"Huh, why is this water moving?" Mu Hongling arrived beside Nie Kong at some point, her eyes wide with surprise.

She hadn't witnessed Qing Yue emerging from Nie Kong's chest, nor did she know that the ethereal wisp of cyan energy floating in the air was a sentient medicinal spirit; she naturally assumed Nie Kong was controlling everything. Consequently, when she looked at him, a trace of curiosity involuntarily surfaced in her eyes.

As for Mu Hongling's question, Nie Kong himself couldn't articulate a clear answer, so how could he explain it thoroughly to her? He could only smile enigmatically.

As a result, Nie Kong predictably earned two disapproving glares.

Though Nie Kong still didn't grasp how Qing Yue managed it, her performance had already eased his worries. Since Qing Yue could guide the spring water to follow his movements, it was likely she could also restrain it. After taking the "Seven-Colored Spirit Leaf" from above, he presumed there wouldn't be any major issues.

With this thought, Nie Kong channeled his dark green spiritual power into his right palm and reached for the brilliant, scarlet leaf.

"Boom!"

The moment his fingers brushed the leaf, a colossal force surged out, violently knocking Nie Kong's hand back.

His brow furrowed, Nie Kong reached out again!

This time, Nie Kong used stronger spiritual power, but moments later, the recoil from the leaf was even greater. A sharp pain shot through Nie Kong's five fingers, nearly causing them to break.

Nie Kong was not surprised by two consecutive failures.

Since this "Seven-Colored Spirit Leaf" was capable of suppressing the "Prison Fire Abyss Spring," it stood to reason it wouldn't be taken so easily!

Force wouldn't work; he needed a different approach.

"Let me try!"

Seeing Nie Kong's right palm repelled twice, Mu Hongling was already eager. Her right hand instantly turned fiery red, intense heat radiating from her crystal-clear, fair skin. In a flash, Mu Hongling’s entire right palm became translucent as she delicately moved it toward the leaf.

Nie Kong felt a flicker of hope upon seeing this.

As far as Nie Kong knew, the seven "Seven-Colored Spirit Leaves" corresponded to seven elemental spiritual powers: Wind, Thunder, Earth, Fire, Water, Wood, and Dark! The half-leaf he possessed was Wood-attributed, meaning this one before them should be Fire-attributed. Mu Hongling practiced an extreme Fire spiritual power fused with the "Blazing Flame Spirit Fire"; perhaps the backlash from retrieving the Fire-attributed "Seven-Colored Spirit Leaf" would be less severe for her.

"Boom!"

The deafening explosion shattered Nie Kong's expectations. Just like his earlier experience, the moment Mu Hongling’s fingers touched the leaf, a violent repulsion occurred.

Mu Hongling paused, then gritted her teeth, "I refuse to believe I can't handle this little thing!"

Before her words faded, Mu Hongling snatched out again. This time, her slender palm was crimson, like blood, transforming into a mass of fiercely burning flame.

"Boom!"

The result was equally without suspense.

Then came the third, the fourth attempt—only after failing ten times consecutively did Mu Hongling finally deflate like a punctured ball. She shook her right hand, whose five fingers felt numb and aching from the impact force, and looked toward Bai Yuqing, who had long since come over to watch, "Little sister Bai, why don't you give it a try?"

"Hmph!"

Bai Yuqing let out a soft snort. Her index finger and thumb lightning-fastly pinched the edge of the leaf.

In the next instant, she met the same fate as Nie Kong and Mu Hongling.

"Try again."

Mu Hongling urged quickly.

Bai Yuqing shook her head calmly, "Whether it succeeds or fails, one try is enough. Trying again is just wasting time and spiritual power!"

These words made Mu Hongling roll her eyes internally; wasn't she the one who had just been constantly wasting time and spiritual power? Mu Hongling gave a dry chuckle, "Disciple, your master and I, along with little sister Bai, couldn't do it. It still falls to you."

With that, she sheepishly moved to the side to play with the Dragon Heart artifact.

Nie Kong remained silent, but his mind was racing. After a few seconds, Nie Kong focused his spirit on the scarlet leaf, intending to forcibly collect it using his Pet Backpack.

Regrettably, the leaf merely trembled, exhibiting no other reaction.

This attempt also ended in failure!

"Buzz!"

At that moment, inside the Pet Backpack, the half-piece of emerald-green leaf continued to vibrate, resonating with the "Seven-Colored Spirit Leaf" outside.

Nie Kong felt a sudden inspiration, swiftly reaching into his robes. Before long, the half-piece of green leaf materialized in his palm.

"Buzz!"

As Nie Kong drew out the leaf, a brilliant cyan glow spread out. Simultaneously, it sounded as if countless bees were chanting, a fierce humming echoing booming throughout the hall.

Mu Hongling pretended to be absorbed in manipulating the Dragon Heart in her hands, but her peripheral vision never left Nie Kong’s actions. Seeing the leaf shimmering with radiant green light now, she couldn't help but utter a sound of surprise, "This green leaf is only half. If it were whole, it would surely be identical to that red one."

"They originated from the same source," Nie Kong chuckled. "Little Master, haven't you always been curious how I found the correct fork in the road? The truth is simple: it was this half-leaf guiding the direction. Without it, perhaps we would all be trapped in that branching path."

