Though time seemed to slow, the Nine Yin Venerable appeared out of thin air ahead, launching several beams of black light from his sleeves that struck the Green Spirit Communication Talisman, revealing they were in fact Black Needles.

The Black Needles, five inches long and slenderly sharp, shimmered with a captivating Divine Soul aura, each with a black thread connected to its tail end.

Although the Black Needles were exceedingly fast, they were unfortunately a moment too late; the Green Spirit Communication Talisman had already disintegrated into specks of green light and dispersed.

Striking the Xi Ying Clone in the chest, the Black Needles easily penetrated through, raising puffs of Blood Mist.

The black threads on the tails of the needles wrapped around her, in an instant enveloping her in several layers, seemingly about to entrap her completely.

However, the Xi Ying Clone suddenly transformed into a stone about a yard high as her actual figure appeared dozens of yards away, utilizing Yuan Ming's Six Jia Qimen Divine Ability.

Once again the Xi Ying Clone spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, her eyes conveying an unusually pained expression, still straining to activate the Blood Puppet Armor.

A layer of Blood Light illuminated her figure, yet she turned into a Blood Shadow, continuing her escape towards the distance.

With a mere flick of his fingers, the Nine Yin Venerable summoned the Black Needles back to his sleeve, his eyes revealing a look of surprise.

His Sky Bright Needle was not an ordinary treasure, but a painstakingly crafted imitation of a Spiritual Treasure, constantly enhanced over the years with various precious materials, its power nearly rivaling that of a true Spiritual Treasure.

Furthermore, the Sky Bright Needle attacked not only the physical body but the Divine Soul as well. The fact that this person endured its strike twice and seemed virtually unharmed was astonishing.

"This person appears not to be a normal Cultivator, but rather something like a Puppet..." the Nine Yin Venerable pondered in silence, electing not to pursue the Xi Ying Clone any further; after all, his mission from the Wu Yue God was to recover the soul collection item.

The Nine Yin Venerable's form flickered with black light and once again vanished, transforming into a dark silhouette speeding ahead.

Though his Escape Technique was profound, it was considerably affected underground, and it was no longer traceless; a vague shadow could be discerned.

The Xi Ying Clone shivered as the Nine Yin Venerable's fleeing direction was precisely where the Silver Kong Tree Demon was located.

She hastily set off in that direction too, her Divine Sense sending a message to Silver Kong to pack up the Soul Suppressing Kettle and leave.

The Silver Kong Tree Demon had already sensed the clash between the Xi Ying Clone and the Nine Yin Venerable, and being already on edge, he heaved a sigh of relief upon receiving the Xi Ying Clone's message, quickly retracting the Soul Suppressing Kettle and melting into the void.

No sooner had his figure disappeared than several Black Needles shot out from the void, harshly striking where he had been standing.

The Nine Yin Venerable emerged, his expression fluctuating unpredictably.

...

Deep beneath the Black Wind Desert, a flicker of green light indicated the appearance of a second Green Spirit Communication Talisman beside Yuan Ming.

He crushed it without hesitation, and a stream of information flowed into his Sea of Consciousness.

"Nine Yin Venerable, Wu Yue God, soul collection..." Yuan Ming muttered to himself, pulling out a Silver Token as he unfolded a silver barrier around him, protecting his body.

He summoned the Stealing Heaven Tripod and took out a black incense tinged with a trace of green—the Black Incense.

This was a Black Incense capable of controlling another's actions, now incorporating a component acquired from Red Leaf Island, the Green Phoenix Pine.

In this period, Yuan Ming had tested the inclusion of Green Phoenix Pine and confirmed it did not affect the control over others while significantly extending the Black Incense's burning duration to half an hour.

Yuan Ming lit the Black Incense, recalling the Evil Eye Venerable's appearance, and inserted it into the Stealing Heaven Tripod.

The Xi Ying Clone's brief message had succinctly described the situation over there.

The situation was critical, and possessing the Nine Yin Venerable would yield the optimal effect.

However, unable to identify the Nine Yin Venerable by appearance and therefore unable to possess him with the Black Incense, he had no choice but to settle for a secondary target—the Evil Eye Venerable.

