Boom!
Accompanied by a deafening roar, the collision of Xuantian One Sword with the Nether Torrent and the lightning Dragon produced a destructive explosion, the light dazzling as if stars were falling, illuminating the entire sky in a pale white.
"Nether Escape, Myriad Ghosts Unite!" Gao Hong let out a shrill cry, and the thousands of vengeful souls in the Nether Ghost Sea instantly condensed into a giant Nether Ghost Hand, entwined with dense death Qi, forcibly grabbing the Xuantian One Sword that was about to strike down. The two stalemated in the air, erupting in a deafening roar.
Xin Tiansen's figure transformed into a flash of lightning, and at some unknown point, an ancient thunder seal had appeared in his hand. Thunder light flickered on it, containing power capable of destroying the heavens and earth.
"Heavenly Thunder Space-Cleaving Seal, suppress him for me!"
Xin Tiansen roared, flipping out a thunder seal that flew from his hand, turning into a pillar of lightning, intending to interrupt the continuity of the Xuantian Sword.
However, just as the pillar of lightning was about to touch Xuantian One Sword, Li Mu's eyes suddenly became incredibly sharp. The Star Cloud Contemplation Method operated to its extreme, and his mind achieved an unprecedented synergy with the Sword Intent of the Xuantian Sword condensed by Myriad Swords Mountain.
The Xuantian One Sword, which was about to be bound by the Nether Ghost Hand and interrupted by the pillar of lightning, suddenly erupted with an even more dazzling light. On the sword body, Sword Qi was like a Dragon, roaring as it broke free from the Nether Ghost Hand's restraint. At the same time, an invisible force directly scattered the pillar of lightning, turning it into specks of thunder light that dissipated into the air.
"What!"
Xin Tiansen and Gao Hong's expressions changed drastically. They never expected that Li Mu could unleash such terrifying power. Even with the two of them working together, it was difficult to completely resist the might of this one sword.
The Nether Ghost Hand was torn to pieces under the giant sword's cutting, the vengeful souls wailed and scattered, no longer able to form an effective attack. The Heavenly Thunder Space-Cleaving Seal was also split in two by the giant sword, its lightning power dissipating into specks of thunder light in the air.
At the critical moment, Gao Hong and Xin Tiansen simultaneously used their escape arts, avoiding this fatal blow.
However, the speed and power of the Xuantian Sword were beyond their imagination. Despite their full efforts, their figures were still swept by the residual Sword Qi, causing them to stumble and reveal themselves. They both spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, clearly having sustained serious injuries.
"Good! Very good! Go to hell!"
A hint of ruthlessness and madness flashed in Gao Hong's eyes. He bit his teeth hard, disregarding his injuries, and quickly formed hand seals. His entire being seemed to merge with the Nether Ghost Sea, and his body was once again enveloped by dense death Qi.
"Nether Law Domain, devour!" Gao Hong roared, his voice carrying an irresistible will of death.
Gao Hong's entire body surged with Nether power. This power was no longer a collection of vengeful souls, but directly drew upon the free-floating Nether Qi in the world, condensing into a pitch-black Nether Abyss that surged directly towards Li Mu with lightning speed.
"Elder Li, don't resist it head-on, retreat quickly!"
Sword Master Feng's expression changed drastically, and he quickly controlled the Qingyuan Dao Sword, attempting to block and buy Li Mu time to escape.
Sword Master Feng's figure expanded, like a meteor streaking across the sky. The Qingyuan Dao Sword in his hand radiated dazzling light. The sword tip lightly tapped, transforming into thousands of sword shadows, weaving into a dense sword net, meeting the surging Nether Abyss.
However, how could Xin Tiansen allow Sword Master Feng to succeed? His figure flickered, appearing like a ghost beside Sword Master Feng. Thunder light danced at his fingertips, condensing into a sharp thunder blade, pointing directly at Sword Master Feng's vital point.
"Brother Feng, your opponent is me," Xin Tiansen's voice was cold, carrying dense killing intent.
With a loud "boom," Sword Master Feng and Xin Tiansen clashed fiercely with a sword, and in an instant, Sword Master Feng was sent flying.
Li Mu heard Sword Master Feng's warning. The Time-Space Wheel Sutra operated at full power, and he unleashed the Divine Ability - Space-Cleaving Art. His figure flickered, and in the blink of an eye, he appeared a thousand zhang away.
Gao Hong's Body Integration Peak cultivation fully erupted. His figure, like a ghost, closely followed Li Mu, and the Nether Abyss was like a shadow, relentlessly pursuing. Within the pitch-black abyss, countless vengeful souls seemed to wail, forming a terrifying, heart-palpitating power, vowing to completely devour Li Mu.
"Trying to escape? Hmph, today is your death day!" Gao Hong's voice was extremely sinister, carrying a chilling coldness that made one's hair stand on end.
