As speed increased, all that could be seen was the wall of condensed death energy flashing past from both sides like lightning. Before long, Qingyue was swinging from Nie Kong’s right ear with both hands, shouting incessantly, “Shoulder! Nie Kong, the shoulder is here!” Nie Kong nodded in acknowledgment, but his pace did not falter in the slightest. About twenty meters ahead, the passage, which had been stretching straight forward, suddenly bent sharply to the right. Faintly, a red glow seemed to shoot across, casting the path ahead in shifting shadows.

Thump!

Suddenly, a faint throbbing sound reached his ears, and Nie Kong subconsciously slowed his steps. After listening intently for a moment, the sound—thump, thump—persisted. Though faint, it was steady and powerful, striking against Nie Kong’s eardrums rhythmically.

“That’s a heartbeat!”

Qingyue shrieked, instantly releasing Nie Kong’s earlobe and slipping inside his collar. Seconds later, half of her tiny head poked out again. What Qingyue exclaimed was exactly what Nie Kong had been thinking; the thumping sound was virtually indistinguishable from a natural heartbeat.

“If it’s fortune, it can’t be avoided; if it’s disaster, it can’t be dodged!” Nie Kong took a shallow breath and quickened his pace forward.

The distance of about twenty meters vanished in an instant. Nie Kong turned right along the passage, and after only a few meters, an intense blaze of red light flooded his vision.

Squinting to adjust, Nie Kong focused his gaze again and saw a massive heart suspended in the void. Countless dazzling crimson rays emanated from the heart, illuminating the unusually expansive space around it brilliantly.

Thump! Thump! …

The sound of the heartbeat drilling into his ears grew stronger and louder.

A thought stirred in Nie Kong’s mind. Judging by the heart’s location, this giant’s heart was situated in the right chest. Although this dextrocardia was extremely rare, it was not unheard of; Nie Kong had treated a patient in his previous life with the same condition. Qingyue, however, was witnessing such a sight for the first time, her two pale green eyes fixed unblinkingly on the blood-red organ, her face full of astonishment.

Nie Kong did not linger, walking forward. The surprised thought was merely a flash in his mind. Yet, about two minutes later, Nie Kong displayed the exact same expression as Qingyue: the heart in the giant’s right chest was actually that “Flame Heart.”

Could it be an illusion?

Nie Kong rubbed his eyes and looked again. The heart was still beating steadily, its shape exactly identical to the “Flame Heart” outside. Nie Kong had cultivated upon the “Flame Heart” for so long that there was no possibility of mistaking it.

“Flame Heart… the heart…” Nie Kong found the situation utterly baffling. That “Flame Heart,” which connected to the Fire Source, had somehow become the giant’s heart. Seeing it firsthand was almost impossible to believe. Did the nine days each year when the “Flame Heart” submerged mean it returned to this giant’s body?

At that moment, Nie Kong suddenly recalled that after being sucked away by the Fire Source, he seemed to have heard that distinct thumping heartbeat. Nie Kong realized instantly: it was highly likely that the moment he was drawn in, the “Flame Heart” had begun showing signs of submergence.

Now that it had returned to the giant’s body, how were Zhan Baisong and the others faring? The thought flashed, and Nie Kong’s steps began to move forward again.

“You’ve come?”

When he was only ten meters from the heart, an exceedingly familiar voice sounded abruptly.

“He really is alive!” Nie Kong’s eyelids flickered slightly. He watched as a dense cloud of scarlet mist rose from the beating heart. It twisted and transformed, and in the next instant, it materialized into an old man, glowing deep red like blood, landing weightlessly before Nie Kong as lightly as drifting fluff.

The old man had kind eyes and a benevolent smile, resembling a kindly elder from next door. This appearance was inherently charming and easily lowered one’s guard—Nie Kong was no exception. Of course, Nie Kong felt little need for vigilance; being wary before such a figure would be as futile as an aphid trying to shake a tree, wasting energy better spent observing what this old man intended.

“Don’t you recognize this old man anymore?” the elder asked with a smile, teasingly, “You stayed on this old man’s heart for nearly three months!” Nie Kong’s heart jumped—it seemed this elder knew everything Nie Kong had done on the “Flame Heart.”

Seeing that Nie Kong remained silent, the elder wasn’t bothered. “If this old man remembers correctly, your name is Nie Kong, right? This old man’s consciousness has been awake for over four thousand years, and countless people have visited this place during that time. You are the most peculiar little fellow this old man has ever encountered.” Hearing these words, Nie Kong felt a degree of surprise.

This old man claimed his consciousness had been awake for over four thousand years, which implied he had been dormant before that.

How long had he slumbered before awakening? It was possible he had existed since the very dawn of the Nether Sea’s creation!

Nie Kong had, after all, met the Yin Ruins Wood Ancestor. The Wood Ancestor had lived since the Phantasmal Spirit Era—over ten thousand years old now. No matter how long this old man had lived, he couldn't possibly surpass the Wood Ancestor!

“Why do you say that?” Nie Kong finally spoke, a slight smile touching his lips.