Yuan Ming's vision darkened, and by the time it cleared, he had already taken possession of the Evil Eye Venerable's body.

At that moment, the Evil Eye Venerable was engaged in combat with Tianyinzi.

Tianyinzi manipulated the same Golden Giant Bell he had used previously, along with a Green Flute, a Blue Pipa, a Red Konghou, and a Yellow Drum.

With the exception of the Golden Giant Bell suspended above his head, the other four treasures were positioned at Tianyinzi's sides.

Each instrument emitted different Sound Waves, some grand and magnificent, others gentle as water, all imbued with attacks on the Divine Soul, assailing from all directions.

The Evil Eye Venerable, not utilizing any treasures, released seven or eight differently shaped Divine Soul Transformations—lions, tigers, snakes, scorpions—all exhibiting various Soul Cultivation Divine Powers to engage with Tianyinzi's treasures in a tense exchange.

However, at the instant of Yuan Ming's possession, the consciousness of the Evil Eye Venerable sank into oblivion, and the movements of the Divine Soul Transformations became sluggish with no longer any attacks being launched.

Although Yuan Ming could control the possessed individual's Mana, he was unable to use the other's Divine Soul Power.

Tianyinzi immediately noticed the anomaly from the Evil Eye Venerable and quickly performed hand signs, pointing towards the Golden Bell above his head.

The Golden Giant Bell suddenly enlarged many times over, shooting forward rapidly to envelop the several Divine Soul Transformations within it.

Clang!

With a tremendous sound, the Divine Soul Transformations inside were all shattered to pieces.

Yuan Ming paid no heed, instead turning and flying off into the distance, vanishing from the chaotic battlefield in the blink of an eye.

Tianyinzi, taken aback by the sudden retreat, did not pursue but instead slaughtered the remaining Divine Soul Transformations, then dived into the melee against other Wu Yue Sect Cultivators.

After Yuan Ming, who was controlling the Evil Eye Venerable, completely got rid of Tianyinzi's pursuit, he found an empty space and burrowed underground, heading straight for the location of Xi Ying Clone.

The divine abilities of Nine Yin Venerable were astonishing, and the situation of Xi Ying Clone was precarious. He needed to get there to help as soon as possible.

As he flew his escape technique, he was also inspecting the physical body and storage bag of the Evil Eye Venerable.

"Eh, what is this?" Yuan Ming's face showed surprise.

Inside the Dantian of the Evil Eye Venerable were three black jade tokens, each surrounded by Blood Light, condensing into three tiny blood-colored figures. Each figure possessed clear facial features and appeared lifelike, as though they were living people.

Of the three figures, one looked exactly like Luo Yongqi from the Senluo Sect; the other two, a black-bearded man and a red-dressed young woman, were strangers to him.

"Could this be the Primordial Spirit Token?" Yuan Ming speculated in his mind.

He had learned of such items from Xi Ying; these were means by which the Wu Yue Sect controlled others, by infusing their Essence Blood into the token to gain complete control over the person's life and death.

Yuan Ming circulated his mana and injected it into the three Primordial Spirit Tokens.

On the battlefield above, Luo Yongqi, the black-bearded man, and the red-dressed young woman all shook violently, their faces showing intense pain.

The next instant, the three also used techniques to burrow into the ground and followed Yuan Ming as he flew towards the surface.

"It really is the Primordial Spirit Token." With a bright look in his eyes, Yuan Ming accelerated his tunneling speed through the sensing of Luo Yongqi and the others' statuses via the Primordial Spirit Token.

Having these three people to assist put him at a slightly better advantage in facing the Nine Yin Venerable.

Even though their progress was somewhat slowed by the underground terrain, the group rapidly left the battlefield, urgently heading towards Xi Ying Clone's location.

Meanwhile, at another place underground, Xi Ying Clone and the Silver Kong Tree Demon were battling fiercely against the Nine Yin Venerable.

Xi Ying Clone was enveloped in a dazzling yellow glow, a result of the Taiyin Refining Spleen Technique.

Around the clone's center, the Earth Core Primordial Magnetism twisted, forming a strange gravitational field, where anyone entering it felt like they were trapped in a vast quagmire, impeding their movement.

