The Demon Race and humanity had always been enemies. The demons possessed many Secret Techniques and powerful abilities, often catching humans completely off guard.

Mu Qing and Mu Xia had encountered the Demon Race before and knew full well how terrifying and bizarre they could be. Baihua Xiu had been caught in one of their illusions. Even if she could be saved, it should have taken considerable effort. Yet, they never expected the young man to dispel the Demon Technique and even clear the entire Ancient Demon Nether Dao in less than two breaths.

Even the most brilliant demon-slaying expert in the Divine Holy Empire would struggle to perform such a feat!

’Terrifying!’

’Is he really a Loose Cultivator?’

"Stay focused and be extremely careful, everyone!"

Having cleared the ancient path, Nie Yun gave the order. With a flap of his Wings of Soaring Water, he shot forward, taking the lead.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Countless arrows formed from Demon Qi shot straight toward them, each one powerful enough to pierce a Qi Sect Powerhouse.

"Roiling sea, watery shield!"

With a great cry, Nie Yun threw his hands upward. Under the control of his Soaring Water Qi, an endless volume of seawater rose like a great wave to meet the attack. BOOM! BOOM! Amid the thunderous crashes, the Demon Qi arrows clattered uselessly to the ground.

Using his abilities as a Soaring Water Master, Nie Yun broke through seven or eight traps in succession, making his way deeper into the passage.

Through his continuous use of Soaring Water Qi, Nie Yun’s mastery of his Soaring Water Master abilities grew more and more refined. He was grasping its many subtleties, one after another. When combined with the experience from his two lives and the application techniques from his other Dantians, his proficiency with Soaring Water Qi had already surpassed that of his Tracking Qi. Not even Ouyang Cheng could match his current level of mastery.

Mu Qing couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise, having witnessed the combat prowess the young man had displayed all along the way. "With your current strength, you could probably even rank in the top ten on the Ultimate Venerable Celestial List!"

"Ultimate Venerable Celestial List?" Nie Yun asked with a smile, hearing the term for the first time. "What’s that all about?"

"There are three major ranking lists on the Qi Sea Continent that categorize Ultimate Venerable Powerhouses: the Ultimate Venerable Earth List, the Ultimate Venerable Celestial List, and the Secret Realm Potential List. To get on the Earth List, you need at least 3,000 Elephant Giant Power and profound True Qi. People like me, Mu Xia, and Baihua Xiu don’t even qualify! To get on the Celestial List, you need at least 5,000 Elephant Giant Power. As for the Secret Realm Potential List... everyone on it has at least 8,000 Elephant Giant Power. It’s even more terrifying!" Mu Qing explained.

"’So many powerhouses?’" The division of Ultimate Venerable Powerhouses sent a chill through Nie Yun’s heart.

’Right now, my True Qi strength is 2,000 Elephant Power at the absolute most. Without using my physical strength and my Great Strength Dantian, I wouldn’t even make it onto the Earth List!’

’I thought that with my current rate of progress, I’d at least be among the top few in the Divine Holy Empire. But now it seems the Divine Holy Empire’s power is on a completely different level from the Divine Wind Empire’s!’

Mu Qing looked puzzled. "Each list is updated once a year, with ten ranked positions. Anyone who makes it into the top ten is famous throughout the Empire. With your current strength, you could probably rank in the top five of the Celestial List. How is it that I’ve never heard your name before?"

’Once you reach the Ultimate Venerable Level, gaining even a single Elephant Power is incredibly difficult. Logically, someone like Nie Yun, with strength worthy of the top five on the Celestial List, should have been famous long ago. Why haven’t I ever heard anything about him?’

"Heh." Hearing her question, Nie Yun just gave a faint smile, offering no explanation.

’It wasn’t that he didn’t want to explain, but that there was no way to. If he told Mu Qing that he’d only reached the Ultimate Venerable Level about two months ago, at most, would she even believe him?’

’And if he told her it had only taken him three or four months to cultivate from the First Layer of Qi Sea Ninth Layer Heaven to his current state since his rebirth, it would probably scare her to death.’

