PS: A two-in-one chapter, still asking for recommendation votes, everyone cast a few votes after reading, O(∩_∩)O haha~.

It was unclear how long it had been before Nie Kong’s completely dulled consciousness finally began to clear slightly.

As if suspended between sleep and waking, Nie Yu felt streams of heat constantly weaving and surging through his body, warm and enveloping, as if he were immersed in a hot spring.

Was this the innate medicinal power from Xiangxiang?

Foggily, a thought surfaced involuntarily in Nie Kong’s mind. He felt a pang of concern, yet he was reluctant to immediately withdraw from this comforting warmth, like basking in the spring breeze. After only a moment of faint internal struggle, a deep weariness washed over him, and Nie Kong sank back into a profound slumber.

Another unknown expanse of time passed before Nie Kong slowly awoke.

“Child, you are awake?”

A voice, ancient and gentle, suddenly rang out.

“Mm.”

Nie Kong responded instinctively, then immediately realized his surroundings, nearly breaking into a cold sweat. “Who?”

The instant that syllable left his lips, Nie Kong flipped over and sat up, his eyelids snapping open simultaneously. A brilliant, dazzling light flooded his vision, causing his pupils to constrict.

Nie Kong narrowed his eyes, quickly taking in his surroundings. He found the scenery drastically altered. The spongelike, soft green space he had known was gone. What lay before him now was still an oval-shaped green area, but the side walls were uneven and rugged, and the ground felt incredibly hard.

The most striking feature was a perfectly round object floating ahead, nearly the size of a millstone, colored deep ink-green and crystalline like jade. The light that had first met Nie Kong’s eyes emanated from this dark green sphere. It seemed to be the source of the voice.

Glancing left and right, Nie Kong’s gaze fixed on the ink-green sphere. For some inexplicable reason, he felt a sudden wave of familiarity looking at it.

“Child, do not be alarmed.”

The ancient voice sounded again, echoing softly in the space; it was indeed coming from the sphere.

“Whether it is a blessing or a curse, if it is a curse, I cannot escape it. Since things have come to this, panic is useless.” Nie Kong had already settled his mind, though great curiosity stirred within him. If the person spoke from within the sphere, was the sphere merely a medium, or did his soul truly reside there?

“I… am your ancestor…” The voice carried a slight hint of a smile.

“Ancestor…”

Nie Kong was struck between laughter and tears; he never expected the answer he received would be those two words. But quickly, a thought moved him. This place was within the boundary of the Yin Ruins. Could this be a supremely senior elder of the Half-Spirit Clan? If so, calling himself an ancestor would not be an overstatement.

“Nie Kong, he really is your ancestor, you know.”

With rustling sounds, Qing Yue’s figure, no bigger than two fingers, crawled out from Nie Kong’s chest, her eyes shining with a peculiarly strange smile.

“What?”

Nie Kong froze, watching as Qing Yue flapped her arms like tiny angel wings and swiftly floated in front of the sphere. She even adopted a look of endearing shyness and obedience, curiously asking, “Elder Spirit, can you tell Little Yueyue how old you are? And what kind of tree seed are you?”

Nie Kong stared, utterly dumbfounded. Qing Yue, who had been calling someone ‘Grandma’ moments before, was now so smoothly calling another ‘Grandpa.’ Furthermore, she changed her self-address from ‘Grandma’ to ‘Little Yueyue.’ Nie Kong thought, You’re almost two thousand years old; you don’t have to feign youth so shamelessly!

Wait, what did Qing Yue just call him? Tree Spirit?

Nie Kong was shocked. The one speaking to him was not a human from the Yin Ruins, but the spirit of that colossal, immense tree?

“How old?”

The ancient voice held a trace of contemplation, muttering, “I can’t quite recall. Was it thirteen thousand years, or fifteen thousand?”

A ten-thousand-year Tree Spirit!

Nie Kong was deeply shaken. He finally understood why Qing Yue called him Grandpa and acted like a little darling. She wasn't faking her youth; she was genuinely young in context! Even though he couldn't recall his exact age, it surely exceeded ten thousand years. He was a life form that existed since the era of the Phantom Spirit Continent. Perhaps he knew why the Phantom Spirit Continent transformed into the current Celestial Spirit Continent.

