“I command the solidification of space,” Xiao You declared, her gaze sharp and unwavering. The words left her lips with startling clarity, imposing their will upon the very laws of the dimension, resounding like thunder that left the listeners' ears numb.

The Ghost Tiger King’s claw attack, immediately subjected to the spatial stasis, suddenly moved as if plunging into thick sludge, slow and utterly impotent. The surrounding Ghost Kings and Nether Phoenixes roared in unison, unleashing their most powerful offensive; a barrage of attacks rained down upon the Ghost Tiger King without restraint.

“Aooo~”

Caught completely off guard, the Ghost Tiger King was struck by over a dozen spells and magical artifacts. Even for a Divine Transformation stage monstrous beast with formidable defenses, the onslaught was too much to bear. Its smooth, semi-transparent hide became immediately riddled with wounds. Agony and rage fueling it, the beast threw back its head and roared; a violent sonic wave exploded outward, instantly shattering the viscous, solidified space into fragments.

Countless pieces of space, large and small, shot toward the assembly. One Ghost King failed to evade in time and was cleaved in half at the waist by a massive cluster of fragments. Fortunately, due to the incorporeal nature of the ghost race, the two severed halves of the Ghost King immediately dissolved into plumes of black mist, which quickly coalesced to reform the creature, seemingly immortal. However, after this ordeal, it appeared gravely weakened, its cultivation clearly regressed. Yet, compared to the other Nether Phoenix, this Ghost King was fortunate.

That high-stage Nascent Soul Nether Phoenix was shredded into a pulp by the fine spatial shards, as if being subjected to death by a thousand cuts. It didn't even have time for its Nascent Soul to escape before its form and spirit were utterly annihilated.

Meanwhile, Xiao You, who had strained herself to cast the Nether God True Word spell, was hit by the full force of the backlash from both the spatial shattering and the broken law, as the Ghost Tiger King forcefully tore through the spatial solidification. She let out a soft gasp, her delicate body rocketing backward at incredible speed, only stopping a full li later. Her face was ashen white, almost translucent and flickering, struggling to maintain form.

In that initial clash, Xiao You’s side suffered devastating losses—one dead and two wounded, including herself—in exchange only for wounding the Ghost Tiger King.

However, whether it was a demon beast or a ferocious creature, injury only made them more savage and terrifying. Having dominated the Nine Nether Abyss for an unknown age, and not having been wounded in an age, the Nether Ghost Tiger King was incandescent with fury. It let loose another tremendous roar, the sound exploding into shockwaves that radiated outward. Its massive body moved with the agility of a cat, leaping off the void, and it immediately descended upon Xiao You like Mount Tai pressing down from above.

“Get back!” The Thunder Dragon, having reverted to its true form, appeared beside her at some unknown moment. Its saw-toothed tail, dozens of zhang long, whipped out like a steel whip, striking the Tiger King’s back with crushing force. The sheer impact sent the Ghost Tiger King tumbling backward, a bleeding gash several zhang wide instantly scored across its patterned hide.

The Thunder Dragon’s desperate blow was brutal, snapping countless tiger bones. Amidst its pained cries, the Ghost Tiger King became maniacally violent, focusing all its hatred and attention onto the Thunder Dragon. Roaring incoherently, it spat out human words: “Stupid Dragon, I will make you pay the price.”

One tiger and one dragon, both at the Divine Transformation level, collided violently in an instant. Spells and cultivation methods were useless in this raw, bloody melee; only sharp claws, pointed teeth, and every part of their bodies could be employed. Dragon roars, tiger howls, and mutual curses became a deafening tangle.

Boom, boom~

Floating mountains were constantly shattered and blown apart by the battle between the two peerless beasts. Dust and debris filled the void for tens of li.

The Thunder Dragon, having suffered severe underlying injuries, had not yet recovered its vitality. After a brief, strenuous struggle, it found itself at a definitive disadvantage. A heavy collision from the Ghost Tiger King forced it to spew blood, its hundred-zhang-long body smashing another floating mountain to rubble.

By this stage of the protracted battle, the Thunder Dragon was utterly drained of strength, drifting weakly amidst the endless dust and rock fragments.

Although the Ghost Tiger King was also injured, its fighting power was in no way diminished; instead, it grew even more vicious. It swiftly seized a peak Nascent Soul Ghost King that had rushed in to support them, bit it in half, and swallowed it whole. With a fierce look on its face, it glared at the Thunder Dragon: “Stupid Dragon, I told you you’d pay. Die for me.”

The Ghost Tiger King lunged forward, its form blurring into overlapping shadows as it pounced on the near-dead Thunder Dragon, its monstrous maw aiming brutally for the dragon’s throat.

“Halt!”

As Xiao You arrived to lend aid, a sharp cry escaped her lips. The pure, dense Nether Ghost Qi surrounding her condensed into a shadowy figure fifty zhang long—a black dragon emitting deep dragon cries that struck directly at the Ghost Tiger King. The technique employed was none other than Lei Dong’s signature move, the Black Dragon Chant. As a member of the Ghost Clan with an innate ghostly body, practicing the Grand Nether Arts was perfectly natural for Xiao You. The Black Dragon Chant was a technique Lei Dong had secretly taught her. At her peak Ghost King cultivation, its execution carried an extraordinary presence.