Seeing Nie Kong’s composure, a flicker of imperceptible surprise crossed the elder’s eyes, and he chuckled, “That little thing poking its head out of your chest—it must be a spirit born from some sort of medicinal herb! Judging by its aura, it should be a very precious herb. Throughout the ages, the more precious the herb, the more likely it is to be plucked. For one to generate sentience and transform into a true Herb Spirit is as difficult as ascending to heaven. It’s a pity that she is currently only a soul; her physical body is gone, significantly reducing her strength. Of course, even so, anyone possessing this spirit object can certainly be called ‘peculiar!’ Moreover, what you possess is far more than just that.” Qingyue, who had just retracted her head, couldn't resist poking more than half her body out of Nie Kong’s chest again, blinking in astonishment, her voice echoing in Nie Kong’s mind: “Nie Kong, this red old man is so powerful; he saw right through Grandma in an instant.” “Indeed, her true form is the Qingyue Illusionary Heart Orchid.” Nie Kong remained unperturbed. For a monster who had lived at least four thousand years, seeing through Qingyue was not particularly astonishing.

“Qingyue Illusionary Heart Orchid?”

The elder savored the name, finally shaking his head, as if hearing it for the first time. A moment later, the elder smiled and pointed toward Nie Kong’s body: “The second peculiarity is your body! If this old man is not mistaken, there should be an incarnation concealed within! That incarnation cultivates Wood Spirit Power, and this Wood Spirit Power is fused with Fire Spirit elements, allowing it to absorb vitality even better!”

“That’s correct!” Nie Kong did not deny it. Since he had cultivated on the elder’s heart for nearly three months, the elder knowing about the incarnation was only natural.

The elder continued, “Nie Kong, your main body cultivates Dark Spirit Power, while your incarnation cultivates mutated Wood Spirit Power. What is even rarer is that you can actually separate vitality from the Dark Spirit Power elements to enhance your incarnation’s cultivation, allowing your main body and incarnation to advance together. This wondrous feat, this old man has never seen before, and yet the one achieving it is merely a practitioner whose cultivation is pitifully weak.” Nie Kong couldn’t help a wry smile. His main body was a Sixth-Tier Black Spirit Master, and his second incarnation was a Void Spirit Master. Whether in the Nether Earth or the Celestial Spirit Continent, such cultivation was considered the threshold for masters, yet in the elder’s words, it was “pitifully weak.”

“Is there more?” Nie Kong took a shallow breath.

“Naturally, there is!”

The elder pointed toward Nie Kong’s chest and chuckled, “The third peculiarity is the Water Spirit in your arms. Although the bottle containing him can isolate one type of spiritual power, it cannot escape this old man’s detection. This Water Spirit’s sentience is weak, yet it is quite unique—cold and scorching heat can merge perfectly within it. Without a Nether Beast, after you use it, you could travel freely in and out of the Nether Sea without needing an escort.”

Nie Kong nodded and asked, “And the fourth?” The elder surveyed Nie Kong from head to toe, a thoughtful expression dawning in his eyes. “This fourth point is your bloodline. This old man finds it extremely strange that he can sense the aura of the Ancestral Heavenly Divine Luo Tree within your bloodline.” Nie Kong was slightly startled. The “Ancestral Heavenly Divine Luo Tree” was the Yin Ruins Wood Ancestor, a unique existence in this world. For this old man, situated in the Nether Earth, to sense its aura in his bloodline meant, at the very least, that the elder had seen the “Ancestral Heavenly Divine Luo Tree” before! Those in the Nether Earth who had seen the “Ancestral Heavenly Divine Luo Tree” could only be those who had survived since the Phantasmal Spirit Era!

Could he be the Grand Abyssal Spirit Venerable? Such a thought suddenly flashed in Nie Kong’s mind. Although the Grand Abyssal Spirit Venerable was female, and the person before him was male, this old man had materialized from within the heart; fabricating gender was extremely simple. If he truly were the Grand Abyssal Spirit Venerable, things would be troublesome!

According to the Wood Ancestor, the Grand Abyssal Spirit Venerable already existed before being sealed in the Nether Earth, and the strangest part was that the Grand Abyssal Spirit Venerable was not human but a “Glancing Back Grass” that had gained sentience, making them a peer of the Wood Ancestor, though she had not yet cultivated a human form ten thousand years ago.

While Nie Kong was lost in his speculations, the elder continued, “You used your bloodline as the source, spiritual power as the guide, integrating your mind to condense a spectral image of a medicinal herb between your brows. This phantom image can grow continuously and holds immense potential. This cultivation method is quite excellent; it is not impossible for you to achieve Spirit God status in the future… Oh, yes, you also seem to have trapped a weak soul within that spectral image.” Nie Kong understood that the “herb phantom image” the elder spoke of referred to his Mind Manifestation, the “Purple Luo Illusionary Spirit Incense,” and the “weak soul” naturally referred to that rather tragic “Phantom Eagle King.” To this day, the Phantom Eagle King’s body remained in the pet bag; Nie Kong had intended to tame the creature as a mount but hadn't found the spare time in the last half-year.