Nie Qingsong pointed at Nie Kong, his face contorted in fury. Wasn't he accusing me of violating clan rules?

He had served as the Patriarch of the Nie Clan for over a decade, wielding immense authority among the clansmen. No one had ever dared to challenge him so openly, especially not a junior he had once highly regarded—though his affection for Nie Kong had vanished the moment he learned his son’s death was closely tied to the younger man!

"Nie Kong, return to your cultivation! This is no place for you to interject!" Nie Xingyun roared, covertly flashing Nie Kong a meaningful look, signaling him to withdraw first. Nie Kong didn't want to see his master caught in the middle, so he nodded and prepared to exit the hall.

"Wait!"

Nie Qingsong, however, showed no intention of letting Nie Kong off so easily. He spoke coldly, "Nie Kong, I will not pursue this matter for now, but that Hua Mei..."

"Enough!"

A grizzled voice suddenly exploded within the hall, causing the ears of everyone present to buzz painfully. Nie Kong started; the sound was strangely familiar. The voice that had resonated throughout Jiyang City the night he stole the 'Fire Tree Silver Blossom' was remarkably similar to this one.

"Great Elder!"

No figure appeared, yet at that instant, Nie Qingsong, Nie Xingyun, and the other elders bowed slightly toward the entrance.

"Qingsong, do you still remember the oath you swore when you took the mantle of Patriarch?" The Great Elder's tone was deep, the sound seeming to strike the very core of everyone’s heart.

"I remember!"

Nie Qingsong trembled slightly. "If Qingsong cannot treat every member of the Nie Clan with impartiality and fairness, I shall resign my position as Patriarch!"

"And have you been impartial and fair today?"

"I... have not!"

"Nie Fengxing was dissolute and erratic. Had he not been your son, Nie Qingsong, he would have long been imprisoned in the 'Ice Flame Cave' as punishment. Yet now, he has become even more reckless, colluding with outsiders, plotting against kinsmen, and violating clan rules—a crime punishable by all! Never mind whether this junior killed him or not; even if he did, the death was well-deserved. You first illegally released a convict from the 'Ice Flame Cave,' and now you reprimand a junior over a wretch deserving death! How can this be the action of a Patriarch? The Nie Clan belongs to the Nie Clan, not to you, Nie Qingsong! If you cannot fulfill your duty as Patriarch, then abdicate and make way for the worthy!"

By the time the Great Elder finished, his voice was sharp and severe. A boundless aura, vast as the ocean, saturated the hall, making it difficult for the Patriarch and the other elders to draw breath. Only Nie Kong, whose cultivation was the lowest, remained completely unaffected. His stunned silence was entirely due to the overwhelming impact of the Great Elder's final words.

"Yes!"

Nie Qingsong’s back bent further, sweat drenching his brow. He stammered out, voice shaking with difficulty, "Great Elder, Qingsong... was wrong!"

"Since you admit your error, after the 'Divine Birth Festival,' you will enter the 'Ice Flame Cave' for self-confinement for six months. Clan affairs will temporarily be managed by Xingdong!" The Great Elder’s tone softened slightly.

"Yes!" Nie Qingsong glanced quickly at Nie Kong, ultimately bowing his head in acceptance. His eyes held both bitter resentment and helpless resignation.

"..."

Even after leaving the Hidden Peak Courtyard, the Great Elder's words still echoed in Nie Kong's ears. 'The Nie Clan belongs to the Nie Clan, not to you, Nie Qingsong! If you cannot fulfill your duty as Patriarch, then abdicate and make way for the worthy!' The sheer authority embedded in that sentence made Nie Kong’s spirit tremble.

Furthermore, a single sentence sent the current Nie Clan Patriarch to the 'Ice Flame Cave' prison for half a year. In the entire Nie Clan, only the Great Elder, Nie Shengong, possessed such power and prestige. Once he made a decision, neither the Patriarch nor any other elder voiced dissent.

After this surge of emotion subsided, Nie Kong finally remembered the matter of the 'Shuying Residence.'

