The冥族女皇 (Nether Clan Empress) turned pale upon hearing this, nearly fainting on the spot.
She recalled the past.
The Great Immortal Kong Xu, wielding the Xuanyuan Sword, had almost single-handedly overthrown the entire Nether Imperial Dynasty.
The vast Nether Clan was decimated by him, scattered and broken.
However, the proud and stubborn Nether Clan Empress refused to surrender. Instead, she led the remnants into seclusion.
After more than ten thousand years of dormancy, the Nether Clan finally recovered some vitality and planned to re-emerge and conquer the world.
Unexpectedly.
They ran into Ji Mo.
And for this, they bore a heavy burden.
Not only did they offend over a dozen major powers in the Nine Heavens, but they might have also incurred the wrath of the Candle Dragon clan, potentially leading to their annihilation.
The Nether Clan Empress believed all of this was Ji Mo's doing, a calculated move by this scoundrel.
She never imagined that after hiding for over ten thousand years, she would finally fall!
"You... you're playing with me..."
The Nether Clan Empress trembled with rage, her astonishingly ample chest heaving violently.
"Ah? You're too kind, I don't play..."
Ji Mo stared at her alluring figure, involuntarily swallowing, and forced himself to look away.
"Honestly, girls should be more reserved. So direct, asking me to play with you right away. I'm really not that kind of person."
"Ji, stop pretending. I never thought you were so cunning. I will never let you succeed."
The Nether Clan Empress roared, her face filled with shame and indignation.
She was convinced that Ji Mo had meticulously planned everything, luring the Nether Clan into an abyss only to subjugate them for his own use.
Ji Hanhan was utterly bewildered, his expression one of confusion.
"What did I do to be considered cunning? Women are truly fickle. Did she turn on me because I didn't 'play' with her?"
"The Void Sword Sect, you can go if you want, or not if you don't. It's as if I'm forcing you."
Ji Mo left after saying this, turning to depart.
The Nether Clan Empress glared at him, wishing she could pounce on him and bite him fiercely.
In this situation, it seemed she was no longer in control, completely at Ji Mo's mercy.
She felt indignant and shouted loudly.
After wandering for over ten thousand years, she had avoided Kong Xu but couldn't escape Ji Mo. What a cruel fate!
"Your Majesty, what are you doing?"
Hearing the commotion, the Fourth General ran over.
He couldn't understand why the Empress, who usually paid great attention to her appearance and demeanor, was so distraught.
"That bastard Ji, he's played us all..."
The Nether Clan Empress was filled with grievance, on the verge of tears.
"Ah, he played you? Does this guy mean he's abandoning you after getting what he wanted? How despicable! I always thought he looked refined, gentle as jade, and well-mannered. I never expected him to be no different from other men – a scumbag who's heartless once he's had his way!"
The Fourth General cursed, his expression one of utter disappointment, as if he had been blind.
"This is too much! Even if you go to a brothel, you have to pay! You can't just take without paying, is there no bottom line?"
The Nether Clan Empress was stunned and wanted to slap the Fourth General to death. She gritted her teeth and explained, "He didn't play *me*, he played *us*, all of us!"
"What? He played Your Majesty and wasn't satisfied, and now he has designs on me? I knew it, I always felt his gaze towards me was strange..."
The Fourth General was babbling on when the exasperated Nether Clan Empress finally slapped him away.
After that, she calmly explained the situation.
The Fourth General was dumbfounded and then belatedly said, "I knew something was off when I first heard Ji Mo's name. 'Kong Xu' (Void) and 'Ji Mo' (Loneliness), aren't they clearly on the same path? Since it's come to this, Your Majesty, why don't we just surrender?"
He sighed heavily, still feeling lingering fear from the memory of the Great Immortal Kong Xu.
Now, this Ji Mo gave him a feeling of being even more terrifying than the Great Immortal Kong Xu.
Facing such an existence, resistance would only lead to suffering.
"He dreams if he thinks I'll surrender."
