Chapter 108: Shang Ming, the Grand Supreme

Nether Luo True Lord gazed at the young man before him, whose expression remained calm, and quietly retreated.

His brow furrowed slightly, then quickly smoothed out again. His gaze swept over the two streams of black qi that had devoured the other two cultivators' Nascent Souls in the blink of an eye before vanishing without a trace, and the will to fight drained from his heart.

After all, this was a treacherous place, the enemy was unknown, and there were still unseen threats lurking in the shadows.

He had already successfully harvested the spiritual fungus, and as for the Soul Netherstone, so be it if he couldn't obtain it. There was simply no need to clash here with this suddenly appeared Gui You and the master of that black mist.

Everything could wait until he left the Cold Ruins and returned to his sect.

Having made up his mind, he retreated some distance, and the mana within his body surged violently as his entire form was enveloped in a bloody light. At the same time, his voice rang out from within the blood glow.

"Daoist Gui, I know you came here for the Soul Netherstone. Then I shall not contend with you for it. You and I, our paths will cross again..."

The cold wind brushed against Jiuyou's youthful face. His expression was calm, his gaze indifferent, yet his mind was still calculating.

Especially regarding the master of that black qi from earlier - he had exerted his Divine Sense to the fullest, yet had failed to detect even a trace of the person's whereabouts in the surroundings. Either that person's Divine Sense and concealment arts were entirely superior to his own, or there was some special method of deceiving the heavens at play.

Since that ten-thousand-year spiritual medicine was something the Blood Abyss Sect sought, he naturally couldn't just watch the other party slip away right before his eyes.

Just as he was about to execute the Blood Soul Evasion to give chase, his Divine Sense suddenly twitched, faintly detecting a trace of an abnormal aura. And the source of that aura was precisely the beam of blood light that Nether Luo True Lord had transformed into.

Jiuyou's figure halted slightly, and beneath his eyes, it seemed an abyssal pool flowed, a strange light rippling within.

In the instant he paused, the blood light suddenly began to flicker, brightening and dimming erratically. Following closely after came a scream that didn't sound human.

"What's going on? When was my Nascent Soul sealed? I can't even use my mana?"

"Who are you? Hiding inside the spiritual fungus?"

"I am an elder of the Blood Abyss Sect! If you dare kill me, the sect will receive word soon enough, ah...!"

The screams gradually grew weaker. The blood light slowly contracted, and a powerful wave of energy exploded outward with a thunderous roar, as if trying to blast Jiuyou away. And within that sinister red shockwave, an incredibly powerful soul force was hidden, flashing by in an instant - as if it had erupted suddenly and then rapidly dissipated.

Jiuyou's figure hovered in mid-air. He raised a hand and sent out a stream of mana, casually dispersing the shockwave.

In that very moment, his Divine Sense swept out fiercely.

The blood light faded, revealing a handsome young man. His skin was deathly pale, like paper, his eyes held a faint crimson glow, and his countenance was composed and steady - a world apart from the old man's appearance that Nether Luo True Lord had worn before. But he still wore the blood-colored Daoist robe of Nether Luo True Lord.

The young man extended a pair of withered, ghastly pale hands with long, slender fingernails, examining them again and again before his eyes, letting out a bone-chilling laugh.

With the laughter, a dense ghostly qi erupted from his body, spreading outward. Glowing emerald ghost qi coiled around him as it wandered, its oppressive might so formidable that it even faintly surpassed Jiuyou's.

Jiuyou's expression shifted slightly, and a hint of surprise finally surfaced in his eyes.

"Possession?"

His thoughts churned uncontrollably.

"A Mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, and he just possesses someone's body like that? Moreover, judging by the aura on his body, he's clearly a Late Nascent Soul Grand Cultivator.

By all logic, a Nascent Soul cultivator who has just completed a possession should enter a period of weakness, yet although this person's aura is somewhat unsteady, he is indeed a genuine Late-stage cultivator. How is this possible? Could it be that he was a Spirit Transformation cultivator before his death?"

