311: Chapter 309 Space Entrance

The Nine Nether Roc hovered high in the sky, suddenly flapping its wings.

That pair of sky-covering wings suddenly spread wide, spanning tens of thousands of zhang, extending from one end of the bird's nest to the other, shrouding the entire sky.

Then, the wings pulled in sharply.

Heaven and earth changed abruptly.

That vortex, with a diameter of unknown tens of thousands of zhang, was shattered the instant the wings pulled in.

It did not dissipate slowly; it exploded with a roar.

Gale winds scattered, lightning extinguished, and the clouds were torn into fragments, dissipating into spiritual light across the sky.

The sky became clear once again, and moonlight spilled down, shining on every branch of the bird's nest, on every leaf, and on the demon cultivators who had collapsed onto the ground.

The Nine Nether Roc's body began to shrink.

The massive wings retracted into its body, and the purple-gold lightning faded into its skin. That sky-covering form gradually condensed, transforming into a man with a towering physique.

He wore black and white armor that clung to his form, outlining broad shoulders and a lean waist. His hair was silver-white, draped over his shoulders, with lightning faintly flickering between the strands. His expression was cold and stern, with high brow ridges and deep-set eye sockets. There was no smile or anger at the corners of his mouth, only a kind of indifferent, condescending calm.

He slowly descended onto his sleeping palace. His feet landed on the blue-white roof without making a sound. His gaze swept across the entire bird's nest, across the subordinates and offspring kneeling on the ground, across the low-level demon cultivators still shivering, and finally landed at the entrance of his sleeping palace.

He did not speak, just stood there like a statue.

His subordinates and offspring swarmed in from all directions.

Several Nascent Soul Stage auras rose from the depths of the bird's nest, moving extremely fast, landing on the branches outside the sleeping palace in the blink of an eye. A Nascent Soul Perfection demon cultivator landed in the front; it was tall, covered in pitch-black scale armor, with a pair of horns on its head curved like scimitars. Behind it followed two more Nascent Soul Perfection cultivators, one slender and entirely silver-white, and the other short, stout, and earthy yellow. Behind them were over a dozen Mid-Nascent Soul Stage and Early Stage demon cultivators, crowding the branches outside the sleeping palace.

Yun Ming and Jiu Jiu were standing right in their midst.

The Fuli Heaven-Concealing Record concealed the man and bird's auras completely; those demon cultivators passed by them, and not a single one noticed anything amiss. Jiu Jiu crouched on a branch, wings pulled in, its body trembling slightly. It wasn't fear, but nervousness. With so many Nascent Soul Stage demon cultivators surrounding them, any one of them turning their head could discover them. Its claws gripped the tree bark tightly, its nails embedded into the wood.

Yun Ming crouched beside Jiu Jiu, reached out, and pressed his hand on its back, patting it gently.

His hand was steady, without the slightest tremor. His expression was calm, his gaze sweeping over the demon cultivators before landing on the Nine Nether Roc on the sleeping palace roof. His Fuli Heaven-Concealing Record could not even be detected by the Void Refining stage The Old Emperor; the Nine Nether Roc was merely Soul Transformation Middle Stage and could not possibly see through it. His only worry was Jiu Jiu. Jiu Jiu's cultivation was too low; although it had the protection of the Fuli Heaven-Concealing Record, if it became too nervous and its aura fluctuated, it was still possible for it to be discovered.

He patted Jiu Jiu's back, signaling it to relax.

Jiu Jiu took a deep breath, and its body stopped trembling.

It moved its gaze away from those Nascent Soul demon cultivators and stared at the Nine Nether Roc on the sleeping palace roof, no longer looking at anyone else.

The Nine Nether Roc jumped down from the roof and landed at the entrance of the sleeping palace. His movements were light, like a falling leaf. He pushed open the half-ajar palace doors and walked in. The subordinates and offspring filed in; some walked through the doors, some flew in through the windows, and some passed directly through the walls.

Yun Ming and Jiu Jiu exchanged a glance and also walked in through the doors.

Inside the sleeping palace, the Nine Nether Roc sat in the very center. There were no chairs, no throne; he simply sat cross-legged on the blue jade floor slabs, his black and white armor gleaming coldly in the reflection of the spiritual light.

His subordinates lined up on both sides, standing with hands hanging down.

The Nine Nether Roc's gaze swept over the crowd.

"Congratulations to the Peng Lord on your triumphant return." The leading Nascent Soul Perfection great demon spoke first, its voice resounding loudly in the empty sleeping palace. The other demon cultivators followed, offering congratulations in unison; the voices were uneven, but all carried awe.

