Nie Kong's figure darted rapidly through the dense forest canopy, the faint sound of his footsteps occasionally drifting through the air. This Illusionary Space was truly fraught with danger; Nie Kong had just found a remarkably hidden spot and had only managed to cultivate for a mere two minutes before being interrupted by a second-rank spiritual beast.

Furious, Nie Kong quickly disposed of the creature and relocated, intending to find another secluded area to hide and continue his cultivation.

Thanks to the little fellow's "Spring Breeze Nurturing," Nie Kong's spiritual power had only recovered to about forty percent. Moreover, it would be at least another twenty minutes before the next "Jade Fragrance Pellet" would take effect.

With his current strength, encountering a disciple from the Spirit Mastery City or a spiritual beast like the "Shadow Streamer Beast" would make survival extremely difficult!

"No, wait!"

Nie Kong's mind trembled, and the flickering figure abruptly halted, beginning to look around with a seemingly casual demeanor. However, his peripheral vision remained sharply focused on the area thirty to forty meters ahead, where a colossal tree stood, large enough to require several people to encircle. Behind that tree...

After surveying the area briefly, Nie Kong casually paced a few steps, suddenly spinning around. He mobilized all his remaining spiritual power, unleashing the "Flying Flower Flowing Shadow..." He shot back along his original path, his body a mere afterimage, moving even faster than when he arrived. Nie Kong dared not look back, but he could sense the movement behind him through the vibrant life force of the surrounding vegetation, which was several times denser than in the outside world.

The supporting trees flashed past, and fine beads of sweat surfaced on Nie Kong's forehead.

About two li later...

"Whoosh!"

Like a gentle breeze passing by, an almost inaudible sound of breaking air propagated from a gap between the trees on his flank. Immediately following, a white shadow suddenly entered Nie Kong's line of sight. It landed lightly on a thick, outstretched branch ahead, its sleeves fluttering gracefully—a picture of effortless elegance.

Nie Kong reined in his forward momentum, narrowing his eyes to observe.

The person appeared to be around twenty-four or twenty-five, tall and straight, with a face as fine as polished jade. His handsome features, paired with the white robes, made him look exceptionally refined and distinguished.

Nie Kong had seen this person before at the Lingxiao Altar. He was one of the inner city disciples participating in this Illusionary Space trial.

An inner city disciple!

In the Illusionary Space, the sole purpose of the inner city disciples was to eliminate any Spirit Mastery City disciples they encountered. Generally, the strength of inner city disciples far surpassed that of outer city disciples. Even if their cultivation grades were comparable, in an actual confrontation, the inner city disciple would win ninety percent of the time.

"Danger!"

Nie Kong’s expression grew more composed. Panic served no purpose in moments like this; remaining calm might instead reveal an opportunity to escape.

His thoughts raced. Nie Kong suddenly smiled, "Senior Brother, what should I call you?"

"I am Xiao Yao!"

The white-robed youth floated down from the branch, smiling faintly. "You react quickly and run fast. I almost let you escape..." Nie Kong felt a touch of helplessness. "Too bad, I was still intercepted by Senior Brother Xiao..."

"If I couldn't even stop a junior brother from the outer city, then I wouldn't deserve a place in the inner city," Xiao Yao chuckled gently. "Tell me, how did you discover me? I am confident in my concealment; standing where you were, there was absolutely no way you could have spotted me!"

"Feeling!"

Nie Kong uttered those two words.

He had indeed sensed something amiss behind that tree purely by instinct, but this sensation differed from ordinary intuition. Nie Kong's feeling stemmed from the vitality of the flora and fauna between heaven and earth, not just a mere internal premonition.

Of course, Nie Kong had no intention of revealing this fact to the man before him.

"A feeling?" Xiao Yao’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he let out a light laugh. "Your intuition is quite accurate. To sense my presence from such a distance—I admire that! I admire that! Judging by your appearance, the fight with the spiritual beast must have drained you significantly, yet you still managed to flee two or three li from me. If your spiritual power were at its peak, you could likely escape even farther. Furthermore, you look younger than twenty. To be this outstanding at such an age, it would be a shame if you failed to enter the inner city after the Grand Trial of the Six Halls. Alas, I almost feel reluctant to act, but..."

Nie Kong interjected, completing his thought: "Reluctant to act, but you still must, right?" "Exactly! So clever!"

Xiao Yao’s smile widened. "Since entering the Illusionary Space, I’ve dealt with four spiritual beasts, but I haven't laid a hand on the three outer city junior brothers I've encountered. But you are different; why did you have to be named Nie Kong?"

This person knew me!

In an instant, Nie Kong considered a major possibility. Xiao Yao, like Luo Sheng who had radiated killing intent towards him in the Lingxiao Altar, was from the inner city. The fact that he let other outer city disciples pass but specifically stopped him suggested an extremely close relationship with Luo Sheng.

Indeed, Xiao Yao smiled again. "It seems you've figured it out. Correct. Luo Sheng spoke with us inner city disciples; if we encountered you, we were instructed to ensure you never left the Illusionary Space alive. Who did you have to offend? Offending Luo Sheng is one thing, but why did you have to kill his younger brother?"

"Junior Brother Yi, I am truly sorry!"

Xiao Yao apologized with a polite tone, yet his expression betrayed not an ounce of sincerity.

