Nie Kong blurted out, surprised not by the blood-red script on the stone tablet, but by the pattern beneath the writing!

In the center of a cluster of crescent-shaped dense leaves, twelve slender stalks stood tall, only to curve down like fish hooks near the top, where azure blossoms proudly bloomed downwards. Though merely an engraving, it was rendered vividly, the lines imbued with a sense of lively movement.

"Crescent Moon Azure Hook!"

The pattern on the stele bore an extreme resemblance to the "Crescent Moon Azure Hook" that Tai Ji had drawn! The only difference was that Tai Ji’s depiction showed only a single fish-hook-shaped azure flower, whereas this one displayed a full twelve, perfectly matching the number of doors on this black palace.

"Who exactly are you? Why can you drain my vitality?" A faint wisp of black mist circled the stele as the female voice sounded again, her tone laced with anger, shock, and disbelief.

Nie Kong did not reply, staring at the stele in bewilderment, muttering, "You are not human!"

"That's right, I'm not human. So what?"

The female voice paused for a beat, then repeated her previous question, reprimanding him furiously, "Who exactly are you? Why can you drain my vitality?"

Nie Kong snapped back to attention, offering a slight smile. "Haven't you sensed it? In fact, your intuition is correct; I am merely a Wood Spirit Master of the first rank of Spirit Transformation."

"Impossible! Impossible! A Spirit Master can also absorb my vitality?" The black mist writhed violently, clearly refusing to accept Nie Kong's statement.

"Believe it or not!"

Seeing this, Nie Kong grew more assured. "If I'm not mistaken, you must have been sealed within this stele by someone. Can you tell me what your true form is? Could it be the Crescent Moon Azure Hook?"

As he uttered the final words, Nie Kong’s voice became faintly urgent.

Legend held that herbs like this could only attain speech after absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to reach the realm equivalent to a Celestial Spirit expert. Once past Celestial Spirit, they could manifest in *human form, much like the "Fluttering Jade Butterfly Spring," which established a lineage of the Flower Spirit Clan on the Celestial Spirit Continent.

"Fiery Tree, Silver Flower, Sky of Endless Night; Dwelling Dragon, Soul Devourer, begins to flutter beautifully!"

Besides the Fiery Tree Silver Flower, Sky of Endless Night, Dwelling Dragon Grass, Soul Devourer Flower, and Fluttering Jade Butterfly Spring, there was actually a rare medicine like the "Crescent Moon Azure Hook."

"Crescent Moon Azure Hook?"

The voice hesitated for a moment, then snorted, "It's no harm telling you; my true form is the ‘Azure Moon Illusory Heart Orchid.’ Saying it’s the ‘Crescent Moon Azure Hook’ isn't entirely wrong. If that old fellow from the Beast Taming Sect hadn't sealed me here, could you, little fellow, really drain my vitality?"

With that, the voice still sounded resentful.

"Well said," Nie Kong smiled. "Since you can speak like a human, you must have achieved Celestial Spirit cultivation before being sealed. If that were the case, you could have ended me instantly."

The Azure Moon Illusory Heart Orchid sneered, "If I were at the Celestial Spirit realm back then, would that old fossil from the Beast Taming Sect even be worthy of sealing me?"

"How so?" Nie Kong asked curiously.

"I am different from ordinary medicinal herbs!" The Azure Moon Illusory Heart Orchid, having been sealed for too long, had an overwhelming desire to talk, and no longer pressed Nie Kong about why he could absorb its vitality, speaking volubly, "After cultivating to the Spirit Fusion realm, I could begin to change my body shape. By the time I reached Void Spirit, I could freely transform into any flower or grass."

"Leveraging this ability, I painstakingly cultivated to Cave Spirit. If nothing unexpected had happened, another thousand years might have allowed even me, like the ‘Fluttering Jade Butterfly Spring,’ to attain human form."

"It’s a pity that before I even reached Celestial Spirit, that cunning old coot discovered me! Hmph, the old man promised me mountains of benefits, wanting me to serve him like a foolish spirit beast—what a dream! How could the beautiful ‘Azure Moon Illusory Heart Orchid’ become his slave?"

As she spoke, the black mist swirling around the Spirit Sealing Stele intensified, and the Azure Moon Illusory Heart Orchid's voice grew angrier, "When the old fool couldn't subdue me, he trapped me within the ‘Spirit Sealing Stele,’ then set up a massive array of ‘Ink Bell Flowers’ in the palace, attempting to weaken my soul with their poison. But the old fool forgot who I am—I am the beautiful ‘Azure Moon Illusory Heart Orchid’! It took me three hundred years to absorb all the toxicity of the ‘Ink Bell Flowers.’ My soul was not weakened; instead, it advanced to Celestial Spirit!"

"Though my soul improved, my physical body completely vanished. Fortunately, that old fool is long dead! Little fellow, do you know? Just a few days after the old man sealed me, a very formidable person came knocking. It seemed to be the Mountain Lord of some Moruo Sacred Mountain. Apparently, the old man had stolen something from the Moruo Sacred Mountain. That’s hilarious, hahahaha..."

Nie Kong listened silently to the Azure Moon Illusory Heart Orchid’s recount, never expecting her to suddenly mention the Moruo Sacred Mountain. His heart stirred; it seemed the gigantic palm print and the cracked peaks outside were the result of a fierce battle between the 'old fellow' she mentioned and the Moruo Sacred Mountain Lord.