At that moment, the voice spoke again slowly, “As for the tree seed, if I remember correctly, it should be the ‘Ancestral Sky Divine Luo Tree’…”

“Wow! Tree Spirit Grandpa, you are actually the spirit of the Ancestral Sky Divine Luo Tree! Being an ancestor and being divine—no wonder you are so tall and so huge.”

Qing Yue flapped her tiny arms, her eyes glittering with excitement. But immediately afterward, she looked confused. “Tree Spirit Grandpa, what is the Ancestral Sky Divine Luo Tree?”

“Pfft!” Nie Kong, who had been pondering the words ‘Ancestral Sky Divine Luo Tree,’ couldn’t help but burst out laughing at Qing Yue’s subsequent question. Qing Yue was truly amusing; she hadn't even heard of the ‘Ancestral Sky Divine Luo Tree,’ so why was she acting so agitated and excited?

“Hahahaha…”

A deep, resounding laugh echoed through the space. A few wisps of ink-green energy floated out from the sphere, transforming into a small, ink-green palm. It gently pinched Qing Yue’s tiny waist. “Little one, use this time well to cultivate here; it is very beneficial for your soul.”

Saying that, he placed Qing Yue on the ground. Then, he beckoned Nie Kong over with a slight gesture of his fingers. “Child, come here, let me take a good look at you.”

Nie Kong hesitated, then subconsciously took a few steps forward. After moving a few paces, he realized he was approaching the sphere. However, Nie Kong did not resist. Just thinking of that terrifying, extreme vitality, Nie Kong knew he had no power to resist this ten-thousand-year Tree Spirit. If this spirit held any ill intent toward him, in just one or two seconds, it could assimilate him into that vast reservoir of life force.

He stopped a meter away from the sphere.

The ink-green luminescence suddenly burst forth, enveloping Nie Kong’s body. Vaguely, Nie Kong seemed to see two enormous eyes, filled with a kindness that felt like bathing in the spring breeze, yet also possessing a depth that saw through everything. Under the gaze of those two eyes, Nie Kong felt every secret within his body exposed—not just the single aperture of his spirit and mind, but even the ‘Purple Luo Phantom Spirit Incense’ hidden within the Yaochi Acupoint did not escape notice.

“Aiya?”

The little fellow seemed to sense the two gazes, quickly darting behind Nie Kong’s acupoints, then cautiously poking out its small flower bud to squeak timidly.

In such a moment, Qing Yue beside him could hardly focus on cultivation. With a flash, she landed on Nie Kong’s shoulder, gazing at the brilliant, luminous ink-green sphere opposite them, her eyes constantly darting around, still filled with deep curiosity and excitement.

“Child, it’s been almost twenty years…” The sphere’s light gradually receded, and the Tree Spirit sighed softly. “I didn’t expect you to last this long without your bloodline awakening, reaching the Spirit Transformation realm, and even returning here through the Yin Ruins Spiritual Vein in Lingyu City… Your brother did not appear with you; I fear he has already…”

“You know me?”

The information revealed in the Tree Spirit’s words made Nie Kong find it hard to believe.

Nie Kong had always assumed he was born outside the Yin Ruins, but the Tree Spirit mentioned both him and Nie Qiong, clearly knowing what they looked like. No matter how powerful he was, he couldn't possibly know what happened in Jiyang City. This meant only one possibility: he and Nie Qiong had exited the Yin Ruins.

In an instant, Nie Kong arrived at an even more baffling thought. If the previous possibility was true, then he and Nie Qiong could not be Nie Qingyang’s sons. There was only one way into the Yin Ruins: the Spiritual Vein in the inner city of Lingyu City. Nie Qingyang was a Thunder Spirit Master; how could he have gone in?

“That’s right! Back then, I was the one who watched you two brothers leave the Yin Ruins…”

The Tree Spirit sighed, a hint of sadness coloring his voice.

“…”

Nie Kong remained silent.

Because of Nie Xingyun and Lian Tianxin, Nie Kong had already come to regard himself as a true member of the Nie family. But now, finding out he had no blood relation to the Nie family—thinking of the concern and fervent hopes of his two masters—Nie Kong smiled wryly, unsure how he truly felt.

