As that massive black fog entered his sight, Nie Kong and the Divine Venerable Leshan were less than a thousand meters apart. At this moment, Nie Kong's vigilance reached its zenith.

"Nie Kong, I have been waiting for you for a long time!" The black fog undulated, and the Divine Venerable of Dark Night suddenly spoke, his voice like a wisp of cold wind blowing from the Nine Hells.

However, having learned his lesson from the second level of the Grotto-Heaven, the Divine Venerable of Dark Night, despite burning to tear Nie Kong to shreds immediately, did not leave the vortex.

"Dark Night, it seems you are quite the efficient transport captain. You gifted me a Soul Orb in the Tianling Continent and a Sixth-Grade Spirit God clone in the Shenkong Realm. I wonder what great treasure you plan to gift me this time?" Nie Kong burst into loud laughter, though his eyes remained fixed on the Divine Venerable Leshan.

"Stop it.!"

The Divine Venerable of Dark Night roared in anger, the black fog rolling violently.

While the two exchanged verbal barbs, the Divine Venerable Leshan did not pause his steps. When he was only a hundred meters from the black fog enveloping the Divine Venerable of Dark Night, he suddenly turned back to Nie Kong, smiling thinly, "Nie Kong, you don't need to guard against this old man constantly. I have no great interest in your Chaos Divine Power."

"Oh? Then I thank you."

Nie Kong managed a slight smile but did not lower the vigilance in his heart.

The Divine Venerable Leshan seemed to realize Nie Kong would not easily trust his promise, and he turned his gaze to the black fog ahead: "Dark Night, I wish to proceed to the fourth level of the Grotto-Heaven. What say you?"

"Please!"

The Divine Venerable of Dark Night was eager for him to leave. Before he could finish speaking, the black fog split in two, revealing the obscured vortex. Almost simultaneously, two dark, gloomy eyes floated up from within the mist, staring unblinkingly at Nie Kong with utmost coldness.

"Good, I shall take my leave first." The Divine Venerable Leshan was decisive; his silhouette flashed, and he leaped into the vortex.

"Whoosh!"

The instant his figure vanished deep within the vortex, Nie Kong’s body shot out like an arrow. The "War God Star Seal" radiated outside his body, layer upon layer, bombarding outward heavily.

"Nie Kong, I have long been prepared for this move of yours!" The Divine Venerable of Dark Night laughed coldly, and the black fog suddenly coalesced into one mass, once again obscuring the vortex entrance.

"Boom!"

Immediately, the nine layers of the "War God Star Seal" exploded within the black fog.

A blinding radiance suddenly erupted in the darkness, sharp white light shooting out everywhere, its powerful force crisscrossing indiscriminately, piercing the black fog repeatedly. However, this "Ninefold Overlap Seal" seemed to cause no damage to the Divine Venerable of Dark Night. As the white light dissipated, the black fog expanded greatly, instantly engulfing the figure of Nie Kong who was speeding towards it.

"Hoo!"

His steps halted, and Nie Kong’s surroundings instantly erupted with scorching "Chaos Heavenly Fire," yet this crimson glow of flame still failed to dispel the surrounding darkness.

With a thought from Nie Kong, the Dharma Image of the "Blood Prison Sword King Tree" manifested, unleashing countless blood-red sword shadows that shot out, tearing the black fog apart again and again, only for it to close immediately after. A moment later, the offensive of the "Blood Prison Sword King Tree" faded, and the black fog continued to billow around Nie Kong like ocean waves.

"Nie Kong, stop wasting your effort."

The Divine Venerable of Dark Night sounded somewhat triumphant. "My Dharma Image is 'Mist.' Once I ascend to the Ninth-Grade Spirit God, as long as my true body merges with the Dharma Image, no power can harm me, unless the Grand Venerable acts personally!" As he finished speaking, two sinister, sorrowful notes rang out: "Mist Cage!"

As the words fell, the black fog within a radius of several thousand meters suddenly began to writhe violently.

"Crimson Star War Body!"

