In the blink of an eye, more than half of Shen Bing and Shen Xue's spirit beasts had fallen.
Shen Bing unleashed the bloodline power of the Undying Nether Phoenix to counterattack.
Shen Xue also utilized her beast-taming talent, Necrotic Fusion, merging with multiple spirits to form a powerful entity with the Hell Titan as its core.
Together, they were confident they could take down even a Dominator-level spirit.
Unfortunately, they were facing the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor.
With a gentle pat of its hand, the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor sent Shen Bing and Shen Xue crashing to the ground.
It then used the high-level skill Soul Binding Lock to control them.
Following this, the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor intended to take them, along with Shen Jiuxiao, to the Soul Suppression Tower.
However, before it could act, a series of strange noises echoed.
A deafening rumble shook the air.
The Nine Nether Ghost Emperor stepped into the air and looked into the distance.
It saw the sea of blood expanding outwards furiously.
The expansion rate was accelerating.
Waves hundreds of feet high were even rising from the sea of blood.
What is this thing?
The Nine Nether Ghost Emperor was also perplexed.
It was its first time encountering such a bizarre sea of blood.
However, this was not important to it.
It had no intention of understanding the situation of the blood sea and prepared to carry Shen Jiuxiao and her daughters to the Soul Suppression Tower.
But fate had it that the blood sea seemed to be targeting it, moving in its direction.
The blood waves grew higher and higher, blocking out the sky.
Even the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor, flying in the air, felt like a sailing ship on the sea, on the verge of being plunged into the blood sea at any moment.
The Nine Nether Ghost Emperor was not one to be bullied.
Its temper flared, and it unleashed its only two Nine Nether Divine Bodies.
The two Nine Nether Divine Bodies unleashed the ultimate skill, Soul Lament, towards the provocative blood sea.
The increasingly high waves seemed to be cut in half by an unseen force, falling from the sky.
Countless streams of blood water plunged back into the sea.
But this was not the end; even larger blood waves began to form.
It seemed determined to engulf the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor.
In the distance, Zheng Dong and others also arrived one after another.
Wei Yi was the first to arrive. She did not intervene.
She knew she was no match for the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor, and her intervention would be futile. Moreover, she had no connection to Shen Jiuxiao and her daughters and was unwilling to risk her life for them.
When Zheng Dong arrived, Shen Bing and Shen Xue were already under the control of the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor, and the sound of the churning blood sea could be heard from afar.
The timing was not right to act now.
Therefore, the group hid to observe the situation.
To ensure their safety, Ling'er prepared for spatial teleportation to move them further away.
After all, the blood sea before them was extremely bizarre.
If they were caught in its influence, it would be troublesome.
Even larger blood waves surged, reaching for the clouds, forming a blood wall that blocked the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor.
A flicker of disdain crossed the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor's eyes.
A bluff!
With a roar, the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor and its two Nine Nether Divine Bodies attacked simultaneously, unleashing a punch.
The immense power shattered the blood wall.
Countless streams of blood water rained down.
Then, everything seemed to return to calm.
The Nine Nether Ghost Emperor confidently carried Shen Jiuxiao and her daughters, preparing to leave.
But after only a few steps, the blood sea began to churn.
It boiled like lava in a volcano, with red bubbles and blood mist rapidly spreading outwards.
A faint, ethereal silhouette also appeared above the blood sea, looking up and meeting the gaze of the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor.
The Nine Nether Ghost Emperor frowned.
It did not recognize the silhouette.
However, it could sense that the silhouette was extraordinary.
"Come, you shall be the first quasi-divine level vengeful ghost in this sea of blood!" the silhouette said with a smile to the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor.
As the silhouette spoke, its body gradually solidified.
It had a rough appearance, a typical burly man.
"Blood Prison King?" the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor guessed.
Near the Blood Prison, anyone powerful enough to reach the quasi-divine level and not inferior to its peak strength could only be the Blood Prison King.
The Blood Prison King did not deny it. Its previous attacks were all tests of the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor.
Upon discovering that the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor was injured, it decided not to let it leave.
If it could convert the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor into a vengeful ghost within the blood sea, it could control the blood sea to expand without restraint.
This would allow it to deal with more quasi-divine level spirits.
Even if it couldn't conquer the entire Nether Ghost King Realm, it could use the blood sea to turn most of the realm into a desolate land.
This was its parting gift to the Nether Ghost King Realm.
The blood sea, this malignant tumor, would eventually destroy the Nether Ghost King Realm.
It wasted no more words.
It launched its attack directly.
Countless vengeful ghosts, transformed from spirits, emerged from the blood sea and lunged at the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor.
The Blood Prison King also transformed into a blood river, sweeping towards the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor.
Facing the Blood Prison King, the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor dared not be careless.
After all, its injuries had not yet healed.
The power it could exert was limited.
Coupled with its two Nine Nether Divine Bodies, it could only barely contend with the Blood Prison King.
However, there were still countless vengeful ghosts surrounding them.
