Indeed, it was that "God-Devouring Flower." Receiving confirmation from Meng Feiyang, Nie Kong couldn't help but draw a deep breath, followed by an overwhelming shock in his heart. Just how powerful must that "God-Devouring Flower" be to force Meng Feiyang, the Lord of Spirit-Control City, to remain confined within this ice cave for over twenty years, unable to step a single pace away?

Meng Feiyang seemed to sense Nie Kong’s confusion, sighing softly, "To devour, to devour... A God-Devouring Flower reaching its extreme can swallow even Spirit Gods, let alone Heavenly Sovereigns." "Devour Spirit Gods?"

These few words struck Nie Kong with even greater awe.

Nie Yu’s mind remained unsettled even as he finally departed the ice cave.

As Gu Changgong had previously stated, the affliction caused by the "God-Devouring Flower" in Meng Feiyang’s body was indeed beyond his current capacity to heal.

Nie Kong understood this point perfectly clearly.

The strange blue floral imprint left on Meng Feiyang’s chest by the God-Devouring Flower was not consuming his physical body, but rather his spirit and soul. Yet, the imprint was not in a spiritual form; even Nie Kong’s "Spirit Treasure Essence Qi" could not expel it from Meng Feiyang’s system.

Nie Kong was currently only at the eighth stage of Spirit Transformation, and he only avoided the surrounding bitter cold due to the covering spiritual power cast by Gu Changgong. Under such conditions, Nie Kong stood no chance of properly investigating Meng Feiyang’s condition. Meanwhile, Meng Feiyang required the extreme cold of the ice cave to suppress the source of his illness, making him unable to leave even for a moment.

It seemed he truly needed to cultivate until he reached the Cavern Spirit realm before he could treat Meng Feiyang.

This was because only when his own genuine strength attained the Cavern Spirit level could he move freely within this ice cave.

When Nie Kong had entered, the slightest exertion of his own spiritual power would agitate the surrounding cold energy, causing it to breach the layer of spiritual shielding Gu Changgong had established over his surface—in that instant, Nie Kong would have turned into an icicle.

Fortunately, there were still over ten years remaining; perhaps another solution could be devised.

It was best not to dwell on matters he was temporarily powerless to resolve. The most pressing task now was to advance his cultivation, then secure a slot for the "Netherfire Abyss Spring," locate the Flower Spirit clan members who entered it, ascertain the situation regarding Hua Mei, and perhaps even discover the location of the "Flower Butterfly Secret Realm." Outside the Yin Ruins Spirit Vein, in the underground chamber.

Mu Lengxing sat quietly, poised like an ice sculpture, utterly silent. Xu Ba was skeletal, his expression vacant, remaining as still as a corpse without making the slightest sound; only the slow blinking of his eyes—occurring at least once every quarter of an hour—proved he was still alive. Throughout the entire room, only Nie Kong’s voice echoed.

At the doorway, the look of astonishment on Gu Changgong’s face deepened.

After leaving the ice cave, Nie Kong had proposed coming here to discuss matters with Ancestor Xu Ba. Gu Changgong had brought him in almost without consideration, never imagining the subject of discussion would be this serious.

It was understandable that he wished to cultivate using the vitality within the spirit vein; after all, it was because Nie Kong had agitated the Yin Ruins Spirit Vein while cultivating at the bottom of the cold currents in the Senluo Ancient Cave that Xu Ba, Gu Changgong, and the others had resolved to allow Nie Kong, merely at the Spirit Transformation first grade in Muzhou, access to the Yin Ruins.

But what baffled Gu Changgong was that Nie Kong actually intended to utilize the death energy within Ancestor Xu Ba’s body for his cultivation? Without the aid of the "Spirit Extreme Sacred Water," Ancestor Xu Ba had suppressed the spirit vein for twenty years. The combined strain of the vein’s backlash and his own excessive expenditure had pushed him to the brink of exhaustion.

It was precisely because Ancestor Xu Ba's end was near that this death energy had emerged within his body. If this death energy could also be absorbed, then it would mean no one in the world ever died!

Nie Kong, this young fellow, truly dared to dream! Gu Changgong mused inwardly.

After a long pause, Nie Kong’s explanation finally concluded. He looked at Xu Ba, his eyes holding a degree of anticipation: "Ancestor, what do you think of my proposal?"

