"Boom!"
A ferocious giant snake collapsed.
It was Zhou Ye who made the move, and he slowly retracted his Spiritual Energy. The massive rhinoceros phantom, covered in thick scales like a small mountain, gradually dissipated as his Spiritual Energy was withdrawn.
"Your Uncle Zhou has already advanced to the early Divine Soul Realm, and the Spiritual Beast essence he refined is the Mountain Spirit Rhinoceros, ranked 180th on the Ten Thousand Beast Record's Earth Ranking," Mu Feng said with a chuckle.
Mu Chen's face showed a hint of envy…
When will I be able to possess such power? I wonder what kind of Spiritual Beast I'll be able to refine when I reach the Divine Soul Realm… If I could refine the essence of the Worm of Spirit, I might even be able to secure a place among the powerhouses of the Great Thousand World in the future…
Some youthful fantasies appeared in his mind, but he quickly reined them in, returning to reality.
As the team delved deeper into the Black Underworld Abyss, the surrounding environment became increasingly desolate, giving everyone a chilling sensation.
They encountered the Liu Territory's team, and after a brief skirmish, they had to temporarily halt due to the appearance of a swarm of Spirit-Devouring Bees.
After a series of stumbles and struggles, they finally approached their destination.
This was a vast basin, its ground scorched black as if it had been burned by flames.
The basin was filled with bleached white bones, mostly from Spiritual Beasts, with a small portion belonging to humans. The Spiritual Beasts seemed to have been drawn by something, yet they all perished on their way to that very thing.
This eerie scene filled everyone with dread, and a hint of fear couldn't help but rise in their hearts.
Following the direction of the bones, in the center of the basin, there was a massive black flame mountain with a sunken peak, exactly the location described in the copper plate.
Mu Chen and Mu Feng exchanged glances, a look of joy on their faces:
"We found the right place, it's here!"
A faint sound came from behind. The joy on Mu Feng's face receded, replaced by a cold expression:
"As expected, they still found us… the people from the Liu Territory…"
The Liu Territory also paid exceptional attention to this operation. The lineup they brought was similar to that of the Mu Territory, led by Liu Qingtian, the Liu Territory Lord.
"I didn't expect you to get here first, but it seems we're not too late either." Liu Qingtian looked at Mu Feng, with whom he had just fought, and revealed a sinister smile.
"Hmph." Mu Feng snorted coldly and immediately took action.
Spiritual Energy erupted from his body, transforming into a giant Flaming Dragon Vulture behind him. This was the Demonic Beast essence refined by Mu Feng, ranked eighty-fifth on the Earth Ranking.
Liu Qingtian reacted almost simultaneously, and a giant ape phantom covered in silver scales appeared.
"The Thunder-Scaled Beast, 133rd on the Ten Thousand Beast Record's Earth Ranking?" Mu Chen recognized the Spiritual Beast essence refined by Liu Qingtian at a glance.
After the two leaders began to fight, the forces of the Mu Territory and the Liu Territory also engaged in battle.
Zhou Ye exploited the power of the Mountain Spirit Rhinoceros, entangling with Liu Zong, the Second Master of the Liu Territory, who had transformed into a giant emerald scorpion with Spiritual Energy.
Mu Chen's eyes flashed. He didn't join the melee but instead charged directly towards the volcano's crater.
"Mubai, stop him!" Liu Qingtian shouted.
Liu Mubai swiftly chased after Mu Chen.
Mu Chen heard the sound of rushing wind from behind and glanced at his old rival from the North Spirit Academy out of the corner of his eye. He channeled more Spiritual Energy into his legs, speeding up even further.
Liu Mubai also accelerated, pursuing closely.
The two of them rapidly swept across the basin, one after the other, ascending the steep mountain. They exchanged a few blows along the way, and upon reaching the summit, they hesitated slightly before tapping their toes and sliding into the volcano's crater.
The crater was very deep, the light dim, and black volcanic rock was everywhere. They did not continue to fight but instead cautiously surveyed their surroundings, searching for traces of the Nine Nether Bird.
After scanning the area and failing to find any sign of the Nine Nether Bird, Mu Chen fixed his gaze on a large, somewhat conspicuous rock.
He lightly touched the black giant rock, feeling a hint of warmth. Then, he retracted his arm, Spiritual Energy surging, and smashed a fierce punch onto the giant rock.
The giant rock trembled, a crack appeared on its surface, and with a series of cracking sounds, pieces of shattered rock fell from the giant rock.
Black ghostly light emanated from within the rock. When all the rock fragments had fallen away, the interior of the giant rock was revealed.
A ball of light quietly floated in the air. Within the light ball, there was a black giant egg, approximately ten feet in size.
The black egg was entirely dark and smooth, its shell covered with obscure and mysterious patterns. Upon closer inspection, it seemed as if a black bird had spread its wings, protecting the black egg.
Mu Chen's eyes flickered. He didn't believe that such a powerful Spiritual Beast would be utterly defenseless after turning into an egg, so he decided to play it safe and didn't blindly try to collect it.
Liu Mubai, however, couldn't suppress the greed in his heart and darted towards the black egg. As a result, he was struck in the chest by a black beam of light, spitting blood as he flew backward.
The black egg slowly floated upwards, rising above the volcano's crater. Black light permeated the air, illuminating the entire basin, appearing eerie and ominous.
Mu Chen and Liu Mubai also followed out of the crater.
