Ever since that vortex appeared, the influx of vitality and death energy entering the "Spiritual God One Aperture" became increasingly potent. The Yin-Yang Diagram, condensed from spiritual power, spun ever faster, its black-green luminescence flashing brilliantly, involuntarily drawing Nie Kong's spirit inward. Gradually, a wondrous state of understanding began to manifest within his consciousness.

Through it all, Nie Kong remained completely oblivious to the wisp of spiritual thought from the "Great Evolution Spirit Venerable" and the arrival of Mu Lengxing, Mu Yulin, and Mu Tianfei above the Wood Spirit Hall. He was equally unaware that the lingering thought intended to end his life had failed, and instead, it had been entirely absorbed and devoured by the massive vortex, leaving not even dregs behind.

At this moment, in Nie Kong's perception, only two things existed between heaven and earth—

One was vitality, capable of bringing springtime to all things, representing life. The other was death energy, which caused life to wither and all creation to vanish, embodying demise.

When vitality reached its limit, death surged forth, and life dissipated. When death energy grew intensely concentrated, vitality would also spontaneously emerge, initiating a new cycle of life.

Life and death formed a single, continuous loop.

Just like the vast expanse of "Demon Spirit Black Vines" sealing off the "Wood Spirit Hall"!

"Life and death are one?"

Faintly, a flash of enlightenment dawned in Nie Kong's mind. He ceased deliberately focusing or controlling, instead allowing the vitality and death energy to flow within the Yin-Yang Diagram according to the circulation of his spiritual technique...

Above the Wood Spirit Hall.

"Nearly half of these 'Demon Spirit Black Vines' have withered!" Mu Yulin frowned slightly. "The vitality and death energy Mu Kong is absorbing are growing too vast. I fear it won't be long before all the 'Demon Spirit Black Vines' here are sucked dry. What kind of spiritual technique is this little fellow cultivating?"

"Xueyi truly bore a strange child," Mu Tianfei said with a gentle smile as she observed the colossal vortex below. Even from her vantage point, she could sense the powerful suction emanating from the vortex. While this minimal pull posed no threat to her, it was certainly astonishing.

"Let's worry about that later; first, we must rescue Xueyi!"

As she spoke, the dragon-like "Thousand Thorn Ink Dragon Whip" flashed in the void, and Mu Lengxing’s figure merged with his inner resonance, vanishing from sight.

"Hiss!"

The Thousand Thorn Ink Dragon Whip shot down like a meteor, striking a patch of already withered "Demon Spirit Black Vines." With a crashing sound, the whip tore through the area of vines like a destructive force, carving out a hole dozens of meters wide and plunging straight inside.

If Nie Kong were awake from his cultivation, he would surely recognize the woman Mu Lengxing held as his body’s mother, Mu Xueyi!

"Well?"

Mu Yulin and Mu Tianfei immediately moved to meet him.

"She's alive!"

Mu Lengxing's calm voice now carried notes of urgency and excitement. "We must treat her quickly! Tianfei, you stay here and watch. Yulin and I will return first." His figure flickered slightly, reappearing hundreds of meters away. Mu Yulin followed without hesitation, keeping pace with Mu Lengxing...

The sun sank, and darkness gradually enveloped Yin Xu. Mu Tianfei settled into a meditative posture, suspended effortlessly in the high sky like a floating duckweed. Her eyes shone like distant stars, fixed unblinkingly on the gigantic vortex below, which had now expanded to a diameter of two hundred meters.

"It's already dark."

At some unknown moment, Mu Lengxing’s figure materialized abruptly beside Mu Tianfei. Looking at the still rapidly spinning vortex below, he let out a soft sigh.

"Indeed."

Mu Tianfei sighed in response. "The 'Demon Spirit Black Vines' have all been drained now. Although the vortex has stopped expanding and is no longer drawing in the vitality and death energy of Yin Xu, the power contained within it hasn't weakened; instead, it's continuously strengthening. This little fellow is truly playing with fire!"

"Oh?"

Mu Lengxing closed his eyes. The imprint of the "Thousand Thorn Ink Dragon Whip" surfaced on his brow. The pattern flashed briefly before sinking back into his skin. Then, Mu Lengxing’s eyes snapped open, and a trace of undisguised shock crossed his usually cold features. "Such tremendous power!"

"If this power were to erupt, even Spirit Masters like us would be left in a sorry state."

"Precisely!"

A shade of worry settled over both Mu Tianfei's and Mu Lengxing's expressions. After a moment, Mu Tianfei breathed out lightly. "How is Xueyi now?"

