Yaoguang Fairy Path

Ling Zhihong's expression was as gloomy as the dark clouds before a storm. He tightly grasped the long halberd in his hand, which shone with a faint red light, clearly a rare, top-grade spiritual weapon. His eyes widened in anger, his voice filled with defiance and disdain: "Sir, you're hiding like this, is this what you're capable of? If you have the guts, why not come out and fight me head-on!"

And in the deep purple bamboo forest behind the ice, Luo Yunhan's voice, though gentle, seemed to contain endless frost and coldness. He responded with contempt, "Oh, you want to fight me? You are not qualified to fight me."

A fierce glint flashed in Ling Zhihong's eyes, and the displeasure in his heart was about to erupt like a volcano. He growled, "Damn it! How dare you look down on me like this and not take this Patriarch seriously! Humph, I want to see what you're capable of, to dare to call yourself the Lord!"

Before he finished speaking, Ling Zhihong's spiritual energy suddenly surged, like a surging wave. His eyes turned blood-red like a beast, and his whole body was enveloped in red light, like a burning flame.

Immediately, he summoned his contracted beast—the Nine Netherworld Underworld Dragon. The massive creature traced an elegant arc through the air, like a descending dragon. Its body was vast and sinuous, every inch exuding immense power. Its scales were hard and smooth, a deep blue-black, like a black hole in the night sky, devouring all surrounding light. As if weathered by time, these scales shimmered with a dark and mysterious light, like stars dotting the deep night sky.

The Nine Netherworld Dragon's eyes flashed with a cold light, revealing a sense of majesty and dominance. Its appearance shook the entire space, as if even the air had frozen.

It has sharp horns on its head, which are not only extremely hard but also contain powerful magic. Its eyes flash with a dark light, as if it can see through everything in the world, which makes people shudder.

Rumor has it that it can control the aura of the Netherworld, and the spells it casts are imbued with a powerful spectral energy capable of corroding the souls of all living beings. Furthermore, the Nine Netherworld Dragon is incredibly swift, capable of traversing the gloomy Nine Netherworld in an instant, making its movements difficult to predict.

Ling Zhihong coldly tossed the struggling young man in his arms like a rag. His gaze was fixed on the massive and majestic Nine Netherworld Dragon before him. His hand gently stroked its hard horns. His voice was cold and threatening, "Sir, if you still can't hide, I, the head of the family, will no longer be polite. If you know what's good for you, and obediently offer the divine beast, the Phoenix, perhaps I, the head of the family, will spare your life. This divine beast, I, Ling Zhihong, will definitely obtain!"

The young man was thrown heavily to the ground, blood gushing out of his mouth. He struggled to get up and staggered away from the dangerous Mist Forest.

Murong Cheng, hiding at the bottom of the slope, witnessed all this and was utterly shocked. He quickly sent a message to the two people beside him: "It's the Nine Netherworld Dragon! This is the legendary sacred beast, the Nine Netherworld Dragon! How could it appear here? Sister, brother-in-law, where did this old man contract such a powerful sacred beast? Why haven't we heard a single word about it?"

Zhang Zeye stroked the rough stubble on his chin, frowning as he shook his head. "I've heard that too. The Nine Netherworld Underworld Dragon originates from the Nine Netherworld, a place perpetually shrouded in twilight and deathly aura. Ordinary creatures find it difficult to approach, and only ghost cultivators can survive there. Why on earth would this old fellow go to that place? Could he really be searching for the Nine Netherworld Underworld Dragon? He actually possesses a method to reach the Nine Netherworld. This is no small matter. I must immediately send someone to conduct an in-depth investigation and search for further clues..."

Murong Cheng nodded in agreement, a solemn look flashing in his eyes. "You're right, but we can't completely rule out this possibility. Judging from the aura of the Nine Netherworld Underworld Dragon, it seems to be on the verge of transforming into a dragon. If it truly succeeds in transforming into a dragon, the Ling family's strength will increase greatly. I'm afraid it will surpass our Murong and Li families and become the dominant force. We must be vigilant and be prepared to respond."

