Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

The Hou let out a low roar, the first time the three of them had heard it make a sound of pain since the start of the battle.

It couldn't help but look down at the transparent hole in its chest. Golden power of rules lingered at the edge of the hole, preventing the wound from healing and suppressing its regenerative abilities.

At this moment, as if stimulated by the power of the rules, a silver-white pattern suddenly appeared between Hou's eyebrows—the pattern was in the shape of a flame, with pure light flowing around its edges that did not belong to any spiritual power.

That was the mark of truth, and also a mark of destiny.

The moment the silver patterns lit up, all the power within the Demon Domain was pulled towards Hou's body by an invisible suction force. The remaining power of Tianhao Blood Sun, the residual demonic energy of Bai Jing, and Lin Zhao's sword energy were all devoured.

Even the power of the golden rule attached to the wound was being peeled away from the flesh bit by bit.

The hole in the Hou's chest began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The three of them weren't nervous at all; instead, they all smiled simultaneously, their mission accomplished.

Sure enough, before the Hou could fully recover from its injuries, the space around it collapsed instantly, revealing the bottomless void behind it.

Three immense spiritual pressures, so overwhelming that they nearly suffocated the three, emerged from the void. Three beams of light of different colors enveloped the Hou, forcibly dragging it into the void.

It is naturally an invincible monster in front of the Core Formation stage, but its true combat strength is only at the peak of the early Nascent Soul stage, far from reaching the mid-Nascent Soul stage.

It had no chance of resisting in the face of three beings at the late Nascent Soul stage or above.

The reason for going to such lengths is its special ability—it is necessary to lock the true form mark before it can be completely sealed.

Unable to control its instincts, Hou was provoked by the power of the rules and passively exposed its true nature, causing its Nascent Soul to be eliminated prematurely.

The battle in the void gradually faded away. Battles between Nascent Soul level cultivators are not so easy to determine a winner. Capturing the Hou was only the first step; the real main course was the struggle between the Nascent Soul level cultivators.

The power struggle between the major hegemonic forces has begun in the void.

-----

On the sea, the three of them quickly recovered.

Without time to rest, the three continued to raid the Qingyu Clan. This was only the nineteenth location; there were still more than a dozen to go.

The battle against the Hou is no longer their concern. They have no right to interfere in the battle of Nascent Soul cultivators. The real benefits are the resources they can obtain next.

Unfortunately, their conflict with the Hou caused too much of a stir.

The Qingyu Clan had begun to scatter and flee. In several clan territories, the treasure vaults had been mostly emptied, and the remaining cultivators were easily defeated. The three of them had gained far less than before.

In the last few clan territories, the three discovered traces of other cultivators' actions, and the treasure vaults had been completely looted.

The most important of these main clan territories was a colossal city built atop an underwater mountain range, its walls hundreds of feet high and entirely forged from deep-sea black iron.

Above it is a fourth-order defensive array, which can withstand attacks from Nascent Soul cultivators even if it is presided over by Core Formation cultivators.

Unfortunately, the formation was shattered by a single palm strike, and the formation, along with part of the mountain, was crushed into dust.

The one who made the move was definitely a Nascent Soul cultivator, and not an ordinary one. Judging from the marks, the opponent must be at least a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator to have such power.

It can only be said that with the Hou being dragged into the void, the missions of the three holy sons ended, and their importance plummeted.

Although the Nascent Soul True Monarchs wouldn't attack them, they could still take advantage of the Azure Feather Clan.

The three of them had no way of knowing who was behind it—it could be Dragon Abyss Immortal City, it could be the Silent Night Demon Lord, the Myriad Laws Alliance was also a suspect, and it could even be the Misty Sky Alliance that stole it from the Azure Feather Clan.

None of the Nascent Soul cultivators from the Azure Feather Clan have appeared so far during this mission. Whether they escaped or were caught in the battle in the void, no one knows.

Lin Zhao looked up at the sky, where the clouds were churning and occasionally a flash of light would appear deep within the clouds. These were strange phenomena formed after the aftershocks of the battle in the void seeped into the mortal world.

Ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators wouldn't casually enter the void; only the strongest among them would venture into the void to fight.

All thirty-seven clan territories were cleared, a process that took three months and seven days.

The three of them tallied their respective gains. Although the last few clan territories were snatched away, the accumulation from the first nineteen clan territories was already quite substantial.

But they could no longer stay in the Endless Sea of ​​Demons.

The commotion caused by the three of them on the territory of the Qingyu Clan was too great. Two Nascent Soul Dharma Bodies perished, a young Hou appeared, and all thirty-seven clan territories of the Qingyu Clan were destroyed.

The news has spread throughout the Endless Demon Sea, and they are now the three most conspicuous figures in the Endless Demon Sea.

The three decided to return to Dragon Abyss Immortal City to await the final battle results from their sect elders.

Then we will leave the Endless Demon Sea through the teleportation array of Dragon Abyss Immortal City.

A few days later, Lin Zhao and his two companions arrived at Longyuan Immortal City.

The Dragon Abyss Immortal City covers an area of ​​three hundred miles, and its city walls seem to be made of a single piece of green jade, with array patterns within the jade flowing slowly like ripples on water.

Tianhao walked at the front and began to introduce the details as if they were his own treasures.

"The Dragon Abyss Immortal City has a history of nearly ten thousand years and has seven Nascent Soul True Monarchs. It is second only to the three giant islands in the Myriad Laws Alliance. The Lord of the Immortal City, Dragon Abyss True Monarch, is a great cultivator in the late Nascent Soul stage."

"Legend has it that a being who attempted to break through to the Nascent Soul stage was once born in Dragon Abyss Immortal City. Although he ultimately failed, his immense spiritual power transformed into the Dragon Abyss Secret Realm at the bottom of the sea after his death. It is rich in various spiritual objects, spiritual minerals, and dragon-related treasures."

"There are also legends that it was not a human cultivator at all, but the product of a dragon that failed to transcend its tribulation."

Tianhao paused here and added, "Actually, both of these guesses are true. That first generation Dragon Abyss True Monarch has the bloodline of a dragon in his body and can transform into a dragon battle body that is nearly ten thousand feet tall."

With his dragon battle body and near-divine cultivation, his combat power was probably not much weaker than a peak fourth-tier Hou, definitely at the divine transformation level. Unfortunately, he ultimately failed to overcome the divine transformation tribulation, and no subsequent Dragon Abyss True Monarch could reach his level.

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhao roughly understood why Longyuan Immortal City was so actively involved in this hunt for the Hou.

The four Nascent Soul cultivators activated their Dharma Bodies, and even True Monarch Longyuan himself dispatched a Dharma Body comparable to the late Nascent Soul stage. Although Nascent Soul cultivators possess Dharma Bodies, most are at the early Nascent Soul stage, and cultivating a Dharma Body to a higher level requires astronomical resources.

It wasn't that Longyuan Immortal City was overly enthusiastic; they had no choice but to risk their lives. Hou was a ferocious beast that loved to eat dragons.

If that young Hou were to advance to the fourth rank, the first place it would most likely be targeted would be Longyuan Immortal City.

No wonder they were anxious and went all out to participate; they just didn't know what would become of the Hou.