I subdue demons and monsters, and cultivate immortality in hell to become a saint.

"kill!"

A roar resounded through the sky, and thousands of heavenly soldiers charged forward in unison, their spears thrusting in unison, their attacks becoming one. A thousand-foot spear beam pierced the sky, fiercely piercing the Qiongqi's wings and knocking it down from the sky!

Enraged, Qiongqi flapped its wings and unleashed lightning as it fell, shattering several heavenly soldiers. But this was futile, as the heavenly soldiers were formed from Zhong Jiu's divine power; they could be destroyed and reborn endlessly.

This is the immense power of a great master; with a mere gesture, they can summon heroes, and even a thousand armies cannot shake them.

The wind and rain intensified, and the nine black dragons, head to tail, transformed into a giant black millstone. The rainwater gathered into a river, frantically washing over Qiongqi's body. The extreme pain made it roar incessantly; though not dead, it was worse than death.

The Dark Abyss Demon King, watching from afar, was terrified, his face filled with horror: "How could this be? Qiongqi has been forced into such a predicament!"

His dream of using someone else to do his dirty work was completely shattered. At this moment, he felt it was absurd that he had actually tried to use Qiongqi, this "nail clipper," to kill Zhong Jiu, this "real dragon"!

"Walk!"

The Dark Abyss Demon King sensed danger and dared not linger for even a moment, turning and fleeing.

"The Lord of the Underworld possesses unparalleled supernatural powers; I am no match for him. My only option is to submit to the Rakshasa Ghost Kingdom and, taking advantage of the Underworld's destruction of Mourning Gate and Annihilation King, let the Rakshasa Ghost Kingdom seek revenge!"

He was reduced to a homeless dog, filled with resentment, yet he could only flee in a sorry state.

Zhong Jiu was completely focused on dealing with Qiongqi and had no time to pay attention to the departure of this ant.

Looking at the Qiongqi struggling in the storm, a hint of interest flashed in his eyes. As a judge of the underworld, how could he not have a decent mount?

Although Qiongqi is weak, its bloodline as an ancient ferocious beast gives it boundless potential.

[Quest: Subdue the Qiongqi, reward: Soul-Nourishing Grass!]

The system notification sounded immediately, perfectly matching Zhong Jiu's thoughts.

Zhong Jiu's eyes grew increasingly fervent. Looking down at the roaring Qiongqi, he spoke calmly: "Qiongqi, I am a judge of the underworld. Would you be willing to become my mount?"

Although Qiongqi was wild, it possessed wisdom that rivaled that of ordinary people. Upon understanding Zhong Jiu's words, it immediately let out a contemptuous roar, its face full of disdain. How could one of the Four Fiends of antiquity be subservient to others and become someone else's mount?

"You audacious beast! It is your honor to be an adult's mount, yet you dare to be so ungrateful!"

"Submitting to the underworld is the attainment of enlightenment; you don't even know how to cherish such a benefit!"

"To lower or not to lower!"

Several Yin soldiers shouted angrily. In their hearts, Zhong Jiu was supreme, and Qiongqi's attitude was a desecration of Zhong Jiu.

Zhong Jiu waved his hand, signaling the generals to step down.

He knew that ancient ferocious beasts all had pride and were unwilling to submit easily, which was normal.

With a flash of golden light, he stepped straight into the eye of the storm. At this moment, Qiongqi was firmly locked up, covered in wounds, and no longer had its former ferocity.

"I know you are proud and unwilling to be subordinate to others, but a wise man knows when to yield."

Zhong Jiu spoke calmly, yet every word was piercing: "You may be the last Qiongqi in the world. If you die today, it will be the day the Qiongqi clan is wiped out."

"Your current state is not due to my actions, but rather to another enemy. Even if I release you today, you will merely return to the cave and be sealed away for hundreds more years. In your current state, you will inevitably be completely destroyed by the Ancient You Kingdom within a few hundred years. Is this the ending you desired?"

Zhong Jiu's words hit the nail on the head.

This Qiongqi had long been weakened by the torment of being sealed away; even the most resilient heart could not withstand such an impact.

Sure enough, upon hearing "Ancient Nether Kingdom" and "extermination of the race," the bloodlust in Qiongqi's eyes gradually faded, its roars weakened, and it actually fell into deep thought.

It didn't want to die; it wanted to avenge the seal placed upon it by the Ancient Netherworld Kingdom.

It could be Zhong Jiu's mount, but it was also difficult for it to choose. Its pride and its will to survive clashed fiercely in its heart.

"If I become your mount, will you release me from my seal and grant me my freedom?" Qiongqi spoke in human language, his voice as powerful as a drumbeat.

"That's natural," Zhong Jiu said calmly.

Qiongqi hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Even so, it won't work."

Zhong Jiu raised an eyebrow: "What do you want?"

A cunning glint flashed in Qiongqi's eyes: "Set me free first, then we'll talk about the rest!"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Jiu chuckled, "I sincerely wanted to negotiate with you, but you resorted to trickery. Do you really think I'm a fool? Fine! Beasts have no sense of morality; only the law of the jungle prevails. If I want to take you in, there's no need for words; I'll just use force!"

With a thought, his violent power suddenly surged.

But Qiongqi showed no fear, his eyes filled with stubbornness: "No one can kill me without seeing my true face! Since that's the case, what do I have to fear? Go ahead and attack!"

Zhong Jiu sneered, "You really think I can't see your true face?"

