The word flashed in his mind, and Zhan Feihong made his move without hesitation. His right hand shot out, clamping down on Nie Kong’s wrist and forearm near the thin expanse of the "Blood Spirit Jade Diagram," moving with blinding speed—so fast that only a trailing crimson afterimage of the diagram could be discerned.

"Slow!"

Yet, precisely at that moment of peril, Nie Kong suddenly shouted. Though his voice was low, it carried an absolute, unyielding resolve.

Zhan Feihong paused mid-strike, his right hand instinctively freezing in the air. Could he truly still have the confidence to absorb the Nether Fire now? But the thought had barely formed before Zhan Feihong’s expression shifted drastically, his pupils constricting sharply. That ball of flame had already detached itself from Nie Kong’s right palm!

At this juncture, even a powerhouse like Zhan Xinzi couldn't have managed to force the "Blood Spirit Jade Diagram" into Nie Kong's body in time.

"Boom!"

A deafening explosion, like rolling thunder, violently erupted from within the flame.

The Fire Seed had collapsed!

Watching the fierce, radiant bloom of scarlet, Zhan Feihong, Zhan Feixing, and Zhan Tianhe turned ashen-faced, frozen like statues. Not far away, Zhan Baisong, Zhan Baifeng, and Zhan Baige were also jolted awake, their gazes snapping towards Nie Kong, astonishment flickering in their eyes.

"Life Barrier!"

What they didn't know was that the very instant the Fire Seed was about to shatter, Nie Kong had transmitted a thought to the little being residing within his Yaochi Acupoint. The Purple Luo Phantom Incense, already prepared, paused for no breath, and countless tendrils of green essence surged toward the center of Nie Kong’s right palm.

Almost simultaneously with the Nether Fire’s outburst, a thick green wall enveloped the collapsing Fire Seed!

"Hiss! Hiss! Hiss..."

The pent-up heat of several minutes unleashed itself. Nie Kong’s right palm seemed to churn with a hurricane woven from ten million fine steel needles. The Fire Seed, which had expanded several times over, instantly fragmented and dissolved. For a moment, the released heat blasted outwards in all directions, striking directly against the "War God Star Seal" situated at the epicenter!

At this moment, Nie Kong remained calm, neither alarmed nor impatient; his mind was exceptionally tranquil. "Still!"

A syllable devoid of any emotional fluctuation escaped Nie Kong’s lips, yet the sound contained a strange, compelling rhythm. Guided by this rhythm, the Nine Nether Stars flickered in alternation, and the Death Qi within Nie Kong instantly layered itself upon the "War God Star Seal" in his right palm.

"Huh?"

Hearing Nie Kong’s voice, the onlookers instinctively gasped in doubt, their eyes fixed on Nie Kong filled with disbelief. Without the protection of the "Blood Spirit Jade Diagram," even a High-Rank Nether Alchemist would struggle to withstand the power unleashed by the Fire Seed’s collapse, yet this young man had somehow endured it!

"Not dead?"

Zhan Feihong could scarcely believe his eyes. His pupils bulged like bronze bells as he stared intensely at Nie Kong for a few moments before suddenly leaping up, waving his arms frantically. "Not dead! He’s truly not dead! This little fellow is still alive, hahahaha..."

"Quiet!"

Zhan Baisong ordered sternly.

Zhan Feihong sobered instantly, blinking rapidly before immediately sitting cross-legged, nodding repeatedly. However, the excitement surging in his chest was beyond mere words. In that critical second, Zhan Feihong’s guts were churning with regret; he wished he hadn't paused when he heard Nie Kong's word, but instead had slammed the "Blood Spirit Jade Diagram" into Nie Kong's right arm, which would have perfectly absorbed the force of the Nether Fire explosion.

Fortunately, Nie Kong had held on through his own strength. Otherwise, if the second disciple in the Zhan Clan’s history to hear the complete "Heart Drum Battle Sound," and the first to cultivate the First Golden Art, the "War God Star Seal," had perished, he would have no face left to meet the ancestors of the Zhan Clan!

"The little fellow is safe now, but we still cannot be careless!" Zhan Baisong added.

"Right, right, still need to be careful."

Zhan Feihong repeatedly nodded, then took a deep breath, barely suppressing the emotion in his chest. He stared fixedly at Nie Kong, yet he did not relax his grip on the "Blood Spirit Jade Diagram" pinched between his right thumb and forefinger. Should an unexpected change occur, that diagram could still prove useful.

"Hiss! Hiss..."

The sound of tearing echoed ceaselessly in Nie Kong’s mind. The fierce force generated by the Nether Fire explosion continuously hammered outwards. The "War God Star Seal" was being shredded layer by layer, but under the replenishment of Nie Kong’s internal Death Qi, it remained unshaken.

However, sustaining such consumption, Nie Kong’s Death Qi was rapidly depleting.

"Boom!"

When the Death Qi was nearly halved, the "War God Star Seal" could sustain itself no longer and abruptly vanished. An instant later, the already substantially weakened residual force, like a primeval beast breaking free from its cage, slammed directly into the green "Life Barrier."

