In the deepest part of the Dragon Vein Secret Realm, within a chaotic and oppressive world.
There was no wind, no light, only the constantly swirling black mist and Law turbulence.
The rock walls were as dark as ink, faintly emitting a Hellfire-like glow, and the air was filled with a nauseating corrosive aura, as if every breath would scorch the lungs.
The Heaven And Earth Spiritual Essence was extremely chaotic, time was discontinuous, space was intertwined, and even a Cultivator's Divine Sense found it extremely difficult to extend here.
And it was in this Chaos that a figure stumbled out.
It was Zhong Tianyi.
At this moment, he was covered in blood.
His originally handsome and clear face was now blurred by bruises and black Qi.
His expression was extremely weary, his steps were difficult, yet he was still moving forward.
With each step, cracks spread beneath his feet, as if even the earth was rejecting his arrival.
He painstakingly stepped into this area.
“This Physical Body cannot yet withstand such terrifying Netherworld...”
Zhong Tianyi gasped for air, but a fervent light burned in his eyes.
Even though his entire body was permeated with pus and his Qi and blood were depleted, his eyes remained fixed on the figure ahead.
It was Jiang Ye!
At this moment, Jiang Ye was sitting cross-legged beside a shimmering pool.
Beneath him, a milky white liquid surged, crystal clear and fragrant.
An entire sea of innate immortal liquid, with only a tiny bit left to be collected by him.
The jade bottle was sealed with a Magical Artifact seal, not even a trace of Spiritual Qi leaked out.
The entire bottom of the pool had dried up, and even the Spiritual Light that originally floated in the Void Realm had dimmed.
Hearing the commotion behind him, Jiang Ye slowly looked up, raising an eyebrow slightly, then a smile that wasn't quite a smile appeared on his lips.
“Oh?”
“Isn't this Brother Zhong? How did he end up like this? It makes me feel a little pained.”
As he spoke, he calmly stood up, patted the dust from his sleeves, and with a flick of his finger, a clear immortal light spread out, sweeping away the dust beneath his feet.
His expression was relaxed, his tone gentle, but deep in his eyes was a coldness and wariness.
On the surface, he was calm and collected, but in his heart, his nerves were already taut.
He had just finished collecting this innate immortal liquid sea.
Zhong Tianyi had risked his life to break in.
If it was a coincidence, Jiang Ye would never believe it.
Especially Zhong Tianyi’s current state, which explained everything.
And Zhong Tianyi's arrival here clearly came at a great cost.
He was entwined with large patches of grey-black Netherworld, like snakes coiling around bones, almost completely corroding his entire Physical Body, even his Soul light was faintly distorted. That he could endure to walk here clearly meant he was risking his life.
At least for now, seeing that he was contaminated with this Netherworld, it was clear that “Zhong Tianyi’s” Physical Body was beyond saving.
But why would he take such a risk?
Jiang Ye’s eyes flickered, thoughts racing through his mind, quickly deducing countless possibilities.
“This guy, he’s not here to fight to the death, is he?”
He couldn't help but be wary.
Even if this Zhong Tianyi was not some Protagonist of Destiny, his danger level was even more terrifying than all the Protagonists of Destiny he had encountered.
“Jiang Ye.”
“Did you know my specific plan from the very beginning?”
Zhong Tianyi’s voice was a little hoarse, his eyes fixed on the jade bottle, the corners of his eyes twitching slightly.
“Hm?” Jiang Ye smiled faintly, holding an ancient bronze turtle shell in his hand at some point, and said at the same time:
“No.”
“Then it seems this is my fate?”
His tone was calm, yet it couldn't hide the hint of greed deep within.
Jiang Ye still maintained his indifferent demeanor, smiling gently, his eyes as clear as water, “This immortal liquid, originally an ownerless item, can be taken by whoever has the ability.”
“Brother Zhong does not have this Opportunity today, so there is no need to be too obsessed...”
“A blessing in disguise, how do you know it’s not a good thing?”
Zhong Tianyi sneered, a hint of mockery appearing in his eyes:
“A blessing?”
“Now that the Various Great Dao Lineages have all entered, and I am covered in filth and entangled by Netherworld, I will be discovered sooner or later.”