"Oh?" Nie Kong smiled lazily. "I have the 'Crested Jade Butterfly' in hand. Senior Brother Xiao, if you intend to prevent me from leaving the Illusionary Space alive, I’m afraid that might not be possible, right?"

"Hahahaha..."

Xiao Yao burst into a loud laugh. "Junior Brother Nie Kong, you may not know this, but while the 'Crested Jade Butterfly' can defend against attacks below the Spirit Transformation realm once activated, it has a fatal flaw—while the shield is active, you cannot move. At that moment, if a spirit master at the fifth rank of Spirit Fusion or above gathers all their spiritual power and strikes precisely the center of your head, they can instantly shatter the 'Crested Jade Butterfly's' protection and kill you without any ability to resist!"

"Is that true?"

Nie Kong frowned slightly. He hadn't expected the "Crested Jade Butterfly" to have such a critical vulnerability. Hearing Xiao Yao state it made his scalp tingle slightly. If Xiao Yao was telling the truth, encountering such an attack while the shield was active meant certain death. Bi Yan couldn't be instantly transported out after using the shield; there was a delay of several seconds before the Illusionary Space would send her away.

Those few seconds were enough time for a spirit master of the fifth rank of Spirit Fusion or higher to land an unhurried strike.

"Why would I lie to you?" Xiao Yao gazed at Nie Kong with pity and sighed reflectively. "Junior Brother Nie Kong, although I was entrusted by Luo Sheng, I hold no personal grudge against you. It wouldn't be right for me to actually take your life. How about this: you commit suicide. After you die, I will help you activate the Spirit Pattern Jade Butterfly and send you out of the Illusionary Space. How does that sound?"

Although he asked Nie Kong a question, his tone suggested no room for negotiation.

Nie Kong couldn't help but smile. "Senior Brother Xiao, you are truly merciful..."

Xiao Yao sighed dramatically. "You saw through that? You are truly a kindred spirit! To be honest, I usually never kill. Today, I was forced to kill a few spiritual beasts, and I’ve been saddened for quite a while. Junior Brother Nie Kong, you certainly wouldn't want to see me sad, would you?"

"I would! I would..." Nie Kong smiled sweetly. "Someone as kind-hearted and benevolent as Senior Brother Xiao—how could I bear to make you sad? Therefore, I've decided. I shall send Senior Brother out first!"

"Send me out first?"

Xiao Yao was momentarily stunned, then threw his head back and laughed loudly. "Junior Brother Nie Kong, did I hear that correctly? You want to send me out?"

Nie Kong stated firmly, "You heard correctly!"

"Junior Brother Nie Kong, you are truly amusing." Xiao Yao laughed again, only stopping after wiping away tears of mirth. "You have been using the time talking with me to recover your spiritual power; I know that perfectly well. But do you truly think that little recovery time is enough to send me out of the Illusionary Space? Forget this short recovery period—even if I gave you double the time, or let you fully recover your spiritual power, what difference would it make?"

He paused, then sighed lightly. "Junior Brother Nie Kong, I truly did not wish to fight, but since you refuse the clear path I've shown you, I must force myself to be saddened this once. Let Junior Brother Nie Kong understand that outer city disciples stand absolutely no chance against inner city disciples."

"Don't rush, don't rush."

A strange smile played on Nie Kong's lips as he mimicked Xiao Yao's tone. "Senior Brother Xiao, let me show you something, and then you’ll know I wasn't speaking falsely..."

"Oh?" Xiao Yao's lips curled slightly. "I shall wait and see."

"Senior Brother Xiao, you must open your eyes wide; don't misidentify it."

Nie Kong reminded him with a smile. His right hand, which had been held behind his back since Xiao Yao blocked his path, suddenly moved forward. The scale-like bark of the wooden stick in his palm shimmered with a vibrant crimson glow.

"Th-this..."

As the red light hit his eyes, the smile vanished from Xiao Yao's face, and his eyes snapped wide open. "Blood-Scaled Catalpa!"

He cried out the three words involuntarily. Gone was the previous air of detached composure; his face was etched with utter astonishment, as if he could not believe Nie Kong possessed such an item.

Nie Kong felt a surge of elation. "My benevolent Senior Brother Xiao, excellent eyesight! I am impressed! You are correct... this is the Blood-Scaled Catalpa!"

"How is this possible?" Xiao Yao muttered to himself. "How could there be a Blood-Scaled Catalpa inside the Illusionary Space? Did you bring it in from the outside? That's even more impossible! If you were carrying a Blood-Scaled Catalpa, those instructors would have searched you thoroughly! Besides, if you had carried it for this long, its medicinal scent would have already spread, and you would have been besieged by frenzied spiritual beasts. How could the area still be this calm?..."

Xiao Yao’s handsome face was a picture of confusion. "It seems you haven't had the Blood-Scaled Catalpa for long? Perhaps you picked it up on the road while you were fleeing just now? Does that mean this Blood-Scaled Catalpa originated within the Illusionary Space? Impossible, how could that be possible?" Nie Kong laughed heartily: "Nothing in this world is impossible, Senior Brother Xiao. Stop overthinking it. Just enjoy the feast I've prepared for you. Ha?"

Almost the instant his laughter rang out, a ferocious roar from a spiritual beast sounded from not far away: "Roar!"