Drum-sized Earth God Thunders emerged from the ground, targeting the Nine Yin Venerable one after another.

Meanwhile, the Silver Kong Tree Demon sporadically appeared and vanished within the void around the Nine Yin Venerable, coordinating with Xi Ying Clone's attacks.

However, no matter how fiercely Xi Ying Clone and Silver Kong attacked, they couldn't touch the Nine Yin Venerable, whose movements were ghostlike and seemingly unaffected by the Earth Core Primordial Magnetism.

On the contrary, the Black Needles of the Nine Yin Venerable shot out like a viper's tongue, hitting their target with unerring accuracy.

Xi Ying Clone was injured in many places, appearing increasingly feeble.

Thanks to its Space Escape Technique, the Silver Kong Tree Demon wasn't hit by the Black Needles but found opportunities to launch attacks becoming exceedingly rare.

"The Nine Yin Venerable is truly formidable!" Yuan Ming inwardly exclaimed, scrambling for a strategy.

Feeling the approach of "Evil Eye Venerable" and the others, the Nine Yin Venerable's eyebrows knit together. He temporarily ceased his assault and retreated a hundred zhang, positioning himself near the newly arrived "Evil Eye Venerable" and company.

"Evil Eye, why have you brought people here? Our sect is currently clashing with the Cloud Desolate Alliance. Return to assist them immediately!" The Nine Yin Venerable glanced at "Evil Eye Venerable" and Luo Yongqi's trio, his tone clearly displeased.

Luo Yongqi and the others were also somewhat confused; lowering their heads under the Nine Yin Venerable's scrutiny, they dared not meet his gaze.

"Heh heh, does the Nine Yin Venerable think so little of me? The Wu Yue God requires Divine Soul nourishment, and the current chaos is exactly what He desires. If I were to repel the people of the Cloud Desolate Alliance, I fear it would trouble the Wu Yue God," "Evil Eye Venerable" laughed.

A flicker of surprise crossed the Nine Yin Venerable's eyes. He hadn't told anyone about Wu Yue God's plans, yet this Evil Eye Venerable had guessed it right. It seemed he had underestimated him before.

"Moreover, I recognize this woman and know a bit about her divine abilities," "Evil Eye Venerable" said, looking towards the white-dressed woman nearby who was on her guard. The latest chapters are uploaded first on *.

"Oh, who is this person?" the Nine Yin Venerable asked with a slightly serious expression.

"She is..." "Evil Eye Venerable" moved closer to the Nine Yin Venerable.

A huge black Sharp Claw Treasure, the size of a millstone and seemingly refined from the claw of a demon beast, emerged out of thin air, viciously clawing towards the Nine Yin Venerable's chest.

"Are you insane, Evil Eye!" The Nine Yin Venerable's voice turned cold as he quickly backed away.

His speed was ghostly, and even without any preparation for the Evil Eye Venerable's attack, he still managed to create a gap of several zhang instantly.

"Space Folding!" Silver Kong stretched out both hands, grabbing at the void towards the Nine Yin Venerable as if kneading dough.

The space between Yuan Ming and the Nine Yin Venerable suddenly twisted and folded, bringing the Nine Yin Venerable who had moved away instantly back to his original position.

The black Sharp Claw Treasure, carrying a ferocious and evil wind, harshly struck the Nine Yin Venerable in the chest.

A series of cracking sounds, the noise of breaking bones, reverberated as the chest of the Nine Yin Venerable caved in, with an unknown number of bones shattered, and blood spurting violently.

His face mask also flew off from the impact, revealing a strange face that was a mix of both yin and yang features.

Yuan Ming looked at the Nine Yin Venerable's face, committing his features to memory.

Seeing this, Luo Yongqi's trio was shocked, clearly unaware of what had transpired, not understanding why the two Venerables had suddenly started fighting.

Moments later, the voice of "Evil Eye Venerable" rang in the trio's ears: "You three don't just stand there. Attack the Nine Yin Venerable with all your might, or I will immediately crush your Primordial Spirit Tokens!"

The expressions of Luo Yongqi's trio changed rapidly. After exchanging looks, they each brought out their magic treasures, and for a moment, streams of rainbow light and the glint of weapons surged toward the Nine Yin Venerable.