"Five Elements Escape!" Li Mu whispered, his figure instantly blurring. With the power of the Five Elements, he transformed into a wisp of clear wind and instantly vanished.
However, Gao Hong's Divine Thought at the Body Integration Peak could see through all illusions. No matter how Li Mu changed, the Nether Abyss could always accurately lock onto his position, pursuing him relentlessly.
"Five Elements Avatar Art, appear!" In his urgency, Li Mu once again unleashed his ultimate skill.
Five identical figures of him suddenly appeared, along with several Puppet Avatars, scattering in all directions. The Avatars, condensed from the power of the Five Elements, could temporarily confuse Gao Hong, buying himself time to escape.
But to Li Mu's shock, even with the Five Elements Avatar Art and the cover of several Puppet Avatars, Gao Hong could still accurately pinpoint his true body and continue the pursuit.
"What other tricks do you have? Go ahead and use them!"
Gao Hong's eyes narrowed slightly, flashing with black light. A cruel smile played on his lips, as if he were a cat toying with a mouse, enjoying this chase. The Nether Law Domain reached its Peak intensity, just about catching up to Li Mu.
"Thunder Wings, appear!"
Li Mu snorted coldly, and a brilliant light suddenly burst forth from his back. A pair of wings, condensed from pure lightning, suddenly unfolded. The thunder light contained terrifying power that could tear space. These Thunder Wings were not only as fast as lightning, but also released bursts of thunderous roars with each flap, causing the heavens and earth to change color.
With the terrifying speed of the Thunder Wings, Li Mu's figure instantly accelerated, like a comet streaking across the night sky, avoiding Gao Hong's approaching Nether Abyss at an incredible angle. At the same time, he used the lightning power of the Thunder Wings to leave trails of brilliant lightning in the air, attempting to escape from Gao Hong's grasp.
Gao Hong's expression changed drastically, and his aura became wild, as if he had been completely enraged by Li Mu's provocation.
Gao Hong quickly formed hand seals, his entire body's Nether Qi boiling. A power even greater than before surged from within him, and his body became ethereal.
"Nether Ghost Domain, suppress!"
Gao Hong's deep and sinister voice echoed in the night sky. His eyes at this moment seemed to have transformed into two profound Nether holes, releasing captivating light.
Gao Hong's body gradually merged with the surrounding Nether Law Domain, his figure becoming blurry and ethereal, as if he were no longer a flesh-and-blood being, but a ghost condensed from endless Nether Qi. At the same time, several dark blue light figures separated from his body. These light figures hovered in the air like wandering souls, intertwining with each other to form a giant Nether net, covering ten thousand miles, completely cutting off Li Mu's escape routes.
"Mere Void Refining cultivator, let's see where you can run!" Gao Hong's voice came from all directions, full of confidence and coldness.
The next moment, Li Mu's figure, traveling at extreme speed with the Thunder Wings, was swallowed by the Nether Abyss. Surrounded by boundless Nether Qi, his figure completely vanished from the vicinity of Wu Ling Star.
Gao Hong, looking tired, dispersed his Law Domain, a hint of a smile appearing on his face.
At this time, the battle between Sword Master Feng and Xin Tiansen was still ongoing. Both were severely injured, but still fought with full effort. Their gazes were fixed on Li Mu and Gao Hong.
Seeing Li Mu fall into Gao Hong's hands, Sword Master Feng was extremely anxious, but he was entangled by Xin Tiansen and powerless to rescue him.
Just then, a dazzling light from a Teleportation Array tore through the shackles of space. This sudden change attracted everyone's attention, including Sword Master Feng and Xin Tiansen who were in fierce battle, and Gao Hong who had just dispersed his Law Domain.
"Not good, Xuantian Sword Sect reinforcements are coming, Sect Leader Xin, retreat!"
Gao Hong threw a sentence to Xin Tiansen, then his figure suddenly expanded, transforming into a dark stream of light, rapidly shuttling through the Void Realm. Seeing the unfavorable situation, he quickly fled the area.
Upon hearing this, a trace of unwillingness flashed in Xin Tiansen's eyes, but reason told him that retreating now was the best strategy. He snorted coldly, his figure also rapidly retreating, distancing himself from Sword Master Feng. At the same time, the Magical Artifact in his hand flashed with light, turning into a streak of lightning, and quickly disappeared from the original spot.
The Xuanxiao Sect and Nether Sect Disciples, who were entangled with the Xuantian Sword Sect Disciples, scattered and fled upon seeing this, each seeking an escape route.
"Surname Gao, if you're leaving, leave him behind!"
Sword Master Feng, controlling the Qingyuan Dao Sword, ignored Xin Tiansen and directly pursued Gao Hong.
The Qingyuan Dao Sword cut through the sky, and Sword Master Feng's figure was like lightning, relentlessly pursuing. His heart was burning with rage. As the Sect's Grand Elder, Li Mu was skilled in both formations and artifacts, making him the most important person in the Sect. How could such a young talent easily fall into enemy hands?
