The external artifacts eventually exhausted their power. With no one controlling them, the illusionary formations on the surrounding colossal pillars quieted down, and the "Immortal Zither Sea Chart" began to retract slowly.

Tai Yan looked up as well. "Brother, this Sea Chart is incredible. If it were just me, it would probably take me at least a quarter of an hour just to break free."

"The Sea Dragon Divine Venerable is one of the Five Great Divine Venerables of the Supreme Spirit Realm, so naturally, the 'Immortal Zither Sea Chart' he crafted is no joke. Most newly ascended Spirit Gods, when attacked by this chart, would have no choice but to surrender. If they didn't have this thing as their trump card, they wouldn't dare act so arrogantly even with the Sea Dragon Divine Venerable backing them."

Nie Kong smiled faintly. After the recent outburst, the anger in his chest had largely dissipated. "However, now that we've seen this thing, it would be against the very heavens not to claim it."

Seeing the "Immortal Zither Sea Chart" shrink into the shape of a scroll, Nie Kong reached out and grasped it. Mighty Chaos Divine Power surged forth, instantly enveloping the scroll suspended dozens of meters in the air.

Stimulated by the Chaos Divine Power, the scroll immediately reacted.

"Buzz!"

The Sea Chart vibrated violently, and cerulean Water Divine Power surged out from within like a bursting flood, wave after wave, struggling to break free from Nie Kong's restraint.

"Still trying to resist?"

Nie Kong snorted through his nose. He immediately unleashed the "Crimson Star Battle Body." As his physique expanded, his gigantic right palm snatched the dozens-of-meters-long scroll.

He squeezed his fingers hard, and the milky white Chaos Divine Power overflowed furiously, directly pressing the Water Divine Power back inside the "Immortal Zither Sea Chart." The scroll’s trembling grew weaker, and after resisting for only about half a minute, it fell completely silent, then rapidly contracted to the length of one or two meters.

Squinting, Nie Kong observed it for a moment before locating the mental imprint left in the "Immortal Zither Sea Chart" by the Sea Dragon Divine Venerable. Without the slightest hesitation, his spiritual sense surged toward it.

To completely subdue the "Immortal Zither Sea Chart," he had to erase the imprint of the Sea Dragon Divine Venerable within it. Otherwise, the chart would be like a time bomb carried on his person, allowing the Sea Dragon Divine Venerable's avatar to descend through it at any moment, posing a huge threat to Nie Kong.

Of course, erasing the mental imprint would certainly alert the Sea Dragon Divine Venerable in the Supreme Spirit Realm.

However, Nie Kong had already killed the Divine Officials of the Immortal Zither Divine Palace; alerting him further was now a moot point, and he didn't care about provoking him one more time while subjugating the "Immortal Zither Sea Chart."

"Boom!"

The instant the two forces collided, the Sea Dragon Divine Venerable's mental imprint trembled violently, instantly transforming into a small azure space that enveloped Nie Kong's spiritual sense.

Within the azure space, shaped like an ancient zither, ocean waves surged and tides rolled incessantly.

Nie Kong knew clearly that this space was a miniature version of the Immortal Zither Sea, condensed from boundless Water Divine Power, with the Sea Dragon Divine Venerable's mental imprint as its source.

At that moment, a rapidly spinning vortex appeared in the deep blue sea.

"Whoosh!"

With a splash of spray, a burly figure rushed out of the vortex, standing atop the rolling waves.

This figure stood four to five meters tall, possessing a rugged face with sharp, chiseled features that exuded immense majesty. His long hair flowed down his back like a cascading waterfall, and he wore a wide, white robe. In his hand, he clutched a ten-meter-long, small azure dragon, its fangs bared and claws extended, radiating palpable murderous intent.

This was the Sea Dragon Divine Venerable!

There were two statues of him at the entrance of the Immortal Zither Divine Palace.

"Who are you, to dare disturb this Venerable one…"

The Sea Dragon Divine Venerable shifted his stance, and the blue dragon in his hand opened its massive maw, looking as if it would devour anyone in an instant. However, before he could finish speaking, Nie Kong, manifested as a spiritual projection, moved. His Chaos Divine Power evolved into the form of the "Blood Prison Sword King Tree," which swept forward, immediately eliciting the resonance of ten thousand swords.

