The gnawing hunger fading from his body did not surprise Su Chen in the slightest.
Upon further experintation, he discovered that the backlash from this ability would only manifest after he completely entered a state of rest.
'However, to directly extract fifty percent of my stamina, this backlash is much milder than I imagined.'
'Could it be that the additional twenty percent rewarded by the system panel was generated out of thin air?'
Su Chen had never seriously considered this issue before, but pondering it carefully now brought new insights.
Judging by the reduced consumption or the boost in total spiritual energy rewarded during his main class promotion, it really did seem to operate without any logical rules.
Checking the ti, he saw there were still a few hours until the Dark Sun. Wisps of crimson flas mixed with crackling electrical arcs surfaced around him, rging into his body with a faint popping and sizzling sound.
He had selected his fifth-tier body forging and ditation techniques two days ago. He had already grasped the basics of both the Fla and Thunder Bone Refining Body Forging Technique and the Blazing Thunder Clear Heart ditation Technique.
However, the duration of the Great Exalt's double experience card was nearing its end, with only a little over ten days left.
Glancing at his system panel, Su Chen could not help but feel a tinge of regret. This was despite the special buff he possessed as a Chosen One.
It provided a certain boost to classes related to thunder and fire elents, but who would ever complain about progressing too fast?
Unfortunately, the Great Exalt had very few Chosen Ones, and he had already fard all of them once.
Thinking of the aloof Great Exalt, Su Chen muttered inwardly, 'I wonder if there are any other ways to provoke him. Would defeating the Chosen Ones of other Morning Star realm classes work...'
Ti flew by as his mind wandered through these random thoughts.
The mont the Dark Sun arrived, his eyes snapped open, a sharp light flashing within them. He downed a few gulps of nutrient potion before stepping out of the training room and into the Nether Tower.
Familiar with the process, he entered the Nether Realm, where wisps of grayish-white mist lingered all around him.
He imdiately determined his location. This ti, he was quite close to the core area controlled by the cult, and he could faintly make out the sprawling buildings in the distance.
Fortunately, the spot was remote, far from the mining area, and there was no one else around.
The period of the Dark Sun was advantageous for him. Under these current conditions, the mist was thick and spiritual perception was severely suppressed. Even high-tier spiritual bodies would struggle to sense anything from far away.
A tal mask materialized on Su Chen's face, fully arming him. Upon closer inspection, a layer of crystalline, transparent substance clung to his slightly ethereal spiritual body—this was the special effect of the Crystal Skull.
Only after cautiously leaving the area did he relax slightly. Checking his bearings, he leaped forward and sprinted away.
He had roughly figured out the general direction of the spiritual fire, mostly by relying on the cult mbers who had exited the Nether Realm.
However, despite scouting multiple tis recently, he had yet to discover its exact location.
After darting forward for a while, he suddenly ground to a halt.
'This spot happens to pass right by that new mineral vein,' Su Chen mused. Shifting into the form of a Faceless Ghost cultist, he approached the vicinity of the new vein.
The gathered Nether Realm creatures were imdiately thrown into chaotic panic.
anwhile, Su Chen spotted Little Black cowering in a corner.
'He's actually here,' Su Chen thought, raising an eyebrow. Lately, his primary focus had been on the spiritual fire, so he rarely visited the mining area.
Upon noticing him, Little Black seed incredibly excited. Using its two legs and four arms to claw at the ground, kicking up clouds of dust, it eagerly bounded over.
"Perfect timing. Co along with ."
With a wave of Su Chen's hand, Little Black followed. As a creature of the Nether Realm, it still had its uses here, such as sensing high-tier Nether Realm entities.
One man and one monkey dashed across the desolation of the Nether Realm. Only when they were thoroughly far from the new mineral vein did Su Chen deactivate his Faceless Priest form.
Little Black visibly froze. With its limited intellect, it seed completely unable to comprehend what had just happened, but it offered no other reaction.
