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In the Netherworld, Han Li used a stone shard to carve another mark on the rock wall.

This action almost exhausted him for the day. He leaned against the cold stone wall, panting, looking at the blisters on his palms...

Here, even the powerful physical bodies of Nascent Soul cultivators become as fragile as those of ordinary people.

"Senior Han, have some water." Zi Ling came over carrying half a seashell, which contained murky water collected from stalactites.

This once peerless young master of the Miaoyin Sect is now disheveled, with only his bright eyes remaining clear.

Han Li thanked him and accepted the gift, then suddenly looked alertly towards the cave entrance.

Mei Ning was dragging a bundle of dry branches back when she saw a string of unfamiliar footprints on the snow behind her!

"Someone is following you." Han Li silently mouthed the words.

The three understood each other perfectly. Zi Ling immediately extinguished the weak fire, while Mei Ning took out a sharpened bone spur from her waist...

This is a crude weapon crafted from the ribs of a demonic beast.

The footsteps grew closer in the darkness.

When the figure appeared at the cave entrance, Han Li pounced like a cheetah, his bone spike pressed against the other's throat.

The moonlight illuminated a distorted, handsome face—it was none other than Wen Tianren, who had been missing for many days!
"Young Master Wen?" Zi Ling exclaimed, "How could you..."

"Don't move!" Han Li shouted.

He keenly noticed the abnormal bloodshot in Wen Tianren's eyes, as well as the bronze short sword at his waist that clearly did not belong to the Netherworld.

Wen Tianren revealed a strange smile: "Fellow Daoist Han, how have you been?"

His voice was so hoarse it sounded inhuman, "I've been looking for you...for so long..."

The stalemate continued until dawn.

As the first rays of pale sunlight pierced through the cave, Han Li finally confirmed that Wen Tianren was alone.

But he dared not relax for a moment...

The bronze short sword was engraved with the blood curse runes of the Yinluo Sect!
It's obvious that Wen Tianren has come into contact with something recently, or that he has been possessed by an unknown creature.

"You'd never guess what I've discovered." Wen Tianren nervously stroked the sword's blade. "There's an altar in this godforsaken place that can temporarily restore spiritual power!"

Han Li's pupils contracted slightly.

If that's the case, they might have a chance to open the storage bag!
But Wen Tianren's next words dashed any hope: "Unfortunately, it can only last for three breaths each time, and... it requires a human sacrifice."

The temperature inside the cave dropped sharply.

Mei Ning suddenly coughed lightly, and an inconspicuous gray stone slipped from her sleeve...

This is the warning sign they agreed upon.

Han Li understood and feigned curiosity, asking, "Young Master Wen, please elaborate?"

Just as Wen Tianren bent down to draw, Mei Ning suddenly slammed the gray stone against the rock wall.

Amidst the ear-piercing crash, Han Li and Zi Ling pounced simultaneously!

Then, the three worked together seamlessly and in the blink of an eye, they pinned Wen Tianren to the ground.

The bronze short sword flew out of her hand and was kicked deep into the ground by Zi Ling.

"You're courting death!" Wen Tianren roared and struggled, but saw Mei Ning pressing her hands on his temples, her palms glowing with a faint spiritual light!

"This is..." Han Li stared at the scene in shock.

Mei Ning's forehead was covered in a fine sweat as she gritted her teeth and said, "My physique is special... I can convert essence into spiritual power... but I can't sustain it for long..."

Zi Ling immediately understood and grabbed Han Li's storage bag, stuffing it into Mei Ning's hand.

As the last glimmer of light seeped into the bag's opening, the storage bag finally opened a crack!
"The Soul Cries Out—!"

Han Li gave a low shout, and a palm-sized monkey darted out like lightning.

As soon as the strange beast, which had been sleeping in the spirit beast pouch for a long time, appeared, it greedily absorbed the rich yin energy of the Netherworld, and its body swelled up at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Wen Tianren's face was ashen: "Impossible... This place is clearly..."

"Thank you for the news, Young Master Wen," Han Li said coldly. "Now take us to that altar."

Wen Tianren wanted to resist, but found himself powerless and could only helplessly obey Han Li.

After trekking through the snowfield for two days with Wen Tianren, the group arrived at a circular valley.

In the center of the valley stood half a black stone tablet, its surface covered with twisted runes...

It was the fragment of the Four Symbols Demon-Sealing Stele that Han Li had seen at the bottom of the sea!
"That's it!" Wen Tianren pointed to the groove in front of the stone tablet, "As long as we pour living blood into it..."