"Whoosh!"

Amidst piercing shrieks, blazing flames suddenly erupted from countless sword shadows.

Instantly, this azure space seemed to transform into a realm of "Chaos Heavenly Fire." An intensely scorching aura permeated every inch of the surrounding void. The ocean, condensed from Water Divine Power, began to evaporate rapidly. The sea level dropped at a speed visible to the naked eye, diminishing by twenty to thirty percent in the blink of an eye.

"Insolence!"

The Sea Dragon Divine Venerable roared. The small dragon in his hand suddenly transformed into a hundred-zhang giant dragon. Opening its mouth, it swallowed those sword shadows whole. Almost simultaneously, the Sea Dragon Divine Venerable stomped his right foot into the sea. Towering waves instantly erupted, and thousands of sky-covering water arrows shot toward Nie Kong.

"Star Striking Battle Body!"

Nie Kong’s body abruptly swelled to a hundred meters in height. He allowed the dense water arrows to strike his skin, while his arms plunged into the oncoming waves. Pulling his arms apart, the curtain-like surge of water split into two halves. Nie Kong strode through the gap, his figure flashing lightning-fast before the Sea Dragon Divine Venerable, and he unleashed a kick with his left foot.

The Sea Dragon Divine Venerable's body was directly kicked to pieces but instantly reformed a hundred meters away, though it appeared somewhat faded compared to before.

"Die!"

Before the Sea Dragon Divine Venerable could react, Nie Kong’s right hand pointed at the menacing, pouncing azure giant dragon. The moment this word fell, the "Blood Prison Sword King Tree" projection, which had just been swallowed by the dragon, transformed into dense Death Qi, rampaging inside its body and devouring its vitality.

"Roar!"

The giant dragon howled in agony. Its body paused mid-air before crashing heavily onto the sea surface. The Death Qi immediately spread out from within the dragon’s body, weaving like vines into the surrounding seawater. After only a few violent convulsions, the dragon’s body disintegrated, merging with the ocean.

The Sea Dragon Divine Venerable’s expression turned grave. "You do possess some skill, no wonder you dared to disturb this Venerable one’s mental imprint."

"Not disturb, but erase you!"

Nie Kong laughed loudly. The milky white "War God Star Seal" shot out from his body, slamming layer upon layer toward the Sea Dragon Divine Venerable a hundred meters away.

"The War God Star Seal of the Crimson Star Clan? Who exactly are you?" Although the "War God Star Seal" wielded through Chaos Divine Power had undergone significant transformation, the Sea Dragon Divine Venerable still recognized it instantly. His face drastically changed, and he pointed at Nie Kong, shouting in fury.

"Boom!"

Nie Kong offered no words; the answer for the Sea Dragon Divine Venerable was an earth-shattering explosion. The "Nine-Layered Star Seal" struck without mercy. Upon achieving Spirit God status, both the Crimson Star Clan’s "War God Star Seal" and "Crimson Star Battle Body" had broken through their final layers and achieved complete mastery.

In an instant, the Sea Dragon Divine Venerable was submerged.

The violent shockwave generated by the explosion of the War God Star Seal tore his body to shreds, while the surrounding seawater was simultaneously vaporized by the intense heat. This entire azure space immediately dissipated.

Within the Sea Chart, the Sea Dragon Divine Venerable’s mental imprint vanished without a trace.

Although the confrontation between Nie Kong and the Sea Dragon Divine Venerable in that azure space seemed to take considerable time, it actually transpired in just two or three breaths. As soon as his spiritual sense withdrew from the "Immortal Zither Sea Chart," Nie Kong willed it, and the now masterless scroll was stored in his pet inventory.

Shedding the "Crimson Star Battle Body" state, Nie Kong glanced around. He saw that the Elder Divine Officials, under the invasion of the Death Qi, had withered to an unrecognizable degree, teetering on the brink of soul dispersal. His gaze then settled upon the pulsating flesh orb. Now was the time to press him for news of Aunt Yue!