Imdiately after, Su Chen's spiritual body was gradually dyed a deep scarlet.
The rapid succession of transformations filled Little Black's eyes with confusion and doubt. It twitched its nose; how did this terrifying entity it revered suddenly beco so unfamiliar?
Su Chen was already used to this. It was an unexpected harvest from the recent period. Under the Sovereign state, not only could he reduce his energy consumption, but he could also mask his aura as an otherworldly spiritual body, saving him from a lot of trouble.
After all, assuming the form of an Eldritch God cultist caused quite a commotion. This approach was just right.
"Let's go."
Su Chen pushed off the ground, gliding far ahead. Little Black blanked for a second before instinctively scrambling after him.
'It should be around here...'
After an unknown amount of ti, Su Chen suddenly halted. The landscape of the Nether Realm rarely changed.
Sotis, one could run for hours on end, surrounded by nothing but the cold, hard, grayish-white earth without the slightest variation, making it exceedingly difficult to pinpoint a specific direction.
He had traveled in this direction several tis just to barely ensure he had not veered off course.
Searching the vicinity, he sure enough found the black stone slab he had left behind last ti, planted firmly in the ground.
Several characters were carved into it using obscure symbols.
At least, they would be obscure to anyone else. To Su Chen, they were perfectly clear—they were unmistakably the characters for "Departure Mark."
It was the marker he had made before leaving last ti to prevent himself from losing the location.
'Mhm, in that case, it should be over there.'
Su Chen slightly adjusted his bearing and plunged back into the endless, hazy gray mist.
"This Nether Realm is seriously way too hard to explore."
Su Chen muttered to himself as he hurried along, having lost count of how many tis he had complained about it.
"Awooo!"
Suddenly, Little Black let out a high-pitched howl beside him.
Su Chen paused and looked back in astonishnt. "Aren't you a monkey? How can you make wolf noises?"
This was the first ti Little Black had communicated vocally rather than through ntal fluctuations, completely catching him off guard.
"Dan—danger—" A ntal ripple echoed out as Little Black shrank back.
Su Chen could clearly sense the raw terror embedded in the ntal fluctuation.
"Danger?"
His eyes narrowed as he peered into the distance. It was shrouded in the grayish-white fog, leaving him completely unable to see anything.
'It spends all day chilling under the body of that Centipede Dragon and never cries danger. Could it be... we've arrived?'
Speculating inwardly, Su Chen simply waved his hand and continued darting forward.
Little Black hesitated slightly. Though trembling uncontrollably, it clawed at the ground and followed him.
Not long after, Su Chen's footsteps ground to a halt.
Ahead of them, the thick, hazy mist had thinned out slightly. A colossal, shadowy silhouette pierced through the fog, gradually revealing itself.
It was a massive mountain of incalculable height. The peak seed to thrust straight into the gloomy firmant, its surface bearing a deep, oppressive dark-brown hue.
Countless bright, searing patterns sprawled across it, andering and coiling from the foot of the mountain all the way up into the unseen heights hidden within the fog.
"That is the land of the spiritual fire,"
Su Chen murmured, feeling almost completely certain.
As he moved closer, the number of Nether Realm creatures in the vicinity noticeably increased. They lay sprawled over the winding, crimson lava-like veins, licking at them as if drinking water.
Unable to resist, Little Black also scampered over and began to lick at the ground.
"This stuff..." Su Chen crouched down, carefully observing the crimson patterns on the ground. They were not magma; they radiated absolutely no heat.
Only low-tier Nether Realm creatures lingered on the outskirts. Devoid of intelligence, they acted purely on instinct. The deeper one went, the higher the tier of the creatures beca. The beasts near the foot of the mountain were already at the sixth tier, glaring at them with implicit warnings.
"That thing..." Su Chen looked up, his non-existent throat bobbing slightly.
At the peak of the mountain, a gargantuan shadow lood indistinctly. Even from such a vast distance, he could clearly feel the overwhelming pressure crashing down from it—a pressure far surpassing that of the Centipede Dragon.