Mu Lengxing replied, "Yao Wu attempted treatment, but the effect was minimal; Xueyi remains unconscious. I sent her to the Wood Ancestor. Unfortunately, the Ancestor is currently threatened by the 'Dark Blood Spirit Worms,' and he expended vast amounts of energy earlier consolidating the 'Spirit Treasure Essence' and sending Mu Kong out of that place. He is now unable to exert much effort to save Xueyi. However, the Ancestor did provide a solution: use Mu Kong's blood to stimulate the hidden power within Xueyi's bloodline. Once she awakens and is free from the 'Demon Spirit Black Vine' confinement, she can gradually recover on her own."

"Mu Kong's blood?"

Mu Tianfei was momentarily stunned, then nodded. "That is a good method. Xueyi has been sealed within the Wood Spirit Hall for so long that her bloodline power has long since become dormant. Mu Kong was born of her, his bloodline inherited from her. Mu Kong's bloodline can indeed stimulate her dormant lineage power, but..."

She hesitated at the end. "...To achieve this, Mu Kong must awaken first. Looking at the current situation, awakening him requires first dispelling that vortex. That is extremely difficult. Mu Kong's cultivation is likely at a critical juncture; disturbing him now could inflict immense harm."

"That is precisely what concerns me," Mu Lengxing frowned.

"How long can Xueyi’s body hold out?" Mu Tianfei pondered.

Mu Lengxing stated, "Although Yao Wu’s inner resonance cannot cure Xueyi, continuing her life is not impossible. Yao Wu estimates she can last for more than half a year."

"Since we have half a year, there's no need to worry unduly," Mu Tianfei smiled. "Mu Kong’s cultivation lasting ten days or half a month is already quite an achievement."

"If that is the case, let's wait a while longer then!"

"..."

Days turned into weeks...

Once Yin Yue City calmed down, the path leading to the "Wood Spirit Hall" was sealed again to prevent clansmen from accidentally entering the area. However, above the hall, figures continuously arrived, soaring through the air. They would silently observe the scene below for a moment before vanishing without a trace.

In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.

The vortex continued to spin incessantly, and the power contained within it grew stronger day by day. The very space hundreds of meters around Nie Kong seemed to revolve with it, punctuated by continuous rushing sounds.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Two figures appeared in the sky, flashing in the blink of an eye to hover above the Wood Spirit Hall—it was Mu Lengxing and the City Lord of Yin Yue, Mu Yijun.

"It’s been two days since we last checked, and the vortex's power has increased significantly," Mu Yijun sighed.

Mu Lengxing murmured, "I never expected the power Mu Kong is drawing to reach such a magnitude. If it loses control, Yin Xu itself might be affected. Furthermore, things have progressed to this stage; it's likely impossible now to forcibly break up and dissolve that vortex."

"Alas!"

The words faded, replaced by two mournful sighs...

At that very moment, the scene within Nie Kong's "Spiritual God One Aperture" began to change.

Ever since Nie Kong allowed the vitality and death energies to flow freely, these two currents had been continuously merging into the "Yin-Yang Diagram." Unconsciously, the original black-and-green Yin-Yang Diagram had become starkly divided, black on the left and green on the right, entirely unmixed.

But now, Nie Kong suddenly noticed a speck of green emerging from the mass of black energy, and simultaneously, a wisp of black detached itself from the green.

"Plop!"

It was like tossing a small stone into a rippling lake; the resulting tiny wave quickly vanished, barely causing a ripple.

Yet, Nie Kong's spirit surged with excitement!

The emergence of green within the black energy and black within the green signaled that the "black energy" was showing signs of generating vitality, and the vitality showed nascent signs of fostering death. As long as he persisted, these signs and tendencies would become increasingly pronounced.

Indeed, just as Nie Kong anticipated, not long passed before another cluster of green bloomed within the black mass, and a faint, ghostly vitality sparked within the green.

Another half a month slipped by in an instant.

In the evening, as the sun descended, the magnificent crimson afterglow illuminated the scene, yet it seemed entirely sucked into the vortex. On a small peak opposite the Wood Spirit Hall, Mu Tianfei sat cross-legged at the summit, her eyes locked without blinking on the vortex across the way, her brow occasionally smoothing out, then furrowing again.

"Tianfei, you’ve observed for three days. What is the situation?" Mu Lengxing's figure suddenly appeared beside Mu Tianfei.

"In these three days, the power contained within the vortex hasn't increased, but the energy has become incredibly chaotic. In truth, signs of chaos appeared long ago, just not as intensely as in these recent days. What exactly is this little fellow Mu Kong up to? Isn't he afraid the power he's gathered will spiral out of control? If that happens, even ten Mu Kongs would be pulverized by that force," Mu Tianfei shook her head.

"Yes, if we had known his cultivation would take this long, we should have found a way to wake him up earlier. At that time, if a few of us had acted together, we could probably have protected Mu Kong from harm and minimized the destructive impact when the power erupted..."

"Eh?"

Just then, Mu Tianfei suddenly gasped in surprise and uncertainty...

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