Chapter 2033: Spirit Capturing Sky Net

The man in black armor, hearing the woman's words, no longer had any doubts. He immediately agreed repeatedly.

The palace-dressed woman flicked her sleeve, and a burst of pink light flared wildly, causing both their figures to blur and vanish.

At the same time, on a high peak in the Spirit Race territory, adjacent to the Human Race, three Saint Spirits at the Integration Stage were surrounding an exceptionally handsome young man, as if facing a formidable enemy.

The young man, clad in a golden robe, stood in mid-air with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing expressionlessly at the three individuals opposite him.

On the front of his golden robe, a huge, resplendent golden lotus was strikingly emblazoned.

On the mountain peak below, there were large, pockmarked pits everywhere, filled with numerous shattered corpses and remnants. Many broken artifacts, perhaps over a thousand in number, were scattered across the ground, all appearing devoid of spiritual energy.

"No matter who you are, slaughtering our kind from Zuyun Mountain and daring to absorb their vital essence has violated a major taboo of our race. The three of us will surely cut you into a thousand pieces to avenge this wrong," one of the three Saint Spirits, a short, stout old man, said through clenched teeth.

The other two Saint Spirits beside him were an old man with disheveled hair holding a section of emerald green bamboo staff, and a beautiful woman appearing to be in her early thirties.

Their gazes at the golden-robed young man were equally furious, as if spitting fire.

The Spirit Race differs from other alien races; because awakening their intelligence is difficult, their numbers have always been exceptionally sparse compared to other races. Fortunately, once a Spirit Race member awakens their intelligence, they immediately possess significant supernatural abilities, with Core Formation and Nascent Soul stages being only the most common among them. This is why they have been able to coexist with races like the Yaksha and demons in a corner of the Spirit Realm.

Zuyun Mountain, for instance, was a well-known stronghold where the Spirit Race resided, and these three Saint Spirits were its three Grand Elders.

A few days prior, the three Saint Spirits had left for an errand. Upon their return, they immediately discovered that all the clansmen in the stronghold had been slaughtered, their vital essences completely absorbed. To their astonishment, the culprit, this golden-robed young man, had remained at the scene. The shock and fury in the hearts of the three Saint Spirits were immense.

Although the golden-robed young man's aura did not seem particularly strong, none of the three Saint Spirits could discern his true cultivation level.

This fueled their rage while simultaneously instilling a subtle unease; otherwise, they would have long since moved to apprehend him instead of allowing the standoff to continue.

"Hmph, are you done talking? Mere transformed spirit slaves, daring to be so presumptuous in front of me. Their vital essence serving my purpose is a fitting use for it. Your three cultivations, however, far exceed those other spirit slaves. If you are willing to pledge yourselves to me and serve me, I might spare your lives." The golden-robed young man finally spoke with a dismissive snort, his manner utterly condescending.

"Spirit slaves? Are you a person from the Immortal Realm?" Upon hearing this, the three Saint Spirits, whose eyes were previously spitting fire, simultaneously gasped in disbelief.

"Oh, you actually know about this? Did one of you escape from above? No, with your cultivation, that's impossible. It seems someone else told you. If that's the case, this Immortal Envoy is even more interested in the one who shared this information. Now that you know my origin, why don't you obediently reveal your true forms and let me establish a blood pact? Otherwise, I'll capture you shortly and personally erase your intelligence—it amounts to the same thing, just a bit more trouble for me." The golden-robed young man paused in surprise, then immediately sneered.

Hearing him truly admit what they had guessed, the three Saint Spirits' faces turned exceptionally pale, and they exchanged terrified glances.

If the opponent truly was a descendant from the Upper Realm, the three Integration Stage cultivators would naturally be utterly powerless against him.

"No, that's not right. If he were truly from the Immortal Realm, why would he cause such a massive disturbance when dealing with our clansmen? He's trying to deceive us with empty words." The old man holding the green bamboo, though still fearful, rapidly darted his eyes around a few times, then suddenly remembered something and exclaimed loudly.

"Indeed, Brother Huang is absolutely right. I've never heard of anyone from the Immortal Realm being able to descend to our world. Even if he truly is from the Upper Realm, it seems something is amiss with him now. Otherwise, why would he waste so much breath on us? The three of us together have nothing to fear from him." The beautiful woman also said with a solemn expression.

Hearing the words of the three individuals opposite him, the golden-robed young man's expression subtly stiffened.

This slight, unintentional change naturally did not escape the notice of the three Saint Spirits, strengthening their resolve even further.

"Attack! We absolutely cannot let this boastful brat leave here alive." With a flash of fierce light in his eyes, the stout old man in the middle suddenly formed a hand seal. A hazy bronze mirror appeared before his chest, which he then brandished towards the young man.

With a whoosh!

A pillar of white flame burst forth from it, transforming into a towering hundred-zhang sea of fire that swept towards the young man.

