HUFF!

The moment the Demon God Ancient Corpse entered his Dantian, Nie Yun’s face turned pale. It seemed that casting the Ten-Complete Nine Palace Diagram just now had taken a massive toll on him.

’My strength is still too weak. In my past life, I could casually set up an Array Map ten billion times larger than this without any issue. Now, just setting up one this small nearly exhausted all my power...’

Shaking his head helplessly, Nie Yun, who was suspended cross-legged in the air, took out a Spirit Stone and placed it in his palm to recover his strength.

During his recent Cultivation, he had been using the Spirit Stones obtained from the treasure vaults of Two Realms Mountain, the Mi Tian Sect, and Divine Wind City. He hadn’t yet used the Spirit Stones from the black pearl, but now, with no other choice, he had to.

This Demon Saint Ancient Corpse was incredibly powerful. Refining it into a Puppet and extracting the Demon Core from its body would take at least three to five days. This was the bottom of the sea; the longer he stayed, the more danger he would be in. It was better to collect it first and figure out the rest after he returned!

It was precisely because of this that Nie Yun had spared no effort, expending his True Qi to cast the powerful Ten-Complete Nine Palace Diagram and capture the Ancient Corpse in one fell swoop. Although he had succeeded, the toll on his stamina was immense. Even with his abundant True Qi, which far surpassed others at his level, he still felt drained and had nearly been crushed to death by the water pressure due to his lack of strength.

After absorbing nearly a hundred Spirit Stones, Nie Yun finally felt his Qi Sea replenish and his strength return.

’Not good! I have to get out of here!’

Just as his body recovered, Nie Yun suddenly sensed immense danger approaching. He instantly activated his Soaring Water Qi, enveloping Baihua Xiu and the other two. With a flicker, he transformed into a streak of flowing light and shot outwards.

Getting in had been extremely difficult, but on the way out, many of the Arrays could no longer activate because the Ancient Corpse was gone. Within a few breaths, the four of them arrived at the ruins of the Nine-Heart Demon Fruit Tree.

"You rat! How dare you harm my descendant! Where do you think you’re going?!"

Just then, a furious roar accompanied a brilliant ray of golden light that shot straight toward Nie Yun’s back.

This golden light was radiant, like an attack wave generated by some Martial Art. Completely unhindered by the seawater, it radiated a vast and brilliant power even before it arrived. Countless sea turtles and fish were turned to ash by the aftershocks of its light, dying in an instant.

"Haha, you want to kill me? Go eat shit!"

Facing the incoming golden light, Nie Yun showed no fear. With a hearty laugh, he flapped his Wings of Soaring Water. The four of them flickered several times across the seabed, moving at a speed several times faster than the attack, and flew outward. In a moment, they had left the Demon Saint Ruins and vanished completely.

The Soaring Water Master ability was hailed as one of the three greatest escape talents in the world. Its invincibility in water was no empty boast!

"Damn it, damn it! A Soaring Water Master! Go back and investigate which Soaring Water Master dared to kill my descendant!"

Just as Nie Yun and his group vanished, the figure of an old man abruptly appeared before the ruins of the Nine-Heart Demon Fruit Tree. This old man’s hair and beard were completely white, and the profound mysteries of heaven and earth seemed to swirl within his eyes. Those with weaker Cultivation would likely feel their souls battered and lose all will to fight from just a single glance.

A Secret Realm Powerhouse who had entered the Dao through the soul!

"Qii Yang, my grandson! Damn it! Whoever did this, I’ll have them torn to a million pieces!"

Another furious roar echoed as a second old man appeared. This one was wreathed in shimmering golden light, his aura condensed and stable. With an outstretched hand, he caught the same golden light that had just attacked Nie Yun, proving that he had been the one to launch it.

To launch an attack of such power from an unknown distance deep beneath the sea—this old man’s strength was simply terrifying!