'Could that be a ninth-tier Nether Realm creature?'
His heart palpitated wildly as he cursed under his breath.
'This is going to be a problem. The Centipede Dragon was already a nightmare to deal with. There is no way I can bluff this ninth-tier beast...'
...
Su Chen's brows furrowed tightly. After a mont of thought, he decided against marching up there as an Eldritch God priest. Instead, he carefully skirted around the surrounding Nether Realm creatures and gradually backed away.
'No wonder Fan Zhao is still waiting around despite his status. To claim the spiritual fire, that ninth-tier entity has to be driven off first.'
anwhile, back in the core area controlled by the cult.
A streak of light descended from the faint golden dragon silhouette that forever hung in the sky, transforming into a middle-aged man with a square, dignified face.
"Haha, Senior Brother Qin, it's been a long ti."
A booming laugh echoed from the Reception Hall as a young man walked out, looking no older than seventeen or eighteen.
"Junior Brother Yun Ting, what brings you to my domain?" A faint smile appeared on Qin Yuezheng's face.
"What, can I not co to see my Senior Brother without a reason?" Lan Yunting asked in return.
Qin Yuezheng chuckled. "Nonsense. It's just that this Nether Realm remains bleakly unchanging year-round; it is dreadfully dull. A big shot like you wouldn't visit on a re whim."
Before he could finish speaking, Qin Yuezheng's gaze drifted over the other man's shoulder to look at the figures following close behind.
Fan Zhao! Realization dawned in his heart. "Ah, I see. Martial Nephew Fan made the request. No wonder he managed to mobilize a big shot like you."
"When a martial nephew is in need, how could a senior brother refuse to help?" Lan Yunting chuckled.
Qin Yuezheng sighed helplessly. "Alas, my hands are tied. I have to stand guard over the Nether Realm and cannot act recklessly. That land of spiritual fire is swarming with creatures and is quite a distance from here."
"The duration the fire burns simply isn't long enough for to clear the area and then protect Martial Nephew Fan while he forges his Holy Class."
"I understand, I understand."
Lan Yunting agreed repeatedly. "That is precisely why I am here—to share Senior Brother's burdens."
As the two exchanged polite pleasantries, Fan Zhao stood expressionless. Behind him, Qin Tianlin and ng Shiyu stepped out one after the other, followed by yet another person.
It was Lan Hao. He was among them, observing his surroundings with curiosity.
"It's been a while since you were last here, hasn't it?" ng Shiyu, standing beside him with a glint in his eye, took the initiative to strike up a conversation.
"It has been so ti," Lan Hao nodded. He rarely visited the Nether Realm; the last ti was five or six years ago.
He had only co once out of novelty, and having seen it, lost all interest.
"By the way, Senior Brother, you will need to assign soone to guide us to the land of spiritual fire. This Nether Realm is too much of a maze, and my sense of direction is atrocious," Lan Yunting said, feigning helplessness.
"Naturally." Qin Yuezheng nodded and summoned a plump, round-bellied man—Deacon Feng. "You will guide these gentlen to the spiritual fire."
"Yes, sir."
Deacon Feng nodded in compliance, though he groaned inwardly. This was by no ans an easy errand.
Lan Yunting's status was nothing to scoff at. Qin Yuezheng personally escorted them out of the core area. Along the way, they encountered several returning cult mbers who cast subtle, appraising glances in their direction.
"Martial Uncle Qing Cang will be returning soon."
As they walked, Lan Yunting suddenly broke the silence.
"From the Profound Heaven Cult?" Qin Yuezheng's eyes narrowed into slits.
"Indeed. I heard he is bringing back the Profound Heaven Astrolabe," Lan Yunting nodded.
"The Ancient King truly spared no effort," Qin Yuezheng sighed in admiration.
