191: Those were all his tamed beasts.

"This place is quite good..." Lin Chuan exclaimed.

While Xia Jing and Xia Yuan were wondering what Lin Chuan meant by "good," they heard Lin Chuan say plainly:

"Come out."

Immediately afterward, the remaining thousand-plus Xuanming Guards inside the Nether Domain Space instantly appeared, covering the entire hillside.

Xia Jing: ... Xia Yuan: ...

"Disperse and hunt Monarch Rank creatures! Strive to advance soon! Nether Ten, Nether Thirteen, and Nether Fourteen, stay here to advance."

"As you command!"

The thousand-plus Xuanming Guards said in unison.

Their voices were perfectly synchronized, shattering the clouds.

"You know about this too?"

Xia Jing looked at his grandson, who was equally stunned and dumbfounded, and knew that asking him would be pointless.

However, Xia Jing narrowed his gaze and re-examined the young man before him, no longer holding any contempt due to his age.

The power Lin Chuan now controlled was nearly as strong as any of the Nine Venerables, perhaps even far surpassing them.

After all, no one reveals all their trump cards at once.

"Interesting!"

Xia Jing felt a surge of excitement in his heart.

The variable he had long awaited, the key to breaking the deadlock, had finally appeared!!

A power completely detached from the Yao Race, the Netherworld, and even the Human Race!!

He no longer cared how Lin Chuan had gained control of this power; it was meaningless.

Since Lin Chuan dared to display it openly, it meant he had absolute confidence and was not worried about an attack from him, a Peak King Rank expert.

Watching Lin Chuan hand three king-rank soul pearls to the three Peak Monarch Rank individuals, Xia Jing and Xia Yuan both guessed what was about to happen.

"So that's it!"

Xia Jing understood. No wonder Lin Chuan was so obsessed with king-rank soul pearls.

Come to think of it, Lin Chuan had been collecting king-rank soul pearls a month ago, but no one could have imagined he had such a use for them.

A month ago, Lin Chuan had just entered the academy less than a month prior, had just stepped into the Netherworld, and had just advanced to Gold Rank... Xia Jing continuously sorted and combined all the information he had about Lin Chuan in his mind...

"Venerable Xia, I hope it's alright if I borrow your territory for hunting and advancement?" Lin Chuan asked with a deliberate smile.

"Damn it, kill away! You can kill them all if you want!"

"Then thank you. Over on my side, there are too few Monarch Rank creatures. I finished killing them in a few days; it simply wasn't enough," Lin Chuan said disdainfully.

Xia Jing, Xia Yuan: ...

"Lin Chuan, do you intend to use the commotion of these three advancing to lure out that Nether King?" Xia Jing asked.

"Exactly. Even if he doesn't come out, it doesn't matter. By then, I will have twelve Nether Kings, plus you, Venerable Xia, and we can launch a direct assault," Lin Chuan nodded.

Currently, Lin Chuan's only concern was that the fellow might be too cautious and recall all the subordinates he had sent out, in which case he would have to temporarily give up.

However, even so, Lin Chuan would not lose out.

Not only would he gain three newly advanced Nether Kings, but he would also have opened a pathway directly to Xia Jing's location.

As long as this Mid-level Temple Nether King dared to recall its subordinates, Lin Chuan would immediately wipe out all of its subordinate Elementary regions in one sweep, unless they gathered together permanently.

But that was clearly impossible. Temple Nether Kings cannot leave their territory for long. This restriction applies not only to Nether One but to all Nether Kings.

There will always be times when they are alone.

You Qi did not go over directly with the subordinates from his territory because he was worried that he and the Nether King who stole the You Hong temple crown would reach the mandatory return deadline at the same time, which would be awkward.

He would let his subordinates surround the area for a few days, and then You Qi would go over to ensure everything was foolproof.

That Nether King had hunted three or four Nether Beasts in just a few days, certainly also to advance subordinate Nether Kings, plus the two they originally had. This meant the opponent had at least six Nether Kings.

