Flower Yanlian covered her crimson lips lightly, chuckling, "I didn't expect the little brother here to be such a sentimental fellow. Don't worry too much; if Her Majesty the Empress personally intervenes to help her, her chances of success could rise to fifty percent."

"Fifty percent?"

Nie Kong felt a slight joy in his heart. He nodded, looking at Flower Yanlian, "Where is your 'Flower Butterfly Secret Realm'? When can I go see her?"

Flower Yanlian replied with a sly glint in her eye, "It's fine for you to see her, but that depends on whether you can live long enough to see the day Hua Mei's 'Heart Image' is fully cultivated."

"What do you mean?" Nie Kong blinked in confusion.

A gentle touch to the center of Hua Mei's brow instantly smoothed the furrowed line, and she seemed to fall into a deep slumber. Flower Yanlian’s smile faded. "Little brother, what I mean is that your own life might not be far from being forfeit. However, seeing how much you care for Hua Mei, I suppose I can clear up your confusion. There are five great Spirit Clans in this world: Flower Spirit, Dragon Spirit, Feather Spirit, Snake Spirit, and Fish Spirit. The Spirits don't cultivate the 'Three Spiritual Apertures of the Divine,' but rather their bloodline and their Heart Image. Beyond these five clans, in the 'Yin Ruins,' there exists a half-spirit race. Little brother, you are truly unfortunate to carry a half-spirit bloodline within you. What a pity, though—the 'Yin Ruins' is not a place just anyone can enter."

The five great Spirit Clans, the Half-Spirit race, the Yin Ruins…

Nie Kong's brow furrowed deeper. This string of terms was something he had only learned today from Flower Yanlian. As for that cluster of dark green blood within him, Nie Kong had long anticipated its danger and wasn't overly surprised now. It was his nominal mother, however, about whom Nie Kong began to gain some clarity; his bloodline, and Nie Qiong’s, must have been inherited from her. This meant she likely originated from the Half-Spirit race of the Yin Ruins that Flower Yanlian mentioned.

"The bloodline of the Half-Spirit race is even more bizarre and mysterious than that of the Five Great Spirit Clans, and the window for awakening is far shorter. By all rights, if your bloodline hadn't awakened, surviving to eighteen years old would have been quite an achievement. I still can't figure out how you’ve lasted this long. But safety now does not guarantee safety later. If you cannot awaken before you turn twenty, when the bloodline power erupts, you will still die a most tragic death."

Flower Yanlian's bright eyes sparkled with charm as she lifted Hua Mei's delicate body with her left hand and started to walk out. "I might as well point you toward a clear path, little brother. To enter the 'Yin Ruins,' you can first enter Spirit Imperial City. Good luck! Before I leave, let me give you one last gift, hehe, hehe…" With a light wave of her right hand, a delicate red petal flew from between her fingers, landing precisely on Nie Fengxing’s shattered shoulder. A wisp of green energy then drifted out of Nie Fengxing’s body and settled into her palm.

"Pfft!"

Nie Fengxing’s eyes snapped open wide in sudden clarity. He tried to speak but instead spewed forth another massive mouthful of blood. Before he could even utter a sound, he drew his last breath and expired.

Seeing the vivid, lifelike red floral pattern on Nie Fengxing’s shoulder, and watching Flower Yanlian absorb the residual Wood Spirit energy from Nie Fengxing’s body, Nie Kong understood what her gift truly was: it was a means to resolve Nie Fengxing for him while simultaneously shielding him from any blame by his own clan.

Nie Kong paid little mind to Nie Fengxing’s death; his only concern remained Hua Mei. He glanced over and saw that the figures of Flower Yanlian and Hua Mei had almost completely merged into the void. He urgently called out, "Hey, you haven't told me where the 'Flower Butterfly Secret Realm' is!"

"Hehe…"

The only reply Nie Kong received was a crisp, delicate laugh, and then both figures vanished. A moment later, a faint, angry roar echoed from the distance: "Leave the person here!"

It was his master, Nie Xingyun!

Nie Kong immediately grew worried. He truly did not want Flower Yanlian to be intercepted by his master. If that happened, Hua Mei would inevitably be implicated. If Flower Yanlian were captured, and Hua Mei could not return to the 'Flower Butterfly Secret Realm' to awaken her bloodline by the end of the year, then death would be certain for her.

"Nie Kong!"

A flash of movement, and Lian Tianxin burst into the room…

...

In a single day, Nie Fengxing was dead! She Yan was dead! Er Lin and San Mu were dead... Few paid attention to the latter three, but the demise of Nie Fengxing, the son of Clan Head Nie Qingsong, and She Yan, an excellent disciple of the Ink Snow Sect, sent shockwaves through the Nie Clan.

Hidden Blade Courtyard, the main hall.