These vengeful ghosts varied in strength, but they were unkillable.
After being killed, they would revive in the blood sea and continue to attack the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor.
The Nine Nether Ghost Emperor was also carrying Shen Jiuxiao and her daughters, which made its movements somewhat restricted.
In the end, it had no choice but to throw Shen Jiuxiao and her daughters towards a distant hill.
Seemingly sensing that the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor cared deeply for Shen Jiuxiao and her daughters, the blood waves surged towards the hill, threatening to engulf it.
"Bastard, how dare you!" the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor roared in anger.
The Nine Nether Ghost Emperor and its two Nine Nether Divine Bodies surrounded the Blood Prison King and attacked it ferociously.
Unfortunately, they still couldn't harm the Blood Prison King.
The Blood Prison King was like a slippery, difficult-to-catch loach, always evading or blocking its attacks.
Meanwhile, the blood sea in the distance was about to engulf the hill, threatening to submerge Shen Jiuxiao and her daughters.
The Nine Nether Ghost Emperor, without time to think, rushed to save them.
For it, Shen Jiuxiao's death was inconsequential, but Shen Bing and Shen Xue were vessels prepared for the Nether Ghost King God and could not be harmed.
However, this momentary distraction allowed the Blood Prison King to exploit a weakness, knocking it into the blood sea with a single punch.
Countless streams of blood water pressed down on its body.
A blood-colored vortex formed beneath its feet, firmly anchoring it and preventing its escape.
Fortunately, it still had its two Nine Nether Divine Bodies.
Even if its main body died, as long as one Nine Nether Divine Body remained, it would not be truly dead.
Unable to break free from the blood sea, its mental consciousness and nascent divine spark were transferred to one of the Nine Nether Divine Bodies through a special method.
Seeing the hill completely submerged and its original body trapped in the blood sea, the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor was enraged.
"Bastard, do you really think I have no way to deal with you?"
With a ruthless resolve, it detonated its original body.
This surprised even the Blood Prison King.
This fool is truly ruthless to himself!
The Blood Prison King tried to stop it, but it was too late.
With a deafening explosion, countless streams of blood water were sent flying into the air.
The vengeful ghosts within the blood sea were also annihilated.
The Blood Prison King was also injured in the process.
However, the injuries were not severe.
The Blood Prison King wiped the blood from the corner of its mouth and licked it with its tongue.
Indeed, its own blood tasted the best.
Despite being injured, it still had no intention of letting the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor go.
Before attacking the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor again, it glanced in the direction where the hill had disappeared.
It sensed that Shen Jiuxiao and her daughters had not been swallowed by the blood sea.
Damn rats, I'll deal with you later.
The Blood Prison King engaged the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor again.
With only two Nine Nether Divine Bodies remaining, the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor's strength was significantly weakened.
Facing the Blood Prison King's attacks, it could only barely cope.
In desperation, the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor secretly called for help.
It hoped that Ming Cheng from the Soul Suppression Tower would come to its rescue.
Ming Cheng was making the final preparations for the resurrection of the Nether Ghost King God.
Once the arrangements were complete and a suitable vessel was found, the Nether Ghost King God could be resurrected.
Currently, only the final grand formation was missing from the preparations.
Given three more days, Ming Cheng could complete it.
Upon learning of the situation with the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor, it had to halt its progress.
This was not only for the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor but, more importantly, to prevent the vessel from being destroyed.
Initially, it had its sights set on Shen Bing and Shen Xue. Now, it favored Zheng Dong's body more.
As for who would be the most suitable in the end, that remained to be tested.
However, it would take time for Ming Cheng to travel from the Soul Suppression Tower to the Blood Prison.
It could only hope that the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor could hold on.
On the other side, Zheng Dong also instructed Ling'er to use spatial teleportation to rescue Shen Jiuxiao and her daughters, who were about to be engulfed by the blood sea.
Shen Bing and Shen Xue were still sealed, unable to use their beast-taming talents or summon any spirit beasts.
Shen Jiuxiao was severely injured and had fallen into a coma.
"Zheng Dong, quickly save my mother!" Shen Xue said.
Shen Bing also placed her hope on Zheng Dong.
Saving Shen Jiuxiao was not difficult.
Zheng Dong examined her and found no external injuries, suspecting internal damage.
Zheng Dong had Ling'er use the combined skill, Profound Speed Regeneration, and also condensed a few healing and nourishment fruits.
After the treatment with Profound Speed Regeneration, Shen Jiuxiao regained consciousness and gradually woke up.
Then, without a word, she took the healing fruits from Zheng Dong and began to eat them.
After recovering, her gaze towards Zheng Dong seemed to have changed.
The intense hostility was gone.
She walked to Shen Bing and Shen Xue and began to find a way to break their seals.
The high-level skill, Soul Binding Lock, used by the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor was relatively easy to break, and it did not pose a challenge for Shen Jiuxiao.
She had encountered this skill before.
Within the Spirit God Sect, some individuals' spirit beasts also possessed Soul Binding Lock, which they used to seal other beast tamers.
