Translator: CinderTL
With a thought, Song Wen summoned the sun-chasing spear, which shot skyward, piercing the cave's ceiling.
Simultaneously, electric serpents crackled across his palms.
As he spread his hands, lightning erupted like a raging dragon emerging from the abyss, surging forth from his palms.
The searing Thunderlight pierced through the pitch-black Primordial Qi, hurtling down the tunnel from which they had come.
The lightning plunged deep into the tunnel, followed by thunderous roars and piercing shrieks.
Song Wen frowned. The divine sense attack woven into the shrieks caused him mild discomfort.
He abruptly rose, carrying the Nether Fox, and soared toward the vertical shaft carved by the sun-chasing spear in the ceiling.
Large and small rocks rained down from above, striking his Mana Shield with resounding thuds.
Song Wen had no time to spare for such distractions.
As he ascended the shaft, his fingers danced like shadows, weaving through the air.
Bolts of lightning materialized before him in rapid succession, crashing downward in a desperate attempt to disrupt the resentful spirit's pursuit.
Suddenly, the Primordial Qi below surged upward like a black tidal wave, roaring toward the heavens.
A descending bolt of lightning collided with the surging torrent, shattering instantly into countless tiny sparks that vanished without a trace within the dark maelstrom.
The Primordial Qi's momentum remained undiminished, continuing its ascent like a colossal pillar piercing the sky, bearing down on Song Wen.
Song Wen's pupils constricted as he flipped his hand, revealing an earth-yellow talisman in his palm.
With a surge of spiritual power, the talisman shattered, transforming into a brown-yellow light that enveloped Song Wen and the Nether Fox.
Song Wen summoned his sun-chasing spear and hurled himself against the northern rock wall.
The brown-yellow light flashed, leaving the rock wall intact, but Song Wen and the Nether Fox had vanished without a trace.
The fifth-tier earth evasion talisman allowed them to travel up to five hundred miles underground. Beyond that depth, the earth's immense pressure would crush the talisman's condensed brown-yellow spiritual light, causing it to dissipate.
This was why Song Wen had only used the Earth Evasion Talisman now.
Earlier, to evade the giant hound void beast, he had plunged a thousand miles underground. The vertical shaft they were now ascending stretched five to six hundred miles upward, meaning they were approximately four to five hundred miles from the underwater tunnel above.
Moving with lightning speed, Song Wen weaved through the rock formations.
Yet the resentful spirit relentlessly pursued them.
Though unable to burrow through the rock itself, it tore through the solid strata with devastating force.
Song Wen channeled his escape technique to its limit, but found his speed barely matched the resentful spirit's, making it impossible to shake off.
After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the brown-yellow spiritual light began to flicker, as if on the verge of collapsing.
Forced to act, Song Wen ascended upward, returning to the underwater tunnel.
With the Nether Fox guiding him, Song Wen, though his divine sense was suppressed, felt no fear of unknown dangers.
He moved swiftly, continuing his escape at full speed through the tunnel. As he fled, a blood mist gradually enveloped him, indicating he was activating the Blood Escape Technique.
Just then, the shadow void's voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Master, I have completed my incubation and can now help you eliminate that resentful spirit."
Song Wen's eyes lit up. "Have you advanced to the seventh-tier?" he asked.
"Yes, Master," the shadow void replied.
A smile spread across Song Wen's face as he abruptly halted.
He whirled around and began forming hand seals.
Dark clouds churned above him, and within their depths, dazzling golden Thunderlight writhed like dragons and serpents.
The thunderous power gathered, poised to strike!
Boom!
A muffled explosion shattered the ground below, and a humanoid figure burst forth.
Song Wen now realized the resentful spirit that had been pursuing him was humanoid, though its form was grotesque—stretched, emaciated, and twisted.
Clearly, the spirit had once been a human cultivator, corrupted by Primordial Qi into this ghastly state.
Perhaps because the spirit lacked intelligence, or because its Source Qi Shield was impenetrable, it paid no heed to the gathering thunderclouds above. Instead, it lunged directly at Song Wen.
Suddenly, nine tentacles erupted from Song Wen's head.
The tentacles trembled gently, emitting a faint buzzing sound.
The buzzing reached the resentful spirit's ears, striking it like a physical blow. Its body froze mid-air, paralyzed.
It opened its maw, unleashing a piercing shriek as its Source Qi Shield began to crumble.
Boom!
A golden lightning serpent tore through the dark clouds and struck downward.
With its Source Qi Shield gone, the golden lightning struck the resentful spirit's Soul Body directly.
Under the combined assault of Song Wen and the shadow void, the resentful spirit writhed in agony, its shrieks growing ever more shrill and desperate.
As time passed, the shrieks gradually weakened until they finally faded into silence.
The Thunderlight dissipated, revealing the resentful spirit.
It appeared utterly weakened, its Soul Body now noticeably more transparent. Only its eyes retained their venomous glare, fixed intently on Song Wen.
Song Wen was about to fly forward and devour it when the shadow void spoke.
"There's no need for Master to exert himself. This trivial matter is easily handled by your subordinate."
One of the shadow void's tentacles suddenly began to phase into nothingness before extending toward the resentful spirit.
The tentacle coiled around the resentful spirit's Soul Body, binding it tightly.
Immediately afterward, the tentacle retracted swiftly, carrying the resentful spirit with it as they vanished above Song Wen's head.
Within the Sea of Consciousness, the resentful spirit's form materialized.
Song Wen split off a portion of his consciousness, forming a separate figure. His gaze swept over the giant eagle void beast and the resentful spirit before settling on the shadow void, a hint of satisfaction on his face.
"Well done," Song Wen said calmly.
"Master flatters me," the shadow void replied politely, though its eyes betrayed a clear arrogance.
Song Wen activated the Black Hole, devouring both the giant eagle void beast and the resentful spirit. He then released streams of Soul Source Essence that drifted toward the shadow void.
"These are your rewards."
"Thank you, Master," the shadow void said.
As the shadow void absorbed the Soul Source Essence, it seemed to sense something. Its expression shifted slightly as it asked, "Master, are you planning to leave the Primordial Qi Death Zone and return to the outside world?"
Even as he spoke to the shadow void, Song Wen had already activated his escape technique and was heading south.
During his journey, he had been relentlessly pursued first by void fiends and then by resentful spirits. Following the underwater tunnel, he had traveled tens of thousands of miles, likely now deep beneath the seabed.
Having not yet prepared to cross the strait, he naturally had to return to Qicang Island.
"That was my plan," Song Wen said.
"Master, you should not proceed south," Shadow Void advised.
"Why?" Song Wen stopped, simultaneously asking in his Sea of Consciousness.
"After fully hatching, my strength advanced to the seventh-tier, and I can now sense all low-ranking Void Clan members within a 50,000-li radius. Currently, several low-ranking Void Clan members have gathered at the entrance of this tunnel, including the giant hound void beast. Severely wounded by the resentful spirit, it likely harbors deep resentment and seeks revenge."
"Can't you command low-ranking Void Clan members weaker than you?" Song Wen asked. "Just order them to disperse."
"Master, among them are a late seventh-tier void fiend and a peak seventh-tier void fiend, both far stronger than me. They wouldn't easily retreat upon receiving my command; instead, they might come to pay homage, potentially exposing your presence," Shadow Void explained.
(End of the Chapter)