The Life Barrier was a symbiotic combat skill Nie Kong had grasped upon advancing to the Fifth Rank.

It was originally a Pharmacist skill from the Demon-Devil Game, capable of instantly increasing defense fourfold, lasting sixteen seconds, with a cooldown of five minutes. After Nie Kong comprehended it, the skill changed slightly; it had no set duration or cooldown, relying entirely on Nie Kong’s innate medicinal power as its foundation. If the innate medicinal power consumed exceeded half, the "Life Barrier" would automatically vanish; otherwise, it would be maintained indefinitely unless Nie Kong actively deactivated the skill.

Before coming to the Nether Earth, Nie Kong had experimented with all the Fifth Rank skills Xiangxiang had comprehended, and he was intimately familiar with this skill's effects.

The greatest reliance Nie Kong had today in choosing such a perilous path was the "Life Barrier." A fourfold defense increase was equivalent to a fourfold enhancement of Nie Kong’s physical endurance. Having been tempered by eighty-one strokes of the "Heart Drum Battle Sound," Nie Kong's physical resilience was already astounding. Now, bolstered by the "Life Barrier" providing four times that capacity to withstand the shockwave of the Fire Seed explosion, Nie Kong was highly confident—and that was without considering that the shockwave would also be partially weakened by the "War God Star Seal."

This was precisely why Nie Kong had stopped Zhan Feihong from using the "Blood Spirit Jade Diagram" on him.

Nie Kong had long known Zhan Feihong carried such a treasure, but once the "Blood Spirit Jade Diagram" was employed, it would absorb every residual heat wave and kinetic force Nie Kong had previously absorbed from the Nether Fire explosion—a direct contradiction to what Nie Kong planned to achieve.

"Boom! Boom! Boom..."

The roar within the "Life Barrier" rose and fell incessantly.

The kinetic force ravaged through waves, but with every violent collision, the force generated by the Nether Fire's explosion diminished slightly, and the intense heat, through continuous impact, gradually merged into the "Life Barrier."

In the blink of an eye, ten minutes had passed.

"Why is there still no movement?" Seeing Nie Kong’s composed expression, Zhan Feihong unconsciously muttered, tightening his grip on the "Blood Spirit Jade Diagram."

"Much of the force from the Fire Seed explosion remains, but it is dissipating bit by bit within his palm..."

Zhan Baisong frowned slightly.

Among the six, he and Zhan Baifeng held the highest cultivation, but Zhan Baifeng’s injuries had not fully healed, while Zhan Baisong was less wounded, making him currently the clearest observer of Nie Kong's internal state. Under his sensing, a peculiar energy seemed to be constantly consuming the heat and force generated by the Nether Fire within Nie Kong’s right palm, but he couldn't quite grasp the nature of that power.

"Could it be originating from the 'War God Star Seal'?"

Recalling the golden radiance that integrated into Nie Kong’s body when he obtained the First Golden Art on the War Spirit God-Listening Platform, Zhan Baisong murmured his speculation quietly. A moment later, he added, "It will take more time to fully consume it all, but the danger should be over."

"That’s a relief, that’s a relief!"

Zhan Baifeng, Zhan Feixing, and the others let out long sighs of relief.

"What a pity."

Zhan Feihong slumped, looking regretful yet somewhat fortunate. "I didn't expect that even with Nie Kong's excellent aptitude and physical condition, he couldn't absorb the Nether Fire here. Now that his Fire Seed has collapsed, he can never refine Nether Pills again. What a waste of his talent."

Zhan Feixing laughed, "It's a blessing he kept his life." Recalling their experiences since entering the Nether Sea, Zhan Feixing still felt a lingering dread.

Zhan Feihong, however, couldn't let it go, sighing in annoyance, "Although that’s true, if he hadn't come to the Nether Sea, with his aptitude, becoming a Super-Rank Nether Alchemist would have been certain, perhaps even reaching the level of Pill King."

By the end, Zhan Feihong was so regretful he punched the back of his own head.

Seeing his demeanor, Zhan Feixing and the others shook their heads and chuckled. Tempering the Fire Seed at the Nether Sea’s fire source was inherently an extremely risky endeavor; who could guarantee Nie Kong’s success? Gain and loss were normal; Nie Kong only lost the Fire Seed, which was already a decent outcome.

Knowing Zhan Feihong's temperament, the others did not try to console him, letting him continue his lamentations.

Soon, another half hour passed. The heat emanating from the Nether Fire was entirely absorbed by Nie Kong’s "Life Barrier," and the little fellow's innate medicinal power had been consumed by over forty percent, soon approaching the limit where the "Life Barrier" would automatically deactivate.

"Now is the time!"

Sensing the situation within the "Life Barrier," Nie Kong’s mind suddenly moved.

"Aiya ya!"