Therefore, Shen Jiuxiao was able to decipher it.
Having survived the ordeal, Shen Xue was the first to rush into Shen Jiuxiao's arms. Shen Bing's eyes welled up with tears, and she was then embraced by Shen Jiuxiao.
Zheng Dong watched the scene calmly.
Wei Yi and the others also remained silent.
Soon, Shen Jiuxiao returned to normal.
She looked at Zheng Dong.
Then she looked at the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor and the Blood Prison King still fighting in the distance.
"I think we should leave first. Both of them are formidable opponents. To find a way to break the Vengeful Ghost Ring, we will have to find another opportunity."
Shen Jiuxiao did not urge Zheng Dong to take risks.
After all, Zheng Dong had just saved the three of them.
Even if Shen Jiuxiao hadn't said anything, Zheng Dong had already planned to leave.
He was unwilling to undertake tasks without certainty.
"I am rather curious, why was the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor trying to capture you?" Wei Yi asked, smoothing her hair.
Immediately, Professor Nong Xiu, Xiang Ru Chuanqi, and Shi Qian all turned their attention to Shen Jiuxiao and her daughters.
"You ask me? Who should I ask?" Shen Jiuxiao replied unceremoniously.
Wei Yi frowned.
She glanced at Zheng Dong and did not press further, nor did she want to fall out with Shen Jiuxiao.
Zheng Dong urged everyone to leave the area quickly.
Afterward, they used spatial teleportation all the way to the vicinity of the Wandering Soul Prison, where Zheng Dong had been before.
Zheng Dong decided to rest here for now.
When they left, he left behind a clone to observe the battle between the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor and the Blood Prison King.
Eventually, the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor's other Nine Nether Divine Body was also destroyed by the Blood Prison King.
Just as the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor was about to be transformed into a vengeful ghost, Ming Cheng arrived, ambushed and heavily injured the Blood Prison King, and rescued the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor.
Next, Zheng Dong planned to secretly make arrangements behind the backs of Shen Jiuxiao and Wei Yi.
It wasn't that he didn't trust them.
It was just that he did not want them to know about some of his methods.
Outside the Wandering Soul Prison, in the lair of a Totem-level spirit, Zheng Dong and the others were resting.
The spirits in this place had all been subdued by Zheng Dong.
Previously, Zheng Dong had been too focused on gathering forces and had not collected much intelligence.
His understanding of the Nether Ghost King Realm was still insufficient.
He wanted to find out who was trying to capture Shen Jiuxiao and her daughters.
And why the Nine Nether Ghost Emperor had attacked them.
Zheng Dong left a clone to stay with Wei Yi and the others.
His main body left the Wandering Soul Prison area and headed towards the vicinity of the Blood Suppression Tower.
Compared to the chaos in other areas, the territory managed by the Blood Suppression Tower was more like a totem kingdom, with everything in order.
The Nether Ghost King Realm had a total of eighteen Ghost Towers, and this was Zheng Dong's first time entering territory managed by a Ghost Tower.
The spirits here all worshipped the Nether Ghost King God.
Naturally, they would abide by the management of the Blood Suppression Tower.
Zheng Dong did not act overtly.
Instead, he found a place to hide and waited for isolated spirits to attack.
Soon, he controlled a Dominator-level spirit, the Hell Earthworm Monster.
He then transformed it into a spirit puppet.
Through the Hell Earthworm Monster, Zheng Dong gained little information.
He only learned that all spirits who believed in the Nether Ghost King God had received orders to be wary of beast tamers entering the Nether Ghost King Realm.
As for why they were told to be vigilant and provide constant intelligence, they did not know.
The Hell Earthworm Monster, for instance, had never left the territory of the Blood Suppression Tower and had not encountered any beast tamers, thus having no opportunity to provide any information.
As a result, the information it possessed was even more limited.
Zheng Dong, however, did not give up.
Perhaps this creature didn't know because its status was too low.
Afterward, he controlled several more Dominator-level spirits.
And through these spirits, he found a Totem-level spirit, the Purgatory Flame Dragon.
Under the suppression of Youyou's many Totem-level spirits, the Purgatory Flame Dragon quickly submitted and was transformed into a spirit puppet by Youyou.
Through the Purgatory Flame Dragon, Zheng Dong learned that these followers of the Nether Ghost King God had been trying to resurrect their deity.
And the key to their resurrection lay with Shen Bing and Shen Xue.
The Purgatory Flame Dragon did not know the specifics.
Unless Zheng Dong could control the Tower Master of the Blood Suppression Tower.
Zheng Dong frowned.
The Nether Ghost King Realm was a deep and complex place.
While he found it difficult to deal with quasi-divine level spirits at the moment, he still had ways to deal with Totem-level spirits.
Since that was the case, why not take down all the Totem-level spirits below? He would eventually uncover the reason.
Thus, through the Purgatory Flame Dragon, Zheng Dong quickly gained control of the other six Totem-level spirits of the Blood Suppression Tower.