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly launched an attack!

The bone spur hidden in her sleeve went straight for Mei Ning's heart.

At the critical moment, the Soul-Crying Beast let out a piercing shriek, the sound wave causing Wen Tianren to freeze for half a second.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Han Li delivered a chop to the back of his neck.

"You...you don't understand at all!" Wen Tianren collapsed to the ground, laughing maniacally. "Without spiritual power...we'll never get out! Zi Ling should have been mine...mine..."

Han Li frowned.

This successor of the Six Paths has clearly been driven mad by the Netherworld.

He then gestured for Zi Ling to take Mei Ning back, while he himself began to inspect the altar.

The contents of the inscription sent chills down his spine...

This is not a teleportation altar at all, but a feeding trough for feeding ancient demons!
"Wen Tianren," Han Li said in a deep voice, "you've been deceived. Sacrificing a living person will only loosen the seal..."

"So what!" Wen Tianren struggled to his feet, his eyes bloodshot. "As long as we can get out, what does it matter if we release the ancient demon!"

As he spoke, he suddenly rammed his head into the stone tablet!
"The soul cries out!"

Han Li hurriedly gave the order.

The little monkey transformed into a black shadow and pounced, its sharp claws piercing Wen Tianren's back.

Strangely, no blood flowed out...

Wen Tianren's body had long been corrupted by the aura of the ancient demon, leaving only an empty shell!
A cloud of black mist emerged from the seven orifices and was greedily inhaled into the belly of the Howling Soul Beast.

Zi Ling covered her mouth, trembling: "Could it be that he already..."

"He's dead." Han Li nodded solemnly. "We need to leave as soon as possible."

……

Wen Tianren's situation also made Han Li determined that if they continued to stay, they would never be able to leave again.

Climbing Mount Youming was more difficult than expected.

Even with the Soul-Crying Beast clearing the way, the ever-present eerie winds continued to steal away body heat.

By the fifth day, Mei Ning was so weak that Han Li had to carry her on his back.

“Senior Han…” Zi Ling suddenly spoke up in the wind and snow, “I’ve always had a question.”

Han Li adjusted the straps: "Speak."

"Any news about your senior brother, Su Ning?"

This unexpected question caused Han Li to stop in his tracks.

He turned to look at Zi Ling and noticed a strange light in her eyes.

"We haven't seen each other since we parted ways at the Void Heaven Palace," Han Li replied cautiously. "Fairy Ziling, why are you suddenly asking this?"

"After the collapse of the Void Heaven Palace, chaos broke out within the Star Palace, and the Star Palace's Grand Elder, Jin Kui, was deposed by the Star Palace's two Saints."

"what?"

Mei Ning weakly interjected, "And after Senior Su rescued Elder Jin Kui, he disappeared."

"What exactly happened?" Han Li was truly shocked this time.

Zi Ling then recounted the changes in the Star Palace: After the collapse of the Void Heaven Palace, the two Star Palace Saints, in order to pave the way for their daughter, deposed Jin Kui on the grounds of "inadequate supervision".

Su Ning rescued his master and broke through the encirclement, but his whereabouts have been unknown ever since.

“Senior Brother Su will surely turn misfortune into good fortune.” Han Li looked up at the gray sky. “He is more mysterious than you imagine…”

Zi Ling hesitated for a moment, then finally whispered, "Does he... have many Daoist partners around him?"

In the wind and snow, Han Li's lips twitched almost imperceptibly: "Why does Fairy Zi Ling care about this?"

"Just asking casually." Zi Ling turned her face away, trying to hide her unease.

At dawn on the seventh day, the three finally reached the summit.

A twisted spatial rift, like a wound, hangs on the edge of the cliff, appearing and disappearing intermittently.

This is the only hope of leaving the underworld.

"I'll scout ahead first." Han Li released the Soul-Crying Beast.

The little monkey let out a painful scream as soon as it approached the crack, clearly indicating that the situation on the other side was unknown.

Just as he was hesitating, the incomplete Celestial Star Disc in Han Li's arms suddenly became hot!
He took it out to check and found that the pointer on the dial was spinning wildly, eventually pointing to the center of the crack.

"Stay close to me." Han Li gritted his teeth, hoisted Mei Ning onto his back, and then summoned his Wind and Thunder Wings. "This is a fight to the death!"

The three of them rushed towards the crevice hand in hand, their Wind and Thunder Wings flapping wildly.