Subsequently, Mu Feng and Liu Qingtian began to contend for the black egg. However, as both charged towards the black egg, Mu Feng, at Mu Chen's urgent warning, paused for a moment, allowing Liu Qingtian to make contact with the black egg first.
The black egg unleashed a terrifying suction force, as if to devour Liu Qingtian. The latter had no choice but to sever his own arm, abandoning the arm that was attached to the black egg, thus narrowly escaping.
The now active black egg attracted numerous Spiritual Beasts, absorbing their Spiritual Energy, and transformed into a massive Nine Nether Bird, attempting to evolve once again.
The sky immediately became overcast with dark clouds, and terrifying lightning gathered.
The cry of a sparrow echoed through the heavens and earth, and black flames scattered, within the black flames, a pair of enormous wings, seemingly capable of eclipsing mountains, unfurled.
The black flames seemed to want to incinerate everything between heaven and earth. Spiritual Energy began to boil, and the air became scorching hot, forcing everyone to use Spiritual Energy to resist.
Thunder roared in the sky, and within the clouds, black lightning danced like thunder dragons.
"This is… Black Divine Thunder Cloud… The Nine Nether Bird wants to evolve again?" Mu Feng's pupils contracted, his eyes filled with shock.
The Nine Nether Bird looked at the thunderclouds in the sky, its eyes filled with fighting intent.
It let out a long cry and actively charged towards the thunderclouds.
Heaven and earth seemed to be enraged by this action. Black thunder dragons descended from the clouds, colliding with the upward-surging black flames.
The black lightning shattered the pillars of fire, striking the Nine Nether Bird and causing it to emit a painful cry.
Within the thunderclouds, where all things should have been silenced, a short girl with fiery red hair, somewhere between a maiden and a loli, looked at the tenacious and stubborn Nine Nether Bird and clicked her tongue, saying:
"She's so weak but so addicted. Doesn't she know her own limits? Instead of thinking about how to protect herself, she's actually provoking the thunder tribulation…
"The thunder tribulation truly contains a trace of the will of Heaven and Earth… she's practically making things harder for herself."
The red-haired girl's face was beautiful with a hint of heroism. She wore fiery red clothes and was barefoot, stepping on a black bolt of lightning.
The terrifying lightning that had split the Nine Nether Bird's skin and flesh, causing it endless sorrow, was like a docile kitten beneath her feet.
She adjusted the monocle on her right eye and looked towards Mu Chen in the crowd.
She revealed an intrigued smile: "Heh… want a Spiritual Beast essence? How about the Worm of Spirit's? Guaranteed to be powerful, absolutely formidable!"
The thunder tribulation continued. The Nine Nether Bird flapped its wings, constantly fighting against the lightning, but its aura grew weaker and weaker.
Clearly, its accumulation was still insufficient, and this attempt would end in failure once again.
But at this moment, the people of the Mu Territory and the Liu Territory had no intention of staying to pick up scraps. Both sides hurriedly fled into the distance.
The energy between heaven and earth became increasingly turbulent. Their small bodies probably couldn't withstand even a random aftershock.
The Nine Nether Bird endured one lightning test after another, but its aura also dropped to its lowest point.
In the sky, the Black Divine Thunder Cloud began to contract, and the dim sky brightened slightly.
However, this wasn't the thunder tribulation about to recede, but rather it was gathering power. The next lightning strike would undoubtedly be an earth-shattering blow, far surpassing the previous ones.
The Nine Nether Bird lay on the ground, struggling to get up, looking up at the sky with intense anger and unwillingness in its eyes.
Black flames rose, burning fiercely, and the temperature between heaven and earth rose again.
"Run… that Nine Nether Bird has gone mad, she wants to self-destruct!" Mu Feng's expression was terrified.
The Mu Territory's people ran so fast that they left afterimages, wishing they had two more legs.
Boom!
The final lightning bolt crashed down, and the black flames condensed by the Nine Nether Bird also exploded instantly.
A terrifying mushroom cloud rose slowly, and a violent storm swept in all directions.
The impact of the storm kicked up dust, uprooting countless plants. Although the forces of the Mu Territory and the Liu Territory had run far, they were still affected, violently thrown to the ground, looking extremely disheveled.
A few unlucky individuals who lagged behind in the team even suffered internal injuries, with blood spilling from the corners of their mouths.
Black flames, like meteors, ascended into the sky with the shockwave, then fell like a meteor shower.
The red-haired girl was enveloped in starlight. She transformed into a streak of light and plunged into one of the flames.
"Quick, don't let these flames touch you." Mu Feng shouted.
However, at this moment, a ball of black flame descended towards them.
Mu Feng's face changed. Looking at the black flame rapidly expanding in his pupils, he gritted his teeth: "Zhou Ye!"
Zhou Ye understood. With a roar, both took a step forward, and powerful Spiritual Energy swept out, forming a thick Spiritual Energy Barrier.
The black flame, like a meteor with a Longtail, heavily struck the Spiritual Energy Barrier.
The Spiritual Energy Barrier shattered after resisting for a while, and black flames poured out like a flood.
Even though most of the force was borne by Mu Feng and Zhou Ye, the aftershock still sent Mu Chen, who was not far away, flying. He crashed into a rock, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"This is too terrifying…" Mu Chen hadn't even managed to stand up when he saw a small ball of flame rushing towards him, striking his body.
It's over…
Mu Chen only had time for that thought before he felt an intense pain, then fell into darkness.
In a fleeting glimpse before losing consciousness, he vaguely saw a glimmer of starlight.