The five evil gods swore in the most vicious possible ways.
They had a deep-rooted concept that the Phantasms from the Spirit World were an inferior race.
The Spirit Pearl’s soul had been made from the discarnate soul of a ninth grade Phantasm grand patriarch and a strand of Nie Tian’s soul essence.
They naturally attached no significance to any outsider grand patriarchs. After all, they had been at the late tenth grade when they had been alive.
Plus, they had naturally assumed that all Phantasms should serve them and treat them as their masters.
However, the Spirit Pearl’s soul was now offering Nie Tian advice from his standpoint and pinpointed the most crucial issue. This infuriated them.
Nie Tian’s eyes lit up. “Control them with Grand Monarch Heavenly Spirit’s soul-enslaving magic… The Nether River was transformed from Grand Monarch Heavenly Spirit’s sea of awareness, and I observed its wonders through the Spirit Pearl in the Seven Stars Realm Sea. Those profoundly mysterious soul strands recorded marvelous soul magics. Let me see.”
He fell silent.
The Flame Dragon Armor saw what he was doing, and thus stopped infusing the eight flame dragon skeletons with its flame power.
As that happened, the flames that had engulfed the dilapidated altar gradually faded.
The Flame Dragon Armor floated quietly over Nie Tian’s head and waited for him to recall the wonders he had seen in the Nether River in the Seven Stars Realm Sea.
Time couldn’t be measured on this magical land where there were no suns, moons, or stars.
After an unknown period of time.
“Hmm?!”
Nie Tian’s eyes snapped open.
“What’s wrong?” The Spirit Pearl’s soul asked.
“I sensed the existence of the Nether River!” Nie Tian exclaimed softly.
The Spirit Pearl’s soul gasped. “What? Where is it?”
With a shocked expression, Nie Tian said, “It seems to be very far from here, but I’m almost certain that there’s another branch of the Nether River in this part of the starry river! I find this unbelievable too. The Nether River that runs through the three worlds runs through here as well!
“I wonder which world we’re in now. The Mortal World or the Spirit World?
“If this is the Spirit World, then is the Nether River I’m sensing the one in the Nether Realm?”
Nie Tian drifted away in thought.
While titans were buried on this magical land, there were other heaven and earths where frost dragons were buried.
That tree was more colossal than anyone could imagine, and pierced through numerous heaven and earths. Many of them that he and the Flame Dragon Armor had explored before turned out to be Ancientspirit burial grounds.
The Four Manifestations Flame Soul Cauldron had also said that this magical land was a burial ground of the Ancientspirits.
If that were the case, shouldn’t they be in the Spirit World?
The Nether Realm was in the Spirit World!
“Master, have you found anything regarding Grand Monarch Heavenly Spirit’s soul-enslaving method in your memories?” The Spirit Pearl’s soul asked.
“Not yet.”
“If that’s the case, why don’t we start searching this area of the starry river? See if we can find that branch of the Nether River by following your senses?” The Spirit Pearl’s soul suggested. “If we find it, then you’ll be able to observe its wonders and perhaps find a method to keep those five obedient.”
“Alright. Let’s go." Nie Tian nodded as he beckoned with his hand, and the Illusory Ancient Talismans were returned to the Spirit Pearl one after another.
Knowing the terrain well, he soon came to the area where the titan arms stuck out of the ground, and found the huge hole in the ground in the middle.
Summoning the Star Behemoth bone, he, who had become stronger than the last time he had been here, penetrated the ward covering the hole with ease.
After he dove through the hole into the starry river below, the same scene that should only exist in dreams unfurled before him once again.
A tree that was larger than anyone could imagine had pierced through numerous heaven and earths with its branches.
Holding the Spirit Pearl, he concentrated his soul awareness and muttered inwardly, “The Nether River…”
As he did, he suddenly sensed something from a very distant location in the dim starry river.
WHOOSH!
Without even activating his saint domain, he simply enveloped himself in his flesh aura and then flew off into the unknown mysterious starry river, following the subtle interaction between him and what might be another branch of the Nether River.
…
A long time went by.
On the dilapidated altar with eight flame dragon skeletons facing it from different directions, spatial fluctuations appeared out of thin air.
FIZZ! FIZZ!
A glowing crimson spot the size of a grain of rice manifested and rapidly expanded.
WHOOSH!
Pang Chicheng entered this mysterious land for the first time with the Four Manifestations Flame Soul Cauldron floating over him. As soon as his head stopped spinning, the enormous arms reaching towards the heavens caught his eyes.
Overtaken with excitement, Pang Chicheng exclaimed, “Titans! This is it! This is the magical place Nie Tian talked about and my father visited!
“Because I couldn’t make breakthroughs in my bloodline when I had the Flame Dragon Armor, I hadn’t been able to activate the key to this place.
“Now, my bloodline finally broke through, and I took the opportunity to enter the God domain and win your acknowledgment.
“With your help and the contingency arrangements my father left, I finally set foot in this heaven and earth.”
Pang Chicheng practically skipped with joy.
“These dragon skeletons seem to have been fused with flame power and activated recently, very recently,” the Four Manifestations Flame Soul Cauldron suddenly said.
Pang Chicheng’s expression flickered violently. “What? Are you saying that Nie Tian was here… again?”
“That’s right, and he’s currently in this heaven and earth,” The Four Manifestations Flame Soul Cauldron answered.
“How is that possible?!” Pang Chicheng cried out. “They were struggling to contend against a sub-soul of Grand Monarch Thousand Spirits when I left. I saw that he and Dong Li were at their wits’ end! Even his Spirit Pearl escaped his control and flew towards Grand Monarch Thousand Spirits!”
“He’s here,” The Four Manifestations Flame Soul Cauldron repeated itself mechanically.
Pang Chicheng took a deep breath and a sinister smile appeared on his face. “So what? I’m at the God domain now, and I doubt any of his companions were able to come here with him. It’s just me against him. Will I be scared of him?
“Nie Tian! This is Pang Chicheng. Where are you? Do you dare to come face me?
“I’m right here at the altar!”
With a loud boom, he unleashed his flame domain and activated his bloodline. Defying the gravity, which was many times stronger than that in regular realms, he charged into the heavens!
Then, he spread his vast soul awareness through this heaven and earth in every direction to search for Nie Tian’s aura.
“No, he just left this heaven and earth,” the Four Manifestations Flame Soul Cauldron said. “Come with me.”
WHOOSH!
The Four Manifestations Flame Soul Cauldron morphed into a streak of fiery light that shot away from the central area of the magical land.
After going blank for a moment, Pang Chicheng decided to trust the Four Manifestations Flame Soul Cauldron, and flew after it.
Along the way, he saw enormous titan arms that reached towards the heavens, some with splayed hands, some making fists, and some forming mysterious hand seals. “Nie Tian must have derived many powerful magics from these buried Ancientspirits. If he could, I can too. I wonder what these hand seals mean.”
After a while, he came to a stop in the place where Nie Tian had dove into the dim starry river.
The Four Manifestations Flame Soul Cauldron sheltered a flame dragon soul, which shrewdly captured Agaz’s aura. “I can also sense the Flame Dragon Armor’s residual aura from under there. They must have left through this place, but I’m not sure where they went. So do you want to explore this heaven and earth or go after Nie Tian?”
“I need to find Nie Tian first!” Pang Chicheng said without the slightest hesitation.
“Alright, I’ll blast the ward open.”