"The two of them fought here for three days and three nights. All the people of the Beast Taming Sect were wiped out. In the end, the old man and that Moruo Sacred Mountain Lord perished together," the Azure Moon Illusory Heart Orchid sighed. "Alas, after the old fellow died, I was the only one left here. It's so boring. Oh yes, later, a City Lord from some Spirit Control City came by. He seemed very powerful too, probably a Celestial Spirit Master."

"I was maneuvering the poisonous mist outside that day when he spotted me. However, he didn't bother me. He just told me not to let my range of activity exceed the palm print and not to kill anyone. Hmph, how could the beautiful ‘Azure Moon Illusory Heart Orchid’ kill people? At most, I’d kill a few spirit beasts that delivered themselves to me!"

"Of course, it wouldn't matter even if he wanted trouble. This ‘Spirit Sealing Stele’ cannot be damaged without power surpassing Celestial Spirit! As long as I hide inside the ‘Spirit Sealing Stele’ and don't leave, what could he do to me? This ‘Spirit Sealing Stele,’ though it confines me, is also a fine protective treasure!"

Nie Kong suddenly understood why the sky-obscuring black mist at noon had only lingered within the sinkhole and hadn't dragged him and Tai Hong, who were so close, down. It was likely due to the agreement between the Azure Moon Illusory Heart Orchid and the former City Lord of Spirit Control City.

As for why Nie Kong appeared in the Spirit Sealing Hall now, he couldn't blame anyone but himself for wandering onto the little finger of that palm print. Reflecting on the earlier events, Nie Kong realized he had been standing at the very tip of the palm's finger. Because so much time had passed, the end had become quite smooth, and the black mist controlled by the Azure Moon Illusory Heart Orchid probably rarely visited that spot, allowing vegetation to grow there.

According to her, even without the little fellow helping to absorb the toxic fog, he would not have been in danger. However, this was all her perspective; such things were uncertain. Nie Kong wasn't naive enough to believe everything the Azure Moon Illusory Heart Orchid said.

The Azure Moon Illusory Heart Orchid continued to ramble on, and after a long while, she suddenly sighed contentedly. "It feels wonderful to have spoken so much after such a long time." Nie Kong smiled slightly, somewhat understanding the Azure Moon Illusory Heart Orchid’s feelings. Having been lonely in the Spirit Sealing Stele for so many years, the sudden appearance of someone to confide in would naturally prompt her to speak her fill. If it were him, he’d probably react the same way.

"Little fellow, seeing as you’ve listened to me for so long, I won't make things difficult for you. You can go!" The Azure Moon Illusory Heart Orchid huffed twice.

If he couldn't absorb her vitality, she wouldn't have become so agreeable! Nie Kong chuckled inwardly and said, "Before I go, may I ask you one question?"

"What question?"

"How long exactly have you lived?"

"Before that old coot from the Beast Taming Sect discovered me, it was about a thousand years, and then I stayed in the ‘Spirit Sealing Stele’ for another seven or eight hundred years."

"A thousand-year spirit herb!"

Nie Kong sighed profoundly, adding inwardly, "And a very narcissistic thousand-year spirit herb at that!"

Suddenly, an idea popped into Nie Kong's mind. The vitality contained within the Azure Moon Illusory Heart Orchid was so rich; what would the result be if he absorbed all of its vitality and toxic fog? He probably wouldn't need to find toxic herbs for the little fellow for a long time.

"What are you thinking?" The Azure Moon Illusory Heart Orchid instantly became vigilant, coldly snorting, "Little fellow, don't think that just because you can absorb vitality, I can do nothing to you! If I risk sacrificing half of my soul power, forget Spirit Transformation—even if you were at the Void Spirit level, I could kill you instantly."

"Perhaps so," Nie Kong did not argue with her, only offering a smile. Although the Azure Moon Illusory Heart Orchid was nearly two thousand years old, she had little contact with the outside world and still seemed somewhat naive. Nie Kong easily detected traces of insecurity and bluster beneath her confident words. While she might be able to kill him by sacrificing half her soul power, doing so would likely inflict irreparable harm upon herself!

"It's good that you know," the Azure Moon Illusory Heart Orchid seemed somewhat relieved.

Looking at the Spirit Sealing Stele, dimly visible under the shroud of black mist, Nie Kong suddenly asked, "You’ve been here for seven or eight hundred years. Don’t you ever want to go out and see the world?"

"Of course, I do." The Azure Moon Illusory Heart Orchid sighed wistfully. "Staying inside the ‘Spirit Sealing Stele’ day in and day out is suffocatingly boring. Plus, I’m the only one in this ‘Spirit Sealing Hall’; there isn't even a soul to talk to. But I am sealed, and my physical form has dissipated. Unless a powerhouse surpassing Celestial Spirit shatters this Spirit Sealing Stele for me. But that’s impossible to imagine! Such a powerful being would have long since left the Celestial Spirit Continent; why would they linger here?"

Nie Kong frowned. "Besides shattering the Spirit Sealing Stele, is there no other way?"

"There is one other way," the Azure Moon Illusory Heart Orchid snorted. "That is to enter a Beast Taming Sect-specialized Beast Token. But doing that means I would never again be autonomous! The thought of this beautiful ‘Azure Moon Illusory Heart Orchid’ being controlled by someone like a foolish spirit beast for life—I’d rather die."

Nie Kong's heart stirred. He focused his mind and summoned the small black token he had picked up outside the Illusion Realm from his pet inventory. "Is this what you're talking about?"