Being a Heavenly Spirit Ghost naturally afforded her unique capabilities, and even among that elite group, Xiao You was considered remarkable. Like Lei Dong, she practiced the Nether King Body Tempering Art, further refining her physique with Nether Essence. Consequently, she was a peak Ghost King whose strength defied conventional measurement.

Facing the lethal move, the Ghost Tiger King keenly sensed the profoundly threatening destructive power within it. It instantly twisted and dodged, coldly snapping, “A mere little Ghost King dares to claw at me repeatedly? You court death.” A spectral shadow formed from a tiger claw, sweeping toward the desperately weak Xiao You from a distance. The blow seemed ordinary but pierced the void, instantly appearing right above Xiao You’s head.

If Xiao You were at her peak, her cultivation might have allowed her to tangle with the Ghost Tiger King for ten or twenty exchanges. But now, with old wounds unhealed and fresh ones added, she was already running on fumes after the fierce fighting. The all-out Black Dragon Chant had utterly depleted her reserves, leaving her no strength to evade.

“My Lord, Brother. I am sorry,” Xiao You sighed silently in her heart. For some inexplicable reason, a profound stillness settled over her in that lightning-fast moment. Flashes of her past with Lei Dong flickered through her mind. She murmured softly, her expression tinged with regret, yet utterly serene.

“Little Ghost King, perish,” the Ghost Tiger King declared, dragging its massive claw down through the air with a deep, menacing shriek.

“Hmph.”

A low, furious snort erupted like subterranean thunder. Amidst the radiating ripples, a faint silhouette materialized before Xiao You. The figure was enveloped in an off-white, eggshell-thin shield that firmly protected her. A finger, pointed like a sword, tapped diagonally toward the spectral image of the tiger claw.

Hiss~

The Finger Force of the (Ping Xian Finger) pierced the void, striking the phantom claw with pinpoint accuracy.

An intense clash of energy erupted. The annihilation property of the law played a crucial role. While violent ripples spread wildly, the two forces utterly cancelled each other out. As the residual force spread outward, it struck Lei Dong but only caused the ripples on his shield to surge, leaving him completely unharmed. This shield appeared similar to the commonly used Profound Yin Shield, but it had actually been infused with a trace of the Undying Law. This was a Profound Yin Shield that Lei Dong had comprehended and improved upon during his recent free moments, intended to replace his Demonic Qi Transmutation Armor technique. The principle was simple: utilize the faint annihilation law within the Demonic Qi Transmutation Armor and integrate it into the Profound Yin Shield. However, the entire process had cost Lei Dong significant mental energy and effort. This was certainly not a trivial pursuit; after fighting those three old codgers from the Demon Spirit Realm, Lei Dong realized that the techniques inherited from the Demon Emperor were becoming a liability. That person named Blood Boy had immediately recognized the Ping Xian Finger Lei Dong used.

Although Lei Dong had successfully killed his target and silenced the witness this time, failing to improve those two techniques remained exceedingly dangerous. Thus, Lei Dong began with the most conspicuous technique, the Demonic Qi Transmutation Armor, and after several arduous months, finally achieved some success, successfully integrating a sliver of the Undying Law’s principle into the Profound Yin Shield.

Lei Dong's primary cultivation technique was the Profound Yin Heart Sutra, meaning all his true essence was naturally termed Profound Yin True Essence. This made reducing suspicion from others much easier. Naturally, Lei Dong's improved Profound Yin Shield defense was still far inferior to the Demonic Qi Transmutation Armor. But at least now, it was no weaker than the Vajra Temple’s supreme skill, the Undying Vajra Shield. The next step was to continuously strengthen this protective art, now called the Undying Profound Yin Shield, and to refine the annihilation law within his Profound Yin Finger.

The Ghost Tiger King was momentarily stunned by this turn of events. The aura of the newcomer was weak, suggesting only a Nascent Soul existence. Yet, this individual had shattered its tiger claw with a single strike?

The Ghost Tiger King was confident that while it hadn't used full power in that last attack, it was certainly not something a mere Nascent Soul youngster could break.

As it hesitated, it felt a faint ripple of spatial fluctuation nearby. A pitch-black phoenix, dozens of zhang wide upon spreading its wings, suddenly appeared. Without so much as a greeting, it beat its wings, unleashing countless tail feathers like a swarm of locusts upon the Ghost Tiger King. It then let out a mournful cry, filled with hatred and fury: “Ghost Tiger King, how dare you kill my kin! This Emperor will wipe out your entire clan.”

“Evil Phoenix?”

The Ghost Tiger King instantly recognized the newcomer. Its overwhelming arrogance instantly faltered, and its body dissolved into nothingness, dodging the ferocious Phoenix Dance of Nine Heavens like a wisp of smoke. However, it couldn't entirely escape the near-impenetrable assault. While gashes were continuously scored onto its body, the Ghost Tiger King quickly called out in a muffled voice, “Evil Phoenix, I have no desire for conflict with you! I killed your people because these wretches dared to slaughter my descendants—must I simply stand by and watch?”

Unlike the remote, otherworldly void where the Black Snake resided, the Nine Nether Abyss, though desolate and uninhabited, was formally a recognized and quite famous part of the Nether Ghost Domain. While the Abyss was vast, the reputations of some notable monstrous beasts within it were certainly known to the high-level entities of the Nether Ghost Domain.