"I haven't lived enough... how could I be willing to die now?" Nie Kong suddenly laughed, a fine sheen of blood covering his face, yet his eyes betrayed not a hint of fear.

The Sea Dragon Divine Venerable paused, an immediate, uneasy premonition rising in his heart. The next instant, the "Viper Sea Serpent Dragon" he had manifested froze in the void.

The blood-red sword shadow had pierced through his wide-open mouth and erupted from his neck. This "Blood Prison Sword King Tree" had not only wounded his body but had also pierced his soul.

"Agh!" A piercing, mournful roar burst from the Sea Dragon Divine Venerable’s mouth. The several-thousand-meter-long "Viper Sea Serpent Dragon" thrashed violently, gouging a deep trench in the ground, sending waves of yellow sand churning up on either side.

But no matter how much he struggled, he could not break free from the "Blood Prison Sword King Tree." "Hand of Space! Ah, the 'Hand of Space' of the Seven-Colored Supreme Venerable..." the Sea Dragon Divine Venerable roared hoarsely, his massive eyes filled with regret and unwillingness.

At this critical juncture, he finally realized: although Nie Kong had only recently ascended to the Ninth-Rank Spirit God level, he was the second disciple of the 'Seven-Colored Supreme Venerable.' The "Hand of Space," created by the Seven-Colored Supreme Venerable, was impossibly elusive, capable of concealing attacks within the void, making it virtually undetectable until the moment of eruption. If the Seven-Colored Supreme Venerable could send Nie Kong into the Primordial Heaven Realm, how could he not have taught him the "Hand of Space" for self-defense?

"Exactly!" A flash of triumphant satisfaction crossed Nie Kong's eyes. Hoo!

The manifestation of the "Blood Prison Sword King Tree" impaling the Sea Dragon Divine Venerable suddenly ignited, the "Chaotic Heavenly Fire" spreading wildly along his massive body. "Nie Kong, killing this Venerable is not that easy." The Sea Dragon Divine Venerable roared repeatedly, and boundless, jade-blue aura suddenly exploded from his body, instantly suffusing the void across several thousand meters.

Devour! Devour!

Chew... The phantom image of the Viper Sea Serpent Dragon continuously coalesced, then opened its mouth, issuing roars.

These roars were extraordinarily eerie, assaulting Nie Kong's mind one after another; thousands of roars sounding in unison were like countless sharp-toothed ants tearing at his heart. Simultaneously, terrifying pressure washed over him in waves from every direction.

The "Viper Sea Serpent Dragon's" body struggled with increasing violence, showing faint signs of breaking free. "Dong!" Nie Kong’s eyes snapped wide open; a single heartbeat sounded as if magnified by ten million times.

At this moment, his heart acted like a massive drum, and his will, like the drumstick. With a flicker of intent, eighty-one "Heart Drum Battle Tones" condensed into a single point and detonated simultaneously.

The sound waves swept outward, not only suppressing the bizarre cries but also grinding the phantom images of the "Viper Sea Serpent Dragon" into dust. "The 'Heart Drum Battle Tone' of the Scarlet Star Clan!" The Sea Dragon Divine Venerable involuntarily roared out, finally revealing panic in his voice.

Nie Kong gripped the root of the ‘Blood Prison Sword King Tree’ and violently swung his right arm, flinging the massive “Viper Sea Serpent Dragon” a thousand meters into the sky before slamming it back down. "Boom!" The ground shuddered violently.

Another deep, pale yellow trench was carved into the desert, dust and sand billowing high into the air. The “Viper Sea Serpent Dragon” shrieked in pain; its joints cracked and snapped as its entire skeletal structure was brutally torn apart by the chaotic divine power, the flames having thoroughly engulfed its body.

"Nie Kong, this Venerable will not let you go." The Sea Dragon Divine Venerable was consumed by regret, and the jade-blue aura filling the void frantically dissipated into the distance. "I'll be waiting for you!" Nie Kong roared with laughter.

With a sweep of his right fist, the jade-blue barrier obscuring the entrance shattered, revealing the massive vortex leading to the second layer of the Heaven Realm. Nie Kong strode forward, dragging the fiercely burning body of the "Viper Sea Serpent Dragon" into the vortex.