Nie Fengxing, She Yan, Er Lin, and San Mu lay side-by-side, their upper garments entirely stripped away. Except for She Yan, whose left shoulder was shattered, the upper bodies of the others were imprinted with a single, stunningly beautiful red flower. Its crimson color had almost completely fused with their skin.

The Ninth Elder, Nie Xingdong, knelt on the floor, occasionally reaching out to press the blood-red markings, trying to ascertain the cause of death for Nie Fengxing and the other four.

Beside him, Clan Head Nie Qingsong’s face was as dark as still water, his brows heavy with suppressed rage. The Fifth Elder Nie Xingyun, Sixth Elder Nie Xingqiu, Seventh Elder Nie Xinghai, and Eighth Elder Nie Longshan surrounding them all frowned in grim silence. Nie Kong stood quietly to one side, his expression habitually calm.

After a long silence, Nie Xingdong rose to his feet.

"Well, Old Nine? Do your findings differ from my initial judgment?" Nie Xingyun spoke up.

"They do not," Nie Xingdong shook his head and sighed. "Fengxing, Er Lin, and San Mu were indeed wounded by the 'Heart Image' of the Flower Spirits. As for this She Yan, a member of the Snake Spirit race, the injury to his shoulder wasn't fatal. What truly ended his life was the complete shattering of his 'Heart Image,' which matches Nie Kong's account perfectly."

"Nie Kong, you are the only one left alive in that courtyard. Are the words you spoke truly without a shred of falsehood?" Nie Qingsong suddenly spoke, his eyes fixed rigidly on Nie Kong.

"If the Clan Head does not believe me, he can inspect this."

Nie Kong knew that Nie Qingsong could not possibly believe his own son conspired with She Yan to murder kinsmen. Thus, Nie Kong reached into his robes and produced a white, egg-shaped sphere densely covered in spirit patterns. "This fell from She Yan's body; I only picked it up when I left."

"'Sound Condensation Orb'?" The Ninth Elder exclaimed in surprise. Such an item was exceedingly rare, as only a select few Spirit Pattern Masters across the entire Heavenly Spirit Continent knew how to craft them.

"Precisely!"

Nie Kong nodded slightly, pouring his spiritual power into the sphere. A jade-green glimmer shone through the spirit patterns.

After a short while, Nie Fengxing’s mocking, yin-yang laughter echoed from within the orb: "Oh my, oh my, Brother She Yan, what brings you to my humble abode?"

"Third Brother, I heard that Nie Kong once…"

"…"

It was the exact recording of Nie Fengxing and She Yan conspiring on how to kidnap Hua Mei and use her to lure Nie Kong into their trap. As they listened, the expressions of Nie Xingyun and the other elders grew increasingly grim. Nie Qingsong looked as if he had aged a decade; his formerly straight back seemed slightly stooped, and a flush of crimson blood involuntarily rose to his face. His voice trembled with rage, "How could I have fathered such a son? Rebellious whelp! Rebellious whelp…"

Nie Qingsong’s lips moved, his heart bleeding with regret. If he had known it would come to this, he would never have given in to the pleas of his wife and daughter a few days ago to let the little bastard out for some air. If he hadn't come out, how could he have colluded with that She Yan, only to meet such a disastrous end?

It wasn't until the voices within the 'Sound Condensation Orb' ceased entirely that Nie Qingsong’s agitation managed to calm down slightly.

When he looked at Nie Kong again, Nie Qingsong’s gaze suddenly sharpened. "Nie Kong, according to what you just said, you obtained this 'Sound Condensation Orb' afterward. Before that, how could you be certain that Nie Fengxing and She Yan were conspiring, leading you to knock him unconscious so abruptly?"

At these words, Nie Xingyun and the other elders exchanged looks, all showing a subtle displeasure. It seemed the Clan Head still intended to pursue responsibility from Nie Kong?

Although Nie Qingsong tried hard to conceal it, Nie Kong sensed the anger and resentment in his eyes. This was understandable; Nie Fengxing was his son, and while Nie Kong hadn't killed him directly, he was still half responsible. It was perfectly normal for Nie Qingsong to vent his fury on him.

However, Nie Kong remained utterly unconcerned, because Nie Fengxing was not killed by him!

As long as that point remained unassailable, no matter how much hatred Nie Qingsong harbored in his heart, he could not openly strike at Nie Kong. Even if he planned some underhanded move, Nie Xingyun would be there to block him!

With that assurance in mind, and feeling significant dissatisfaction with Nie Qingsong due to Nie Fengxing’s unauthorized departure from confinement to conspire with She Yan, Nie Kong responded to the questioning with a cold, unreserved sneer. "Any person with even a slightly functioning brain could confirm that Nie Fengxing and She Yan had been colluding long ago. Otherwise, how could he have appeared at the 'Shu Ying Residence' with such perfect timing? If I recall correctly, he should currently be locked away in the 'Ice Flame Cave'!"