“But you have a spatial Magical Artifact, you can just leave, leaving behind a mess and traces of Qi, and in the end, I’ll have to take the blame for all of this?”
“What a scheme, Jiang Ye.”
As he spoke, his voice gradually grew heavier, each word like a hammer striking the heart.
Jiang Ye raised an eyebrow slightly, his expression unchanged, saying, “The feeling is mutual. Brother Zhong traveled thousands of miles, contaminated by Netherworld, wasn’t it all for this pool of immortal liquid?”
“Naturally.”
Zhong Tianyi gave a dry laugh, “But now it seems, Brother Jiang has gained quite a lot.”
Jiang Ye’s gaze narrowed, his eyes slightly squinted.
Of course, he understood the meaning behind that sentence.
Zhong Tianyi’s appearance today was no accident.
He had collected all of this innate immortal liquid sea, not a single drop was left.
And the innate immortal liquid was the Origin of this Dragon Vein Secret Realm; once he extracted it, it was equivalent to completely changing the Law structure of this place.
In other words, Zhong Tianyi’s plan had been unintentionally disrupted by him, right?
This also explained it.
Why Zhong Tianyi’s gaze at him now was like looking at someone who shouldn't be there.
Suddenly, Zhong Tianyi moved!
A strong and heart-palpitating Divine Soul fluctuation erupted from his body without warning!
“Jiang Ye! You ruined my plan, today I shall use your body to mend my life!”
Before his voice fell, his entire being collapsed like a skin, his flesh and blood instantly shriveled into a corpse that crashed to the ground.
Only a wisp of pure Divine Soul remained, transforming into a black stream of light, which fiercely crashed towards Jiang Ye’s Sea of Consciousness!
At that moment, Jiang Ye’s pupils constricted, and as he sensed the danger, he immediately activated the ancient bronze turtle shell in his hand!
“Space Transfer!”
Buzz!
A golden array pattern rapidly spread out from the turtle shell as its center, condensing into a swirling portal. Jiang Ye’s figure flashed, instantly disappearing into it.
The power of space twisted the entire area, and he was directly teleported out of the Dragon Vein Secret Realm’s core area.
The next moment, his figure had already appeared near the Secret Realm entrance.
But before he could even let out a sigh of relief, that wisp of black stream of light, like a maggot on a bone, also followed, tightly entwining his Divine Soul!
“It can even track spatial imprints!?”
Jiang Ye’s expression changed, and the depths of his Sea of Consciousness immediately vibrated violently!
Zhong Tianyi’s Divine Soul carried an extremely strange corrosive power, as if it didn't come from the normal world, but from the forbidden power of the deep Netherworld!
Just upon contact, his Divine Soul felt a sharp pain.
“Hahahaha!”
“Jiang Ye, you can’t escape!”
“This move, I prepared specifically for you!”
Zhong Tianyi’s voice echoed in his mind, filled with ferocity and madness, “Your Physical Body is truly wonderful.”
“Throughout countless eons, such a Physique is absolutely unique!”
“Perhaps, I should directly use your body to prove my Dao path!”
That wisp of his Divine Soul surged into Jiang Ye’s Sea of Consciousness like a tide, black light overflowing, beginning to erode the Divine Soul Origin!
“Jiang Ye... your struggles are useless, my Divine Soul secret art is specifically designed for Primordial Spirit and the Sea of Consciousness.”
“You only have one outcome: to become my shell!”
His voice was like thunder, impacting Jiang Ye’s consciousness.
“Heh heh.”
Jiang Ye sneered, Spiritual Light surged around him, forcefully stabilizing the Sea of Consciousness fluctuations.
“To use Divine Soul Possession in front of my Jiang Clan, isn’t that a bit too foolish?”
“However, your courage is indeed not small.”
Just then.
Within the Sea of Consciousness, a strange fluctuation suddenly appeared.
Only to see, in the deepest part of his Sea of Consciousness, a dark and ancient soul refining pot slowly appeared. The body of the pot was like cast iron, engraved with strange runes, and within it, a Phantom Fire burned, like a spiritual flame.
The soul refining pot!