"Nie Kong, stop!" From afar, an icy shout echoed through the void, immediately followed by a vast black mist rushing from the horizon at a speed barely visible to the naked eye, blotting out the sky. "Dark Night Divine Fungus...

I really have to thank you for taking the trouble to run over and see me off," Nie Kong called out loudly, not looking back as he hauled the Viper Sea Serpent Dragon into the vortex. "Nie Kong, don't run!" The black mist arrived instantly, transforming into the figure of the Dark Night Divine Venerable, who drifted down before the vortex and lunged lightning-fast with his right hand toward the tail of the "Viper Sea Serpent Dragon," which was still partially outside.

A flash of dark light ensued, and the Dark Night Divine Venerable was dragged into the vortex, vanishing instantly. Dozens of miles away, above the desert.

Threads of jade-blue aura shot in from all directions, condensing in the blink of an eye into the likeness of the "Sea Dragon Divine Venerable," though his expression was now withered and his countenance ashen. "Nie Kong!" These two words spat venomously from the Sea Dragon Divine Venerable’s mouth; the rage within his chest seemed capable of incinerating his own body.

He had never imagined that his venture into the "Primordial Heaven Realm" this time would result in such humiliation! Though he had escaped Nie Kong just now, he had lost seventy percent of his strength.

Recovering his previous peak state would likely take a century. This was only thanks to the Dark Night Divine Venerable's timely arrival.

Had he not arrived when he did, he would have lost the little power he retained. In that case, the body he had brought into the "Primordial Heaven Realm" would have perished completely, and even if he reformed a physical body using the soul preserved with the Sea Tribe, his strength would have severely declined, taking a millennium to recover.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!" The sound of ripping air sounded consecutively as two more figures appeared at the entrance of the vortex.

Before leaping into the vortex, the two individuals deliberately glanced toward where the Sea Dragon Divine Venerable was suspended, their expressions seeming to carry mockery. "Pan Lin, Pan?" The Sea Dragon Divine Venerable recognized them, and his face grew even gloomier.

In the future, within this "Primordial Heaven Realm," while he might avoid immediate danger from Nie Kong, he would inevitably face ridicule from others. For the Sea Dragon Divine Venerable, this was nothing short of profound shame.

In that moment, the Sea Dragon Divine Venerable’s hatred for Nie Kong intensified, and the thought of the "Viper Sea Serpent Dragon" being dragged away by him caused his heart to ache with agony... Hoo!

In a blink, the whistling sounds vanished from his ears. The second layer of the Heaven Realm had been reached!

The moment he shot out of the vortex, the Dark Night Divine Venerable’s body dissolved into dense black mist. He had grabbed the "Viper Sea Serpent Dragon’s" tail to enter the vortex of the "Primordial Heaven Realm." Since Nie Kong was holding the serpent dragon, and the three were connected, he and Nie Kong were bound to arrive at the same location on the second layer.

Even if Nie Kong had noticed his action and immediately let go of the serpent, it wouldn't matter. The landing spot was predetermined once Nie Kong's body entered the vortex.

Thus, Nie Kong could not escape the Dark Night Divine Venerable. However, the Dark Night Divine Venerable also had to guard against a sneak attack from Nie Kong, given that Nie Kong exited the vortex moments ahead of him.

Yet, in the next instant, the Dark Night Divine Venerable was so enraged he felt like spitting blood. Within a radius of several thousand meters, there was neither Nie Kong’s silhouette nor the burning "Viper Sea Serpent Dragon"—only a two-meter-long segment of the serpent dragon’s tail.

This was the exact length of the tail that had remained outside the vortex when the Dark Night Divine Venerable grasped it upon arrival. Evidently, the moment the Dark Night Divine Venerable seized the serpent dragon’s tail, Nie Kong had decisively severed that portion, thwarting his entire scheme.

"Damn it! Detestable!" The Dark Night Divine Venerable roared to the sky, almost driven mad by fury and vexation.

If he hadn't lost a Sixth-Rank Spirit God avatar in the Divine Void Realm, his strength wouldn't have been weakened, and his speed today would have been slightly faster. Just a few more breaths of time, and he could have intercepted Nie Kong on the first layer of the Heaven Realm.

"Nie Kong, I will absolutely not allow you to escape like this!" A moment later, the Dark Night Divine Venerable, like an enraged viper, sped toward the entrance to the third layer of the Heaven Realm...