"How did these powers originate?" Nie Kong couldn't help but ask, though his mind was gradually calming. The power was currently surging wildly in all directions, yet it seemed to possess eyes, all of it circumscribing him, who was positioned right in the middle of the inky-green ocean. It felt as though an insurmountable chasm separated him from the surrounding energies.

Qing Yue responded irritably, "Of course, you attracted them yourself. It's a shame, though—even though these powers are fused from both vitality and death qi, they haven't been converted into true Spiritual Treasure Essence Qi. Once I absorb them all, I can immediately coalesce my true form."

"They were all attracted by me?"

Nie Kong’s face registered surprise. During this refinement, he had truly been completely unaware of anything happening outside. Now, feeling the surge of surrounding power, Nie Kong couldn't help but be moved. Since this power was formed by the fusion of life and death qi, it should be absorbable by him. If he could convert all of it into "Spiritual Treasure Essence Qi," his cultivation wouldn't just break through to the Du Ling realm; he might even reach the Xu Ling realm.

A Xu Ling Master in his twenties?

The mere thought made his spirit tremble. However, as soon as such a notion arose, Nie Kong calmed down. Looking at the trend of the surging power around him, if he started absorbing it, all of it would likely rush toward him, and once started, it would be difficult to stop without absorbing it all completely.

But if he truly attempted that, even if he couldn't absorb a mere tenth of the power, Nie Kong would likely cease to exist in this world, as his body would be burst apart by the sheer volume. Turning the thought over, Nie Kong suddenly felt a touch of relief, thankful that he hadn't absorbed these powers during his practice; otherwise, he wouldn't even have known how he died.

"What a waste!" Nie Kong sighed softly.

"No waste at all. Don't you have the Spirit Sealing Tablet with you?" Qing Yue suddenly chuckled.

"The Spirit Sealing Tablet?"

Nie Kong's heart skipped a beat. That item was indeed sturdy enough. If it could store this magnitude of energy, even more wouldn't cause any issues. The only question was how to use the 'Spirit Sealing Tablet'? Nie Kong thought of Qing Yue; this little thing was originally sealed within the 'Spirit Sealing Tablet.' Perhaps...

"Heh heh, little fellow, now you know the benefits of having Grandma around, right?" Qing Yue grew more smug, smiling broadly. "That old fellow Ni Ge Master is long dead, and Grandma has left too. The current 'Spirit Sealing Tablet' is effectively ownerless. With your current cultivation, you couldn't possibly control it."

Of course, simply opening it to draw in this power wouldn't be a problem.

This time, Qing Yue didn't tease Nie Kong or puff up her chest. After a pause, she continued, "There is a small hole at the top of the 'Spirit Sealing Tablet,' which leads straight to the bottom. Deep inside that hole is an imprint pattern. If you brand your spiritual (Nian/thought-sense) onto it, you can activate the 'Spirit Sealing Tablet.'"

"Hoo!"

In an instant of thought, the "Spirit Sealing Tablet" flew out of the Pet Backpack. Then, a streak of inky-green, ethereal light shot out from between Nie Kong's eyebrows and plunged into the opening at the top of the tablet.

Nie Kong had known about that small hole for a long time; it was where the little creature entered to absorb the toxic mist.

Every time it entered, vast quantities of poisonous fog would rush out.

On the night the Shattered Illusory Realm in the Beast Taming Sect collapsed, Nie Kong and Long Kui Xian were intimate for the second time. Nie Kong had already set his sights on the "Spirit Sealing Tablet." If Long Kui Xian had moved against him afterward, he planned to summon the "Spirit Sealing Tablet" to defend himself and then have the little creature draw out the poisonous mist within.

With the "Spirit Sealing Tablet" and the poisonous fog, even if Long Kui Xian was a Xu Ling Master, Nie Kong could ensure his own safety.

"Boom!"

Indeed, dense and intricate patterns were carved at the bottom of the hole, and Nie Kong's spiritual shot straight toward them.

With a faint chime, a stinging sensation erupted from the center of his brow, and the imprint pattern at the bottom of the hole instantly lit up, blasting a beam of brilliant green light out of the tiny opening.

Simultaneously, a string of information flooded Nie Kong's mind—the method for controlling the Spirit Sealing Tablet. Just as Qing Yue had said, the tablet truly required reaching the Dong Ling realm for genuine control; before that, even as its owner, one could only operate it in the most basic manner.

However, for Nie Kong now, this was sufficient.

"Open!" Nie Kong roared, the green light flashing violently from his brow. The hole at the top of the Spirit Sealing Tablet began to expand rapidly, instantly growing from barely large enough to admit a finger to a vast expanse ten meters wide. The next moment, an intense pulling force radiated from the opening, and the power above plunged into it...

"Hmm?"

A voice, faint yet piercing, came from within the immense "Thousand Thorn Ink Dragon Whip." Mu Lengxing, positioned at the periphery of that sea of power, sensed the upheaval within with extreme acuity. According to her plan, once the shockwave generated by the vortex’s explosion was completely refined, the power would dissipate naturally.

