261: Netherworld Spirit

"It seems the Japan has been backed into a corner."

In a secret base in the Dragon Country, Elder Hong leaned back slightly in his chair and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke.

Seated upright beside him was an elderly man in a military uniform; though aged, his eyes shone with a sharp, cold light, making him appear very spirited and capable.

The old man's name was Qin Feng. In his youth, he held the title of the Dragon Country's strongest Soldier King and had participated in countless special operations. Later, due to his age, he stayed by Elder Hong's side to manage military affairs.

Regarding the Dragon Country's military, Elder Hong made the primary decisions, while Qin Feng was responsible for strategizing and execution.

His contributions to the Dragon Country were immense; not only the Beidou Starlink and the Southern Heaven Gate Starship, but even the cannons hidden beneath the Magic Capital were his brainchild.

"Given the current situation, the objectives of the various countries are obvious, but we must also prepare for the worst-case scenario."

Hearing Elder Hong's words, Qin Feng's expression remained calm and ripple-free.

Although the various nations had bared their fangs, these weapons were merely a reminder; with today's technological level, those cannons held little deterrent power.

This was pressure and a warning to the Dragon Country. If the Dragon Country remained obstinate, only then might actual military sanctions be implemented.

Of course, it was truly possible for the Japan to burn its bridges. The Dragon Country had long since taken precautions against this nation.

If the Japan made a desperate final counterattack, the Dragon Country would take the opportunity to crush them completely.

However, they had to prepare for the worst, because the various nations had already united. It was possible they would use the Japan's counterattack as an opportunity to pull the Dragon Country down from its pedestal.

"Elder Qin, proceed with the arrangements according to your plan."

Facing the pressure from various countries, Elder Hong did not dwell on it too much.

After Qin Feng left, he looked out the window and murmured to himself:

"Next, I'll have to deal with that bunch of idiots. I wonder what that kid Xiao Xing has planned!"

...Inside the Netherworld Divine Pool, Xiao Xing stayed for an entire day.

He had originally intended to leave first and return once the netherworld essence spirit matured, but he was worried Yan Yan might be in danger, so he waited patiently by her side.

Because Yan Yan absorbed a large amount of Netherworld Power, she had now broken through to the god emperor realm, and her body had even grown to the appearance of a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl.

Skeleton Ji also broke through to the god emperor realm, his stature significantly taller than before.

Their greatest changes were in their attributes and abilities; their strength had undergone a qualitative leap.

This was the effect of high-level power. Including the God of Death and Ye Fan, everyone had improved quite a bit, but because their strength was already high, simply absorbing Netherworld Power did not result in a Breakthrough in Realm.

Every time the Netherworld Divine Pool erupted, the thing that made people most envious was the netherworld essence spirit. Only a treasure of this kind could provide a massive boost to a God Emperor Expert.

The super god-tier treasure chest was an excuse, the Netherworld Power was incidental; the netherworld essence spirit was the primary goal.

When the unknown rift closed completely, everyone slowly opened their eyes. The real struggle was just beginning.

Looking at the essence spirit at the bottom of the pool as its light gradually dimmed, not only Ye Fan and the others, but even the God of Death's eyes flickered, waiting for the spirit to fully mature.

It had now reached the Peak of the God Emperor Realm. As long as it absorbed the essence spirit, it would have the potential to break through to the God King Realm. In time, it might even break through to that Realm.

Individual Clones like them not only provided an extra layer of insurance for the main body but, upon cultivating to a certain level, could also perfectly merge back into the main body, thereby increasing its strength.

"Your Excellency God of Death, give me this essence spirit first."

Seeing the other's expression, Xiao Xing brought out the cosmic cube.

Although he wasn't afraid of the God of Death, there was no need for a fight now, and he didn't want to make an enemy of him.

In his player state, with his current strength, he might not necessarily be able to defeat a True God Realm expert, because the opponent could instantly wipe out the entire Netherworld in the blink of an eye.

"Jie jie~, the cosmic cube, a supreme treasure. It makes me want to kill you right now and take the treasure for myself."

Seeing the cosmic cube, the God of Death's eyes shone brightly, and his voice became even more piercing.

supreme rank treasures are the highest level of existence in the Universe, numbering no more than ten. Even True God Realm experts would go mad for them, and the God of Death was no exception.

"If you think you can do it, you can try."

Xiao Xing ignored the God of Death's words, picked up Yan Yan, and flew toward the bottom.

Not wanting to make an enemy of a True God Realm expert wasn't out of fear. If the God of Death really made a move, he wouldn't mind revealing his trump cards; it was still uncertain who would emerge victorious.

Soon, Xiao Xing and Yan Yan arrived in front of the essence spirit. At this moment, the essence spirit was continuously condensing, showing an effect that could increase Soul power by over 400,000 points, and it was still rising.

The God of Death struggled internally for a moment before decisively giving up on the plan to seize the cosmic cube.

It wasn't that he didn't like treasures, but not even his main body could see through Jian Chen's specific strength. Otherwise, given the nature of Ming and Xiu, they would have definitely made the entire Netherworld disappear earlier.

Furthermore, Otherworld Warriors were protected by the Main God. Even if he killed them, whether the cosmic cube would drop was still a question.

However, while the God of Death had no intention of seizing it, Ye Fan and the others flew over one after another, attempting to snatch the netherworld essence spirit.

They didn't take an Otherworld Warrior like Xiao Xing seriously at all. Without the God of Death's intervention, there was a high chance of them snatching the essence spirit.

"The eight of you hold him back; I'll go get the essence spirit."

After giving a brief instruction, Ye Fan dashed toward Xiao Xing and Yan Yan.

The eight God Emperors only needed to delay the God of Death for a moment for him to seize the essence spirit, so he was full of confidence.

As for Xiao Xing and Yan Yan, he didn't care at all. An Otherworld Warrior plus a god emperor realm ant were nothing before him and posed no threat.

Above, the eight God Emperor Experts spread out and instantly deployed a Formation, enveloping the God of Death within it.

After finishing this, the eight of them revealed smiles.

They hadn't expected it to go so smoothly. Now that the God of Death was trapped, even if he was at the Peak Realm, breaking the Formation would take some time. The ownership of the essence spirit was self-evident.

Seeing the actions of the eight, the God of Death did not try to struggle, but the corner of his mouth hidden under the black robe curled up slightly.

An existence that even their main bodies didn't want to provoke, and who possessed a supreme rank treasure—how could a mere God Emperor Realm expert shake him?

"The netherworld essence spirit is not for you."

The moment Ye Fan appeared, he raised his hand, intending to slap Xiao Xing and Yan Yan away.

Given his character, he wouldn't kill the two directly, but since they were blocking him from taking the treasure, he wouldn't be pleasant either.

Hmm?

Seeing the palm about to land on Yan Yan's face, Xiao Xing's expression hardened. With lightning speed, he raised his foot and kicked Ye Fan away.

-315,000,000

Ye Fan didn't react at all; his body flew backward like a sharp arrow, stopping only when he hit the pool wall, his health bar instantly emptied.

Xiao Xing hadn't had much killing intent just now. If Ye Fan had tried to slap him, he could have forgiven it, but he absolutely should not have aimed for Yan Yan.

He didn't intend to kill Ye Fan on purpose, but with his attributes, any casual attack would be an instant kill, which was why he rarely acted nowadays.