“Child, you must have many questions. Come, take my hand!”

The Tree Spirit said gently, extending the ink-green palm toward Nie Kong.

After a brief hesitation, Nie Kong clasped the Tree Spirit’s hand.

Instantly, the ink-green luminescence flowed out from that palm, moving up Nie Kong’s arm like water. In a flash, Nie Kong’s entire body was covered in the shining, dazzling green light. Soon, a clear picture slowly unfolded before Nie Kong’s eyes: at the foot of a rugged, rocky peak, the figure of a woman in white robes flickered rapidly, crossing distances of tens of meters beneath her feet. Judging by her movement, ‘Void Integration,’ she must be a Spirit Master above the Void Spirit level. In her arms, she held two infants, one large and one small.

“She is your mother’s maid, Mu Shang!”

The Tree Spirit’s voice sounded beside Nie Kong’s ear.

“My mother?”

Nie Kong’s heart stirred. His mother, whom he had never met, was so powerful that even her maid possessed cultivation above the Void Spirit level. As his mind focused on the image, Nie Kong concentrated on the scene again.

Nie Kong knew that of the two children held by the maid Mu Shang, the smaller one must be himself, and the larger one should be Nie Qiong. However, judging by Mu Shang’s expression, she looked extremely anxious, frequently looking back while fleeing, as if avoiding something.

After a long moment, Mu Shang rushed to the summit.

At the peak stood a stone platform, about one zhang high, upon which two ink-green stone pillars stood silently. Leaping onto the platform, Mu Shang glanced between the stone pillars, and her body involuntarily sank to her knees. At that moment, Nie Kong could even clearly see the despair in her eyes.

“Boom!”

Suddenly, the void between the stone pillars rippled violently, and a narrow, ink-green fissure instantly split open, as if a giant hand had fiercely torn space apart.

“Many thanks to Ancestor Mu!”

The despair in Mu Shang’s eyes was replaced by wild ecstasy. Her body sprang up like an arrow loosed from a bowstring and shot into the ink-green fissure.

Her figure grew fainter, and the fissure gradually closed. However, just as Mu Shang was about to vanish completely, a streak of black light suddenly shot through the crack, aiming directly for her back.

“Dodge!”

Seeing this, Nie Kong couldn't help but shout out.

The black light was incredibly fast. Before Nie Kong’s voice had faded, it struck Mu Shang squarely in the back. Nie Kong vaguely saw her body tremble, then vanish completely through the crack. Immediately afterward, the fissure sealed tightly, and the void returned to its previous calm.

I wonder if Mu Shang was alright?

Nie Kong’s heart hung suspended. In truth, there was no need to watch further to know that Mu Shang must have met with misfortune, otherwise, Nie Kong’s memories would not lack any trace of her. It was just that since he hadn't witnessed the later events firsthand, Nie Kong still held a sliver of vain hope.

Suddenly, the scene abruptly shifted, the landscape much blurrier than before.

Nie Kong looked closely and realized it was a forest area, with a small path faintly visible between the trees.

Mu Shang was lying by the roadside beneath a large tree, her originally fair face now pitch-black, vomiting mouthfuls of black blood, yet her arms were still tightly clutching the two infants, refusing to let go.

“Rustle, rustle!”

Footsteps sounded, and the figure of a burly man appeared from the woods, a bundle of bloody animal hide slung over a wooden pole on his shoulder.

The man strode forward, his appearance slightly clearer. Although still rather indistinct, Nie Kong could still make out that it was a younger Nie Qingyang.

Seeing the situation by the roadside, Nie Qingyang quickened his pace. After just one look, his face changed dramatically: “Madam, you are poisoned?”

“Cough, cough…”

Mu Shang stared fixedly at Nie Qingyang; she could no longer speak a word. When she opened her mouth, great gouts of black blood rushed out.

Nie Qingyang understood Mu Shang’s meaning: “Madam, you intend to entrust these two children to me?”

“Cough, oh!”

Mu Shang blinked with difficulty.