The disheveled old man and the beautiful woman also attacked simultaneously without hesitation.

One of them, using the green bamboo in his hand, sliced at the empty space in front of him. Immediately, countless layers of verdant bamboo shadows, covering over a hundred mu, appeared above the golden-robed young man and silently descended.

The other, with a rapid succession of flicks from her fingers, launched a ball of green light. After spinning, it suddenly transformed into ten giant green birds, dozens of zhang long, which swooped straight towards him with clear cries.

Although the three Saint Spirits did not truly believe the opponent was from the Upper Realm, they knew he was extraordinary. Their initial attacks, uncontrollably, were powerful killing moves, hoping to resolve the formidable enemy before them with a single combined strike.

Seeing this, a glint flashed in the golden-robed young man's eyes, but he merely uttered, "Foolish."

Then, with one hand, he suddenly formed a strange hand seal. A transparent halo instantly appeared around his body, then flashed and burst open. Countless golden and silver runes surged forth, immediately condensing into a massive golden and silver protective shield that enveloped him.

In the air, the verdant shadows flashed, transforming into countless green colossal trees, dozens of zhang long, that crashed down with a thunderous roar.

As the dozen or so giant green birds swooped forward, they flapped their wings, unleashing dense, whistling green wind blades, as if thousands of sharp green blades were striking simultaneously.

As for the white sea of fire, with a mere swirl, its surging white flames completely engulfed the golden and silver shield.

Inside the golden and silver runic shield, the young man observed the fierce attacks with a hint of disdain. He casually placed a palm on the shield and uttered the word "Open."

A resounding rumble echoed forth.

The golden and silver runic shield instantly expanded wildly amidst flashing light. Each golden and silver rune swelled several times in size, taking on a semi-transparent, materialized form.

Whether it was the giant trees, wind blades, or flames, upon contact with the runes on the golden and silver shield, they were repelled as if by an electric shock, unable to shake the shield in the slightest.

Seeing this, the stout old man's expression changed. Without thinking, he raised his hand and pointed sharply at the surging flames.

From within the white sea of fire, a low roar emanated, and several fire qilin beasts instantly materialized. Each was as large as an ox, spewing faint silver spiritual flames from their bodies.

The entire sea of fire not only surged with more than half its previous intensity, but its color also turned faint silver, and the temperature of the surrounding void became unbearably scorching, as if one were trapped in a furnace.

After exchanging glances, the disheveled old man and the beautiful woman, without a word, flipped their palms. Several shimmering treasures appeared, ready to be unleashed simultaneously.

But just then, a chillingly cold statement came from within the golden and silver runic shield.

"Playtime is over. I'll send you on your way now."

No sooner had his voice faded than the faintly discernible figure within the shield flickered and instantly vanished into thin air.

Without the young man's support, the golden and silver runic shield immediately shattered into fragments with just a single sweep of the white flames.

However, the stout old man and the other two, witnessing this, showed no joy. Instead, their expressions changed instantly as they formed a circle, back-to-back, while simultaneously unleashing their vast divine sense outwards.

"What's going on? My divine sense can't detect his trace."

After a moment, the disheveled old man let out a somewhat panicked low cry.

Although the beautiful woman said nothing, her grim expression indicated she had found nothing either.

Just as the stout old man's eyes glinted with a grim light and he was about to speak, a sudden clap of thunder echoed in the air. Immediately, countless specks of silver light appeared, followed by a flash of golden light, and the golden-robed young man's figure eerily emerged amidst the light specks. He then casually made a grabbing motion in the void.

With a "boom!"

The silver light specks instantly burst into frenzied motion, swiftly converging into a silver giant net, several miles in size, that not only enveloped the three Saint Spirits below but also covered the colossal peak itself.

What was even more bizarre was that this silver net, though not yet descended, radiated a strange aura that caused the stout old man and the other two to go limp, unable to muster even a fraction of their internal strength.

"This is bad! It's the Spirit-Binding Celestial Net! He truly is from the Immortal Realm! Run!" The stout old man, clearly the most cultivated among the three Saint Spirits, immediately roared, his face contorting slightly upon realizing his strange condition. With a flicker of his body, his form blurred and merged with the ancient mirror in front of him, then he tore through the air with a piercing shriek, attempting to flee.

The other two Saint Spirits, hearing the name "Spirit-Binding Net," also turned bloodless pale. Without a word, their figures flickered: one transformed into a hazy green hurricane, the other into a giant emerald green bamboo, dozens of zhang tall, and both shot off in separate directions, erupting with dazzling spiritual light.

"Dream on, if you think you can escape now."

Seeing this, the golden-robed young man chuckled. He lightly shook one hand, and a ball of silver light immediately glowed in his palm, transforming into a dozen silver threads that connected to the giant net. Then, he gently pulled.

The silver giant net swelled, then descended, covering the sky and earth with an ominous, icy aura.

As the silver light flashed, the net seemed to envelop the entire world.