The little fellow wiggled its roots, stems, and leaves, and those tendrils of innate medicinal power, resembling octopus tentacles, suddenly fluctuated. An instant later, the previously completely sealed green barrier cracked open a tiny fissure. The residual force trapped within the "Life Barrier" surged out like a collapsing flood tide.

"Boom!"

In a flash, that force flooded into Nie Kong’s limbs and torso, striking bone, tearing muscle, and vibrating organs... Waves of searing pain rushed into his heart. Nie Kong’s body trembled, the muscles on his face twitching faintly, and tiny beads of blood could vaguely be seen emerging from his pores.

The moment that determined success or failure had arrived!

Nie Kong fiercely suppressed the internal agony, calmly severing the connection between the "Life Barrier" and the little fellow. Then, he activated the "War God Star Seal" with all his might. In the time it took to snap his fingers, the residual Death Qi within Nie Kong’s bones surged madly through his right arm toward his palm.

"Bang!"

Nie Kong willed it, and the "Life Barrier" instantly dispersed. The intense heat it had absorbed was once again diffused, violently rubbing and colliding with the wisps of green essence that had reverted from the "Life Barrier" back into the little fellow’s innate medicinal power.

In less than a second, a spark of fire appeared, instantly escalating into a wildfire. But before this reignited Nether Fire could harm Nie Kong, the torrent of surging Death Qi had already enveloped it entirely...

...

"Hmm? What is happening?"

Noticing the anomaly in Nie Kong, everyone was startled. Zhan Feihong hastily reached into his robe and retrieved the "Blood Spirit Jade Diagram" he had just put away with the utmost speed. Zhan Baisong, Zhan Baifeng, and the others simultaneously deployed their spiritual senses to probe Nie Kong’s internal condition.

"It's alright! It’s alright!"

A moment later, Zhan Baisong relaxed. "That was just the last bit of residual force spreading out. This little fellow's body, tempered by the 'Heart Drum Battle Sound,' is already incredibly robust; this small amount of force won't take his life. He’ll recover quickly after taking three Mid-Rank 'Life Restoration Pills.'" Zhan Baifeng, Zhan Feixing, and the others also exhaled in relief and nodded in agreement.

But just then, Zhan Feihong let out a loud cry: "Look! Look!"

The others swiftly followed the direction of Zhan Feihong’s finger toward Nie Kong’s right hand. They saw a faint red glow faintly permeating from the back of his hand.

"This, this..."

Zhan Feihong’s eyes widened, his face a mask of astonishment. He stammered, "This little fellow... he's actually re-condensing the Fire Seed..." Even as he said it, he found it hard to believe, yet years of experience and intuition told him he wasn't mistaken.

"..."

"Feihong, is what you said true?"

"Impossible, impossible! If the Fire Seed has already collapsed and shattered, how can it be re-condensed? Doesn't everyone only get one chance?"

"Feihong is right, Nie Kong is truly re-condensing his Fire Seed!"

"..."

After a brief uproar, everyone exchanged bewildered glances.

There were four High-Rank Nether Alchemists present. If only Zhan Feihong had made such a judgment, it might have been an error, but Zhan Baige, Zhan Feixing, and Zhan Tianhe had all reached the same conclusion—there could be no mistake! The fact remained:

Nie Kong was re-condensing his Fire Seed!

"To condense a Fire Seed using the Nether Fire from this fire source..."

Zhan Feihong murmured. For so many years, ever since the initial Nether Alchemists were annihilated at the 'Heart of Flames,' no one had dared attempt such a feat, or even dared to contemplate it. Even that Pill King had only dared to use the Nether Fire here to temper his Fire Seed!

Did Nie Kong dare to attempt this out of sheer fancy, or was he fully confident?

Recalling Nie Kong's sharp command when he was about to use the "Blood Spirit Jade Diagram," Zhan Feihong’s heart skipped a beat. Could it be that this little fellow had this idea planned all along? Since he could safely pass through the danger of the Fire Seed collapsing and the Nether Fire erupting, perhaps he truly held some measure of certainty!

"Hehehehehe..."

Lost in thought, Zhan Feihong suddenly beamed, suppressing a low chuckle. If Nie Kong succeeded, possessing a Fire Seed condensed from the purest Nether Fire, what heights might his future achievements reach? Surpassing that Pill King of the Duntian Sect would not be impossible!

Zhan Baisong and Zhan Baifeng also grasped this possibility, exchanging glances; their brows could not help but twitch slightly.

"Don't celebrate too soon."

Zhan Baige remained calm, his voice slightly weak. "In two thousand years, we've never heard of anyone successfully condensing a Fire Seed a second time, let alone using this purest Nether Fire from the depths of the 'Nether Sea Fire Source.' We shouldn't hold too much hope."

Zhan Feihong waved dismissively, smiling slyly. "That’s hard to say. Just moments ago when the Fire Seed collapsed, who among us could believe this little fellow Nie Kong could survive purely on his own strength? And in two thousand years, no one has ever managed that."

"..."

Zhan Baige was momentarily silenced; this old man's point carried some weight!