Had he cultivated using the partially integrated vitality and death energy stored in the "Spirit Sealing Stele," Nie Kong could still have quickly reached the ninth grade of Spirit Transformation. However, that "Spirit Sealing Stele" was effectively in his pocket, ready for absorption at any time; if he could keep it in reserve, he should.

The crucial reason Nie Kong chose to absorb vitality and death energy here was that Ancestor Xu Ba was not approaching death naturally due to reaching the end of his lifespan, but rather due to the backlash from the spirit vein and excessive consumption, resulting in a specific type of death energy that Nie Kong could absorb.

If it were a Spirit Master who was aging toward natural death because he couldn't break through to the Heavenly Spirit realm, his body would contain death energy, but that energy would be almost perfectly fused with the physical structure. This kind of death energy was like the body's own vitality; even with the "Yin-Yang Spirit Devouring Art," it might not be extractable.

Even if it were extractable, the final result would be accelerated physical death. Aging and death were universal laws, inescapable by any human save for a very few Spirit Masters who achieved the Spirit God realm. No matter how miraculous the "Yin-Yang Spirit Devouring Art" might be, it was merely a spiritual technique, hard-pressed to interfere with such a fundamental pattern.

"Very unique. It can be attempted..."

Xu Ba’s face was dull, and his slow voice trailed out.

Seeing that he agreed, Gu Changgong’s lips moved slightly, but the words he had been about to say remained lodged in his throat. Although Xu Ba displayed no outward emotion, Gu Changgong, having spent many years with him, understood his thoughts perfectly. Previously, with the fate of Spirit-Control City uncertain, Xu Ba had stubbornly held on. Now that Elder Mu Lengxing of the Yin Ruins had personally come to Spirit-Control City to take over suppressing the spirit vein, Xu Ba’s deepest wishes were fulfilled, leaving him without regret.

Having little time left to live anyway, Xu Ba didn't mind offering his dying body as a test subject for the spiritual technique of this promising young man. Hearing Nie Kong describe it so marvelously, a glimmer of hope also sparked in Gu Changgong’s heart. If Nie Kong could truly slow Ancestor Xu Ba’s demise, it would be an immense fortune for Spirit-Control City. Gu Changgong’s only concern was that such a procedure was unheard of, and whether unforeseen consequences might arise.

"That’s wonderful."

Nie Kong was overjoyed. His seated body floated lightly, gliding across the floor, and in an instant, he was before Xu Ba. "Ancestor, I shall begin now!"

"..."

Xu Ba let out a barely audible hum through his nose, and his heavily wrinkled eyelids drooped further.

Seeing Xu Ba prepared, Nie Kong hesitated no longer. With a thought, the major and minor acupoints within his body vibrated and spun, and spiritual power surged like surging waves through his meridians.

During the period of refining his inner consciousness in the Yin Ruins, Nie Kong had not neglected his cultivation. Now, his application of the "Yin-Yang Spirit Devouring Art" was far smoother and more effortless. In mere moments, Nie Kong’s right index finger trembled, and immediately, a wisp of dark green energy surged out like a spiral. "Whoosh!"

Instantly, a small, dark green vortex manifested at the tip of Nie Kong's finger.

Under the watchful eyes of Mu Lengxing and Gu Changgong, Nie Kong extended his finger and, with lightning speed, pointed toward the "Sea of Heart Acupoint" on Xu Ba’s left chest. The reason for choosing this specific location on Xu Ba's body as the entry point was Nie Kong's most profound understanding of the hidden acupoints. Although Xu Ba's body was saturated with death energy, it still contained a trace of vitality. It was this trace of vitality that kept Xu Ba from dying, meaning Nie Kong had to proceed with utmost caution while absorbing the death energy.

With Nie Kong's current cultivation, he should not be able to absorb human vitality. But since nothing in the world was absolute, if he accidentally siphoned away that sliver of Xu Ba’s vitality while absorbing the death energy, the only thing awaiting him would be death. In that case, Nie Kong would have no easy explanation to offer Spirit-Control City.

"Oh!"

