The name flashed through Nie Kong's mind, and the scene before him seemed to freeze in that instant. Before this moment, he had never imagined that Hua Mei's figure would appear among the Flower Spirit Clan members within this illusory space. However, a short burst of astonishment quickly gave way to an irrepressible surge of joy in Nie Kong’s chest.

After the joy subsided, Nie Kong felt as if the massive stone that had been pressing down on his heart for nearly two years had finally vanished, leaving him incomparably light.

The main reason he had been so desperate to find traces of the Flower Spirit Clan members was to learn from them whether Hua Mei had successfully awakened her bloodline, and subsequently, to uncover the location of that "Flower Butterfly Secret Realm." Now, Hua Mei's sudden appearance meant Nie Kong wouldn't have to go through such trouble.

If she could arrive in this "Prison Fire Nether Spring" space, did her bloodline awakening even need to be asked?

"..."

His lips moved slightly, but no sound escaped Nie Kong.

The shift in Nie Kong's state of mind—from initial shock to joy, and then to relief—upon seeing Hua Mei had occurred in the blink of an eye. Following this sense of ease, his mind instantly cleared: in this moment, he absolutely could not acknowledge Hua Mei!

With that thought, Nie Kong’s figure continued rushing forward with scarcely a pause.

Meanwhile, ten meters away, Hua Mei’s eyes were wide open, staring blankly at Nie Kong’s face as if her soul had drifted from her body. When the distance between them narrowed to just a few meters, Hua Mei snapped out of her trance, her expression a mixture of surprise and confusion: "Uncle, '... 'Whoosh!'"

Before she could even utter a single syllable, Nie Kong shot her a meaningful glance and swept past her.

Hua Mei instinctively swallowed back the sound that had risen to her throat, her watery eyes following Nie Kong's figure as if bewitched.

"It's him! It really is him..." Initially, Hua Mei also hadn't expected to encounter Nie Kong in this place, but his look erased any lingering doubt in her heart. Her body trembled slightly with emotion, and tears involuntarily welled up in her eyes, an internal cry echoing repeatedly.

“Sister Hua Mei...” The four Flower Spirit Clan members beside her immediately noticed Hua Mei's unusual state, looking startled and quickly calling out with concern. But Hua Mei seemed not to hear them, her gaze fixed straight on the figure who had just sped past. Seeing this, the four were even more bewildered.

Who on earth was that person to cause Sister Hua Mei such distress?

Suddenly, the four noticed the blood-red vine coiled like a small serpent around Nie Kong's shoulder. Their hearts gave an involuntary jump, and they exchanged glances, reading mutual confusion in the other's eyes: What was going on? That thing gave off the exact same feeling as the "Prison Fire Nether Spring"?

"Stop him! Stop him!"

"Don't let him run! What's on his shoulder is the 'Prison Fire Nether Spring'!"

"... "

The Spirit Masters rapidly chasing out of the main hall shouted loudly. In this channel, dozens of meters wide, apart from those near the main door, no one truly grasped the specific changes that had occurred inside the hall, only vaguely hearing shouts of "Prison Fire Nether Spring" coming from within.

Assuming a scramble for the treasure had begun, all eyes immediately fell upon Nie Kong’s shoulder upon hearing the rising clamor. Instantly, a wave of intense uproar erupted.

"'Prison Fire Nether Spring'?"

The four Flower Spirit Clan members were first stunned, then unconcealed joy and excitement blossomed on their beautiful faces. They had only just arrived at this position and had only pieced together a rough idea of the events of the past two days from the murmurs of the surrounding Spirit Masters. But they were completely ignorant of what was happening inside the hall right now, naturally never having imagined the "Prison Fire Nether Spring" would appear in such a form.

"Sister Hua Mei, you noticed that thing on his shoulder was the 'Prison Fire Nether Spring' so early, why didn't you warn us sooner?"

"What a pity! Truly a pity! To just watch him pass us by, missing such a perfect opportunity to strike!"

"... "

The four assumed Hua Mei was excited because she recognized the blood-red vine on the man's shoulder as the "Prison Fire Nether Spring," and they inwardly relaxed, only to be instantly filled with regret. If the five of them had acted with full force just moments ago when they were directly opposite the fellow, they could have surely seized the "Prison Fire Nether Spring" in one go, then activated the Flower Spirit Clan’s artifact, and definitely escaped safely from the encirclement of so many Spirit Masters!

"It's not too late to act now!"

A Flower Spirit Clan girl smiled sweetly, and the other three nodded in agreement. This time, the "Prison Fire Nether Spring," they were determined to have!

The four moved forward almost simultaneously, but just as they took a step, Hua Mei called out to them: "Four elder sisters, please don't move."

"What?"

Seeing Hua Mei’s anxious expression, the four thought they had misheard, finding it hard to believe...

"Whoosh!"

Upon reaching the middle section of the passage, Nie Kong’s rapid sprint abruptly halted.

Following the warnings from the Spirit Masters pouring out of the hall, the path ahead was entirely blocked by those who had regained their senses. A series of gazes were locked onto Nie Kong's shoulder, like famished wolves who hadn't eaten for days suddenly spotting a delicious piece of fat meat, desperate to devour it immediately.

Since he couldn't get out, then so be it!