According to Hua Yanlian, if he didn't awaken the Wood Spirit Clan bloodline within him, he wouldn't live past the age of twenty-one. Based on instinct, Nie Kong felt Hua Yanlian was unlikely to lie about such a critical matter. Observing the cluster of dark green blood in his Yaochi Acupoint, Nie Kong felt a touch of absurdity. Hua Mei possessed the bloodline of the Flower Spirit Clan, and he, unbelievably, possessed that Yin Ruins Half-Spirit Clan bloodline. What an absurd coincidence! He wondered what the difference was between the Spirit Clan and the Half-Spirit Clan?

To enter the Yin Ruins, one must first enter Spirit Guard City...

Spirit Guard City. Nie Kong had indeed heard of it; it was a Spirit Master sect mentioned in the same breath as the Maluo Sacred Mountain, the Heaven and Earth Sect, the Ink Snow Sect, and the Evergreen Thread of Heaven. While the Nie Clan was a giant in the Great Accomplishment Empire, the disparity between them and Spirit Guard City was starkly apparent.

With a cascade of thoughts overwhelming him, Nie Kong returned home.

The courtyard was the same courtyard; the buildings were the same buildings. Yet, as Nie Kong stepped inside, he was suddenly struck by a sense of unfamiliarity. Without that timid, shy little maid, the place felt unnervingly desolate. Entering Hua Mei's room, a faint, delicate fragrance lingered, but Nie Kong felt an inexplicable hollowness in his chest.

After lingering in melancholy for a long time, Nie Kong left the courtyard. By the time he reached the entrance of the Pill Refinement Hall, his spirit had already rallied. He had two years. He refused to believe he couldn't master the so-called Yin Ruins bloodline. Ah, even if he failed to enter the Yin Ruins and awaken the bloodline, it would only mean dying one more time.

I have already died once; what difference does dying again make!

For a moment, the gloom in Nie Kong’s heart vanished. Thinking of Hua Mei’s beautiful face and bashful expression, a relaxed smile involuntarily spread across his face. Little girl, you must succeed in awakening your bloodline. When I come to see you next, I certainly won't call you 'sister-in-law' anymore, ha ha...

...

"What? Leaving the Nie Clan?"

In the Pill Refinement Hall, upon hearing Nie Kong's plan, Lian Tianxin and Nie Xingyun, who had just returned, exchanged bewildered glances, their expressions showing pure disbelief.

Nie Xingyun frowned. "Little fellow, you truly don't need to leave just because you worry about the Patriarch. Even if the Patriarch intended to make things difficult for you in the Hidden Peak Courtyard, if he truly dared to do anything against clan rules, neither this old man nor the other elders would allow him to run wild. Moreover, the Great Elder intervened afterward. No matter how much the Patriarch resents you, he wouldn't dare move against you in secret."

Nie Kong smiled. "Master, I am not leaving because I am afraid of that. I just want to go out and see the world. This Tianling Continent is too vast; staying cooped up in Jiyang City holds little interest." Nie Kong didn't mention the Yin Ruins or the Wood Spirit bloodline to avoid worrying them.

Lian Tianxin snorted coldly. "You little fledgling, you’ve just sprouted a few feathers and already want to learn to fly? With your current cultivation, going out is perilous. A tiny ripple could leave you utterly annihilated." Lian Tianxin clearly disapproved of Nie Kong’s intention.

"Red Hair is quite right this time!" Nie Xingyun frowned. "Little fellow, you’ve talked for so long, but you still haven't told us where you plan to go?"

"Spirit Guard City!" Nie Kong said quickly.

"Spirit Guard City?" Lian Tianxin and Nie Xingyun looked at each other, falling silent simultaneously, their brows shrouded in gloom.

"Masters, you two?" Nie Kong was thoroughly confused.

Nie Xingyun stroked his beard angrily. "Where in the world did you choose to go? You choose Spirit Guard City? Isn't that clearly telling your master that I can no longer teach you?"

"Huh?"

Nie Kong was even more mystified.

Lian Tianxin rolled his eyes. "Disciple, don't you know that on the Tianling Continent, the sect with the highest level of alchemy is Spirit Guard City?"

"Really?"

Nie Kong's eyes lit up.

Regarding Spirit Guard City, he only knew it was a powerful Spirit Master sect. He had never heard of its achievements in alchemy before...