Sound waves moved softly like ripples on a calm lake, spreading from the volcano's peak to the black rock valley. Every creature touched by the sound waves, every spirit beast, instantly turned into white bones, completely just white bones, not a trace of flesh or blood remaining.
Mu Chen could only stare wide-eyed at the incredible scene before him, his heart trembling with fear. It was truly too bizarre!
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
As the spirit beasts turned into white bones, streams of colorful light emanated from their bodies, tearing through the air with a roar and rushing towards the hovering egg.
"Ooooo."
Facing the vibrant, rainbow-like spectrum of light, surging with powerful spiritual energy, the egg emitted a deep black barrier, like a bottomless pit that devoured everything.
Streams of light from the now skeletal bodies of the spirit beasts merged into the continuously swirling colorful light, entering the pitch-black hole above. The scene was incredibly dazzling and mystical, but the price for that breathtaking beauty was the lives of tens of thousands of spirit beasts, from high-level to low-level.
But the eerie thing that made one's hair stand on end was that the spirit beasts, merely watched as the sound waves successively robbed the life force of other beasts, yet showed no panic or terror. Instead, their bloodshot eyes held a look of fervent worship. It felt as if they were moths flying into a flame, yet they felt greatly honored by it.
This unnatural strangeness made Mu Chen's heart grow cold. He involuntarily stared at the mysterious black egg hovering in the air, continuously absorbing the colorful light. Such a high level of sophistication far surpassed the intelligent spirit beasts Mu Chen had ever encountered. It was even more transcendent than humans, and even more deceitful and ruthless.
"That egg must be the transformation of the Nine Nether Bird..."
Mu Feng cautiously looked up at the sky, his lips trembling as he made his judgment.
"The spirit beasts of the Black Underworld Abyss seem to be voluntarily sacrificing themselves, offering their spiritual energy to nourish the Nine Nether Bird in that egg..."
Mu Chen also commented softly.
Mu Feng nodded in agreement:
"Moreover, it's likely that this isn't the first time this has happened. For many years, it's probable that many spirit beasts in the Black Underworld Abyss have also ventured here to become white bones, providing all their spiritual energy to that Nine Nether Bird."
Mu Feng's expression suddenly turned strange as he said:
"These spirit beasts... it's as if they are being raised by the Nine Nether Bird, given space to grow freely, and then when they become plump and strong, they are killed to seize their spiritual energy."
Duan Wei, standing nearby, shivered upon hearing this. If humans used such a method, it would be quite normal, like raising cattle for milk and meat, but this was a spirit beast, an extremely powerful spirit beast.
"Furthermore... perhaps the bronze piece we obtained was also something it intentionally created to lure greedy humans and absorb their spiritual energy. Currently, I feel we haven't attracted enough of its attention yet, otherwise, our fate would be no different from those spirit beasts."
Mu Feng continued, trembling.
Zhou Ye's face turned pale upon hearing this. If everything was indeed orchestrated by that Nine Nether Bird, then it was truly more sinister than humans...
Mu Chen also sighed. He understood that most of his father’s words were true. He couldn’t help but think of the many people who had ventured in here over the years, led by greed, but ultimately none had made it out. On the way in from outside the Hei Ming Yuan, he had seen quite a few human bones. It seemed that it wasn’t due to insufficient strength to fight those spirit beasts, but rather that after entering, even if they were lucky enough to escape, they were too severely injured and their strength diminished.
“So, what’s the plan now?”
Duan Wei wiped the sweat from his forehead. It was truly the first time they had heard such a terrifying story. These formidable spirit beasts not only possessed strength but also the cunning, deceit, and cruelty of humans.
“Retreat!”
Mu Feng was resolute, without a trace of hesitation. “Don’t even think about the Jiu You Que anymore. No one in this Bei Ling Jing is capable enough to subdue this creature. While it hasn’t noticed us, we must immediately turn back and leave!”
“Yes!”
Subordinates like Duan Wei, hearing their master’s wise decision not to risk his life, secretly rejoiced and breathed a sigh of relief. The situation was too bizarre; there was fundamentally no glimmer of hope. Leaving quickly was the wisest decision.