And most frightening of all, he wasn’t a Secret Realm Powerhouse, but still just an ordinary Ultimate Venerable Peak!

An Ultimate Venerable Peak unleashing an attack on par with a Secret Realm Powerhouse—horrifying!

***

’So what if they’re Secret Realm Powerhouses? So what if they’re old monsters who survived ascending to the Secret Realm? Heh, if they think they can catch me, they’ve got another thing coming!’

His Wings of Soaring Water danced as Nie Yun swam through the sea. He moved like a fish, feeling no resistance whatsoever. Instead, he felt an indescribable comfort, as if he were born for the water and could stay for centuries without growing tired of it.

A Soaring Water Master becomes a dragon in the water. At full speed, even a Secret Realm Powerhouse would struggle to catch up. Though those two old men were each several times stronger than Nie Yun, when it came to escaping, they wouldn’t even be able to eat his dust.

After speeding along for an unknown number of miles, Nie Yun leaped out of the water with his three companions.

"There’s an island ahead. You three can rest there. I’ve had a sudden insight and need to cultivate for a while before we continue."

Having reached a patch of open sea, Nie Yun knew they were far from the two old men. He pointed to a small island as he gave the instruction.

"You be careful, too," Baihua Xiu reminded him.

"Here are two Nine-Heart Demon Fruits. You two take them; they should increase your strength a bit."

He casually took out two Nine-Heart Demon Fruits and handed them to Mu Qing and Baihua Xiu. He still had plenty more, and since he considered the two of them his own people, giving them a couple was no big deal.

With that said, Nie Yun dove back into the sea like a fish.

As a Soaring Water Master, the sea was the safest place for him. His most urgent task now wasn’t to return to Divine Wind City, but to refine the Demon Saint Ancient Corpse as quickly as possible!

Once he refined the Ancient Corpse, he would have a Heaven-Seizing Creation Secret Realm Powerhouse as a helper. With such an ally, he could run rampant not just in the Divine Wind Empire, but likely across the entire Qi Sea Continent!

Only then could he rescue his parents and the others. Otherwise, as a mere Ultimate Venerable, no matter how strong he was, he wouldn’t be able to make a single ripple in the Divine Holy Empire!

After all, putting aside all others, the two men he had just encountered were simply too powerful. Even with his recent great increase in strength, he knew that if they were to truly fight, he wouldn’t last a single move against them.

Entering the sea, he found a safe spot and casually carved out a cave in the seabed, then slipped inside.

Even Secret Realm Powerhouses couldn’t stay underwater for long; they would eventually have to surface for air. But a Soaring Water Master was different. He could breathe freely in the water, where his strength was even greater than on land. Refining the Ancient Corpse here would allow him to use his full power and increase his chances of success.

After sealing the entrance to the cave, Nie Yun first adjusted his condition, restoring his body and spirit to their peak. Only then did he retrieve the Demon Saint Ancient Corpse from his Storage Dantian.

The Ancient Corpse was perfectly lifelike, without the slightest sign of decay. Its hair and beard were white, and the Laws of Heaven and Earth flowed over its entire body, which shimmered with a crystalline light as if it had been cultivated into pure jade.

Even though Nie Yun’s Spirit Rhinoceros Body Refining Technique had reached the Fourth Layer of Great Success, his own muscles were still not this perfect.

Upon reaching the Heaven-Seizing Creation Secret Realm, the body is remolded by the Power of Heaven and Earth Creation. While this doesn’t increase one’s strength, the entire body’s genetics undergo a quantum leap, allowing for much faster Cultivation. Judging by the appearance of this Ancient Corpse—translucent and able to absorb Spiritual Qi on its own even in death—it must have entered the Secret Realm a long time before it died.

If it had died right after entering the Secret Realm, its body would have lost its spiritual properties and eventually rotted away over time without the support of Spiritual Power, let alone be able to circulate the Laws of Heaven and Earth or look as translucent as jade.