Chapter 732

"Success!"

I heard A Cheng's excited call.

I surged out of the water, my soul body standing on the water's surface.

A Cheng stood in the Formation Array not far ahead, hundreds of white candle flames flickering, forming the array, encircling A Cheng.

I saw A Cheng's eyes shining with brilliant light.

That feeling of holding my breath, betting on an unknown, and finally winning—such pride cannot be hidden.

At this moment, I really wanted to float over and reach out to embrace A Cheng.

Thank him for his efforts on my behalf, and thank him for leading me to "rebirth".

But I realized I couldn't move.

Meanwhile, A Cheng opposite me had already restrained his excited expression, his hands flying as he chanted an unfamiliar incantation.

With his movements, Yīnfēng surged throughout the secret chamber, blowing the candles into wild sway.

The Wangchuan River beneath my feet began to churn, and soon formed a pitch-black vortex.

With A Cheng's movements, the vortex grew larger and darker, like a gaping maw of a man-eating beast, ready to swallow me whole, leaving not even a scrap.

At first I couldn't react, feeling uneasy, I looked at A Cheng in confusion.

But soon I realized, A Cheng had already pushed our actions directly into the next stage.

I thought… at least after I succeeded in refining the soul parasite, we would still need to sit down and properly discuss how to proceed.

But I never expected it wouldn't be needed at all.

I don't know how A Cheng managed it, but when a strong suction emerged from the vortex and directly engulfed my soul body, I realized, the battle… had begun!

The next moment, my vision went black, and when light came through again, I found myself above the Nine Nether Abyss.

Too sudden.

Suddenly, as I looked down and saw the familiar specks of light in the abyss, I felt a bit dizzy.

But the next moment, my whole body shuddered.

Because I saw, hovering above me, one large and one small phoenix.

Around them, a vast variety of birds lay in wait, ready to strike.

It turned out that during my refinement of the soul parasite, Xiao Jiu wasn't merely waiting for the result.

She and Shan Shan had already led the Feng Clan members, forming ranks above the Nine Nether Abyss.

So, in fact, regardless of whether I could successfully refine the soul parasite, this battle would come as promised.

This is Xiao Jiu and Shan Shan's battle to defend the Feng Clan's territory; even if they had to sacrifice the entire clan, they would fight for the Feng Clan!

Fortunately, I succeeded in refining the soul parasite.

Fortunately, I arrived in time!

I turned my head and looked again at the surface of the Wangchuan River; sure enough, at the place where the Wangchuan River meets the Nine Nether Waters, a ferry boat drifted to and fro above the water.

Yu Nian stood at the bow, gazing at our situation.

Further behind the ferry boat, three tall men stood guard: the City God, the Seven Halls Yama, and Liu Qiye.

Behind them, a dark mass of Yin soldiers stretched out.

Liu Qiye indeed acted quickly; in this short time, he had already completed the task Xiao Jiu gave him.

These Yin soldiers were not here to join the battle, nor to stop us; their mission was to prevent anyone from the Nether Realm from sneaking up on our rear.

I know that, out of my sight, Xiao Jiu has arranged other personnel.

In this battle, I only need to exert my full strength; the rest can be left to them.

I withdrew my gaze, no longer hesitating, and would not panic at all.

I turned back to salute Xiao Jiu, then without hesitation fell into the Nine Nether Abyss.

The Nine Nether Abyss, this land both familiar and strange to me.

I have witnessed the suffering of living beings here, and once almost died beneath the abyss.

Beneath this abyss lie not only my most hated enemy, but also… the one I love most.

Zhao Zixun, this time it's my turn to save you.

As my transparent soul body just fell, in the specks of light below the abyss, a rustling sound rose without cease, rapidly approaching.

I held my breath and focused, staring intently downward.

In the next instant, a rich medicinal fragrance surged up from below, blowing toward me, and it turned out to be one human-shaped figure after another!

No, to be precise, they were individual soul bodies.

I frowned, wondering if this was the Hundred Spirit Medicine?

It didn't seem to be.

In the moment of contemplation, I had already encountered the first soul.

It was a male, his soul tall and solid, a bluish-black hue; within his soul body countless currents seemed to churn, strands of medicinal fragrance seeping out, invisible yet like countless tiny floating insects striking my soul body.

Just as that force was about to touch me, a vine-like tendril shot out from within my soul body, continually lengthening, coiling in loops before me.

With a bang, the vine tendril exploded.

Green juice splattered everywhere, and wherever it went, the medicinal fragrance followed like a shadow.

I only saw a green mist rising below, which quickly faded as I sank, until it vanished.

I looked down again, but saw nothing at all.

Is that it?

What about that large patch of Hundred Spirit Parasites that just rose up?

Did they just retreat like that?

As I continued to fall a bit further, an astonishing scene unfolded.

I saw below a crowd of colorful medicinal worm souls packed together; the souls were being controlled, desperately trying to attack upward, but the medicinal worms inside them seemed startled, shrinking uncontrollably—this shrinkage was actually the worms self‑destructing.

So… are the medicinal worms afraid of me?

How could they not be afraid?

This is why Ah Cheng wanted to fuse me with the dozens of birds killed by the Hundred Spirit medicinal worms and refine me.

Once I was successfully refined into a soul worm, the Hundred Spirit medicinal worms ought to fear me!

Moreover, when the medicinal spirits awaken and sense my identity, how could they oppose me?

Now the question is, where do these souls that wrap the medicinal worms come from?

They have been refined into carriers for the Hundred Spirit medicinal worms, and are themselves part of those worms.

Who controls them?

The Nether Realm?

Xiao Jiu said that this battle is not only my struggle against Zhan Jiaoye, but also a territorial conflict between the Phoenix clan and the Nether Realm.

These souls are evidence that the Nether Realm has long been involved, aiding Zhan Jiaoye.

At the same time, as the Nether Realm's grip extends further, its control over Zhan Jiaoye deepens, leaving her besieged on all sides, and her situation is utterly dire.

Serves her right!

Within my soul, hundreds of medicinal spirit tendrils extended, ready to stand firm against the Hundred Spirit medicinal worms below, when suddenly a bloody mist rose from deeper below.

As the blood mist rose, those souls each exploded on their own, and in the next instant the Hundred Spirit medicinal worms were completely engulfed by the mist.

The spreading blood mist quickly converged toward the center, and before long it condensed into the shape of a blood lingzhi.

And beneath the blood lingzhi were seven vivid green leaves…