"How about this?" the Immortal Sovereign Yellow Spring said with a smile. "Let me plant my Undying Worm in your bodies, and you can work for me from now on. How’s that?"

"You think you can use us as vessels? Try if you dare," Dark River snorted coldly.

"Seems like you still don’t understand the situation you’re in," Immortal Sovereign Yellow Spring chuckled.

With a casual wave of his hand, the surrounding spiritual energy violently surged.

Before Dark River could react, he was blasted backward, flung through the air.

"Once you step onto the Path of Immortality, you sever ties with the mortal realm," Yellow Spring sneered. "You probably don’t understand the gap between us."

"What’s your connection to the Undying Race?" Chaos asked, narrowing its gaze at him.

"Bloodline from the Desolate Era," Yellow Spring replied with a glance. "Seems you know quite a bit."

"What, afraid to say more?" Chaos pushed.

"Not afraid," Yellow Spring said blandly. "Just no need to explain to you people."

"So, have you considered my offer?"

Before Xu Zimo could reply, Chaos roared and lunged at Yellow Spring with a raised claw.

Yellow Spring chuckled, lifting a hand calmly as infinite spiritual energy swirled around him.

With another casual wave, Chaos was sent flying, its massive body tumbling back.

"Beasts must be tamed," Yellow Spring said, shaking his head with a smirk.

Xu Zimo narrowed his eyes, about to speak, when suddenly, a massive boom erupted in the distance.

The barrier around the city trembled violently.

Cracks and fractures appeared across it.

Yellow Spring's expression shifted. He turned quickly and saw beneath the dark yellow sky, a holy warship slowly approaching.

The ship hovered just outside the barrier. A burly man wielding a giant axe hacked at it relentlessly.

With every blow, the barrier shuddered, looking like it could collapse at any moment.

Panic flickered across Yellow Spring’s face. A vortex appeared above in the sky, he tried to escape.

"Stop him," Xu Zimo said calmly.

At his command, Chaos and Dark River attacked simultaneously.

Their immense auras shook the heavens.

"Get out of my way!" Yellow Spring bellowed, hurling a fist at them.

Dark River’s blood-colored river of fate surged up to meet it, but one punch nearly shattered his True Fate, causing him to vomit blood and stagger.

Meanwhile, Chaos unleashed its innate ability.

From its chest, a blood-colored vortex appeared. Thunder roared, it was like the god of lightning descending.

A beam of pure violet light burst out, piercing the void and striking the yellow vortex that Yellow Spring was using to escape.

Boom!

The vortex exploded into pieces. Spatial turbulence erupted across the sky.

"You dare!" Yellow Spring roared, turning his furious gaze toward Xu Zimo and the others.

Just then, the barrier shattered with a deafening blast.

The holy warship blitzed through like a beam of light, so fast it was barely visible to the naked eye.

Seeing it charge straight toward him, Yellow Spring's face darkened.

"You go too far!" he shouted.

A mighty immortal pressure radiated from his body, blanketing the entire world.

Above him, his True Fate manifested: a massive, dark Undying Mother Worm emerged in the sky.

"He actually used the Undying Mother Worm as his True Fate," Chaos said in shock.

The bug was enormous, with no visible legs. Its chubby body looked like it was wrapped in coils of fat.

From a distance, it might even seem cute, until you saw its face.

Its eyes were narrow and sinister, its face full of deep wrinkles.

It had no nose, and its gaping mouth took up half its face, like dozens of slits torn open. Absolutely horrifying.

As the holy warship slammed into it, the Undying Mother Worm screeched.

With a swing of its massive body, it smashed the ship apart, splitting it in two with a deafening crash.

Several figures flew out from the wreckage.

Leading them was a woman in blood-red armor and a crimson cloak.

She had short hair and pitch-black eyes, with a giant axe strapped to her back.

Her aura was overwhelming.

Pointing at Yellow Spring, she shouted, "Yellow Spring! Submit now and return to receive your punishment. How dare you resist?"

"I’ve tolerated you for long enough!" Yellow Spring roared. "I’ve hidden for years, yet you still hound me. You won’t stop until I’m dead!"

"Fine. Then let’s all die together. I’ll bury you here in Yellow Spring City!"

As his Immortal Sovereign aura erupted, a soft sigh echoed across the world.

"Foolish child... you haven’t changed."

The moment the voice sounded, Yellow Spring froze.

That voice, it was painfully familiar.

He turned his head slowly and looked to the sky.

A young man carrying a longsword walked toward them from the horizon.

He looked only about twenty years old, with a gentle face.

But his eyes were deep and endless, filled with the movement of stars and all the laws of the universe.

He had no overwhelming aura, but the moment he appeared,

The entire world fell silent.

"Zenith Immortal..." Chaos whispered in awe.

In an era where Heaven’s Will was undefined and no Grand Emperors roamed, Zenith Immortal was the apex of the world.

"Master..." Yellow Spring murmured.

"It’s been a long time since we last met, hasn't it?" the youth smiled.

"You've become what you are now... I share the blame for not disciplining you better."

"Is it wrong to seek power?" Yellow Spring asked softly.

"No," the youth said, shaking his head. "But your methods are completely wrong."

"Enough fighting. Come back with me to the clan. As your teacher, I can promise your life will be spared."

"I’m not going back," Yellow Spring said flatly. "Either let me go… or kill me."

The youth sighed gently.

He raised his right hand and flicked his finger.

A ray of immortal brilliance shot out.

Before anyone could react,

The beam pierced the Undying Mother Worm’s forehead.

With a wail, the monstrous bug disintegrated.

"No... how could the difference be this vast..." Yellow Spring muttered, face pale.

Without looking back, he tried to flee.

The youth calmly extended his hand again.

A chain of immortal light formed in the air, cutting through the void, and bound Yellow Spring tightly in mid-air.