Lady Lin inquired anxiously, peering inside, her steps instinctively carrying her past Nie Kong and into the room.

Seeing the smile on Nie Kong's face gave her a strong premonition that there would be good news, yet the lingering anxiety persisted until Nie Kong confirmed it.

"Nearly done," Nie Kong followed Lady Lin back to the bedside, chuckling. "Madam, I have not failed my mission; the root of her affliction has been completely purged from her body."

"The root of the affliction is purged?"

At these words, Lady Lin's entire demeanor froze; she stared blankly at Nie Kong, an expression of utter disbelief fixed on her face. Only when Nie Kong nodded again with solemn certainty did Lady Lin finally relinquish her doubt, and an indescribable surge of ecstasy flooded her chest.

Fifty years of yearning had finally been realized today! Lady Lin's hand, stroking her daughter's cheek, trembled uncontrollably, and her eyes were already reddened.

"She has been in a deep slumber for too long and will require a period of careful recuperation before she can awaken. Madam, please do not fret; sit quietly nearby." Seeing her like this, Nie Kong couldn't help but feel a touch of melancholy; watching a daughter sleep for five decades was an ordeal few could endure.

"Good... good..."

In that instant, Lady Lin had almost entirely lost the capacity for coherent thought. Following Nie Kong's instruction, she drifted toward the seat as if she were a puppet on strings. Only after sitting down did her senses clear, and she sprang up from the seat like a recoiled spring, moving back to the bedside with lightened steps. She looked at her daughter, then at Nie Kong, the intense emotion and gratitude in her eyes left utterly unconcealed.

Nie Kong reached into his embrace and drew out the nine golden needles he had prepared long ago. During the fifty years Lin Tianjun lay dormant, Lady Lin had administered countless precious medicines. While these drugs could not expel the spirit beast's soul within Lin Tianjun, they had prevented her body from wasting away, and now, a significant amount of medicinal power still remained in Lin Tianjun's meridians, some even congealed into a tangible form, much like Nie Kong two years prior.

Leaving this medicinal power inside her would be a waste; it would be better utilized by the little fellow to absorb it all.

To awaken Lin Tianjun's soul from its long sleep, Nie Kong’s "Lingbao Essence Qi" would suffice. The "Lingbao Essence Qi" could coalesce Qingyue's true form and also assist in enhancing her soul power, making the recovery of Lin Tianjun’s extremely weakened soul no great difficulty.

Seeing Lady Lin return, Nie Kong simply gestured for her to help lift Lin Tianjun up.

Lady Lin had initially felt a flicker of doubt upon seeing the dazzling, varied lengths and thicknesses of the golden needles in Nie Kong's hand. However, as Nie Kong drew out one needle and aimed it toward her daughter's chest, Lady Lin's heart leaped into her throat, her expression caught between wanting to speak and holding back, her worry evident for all to see.

Not just her, even Mu Lengxing beside her showed a slight look of surprise.

Nie Kong knew what her concern was. Without a word, he simply smiled slightly, inverted the golden needle, and plunged it into his own Xinhai acupoint.

"Nie Kong!"

"Little brother!"

Mu Lengxing and Lady Lin cried out almost simultaneously. But before their voices faded, the golden needle had already pierced the fabric of his clothes and sunk into Nie Kong's body. After letting it remain inside him for a few seconds, Nie Kong drew the needle out, chuckling. "Madam, you should be able to rest easy now, correct?"

Seeing no blood seep from his chest and no unusual change in his expression, Mu Lengxing and Lady Lin exchanged a look, finding the situation utterly baffling. At that moment, Nie Kong wasted no more time; a stream of murky green, like flowing water, surged along the needle's body, and in the next instant, the golden needle pierced into Lin Tianjun's hidden Xinhai acupoint.

Then followed Yuran, Tiangong, Heiting, Longque...

About two hours later.

The intense humming reverberating within the sealed chamber finally began to subside, and the nine protruding heads of the golden needles vibrating on Lin Tianjun’s surface gradually grew still. At the bedside, the astonishment in Mu Lengxing's eyes had receded, but Lady Lin's eyes were working overtime, flitting constantly between Nie Kong, her daughter, and the golden needles.

"Hoo!"

Nie Kong let out a long breath, carefully extracting the needles one by one. Fine beads of sweat had broken out on his forehead. During these two hours, the little fellow had greedily absorbed a massive amount of medicinal power, happily bobbing and weaving within the Yaochi acupoint. However, to fortify Lin Tianjun’s soul, Nie Kong had expended nearly seventy percent of his internal spiritual power.

Seeing Lady Lin gaze at him expectantly, Nie Kong couldn't help but smile. "Madam, it is done."

"Really?"

Lady Lin excitedly shifted her gaze to her daughter's face. In the span of mere seconds, Lin Tianjun’s exquisitely shaped eyelashes fluttered slightly.

"She's waking up! Tianjun is truly waking up!" Lady Lin wept with joy, instinctively grasping her daughter's hand. As if disturbed, Lin Tianjun’s eyes suddenly opened into narrow slits, which then widened rapidly until, in a blink, two bright, dark eyes gradually revealed themselves.

"Mother..."

Her eyes rolled slightly, and Lin Tianjun spoke, sounding as if she were emerging from a long dream, her voice slightly slurred. This single, simple utterance rendered Lady Lin too moved to speak, nodding continuously as large tears splashed down onto her daughter's face.

