Nine Nether Sparrow

Black flames swept outward like a storm, filling the sky.

Under everyone's gaze, the dense cracks covering the black egg of light in the sky finally burst apart with a crisp crack.

The black flames grew even more violent. Then, to their astonishment, Mu Chen and the others saw a black wing large enough to obscure a mountain stretch out from the towering inferno.

Within the flames, an enormous silhouette elegantly stretched her massive body, like an ancient undying bird reborn from the fires of karma.

A terrifying spiritual pressure spread outward, setting the spiritual energy throughout this stretch of heaven and earth boiling.

"Is that the Nine Nether Sparrow?"

Mu Chen stared in awe at the enormous creature elegantly stretching her body amid the towering black flames. Although he could not make out her appearance, even that hazy outline was breathtaking.

Mu Feng also stared fixedly at the enormous, indistinct figure, then swallowed.

At that moment, he felt that they were utterly ridiculous. They had actually dared to set their sights on such a terrifying beast. A single breath of flame from her would probably burn him to death, wouldn't it?

"Go, now!"

Mu Feng drew a deep breath, having completely abandoned all hope. With a low shout, he prepared to retreat without another thought.

"Don't rush..." Heavenly Insect stopped Mu Feng and the others. Under their puzzled gazes, he chuckled. "Look closely. She's preparing to undergo a tribulation!"

"When a Heavenly Beast undergoes a tribulation to evolve into a Divine Beast, the danger is immense..."

Heavenly Insect's gaze swept across the people from the Mu Domain before finally settling on Mu Chen.

"Mu Chen, do you have the guts to be the fisherman who reaps the spoils?"

Mu Chen froze at his words. Looking at Heavenly Insect, he asked incredulously, "Brother Heavenly Insect, what do you mean?"

"She's already failed once before. Generally speaking, anyone who fails a tribulation is annihilated by its terrifying lightning. But this Nine Nether Sparrow escaped with her life last time. Who can guarantee that she'll die this time?"

At those words, not only Mu Chen but also Mu Feng and the others beside him felt their eyes light up. Their hurried steps to escape involuntarily slowed.

"This Nine Nether Sparrow is already a top-tier Heavenly Beast. Even if her evolution fails, her Beast Soul probably won't be much inferior to a Divine Beast's..."

Now Mu Chen was truly tempted!

"A Divine Beast..."

The distinction between a Spirit Beast and a Divine Beast was only a single word, yet it represented a gulf that even ten thousand years of bitter cultivation could not bridge.

Mu Chen involuntarily pressed his lips together. That simple word carried unparalleled pressure, because every Divine Beast in the Great Thousand World was an extraordinary existence. Even Supremes had to regard these inhuman overlords of heaven and earth with apprehension.

"But if this Nine Nether Sparrow vanishes into smoke and ashes during the lightning tribulation, we won't be able to obtain her Spirit Beast Essence at all," Mu Chen said regretfully.

Heavenly Insect nodded. "Correct. If this Nine Nether Sparrow fails her tribulation and dies, naturally, there'll be nothing left. But what if she survives? Or goes a step further and succeeds? She probably won't have much strength left by then either. Wouldn't that be the best opportunity?"

"A fifty-fifty chance. It all depends on your choice..."

Mu Chen's brows drew together, and he silently glanced at Heavenly Insect.

He kept feeling as though Heavenly Insect was deliberately egging him on to take this risk. But what would Heavenly Insect gain from that?

Could he want this Divine Beast Essence too? But the way he's acting doesn't seem like it...

Taking a deep breath, Mu Chen remembered the promise he had once made to a certain girl, as well as his promise to his father that he would bring his mother back. He knew he had to seize every opportunity that might make him stronger!

A crisis-

Danger and opportunity had always gone hand in hand. Everything would depend on his luck! "Father, let's wait here for a while!" Mu Chen did not hesitate for long before turning to Mu Feng.

Mu Feng sighed inwardly. He could hear the resolve in his son's words, so he simply nodded in encouragement.

Since his son had made his choice, as his father, he naturally had to do everything he could to help!

Rumble!

The Black God thunderclouds in the sky gave off deep, rolling rumbles.

Beneath that thunder, Mu Chen and the others felt the spiritual energy between heaven and earth trembling, as though it feared that terrifying heavenly might.

Screee!

A clear bird cry rang through the heavens. Amid the black flames filling the sky, the concealed Nine Nether Sparrow beat her enormous wings. Countless black flames surged, transforming into pillars of fire that shot upward and slammed toward the black thunderclouds.

