Vice Sectmaster Luo Wanxiang let out a cold laugh, with evil magical symbols that seemed to carry numerous secret Phantasm soul magics flowing across his brow like a peculiar river.

“Mo Heng! You’re not protected by the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace anymore! Do you really think that you can still do whatever you want?”

The few huge spirit-form beings that had crossed the sea of evil spirits and vicious souls seemed to suddenly sense something.

In the next moment, an unusually strong soul connection came to form between them and Luo Wanxiang.

For some reason, Nie Tian only took a brief moment to observe and sense the evil magical symbols streaming across Luo Wanxiang’s brow, and he learned what soul magic he was using. “Soul Rhythm: Resonance.”

What he didn’t know was that the Book of Spirits Luo Wanxiang had obtained was a book of soul magics that a powerful Phantasm grand monarch had written after deriving enlightenment from the Nether River.

In fact, what he held wasn’t even the whole book, but only a part of it.

Similar evil magical symbols could be seen flowing quietly in the unfathomable pupils of the giant spirit-form beings, as they seemed to be trying to learn something or obtain some sort of knowledge.

It wasn’t very long before one of them mastered the humans’ common tongue through Luo Wanxiang’s secret soul magic.

The enormous being opened its mouth, and what came out was no longer howls that didn’t make sense to humans. Instead, it was perfect human language.

“Humans!”

As soon as it spoke, a hint of excitement appeared in Luo Wanxiang’s eyes, and he said, “Gentlemen, I derived enlightenment from the Book of Spirits. Through a sacrificial method, I was able to establish soul communication with a powerful expert of your race. He promised that as long as I could open the portal at the bottom of the Seven-star Blue Sea and come here through it, he would teach me the Netherspirits’ most powerful soul magic!”

“Is your name Luo Wanxiang?” The huge spirit-form being asked.

Luo Wanxiang nodded repeatedly.

Both Nie Tian and Pei Qiqi were flabbergasted, and couldn’t help turning to look at Mo Heng.

WHOOSH!

Luo Wanxiang, who had activated his dharma idol and been hiding within his Immortal grade divine tool, the All Manifestations Star Banner, suddenly flew away from Nie Tian, Mo Heng, and Pei Qiqi to the midst of the giant spirits.

“Spirit Pearl and Netherspirits...” Nie Tian muttered to himself, looking at Mo Heng. “Grand Elder, do those spirit-form beings belong to a race called the Netherspirits? What connection do they have with the Phantasms?”

“So Luo Wanxiang secretly practiced the Phantasms’ Book of Spirits! Dammit!” Mo Heng spat.

Pei Qiqi was also taken aback. “The Book of Spirits!”

Apparently, both Mo Heng and Pei Qiqi had heard about the Phantasms’ Book of Spirits.

However, it seemed that Nie Tian hadn’t.

With a deep frown, Pei Qiqi explained, “The Phantasms had a very brilliant grand monarch in their history. He named himself Grand Monarch Nether Spirit. It’s said that he was the one who created the Spirit Pearls and wrote the Book of Spirits by relying on the profound enlightenment he had derived from the Nether River. He was invincible in the prime of his life.

“Even the Phantasms’ current high chieftain, Grand Monarch Nether River, wouldn’t be able to match him in battle.

“However, towards the end of Grand Monarch Nether Spirit’s life, he seemed to enter deviation during cultivation and went insane. He even killed a large number of his clansmen. Eventually, he exploded and died in the Nether River as he sought its origin and the ultimate secrets of his bloodline.

“Of course, these are all legends. No one knows their authenticity.”

After a short pause, she continued.

“The Phantasms consider the three Spirit Pearls, which were Grand Monarch Nether Spirit’s weapons, as their precious treasures. The same goes for the Book of Spirits, which records the profound soul magics he derived in his lifetime.

“However, in the following generations, all those who studied the Book of Spirits went insane, and died violent deaths.

“There wasn’t a single exception!

“As time passed, even the Phantasms didn’t dare to study it anymore.”

With these words, she cast a cold glance at Luo Wanxiang. “I can’t believe he actually dares to study an evil book that even drove the person who wrote it insane. I wonder what he’s thinking.”

Mo Heng suddenly chimed in. “I was only able to understand why Grand Monarch Nether Spirit is considered the most powerful Phantasm ever after I came to this part of the starry river. He was probably the only Phantasm that ever found the origin of the Nether River.

“I suppose he found out that the Nether River running through the Nether Realm actually transformed from the sea of awareness of an extremely powerful Netherspirit expert who died.

“It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the Netherspirits, as a higher species in this part of the starry river, created the Phantasms.

“After all, the Phantasms only appeared and developed because of the Nether River. All of their soul magics come from the Netherspirits.

“Luo Wanxiang must have established communication with a Netherspirit through some evil soul-sacrificing method he learned from the Book of Spirits. From that expert, he learned about the portal in the depths of the Seven-star Blue Sea, and received instructions to open it so that Netherspirits would be able to swarm into our world!”

Luo Wanxiang didn’t even bother to deny it. Instead, he looked very calm and composed as he admitted to it. “No wonder you’re the grand elder. It’s amazing how accurate your speculation is.

“So it’s not the Phantasms that I’ve been secretly working with this whole time. It’s laughable that Grand Monarch Dark Nether thought he could restrain me! The entire Phantasm race doesn’t know their own origin.

“Perhaps only Grand Monarch Nether River, who’s at the late tenth grade, knows something about their origin. Even so, he doesn’t dare to breathe a word of it.

“Even though I only read half of the Book of Spirits, I managed to breach the world barrier with the sacrificial method recorded in it, and establish communication with a powerful Netherspirit.

“I’ve come to an even deeper understanding of the book than all the Phantasms who have studied it.”

Luo Wanxiang became wildly arrogant.

“You’ve gone insane,” Mo Heng said softly.

“Perhaps,” Luo Wanxiang said, looking as if he couldn’t care less. “Sectmaster Ji Cang, Qu Yi from the Void Spirit Society, and Chu Yuan from the Heaven Span Pavilion are all at the late God domain. What do they pursue at all costs? Why can’t I pursue what they pursue? Even though my cultivation base is still lower than theirs, I have faith that I’ll reach their heights eventually!

“The Netherspirits in this world have come to a deep understanding of the profound truths of souls. Their mightiest expert’s sea of awareness even reached eternal indestructibility and stretched to another world, where it created the Phantasms.

“By coupling my Dao of cultivation with their profound understanding of souls, I might be able to find a brand new path!

“To pursue that, I was willing to do everything, including betraying our sect.”

Luo Wanxiang didn’t feel the slightest remorse.

Eyes filled with disgust, Mo Heng said, “All I know is that the Netherspirits’ evil sacrificial ceremonies require an endless stream of souls. Even the Phantasms who studied the Book of Spirits couldn’t get their hands on such a great number of souls. The fact that you succeeded proves that billions of lives must have died because of you.

“Now that I think about it, I even believe that you had a lot to do with the prolonged internal wars that broke out among human domains!”

After Nie Tian and Pei Qiqi heard these words, their expressions also became icy and stern as they glared at Luo Wanxiang.

“You’re right,” Luo Wanxiang said, slightly tilting his chin. “It requires countless souls to hold the sacrificial ceremony. However, the populations of Ancientspirits and outsiders are simply too small. Only if human domains wage wars against each other will it produce a tremendous number of souls, enough to initiate the sacrificial process.”

“In the end, you’re the most crooked one!” With these words, Mo Heng launched a sudden attack.