The Black Sword and the Fire Lion lunged at Nie Kong, one from the left and one from the right, their forceful strikes ripping sonic booms across the void. The world seemed to shift in that instant, the wind and clouds changing color.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Nie Kong chuckled, shifting his stance slightly. He clenched his massive left fist and drove it directly toward Liu Hong’s Fire Lion manifestation, while his right claw snaked out towards Mo He’s colossal sword, fingers hooking like talons.

Bang! The punch struck with the speed of thunder.

The fist plunged into the Fire Lion’s gaping maw and burst out through its backside… the thick left arm had effectively skewered the monstrous lion. Boom!

The Chaos Divine Power swirling around his left arm erupted into raging flames, instantly incinerating the Fire Lion manifestation. “Chaos Heavenly Fire!” Liu Hong cried out in shock, his body jerking to a halt.

He and Li Yu both hailed from the Danxian Sect. Before advancing to the Spirit God realm, they had both attempted to absorb the “Chaos Heavenly Fire,” making them intimately familiar with its aura.

He knew Nie Kong had seized the upper and lower parts of the Chaos Jade Codex and absorbed the Heavenly Fire, but what stunned him was that the already refined “Chaos Heavenly Fire” could be conjured anew through Divine Power! The summoned fire was not an illusion; it was identical to the genuine article.

Is this the Chaos Divine Power? In the instant Liu Hong stood paralyzed by astonishment, Nie Kong’s right hand shot out like lightning into the swirling chaos of sword qi tearing the void, grasping the edge of the giant sword precisely.

Whoosh! The Chaos Heavenly Fire surged from between his fingers, immediately burning away the sword qi emanating from the great blade.

Even the giant sword manifestation could not withstand the onslaught of rolling heat and began to melt rapidly. “Hmm?” Mo He gasped, her attack halting abruptly.

The great sword snapped in two mid-swing, which finally stemmed the spread of the searing heat. “Haha, even the Spirit Gods of the Grandmist Celestial Mansion and the Danxian Sect are nothing special, it seems.” Nie Kong boomed with laughter, having shattered the attacks from the two Spirit God avatars, his confidence soaring.

In that moment, he felt a sensation akin to waking from a long dream. Having ascended to the Spirit God realm only a day or two prior, his strength had multiplied so rapidly that he was struggling to adapt to the sheer power now at his command.

Simply put, he had underestimated himself. And conversely, he had overestimated those Spirit God avatars.

The thought that these beings were powerful experts descended from the “Grand Sovereign Spirit Realm” had initially instilled in Nie Kong a sense of reverence; he had mentally placed them on a pedestal high above him. Consequently, Nie Kong’s actions became exceedingly cautious and reserved; he would always opt for ambush if possible, rather than direct confrontation.

This was true in the Immortal Zither Divine Palace before, and it was the same now—initial stealth, followed by a desperate head-on clash only when stealth failed. At this point, Nie Kong suddenly realized he had been profoundly mistaken.

And the mistake was colossal! These Spirit Gods might have existed in the Grand Sovereign Spirit Realm for hundreds or thousands of years with immensely strong main bodies, but what had arrived in the Divine Void Realm were merely avatars, their power severely diminished.

In contrast, look at himself: his Chaos Divine Power could conceal his aura; it could transform into the all-consuming “Chaos Heavenly Fire”; he possessed the Chi Star Clan’s strongest offensive, the “War God Star Seal,” and their strongest defensive technique, the “Chi Star Battle Body”; he commanded the indestructible “Blood Prison Sword King Tree” manifestation; and he even had little Xiangxiang, whose inherent medicinal power could heal his wounds at any moment… With so many advantages, he should be capable of crushing these Spirit God avatars with overwhelming force, capturing and refining them to continually boost his own strength. Yet, by fixating on stealth, hadn’t he gone completely astray?

The realization brought a sudden clarity to Nie Kong’s mind. “Ban Yao, Mo He, Liu Hong, none of you will escape today.

