Nie Kong stood once more at the foot of Mount War God. After only spending three days with his newborn daughter, Nie Kong departed the Sea God Palace and made his way directly to the Nether Realm.

It hadn't been long since Da Yan Ling Zun and the others had broken the seal and allowed the Nether Realm to see daylight again, yet this land was already undergoing tremendous change. Spiritual energy elements from the Heaven Spirit Continent began flowing towards it, while the dense dark spiritual energy elements of the Nether Realm began to spread toward the Heaven Spirit Continent.

With the void environment altered, the constitutions of newly born children would also change. In time, the Nether Realm would no longer be the sole domain of Black Spirit Masters—that is, Dark Spirit Masters—but would host spiritual masters of all other elements.

Conversely, with the increase of dark spiritual energy elements on the Heaven Spirit Continent, the probability of Dark Spirit Masters emerging there would also soar. Stepping back onto the Nether Realm, Nie Kong headed straight for the War Clan.

Years had passed, and he had finally returned to this place. Looking at the familiar architecture, Nie Kong was overcome with emotion.

Not long after he first entered the Nether Realm, he was discovered by Zhan Tian Lun and brought back to the War Clan. Afterward, whether he went to the Sea of Souls or entered the Ghost Domain, his path was intrinsically linked to the War Clan.

The War Clan had shown him great kindness. "Nie—Nie Kong, is that you?" Suddenly, a crisp voice rang out beside him, loud and laced with suspicion and astonishment.

Nie Kong turned his head and saw a group of young men and women standing about ten meters away. At the forefront was an unusually tall girl, perhaps in her early twenties, possessing delicate, picturesque features, cheeks still bearing a hint of baby fat.

She wore extremely tight clothing that accentuated her voluptuous figure, yet this only highlighted her spirited and heroic demeanor. "Zhan Qingzhu?" Nie Kong laughed heartily and immediately called out her name.

When he first met her in the War Clan, she was merely a girl of sixteen or seventeen, though even then, her height was astonishing. Now, she stood at least one meter ninety tall, even towering over the current Nie Kong by a considerable margin.

The change in physique was secondary; what interested Nie Kong more was her cultivation—she was now a Seventh-Rank Black Spirit Master. Although she had only just advanced to the Eighth-Rank a few days prior, calculating her speed against her age, it was outrageously fast, earning even Nie Kong’s admiration.

"It really is you!" Seeing Nie Kong utter her name instantly, Zhan Qingzhu’s doubts vanished, and she exclaimed with delight. "Nie Kong, so you didn't die!" "Yes, yes, how did you escape the Cave of God Annihilation?" "Where have you been hiding all these years?

Why didn't you return to Mount War God?" "..." In a sudden rush, the young men behind Zhan Qingzhu surged forward, surrounding Nie Kong in the center. A cacophony of chatter erupted, nearly every face alight with excitement.

Nie Kong’s gaze swept quickly, spotting numerous familiar faces behind Zhan Qingzhu: Zhan Rufeng, Zhan Zichuan, Li Xiao, Zhan Rujun, Lian Hai... Many of these individuals had fought side-by-side with him during the Beast Tide after they entered the Ghost Domain.

Although initially, few War Clan disciples had fully accepted him, reuniting with them now, recalling those moments, a warmth inevitably welled up in Nie Kong's chest. Several years flashed by.

Those boisterous youths had matured; any petty disagreements had long since melted away with a laugh. Furthermore, Nie Kong’s performance during the Beast Tide had already earned the deep respect of Zhan Qingzhu, Li Xiao, and the others.

They had assumed Nie Kong was long dead, and now meeting him unexpectedly at the foot of Mount War God, questions tumbled out one after another, leaving Nie Kong almost no opportunity to interject. "Such clamor!

What bearing is this? Go back to your training!" Just then, a sharp reprimand abruptly silenced the noisy crowd.

It was Zhan Yunlan, leading a large contingent of Grand Elders, who had quietly descended Mount War God. Seeing the Clan Leader’s taut, aged face, everyone scattered instantly with a whoosh.

"Nie Kong pays respects to the Clan Leader and all the Grand Elders." Nie Kong quickly bowed in greeting. Though his power far surpassed that of Zhan Yunlan and the others, he had once been a disciple of the War Clan, and the Clan had shown him immense favor.

Since returning here, he certainly could not neglect proper etiquette. "Nie Kong, you are already a Spirit God.

This old man cannot accept such a grand bow from you." Zhan Yunlan quickly reached out to support his arms, his heart overflowing with emotion. Originally, he and the Grand Elders had only believed Nie Kong to be the Palace Master of the Medicine King Palace, the foremost Medicine King of the Heaven Spirit Continent, equivalent to a peak Ninth-Rank Black Spirit Master—a Heaven Spirit expert.

However, after receiving the leaked news from Zhan Tian Lun, they learned Nie Kong had already broken through to the Spirit God realm, which, according to the Nether Realm’s nomenclature, meant Spirit Venerable! A Spirit Venerable—that was a super-level expert on the same plane as the War Clan’s ancestor, Zhan Xinzi.

Before arriving here, Zhan Yunlan and the others were somewhat skeptical, but seeing Nie Kong in person now, they had no choice but to believe. The current Nie Kong was like a ball of chaos, ethereal and elusive; even applying their spiritual sense to the extreme, they could barely detect a trace of his aura.

Subtly, Zhan Yunlan had a feeling that Nie Kong might even surpass Ancestor Zhan Xinzi in strength. This was also why Nie Kong had not revealed his true cultivation to Zhan Tian Lun; if they knew Nie Kong was only half a step away from the Grand Venerable realm, they would likely be even more astonished.

"Clan Leader, since Nie Kong once joined the War Clan, he remains a disciple of the War Clan. Before you and the Grand Elders, no matter how high my cultivation rises, I remain a junior." As he spoke, Nie Kong subtly slipped free of Zhan Yunlan’s grasp and bowed deeply to them all.

"Good, good. It is this old man who was being overly formal." Seeing the sincerity in Nie Kong’s words, Zhan Yunlan and Zhan Baige, among others, felt immense relief and wonder.

To maintain such meticulous courtesy with a cultivation level like Nie Kong’s was truly rare. After a brief pause, Zhan Yunlan announced, "Nie Kong, starting today, you shall be a Grand Elder of our War Clan." "Then this junior respectfully accepts." Nie Kong smiled and made no move to refuse.

"With your strength, being a Grand Elder of the War Clan is almost an insult. Nie Kong, let us ascend the mountain first, and we can speak more thoroughly there." "..." The moment Nie Kong and the figures of Zhan Yunlan and the others vanished, Zhan Qingzhu, Zhan Rufeng, and the others darted out from all directions, gathering together again, their faces etched with shock and disbelief.

"Qingzhu, I didn't mishear, did I? Did the Clan Leader just say Nie Kong is a Spirit God?" "Yes, Spirit God means Spirit Venerable.

Nie Kong isn't that much older than us; how did his power advance so rapidly?" "Absolutely true! I just ran into my elder uncle who returned from gathering intelligence on the Heaven Spirit Continent.

It turns out Nie Kong was originally from the Heaven Spirit Continent. He is now the foremost Medicine King there, and also the Palace Master of the Medicine King Palace.

That palace has very few members, yet it is now the single greatest sect on the Heaven Spirit Continent!" "Is that true? So powerful?

Among us here, perhaps only Qingzhu has a chance of catching up to Nie Kong." "Even I might not. By the time I become a Spirit Venerable, Nie Kong might already be a Grand Venerable." "..."