"Hmph, this child is already in my hands. If you pursue further, I will kill him!" Gao Hong's voice came from ahead, with a hint of mockery, threatening him.
"You dare! If you dare to harm even a single hair on him, there will be no need for the Nether Sect to exist!" Sword Master Feng roared repeatedly, pursuing relentlessly. At this moment, his Sword Intent soared to the sky, and the light on the Qingyuan Dao Sword grew even more dazzling.
Although Gao Hong had transformed into a dark stream of light and was extremely fast, Sword Master Feng, relying on the extraordinary quality of the Qingyuan Dao Sword and his own profound cultivation, was barely able to keep up. The two left trails of brilliant light in the starry sky, like two chasing comets, causing the surrounding stars to dim in comparison.
At this moment, Li Mu was in a dark space, surrounded by Nether power. Looking around, he could not see a single ray of light, nor could he feel the passage of time. He tried to mobilize the spiritual power within his body, but found that it became unusually sluggish in this space filled with Nether Qi, as if bound by invisible shackles.
"Where is this place..." Li Mu pondered silently. An unprecedented sense of crisis arose within him. He had been swallowed by Gao Hong's Nether Ghost Domain, but he had not expected this space to be so strange, even his spiritual power was suppressed.
Suddenly remembering something, Li Mu summoned Little White from the spirit control treasure bracelet.
"Little White, summon the Nine Nether Kun Whale!"
Li Mu looked at Little White, who was stretching a pair of transparent butterfly wings in front of him, and quickly ordered.
Hearing this, Little White looked around, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes, but he still obeyed Li Mu's command. He lightly flapped his pair of crystal-clear butterfly wings, and circles of soft light emanated from his body.
In an instant, the silent, deathly dark space suddenly seemed to awaken a sleeping giant, beginning its long and profound tremor. An ancient and mysterious aura, like a wind Transmigration from ancient times, silently permeated the entire space, carrying the vicissitudes of Years and endless mysteries.
As this aura spread, a pitch-black fissure slowly opened in the depths of the space, as if it were a gateway to another world, accompanied by a deafening roar that shook every inch of the air.
Amidst this roar, a colossal creature leisurely swam out of the fissure, its body so large that it almost filled Li Mu's vision—it was the Nine Nether Kun Whale.
The Nine Nether Kun Whale's scales shimmered with a dark blue luster under the faint light. Each flick of its tail stirred the surging Nether Qi around it, displaying its majesty and power as the overlord of the deep sea.
"Master, the Nine Nether Kun Whale has arrived," Little White's voice sounded in Li Mu's ear.
Li Mu smiled slightly, beckoned Little White to fly onto the Nine Nether Kun Whale's head, and asked Little White: "Mm! Little White, can you use the Nine Nether Kun Whale's power to sense the exit of this space?"
"I'll try!"
Little White nodded, his expression becoming solemn. He slowly closed his eyes and began to connect with the Nine Nether Kun Whale. The two seemed to become one, exploring this unknown dark space together.
In the air, the fluctuations of Nether Qi became even more intense due to the Nine Nether Kun Whale's presence. They seemed to be drawn by this power, swirling and dancing around the Nine Nether Kun Whale, forming a strange yet magnificent scene.
As time passed, Little White's brows first furrowed, seemingly struggling to decipher the complex Nether power; then they gradually relaxed, and bright light flickered in his eyes—the joy of finding the answer.
"Master, I feel it! In the northeast direction of this space, there is an abnormal flow of Nether power, which seems to have a faint resonance with the spiritual power of the outside world. That might be the exit," Little White said to Li Mu, happily.
Hearing this, a hint of joy flashed in Li Mu's eyes: "Good! Then let's head in that direction."
Little White nodded, controlling the Nine Nether Kun Whale Clone, letting out a low and powerful whale cry. With a powerful flick of its massive tail, it shot towards the northeast like an arrow leaving the bowstring.
Within the boundless dark space, the Nine Nether Kun Whale moved extremely fast, shuttling through the maze woven by Nether Qi, leaving trails of shimmering dark light. The fluctuations of Nether power formed layers of ripples around them, yet could not hinder the giant beast's advancing steps.
Time seemed to lose its meaning at this moment. Li Mu, sitting on the Nine Nether Kun Whale's back, quickly couldn't bear this environment and entered the Painting World Treasure Mansion, leaving Little White to control the Nine Nether Kun Whale to leave this space.
Inside the Painting World Treasure Mansion, Li Mu felt a sense of peace and tranquility, completely different from the dark, oppressive space outside. He closed his eyes to rest, adjusting his state after the immense consumption from the previous battle.
And Little White continued to control the Nine Nether Kun Whale Clone, steadfastly moving forward in this unknown darkness. (End of Chapter)