A hint of sudden understanding flashed in the eyes of both Bai Yuqing and Mu Hongling.

"So that's it. No wonder you said this red leaf was a good thing; it turns out you have half of such a leaf yourself."

Mu Hongling couldn't help but ask, "Disciple, what exactly is the use of these leaves?"

"..."

Nie Kong loosely recounted the information he had learned from Mu Qingyi. In this situation, he couldn't possibly hide the fact that he was using the green leaf to entice the red one from the sight of Bai Yuqing and Mu Hongling. It was better to be upfront than to struggle with deception.

Of course, Nie Kong made this choice because he trusted Bai Yuqing and Mu Hongling implicitly.

If disciples from the Spirit Control City like Lan Shang, Liu Hemin, Jing Lan, or Gu Ruofei had been present, Nie Kong would never have exposed his possession of a "Seven-Colored Spirit Leaf." After all, such a small item held too great a temptation for those powerful Spirit Masters and could easily lead to fatal disaster.

"This leaf actually contains the insights of a Spirit God? A Spirit God is too distant for us!"

Mu Hongling shook her head, "Disciple, what do you plan to do?"

"Lure it!"

Nie Kong said with a smile. The moment the half-green leaf appeared, he noticed the red leaf actually shifted slightly toward the edge of the spring eye. However, the red leaf quickly returned to its position directly above the spring eye, as if some mysterious force constrained it, making it difficult to break free.

Under the slightly stunned gazes of Bai Yuqing and Mu Hongling, Nie Kong slowly stepped backward, holding the green leaf. Qing Yue saw this, and a wisp of cyan energy flashed, attaching itself to Nie Kong’s shoulder like a rope. Now that Bai Yuqing and Mu Hongling were watching nearby, it was inconvenient for her to revert to her delicate human form.

The farther the distance, the more violently the two leaves vibrated.

If the green leaf could lure the red one, the red one could equally lure the green one. When Nie Kong reached the steps of the octagonal platform, the green leaf buzzed intensely, seeming on the verge of flying out of his grasp. The stems and leaves of the "Purple Luo Illusory Spirit Incense" emerged from his right palm, wrapping around the half-green leaf layer by layer, managing to stabilize it.

Above the spring eye opposite them, the trembling of the red leaf was countless times stronger than the green one. It repeatedly lunged toward the edge of the spring eye but was blocked and forced back each time.

Observing the red leaf's reaction, Nie Kong secretly marveled. If the green leaf's vibration matched the red one, given his strength, it would likely be difficult to keep the green leaf in his hand. If that happened, not only would he fail to obtain the red leaf, but he might even lose the one he possessed—a complete loss.

Nie Kong guessed that the reason for this asymmetrical situation was that the green leaf was only half-complete, preventing the power it contained from being fully unleashed like the red leaf.

"Buzz!"

The intensity of the vibrations from both leaves continued to increase.

Unconsciously, Nie Kong's spiritual power was poured into his Heart Manifestation. After about half an hour, even the bloodline power within his body was injected into his Heart Manifestation.

The red leaf opposite continued its desperate collisions...

"Buzz!"

The humming grew more violent, ceaseless.

As time passed, Nie Kong's spiritual power and bloodline power were rapidly depleted, and fine beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead. Seeing that the red leaf still showed no sign of successfully breaking free from above the spring eye, Nie Kong couldn't help but shout: "Little Master, little sister Bai, lend me your strength!"

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

Bai Yuqing and Mu Hongling had noticed Nie Kong beginning to struggle, but they hadn't understood his plan, so they hadn't acted until now.

Hearing Nie Kong's call, the two moved without hesitation. Two graceful figures, one white and one red, instantly appeared beside Nie Kong.

Immediately after, two fair hands pressed onto Nie Kong’s shoulders.

Both knew Nie Kong intended to use the same technique he had employed in the Stone Pillar Space. Having that experience, there was no need for Nie Kong to remind them; the moment their palms touched Nie Kong's body, two utterly opposing currents of spiritual power—cold and hot—flowed incessantly into his body.

The Three-Body Cycle reformed!

The green leaf and the red leaf engaged in a protracted tug-of-war on the octagonal platform. In this hall, they could not perceive the shift between day and night.

Whenever hunger struck, the three would, just as they did in the Stone Pillar Space, consume a Fourth-Grade spiritual medicine, the "Crystal Origin Pill." This medicine was simple to refine and could dispel the feeling of hunger, preventing Spirit Masters from starving; each pill could sustain them for an entire day.

By this point, Nie Kong, Bai Yuqing, and Mu Hongling had each consumed twenty-eight "Crystal Origin Pills," meaning twenty-eight days had passed.

"Buzz!"

The green leaf's vibration remained within Nie Kong's control, but the red leaf's vibration had reached a terrifying level, the immense hall now filled with the violent humming. By now, every impact from the red leaf could breach the boundary of the spring eye, yet its momentum would stall, and it would retreat to its original position.

But this was a massive improvement compared to twenty-eight days prior.

"Slightly cut" Search Baidu for Wanjuan Pavilion Novel Network—perhaps a few hours, perhaps over ten hours later, a strange sound suddenly pierced through the continuous humming, emerging from the void above the spring eye................... (To be continued)