Seeing Nie Kong’s actions, Tai Yan and Yu Longyue both started, but in the next instant, realization dawned: the black vortex revealed an aura of terrifyingly dark divine power. Especially for Tai Yan, that aura of dark divine power gave her a faintly familiar feeling.
Judging by the intensity of the aura, it was at least the level of a Sixth Grade Spirit God, and one that was extremely close to the Seventh Grade Spirit God level.
“Dark Night Divine Venerable!”
Tai Yan blurted out the name suddenly.
A clone of the Dark Night Divine Venerable?
Yu Longyue immediately understood, and his expression instantly turned unusually grave. He hadn't expected the Dark Night Divine Venerable to appear at the edge of the Debris Belt at this moment.
“Hoo!”
The vortex roared, churning up violent winds and waves.
Deep within the vortex, two massive, pitch-black eyeballs suddenly emerged. The instant they appeared, the void grew even dimmer, devoid of light.
Tai Yan and Yu Longyue were close enough to touch, yet they could no longer distinguish the other party’s features.
“Old fellow, stop playing these ghostly tricks on me here!”
Nie Kong had already appeared beneath the vortex, shouting coldly. The “God of War Star Seal” spun out from his body like lightning, blasting into the vortex.
Ninefold Overlapping Seal!
Suddenly, those two colossal eyes closed, transforming into two thick columns of inky black light that shot out from the depths of the vortex.
“Boom!”
Amidst an earth-shattering explosion, surging waves swept out frantically. The continental debris spanning a thousand meters in every direction instantly turned into dust at a speed the spiritual sense could barely capture. The white energy at the edge of the Debris Belt surged like a tide, and the hidden passage within it collapsed in that instant.
Tai Yan and Yu Longyue were also affected, thrown back several thousand meters like a small skiff in a surging tide.
At this moment, Nie Kong’s “God of War Star Seal” and those two massive black light columns were all dissipating from the violent collision. However, the white radiance emitted by the Star Seal was continuously devouring the surrounding darkness.
In the blink of an eye, the void brightened considerably.
Swish!
Nie Kong’s body, which had sunk over a hundred meters, sprang up like a compressed spring. He zipped through the gaps in the spatial rifts with extreme agility, moving like a swimming dragon.
In a short while, Nie Kong approached the vortex again.
Boom!
The void trembled violently, and the massive vortex exploded without any warning.
Nie Kong abruptly halted his momentum, only to see a shadowy figure, as black as ink, flickering out from the depths of the vortex and standing opposite him. This person was clad in a black robe, his face completely obscured, revealing only two dark, bottomless eyes. Black energy also coiled around him.
From a distance, he resembled someone wrapped in a mass of inky black mist.
Nie Kong sneered, “Dark Night Divine Venerable, you finally deign to show yourself!”
Although he couldn’t clearly see this fellow’s face, Nie Kong would never forget the aura emanating from him. This person had to be the Dark Night Divine Venerable without a doubt.
The Dark Night Divine Venerable chuckled deeply twice, “Nie Kong, are you very surprised that this Venerable would appear in this place at this time?”
“I am indeed a bit surprised.”
Nie Kong narrowed his eyes slightly. Surprise aside, he felt no fear in his heart.
He was currently a Sixth Grade Spirit God, and this clone of the Dark Night Divine Venerable was only at the Sixth Grade realm as well. Their strengths were evenly matched. The Dark Night Divine Venerable had cultivated for countless years and was certainly superior to him in the manipulation of divine power, but Nie Kong possessed numerous trump cards like the “Chaos Heavenly Fire” and the “Crimson Star Battle Body”—both sides had their own advantages and disadvantages.
“Nie Kong, ever since the inauguration ceremony of your Medicine King Palace, this Venerable has thought of seeing you every day. I thought I would have to wait several years to fulfill my wish, but I never expected you to actually flee to the God Void Realm, not only advancing to Spirit God but also stirring up such a commotion here. If Divine Venerable Dan Tian hadn't mentioned it a few days ago, this Venerable would have almost missed such a fine opportunity.”
