The moment the jade-like palm touched that sphere of crimson light, the section of "Fire Feather Celestial Bamboo" suddenly trembled violently. The fiery aura then poured downward, enveloping Chi Lian in a massive red cocoon, with searing heat like raging flames aggressively pushing outward in all directions.

Pan Ling's hand was actually held outside the crimson glow.

"Hmm?"

Pan Ling’s delicate eyebrows lifted slightly, her eyes locked intently on the "Fire Feather Celestial Bamboo," her expression filled with disbelief. "That is Xian Zhuyin's aura? She really didn't die... I understand now. She must be hidden within the 'Primal Heaven Grotto,' and Nie Kong must have met her there. When Nie Kong returned to the Celestial Spirit Continent, he gave you Xian Zhuyin's talisman artifact for protection. Chi Lian, no wonder you are so fearless. But even with her talisman artifact, it won't save you!"

At that moment, when Nie Kong achieved the Great Venerable rank on the Celestial Spirit Continent, Pan Ling had already known that a passage must exist between the "Primal Heaven Grotto" and the Celestial Spirit Continent. She had even speculated that Xian Zhuyin, severely injured ten thousand years ago, might also be concealed somewhere within the Grotto. Now, this speculation was indeed confirmed.

"You are welcome to try," Chi Lian retorted, sounding somewhat disdainful.

"........."

With a cold snort through her nose, Pan Ling struck out again with her right hand. Her already crystal-clear, fair palm turned transparent, revealing the blood vessels and bones within. Pan Ling was not targeting Chi Lian's head, but the "Fire Feather Celestial Bamboo" hovering above it.

The palm contained boundless, immense power; this time, Pan Ling was determined to succeed. She knew that her actions here would undoubtedly be perfectly clear to that fellow Lei Long. If she failed twice in a row to subdue a Ninth-Rank Star God, she would likely become a laughingstock among the Great Venerables herself.

"Hoo!"

Lei Long departed the entrance to the Boundary Gate passage and drifted down onto a mountain peak, his eyes fixed on the Pluto War God Mountain, a faint, almost imperceptible strange smile playing on his lips.

"Swish! Swish..."

A series of dense rushing sounds echoed consecutively as dozens of figures appeared one after another beside Lei Long.

At the forefront were the Five Great Venerables: Ziwei, Dantian, Hailong, Leshan, and Anye. Following behind them were Mo Tianxing, Yiyang, Yanluo, Qixian, and Dusu. Apart from these ten or so Ninth-Rank Spirit Gods, nearly everyone else was a Spirit God of the Sixth Rank or higher.

"Greetings, Great Venerable."

The assembled group bowed almost simultaneously.

Great Venerable Lei Long stated calmly, "The matter instructed by Senior Brother Chongxu, everyone must carry it out properly."

Saying this, his gaze shifted to Divine Venerable Anye and Divine Venerable Hailong. "Anye, Hailong, Senior Brother Chongxu helped both of you restore your strength to the Ninth Rank specifically for this matter. Do you understand?"

"We understand!" Anye and Hailong felt a jolt in their spirits.

"Go now."

"Yes."

Divine Venerable Ziwei and the others transformed into streaks of flowing light, dispersing in all directions.

But less than a few seconds after they left, Great Venerable Lei Long’s expression suddenly changed. His body shot toward the Pluto direction like a bolt of purple lightning...

"Crack!"

His right palm descended, and the section of "Fire Feather Celestial Bamboo" broke apart instantly.

However, instead of any hint of delight on Pan Ling’s face, surprise surfaced instead. The shattered "Fire Feather Celestial Bamboo" seemed to suddenly transform into a bottomless abyss.

The force emanating from her palm was enough to annihilate all the Ninth-Rank Spirit Gods in the "Great Venerable Spirit Realm" in an instant, yet all of it was sucked into that fissure.

"Boom!"

Inside the red cocoon, Chi Lian's body suddenly exploded, dissolving into countless fiery crimson wisps.

This sudden change caused Pan Ling to instinctively freeze momentarily. She discovered that Chi Lian's aura had vanished without a trace in that instant, as if his soul had scattered completely. Yet, the "Fire Feather Celestial Bamboo" atop the red cocoon had not dimmed; it continued to radiate brilliant red light.

"Hurry! He is about to advance to become a Son of the Great Venerable!"

A bolt of lightning ripped through the void, and a furious roar suddenly reverberated deep within the Pluto Source.

The moment this sound erupted, Great Venerable Lei Long's figure manifested. A massive bolt of lightning shot out from within his body, slamming violently toward the red cocoon.

"Too late!"

A sound of unrestrained, triumphant laughter suddenly surged out from within the red cocoon. Those fiery crimson wisps reformed Chi Lian's body with lightning speed, and streaks of golden stellar seals spun out from within him, fiercely colliding with that massive bolt of lightning.

"Bang!"

It was as if the heavens and earth were collapsing. The space within this War Clan's Pluto Source began to rapidly implode.

A vast, mighty aura, like a hurricane, surged wildly out from Chi Lian's body, instantly engulfing the Pluto Lands, the Celestial Spirit Continent, and even the Great Venerable Spirit Realm.

"Great Venerable!"

Pan Ling and Lei Long’s expressions changed drastically. The thought flashed almost simultaneously in both their minds: they hadn't expected Chi Lian to break through in this manner right under their noses.

All of this happened too quickly. From the explosion of Chi Lian's body, to Lei Long's appearance, and then his reconsolidation—the entire process was completed in a mere flash of lightning. Their failure lay in the fact that both of them had comprehended the Path of the Great Venerable relying on the "Primal Divine Crystal"; Chi Lian's promotion process was relatively unfamiliar, leading them to fail to react with the utmost speed.

"Pan Ling, thank you for your power, which allowed me to take that final half-step in one leap," Chi Lian roared, grabbing the "Fire Feather Celestial Bamboo" and vanishing from this collapsing space. His laughter echoed back in, "Pan Ling, Lei Long, you wanted to kill me, didn't you? Then come!"

"........."

Pan Ling’s face grew extremely grim. Chi Lian's first sentence had infuriated her to the point of rage; she gave virtually no hesitation before giving chase. Lei Long frowned, and his lightning-shimmering body immediately merged with the void...

Yin Ruins, the Void Secret Realm.

"Chi Lian?" Great Venerable Chongxu paused briefly before continuing to speed through the boundless void.

"Alas," in an identical expanse of nothingness, Pang Gu let out a sigh, clearly quite surprised that Pan Ling had failed to restrain Chi Lian.

"Chi Lian? I didn't expect him to achieve the Great Venerable rank so quickly. He truly is worthy of being the peak Star God powerhouse who came closest to the Great Venerable realm ten thousand years ago!" Nie Kong, hidden within the void, immediately sensed the suddenly emerging massive aura and couldn't help but breathe a slight sigh of relief, a hint of joy appearing on his face.

Only Great Venerable Pan Ling and Great Venerable Lei Long remained outside the "Void Secret Realm." Now that Chi Lian was sharing the pressure, even if a fight broke out, Da Yan and Great Venerable Da Yan would not face overwhelming danger.

Chi Lian achieving the Great Venerable rank was an unexpected delight!

The joy in his heart vanished in an instant, and Nie Kong’s mind calmed once more.

Within a few seconds, Nie Kong's just-settled mind experienced a slight surge of excitement, as if something deep within the hidden currents was pulling him.

"Power of the Void?"

Nie Kong’s thoughts stirred slightly. After vaguely discerning the direction, he shot toward the front-right, following that mysterious sense...