However, while the process sounded simple, executing it was incredibly difficult. Up to this point, the continuous bursts of energy slamming against the "Thousand Thorn Ink Dragon Whip" had only weakened by about thirty percent. To make it vanish entirely would require her to maintain her stance on the periphery of this mass of power for at least another day.

But now, the force constantly battering the "Thousand Thorn Ink Dragon Whip" instantly diminished by nearly half. After another moment, even the remaining half of the force vanished completely. The mass of power was no longer exploding outwards but was instead condensing and shrinking towards the center.

"What is happening?"

At this juncture, not only Mu Lengxing but also Mu Tianji and the other three figures outside noticed the anomaly, looking utterly bewildered.

"Hoo!"

The coiled "Thousand Thorn Ink Dragon Whip" rapidly contracted, revealing the inky-green aura brimming with tremendous power. With a flash of black light, the whip fell to the ground, and Mu Lengxing's figure separated from it, instantly merging into her brow.

Having contended with that formidable power for so long, even with the assistance of the medicinal herb essence from the Wood Demon Body, Mu Lengxing was significantly drained, her cheeks pale.

"Lengxing, how is it?" Four figures shot over; Mu Tianji and the other three appeared beside Mu Lengxing.

"I'm fine," Mu Lengxing waved her hand, her eyes locked onto the ball of inky-green aura. In just this short while, it had shrunk by another large circle. She could clearly sense that the shrinking wasn't merely physical; the power contained within was rapidly diminishing.

"That mass of power was heading for Mu Kong inside?" Mu Tianji murmured, partly to himself and partly to Mu Lengxing. "Could Mu Kong be absorbing that power himself? It seems unlikely; with his cultivation, how could he withstand such a colossal force? What exactly is happening in there?"

Mu Lengxing frowned in deep thought for a while before finally shaking her head slightly, offering a calm smile. "Regardless, Mu Kong's aura inside is extremely stable, not like he’s in trouble. Otherwise, it would be hard to explain to Xueyi, not to mention that Xueyi needs Mu Kong’s blood to awaken."

"..."

Mu Yulin and the others nodded in agreement. It didn't matter how that power disappeared; as long as the little fellow inside was safe, that was what counted.

Under the gaze of the five figures, the ball of inky-green aura continued to shrink until it was only a dozen meters wide. Mu Lengxing and the others could even vaguely make out Nie Kong’s figure inside, and next to that figure, there seemed to be a white shadow—the power was likely being absorbed by it.

"Whoosh!!"

As the final bit of power was absorbed, the white shadow vanished without a trace. Then, Nie Kong's clear voice rang out, "Five Elders, you are all here."

Mu Lengxing and Mu Tianji exchanged glances. Although they were very curious about the entity that could absorb all that power, they didn't press the issue.

"Mu Kong, your refinement time this time was truly long," Mu Lengxing let out a long breath.

"How much time has passed?" Nie Kong asked, surprised.

"Three more days, and it will be four months," Mu Tianfei said with a sweet laugh. "Mu Kong, all of us here have been waiting just for you during this period."

"Almost four months?" Nie Kong was genuinely startled. His initial goal was merely to use the 'Yin-Yang Spirit Devouring Art' to break open the 'Demonic Spirit Black Vine' sealing the Wood Spirit Hall, then enter and rescue his mother. If possible, he would resolve the hidden dangers within the 'Yin-Yang Spirit Devouring Art' at the same time.

By now, the hidden danger of the 'Yin-Yang Spirit Devouring Art' had been resolved, he had incidentally raised his cultivation from the second grade of Hua Ling to the fourth grade of Hua Ling, and he had absorbed a mass of powerful energy. Yet, he hadn't expected that nearly four months had passed since he arrived outside the Wood Spirit Hall.

Previously, Nie Kong's spirit had been completely immersed in his acupoints, making it almost impossible to perceive the passage of time. In his perception, it felt like only four or five days had passed, perhaps ten days at most! If he had known he would be delayed this long, he would have stopped cultivating temporarily long ago.

Almost four months had passed—how was his mother now?

Nie Kong’s heart skipped a beat, and he turned urgently. He saw that the stretch of 'Demonic Spirit Black Vine' had withered, and through the gaps in the vines, the shadow of the Wood Spirit Hall within could be glimpsed—it was right before his eyes. In that section of vines, there was even a huge hole, as if it had been forcefully smashed open.

"It seems Mother has been rescued." Nie Kong let out a breath of relief. If his mother had suffered any accident due to the excessive delay, he would have regretted it endlessly!

Indeed, Mu Lengxing's voice followed soon after: "Mu Kong, I have already sent your mother back to the Great Yan Hall, but she remains unconscious. The Wood Ancestor was afflicted by the 'Dark Blood Spirit Worm' and is powerless to help. We are all at a loss. For her to awaken, it truly relies on your blood as her son. Fortunately, you only cultivated for four months. If you had been delayed another two months, even with your blood, it might have been too late to save your mother."

"That was close, that was close." The joy Nie Kong had felt only moments before was replaced by a cold sweat from Mu Lengxing's subsequent words. It was a pity the little creature had no concept of time, and Qing Yue, a spirit who had lived for over a thousand years, was also careless with time. If they had been around to remind him in such a situation, it would have been much better.