The Dark Night Divine Venerable’s viper-like gaze fixed on Nie Kong, mocking him, “This Venerable descended with a clone overnight and finally found you here. Nie Kong, the Grandmist Heavenly Mansion, the Dan Immortal Sect, and the Sea Clan are all waiting in the Great Sovereign Spirit Realm. Instead of being killed by them, you might as well die by this Venerable’s hand.”
Nie Kong scoffed, “You talk big, old man. We’ll see who kills whom first—you or I!” As he spoke, Nie Kong moved his intent, and his body rapidly expanded.
“Don’t think that just because you became a Sixth Grade Spirit God by devouring others’ divine power, coupled with practicing a few techniques from the Crimson Star Clan, you now have the capital to contend with this Venerable,” the Dark Night Divine Venerable’s voice was like that of a night owl, “This clone of mine is also a Sixth Grade Spirit God, and killing you is as easy as turning over my hand.”
“Let this Venerable show you how to shatter your ‘Crimson Star Battle Body’!”
After a few sinister laughs, the Dark Night Divine Venerable’s body suddenly transformed into a mass of black smoke. It wavered ethereally a few times before completely merging into the void, as if it had never existed. An instant later, thirty-six thread-like black lines suddenly shot out from the void, silently assaulting every part of Nie Kong’s body.
“A sneak attack?”
Before the black lines even materialized, Nie Kong had already sensed the Dark Night Divine Venerable’s movement, and a cold sneer formed in his heart. When it came to sneak attacks, he was the Grandmaster. With a mere thought, Chaos Divine Power coated Nie Kong’s skin, then transformed into scorching heavenly fire that burned fiercely close to his flesh.
At this moment, Nie Kong looked like a giant made of flame.
Hiss! Hiss! Hiss…
The sharp black lines were instantly burned into nothingness upon contact with the heavenly fire.
Nie Kong’s right hand flashed, and the arm wreathed in Chaos Heavenly Fire plunged into a minute spatial rift. With a cracking sound, that small spatial rift was burned open into a hole several meters wide. When Nie Kong’s arm retracted from the hole, a muffled groan of pain echoed through the void.
Immediately following this, countless black mists flashed into existence out of thin air, condensing into the inky black figure of the Dark Night Divine Venerable several hundred meters in front of Nie Kong. His eyes had become even more sinister and terrifying.
“Old fellow, how does the taste of Chaos Heavenly Fire suit you?”
Nie Kong let out a loud laugh, took a step, and instantly crossed the distance to stand before the Dark Night Divine Venerable. His giant palm, shimmering with firelight, pressed directly toward the other’s head. “If it were your true body coming here, perhaps I might fear you a little. But relying on just a Sixth Grade Spirit God clone, you dare try to kill me? Dream on, you old fool!”
His words thundered like rolling clouds, and the giant palm whistled incessantly as it cut through the void.
“Nightmare!”
The Dark Night Divine Venerable’s eyes turned piercingly cold. He seemed not to notice the flaming giant palm tearing through the air, merely spitting out those two words emotionlessly.
The instant the syllables sounded, the black mist surrounding the Dark Night Divine Venerable began to churn violently.
Boundless darkness enveloped the void, managing to suppress even the flames rising around Nie Kong. In the next moment, Nie Kong felt the scene before him shift. The continental debris belt vanished, the white energy at the edge of the belt dissipated… it seemed as if only endless darkness remained between heaven and earth.
“The Dream Shadow Space again!”
Nie Kong snorted through his nose and stared straight ahead.
His eyes, flickering with violent firelight, seemed intent on piercing this pitch-black nothingness. At this moment, although the Dark Night Divine Venerable had not appeared, Nie Kong could sense him concealed in some area ahead, like a venomous snake hiding in the dark, waiting for the opportunity to launch a fatal strike against his enemy.
…… ……RO