Being targeted by such a force made You Qi feel like a bone was stuck in his throat, yet he truly couldn't recall who he had offended.

The surrounding Mid-level Temple Nether Kings hadn't made any major moves recently, so he couldn't even find anyone to fight.

However, You Qi absolutely could not imagine that the opponent's numbers were about to double what he expected, and they had already arrived directly in his territory.

Even as they spoke, the advancement of the three Nether Kings had already begun.

"I never thought the advancement of a Nether King would be so simple!" Xia Yuan exclaimed.

Thinking of himself, he had been stuck at Peak Diamond Rank for several years, and only recently showed signs of breaking through, likely mostly spurred by Lin Chuan.

"Uncle Xia, is it really simple? Every one of them absorbed hundreds of Monarch Rank soul orbs, then fought alone against multiple enemies, honing their combat experience through slaughter. Finally, they must have one king-rank soul pearl to advance," Lin Chuan explained lightly.

Such conditions would be nearly impossible to meet in the wild Netherworld.

Only here with Lin Chuan could both Monarch Rank and king-rank soul pearls be provided.

All that remained was continuous fighting and slaughter.

Every one of these subordinates was an elite forged through battle.

"That's why I say you kid are truly monstrous, creating such a huge commotion without a word!" Xia Yuan complained.

Damn it, not only could he not defeat Lin Chuan's King Rank subordinates, but he wasn't even confident against those three Monarch Rank individuals before they advanced!

"How dare you speak? If you haven't advanced to King Rank before next month, I'll break your legs," Xia Jing said dismissively.

Xia Yuan: ...

At this moment, inside You Qi's temple.

You Qi was holding a bottle of light green water of life, occasionally opening the bottle for a deep inhale, then quickly capping it, afraid of wasting even a trace.

"These days are wonderful!"

His face was full of enjoyment, clearly euphoric.

If one could enjoy this every day, who would rush out to fight to the death?

"Hmm? A Nether King is advancing?"

Just as You Qi was about to take another breath of the water of life's aroma, he suddenly felt a strong fluctuation coming from the direction near the Human Race Secret Realm entrance.

"Advancing over there, isn't that just seeking death?"

You Qi's first reaction was wondering which idiotic Monarch Rank subordinate of his had run so close to the Human Race territory to advance.

There was a formidable character on the Human Race side.

You Qi had clashed with Xia Jing several times and naturally knew the opponent was not to be trifled with.

If he didn't intervene, the subordinate would definitely be killed by the humans seizing the opportunity.

Although getting killed wouldn't matter much, his territory had just lost three King Rank individuals and needed replenishment...

"Damn it!"

Cursing under his breath, You Qi had no choice but to get up and act as a Protector for his 'subordinate'...

"He's coming!"

Xia Jing, whose eyes had been closed, suddenly opened them and looked into the distance.

"Good. I'll trouble Venerable Xia to engage him first, and I will seize the opportunity to release my subordinate Nether Kings to surround him."

"Mm."

Xia Jing replied.

Following that, the surrounding light and shadows flickered.

Beside Xia Jing, two more Xia Jings had appeared at some point.

One of them quickly turned into a black shadow, vanished into the distance; the other merged into Xia Jing's main body, becoming one.

Immediately after, a blood-colored armor suddenly appeared, bursting with blood light, forming a hundred-meter-tall blood-colored phantom image.

Without Xia Jing needing to do anything, the armor automatically assembled itself onto his body.

The fully armored Xia Jing gave Lin Chuan a deep look, then said: "I shall depart!"

He vanished instantly.

"Were those two Venerable Xia's Clones?" Lin Chuan asked Xia Yuan curiously after Xia Jing left.

"Uh... no, those are both his controlled beasts... maybe, perhaps, he thinks he looks cool?" Xia Yuan explained awkwardly.

Lin Chuan: ... He couldn't help but recall the scene when Long Ming referenced his appearance when transforming.