Her gaze drifted downwards, landing on the silver chain clutched in the young man's hand, and she couldn't help but freeze.
A supreme-grade spiritual artifact!
This person possessed a supreme-grade spiritual artifact, and by his appearance, he was young, yet so powerful.
However, Xin Ci paid her no further mind, instead focusing his attention on the large, dark green tree.
Xin Ci's actions just now seemed to have angered the tree.
Its roots then pulled themselves from the ground and rapidly coalesced into two legs.
A contorted tree face appeared on the thick trunk.
This was a king-level demonic beast, a Tree Demon King.
Elder Han and Mu Qingqing both recognized the rank of this demonic beast.
This Tree Demon King possessed the strength of at least a three-star King realm.
Myriad tree vines attacked them from the sky, engulfing them.
Xin Ci swung his Ten Sacred Blade chain, shredding all the oncoming tree vines.
However, the tree vines regenerated relentlessly, unfazed by Xin Ci's attacks.
"It's useless to deal with these vines; its main core must be destroyed."
Xin Ci thought to himself.
The Ten Sacred Blade chain in his hand gathered its power, and with a fierce stab forward, it pierced the Tree Demon King's trunk.
After the Tree Demon King's trunk was broken, the vines immediately retracted into its body.
But it still did not disappear, continuing to grow wildly.
Its body became even larger than before, emitting a strange aura.
"The Tree Demon King's main core is underground."
Mu Qingqing transmitted this information to Xin Ci.
Xin Ci nodded, then flicked his wrist, plunging the Ten Sacred Blade chain into the ground like a sharp spear.
With a loud bang, the earth beneath them was torn apart by the Ten Sacred Blade chain.
A green, beating heart appeared before everyone.
Seeing that Xin Ci had discovered its main body, the green heart sprouted many roots, attempting to burrow deeper underground.
However, Xin Ci would not give it the chance. The Undying Phoenix Flame wound around the Xuanyang Sword.
Crimson Lotus Phoenix Sword!
The Xuanyang Sword emitted a dazzling light, then slashed fiercely towards the Tree Demon King's heart.
A flash of sword light!
The Tree Demon King's heart was instantly split in two, and its green blood splattered across the ground.
The power of the Undying Phoenix Flame prevented the severed heart from regenerating.
The woman named You Lan looked at Xin Ci with a hint of surprise as he so easily dealt with a king-level demonic beast.
Moreover, this person's skin tone was different from the people on this island. You Lan curiously scrutinized the young man, trying to figure out who he was.
Xin Ci ignored her gaze and cut straight to the chase, asking, "May I ask where this place is? And who are you people?"
You Lan was taken aback.
She looked at Xin Ci and noticed his skin tone was very peculiar, not matching her own people. Could he be from another realm?
Regardless, this person's strength was undoubtedly immense. She dared not delay and quickly replied respectfully:
"This place is the Black Xuan Marsh, my name is You Lan, and I am from the Purple Nether lineage of the Nine Nether Realm."
Black Xuan Marsh? Nine Nether Realm?
What kind of place was this?
Xin Ci felt confused.
"What kind of place is the Nine Nether Realm? How far is it from the Central Continent?"
Xin Ci continued to ask.
"This..."
You Lan thought for a moment before answering honestly:
"Young master, I do not know of any place called the Central Continent. Our Purple Nether clan has always lived in the Nine Nether Realm, and we are not aware of matters outside of it."
You Lan spoke the truth, for being from the Nine Nether Realm, she naturally would not know about the outside world.
"Xin Ci, this girl named You Lan is from the Nether God clan!"
Elder Han suddenly spoke, informing Xin Ci.
Upon hearing the words "Nether God clan," Xin Ci's pupils contracted slightly.
He secretly activated the Ten Sacred Blade chain, intending to bind You Lan.
However, at this moment, Mu Qingqing transmitted a message, stopping Xin Ci.
"Xin Ci, do not act rashly for now. This You Lan is not entirely from the Nether God clan."
"Not from the Nether God clan?"
Elder Han and Xin Ci were startled, and then retracted the Ten Sacred Blade chain.
"She has human blood."
Mu Qingyan explained.
Through her Star Wheel Eyes, she could observe that You Lan simultaneously possessed both Nether Qi and Spiritual Qi attributes within her.
However, the Nether Qi attribute was dominant, while the Spiritual Qi was so weak it was almost imperceptible.
Logically, as an alien evil race, the Nether God clan should not possess Spiritual Qi within their bodies.
And the You Lan before them, appearing to be only sixteen or seventeen years old, had already reached the mid-Heaven realm. Her cultivation was not affected in the slightest by the Spiritual Qi within her.
Elder Han suddenly understood upon hearing this.
He had also noticed before that You Lan's aura was peculiar, unlike that of an ordinary Nether God clan member.
"Little girl, are you suggesting this young lady is a hybrid of human and Nether God clan?"
"That is a possibility."
Mu Qingyan nodded.
"And one more thing, little girl, you should have also noticed that the Nine Nether Realm, which this young lady mentioned, is likely a small world created by a powerful being at the Saint Emperor level or above. Moreover, I suspect the person who created this small world was not human."
Elder Han speculated.
"This Nine Nether Realm was probably created by a strong member of the Nether God clan."
Mu Qingyan said.
After listening to Mu Qingyan and Elder Han, Xin Ci fell silent for a moment, then said,
"So the ancient teleportation array didn't send us to the Central Continent, but instead to the territory of the Nether God clan. No wonder the Spiritual Qi felt so exceptionally thin after we entered here."
You Lan looked at her benefactor who had saved her life, remaining silent for a long time. Finally, she couldn't help but ask,
"Young master, may I know your name and origin? So that I may repay you."
Xin Ci heard this, looked at You Lan, and said faintly,
"My name is Xin Ci. If you wish to repay me, tell me about the Nine Nether Realm and everything about this place."
"Alright, Young Master Xin Ci."
You Lan agreed.
She then recounted some of what she knew about the Nine Nether Realm, including its power structure.
Within the Nine Nether Realm, there were the Purple Nether Clan, the Gray Nether Clan, and the Azure Nether Clan, three major clans.
These three clans were distributed throughout the Nine Nether Realm, each controlling the largest cities and most prosperous regions.
Among them, the Purple Nether Clan was the most powerful, being the only clan in the entire Nine Nether Realm to possess a Saint Emperor-level expert.
Mu Qingqing, within the consciousness space, had a clearer understanding after listening to You Lan's introduction.
In her memory, there was no storyline involving the Nine Nether Realm in the original novel.
She decided to proceed cautiously, assess the current situation, and then make plans.
Xin Ci, as the main personality, also understood this principle. After all, this was the territory of the Nether God clan, and they could not afford to be careless, or they might die without even knowing how.
However, what Xin Ci found strange was that this Nether God clan girl named You Lan seemed unaware that he was human.
"Young Master Xin Ci, could you tell me which clan you belong to?"
You Lan suddenly asked, her beautiful eyes fixed on Xin Ci, clearly filled with curiosity about his identity.