When Nie Kong's fingertip was about an inch from Xu Ba’s chest, the small patch of void around his index finger immediately fluctuated slightly, and the dark green vortex instantly expanded by more than double, adhering tightly to Xu Ba’s chest like a suction cup. A moment later, wisps of black energy could be seen rushing into the nearly transparent dark green vortex.

Almost simultaneously, vitality emerged, dyeing the space around Nie Kong green.

As the vortex at the tip of Nie Kong's finger continued to spin, this green color rapidly spread in all directions. In less than ten seconds, the entire room was suffused with a deep green hue.

Correspondingly, the wisps of black energy surging out of Xu Ba’s body grew slightly thicker.

"Hoo! Hoo..."

The faint whistling sound emitted by the rapidly spinning dark green vortex constantly resonated throughout the room.

Xu Ba’s expression remained unchanged; his eyelids were still drooped, making him appear to have sunk into a deep slumber, completely unresponsive to the external disturbance.

At this moment, however, Nie Kong couldn't suppress a slight surge of excitement. Although he had estimated the concentration of death energy within Xu Ba’s body to be extremely high, the sheer volume of accumulated death energy he encountered upon actually beginning the absorption was surprising even to Nie Kong. Such intense death energy, combined with the vitality present here, would surely be more than enough not just to reach the ninth grade of Spirit Transformation, but perhaps even to break through to the Sovereign Spirit realm.

Of course, thoroughly purging all the death energy would not be a task completed in a short span of time.

Fortunately, Nie Kong had no intention of finishing it all in one go. In an instant, Nie Kong quieted his mind, concentrating on guiding the suction force radiating from the vortex at his fingertip into Ancestor Xu Ba’s body. Time slowly passed; as vitality and death energy merged increasingly, Nie Kong’s spiritual power intensity began to rise steadily...

"This young fellow can actually absorb death energy!"

Staring at the bizarre scene unfolding, Gu Changgong, who had been momentarily stunned, finally snapped back to attention, murmuring, "The 'Spring and Autumn Life-Generating Art' self-created by that Wood Element Spirit Master—it is this miraculous?"

He had long known that Shay Yan had selected the "Spring and Autumn Life-Generating Art" for Nie Kong. However, he hadn't held much faith in a spiritual technique self-created by a Spirit Master, especially one whose creator had died before fully cultivating and perfecting the technique.

But Gu Changgong never expected that in Nie Kong’s hands, the technique would become so astonishingly effective.

If he knew that Nie Kong, as a Spirit Transformer, had already created the far more arcane and bizarre "Yin-Yang Spirit Devouring Art" based on that "Spring and Autumn Life-Generating Art," he would have been even more amazed.

Mu Lengxing, on the other hand, was quite accustomed to it.

Back in the Yin Ruins, even a Heavenly Spirit expert like her would have found it difficult to easily break through the vast expanse of "Nightmare Spirit Black Devil Vines" sealing the Wood Spirit Hall. Yet, Nie Kong had effortlessly absorbed all the vitality and death energy contained within those vines.

Compared to the enormous vortex outside the Wood Spirit Hall and the incredibly powerful force within it, the minor commotion happening now was hardly worth mentioning. The only thing that drew attention was that Nie Kong was currently absorbing spirit vein vitality and human death energy, not the vitality and decay found in flora.

After a short while, Mu Lengxing closed her eyes...

In the underground chamber, time became indistinct.

At some unknown point, Gu Changgong quietly slipped away, and the vitality within the room grew ever denser. Not only were the bodies of Nie Kong and Xu Ba enveloped in a thick green aura, but the surrounding space was also crisscrossed with vibrant life force, intensely dazzling the eyes. Eventually, Mu Lengxing’s vision could no longer clearly discern the figures of Nie Kong and Xu Ba even a few meters away; she could only sense their presence through the fluctuations in the void.

After yet another unknown duration, Gu Changgong quietly reappeared at the doorway. With visibility within the room restricted to less than a meter, Gu Changgong sensed carefully. After a few seconds, an expression of disbelief involuntarily spread across his face, and he couldn't help but shift his feet forward, hoping to investigate more closely.

"Whoosh!"

Just then, the room seemed to transform into a pot of boiling water. The green aura saturating the entire void suddenly began to rotate, centered on Nie Kong, and the rotation grew increasingly violent.