Mu Feng had clearly decided to abandon his greed for the Jiu You Que. After giving the order, he led everyone to cautiously hug the cliff face, quietly and stealthily moving through the black stone valley to exit.
“Big Brother, the Mu Domain people are retreating!”
Their movements were quickly discovered by the Liu Domain people. Liu Ming immediately reported.
“Let them go!”
Liu Qing Tian said coldly, “The situation is not good. Their departure makes us feel more at ease, saving us some vigilance against them.”
“What about us…”
Liu Ming hesitated for a moment. In truth, he was also terrified by the scene before him. The utterly bizarre black egg, his intuition told him, meant he should get as far away as possible.
“Wait a moment!”
Liu Qing Tian was actually very hesitant and wavering, but he still gritted his teeth and ordered them to stay. The Jiu You Que was too tempting. If he could obtain it, even if there was only a slim chance, he would surely become the overlord of the Bei Ling Jing!
Liu Ming and Liu Zong exchanged glances, both nodding. They had been preparing for this plan for quite some time. To return empty-handed like this would indeed be very unwilling.
As the Mu Domain group quietly retreated, the Liu Domain remained still. In that black stone valley, the tens of thousands of spirit beasts had completely turned into a boneyard.
“Wooooo…”
In the sky, streams of colorful light roared, finally all burrowing into the egg. As the last ray of light vanished, the world here became unusually quiet.
“Crack, crack”
Suddenly, a breaking sound shattered the silence. The sound wasn’t too terrifying, but in the midst of the unusual quiet, it made the people on both sides feel as if they had heard a clap of thunder. They involuntarily looked with horror at the mysterious black egg. They saw a few small cracks had just appeared on the eggshell.
The cracks spread, and a powerful black flame erupted, completely enveloping the egg. As the bizarre black flame rose, the spiritual energy in the heavens and earth also seemed to show signs of boiling.
“That is…”
Mu Feng’s forehead was covered in cold sweat, slowly trickling down his face. His voice was hoarse and difficult. “The Jiu You Que is about to hatch.”
“Kwoork!”
Just as he finished speaking, a clear cry echoed through the heavens and earth, clearly emanating from that black egg. The black flames surged like a whirlwind, engulfing the world and blowing outwards.
The cracks on the eggshell grew wider and wider, finally shattering completely after a distinct breaking sound.
The black flames grew increasingly violent. Mu Chen was shocked by the scene before his eyes: a gigantic black wing, large enough to cover a mountain, stretched out from within the surging black flames.
The black flames burned fiercely in mid-air. Mu Chen gazed through the black flames, vaguely discerning a silhouette engulfed in the fire, elegantly stretching its enormous body. The scene was like an immortal bird dying in the flames, only to be reborn through them.
A terrifying pressure permeated the space; the spiritual energy of heaven and earth had completely boiled over.
"Is that a Nine Netherbird?"
Mu Chen trembled as he watched the enormous creature stretching its wing. Although he couldn't clearly see its form, the vague silhouette only made it more astonishing.
"This spiritual energy fluctuation..."
Mu Feng also stared intently at the blurry, gigantic bird silhouette, swallowing hard. Pressure of this magnitude, he feared, meant even a Three Thousand Realm expert would be no match!
And yet, they had harbored the delusion of subduing this terrifying creature; truly a cunning chicken.
"Let's go!"
Mu Feng was terrified, completely abandoning his original intention. He let out a soft shout, preparing to lead the Mu Domain elites in escape.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
However, just as Mu Feng urged everyone to retreat, a sudden thunderclap echoed from the sky. They looked up, startled, because above the black flames, a vast expanse of black thunderclouds was gathering. Within the dark clouds, faint flashes of lightning moved like terrifying black dragons.
The destructive pressure of a powerful force emanated from the thunderclouds.
"This is... Black Divine Thunderclouds?"
Mu Feng looked at the black thunderclouds, his pupils contracting violently. The pressure made his voice tremble with fear, and he involuntarily cried out.
"Black Divine Thunderclouds?"
Mu Chen was startled by the unfamiliar term.
Mu Feng took a deep breath, suppressing the tremor in his heart, and muttered,
"The Nine Netherbird... it hasn't given up hope yet, it still wants to try evolving again!"