However, the Nether Crow quickly thought it over. In any case, it would be following Han Xuanji from now on.
The stronger Han Xuanji was, the better, right?
Master Crow truly latched onto an incredibly powerful backer this time!
Forget recovering my strength; living a life of luxury and running rampant across the Immortal Realm won't be a dream anymore!
I must cling tightly to this backer, even if it kills me!
Thinking this, the Nether Crow suddenly pounced down by Han Xuanji's feet, its voice incredibly fawning:
"My Lord! My Little Crow's admiration for you is like the water of the Nether Sea, endless and surging! From now on, you are my guiding light, my second parent! If you tell me to go east, I will never go west! If you tell me to catch fish, I will never chase chickens!"
Jiang Hao was already accustomed to Han Xuanji's power, but for a moment, he couldn't find the right words to describe it.
This level of existence, whose power far surpassed his own, and whose Realm was difficult even to judge, was utterly vulnerable before Han Xuanji, like clay chickens and pottery dogs!
Senior Brother Han... just how far has he progressed?
It seems that what I knew before was merely the tip of the iceberg of his true strength.
Jiang Hao sighed internally, feeling that repaying this kindness was now impossibly distant.
When would he ever be able to grow to that level?
The Han You's reaction was the most straightforward; in his world, concepts of good, evil, strength, and weakness were pure, and the power displayed by Han Xuanji made him feel incredibly secure.
As expected of his fath—... Master!
Han Xuanji maintained an air of nonchalance regarding everyone's reactions. He looked calmly at the Nether Crow, who was too excited to control itself, and said lightly:
"There is no need to make a fuss. Next, do not resist."
"Yes!"
The Nether Crow nodded sharply and closed its eyes.
Han Xuanji said no more. His gaze was like lightning as he looked up at the sky.
He formed a profound and mysterious Seal with his hands across his chest and struck it onto the Nether Crow's body.
"Soul, return!"
Four ancient Dao sounds escaped his lips. Every character seemed to contain the supreme power of decree, resonating directly across the hidden planes of Karma and destiny!
In an instant, the situation changed drastically, and the Nether Sea began to boil!
Centered on Nine Nether Island, the entire Nether Sea seemed to be stirred by an invisible giant hand!
The deep Nether Sea water churned up monstrous waves, and countless entities lurking throughout the Nether Sea were startled, letting out restless roars.
At this moment, the Wall of Sighs, which spanned between the Nether Sea and the Guixu Land, began to shake, and the countless dark-gold chains restraining the Nine Nether Devouring Phoenix's main body emitted a resonant clang under immense pressure.
As Han Xuanji's thought moved, countless strands of black flowing light, thin as hair but condensed to the extreme, instantly burst forth from the Nether Crow's body.
Simultaneously, the individual Nether Crows scattered in all directions of the Nether Sea all felt the pull of this power. Their memories were shared, and at this moment, they were all willing, offering no resistance.
In the blink of an eye, the other ninety-eight remnant Souls began gathering on the Nether Crow's body.
Following this, the Nether Crow let out a long cry of extreme satisfaction.
"Caw!"
A phoenix cry, seemingly suppressed for countless epochs, suddenly erupted.
Han Xuanji slowly withdrew the Seal and said lightly:
"The ninety-nine remnant Souls have gathered. The next step is to send you to merge with the main body and retrieve the power that belongs to you."
The Nether Crow opened its eyes, feeling that it seemed... slightly stronger!
Jiang Hao looked at the Nether Crow, which seemed unchanged, and teased:
"There doesn't seem to be any change at all."
"Caw! What do you know, brat!"
The Nether Crow immediately bristled, craning its neck as it yelled:
"Master Crow is now cultivating internal brilliance and returning to its original nature! My true power is surging deep within my Divine Soul! Wait until Master Crow merges with the main body and recovers even one-ten-millionth of its former glory—I'll scare you to death!"
Although its words were tough, its small eyes were eagerly fixed on Han Xuanji, filled with impatience.
In Han Xuanji's view, the entity's internal Divine Soul form had undergone earth-shattering changes: it was a dark phoenix phantom that radiated suffocating pressure!
Although it was immeasurably weaker than its Peak period, its spirit was already virtually indistinguishable from the main body under the Seal.
Han Xuanji ignored the bickering between the two. His gaze turned solemn as he looked at the massive figure bound by countless chains.
At this moment, as the ninety-nine remnant Souls unified, the Nine Nether Devouring Phoenix's main body began to show signs of life essence.
"Concentrate your spirit, calm your Qi, and guard your Origin."
Han Xuanji instructed the Nether Crow, then formed a Seal with both hands again. This Seal was more complex and ancient, activating the remaining core power of the entire Reincarnation Refining Demon Grand Array, and mobilizing a wisp of the Nether Sea's Origin power.
He pointed his fingers like a sword, lightly tapped the Nether Crow, and shouted:
"Go!"
Instantly, the Nether Crow's solidified dark phoenix Divine Soul phantom transformed into a streak of flowing light, like a returning swallow or a sharp arrow piercing the Void Realm, plunging directly into the core of the massive dark shadow!
"Buzz!"
The moment the Divine Soul and the main body achieved Fusion, the entire Nine Nether Island, and even the whole Nether Sea, shook violently.
That figure, which had been dormant for countless ages, was injected with a true Soul and came back to life!
"Caw!"
A phoenix cry, far more resonant than when the remnant Souls had gathered before, suddenly erupted!
The sound wave materialized into tangible black ripples, sweeping in all directions, causing the dark-gold chains, thick as mountains, to shake wildly and emit clanging sounds of metal striking metal!
At the same time, in various parts of the Immortal Realm, and even in some unknowable, hidden places, several ancient existences felt the disturbance simultaneously.
Inside a floating Immortal Palace above the Nine Heavens in the Immortal Realm.
A white-robed elder who was playing chess suddenly stopped placing his piece, abruptly stood up, and looked through the endless Void Realm toward the Nether Sea, his expression grave:
"The Nether Sea Origin is in turmoil... Could it be that a supreme existence is employing Heaven-Defying methods, leveraging Reincarnation, and achieving Heaven-Defying Rebirth?"
He performed a divination shortly after, only to find that the heavenly mechanism was a sheet of Chaos, preventing him from deducing anything at all.
Meanwhile, inside an ancient corpse that lay dormant somewhere in the Nether Sea.
A pair of giant eyes, like blood-red lakes, slowly opened, emitting a muffled murmur:
"Who is it... This power... is unfamiliar yet mighty..."
Even in the Land of Reincarnation, some unseen entities were communicating amongst themselves.
"Who released that fellow?"
"The heavenly mechanism is covered in fog; we can only vaguely sense a power transcending the rules dominating everything... Could it be the work of a reclusive Dao Venerable?"
"Cannot be spied upon, cannot be mentioned..."
These great experts, standing at the Peak of the Immortal Realm, utilized their Divination Divine Ability, attempting to peer into the source of the anomaly.
However, when their Divine Thought touched the Guixu Land, the heavenly mechanism was completely disrupted, the threads of Karma were indistinct, and they could only sense a magnificent power enveloping everything.
Some speculated that a supreme powerhouse was taking action.
Similar thoughts arose in the minds of these great experts, causing them to maintain silence and reverence regarding the changes in the Nether Sea, daring not to intervene easily.
Although some guessed that the legendary Primordial Vicious Beast, the Nine Nether Devouring Phoenix, might be breaking its Seal, they had no idea who helped it break the Seal and could only secretly guess the identity of the individual.
The people capable of achieving this feat were few, limited only to those few figures standing at the Peak of the Immortal Realm.