Nie Kong narrowed his eyes, his body rapidly expanding. However, just then, the black fog suddenly condensed into thick, ink-black colossal pillars that pierced and crisscrossed around Nie Kong.

In the blink of an eye, the black fog transformed into a massive black cage, towering a hundred meters high, with Nie Kong at its center.

Looking outward through the gaps between the pillars, Nie Kong's vision, previously blocked by the black fog, cleared again. The two sky-supporting colossal pillars, the vortex entrance between them, and the vast expanse of yellow sand all became visible. Only the Divine Venerable of Dark Night had vanished, seemingly having merged into the cage itself.

"Once the Mist Cage is deployed, even a Ninth-Grade Spirit God can only obediently become my prisoner!" The maniacal laughter of the Divine Venerable of Dark Night instantly echoed within the cage.

"Is that so?"

Nie Kong scanned his surroundings, but his face showed not a hint of panic. He scoffed, "Dark Night, according to the information I possess, the Divine Venerable of Ziwei is the true head of your Five Great Divine Venerables, and you seem to rank last, weaker even than the three Divine Venerables Leshan, Dantian, and Hailong. If the Mist Cage were truly as powerful as you claim, you would have long surpassed the other four and stood atop the Five Great Divine Venerables!"

"Insolent! To show off your sharp tongue when death is imminent..." The Divine Venerable of Dark Night seemed to have struck a sore spot with Nie Kong's words, roaring in shame and rage. "Nie Kong, rest assured, I won't let you die so easily. Instead, I will take you back to my 'Dark Spirit Grotto-Heaven' to 'entertain' you properly, where you will beg for life but find none, and beg for death but achieve neither!"

The Dark God Sect, which was the "Dark Spirit Grotto-Heaven," was extremely secluded. The Divine Venerable of Dark Night was both the Sect Master of the Dark God Sect and the Lord of the "Dark God Grotto-Heaven."

Nie Kong smiled: "Wonderful, I shall await it." "You?"

Not seeing the expected panic and terror on Nie Kong's face, the Divine Venerable of Dark Night appeared somewhat exasperated, but the words that followed were replaced by a surprised sound. "Hm? Someone is coming? Pan Yan? Ziwei? It's those two? They came so fast!" "Nie Kong, when we reach the fourth level of the Grotto-Heaven, I will properly have my fun with you!"

The tone of the Divine Venerable of Dark Night turned ferocious again. The ink-black "Mist Cage," over a hundred meters high, soared up and instantly merged into the vortex entrance.

"Bang!"

In the next instant, a dark silhouette flashed, and the "Mist Cage" imprisoning Nie Kong plummeted from thousands of meters in the sky, smashing heavily into the vast yellow sand of the fourth Grotto-Heaven level.

Waves of sand surged into the air, and the void became hazy.

Immediately after, a strand of dark energy separated from the Mist Cage, condensing into the figure of the Divine Venerable of Dark Night, hovering a hundred meters high, a sinister grin lurking in his eyes: "Mist Shadow Dream Devour!"

The moment these four words were uttered, the Mist Cage vibrated with a fierce humming sound. The thirty-six colossal pillars in the six directions—up, down, front, back, left, and right—simultaneously shed an ink-black phantom image, which, like fat, wriggling worms, twisted their bodies and lunged toward Nie Kong, moving with lightning speed.

The eyes of the Divine Venerable of Dark Night were filled with icy cruelty: "Nie Kong, enjoy my Nightmare Worms!" "Nightmare Worms?"

A smile suddenly appeared on Nie Kong's face, and he roared, "Chaos Immortal Flame, Great Sun Like a Wheel!" The muscles, bones, blood, and internal organs throughout his body surged and boomed, and a sphere of snow-white fierce sun actually began to rise slowly from within Nie Kong's body, emitting billions of dazzling, brilliant rays of light.

There was no scorching heat, only a gentle warmth, like the rising morning sun.

Under the illumination of this sunlight, the thirty-six incredibly fat "Nightmare Worms" melted away like ice and snow, decomposing and scattering at a speed visible to the naked eye.