Not long after, a vortex spanning several meters appeared in the void, and at its base, the small dark green vortex at Nie Kong's fingertip also became visible. However, at this moment, it had detached from Xu Ba’s chest. Even so, large amounts of black energy continued to surge rapidly from Xu Ba’s body, mixing madly with the emerald vitality and plunging into the depths of the dark green vortex.

"Boom!"

Faintly, Gu Changgong thought he heard an internal explosion within Nie Kong, followed by waves of powerful energy radiating outward from his body. Simultaneously, the dark green vortex at Nie Kong's fingertip quietly contracted, and the massive vortex above dispersed, the emerald energy quickly merging back into the void.

"Broke through already?"

Gu Changgong smiled wryly.

After a minute or two, all the vitality returned to the void, and the room regained its initial clarity. The figures of Nie Kong, Mu Lengxing, and Xu Ba gradually became clear in Gu Changgong's sight. Just then, Nie Kong’s figure shifted slightly, and he stood up with a broad smile.

Mu Lengxing raised her beautiful eyes slightly: "Ninth grade of Spirit Transformation?"

"Yes, finally I've broken through," Nie Kong chuckled unconsciously.

Gu Changgong, however, flashed forward, moving directly to Xu Ba’s side to examine him closely. While standing at the door, he had sensed that Xu Ba’s life force seemed significantly stronger, yet there was no discernible change on the surface, which made him doubt his earlier feeling. "Nie Kong, what is the situation?"

"There was a slight effect, but not very obvious. Ancestor should be asleep now," Nie Kong smiled. If his senses were correct, Xu Ba’s vitality had indeed increased a little.

"As long as there was an effect, that’s good."

Gu Changgong was overjoyed.

Nie Kong was also quite satisfied with this cultivation session. Although Xu Ba’s body hadn't shown immediate, dramatic change, any slight improvement was excellent news. After a moment, Nie Kong suddenly seemed to recall something: "Grandpa Gu, how long have I been cultivating here?"

Gu Changgong finally remembered his original purpose for coming, laughing heartily: "Nearly half a month. Tomorrow is the fifteenth of the fifth month. If you hadn’t broken through to the ninth grade of Spirit Transformation tonight, I would have woken you up anyway. Otherwise, you might have wasted a great opportunity."

Hearing this, Nie Kong’s heart involuntarily skipped a beat. The fifteenth of the fifth month—the Inner City Disciple Competition was starting very soon!

———————————— It’s the middle of the month, do my brothers still have monthly votes~~ It seems I haven't asked for monthly votes since the month of the initial release. The monthly vote data now is quite dismal, forcing me to write a single announcement chapter. Otherwise, my brothers might think Medicine King no longer needs monthly votes, but monthly votes are always needed. O(∩_∩)O~~~ In March, I had planned to push for the monthly charts again, but I had too many things going on that month, and after fighting so hard in February, my body was also starting to suffer. So, I maintained a pace of six thousand words daily. The speed wasn't fast enough for me to feel right asking for votes. Furthermore, the power outage on the very last day of the month caused the full attendance bonus I worked so hard for to vanish—it was tragic. Half of April has passed, and the update speed has almost returned to February’s standard. Three updates a day—still hard to ask for votes. Three updates every two days—still hard to ask. Three updates every three days—still hesitant to bring it up. After seven consecutive days of three updates, I finally felt a bit confident, but then network issues struck for two days; constant system reinstalls, antivirus scans, checking for Trojans delayed me a great deal. The update speed plummeted during those two days, and the little bit of confidence I had accumulated vanished. Now another week has passed, I’ve made up for the chapters I owed, the update speed is back up, and I’ve built up some conviction again, so I can shamelessly make a special announcement: I’m robbing you for monthly votes! Haha, brothers, if you still have any monthly votes left, please cast them for Medicine King. Thank you, thank you! Initially, I had planned for two updates a day in April, with occasional bursts. But the lesson from February proved that once this speed drops, raising it again becomes extremely difficult. Therefore, although I didn't make a promise at the beginning of the month, I set a personal goal of three updates daily. For the latter half of the month, I will continue with three updates every day! Four or even five updates are possible! Please continue to support me; even if you don’t have monthly votes, one or two recommendation tickets are greatly needed.