The moment they made contact, the celestial disc burst forth with dazzling starlight, forming a protective shield that enveloped them.

The last thing Han Li saw was a pair of blood-red eyes rising from the depths of the Netherworld...

"boom!"

After a dizzying spin, the three of them crashed heavily into a bamboo grove.

A long-lost spiritual energy wafts over, and familiar birdsong drifts from afar...

This place is actually the cultivation world of Tiannan!
"We...we're finally out?" Mei Ning pinched her cheek in disbelief.

Zi Ling stared at the Celestial Star Compass in Han Li's hand: "Brother Han, that fragment..."

Han Li hurriedly examined it and found that the previously blurred patterns on the incomplete celestial disc were now clearly visible...

That's clearly a map of some area in the Chaotic Star Sea!
The coordinates marked in the center of the map are those of the legendary ancient star palace ruins.

From the distant mountain path, the faint sounds of cultivators talking could be heard.

Han Li quickly put away the star chart, his eyes flashing with a sharp light: "Let's get out of here first! The Chaotic Star Sea... we'll have to go back to it sooner or later."

……

Above the rebuilt Tianxing City, the Star Array radiated a different kind of azure light than before.

Ling Yuling stood on the star-gazing platform, which had been converted from the ruins of the sacred mountain. Her silver-white armor reflected the starlight, and the scepter in her hand was inlaid with the Star Palace's most precious treasure—half of the Heavenly Star Plate.

“Holy Maiden, latest battle report.” A one-armed elder knelt on one knee. “The vanguard of the Yinluo Sect has reached the Coral Sea, three thousand miles away.”

Ling Yuling's starry eyes flickered slightly.

After twenty years of hardship and perseverance, she used her Star Spirit form to subdue the remaining forces and rebuilt the city's protective array using the Star Palace's secret treasures.

But this was far from enough to face the combined forces of the seven major factions of the Great Jin Dynasty.

"As for the Taiyi Sect..." "Still no response." The elder smiled bitterly, "Ever since Ancestor Bai was seriously injured twenty years ago, the Taiyi Sect has been holed up on Starfall Island and hasn't come out."

"Strange! What exactly is the Taiyi Sect waiting for?" Ling Yuling gently stroked the cracks on the Celestial Star Plate.

On the sea map reflected on the screen, black dots representing enemy forces are surging in from all directions.

The most striking thing was that blood-red pillar of light—the life-bound blood cloud of Yin Jiuyou, the third elder of the Yinluo Sect!
"Pass down the order." She suddenly gripped her scepter tightly. "Activate the final form of the 'Zhou Tian Xing Dou Grand Array'."

The elder looked up in horror: "But that requires burning the essence of the Star Spirit Body!"

"Do as I say!" Ling Yuling turned and looked towards the inner sea, muttering to herself, "He will definitely appear..."

……

Three days later, at sea outside Tianxing City.

The Yinluo Sect's "Netherworld Ship" crushed the waves like a moving castle, with an old man in black robes standing at the bow.

His face was withered like a corpse, only his eyes burned with eerie green flames, and the white bone banner in his hand moved without wind—it was none other than Yin Jiuyou, a great cultivator in the late Nascent Soul stage!
"A mere remnant of a defeated army dares to rebuild the Star Palace?" Yin Jiuyou's voice was like a rusty knife scraping bone. "Today, I will wipe this Star Palace off the map completely!"

Behind him, thirty-six warships simultaneously raised their blood-red banners.

The Seven Fiends Soul-Locking Array was formed instantly, turning the surrounding sea area red.

The warships of various forces, such as the "Painted Boat of Bliss" of the Heavenly Demon Sect and the "Righteousness Ship" of the Haoran Pavilion, all revealed their magical treasures, waiting only for a command.

However, in the direction of Tianxing City, twelve star pillars rose from within the azure light shield.

Ling Yuling led three hundred Star Palace cultivators, ready for battle, each of them standing on star trail patterns—a posture of fighting to the death.

"Kill!" Yin Jiuyou's white bone banner fell.

In an instant, ten thousand bolts of blood-red lightning descended from the sky!

The resentment gathered by the Seven Fiends Soul-Locking Array transformed into countless ghost heads, roaring as they rushed towards the Star Array.

The first collision triggered a tsunami, and many of the low-level cultivators watching were stunned.

"The stars shift and the constellations turn!" Ling Yuling pointed her scepter to the sky.

