To defeat a Nascent Soul-level expert relying purely on her own strength would likely prove quite problematic for Lei Dong. Though formidable, the gap between him and a Nascent Soul-level powerhouse remained substantial. As for the Gluttonous Cannon Ghost, unless some extraordinary circumstance arose, or that Nascent Soul expert was foolish enough to stand still and let it blast away, there was simply no possibility of countering a Nascent Soul expert with it.

This was the limitation of Lei Dong’s power; among peers of the same realm, he was nearly unmatched. However, once an opponent reached the Nascent Soul stage, the only matter worthy of consideration was how to escape and preserve one's life.

In this desperate situation, Xiao You had no choice but to employ a form of illusionary induction, temporarily stabilizing both the Insect Emperor and Xie Feng.

After some discussion, the group decided to remain where they were, while Xie Feng and Lei Long temporarily withdrew from the bottom of the Nether River Valley, sinking into the turbulent currents of the Styx itself. Without a word exchanged, they commenced a spar.

Xie Feng was a standout among the contemporary powerhouses of the Nether Phoenix clan. If broken down further, the Nether Phoenix clan was a divergent descendant line of the Ice Phoenix clan, meaning they were naturally adept at ice-based spells. However, the reason Xie Feng was called a Nether Phoenix was due to her long habitation within the Netherworld environment, undergoing countless eons of procreation and evolution, resulting in a unique transformation where her primary attribute shifted to the Nether element.

Unlike the pure ice attribute of the Ice Phoenix's magic, the ice wielded by the Nether Phoenix was termed Netherworld Cold Ice. This ice shared a certain kinship with Netherworld Fire, though the latter scorched the soul, while the former froze. Wasting no spiritual artifacts, Xie Feng’s tall, elegant figure hovered within the Nether River, emitting a faint, hazy-black, translucent aura of Netherworld Cold Ice, forming a thin, slightly darkened protective shield that kept the surging river waters at bay. With a casual wave of her fair jade hand, the Nether Ice cold energy snaked out like a swimming dragon. Wherever it passed, the Nether River water froze instantly. Any lingering spirits or similar entities clinging to the waves were caught in the crossfire and instantly transformed into pale blue, transparent ice sculptures under the influence of the Nether Ice energy, which then shattered into countless crystalline fragments upon being swept away by the river.

Lei Long was not to be outdone. With a tremor of his muscles and bones, his skeletal structure creaked audibly. He opened his mouth and unleashed a torrent of blazing crimson fire, instantly turning the surrounding Nether River water into steam. This was the Natal Yang Fire he had cultivated. Flying Dragons like Lei Long possessed numerous attributes, but as a fire-attribute dragon, his greatest asset was this core fire essence.

Unlike the esoteric Netherworld Fire, which specialized in burning souls, Lei Long’s flame was exceptionally righteous and fiercely Yang in nature, theoretically capable of incinerating anything combustible. Fire Flying Dragons, even in the primeval era, were considered overlord-class entities, second only to a select few Divine Beasts. In a sense, they were naturally gifted, darlings of the cosmos.

If a core Yang Fire were cultivated to its utmost peak, it could reach the realm of True Solar Fire, at which point it could genuinely incinerate all things. Lei Long was still quite far from that apex. Nevertheless, even his Natal Yang Fire was no ordinary thing, capable of evaporating the resentful spirits hidden within the waves, along with the Nether River water itself.

One Nether Ice, one Yang Fire—when the two collided, it instantly erupted with the spectacle of colliding heavens and the arrival of the apocalypse. The Nether River water within several li was annihilated, generating colossal waves that stretched for dozens of li, causing countless casualties among the Styx's inhabitants.

For experts who had reached Lei Long’s level—Nascent Soul—combat relied primarily on their own physical bodies. It wasn't that they were unwilling to use spiritual artifacts, but most common artifacts used by Golden Core cultivators were unsuitable for Nascent Soul powerhouses. Infusing them with a surge of True Essence often caused the artifacts to shatter. If too little essence was infused, the resulting power was merely a tickle to a Nascent Soul expert.

Generally, only High-Grade spiritual artifacts could be used barely, while Supreme-Grade artifacts offered some marginal value. The most suitable items for Nascent Soul experts were Primordial Spiritual Treasures infused with Chaos Matter. Unfortunately, Primordial Spiritual Treasures were exceedingly rare; it was already a remarkable feat for an average Nascent Soul cultivator to possess even one or two, and even then, they might not suit their needs.

Consequently, in the absence of a suitable Primordial Spiritual Treasure, one's own strength became the greatest treasure. Just like Lei Long’s Yang Fire: if he invested the time and heart's blood to temper it, its power would grow ceaselessly, becoming more useful than many Primordial Spiritual Treasures.

In terms of raw cultivation, Xie Feng and Lei Long were essentially evenly matched, and in terms of quality, neither the Nether Ice nor the Yang Fire could inherently suppress the other. Thus, while the clash generated astonishing momentum, both merely felt a slight surge in their vital energy.

