Mu Chen hovered in the air, looking down at the distinctly divided landscape with immense excitement. His ring flashed, and a milky-white Scroll materialized from thin air. With a thought, the Scroll unfurled before him with a crisp WHIP. Mu Chen carefully compared the view to the map engraved on the Scroll, and his suspicion was immediately confirmed. This was, without a doubt, the Netherworld Purgatory.

Seeing Mu Chen hovering alone in the air, Wan Xian’Er channeled her Primordial Power and shot into the sky to his side. She glanced at the Scroll before him and asked in surprise, "This is the place drawn on the map?"

Mu Chen smiled. "Yeah. In fact, my whole reason for this trip was to find this place. I was still racking my brain over how to get inside, and now, what do you know? We ended up arriving directly at our destination through that spatial turbulence."

It wasn’t that Mu Chen was wary of Wan Xian’Er; there was simply no need to be. Wan Xian’Er nodded. "This place seems very important to you."

Mu Chen said, "It’s less that it’s important and more that I absolutely had to come here. Even though entering this place from that spatial turbulence feels like escaping hell only to land in the Netherworld, I’m still so excited I can barely control myself."

Glancing at his right arm, Mu Chen gripped the empty sleeve tightly. ’I pray that thing is still where it’s supposed to be.’

"That thing?" Just as Wan Xian’Er was about to ask, a white figure leaped into the air from below and spoke in a mature voice, "Father, we shouldn’t linger here. We should leave as soon as possible."

"Mm," Mu Chen said. "Xiaobai, your senses are much sharper than mine. Keep your focus on those two terrifying auras you felt earlier. They’re most likely the two Overlords who reside here!"

The Snow Qilin looked at Mu Chen with its golden eyes. "No problem. Even though I’m terrified of them, for some reason, a voice deep inside me is telling me to get closer. That’s why I can sense their locations so clearly."

Mu Chen asked in confusion, "You feel something calling to you, too?"

The Snow Qilin gazed into the distance. "I’m not sure. It’s just a feeling. We’ll just have to wait and see for now. Perhaps it’s just my imagination."

Mu Chen nodded. "Then we can’t stay here. According to my Master, the moment we set foot in this place, we entered the perception range of those two Overlords. If we remain in one spot, our situation will become extremely dangerous."

Turning to Wan Xian’Er, Mu Chen said, "Miss Xian’Er, please, you must stick close to us."

Wan Xian’Er gave a small smile. "Of course. Besides, I wouldn’t know where to go on my own. By the way, is this talking Magical Beast a Venerable Beast?"

Mu Chen paused. "No, he’s just a Spirit Beast. He can talk because he’s... special."

"Special? I suppose it’s like master, like Guardian Magical Beast." Wan Xian’Er had subconsciously assumed the Snow Qilin was Mu Chen’s Guardian Magical Beast.

Mu Chen pondered for a moment before saying, "Guardian Magical Beast? I guess that’s close enough. But he’s also my child."

"Huh?" Wan Xian’Er was taken aback.

Mu Chen scratched the back of his head. "It’s not what you think. Basically, we share the same bloodline, which is why he calls me Father."

"Oh, I see." Wan Xian’Er nodded, though she didn’t seem to fully grasp it. She looked around blankly. "So, where do we go now?"

Before Mu Chen could answer, the Snow Qilin’s golden eyes suddenly narrowed. "This is bad! Those two terrifying auras are both moving toward us! They’re incredibly fast—it looks like they’re using Space Transfer!"

"What?" Mu Chen’s expression changed. He swiftly put away the Scroll and grabbed Wan Xian’Er. "Where are they?"

The Snow Qilin closed its eyes. A second later, its voice turned grim. "One is due west of us, the other is to our northeast. Father, our only option is to flee south! They’re targeting us."

Mu Chen froze. ’South... that’s exactly where the miraculous Spiritual Liquid is!’ Without a second thought, he declared, "We’ll flee south! My Master placed a Seal there. We’ll be completely safe once we reach it."

With a low growl, the Snow Qilin shot forward, vanishing in a flash of white lightning. Not to be outdone, Mu Chen stomped his foot the instant the Snow Qilin moved, disappearing with a CRACKLE of Thunder Light. ’It’s a little strange, come to think of it,’ he mused. ’A little while ago, I was rushing all over the Senluo Ruins with Feng Shanshan. Now, I’ve left the ruins only to find myself rushing around with Wan Xian’Er. Is this just my fate?’

Shaking his head, Mu Chen accelerated again, reaching the Snow Qilin’s side in an instant. The Snow Qilin’s expression was grave. "Father, at this rate, they’ll catch us in less than twenty seconds. What should we do?"

Mu Chen frowned, and with a flip of his hand, he produced all his remaining Shadow Concealing Dust. "If they catch up to us, we’ll use this to buy some time. Even for those two Overlords, the Shadow Concealing Dust is bound to be a nuisance."