"She actually dares to attack first?!"

Zhou Ye and the others were stunned by the sight.

Heavenly Insect, however, was not surprised at all.

After all, Nine Nether was no less proud than those Divine Beasts. Besides, as the daughter of the Nine Nether Sparrow Clan's chief, if she lacked even this much courage, she would probably be too ashamed to return to her clan.

Boom!

In the sky, the black thunderclouds churned. Black lightning coiled like enormous black dragons, coldly regarding the countless pillars of black fire roaring toward them. The next instant, it surged downward with devastating power.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The black lightning and pillars of black fire collided violently high in the distant sky. For an instant, heaven and earth seemed to explode.

The thunderous noise shook the ground violently, and cracks spread outward from the Black Basin.

Heavenly Insect watched in awe. As an Otherworlder, this was also his first time witnessing a terrifying battle capable of directly reshaping the terrain.

Moreover, lightning and flame were two of the most violent, destructive forms of energy. As they intertwined, the entire sky looked as though the apocalypse had arrived.

"This is only the commotion caused by a Heavenly Beast undergoing her tribulation. I wonder what battles between Supremes and Earth Supremes look like!"

At that moment, even Heavenly Insect began to itch to cultivate.

In the sky, the clash between lightning and flame grew fiercer...

Struck by lightning, the Nine Nether Sparrow let out a piercing cry. All the black flames surrounding her transformed into a terrifying firestorm that swept toward the Black God thunderclouds above.

The Black God thunderclouds grew even more violent. An enormous vortex formed at their center, and Heavenly Insect and the others could clearly see countless strands of black lightning gathering within it. Finally, they formed an immense pillar of lightning that blasted outward and slammed directly into the black firestorm.

Whoosh!

Like the thunder god's punishment, the black pillar of lightning tore the black firestorm apart by force. The whole world seemed to darken at that moment.

The black firestorm, which held all the Nine Nether Sparrow's strength, was thwarted once again. She erupted into an utterly furious cry...

"The Nine Nether Sparrow can't hold on much longer..." Watching this, Mu Feng could not keep a trace of worry from appearing on his face.

If the Nine Nether Sparrow was blasted to death by the lightning tribulation, they really would return empty-handed this time.

Heavenly Insect merely shook his head and said calmly, "With a Divine Beast's pride in her heart, she won't admit defeat so easily..."

Mu Chen glanced at Heavenly Insect in surprise, unsure why he had such confidence in the Nine Nether Sparrow.

Indeed, events unfolded just as Heavenly Insect had said. The Nine Nether Sparrow was already preparing to stake her life on one final attempt.

The black flames filling the sky rapidly contracted, as though they were all burrowing into the Nine Nether Sparrow's enormous body.

As the black flames withdrew, the Nine Nether Sparrow's enormous body finally appeared clearly before everyone's eyes.

She was an immense creature nearly a hundred thousand feet long. Her outstretched wings could blot out mountains, and the black feathers covering her body were deep and mysterious, with wisps of black flame flowing between them. Long tail feathers extended elegantly behind her, their tips crowned with clusters of slowly burning black flames.

Although the Nine Nether Sparrow was enormous, there was not the slightest trace of bulkiness to her. Her curving form looked elegant and slender instead, mysterious and beautiful enough to enchant the heart.

At that moment, Heavenly Insect vaguely recalled the original novel's description of Nine Nether's human form: tall and strikingly beautiful, with a hint of wildness in the movement of her lovely eyes. Her figure was lithe, her long, slender legs smooth and taut, exceptionally alluring. Her waist was willow-slender, and her neck as graceful as a swan's.

Hmm, if those descriptions of a beautiful woman were adapted to the Nine Nether Sparrow's true form, this would probably be what they looked like...

Yet in stark contrast to that graceful form, the Nine Nether Sparrow's eyes were filled with furious defiance!

She stared fixedly at the thunderclouds coiled in the sky, then beat her wings. Fierce winds instantly rose between heaven and earth. Black flames spread over her enormous wings as she became a streak of black, blazing light and soared upward, charging at the black thunderclouds with every last ounce of her strength.

"She's about to fly into the flame like a moth..."

Watching this, Heavenly Insect could not help feeling moved. He had not expected Nine Nether to be so resolute.

