"This indeed heralds the flourishing of Your Majesty's imperial destiny, and it is a blessing for us all," High-Rank Ghost King Ao You said, a flicker of joy in his eyes. "Once Your Majesty has completely refined and absorbed this mass of Nether Essence, your lifespan will increase greatly, and the unification of the Nether Domain by our Ghost Clan will be imminent. Then, the Nether Ghost Domain will truly live up to its name." "Ao You, Ao Ming, guard the process for (Zhen - Imperial 'I')." Even for a supreme expert of the Ghost Emperor of Netherworld's caliber, a strange light flashed in those profound eyes: "To simply devour and refine such a rare treasure of heaven and earth is too wasteful. I shall perform the Nether King Body Tempering Art, using this mass of Nether Essence as the foundation to thoroughly improve my physical condition. By doing so, not only will my lifespan be significantly extended, but perhaps I can even use this opportunity to attempt a breakthrough to the High Rank. Once I achieve High Rank, no one will have the qualification to stop my unification of the Nether Domain." Having witnessed this Nether Essence firsthand, the Ghost Emperor's long-dormant ambition seemed to be slowly awakening.

Ao Ming's expression shifted slightly, and he earnestly advised, "Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, it is best to accept what we have. While tempering the body with this method will indeed yield the greatest effect, it will take several months at the very least. During this period, if..." "Ao Ming, the other three Emperors of the Nether Domain have been cleverly entangled by Your Majesty and won't be able to break free for at least a year or more. Moreover, we have guarded this mass of Nether Essence for a full five hundred years since before it even fully formed, and the news has not leaked even slightly. The only ones aware are Your Majesty, yourself, and I. Even if someone stumbles upon us accidentally, with the two of us High-Rank Ghost Kings here, what is there to fear?" Ao You held a different view, his expression somewhat agitated: "To use such a rare treasure, emerging once in several millennia, merely to extend lifespan is simply squandering a heavenly gift! Your Majesty is a Heaven-Gifted Prodigy; what is lacking is precisely such an opportunity. Once successful, in time, even breaking through the shackles between heaven and earth might be possible!"

"Ao You, what I mean is that it is too dangerous. After all, during this time, Your Majesty cannot be distracted. If a formidable enemy..." "Ao Ming, do you distrust yourself, or do you distrust me and Your Majesty?" Ao You asked angrily, "Our movements this time were extremely covert. With all the concealing formations and plans in place, there is absolutely no way the news could leak."

"Enough, both of you stop arguing. My mind is made up," the Ghost Emperor of Netherworld waved his hand, interrupting his two loyal subordinates who had followed him for a thousand years. "Ao You is right; this opportunity is rare and must not be wasted. I trust you two brothers. Guard me; it will only take three months for me to succeed."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Ao You and Ao Ming replied with solemn faces, "Even if our souls are scattered, we will never allow anyone to harm Your Majesty."

"I depart."

The Ghost Emperor of Netherworld walked forward with a composed demeanor, hands clasped behind his back. Yet, this single step carried him tens of li forward, his aloof figure already standing suspended in the void at the center of the vortex. The endlessly swirling and violent vortex roared on, but not a single strand of the Ghost Emperor's hair was disturbed. His expression was one of perfect ease, as if he were merely strolling in his own rear garden admiring the moon.

"I say, stop."

Following the Ghost Emperor's command, as plain as flowing water, the most violent part of the Nether Vortex—strong enough to tear apart Nascent Soul cultivators—obediently began to slow, transforming into scattered, dense, mist-like plumes of Nether Ghost Qi.

"I say, gather."

As soon as the words fell, the Nether Ghost Qi spanning tens of li obediently compressed inward. Soon, it condensed into a sphere several dozen zhang in diameter, its substance thick as ink, almost solid. It tightly enveloped the Ghost Emperor of Netherworld and the mass of Nether Essence.

Ao You and Ao Ming, the two High-Rank Ghost Kings, stood guard loyally on either side. Every rustle of wind within hundreds of li could not escape their divine senses.

Time seemed to freeze.

Meanwhile, on Lei Dong's side, having successfully eliminated the Nether Profound Serpent guarding the entrance, they steered the Sky Ghost King's warship directly into the Nine Nethers Abyss, one of the Ten Great Perils of the Nine Nethers. The cave entrance looked as terrifying as the maw of a monstrous beast. After traversing several thousand li, they finally reached the true depths of the Abyss.

The Sky Ghost King had visited once in his youth, but this was the first time for Lei Dong and the others to witness the Abyss.

The Abyss was not the sheer chasm flanked by mountains that they had imagined. In fact, the Abyss was like the endless void—no sky above, no ground below, boundless and stretching without limit. Everywhere were countless Nether Vortices, large and small, black and menacing, where Ghost Qi was intensely condensed.

Streaks of bloody lightning erupted from time to time, bathing the surroundings in crimson light.

Besides these, one could occasionally spot clusters of pitch-black floating mountains and massive chunks of rock drifting aimlessly.

These Nether Vortices were among the most perilous things in the Nine Nethers Abyss. Lei Dong personally watched a suspended stone block, spanning several li, get sucked into a Nether Vortex and instantly torn to dust. He believed the outcome would be equally unpleasant if a warship were sucked in.