The Nether Clan Empress gritted her teeth, but her words clearly lacked conviction.
Seeing this, the Fourth General advised, "We can't just be turtles in their shells again and go into hiding, can we? Besides, can we even escape?"
The Nether Clan Empress was speechless. Finally, she left with the Fourth General that night, intending to discuss the matter with her clan and make a decision.
When she arrived, she was full of confidence, believing her three-tenths power was enough to handle Ji Mo. Little did she know, she would be the one handled, and this time, she might have dragged the entire Nether Clan down with her.
The next day, led by Mo Lun, Ji Mo headed straight for the Nine Heavens, towards the Nine Heavens阙 (Que - Celestial Palaces).
He intended to visit the Tongtian Sect to see the half-section of the stone sword. If it was the Zhu Xian sword, he would take it back.
The Nine Heavens阙 were constructed from countless floating immortal mountains and blessed lands, forming nine distinct spatial layers.
This was the dojo of the great figures in the Immortal God Realm and the stationed areas of the most powerful forces in the Immortal Spirit Realm.
In essence, the most advanced combat power in the entire Immortal Spirit Realm was gathered here.
There were even rumors that divine beings slumbered within the Nine Heavens阙.
...
Tongtian Sect.
Located in the first layer of the Nine Heavens阙.
Of course, in terms of overall strength, the Tongtian Sect had the capability to reside in higher layers of the Heavens阙.
However, their Sacred Sword, the incomplete stone sword from beyond the heavens with an unknown origin, had chosen to take root on a colorful stone mountain in the first layer of the Heavens阙. Therefore, their founding ancestor established their lineage in the first layer.
Clouds and mist swirled, and immortal energy was ethereal.
Compared to the underground, the environment of the Nine Heavens阙 was incomparably better.
High mountains and flowing water, as well as exotic immortal birds and beasts, were visible everywhere.
The immortals passing by were dressed in bright, luxurious robes, very eye-catching.
Mo Lun, riding his flying sword, brought Ji Mo towards the Tongtian Sect.
His expression was rather peculiar, as Ji Mo seemed like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world, marveling at some of the immortal lands.
"With Mr. Ji's cultivation, he couldn't possibly be someone who hasn't seen the world. His expression must have a deeper meaning. Perhaps being a trafficker of people is no longer enough for him, and his next step is to conquer territories?"
Mo Lun was alarmed, wondering if Ji Mo intended to claim land.
He secretly noted down the places Ji Mo had praised, planning to seize them if the opportunity arose to please Ji Mo.
He remembered that a corner of the Zhu Xian Sword Formation was still buried in the wasteland of Blood State. If he could please Ji Mo, perhaps he could obtain that sword formation.
For someone like Ji Mo, serving him well would surely be immensely profitable.
In the past period, the Tongtian Sect had been in an uproar.
The Sacred Sword suddenly emitted a world-shattering sword light, causing the entire sect to erupt.
Many speculated that the Sacred Sword's revival must have a reason, and it might choose a suitable person to be its master.
Therefore, in recent days, all the disciples of the Tongtian Sect had flocked to the sacred ground, hoping to gain the Sacred Sword's recognition and soar to the heavens.
However, despite trying every method, no one could elicit even the slightest fluctuation from the Sacred Sword.
Even some elders had cut themselves countless times, forcing out their vital blood to smear on the stone sword, but to no avail.
The stone sword remained like an ordinary stone, showing no change.
"An illusion, it must be an illusion. That terrifying sword light the other day was perhaps not emitted by the Sacred Sword. We must have been mistaken."
Several elders gathered and discussed at length, reaching this conclusion.
They were convinced that the sword light was emitted by some other rare treasure.
The other disciples also agreed, endorsing this theory.
After all, in their eyes, the stone sword, apart from the peculiar patterns on its blade, had no other value, as it had long been determined that the stone sword contained not a trace of energy.
Just as these people dispersed, the stone sword, which had been silent, seemed to sense something. It glowed with flowing light and erupted with terrifying sword intent.