But cultivation had always meant going against heaven, and the evolution of a Spirit Beast meant seizing the very fortunes of heaven and earth. Without such resolve, how could one possibly pass heaven's trial?

"We're about to see the outcome..." Mu Feng watched with similar emotion, though what he felt most was regret.

Rumble!

Heaven and earth fell silent. Only the thunder rang out.

A bolt of black lightning almost as large as the Nine Nether Sparrow herself tore through heaven and earth like a ferocious, enraged black dragon. Finally, it slammed into her body as she charged straight toward it.

Black lightning spilled across the sky. Its indescribable thunder spread into the distance, reaching almost every corner of the Black Nether Abyss.

Such heavenly might made the Spirit Beasts living in the Black Nether Abyss howl in utter terror. They lay trembling on the ground, not daring to move a muscle.

Everyone present stared at the sight in the sky, their faces filled with shock and their minds reeling!

That power was far too terrifying. If it struck them, probably not even a scrap of them would remain.

Screee!

Beneath the raging black lightning, a mournful, piercing cry rang through heaven and earth, filled with defiance and despair.

"The Nine Nether Sparrow is going to fail!"

Hearing that cry, Mu Chen somehow felt a desolate sorrow well up in his heart.

Is this Black God Lightning Tribulation really so powerful? Even an existence as mighty as the Nine Nether Sparrow can't withstand it and will perish.

"Brother Heavenly Insect..." Mu Chen turned, wanting to ask whether Heavenly Insect had any way to help. Then he abruptly came to his senses, realizing that it was a foolish question.

Heavenly Insect's gaze remained calm as he told everyone, "Fall back a little first. The Nine Nether Sparrow is about to self-destruct..."

"What?!" Mu Feng, Zhou Ye, and the others were startled.

Self-destruct? Is this Nine Nether Sparrow really so unyielding?

Before they could say anything else, the black flames between heaven and earth began blazing fiercely, and the temperature suddenly soared.

Now Mu Feng no longer dared to doubt Heavenly Insect's words. He hurriedly ordered the people from the Mu Domain to retreat.

A terrifying explosion erupted in the sky, like an enormous black fire lotus blossoming.

Streaks of black flame fell like black meteors crossing the heavens, trailing long tails of fire as they rained down everywhere. It was a vision of the apocalypse.

Fortunately, Heavenly Insect had warned them in advance. Otherwise, they would probably have struggled to survive such a terrifying explosion.

Even so, the black meteors filling the sky remained an immense threat. The next instant, Mu Feng and Zhou Ye, old comrades-in-arms, acted together in perfect accord, releasing spiritual energy to form a thick wall of spiritual light.

Heavenly Insect also acted, but he formed a silver shield of spiritual energy instead... the upper Spirit Grade spiritual art, Xuan Ling Shield!

Whoosh!

Black flames came screaming down with long black tails before slamming into the wall of spiritual light.

Bang!

Mu Chen and the others felt a crack burst open in the ground beneath their feet. Scorching heat washed over them, making their skin sting.

The wall of spiritual light stubbornly resisted an incoming streak of black flame, while cold sweat streamed down Mu Feng's and Zhou Ye's foreheads.

Compared with those two, Heavenly Insect was faring much better. After all, the Mu Domain lacked the resources to produce an upper Spirit Grade spiritual art...

Mu Chen happened to be sheltering behind Heavenly Insect. Seeing the silver spiritual shield effortlessly block the flames and flying rocks, a trace of envy flashed in his eyes.

It could not be helped. The strongest technique Mu Chen currently cultivated, the Senluo Death Seal, was only upper Mortal Grade. Its power was respectable solely because of its unusual nature.

But the spiritual shield before him was at least a Spirit Grade spiritual technique, and even within that grade, it ranked highly.

While Mu Chen was admiring Heavenly Insect's spiritual shield, he failed to notice a black flame rapidly hurtling toward him.

Or perhaps he had noticed, but with the shield blocking the way ahead, he had paid it no mind.

"Mu Chen, watch out!"

The sudden roar left Mu Chen looking bewildered, and he could not help turning his head.

The next instant, his eyes flew wide, and his pupils dilated...

I'm in trouble!

That thought barely flashed through Mu Chen's mind before he felt a surge of scorching heat rush toward his face. Excruciating pain instantly flooded his mind, his vision went black, and he toppled backward.

In the instant before Mu Chen's vision darkened, his heart was still filled with confusion...

Why did I still get hit when I was hiding in the back?