Jiuyou's gaze flickered.

"But how could a dignified Spirit Transformation cultivator have fallen here? Though the Cold Ruins are dangerous, as long as one is cautious, even Nascent Soul cultivators can traverse them freely. By all appearances, this doesn't seem like a place where a Spirit Transformation cultivator could meet their end."

Just as doubts swirled in his mind, a domineering Divine Sense swept across his body.

The young man's gaze landed on him, his eyes filled with disdain as he sneered coldly.

"It seems that brat from the East did a decent job after all - tricking four Nascent Soul cultivators into coming here at once, including two Mid-Nascent Soul ones. Heh heh."

Jiuyou's heart chilled.

So Dong Yanwei was behind this? It seemed the news about the Soul Netherstone was deliberately spread by this man as well. Could this person also be one of Precious Heaven Pavilion's people?

"Boy, you're quite something."

The young man stood with his hands behind his back, his tone arrogant.

"If it weren't for you dismantling that top-grade killing formation, I truly wouldn't have dared to act rashly. Since you've done me a favor, I'll grant you a swift death."

He paused, a cold smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Before you die, I might as well tell you - my title is Shang Ming, the Grand Supreme. Hahaha."

Before his words even faded, streak after streak of blood light lit up the sky above Shang Ming the Grand Supreme.

Jiuyou probed with his Divine Sense - they turned out to be blood-colored precious needles, Nether Luo True Lord's Natal Magical Artifact, which this man had claimed for himself after the possession.

A sky full of blood-red specks shot toward him like a torrential downpour. Each precious needle carried formidable power, their piercing cries sharp and ear-splitting as they tore through the air.

Jiuyou's gaze turned ice-cold in an instant. Golden Sun Mountain expanded to the size of a colossal mountain, shielding him. The blood needles stabbed into Golden Sun Mountain, but the blood light was scorched by the Golden Sun True Flame, producing sizzling sounds as they ricocheted off one after another - not a single one broke through.

Shang Ming the Grand Supreme's gaze fell upon Golden Sun Mountain, and a trace of surprise flickered across his previously calm eyes.

"This is... Nine Sun True Flame? Could you be the rising star of Daoyang Sect from Southern Frost these past few centuries?"

He raised a hand to recall the blood needles, demanding harshly.

Jiuyou's heart stirred.

Nine Sun True Flame? Daoyang Sect? He quickly committed these two names to memory. On the surface, however, he betrayed nothing, and simply played along, refusing to show any weakness.

"Since the Grand Supreme knows of my Daoyang Sect, why must you be so aggressive? How about we each take a step back?"

Before his words even finished, Shang Ming the Grand Supreme suddenly let out a cold snort.

"Daoyang Sect? Ridiculous. Not to mention me in my prime, even as I am now, I fear nothing. If you're trying to invoke your backing, you're still lacking."

With that, he abruptly clapped his palms together.

In the massive pit, countless strands of dense ghostly qi began converging toward that half-dead venomous scorpion below. As the ghostly qi flooded in, the scorpion's carapace gradually turned pitch black, and its wounded areas slowly healed. With a whoosh, it sprang up from beneath the ground, letting out a menacing roar in Jiuyou's direction - a truly dreadful spectacle.

Shang Ming the Grand Supreme strode through the air and slowly seated himself atop the scorpion's back, facing Jiuyou at eye level. His gaze lingered on Golden Sun Mountain beside Jiuyou for a moment, and greed surged openly in his eyes.

"Boy, this ancient relic of yours is quite fine. And that bronze mirror hidden in your sleeve suits my fancy as well."

He licked his lips.

"But soon enough, they'll all be mine. Heh heh."

Jiuyou's expression remained unchanged, but murderous intent churned within his heart.

"Then let's see if you have the ability to take them."

He spoke coldly as Golden Sun Mountain rotated slowly at his side, the Jinli Ember Moon Sword already poised and ready within his sleeve.