After what felt like an eternity,
How was he supposed to deal with them?
Nie Li suddenly thought of the vine deep within his Soul Sea. The vine was incredibly mysterious—perhaps it could subdue the law forces. After a moment's thought, Nie Li infused the refined powers of darkness and light into the vine. At first, the vine didn't absorb either force, but as time passed, it seemed to adapt and began frantically absorbing them.
The vine kept growing until it connected with both the light and dark law forces. Like a whale gulping down water, it devoured the two streams of power and channeled them along its stem—all the way into the Tiger Fang Panda. The panda underwent a startling transformation: its fur grew even more radiant, and the forces of darkness and light circulated ceaselessly around its body.
The Tiger Fang Panda now possessed both light and dark Soul Power, and its power level had undergone a qualitative evolution.
As for the Shadow Demon Spirit, it absorbed a portion of the dark law force and also transformed, its form flickering in and out of visibility, making it nearly impossible to perceive its true shape.
Once the mysterious vine had devoured both the light and dark law forces, Nie Li finally let out a breath of relief. He casually tested the powers and found that even though the two law forces had been consumed by the vine, he could still wield them freely.
The vine was probably part of his Soul Sea—or so Nie Li guessed. After all, its emergence meant that his cultivation path had diverged completely from what it once was.
While Nie Li cultivated, the Goddess Yuyan hovered quietly before him. A flicker of surprise crossed her stunning features. She could feel the violent clash of light and dark law forces within his body and had been worried, but then she sensed a far more powerful, far more mysterious force swallow both of them whole.
How many secrets was Nie Li hiding? Curiosity filled her mind. As a Spirit God, she was supposed to understand everything in this world—yet it seemed Nie Li's comprehension had somehow surpassed her own.
Unable to make sense of it, the Goddess Yuyan gave up trying. She lazily stretched, revealing her graceful figure. As a master of law forces, she didn't even need to cultivate deliberately. The fire law energy from every direction rushed toward her of its own accord, and by absorbing it, her power continued to climb.
After roughly twenty-plus days, Nie Li's cultivation finally reached the peak of Gold Five Star—a single step away from Black Gold.
His eyes snapped open, a flash of divine light passing through them. After all this time cultivating, he had advanced another minor realm. Because he practiced the Heavenly Dao Divine Art, his advancement should have been extremely slow—the difficulty was several times greater than what
Though the barriers to advancement were immense, the rewards afterward were astonishing. His strength completely crushed peers at the same level, and he could even challenge Black Gold powerhouses above his own rank.
The auction at the Divine Seal Auction House proceeded on schedule. Once it began offering weapons and armor inscribed by Nie Li, all fifteen cities erupted. No one had imagined that Nie Li's creations would far surpass those of Master Youye in both power and utility, igniting a frenzy.
Several peak powerhouses from the Nether Domain lavished enormous sums to bid on Nie Li's works. A superior weapon or suit of armor could dramatically boost their strength—and in a world where the strong devoured the weak, strength was everything.
Moreover, news had recently spread from the attendants of the Nether Domain Ruler: he intended to recruit a disciple to inherit his legacy.
The Nether Domain Ruler was a peak Spirit God!
If chosen, they would step directly into the realm of gods. The temptation was overwhelming—and beyond becoming a supreme powerhouse, they would also become the master of Nether City!
Nether City was a place of deep mystery. Legend held that it was wealthy and bountiful, home to beauties of every race, and teeming with Soul Devourers—mysterious creatures that consumed the essence of subterranean magma and channeled it to their master for cultivation.
To become the master of Nether City meant possessing limitless wealth!
At this critical juncture—just as the Nether Domain Ruler was about to begin selecting his disciple—the value of weapons and armor refined by Nie Li skyrocketed.
Since the Jade Seal Family now had a high-level Runic Pattern Master under their roof, and with the pressure exerted by the forces behind the Divine Seal Auction House, the Blood Demon Clan had chosen a temporary truce. The Jade Seal Family's crisis was resolved, and they began reaching out to the major human factions, expanding their influence.
That day,
It was foreseeable that the Jade Seal Family's power would grow dramatically in the future.
"Nephew, I've already had my people investigate. The
Nie Li's brow furrowed slightly at Luo Xiao's words. Had Ye Han already left the Dark Guild and joined another family?
"What has the Wu Gui Family been up to lately?" Nie Li asked after a moment's thought.
"The Wu Gui Family has apparently been mustering their forces recently. As for what exactly they're doing—I'm not entirely clear," Luo Xiao replied after a brief silence.
A vague sense of unease settled over Nie Li. The Wu Gui Family was far more troublesome than the Dark Guild.
He had been away from the