“This…”

Nie Qingyang hesitated for a long moment, then finally sighed deeply, “Very well, Madam, I promise you!”

Tossing the animal hide aside, Nie Qingyang gently lifted the two infants, who remained soundly asleep, from Mu Shang’s embrace.

Mu Shang’s lips curved slightly, and her eyes finally closed powerlessly. Immediately, Mu Shang’s body began to dissolve. In the blink of an eye, Mu Shang was completely gone, leaving no trace that she had ever existed on the ground, not even the clothes she wore disintegrated completely.

“What potent poison!”

Nie Qingyang recoiled several steps in shock. After a while, his gaze settled on the two children. “These two little ones are quite adorable, but I am a grown man, unmarried, how can I care for them? Never mind, since I promised this Madam, I will take them back to the family to see. There are plenty of people in the clan who couldn't bear children; if they are willing, I can give these poor little fellows to them to raise…”

As he spoke, Nie Qingyang’s figure gradually faded into the distance.

Nie Kong didn't need to watch the rest to guess what happened. After returning to the family, Nie Qingyang did not give the two children to the clansmen as he had initially planned; instead, he took on the responsibility of raising them himself. Thus, the Nie family gained two sickly children, one named Nie Qiong and the other Nie Kong.

Watching Nie Qingyang’s receding and fading silhouette, Nie Kong involuntarily felt a surge of respect. Previously, his impression of Nie Qingyang came only from the memories of this body. Even though Nie Kong had been subtly influenced by the original owner’s memories, he felt a strong aversion toward this nominal father. After all, calling a strange young woman ‘Sister-in-law’ was fine, but accepting a strange man barely older than himself as ‘Father’ was truly hard to accept.

But after seeing this scene, Nie Kong couldn't help but feel a sense of acceptance. Simply because of a promise made to a strange woman, Nie Qingyang began to laboriously raise two terminally ill children. Such a person, whether on the Celestial Spirit Continent or in his previous life, could not be called non-existent, but they were certainly few and far between. Moreover, Nie Qingyang at that time was only in his early twenties, which made it especially rare.

For such a person, what did it matter if he called him Father!

With this thought, Nie Kong’s gaze returned to the spot where Mu Shang vanished, and he let out a soft sigh, an unstoppable wave of sorrow rising from his chest. He only wondered what catastrophe occurred in the Yin Ruins back then that she would sacrifice her own life to send the two children away.

“Child, this is the scene of your departure from the Yin Ruins. As for why it happened this way, continue watching…” The ancient voice sounded.

Then, the scene before Nie Kong shifted again, revealing an ancient, imposing ink-green palace, just as clear as when Mu Shang first appeared. It seemed this palace was located within the bounds of the Yin Ruins, allowing the Tree Spirit to capture it so clearly.

However, the moment Nie Kong saw the palace, he could sense a jubilant atmosphere.

Indeed, as the scene continued to change, Nie Kong saw many beautiful, flower-like women joyfully entering and exiting the palace. Faintly, Nie Kong could hear whispers like, “His Majesty Wood Sect has given birth again, and it’s a boy!” or “It would have been better if it were a girl; she would surely be the next Wood Sect Leader.”

That child they are talking about—could it be me? Nie Kong pondered secretly. Based on the previous events, the ‘Ancestor Mu’ Mu Shang mentioned should be the ten-thousand-year Tree Spirit from the ‘Ancestral Sky Divine Luo Tree,’ similar in nature to the spiritual symbols worshipped in religions of his previous life. ‘Wood Sect’ should be the actual leader of the Half-Spirit Clan in the Yin Ruins. Since his mother was the ‘Wood Sect’ of the Yin Ruins, it was not surprising that she would have a maid like Mu Shang.

The scene continued to change rapidly, entering a chamber filled with vibrant green and teeming with life.

On the wide bed lay an infant, perhaps one or two years old, sleeping soundly. In front of the bed, a slender woman in white robes walked back and forth, holding a baby in her arms.

The woman had features like a painting, skin as fair as frost and snow, and her beautiful eyes gazed lovingly at the infant in her embrace, her face wreathed in smiles as she hummed a soft tune. The baby in the swaddling clothes seemed a bit mischievous; though it couldn't even open its eyes fully, its tender, soft body twitched occasionally, and its two chubby little hands would sometimes reach out, gently scratching the woman’s chin, causing her to giggle.