The Star Palace cultivators simultaneously changed their formation, and the twelve star pillars rotated like clock hands.

The blood lightning was deflected in all directions, instead sinking three warships of the Yinluo Sect.

But Yin Jiuyou was not angry; instead, he laughed because he saw that cracks had appeared on the azure light shield!

"Let's see how long you can hold out!" He grinned maliciously as he unleashed the Bone Banner, "Ten Thousand Souls Devour the Heart!"

The banners surged thousands of feet high, and countless vengeful spirits coalesced into a gigantic claw that blotted out the sky, slamming down on the light shield.

This attack contained the full power of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, causing the Star Palace cultivators to cough up blood and collapse to the ground.

Just as the light shield was about to shatter, a sudden change occurred—

"Boom!"

A bolt of silver-gray lightning cleaved through the blood-red clouds, followed by a bird's cry that shook the very air.

A massive shadow loomed over the battlefield as a Wind Rift Beast with a wingspan of nearly a thousand feet tore through the void!

On the beast's back, a green-robed cultivator stood with his hands behind his back, his God-Slaying Spear pointing diagonally at the sea.

"Su Ning of the Taiyi Sect has come to seek guidance."

The battlefield fell silent instantly.

Yin Jiuyou narrowed his ghostly eyes: "A mere early Nascent Soul cultivator dares to..."

The words stopped abruptly.

Because Suning removed the Thousand Illusion Mask.

The spiritual pressure of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator swept in like a storm!

Even more terrifying was the multicolored light flowing around him, which purified the blood-red color of the Seven Fiends Soul-Locking Array wherever it passed.

Feng Xi flapped its wings and cried out in unison, causing ripples to spread across the spatial patterns on its silver wings.

"Primordial Magnetic Divine Light?!" Yin Jiuyou's expression finally changed. "You actually cultivated the Primordial Magnetic Divine Light of the Star Palace?"

However, his answer was the sharpness of the God-Slaying Spear.

At this moment, Su Ning became one with his weapon, transforming into a streak of light as he charged straight at the Netherworld.

The starlight at the tip of the spear surged during flight, instantly transforming into a hundred-foot-long spear shadow.

"You're courting death!" Yin Jiuyou swept the White Bone Banner across.

"clang--!"

The sound of metal clashing resounded through the sky.

The shockwave created a depression ten miles in diameter on the sea surface, and three nearby warships disintegrated.

Su Ning was knocked back a hundred feet, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, but his fighting spirit only intensified; Yin Jiuyou retreated seven steps, a conspicuous crack appearing on his banner.

"A fine gun!" Yin Jiuyou licked his lips. "Perfect for refining my Myriad Soul Banner!"

He suddenly ripped open his robe, revealing a withered body covered in runes.

As the obscure incantation resounded, nine streams of black energy surged from the seven orifices, condensing in the air into nine hideous ghost heads...

These were the nine Nascent Soul Yin Corpses he had refined!

"Nine Netherworld Yellow Springs Formation!"

The ghost head spewed out dark green flames, instantly turning the surrounding area of ​​a hundred miles into a ghost realm.

The seawater boiled and evaporated, and dozens of cultivators who couldn't dodge in time were instantly turned into blood mist.

Ling Yuling's exclamation came from the direction of Tianxing City, but Su Ning instead revealed a cold smile.

"Playing with fire?" He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Let me show you the true power of heaven and earth!"

The God-Slaying Spear plunged into the sea, and the primordial magnetic divine light spread out like ripples.

Wherever the colorful rays of light passed, the eerie fire melted away like snow meeting boiling oil.

Even more astonishingly, the nine Yin Corpses suddenly screamed in agony as the power of the five elements within them began to go berserk and backfire!
"Impossible!" Yin Jiuyou finally panicked. "How can you control the Five Elements?!"

Since the battle had reached a fever pitch, Su Ning naturally didn't want to waste any more words with him.

Yin Jiuyou completely abandoned his contempt and unleashed his trump card...

The true form of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.

The banner unfolded like a cloud hanging from the sky, upon which the faces of 100,000 souls writhed.

This is an evil treasure he forged after slaughtering thirty-six sects; once it is used, the world changes color.

"Nine Netherworld Tribulation Lightning!"

With a sharp shout, crimson thunderclouds gathered high in the sky.

This is no ordinary lightning; it is Yin lightning imbued with the power of the netherworld, specifically designed to harm the soul of cultivators.

When the first strike came down, Su Ning used his Yuan Magnetic Divine Light to block it head-on, but he was blasted into the seabed, creating a giant wave thousands of meters high.