Watch closely, and see how I capture you one by one, and then refine your Divine Power!” With a long laugh, Nie Kong shifted his focus, and the “Immortal Zither Sea Chart” retracted. The crushing wave that had been descending upon Ban Yao suddenly vanished, and he felt the immense pressure lift momentarily.

But in the next instant, a vast, dark-red tree shadow materialized in the void above him, its aura incredibly sharp, as if ten thousand swords were striking at once, capable of obliterating every obstacle before it. “Ban Yao, this is my ‘Blood Prison Sword King Tree.’ Enjoy the show!” The Blood Prison Sword King Tree acted as the sharpest spear, while Ban Yao’s manifestation served as a sturdy shield.

But the shield ultimately failed to block the spear’s assault. The dark-red tree shadow plunged into the massive canopy below with blinding speed.

In an instant, the sharp tip of the Blood Prison Sword King Tree pierced through the thick trunk beneath the canopy. The overwhelmingly sharp force drove Ban Yao plummeting downward.

Several hundred meters were traversed in a flash. The moment Ban Yao smashed onto the ground, he finally managed to mobilize his internal Divine Power to conjure a vibrant green barrier before him.

However, the Blood Prison Sword King Tree showed no hesitation, stabbing straight through. “Ah!” A scream echoed through the forest.

Not only was Ban Yao skewered by the dark-red branches and driven into the earth, but the surrounding ground was pockmarked and devastated. The Blood Prison Sword King Tree was indeed utterly unbreakable, invincible!

High above, watching Ban Yao pinned by the Blood Prison Sword King Tree, Mo He and Liu Hong stared dumbfounded. Previously, even though Ban Yao was suppressed by the “Immortal Zither Sea Chart” and their attacks neutralized, they felt there was still ample room to counterattack.

But they never anticipated that upon retracting the chart, Nie Kong would unleash such terrifying power, instantly shattering Ban Yao’s manifestation and wounding him personally. “Blood Prison Sword King Tree…” Flashes of rumors concerning this manifestation crossed their minds, turning Mo He and Liu Hong’s faces ashen.

This Nie Kong not only cultivated the Chi Star Clan’s “Chi Star Battle Body” and “War God Star Seal,” but also possessed the “Blood Prison Sword King Tree,” a manifestation seen only once in a millennium. Nie Kong cast aside all internal constraints, ceasing his secrecy, and unleashed the full extent of his Chaos Divine Power, feeling an overwhelming sense of exhilaration.

“Whoosh!” With a mere thought, the Blood Prison Sword King Tree lifted into the air. Ban Yao thrashed violently at the tip of the dark-red spike.

Though no blood seeped from his body, his expression of agony terrified Mo He and Liu Hong. The “Blood Prison Sword King Tree” had pierced straight through Ban Yao’s very soul, leaving him nowhere to flee.

Nie Kong reached out and yanked, pulling Ban Yao’s body toward him. Chaos Heavenly Fire flooded his palm, enveloping Ban Yao entirely.

His soul and the aura contained within his Divine Power were incinerated by the Heavenly Fire, his entire body melting down into a ball of pure Divine Power. Moments later, with a flicker of Nie Kong’s will, this mass of power was temporarily absorbed into his core.

“Mo He, it’s your turn!” Nie Kong sneered, his gaze treating her like a tender lamb trembling beneath a hungry wolf’s claws. “…” Mo He and Liu Hong snapped back to reality, their hearts chilled by witnessing Ban Yao’s dissolution by Heavenly Fire.

A wave of dread washed over them, extinguishing any confidence they held in resistance. To be captured and refined by him was worse than fleeing.

If they escaped successfully, their main bodies would not suffer catastrophic losses. But if their avatars were refined like Ban Yao’s, the main bodies in the Grand Sovereign Spirit Realm would lose thirty percent of their strength, and their very souls would be damaged.

…… ……