The Nine Nether Roc did not respond to the congratulations. His eyes were cold, and as he swept over the crowd, it was as if he were looking at a pack of dogs that were still somewhat obedient. "How goes the battle?"

That Nascent Soul Perfection great demon hurriedly stepped forward, head lowered, its voice respectful. "Reporting to the Peng Lord, the nearby human Sects have already been slaughtered clean. Only some stragglers and remnants remain; they are of no consequence and not worth worrying about."

The Nine Nether Roc nodded. "In two days, we will launch a full-scale attack on Xuanhuang Pill Mansion." His voice was not loud, but every word hammered into the ground like a nail. "I will go personally. You will all go as well."

The sleeping palace went quiet for a moment. The demon cultivators looked at one another; some showed difficulty, some hesitated, and some lowered their heads, not daring to look into the Nine Nether Roc's eyes. The leading Nascent Soul Perfection great demon gritted its teeth and bit the bullet. "Peng Lord, as for Xuanhuang Pill Mansion… we have attacked it several times before, but the enemy is holed up within their grand formation, and no matter how we attack, we cannot break in. We have suffered heavy casualties, and now that the Shenduan Sect and Xuanhuang Pill Mansion have merged, relying solely on you, I fear…"

It did not continue, but the meaning was already very clear. The Nine Nether Roc's gaze landed on its face, and it immediately lowered its head, not daring to say more. The sleeping palace was terrifyingly quiet, with only the treasures scattered in the corners occasionally emitting faint flickers of spiritual light.

The Nine Nether Roc was not angry. His tone remained calm. "This time, it will not just be me."

All the demon cultivators raised their heads simultaneously, looking at the Nine Nether Roc. The Nine Nether Roc extended his hand, holding up three fingers. "Myself, Soul-Binding Dao Lord, and Mountain-Suppressing Dao Lord. Three Soul Transformation experts, attacking simultaneously."

The atmosphere in the sleeping palace changed instantly. The previous gloom and oppression were swept away; the demon cultivators' eyes lit up, and some even could not help but let out low cheers. Soul-Binding Dao Lord, whose true form was a Profound Silk Poison Spider, was at the Soul Transformation Early Stage. Mountain-Suppressing Dao Lord, whose true form was a Thick-Armored Ancient Rhinoceros, was also at the Soul Transformation Early Stage. Together with the Nine Nether Roc, three Soul Transformation great demons attacking simultaneously—even if Xuanhuang Pill Mansion's grand formation were made of iron, it would not hold. The look of difficulty on the leading Nascent Soul Perfection great demon's face vanished, replaced by excitement and bloodthirst. "Peng Lord is wise! With three Soul Transformation experts out, Xuanhuang Pill Mansion will definitely be destroyed!"

The other demon cultivators also chimed in, chattering noisily, and the sleeping palace became chaotic for a time. The Nine Nether Roc did not stop them; only when they quieted down did he speak. "All of you, go prepare. In two days, we depart." The demon cultivators responded in unison and filed out of the sleeping palace. The sound of footsteps gradually faded, disappearing into the shadows of the branches. Only the Nine Nether Roc remained in the sleeping palace.

Yun Ming and Jiu Jiu were still there. They did not leave. The Fuli Heaven-Concealing Record was still operating, and their auras remained completely concealed.

The Nine Nether Roc stood up, walked outside the sleeping palace, and stepped along the roof ridge to that silver-white spear stuck at an angle. The spear was thrust into the very center of the roof ridge, its tip pointing toward the sky, and intricate patterns were carved onto the shaft, with spiritual light flowing through them. The Nine Nether Roc reached out, gripped the shaft, and pulled gently. The spear was slowly extracted from the roof ridge, bringing with it a low humming sound. The moment the shaft left the roof ridge, the spear body transformed into a wisp of silver-white light and merged into the Nine Nether Roc's body. That was one of his feathers. Where the spear had been pulled out, a deep, dark opening was revealed, its edges shimmering with flowing spiritual light, extending inward to somewhere unknown.

The Nine Nether Roc bent down and walked into the opening. His figure disappeared into the darkness.

Yun Ming and Jiu Jiu exchanged a glance. Yun Ming nodded, and Jiu Jiu pulled in its wings, following behind him as they also walked into that opening. The Fuli Heaven-Concealing Record was still operating; their footsteps were soundless, their breathing left no trace. The spiritual light at the opening flickered slightly after they entered, then returned to calm. The sleeping palace returned to silence, with only those treasures scattered in the corners shining brightly in the reflection of the spiritual light. No one knew that the Nine Nether Roc had gone in. And no one knew that two others had followed him in.