The ghostrunes were an extremely odd species. It was rumored they were a species the Imperial Nether Clan created, a species whose purpose of existence was to serve the Imperial Nether Clan.

Only the Imperial Nether Clan knew that the rumor wasn't the truth. They hadn't created them; they had merely trained the ghostrunes to be their mounts.

The ghostrunes' soul attacks were threatening for many races but not for the Imperial Nether Clan. They could even store the ghostrunes in their Imperial Nether Domain. The domain was also beneficial for the ghostrunes' growth.

Because of that, the ghostrunes had always been subservient to the Imperial Nether Clan, becoming their exclusive mounts. But due to their relatively small size, most ghostrunes could only serve as mounts after reaching adulthood.

The ghostrunes were granted a living space within the Imperial Nether Clan's territory. They would only be put to use when the Imperial Nether Clan went into battle. The ghostrunes Xiang Shaoyun had found were probably the ones who had survived by fluke at the soul spring. Without an environment like the Devil Domain, those ghostrunes had always been weak. Only after they followed Xiang Shaoyun did they start growing stronger.

After devouring each other and experiencing some deaths in battles, only five had remained. And now, the final five devoured each other, leaving Gui Qi the sole survivor. Xiang Shaoyun did not stop them. He believed there was another reason Gui Qi had them devour each other apart from preventing them from being shamed—Gui Qi had felt pressured after sensing the strength of the ghostrunes here.

Over the years, they had grown alongside Xiang Shaoyun and had become Devil Sovereigns. During the past two years in the Devil Domain, they had also devoured numerous devil cores, further accelerating their growth. Without realizing it, Gui Qi was already an eighth-stage Devil Sovereign. The other ghostrunes were slightly weaker than him.

After devouring all the others, Gui Qi underwent an astonishing transformation. Not only did his strength grow, but his size also increased. When he unfurled his wings, they were almost as wide as the wings of a Saint Realm ghostrune. An abstruse rune that looked like a ghost face appeared on his forehead. It rippled with an indescribable power, causing the surrounding ghostrunes to start shouting uneasily.

"Th-this is the top-tier rune of our clan! How is this possible?"

"Only those with the purest bloodline will have this rune. Is he a direct descendant of our ancestor?"

"There's no mistaking it. The perfect rune and the perfect wings. Only those with a pure and ancient bloodline will have them."

"This is the ancestral bloodline. He is our future ruler!"

...

The ghostrunes were all startled. From Gui Qi's transformation, they could sense a suppression coming from their ancestral blood, causing them to lower their heads and not dare to meet Gui Qi's gaze. The surrounding Imperial Nether Clan members were astonished.

Who would have guessed that the ghostrunes they were jeering at just moments ago would suddenly undergo such a shocking change? The ancestral bloodline was something that only existed during the times of antiquity. It was said that a ghostrune with such a bloodline could match even an Imperial Nether Clan member. Everyone's eyes were filled with envy when they looked at Xiang Shaoyun.

"Congratulations, nineteenth prince, for receiving an ancestral bloodline ghostrune mount," said Ming Cigeng. "You should put him away for now. We're running out of time, so we won't be able to wait until he finishes evolving."

Xiang Shaoyun also knew that Gui Qi would need some time to complete his evolution. He pulled Gui Qi back into the Imperial Nether Domain without any hesitation. Perhaps the next time Gui Qi appeared, he would be a terrifying Devil Saint.

A faint smile formed on Xiang Shaoyun's face as he said, "I still don't have a mount."

"Nineteenth prince, if you don't mind, you can ride with me," a voice rang out.

When Xiang Shaoyun looked over, he saw a beautiful woman looking at him with a smile on her face. Within the group, the woman was positioned near him and was still relatively young. It was obvious she had quite a status in the clan, which was made even clearer from the expression in the eyes of the other Imperial Nether Clan members looking at her.

"This is the seventh princess, Ming Weini," Ming Cigeng introduced.

Xiang Shaoyun nodded and walked over. "I'm honored to be able to ride with the seventh princess."

Because she was the only one with acceptable looks, Xiang Shaoyun did not reject the offer. The other women looked too plain for his liking. Since he had no interest in riding with a man, he decided to accept her invitation.

Ming Weini was clad in revealing battle armor that only covered her private parts. The combination of her voluptuous figure and her enchanting runes running across her skin was akin to a work of art. In fact, without these runes, the Imperial Nether Clan members would look no different from regular humans.

Ming Weini licked her lips and said, "It is my honor to be able to ride with the nineteenth prince."

Xiang Shaoyun chortled. "In that case, we should stop being overly courteous like strangers."

"Let's go," Ming Cigeng said. As the leader of this group, the 100 riders soared into the sky at his command.

They moved at an incredible speed. With all the ghostrunes being Devil Saints, a single beat of their wings would propel them a large distance forward, causing space itself to crack. Their mission was to look for and exterminate any Dark Devourer Clan members at the Dark Devourer Clan's former territory.

Apart from them, the Undying Devil Clan and the Diabolic Dragon Clan had also sent their elites to participate in the extermination plan. The three clans viewed the Dark Devourer Clan as their nemesis. If they gave the Dark Devourer Clan a chance to recover, the effects would be disastrous.

...

The Dark Devourer Clan's former territory was located at a desolate mountain range. The mountains and water in this area were completely black. Due to the dark clouds that covered the sky at all times, the entire area was also pitch black.

Within an inconspicuous cave was a large amount of flowing devil blood. It was as though the cave was a cave of blood, presenting a scene that would shock any onlooker. With a loud rumble, countless drops of blood erupted from the cave and dispersed all over the area.

A voice that seemed to have come from hell itself rang out, "Warriors of our clan, awake!"

Two terrifying palms reached out from the blood cave and tore the entire area apart as if the area was made of paper. From the opening, numerous figures flew out.

"Those three clans have dispatched their people to come here. Leave some behind to distract them. The rest come with me. We shall welcome our ancestor's return at the forbidden tunnel," the voice rang out again.