Although Nether River did not attack the group, Li Xingkong remained vigilant. Who knew what this infamous fellow might do?
Seeing the group's serious and prepared demeanor, Nether River chuckled disdainfully.
"If I wanted to eat you, you wouldn't even be left as ashes. Look at your cowardly state."
"Within this vast expanse of tens of thousands of miles, who doesn't know your fearsome reputation? We, the disciples of Jade Void, we..."
Fufu is, after all, from the future era, and he still has a certain drive in his bones.
"Hey, you guys... you wouldn't even want to eat anything that's hard to chew, but this kid's alright, he has a kind of otherworldly air about him."
Nether River completely ignored the others, sniffing at Li Xingkong as if he had spotted something delicious.
"Unfortunately, I had a prior agreement with those old fogies from your Jade Void Palace. Consider yourself lucky to have left the territory of the Nether River."
Will the old demon keep his promise?
Li Xingkong didn't believe him at all and stared at him intently, ready to run away at the slightest sign of trouble.
"Tch, what kind of look is that? Do you think I'd actually attack you?"
"Who knows?"
"Those old guys from the Jade Void Palace are annoying, but I'm not afraid of them. However... if I break the agreement, and those guys from the Jade Void Palace don't send people to the Era of Chaos, then I'll starve. I know how to eat well one meal a day."
Nether River rubbed his nose. Clearly, what made him keep his promise wasn't any personal character, but simply the endless war between the Jade Void Palace and the Demon Clan, which required a constant influx of people to the battlefield.
The Nether River is both the battlefield itself and the truce sign of this war.
When he was active, all life above the Nether River Styx ceased, and the Jade Void Palace and the Demon Clan were physically separated, ending the war.
And while he sleeps, a new round of war will continue to break out.
He did indeed find Li Xingkong quite tempting, but he was reluctant to risk offending those old fogies from the Jade Void Palace over this meal.
"Since you're not here to cause us trouble, why bother coming to see us?"
Compared to this man, they were nothing more than lowly karami. Li Xingkong didn't understand why he wanted to meet them.
"Hmph, of course there's something on your mind."
Nether River snorted, and from the endless river behind him spewed out countless magical treasures and odds and ends, mostly common items carried by cultivators. Then, with a wave of his hand, he collected these spewed-out items into a small pouch.
"This is your Jade Void Palace's trash, take it back with you."
With a flick of his wrist, the small bag landed directly in Li Xingkong's hand.
Li Xingkong weighed it in his hand, and a wisp of his Divine Sense had already probed inside.
The trash in the mouth of the Nether River was none other than the magical artifacts and weapons of the cultivators who perished here. Most of these artifacts still retained their power and, with a little repair, would be top-notch items.
But to immortals... these things are practically trash.
"Take what you need and get out of here, or I might lose my temper."
Before Nether River could finish speaking, he had already vanished into a pool of water, disappearing without a trace.
He never showed his true identity from beginning to end.
Seeing the Nether River depart, the group immediately felt a weight lifted from their shoulders and breathed a sigh of relief.
" Fufu, you are truly brave!"
After catching his breath, Shao seemed to have recovered and looked at Fufu with a smile.
In his era, the tribal system was still in place, and social classes were not yet clearly established, but the worship of the strong was ingrained in people's very being.
"So what? If I could beat him, I would..."
"Alright, alright, let's talk about this from a distance."
Yisu interrupted her and looked at Li Xingkong.
"Since you've just Era of Chaos, why don't you come with us to the Jade Void Base? It's relatively safe there, and you can catch your breath for a few days."
Li Xingkong did indeed have the idea of making a trip to the Jade Void Base, and having a few people lead the way would be most appropriate.
Without further ado, they set off. Yisu sent Li Xingkong a coordinate, and Li Xingkong led the group along. Then they began a series of spatial teleportations.
The closer Li Xingkong got to the Jade Void Base, the more stable the space around him became.
In areas farther from the Jade Void Palace, spatial fluctuations were constant, with even multiple layers of space overlapping and Xingkong tearing each other apart. However, as Li Xingkong got closer to the Jade Void Palace Base, he discovered that all the surrounding Xingkong had been unified, and the Spatial Ring became a seamless whole.
No matter which Xingkong or even different timeline you look at it from, this Jade Void Base is the same one.
It possesses a unique and unparalleled quality, spanning ancient and modern times and encompassing the entire Era of Chaos.
When Li Xingkong led the group to the coordinates and stepped onto the Jade Void Base, he saw countless gates of all sizes around him, leading to various periods of the Era of Chaos. As Li Xingkong entered, they could also see countless cultivators from other periods coming and going around the encampment.
Such a secure base could not possibly have been established by one person alone.
Li Xingkong sensed hundreds of different types of Immortal Power mixed into the structure of the base.
It is precisely because of the joint efforts of many immortals that this settlement has been able to stand firm in this Era of Chaos, remaining indestructible since time immemorial.
"Hey, isn't this Yisu? How did the mission go? I remember you went to the Blood Sea Battlefield 30 years ago, how come you're back so soon?"
"Don't even mention it, the Nether River has awakened!"
"Wow, Frog Fun, you're awesome! You actually came all the way back! I thought you were going to go back home."
"Get lost! Who do you think I am? Even the Nether River would have to give me some face. I didn't say a word, and he obediently left."
As soon as the group landed in the square, acquaintances came to greet them.
The Era of Chaos is long, with constant warfare. Every cultivator who comes to this place does not act rashly. They choose a mission that suits them and may spend decades on it.
"You're just bragging. Once we're out of this base, let's see who can save you."
Don't talk nonsense, I'm not bragging.
Yisu's eyes widened, looking quite serious. "Besides, the base is protected by powerful methods; even immortals wouldn't listen to us. What's wrong with me saying something?"
Then he didn't forget to turn around and say something to Fufu.
"Outside the camp, one dares not discuss anything related to immortals, because if immortals mention it, they will sense it. But it's different back at the camp; this place is very safe."
Li Xingkong followed behind the group, watching them chat while observing their surroundings.
This place resembles some kind of large spatial teleportation platform. Basically, all cultivators who need to go on field missions have to go through this area. On the main road leading from the teleportation platform into the base, several mirrors are suspended high, reflecting all the cultivators coming and going.