’Reaching Ultimate Venerable Peak and ranking in the top five of the Celestial List in just three or four months... that rate of advancement was beyond their conception of what even a "super genius" could do.’

"Look, the Demon Saint Ancient Corpse!"

While they were talking, Nie Yun had dismantled another seven or eight traps and devices, bringing them to the end of the passage. There, a muscular corpse sat upright on a stone platform, so lifelike it seemed no different from a living person.

Although the corpse appeared completely unscathed, as if it had only just died, Nie Yun knew that it had actually been submerged in the seawater for countless millennia.

’It really is the corpse of a Secret Realm Powerhouse...’

A sharp glint shone in Nie Yun’s eyes.

Once a person reaches the Heaven-Seizing Creation Secret Realm, their entire body seizes the very essence of creation, tempering their flesh until their muscles are as hard as iron. After death, their acupoints and orifices lock shut; the body will not rot and is rendered immortal, Immune to Hundred Poisons, even after being soaked in seawater for tens of thousands or even hundreds of millions of years!

’The body of a Secret Realm expert can be refined into a Puppet. And if I use the Demon Core correctly, I might even be able to get a Secret Realm Demon Pet out of it. This is a huge windfall!’

’With the right techniques, this Ancient Corpse from the Secret Realm could be refined into a Puppet. While such a Puppet wouldn’t be as fearsome as a true Secret Realm Powerhouse, an Ordinary Ultimate Venerable Peak expert would be no match for it. It could even sweep aside those so-called top experts on the Celestial List Mu Qing mentioned!’

’As for the Demon Core, any Ultimate Venerable Peak Powerhouse who consumed it could comprehend the Mental Realm of Heaven-Seizing Creation, giving them a high chance of successfully breaking through to the Secret Realm!’

’Of course, anyone who advanced by consuming a Secret Realm Demon Core would find it difficult to advance further on their own, and they would be weaker than a Secret Realm Powerhouse who broke through on their own merits. Still, they would be a Secret Realm Powerhouse nonetheless. Who could possibly resist such a temptation?’

’With the experience from my past life, breaking through to the Secret Realm is practically a certainty for me, so I naturally wouldn’t use this Demon Core myself. But if I gave it to the Wind Wolf King, it would mean I’d have a Secret Realm Demon Beast at my command. With that, I’d have nothing to fear even in the Divine Holy Empire!’

"Come to me!"

With an excited cry in his heart, he thrust his hand forward. The immense power between his fingers formed five thick streams of water that shot out to envelop the corpse.

"That’s mine!"

Just as Nie Yun’s fingers were about to touch the Ancient Corpse, a sharp cry suddenly came from behind him. A long, slender arm shot out, grabbed the corpse, and pulled it back.

"Ouyang Cheng?" Baihua Xiu recognized the arm and cried out in alarm.

The newcomer was none other than Ouyang Cheng. He had used some unknown means to follow the group and enter the passage. Now, seeing Nie Yun about to claim the corpse, he could no longer restrain himself and made his move.

"Heh, so you finally decided to show yourself? If you want to snatch the Ancient Corpse, then you can enjoy the little gift the Demon Saint left behind!"

It was as if Nie Yun had known all along that he would appear. With a faint smile, his Wings of Soaring Water instantly enveloped the three women. In a flash, he dodged to the side, simultaneously flicking a ray of golden light from his fingertip that struck the Ancient Corpse!

BOOM!

The golden light struck the corpse right between the eyes. With a thunderous sound, the Ancient Corpse rose to its feet. Its powerful aura was so immense that even the seawater seemed to submit to it. A world-destroying, tyrannical wave of Qi howled and crashed toward Ouyang Cheng!

"Damn it!"

Only then did Ouyang Cheng realize he had fallen for the young man’s trick. With a sharp cry, he fell back repeatedly, flapping his Wings of Soaring Water to escape. But before he could move, he felt his power stagnate, his body locked in place by another force.

The next thing he knew, the Ancient Corpse’s fist was smashing down on him.

CRACK!

Ouyang Cheng sprayed a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)