Zhang Zeye's face was tense, his expression particularly solemn. He nodded slowly and said in a deep voice, "That's certainly true. Let's wait and see what happens and continue to watch the battle." However, deep down, a hint of contempt welled up in his heart. He thought to himself, "This old fellow is probably going to suffer a major setback today. The man inside is clearly no ordinary person. I'll just sit here and wait for the show to unfold. It's because he always has such a condescending attitude that it's annoying to watch. And those disciples of the Ling family, relying on the support of the Second Palace Master of Yaochi Immortal Palace, are acting arrogantly and domineeringly outside. It's simply a disgrace to the family."

Luo Yunhan's figure vanished like a phantom. In the blink of an eye, he was already standing in mid-air, towering over a bamboo forest covered in ice crystals. He was dressed in a white robe, his sleeves fluttering gently in the wind. He looked like a banished immortal from the immortal realm, cold and otherworldly.

His gaze was as cold and ruthless as a thousand-year-old icy pond, and his voice was even colder than ice: "Take this sword from me, and I will let you go; if you can't, you will have only one way to go, and that is death." He uttered this word softly, and although the voice was not loud, it echoed throughout the entire space, as if freezing the air and resounding through the sky.

The Nine Netherworld Underworld Dragon was surrounded by thick black air and twilight mist, shrouding the space in a mysterious and depressing atmosphere.

It roared deafeningly in Luo Yunhan's direction, its voice filled with anger and defiance. Ling Zhihong, a powerful cultivator in the Spiritual Transformation Stage, also unleashed his full might. The halberd in his hand radiated a crimson glow, and with overwhelming force, he pointed directly at Luo Yunhan. His voice was equally deafening: "Hand over the divine beast, the Phoenix, or you will never leave this place today!"

A chill raged in Luo Yunhan's eyes like a raging wind. He stared at Ling Zhihong as if he were looking at a dead soul. He slowly raised his right palm, and at the same time, thunder began to gather in the sky, as if the entire universe was trembling at the power he was about to unleash.

As his palms moved, the once bright sky gradually turned from white to black, as if shrouded in a deep night. Against this dark background, the seal under Luo Yunhan's palm began to form. It was an ice-blue mark, emitting a biting cold.

This chill swept through the entire Misty Forest at an alarming speed, like the breath of a giant dragon. The spirit beasts in the forest trembled under the attack of this cold air, feeling an unprecedented fear and oppression.

Finally, Luo Yunhan's seal was complete, and a massive ice-blue sword condensed. This sword was filled with endless chill and sword energy, as if it could freeze everything. It pointed directly at Ling Zhihong, stabbing him.

Ling Zhihong gripped his halberd tightly, his eyes flashing with a fierce light. He swung the halberd violently, bringing with it a fierce spiritual attack, which blasted towards Luo Yunhan's ice-blue giant sword like a violent storm...

Deep within the Ling family's territory in the Southern Territory, a white-haired elder stared at the sky with a piercing gaze. His gaze seemed to penetrate the layers of clouds and mist, piercing directly towards the Misty Forest. His brow furrowed, his tone filled with confusion and shock. "What's going on? Why has a battle of this magnitude erupted in the Southern Territory? Who is actually fighting?"

Meanwhile, panic reigned within the Li family's territory. An elderly elder stumbled into the center of the clan's territory, his face pale and his voice trembling. "Old Ancestor, this is bad! The Patriarch... he's gone to the Mist Hidden Forest!" He took a deep breath and continued, "The Patriarch recently acquired the Nine Netherworld Underworld Dragon. A disciple reported seeing the phoenix, a divine beast undergoing tribulation, there, so the Patriarch impatiently led his men to the Mist Hidden Forest."

Seeing this, the old man's face suddenly changed and he exclaimed, "Not good! That momentum is not something that Ling Zhihong, a cultivator in the God Transformation Stage, can withstand." His voice was full of worry and uneasiness.

After feeling the astonishing pressure of the battle, Murong Cheng, Zhang Zeye, and Xiang Yan's troops were forced to retreat, leaving the border of the Hidden Mist Forest. They stood in the distance, staring intently at the forest, which was shaking and crumbling from the aftermath of the battle, their hearts filled with shock and awe.

At the same time, the ancestors of the other three clans were also drawn to the battle, their gazes crossing the high walls of their clans and darting towards the battlefield. Some stood atop pavilions, others in the courtyards, all intently observing the battle that would change the landscape of the Southern Territory.