Nie Kong sighed inwardly, exchanging a glance with Mu Lengxing, and quietly slipped out of the secret chamber. The night had already deepened, but the moonlight reflecting off the snow still cast shifting shadows across the courtyard. As Nie Kong and Mu Lengxing emerged from the passage, they did not see the figures of Tai Lanxiang or Cheng Feixing; they assumed they had not left but had been accommodated in other rooms within the manor.

Now that Lin Tianjun had been saved, they only needed to secure the "Jinding Liusu" and the "Hanxue Shenxin Grass" before they could leave and return to Lingyu City. However, Lin Tianjun, having slept for fifty years, had only just awakened; the mother and daughter undoubtedly had much to share, so Nie Kong felt it inappropriate to rush things. Thus, he and Mu Lengxing waited quietly in the pavilion outside the passage. He wasn't worried that Lady Lin would go back on her word regarding the reward.

Moreover, Lady Lin did not strike him as someone who would break a promise.

A profound stillness surrounded them, and Nie Kong redirected his focus to the soul residing within his own consciousness. After capturing it, Nie Kong pressed it with interrogation until the soul finally confessed the entire sequence of events. It claimed that within the "Yuhuo Youquan" (Hellfire Nether Spring), besides the marvelous spring water, there existed another mysterious location:

The Dark Soul Temple!

The spirit beast claimed to be the "Youhun Yingwang" (Nether Soul Eagle King), and its duty was to guard the Dark Soul Temple, not the spring water as it had initially purported in its prior statements. Since gaining sentience, the "Youhun Yingwang" had been aware of its mission from the depths of its soul. In the beginning, it was quite compliant, but as time slipped by, its ambitions began to stir, and it started seeking a way to escape until Lin Tianjun inadvertently stumbled upon the entrance to the Dark Soul Temple.

Lin Tianjun's arrival thrilled the Youhun Yingwang, as it sensed a profound compatibility between its soul and Lin Tianjun's body. At that time, the Youhun Yingwang's power was already immense; unfortunately, as the guardian spirit beast of the Dark Soul Temple, its true form was tethered within, seemingly unable to stray more than half a meter from the temple. Thus, its desire to leave grew increasingly urgent, and upon finally encountering Lin Tianjun, it naturally would not let the opportunity pass.

So, the Youhun Yingwang risked losing the vast majority of its power, allowing its soul to separate from its body and secretly attach itself to Lin Tianjun, only to suddenly flare up upon her leaving the "Yuhuo Youquan," intending to seize complete control of the body in one swift move. Yet, to its frustration, although Lin Tianjun's cultivation realm was below Yuling (Spirit Control), her soul power was abnormally formidable, preventing the spirit beast from immediately achieving its goal.

Subsequently, Lin Tianjun was moved to a room crafted from "Jue Ling Baoyu" (Spirit Severing Jade), where the Youhun Yingwang could not mobilize the spiritual energy elements of heaven and earth, forced instead to rely solely on its soul power to slowly erode Lin Tianjun’s soul.

Fifty full years passed. Lin Tianjun’s soul grew ever weaker, and the Youhun Yingwang suffered immense self-depletion. Fortunately, it would soon completely occupy Lin Tianjun’s body. Anticipating the pleasure of experiencing this new world, the Youhun Yingwang became somewhat complacent and even dared to project itself beyond Lin Tianjun’s soul space to breathe the outside air. This led Lady Lin to believe her daughter’s condition had worsened, prompting her to use the "Jinding Liusu" to attract a multitude of spiritual pharmacists.

All those pharmacists labored in vain, which only made the Youhun Yingwang more reckless. Unexpectedly, Nie Kong crossed its path. Upon sensing Nie Kong's "Lingbao Essence Qi," the Youhun Yingwang instinctively perceived a hint of danger and, in a flash of inspiration, fabricated a scenario of being driven away by Nie Kong.

Regrettably for the beast, Nie Kong was not deceived by the illusion, causing all fifty years of its efforts to turn to dust.

Upon learning this, Nie Kong almost decided to annihilate the remnants of the Youhun Yingwang's soul entirely. According to the beast's confession, apart from the period it possessed Lin Tianjun, it had never left the Dark Soul Temple. This meant it could not possibly know the precise location of the spring's source.

After a moment of consideration, Nie Kong chose to spare the creature. After all, with its current meager soul power, it could stir up no significant trouble within his consciousness. Having lived in the "Dark Soul Temple" for countless years, it might prove useful when he eventually entered the "Yuhuo Youquan."

"Yuhuo Youquan..." Nie Kong muttered the words repeatedly, a flicker of anticipation sparking within him. He hoped that when the "Yuhuo Youquan" opened this time, the Flower Spirit Clan would indeed dispatch some members to search for the spring source; otherwise, he truly had no idea where else to obtain the location of the "Huadie Secret Realm."

"Little brother, I am truly sorry to have kept you waiting so long."

Just as Nie Kong was lost in thought, the hidden door in the pavilion opened, and Lady Lin emerged from the passage, moving with elegant grace. Her eyes were quite swollen, clearly indicating she had wept after Nie Kong and Mu Lengxing departed. Yet, her reddened eyes could not conceal the excitement and joy radiating from her brow. In her hands, Lady Lin carried five boxes. Even with the lids closed, a rich, intoxicating medicinal fragrance seeped out.