Behind them, Fan Zhao, Qin Tianlin, and the others wore rather unsightly expressions. They had only recently learned of Qing Cang's trip to the Profound Heaven Cult.
The Profound Heaven Astrolabe was a rare artifact capable of directly elevating one's innate talent. For Qing Cang to seek it out imdiately upon returning to the cult... who he was doing it for was self-evident.
"Not just the Astrolabe. Tang Xiuqi of the Profound Heaven Cult is coming as well," Lan Yunting added.
"A Star Seed?"
Qin Yuezheng was genuinely startled; this was news to him. "Why would the Profound Heaven Cult allow a Star Seed to tag along?"
Lan Yunting replied, "I'm guessing they intend to borrow our Fortune Copper Heart."
Realization flooded Qin Yuezheng's mind. "No wonder."
Lan Yunting continued, "I've heard that it isn't just people from the Profound Heaven Cult. A few from the Royal Court are tagging along as well. It seems they are also after the Astrolabe. Word is the Royal Court was supposed to borrow it first, but the Ancient King poached it."
Qin Yuezheng frowned. "The Royal Court needs the Astrolabe too? For whom?"
"Who knows." Lan Yunting shook his head.
As they spoke, the group stepped beyond the core boundaries, and Qin Yuezheng watched them depart.
'How am I supposed to deal with this ninth-tier creature?'
Su Chen stared at the hazy, towering mountain from afar. He had been pacing in hesitation for a long ti. That behemoth was sothing he stood absolutely no chance against.
'It's not like I can just report this to the cult and claim I need it to forge my Holy Class.'
Even if he made the request, it would be useless. Fan Zhao had reserved it long ago, and it was strictly first-co, first-served. "Delicious—scared... delicious... scared..."
Suddenly, Little Black began hopping up and down on the spot.
"What?" Su Chen snapped out of his daze and looked at the frantically thrashing monkey. He saw it staring into the distance, a mix of sheer excitent and terror in its eyes. Many of the surrounding Nether Realm creatures were exhibiting similar reactions.
...
'Delicious?'
Su Chen's heart stirred. He quickly grabbed Little Black and concealed them both among the surrounding crowd of beasts. There were far too many grotesque and bizarre creatures around; he blended right in unnoticed.
Within monts, several figures shot out from the fog, enveloped in rippling blue light. They flew at blistering speeds, churning up a fierce gale in their wake.
That's— Hidden down below, Su Chen's heart skipped a beat.
He spotted a large group of familiar faces. Fan Zhao, Qin Tianlin, ng Shiyu, and even Lan Hao were all among them.
'Could it be—'
His pulse raced as a speculation ford in his mind.
He did not recognize the man leading the group, but the aura radiating from him was utterly terrifying. The surrounding Nether Realm creatures grew highly agitated, scattering and fleeing in all directions as the man drew nearer.
Swept up in the stampede, Su Chen also ran further away.
The group did not fly directly toward the colossal mountain; instead, they halted a short distance away.
"This is the place."
Deacon Feng spoke softly, while Lan Yunting tilted his head back, gazing up at the massive mountain before them.
"A ninth-tier Nether Realm creature..." Lan Yunting had already sensed the faint, elusive aura, and his brows knit together slightly.
Fan Zhao's heart tightened, and he could not help but speak up. "Martial Uncle Lan—"
Before he could finish, Lan Yunting interrupted him. "Don't worry."
"It will be a bit troubleso to deal with, but it's far from impossible. What land of spiritual fire isn't dominated by a ninth-tier creature?"
He showed no surprise, rely adding, "Still, it would be best if we could conserve so energy. These creatures possess intelligence no less than our own. Wait here. I'll go take a look."
A glint flashed in Lan Yunting's eyes as he transford into a streak of light, soaring high into the sky.
"There's no need to be afraid. These creatures lack sentience and act purely on instinct. They wouldn't dare approach us,"
ng Shiyu said comfortingly, noticing Lan Hao's subtle unease.
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