The Snow Qilin opened its mouth to take some of the Shadow Concealing Dust. "Father, let’s split up. Barring any surprises, we’ll regroup at the location marked on the map. It’ll be easier to divert their attention that way."

"Will that work?"

"It will."

"Alright. Xiaobai, you have to protect yourself. If things go south, regroup with us immediately. The three of us together might not even be an appetizer for those two, but three is still better than one," Mu Chen said gravely.

The Snow Qilin gave a human-like chuckle. "Alright, I’m off!" With that, it let out a WHOOSH and once again became a bolt of white lightning, disappearing into the strange dimension.

Mu Chen said nothing, watching Xiaobai’s retreating form for a moment before turning and nodding to Wan Xian’Er. "Whether we live or die is up to fate now." With that, Mu Chen swiftly scattered the Shadow Concealing Dust. Amidst a shower of crystalline, rainbow-colored specks of light, he and Wan Xian’Er vanished from sight.

...

Twenty seconds later, two enormous dark figures suddenly poked their heads out from a pair of massive, thirty-meter-long spatial rifts. At the same time, two dense, primordial auras erupted from the fractured rifts, instantly blowing away the surrounding gray-black clouds.

"Ming! The King’s aura just vanished!"

Like a sacred Brahma Sound, a deep, guttural cry echoed through the air, like a summons from a bygone era. Following the sound, an immense black Giant Beast emerged fully from the Spatial Rift. A casual flick of its long, narrow tail sent the surrounding space into turmoil.

THUD!

It took a single step forward, and sinister cracks immediately spiderwebbed through the space beneath its massive claw.

"Hmph. I have no desire to speak with you. If the King’s aura hadn’t appeared, I wouldn’t have given you the time of day for another five hundred years." The other gray Giant Beast also emerged from its Spatial Rift, its enormous pupils, like orbs of decaying death, fixed on the black Giant Beast before it, its face a mask of pure fury.

"Ming! It’s been over a thousand years. Are you really still holding a grudge? All I did was eat one extra fruit!" the black Giant Beast shot the gray one an exasperated glare.

But this sentence only made the gray Giant Beast roar, "You! I’ve told you before, it’s not about the fruit! It’s the principle! We agreed—best two out of three, and the loser only gets one. But you distracted me and stole the one that was supposed to be mine!"

"Stop making a scene. The King has come," the black Magical Beast known as You said calmly, though a flicker of excitement shone in its eyes. "Judging by the King’s aura, he has already reincarnated. Our mission is nearly complete. Do you still care about that one fruit? ’Finally, we don’t have to stay in this godforsaken place anymore. Even though I can’t see the outside world for myself, I’m deeply honored to become a part of the King.’"

Ming snorted. "Fine. What you said makes sense, so I’ll forgive you. But it seems the King has no wish to see us. He’s been speeding south. And besides him, there are two other weak auras, as insignificant as mosquitoes. On one of them, though, I can also sense the King’s aura... it’s just not very strong."

You gazed into the distance with its pitch-black pupils and said in a deep voice, "The King loses his memories with each reincarnation. But the previous King would surely have told this new incarnation about us. Perhaps the King wishes to test us. Let’s go, Ming. Though he is hiding well, I can still feel his aura. After all, the two of us were separated from the King’s own body. As for those two weak auras, let them be. There’s nothing in here for them anyway, aside from that sealed ground."

Ming nodded. "Then let’s go!" Saying this, the Nether Beast extended its massive gray claws and swiped lightly at the air. A huge rift, over thirty meters long, appeared out of nowhere. However, it was only a narrow tear, not nearly wide enough for its enormous body.

"Space Transfer is such a pain," the Nether Beast grumbled. "I hate it."

The Nether Beast grumbled again, thrusting its two giant, metallic-sheened claws into the Spatial Rift and tearing it open with a great heave. The rift, originally only three meters wide, was instantly ripped open to about forty meters. The Nether Beast snorted. "I always have to be the one to tear it open. This is how I got such a bad temper in the first place."

With that, the Nether Beast took huge strides and slowly vanished into the Spatial Rift. The Ghost Beast watched its retreating back with a helpless expression. Its mouth opened slightly, unleashing a silent roar. A sonic shockwave, moving with the force of a Thunderbolt, shattered the space before it, and a massive, circular spatial tunnel appeared. The Ghost Beast sighed. "You’re simply not using the correct method."

Having said this, the Ghost Beast also stepped into the spatial tunnel with a seemingly unhurried pace. Only then were the true forms of the two colossal Magical Beasts revealed: they were giant Qilin Demon Beasts, bearing a ninety percent resemblance to the Snow Qilin. One gray, one black—they were the Nether Qilins!