"Senior Su!" Ling Yuling tried to rush out of the formation, but the elder held her back tightly.

A huge whirlpool suddenly appeared on the sea surface.

As the second bolt of dark lightning struck, a five-colored pillar of light burst forth from the sea!

Suning ascended into the air atop the Star Escape Boat, with a phantom image of the Void Realm appearing behind him.

Within that small world, the Primordial Magnetic Divine Mountain stood majestically, exuding an aura that suppressed heaven and earth.

"This is... a celestial treasure?!" The Heavenly Demon Sect elder watching the battle exclaimed in shock. "And it's the kind that nurtures complete laws!"

The ghostly flames in Yin Jiuyou's eyes flickered wildly; he finally realized what kind of being he had provoked.

But with the arrow already on the bowstring, they could only grit their teeth and unleash all the Yin lightning.

"Well done!" Su Ning laughed, and the Tai Xu Realm was fully activated.

Nine bolts of blood-red lightning, each as thick as a water bucket, struck the spatial world, only to be completely absorbed by the Primordial Magnetic Divine Mountain!

The colorful glow on the mountain's surface surged, feeding back into the God-Slaying Spear through some mysterious connection.

The tip of the gun shone with dazzling starlight, and Su Ning became one with the gun, transforming into a stream of light that stretched across the heavens and earth.

"Starfall!"

This shot transcended the boundaries of time and space.

Yin Jiuyou only had time to hold the Myriad Soul Banner in front of him before his chest was pierced through!
Ten thousand souls wailed and vanished, the white bone banner shattering inch by inch.

“No…it’s impossible…” Yin Jiuyou looked down at the blood hole in his chest, his nascent soul also pinned to his dantian by the spear and unable to escape.

Not only was all of Yin Jiuyou's essence and spiritual power devoured by the God-Slaying Spear, but even his soul was unable to escape.

The fall of Yin Jiuyou triggered strange phenomena in the heavens and earth.

Blood rained down, and countless vengeful ghostly phantoms rose from the sea...

This is the liberation of the beings he harmed.

The Star-Slaying Alliance was thrown into chaos upon losing its leader, with warships from all factions scrambling to escape.

Su Ning landed on the wreckage of the Netherworld Ship, the God-Slaying Spear impaling Yin Jiuyou's nascent soul.

The tiny infant's face was contorted, yet it still roared, "The Yinluo Sect will not let you go..."

With a flash of starlight at the tip of the spear, the nascent soul vanished into nothingness, all its essence devoured by the God-Slaying Spear.

Su Ning turned and looked towards Tianxing City, where Ling Yuling and the people of Xinggong were already kneeling on the city wall.

"The Star Palace is willing to submit to the Taiyi Sect as its supreme authority!" Her voice resounded throughout the seas, "From this day forward, we will forever be its vassals!"

"Granted!" At this moment, Su Ning, representing Taiyi Sect, established the sect leader relationship with Xinggong.

At this moment, all the forces watching the battle were shocked.

In this battle, Su Ning, at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, reversed the fate of a Grand Master, and the prestige of the Taiyi Sect of the Great Jin Dynasty once again shook the Chaotic Star Sea; while the complete submission of the Star Palace directly preserved the foundation of the Inner Star Sea.

That night, in the secret palace of the stars.

Ling Yuling placed half of the Celestial Star Plate in front of Su Ning: "Senior, as agreed, this is yours."

She lightly tapped the dial with her fingertip, revealing the complete star map. "The other half is in the underworld; no one can come out of there."

Su Ning fiddled with the Celestial Star Compass and suddenly asked, "Did you know the Yin Luo Sect would come?"

“Not only do I know,” Ling Yuling’s starry eyes deepened, “I also know why Zhang Tie is so obsessed with the Star Palace Ruins—what’s suppressed there isn’t an ancient demon at all, but rather…”

Suddenly, hurried footsteps came from outside the hall.

An elder from the Star Palace rushed in in a panic: "Something's wrong! A spatial rift has appeared in the Outer Sea, and...something is about to come out!"

Su Ning and Ling Yuling exchanged a glance, and simultaneously thought of a possibility...

The being that has been suppressed by the Primordial Magnetic Divine Mountain for thousands of years is finally about to reappear in the world!

In fact, Suning has always been waiting for the opening of the ancient star palace ruins, and its desire for cultivation resources and techniques is endless.

...(End of chapter)