These visible, slow-moving Nether Vortices were not the greatest danger. The most dangerous elements were the terrifying demonic beasts and monstrous insects prowling the depths. It is said that the more perilous the region, the more likely it is to breed dangerous and powerful life forms. The Nine Nethers Abyss was home to quite a few natives.

But because of the unique environment here, where Nether Ghost Qi was most abundant, most natives were born of this energy. The Nether Profound Serpent, for instance, was one of the powerful and famous natives of this place, lurking in the darkness, weaving through the vortices, absorbing Nether Ghost Qi, and hunting its prey.

Even powerful demonic beasts like the Nether Profound Serpent were not the most terrifying. The weakest creatures individually often proved the most troublesome, because their weakness necessitated forming tightly knit groups, such as the Nether Crows. They occupied the floating mountains, and when they went out hunting, they would swarm out completely—small groups numbering in the thousands, larger ones easily reaching hundreds of thousands or even millions. Once their numbers reached the hundreds of thousands or millions, even powerful creatures like the Nascent Soul-level Nether Profound Serpent would become part of their menu, testifying to the avarice and aggression of the Nether Crows.

Only five days after entering the Nine Nethers Abyss, Lei Dong and his group encountered a passing swarm of Nether Crows. These greedy, low-level demonic beasts attacked the warship in a dense wave.

Fortunately, this particular flock numbered only tens of thousands.

After Lei Dong and the others deployed the Myriad Ghost Banner, they engaged in a desperate battle against numbers with numbers in a corner of the Abyss. The sharp cries of the fierce ghosts and the shrieks of the Nether Crows created a scene commonly witnessed in the Nine Nethers Abyss.

In the end, Lei Dong and his group managed to wipe out nearly the entire flock, but they paid the price of over one hundred thousand fierce ghosts. Thankfully, their preparations were sufficient; the cannon-fodder fierce ghosts were considered consumables, and Lei Dong kept a substantial stock of Yin Souls in his readily available Soul Nurturing Pagodas. If they died, they could simply be replenished into the Myriad Ghost Banner.

This battle served to demonstrate the inherent dangers of the Abyss to Lei Dong and his companions, making them proceed with even greater caution. Relying on the Sky Ghost King's ability to significantly extend his detection range by reverting to his true form helped them avoid a good deal of unnecessary trouble.

However, while the perilous Nine Nethers Abyss constantly hid deadly traps, it was also rife with opportunities. For example, when some massive stones were shattered by vortices, they sometimes ejected precious crystals and ores. Salvaging ores and crystals from the void was considered a major characteristic of the Nine Nethers Abyss. After all, elsewhere one dug them from stone; here, one fished them from space. If one was lucky enough to snatch a piece of rare ore worth a fortune, they would be set for life.

While they had time to spare, Lei Dong and the others used their relatively strong divine senses to scan the area for mineral crystals. They managed to retrieve some ores of various kinds, though most were not very valuable. The Sky Ghost King had mentioned that this was merely the entrance area of the Abyss, often swept clean by frequent visitors; thus, the chance of acquiring truly precious items was low. If one were willing to spend over a year venturing into the deeper, rarely visited parts of the Abyss, the probability of encountering rare treasures would increase. Naturally, the accompanying danger would also be higher.

For Lei Dong, running around in the deepest parts of the Abyss was out of the question; the Nine Nether Ghost Flame was his primary objective for this journey.

The Sky Ghost King often recounted interesting anecdotes about the Nine Nethers Abyss: how someone once found a rare Nether Spirit Herb on an inconspicuous medium-sized floating mountain, or how someone, sucked into a Nether Vortex, not only miraculously survived but also had the incredible luck to acquire a small mass of Nether Essence.

Of course, these could only be heard as colorful stories. Everyone knew clearly that far more people silently perished in the depths of the Nine Nethers Abyss. Most people only focus on the successes while conveniently ignoring the tragic failures.

Lei Dong knew he didn't possess that kind of fate. Having cultivated for so long and captured countless ghosts, the highest rank he had managed to capture so far was a Mid-Grade Spirit Ghost. If he hadn't accidentally obtained the heaven-defying Soul Devouring Pagoda, he would probably still be struggling to reach the Foundation Establishment stage now.

Wandering for over a month since entering the Abyss, they had fortunately avoided any major mishaps thanks to the Sky Ghost King's guidance. Of course, they hadn't been lucky enough to stumble upon any rare natural treasures either. Even in this Nine Nethers Abyss, treasures considered priceless were certainly not scattered everywhere. Some people might spend a century here and never encounter one.

Suddenly, Ao Ming, who had kept his eyes closed for a long time, snapped open his ghostly eyes, a fierce intensity in his gaze: "Someone dares to come courting death? Merely a Mid-Rank Ghost King and a bunch of Golden Core cultivators. Ao You, shall you handle it, or should I?" "Hahahaha~"

Before Ao You could reply, a series of unrestrained and arrogant voices echoed through the void: "Ghost Emperor of Netherworld, I wonder if you still remember me? I am the Sky Ghost King?"