 'Spirit Soul Phantasm Crystal' between his palms and quickly calmed his spirit.

His purpose in seizing this item was simple: to test whether it could be used to condense a Dharma Image. He was, after all, not an Illusionary Spirit Master. He could deceive Luo Yong and Lu Chen, but he could not fool true powerhouses. Once he deployed his innate primal power, his identity might be exposed. If his origins were guessed, it could lead to unnecessary complications and impede his actions.

If he possessed a Dharma Image, he could transform himself into a genuine Illusionary Spirit Master, allowing him to travel freely throughout the Divine Void Realm without the risk of exposure.

A few seconds later, Nie Kong's natural primal power quietly leaked from his palms, threading like silk into the crystal's interior. Almost simultaneously, Nie Kong's brow twitched, and his spiritual sense followed the trail of natural primal power, gently penetrating the crystal's surface and spreading within.

ps: There is no typo regarding "Qing You"; it is indeed Qing You, not Qing Yue. Qing Yue was left in Nie Kong's spirit dwelling to grow herbs. Qing You was borrowed by the Fish King initially and returned by Yu Ting Lei during the Medicine King Palace founding ceremony. This was mentioned in earlier chapters, and many friends likely missed it, leading them to mistake Qing You for Qing Yue (This note does not count towards the word count).