“Behold my treasure, Phoenix Dance of the Nine Heavens!” Seeing that mere techniques could not gain the upper hand, Xie Feng’s innate refusal to yield flared up. With a sharp cry, she summoned a Primordial Spiritual Treasure. It was a plume of pitch-black phoenix tail feather that lengthened instantly upon meeting the wind, growing dozens of zhang long in the blink of an eye. A miraculous event then occurred: the tail feather violently exploded, transforming into thousands of shadowy, powerfully emanating quills that descended like a torrential rain, enveloping Lei Long.

Lei Long dodged frantically twice, but the storm of quills possessed a life-like tenacity, clinging to him like maggots to bone.

Hiss, hiss—two light sounds. Lei Long could not evade in time and was struck by two quills that pierced cleanly through his body, spraying a mist of blood. Such wounds could not, of course, immediately incapacitate Lei Long, but alongside his rising fury, there was a tremor of shock. His true form was that of a Fire Dragon; besides his Natal Yang Fire, his tough hide and formidable defense were major advantages. Although his current human form reduced his defense, it should not have allowed a mere feather quill to pierce him so easily. This demonstrated that the phoenix quill was certainly no ordinary object.

Indeed, as Lei Long suspected, the Primordial Spiritual Treasure Xie Feng utilized was no common item. It was a hereditary heirloom of the Nether Phoenix clan, renowned even among all Primordial Spiritual Treasures. The reason was simple: every single one of these thousands of quills originated from the Natal Plumes of Nether Phoenix powerhouses in the Nascent Soul stage. When a Nether Phoenix neared the end of its long life, it would channel its True Essence into its Natal Plume. While it could not store the essence indefinitely, it could use its vast True Essence to temper the plume one final, most effective time. Upon death, the feather would detach, retaining a trace of the phoenix’s residual divine thought—a form of obsession—which transformed it into a special refining material unique to the phoenix clan: Phoenix Feather. Do not mistake the legendary Phoenix Feather for something casually plucked from any phoenix; every single Phoenix Feather resulted from the demise of a phoenix. The stronger the phoenix, the more potent the residual feather. Xie Feng’s Primordial Spiritual Treasure was refined from the Natal Plumes of Nascent Soul-level Nether Phoenixes, specifically requiring three thousand six hundred such feathers.

Do not assume this feat was impossible. From the primeval era to the present, the Nether Phoenix clan had spanned countless generations, and countless years had passed since the primeval era. Even if a Nascent Soul-level phoenix emerged only once every few thousand years, the number of such powerhouses born over these innumerable ages was staggering. Gathering three thousand six hundred Natal Plumes of Nascent Soul Nether Phoenixes, though immensely difficult, was barely achievable for a clan with such profound reserves.

With such primary materials, tempered using Chaos Matter, the resulting Primordial Spiritual Treasure possessed terrifying destructive power. Within the Six Domains and Nine Continents, the Phoenix Dance of the Nine Heavens, the ancestral treasure of the Nether Phoenix clan chief, was an extremely famous Primordial Spiritual Treasure, analogous to the Water Soul of Dissolution belonging to the Yaksha clan—both were foundational treasures of their respective clans. If Xie Feng utilized this treasure to its fullest, she could even contend with a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. However, she was still far inferior to entities like the Ghost Emperor of the Netherworld.

The Ghost Emperor of the Netherworld, having lived for thousands of years, possessed formidable strength and, through generational inheritances and personal acquisitions, had gathered quite a few valuable items. Yet, compared to the Insect Emperor, Xie Feng’s possession of this treasure gave her an absolute advantage. This was one of the main reasons the Insect Emperor often deferred to Xie Feng. There was no helping it; although the Insect Emperor considered his own strength not weak and possessed a couple of potent spiritual artifacts, they could not compare to the deep reserves of the Nether Phoenix clan.

This was merely the first attack form of the Phoenix Dance of the Nine Heavens, and Lei Long already felt somewhat unable to resist. Sadly, like the Insect Emperor, he could not produce a comparable Primordial Spiritual Treasure to counter it. Nevertheless, Lei Long possessed his own unique advantage. He immediately roared toward the heavens, his skin tearing open inch by inch as his muscles swelled, layers upon layers of thick scales manifesting.

In just two or three breaths, the refined, scholarly appearance of Lei Long transformed into an Ancient Giant Dragon, stretching over a hundred zhang long, resembling a moving mountain. Its body was tinged red, and its scales were uneven and somewhat coarse, similar to those of the Divine Alligator, yet its defensive capabilities were astonishingly immense.

A true behemoth—in his true form, Lei Long’s surrounding aura visibly multiplied several times over. Especially the intensity of his Divine Sense, which surged upward at a geometric rate. This near-solid Divine Sense immediately coalesced into a gigantic protective shield, firmly enveloping him. The exceptionally sharp, seemingly armor-piercing Nether Phoenix Feathers rained down upon his shield, piercing through, but much of their force was dissipated. They managed only to scratch Lei Long's outer hide.

The defense of such a massive beast, the hardness of its armor, was unimaginable to ordinary beings. With just one layer of outer scale armor several chi thick, the penetrating Phoenix Feathers were essentially merely scratching an itch.

... (To be continued)