A cold sneer played on Nie Kong's lips. He had only two objectives for charging toward the exit earlier: first, to create an opportunity for Bai Yuqing and Mu Hongling, who were hiding in the corner of the hall, to slip away; and second, to confirm whether those Flower Spirit Clan members had truly arrived at the "Dark Soul Palace." Now, the attention of the Spirit Masters inside the hall was completely drawn to him, perhaps they had all come out. Bai Yuqing and Mu Hongling could now leave their hiding spot brazenly, and the Flower Spirit Clan members had been seen, including Hua Mei among them.

The objectives had been achieved; whether he ran or not no longer mattered.

"They're finally all out!"

The hall was empty; apart from a few prone figures, all other Spirit Masters had chased after them. Mu Hongling beamed, "Let's go, Sister Bai, we also..."

Before she could finish the latter half of her sentence, Bai Yuqing's figure flashed, and she leaped directly over the "Nether Soul Eagle King," shooting out of the corner. Holding her broadsword slanted in her right hand, she bolted toward the main entrance like a shooting star.

When Mu Hongling collected herself, Bai Yuqing was already at the side of the door.

Mu Hongling could only laugh wryly, pat the "Nether Soul Eagle King's" wing, and pursue.

"Nie Kong, you bastard!"

The Nether Soul Eagle King folded its wings and cursed in a sharp, low voice. As soon as the words left its beak, the Eagle King cautiously peeked toward the door. Seeing that neither Bai Yuqing nor Mu Hongling were paying attention to it over there, it let out a breath of relief and continued cursing without restraint.

Having been treated like a statue in that corner by Nie Kong for two full days, the Nether Soul Eagle King was brimming with pent-up resentment. Now that Nie Kong, Bai Yuqing, and Mu Hongling were gone, it had to seize the time to vent. In an instant, the Nether Soul Eagle King suddenly realized that the purple grass in its soul had vanished!

Had the spiritual restraint been lifted, or was it merely hidden? Should it flee or stay? If the soul-controlling plant was only temporarily hidden, and it chose to escape, how could that bastard Nie Kong ever forgive it later? But what if Nie Kong's method had truly failed and it stayed—wouldn't that be foolish beyond measure? In that moment, the Nether Soul Eagle King was exceptionally conflicted!

In contrast to the Eagle King's turmoil, Lan Shang and Liu Heming outside the passage were completely stunned!

They had never expected Nie Kong to be the one charging out of the hall. In their minds, Nie Kong should have died when the Flaming Mountain collapsed! But now, not only was Nie Kong alive and well, but he had even snatched the "Prison Fire Nether Spring" onto himself!

At this moment, everyone even began to doubt if they were seeing a Spirit Master who bore a striking resemblance to Nie Kong.

Jing Lan suddenly pointed toward the location of the hall door and gasped, "Look! Junior Sister Bai and that Mu Hongling are coming out too!"

Hearing this, the dozen or so people immediately turned to look. Sure enough, they saw Bai Yuqing and Mu Hongling weaving through the crowd, approaching their side with stealthy movements.

Nie Kong hadn't died! Bai Yuqing hadn't died! Mu Hongling hadn't died either!

With the appearance of even Bai Yuqing and Mu Hongling, there was no longer any doubt that the three of them had survived the catastrophic upheaval of the Flaming Mountain! Although the others didn't know how Nie Kong and the others managed to escape that earth-shattering change and seize the "Prison Fire Nether Spring," a hint of joy involuntarily surfaced in their eyes.

"Everyone, get ready!"

At this time, Lan Shang quietly instructed Liu Heming and the others beside him, his gaze fixed on Nie Kong not far away, his expression becoming exceptionally grave...

The Spirit Masters emerging from the hall were chasing closer, and the Spirit Masters outside the hall were continuously closing in. In mere seconds, the space around Nie Kong rapidly constricted. However, he showed no trace of panic, still looking calmly at the approaching strange faces.

The "Prison Fire Nether Spring" on his shoulder also seemed oblivious to the approaching danger. Seeing that Nie Kong still hadn't fed it the "Spiritual Treasure Essence Qi," it began to show signs of irritation, writhing its body, and the continuous sound of water splashing stimulated the eardrums of the crowd.

Noticing the movement of the "Prison Fire Nether Spring," the eyes of those surrounding him grew even more fervent, and their breathing quickened slightly.

Yet, at this moment, no one dared to make the first move. After all, the news of Nie Kong killing people inside the hall had spread throughout the entire passage. The one who struck first faced greater risk, but their chance of obtaining the "Prison Fire Nether Spring" was smaller—everyone understood the principle of "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down!"

"Heh heh!"

Finally, a short Spirit Master with a hooked nose could hold back no longer and sneered coldly, "Killed people and now you think you can run? Where will you go this time? So what if you broke through to Yu Ling? This 'Prison Fire Nether Spring' has been open for over a month, and many have broken through to Yu Ling, myself included. Now I'll show you the methods of the 'Heaven and Earth Sect'!"

Saying this, the hooked-nose Spirit Master let out a cold laugh, and his figure shot out like an arrow released from a bow, hurtling toward Nie Kong. In the blink of an eye, he had crossed several meters of void and arrived in front of Nie Kong...