Having lived on the Celestial Spirit Continent for so long, Nie Kong rarely thought of his previous life and had almost completely integrated into his current identity. Now, watching that warm scene, a smile involuntarily spread across Nie Kong’s face. Was he really like that as a child?

“This is your mother, Mu Xueyi, also the Yin Ruins’ Wood Sect…”

The Tree Spirit’s ancient voice suddenly cut in, startling Nie Kong awake.

“Mu Xueyi?”

As he quietly repeated the name, cries of alarm suddenly rang out from outside the chamber. Nie Kong’s heart instantly tensed. Was the change that forced him to leave the Yin Ruins about to happen?

Hearing the commotion, Mu Xueyi’s delicate eyebrows knitted slightly. Her beautiful eyes glanced toward the doorway, and several white shadows suddenly rushed in, led by Mu Shang.

Upon entering the chamber, Mu Shang anxiously reported, “Your Majesty Wood Sect, quickly, leave! Second Sect Leader is bringing people to attack. We don’t know why, but her cultivation realization has drastically changed, and it carries a powerful toxicity. No one outside can stop her. The Elders are not here, and you have just given birth, so your strength is far less than one-tenth of what it should be; you are certainly no match for her. Your Majesty, hurry and take the two young masters away! We will hold her off, even if it costs us our lives.”

“Leave? Where to?”

Mu Xueyi sighed lightly. “This Wood Spirit Hall is connected to my lifeblood. If I leave the Wood Spirit Hall, my children and I are truly doomed. Mu Shang, you and the others must take the young masters and leave immediately—leave the Yin Ruins and head for Lingyu City! I will hold off Mu Qingyi. This way, your chances of escape will be greater. If things can be salvaged, I will come to Lingyu City to bring you back within three years. If I do not appear within three years, suppress the Yin Ruins bloodline of the two young masters and let them live well outside. At that time, tell Xu Ba to move Lingyu City away from Tianlang Mountain, and tell him… the Yin Ruins no longer has the ‘Extreme Spiritual Sacred Water,’ and there is no need to restrain the spiritual veins anymore!”

Mu Shang and the others became even more anxious. “Your Majesty Wood Sect, we…”

“Go!”

Mu Xueyi waved her jade hand, and the infant on the bed entered her embrace. She gazed deeply into the faces of the two infants, as if trying to imprint their features into her memory, then, without hesitation, she pushed the children toward Mu Shang and shouted softly.

“Your Majesty Wood Sect…”

Mu Shang’s voice hadn't finished before Mu Xueyi flicked her sleeve, causing a subtle ripple in the void. The figures of the few maids and the two children instantly vanished. By this time, the shouts outside had quietly ceased, and the previously bright void had grown dim.

“My Qingyi sister, I have long seen what you intended, yet I always yielded. I never expected you would choose this time to strike. If you truly wish to be the Wood Sect Leader, why should I refuse to yield it to you…” Mu Xueyi sighed mournfully, sorrow clouding her beautiful features.

As she spoke, Mu Xueyi stepped out of the sleeping chambers...

Nie Kong offered a wry, silent smile; by this point, he had grasped the general outline of the upheaval in Yin Xu.

That Mu Qingyi must have been consumed by jealousy over her sister becoming the Mu Sect Master of Yin Xu, choosing to strike precisely when her sister was most vulnerable, immediately following childbirth. His own mother stayed behind to confront Mu Qingyi, while the maidservants spirited him and Nie Qiong away from Yin Xu. Along the escape route, several of the maids likely died one by one attempting to hold off pursuers, leaving only Mu Shang to reach the exit of Yin Xu. Although she succeeded in getting him and Nie Qiong out, she ultimately could not save her own life.

He never expected such a clichéd scenario to befall him. He could only wonder what fate awaited his mother after Mu Shang and the others had departed.

The Tree Spirit seemed to sense Nie Kong’s train of thought and sighed, "Child, do you truly believe this was merely a dispute over the Mu Sect leadership? The matter is far more complex than you imagine..."