Qiongqi laughed wildly, looking up at the sky: "If you can see my true form, I'm willing to be your mount, what harm is there in that!"

Its true form is Qiongqi's only fatal weakness.

Once discovered, its life would be in danger, so it would naturally guard it to the death.

However, unless the Qiongqi clan reveals its true form, no one else can possibly see it clearly, which is its greatest advantage.

Zhong Jiu disagreed, believing that as long as the pain was intense enough, even the most unruly beast would have to bow down.

"It's a deal!"

He patted his forehead, and a Ghost Blows Out the Lamp flew out into the air.

The moment the ghost lantern appeared, Qiongqi felt a sudden sense of foreboding.

The next moment, the ghostly flames surged like a tsunami, instantly engulfing it completely!

Qiongqi is inherently thick-skinned, impervious to swords and spears, and immune to water and fire, but this Netherworld Ghost Fire is completely different.

This fire is extremely strange; it not only burns the flesh but also incinerates the soul!

The gray flames transformed into a fiery lotus, completely enveloping Qiongqi.

"What kind of fire is this?"

A strange, excruciating pain, far exceeding that of ordinary flames, struck, instantly plunging Qiongqi into a desperate situation.

It roared in agony, its pain increasing a thousandfold. Its once-proud physical defenses were utterly vulnerable before the gray-white flames; its flesh tore open, smoke billowed, and the stench of burning filled the air.

"There's absolutely no way you'll make me submit!"

Qiongqi roared in the raging fire. An ordinary ferocious beast would have been reduced to ashes long ago, but it stubbornly held on.

The Qiongqi clan's greatest advantage is that they are immortal and indestructible until their true form is revealed.

"Don't rush," Zhong Jiu said calmly.

The grayish-white flames burned ever brighter, this time not just burning the skin and flesh, but penetrating deep into the soul.

A spark appeared out of nowhere and instantly engulfed the entire body.

Qiongqi's soul was directly ignited!

The unprecedented pain caused it to convulse all over the ground.

In just a few dozen breaths, it completely broke down, frantically begging for mercy: "Stop burning! I give up!"

This kind of torment surpasses the cruel tortures of hell; its already wavering will shatters instantly.

"Show your true face!"

Zhong Jiu let out a cold shout, his momentum growing even stronger. The ghostly flames of the underworld not only did not recede, but instead burned even more violently.

Qiongqi was in so much pain that he couldn't speak, and his eyes looked at Zhong Jiu with a complicated expression.

"That's enough!"

"I have been trapped for years. If I continue, I will never see the light of day! I have not avenged my family, nor can my people survive. I cannot die!"

"This person is of noble birth and possesses unparalleled supernatural powers. To follow him is not an insult to me, Qiongqi!"

With his mind made up, Qiongqi gritted his teeth and stopped resisting, and his ever-changing body suddenly froze.

Zhong Jiu looked up and saw that its true form was neither bull, tiger, nor dog; its eyes were like copper bells, its fangs were exposed, its nostrils were turned outwards, and it was fierce and ferocious.

But this is the true nature of a ferocious beast.

Zhong Jiu pointed a finger at his forehead: "Release your soul!"

Qiongqi obediently complied.

A true spiritual imprint was directly imprinted into the depths of his soul.

From then on, Qiongqi's life and death were entirely in Zhong Jiu's hands, and there was no possibility of betrayal.

With the subjugation settled, Zhong Jiu casually waved his hand, dispelling the storm and the ghostly flames.

Qiongqi fell from the sky, collapsed on the hillside, and was on the verge of death.

"Summon the rain!"

Zhong Jiu used his supernatural powers again, and the sweet rain transformed from his immortal power fell down, rapidly healing the wounds on Qiongqi's body and sweeping away his weakness.

After a moment, it struggled to its feet, looked at Zhong Jiu with a complicated expression, and finally called out softly, "Master," with reluctance.

With that single word, the roles of master and servant were established.

"Congratulations, host, you have subdued Qiongqi. Reward: Soul-Nourishing Grass!"

The system notification sounded precisely on time.

"They actually...they really subdued Qiongqi!"

Those ghosts who had just surrendered to the underworld were all stunned.

Qiongqi was the nightmare of the Yinshan Ghost Clan, its fearsome reputation was so great that even the ancient You Kingdom was helpless against it, yet it was easily subdued by Zhong Jiu in no time.

It is common knowledge in the underworld that the Qiongqi cannot be killed or subdued.

But at this moment, this common sense was shattered by Zhong Jiu!

"Submitting to the underworld may be the best decision I've ever made."

General Mendun stood behind Bai Qi, deeply shocked.

Zhong Jiu ignored the expressions of the crowd and beckoned to Qiongqi: "Come on, let's break your seal."

Excitement flashed in Qiongqi's eyes.

That damned seal has imprisoned it for countless years, allowing it to emerge only once every ten years, and even then, it can only linger in the Yin Mountains, which is no different from being imprisoned.

It obediently walked up to Zhong Jiu, its massive body shrinking to the size of a blue ox.

Zhong Jiu smiled calmly, turned over and sat down, riding Qiongqi straight to the outside of the sealed cave.

"This seal is indeed quite powerful, but unfortunately it's already badly damaged."

With a casual wave of his hand, Zhong Jiu shattered the seal.

Once the seal was broken, the cave collapsed, and the oppressive feeling that had shrouded Qiongqi for many years vanished.