The sound reverberated thunderously through the space. Simultaneously, that golden heart contracted rapidly, only to instantly explode outward in a furious burst of golden light. In a mere flicker, every surrounding pocket of space was inundated with dazzling, brilliant radiance.

The strong, resonant pulse continued to echo beside Nie Kong's ear. Vaguely, he felt as if he were situated deep within Pan Hu's heart; the resulting shockwaves from the beat impacted his skin like ripples spreading across water.

Pan Hu, meanwhile, settled into a cross-legged posture without realizing it, his palms moving with lightning speed in the golden void, too fast for Nie Kong’s eyes to track. At this moment, the outside world—the Ming Hai—seemed to be caught in a hurricane, the viscous seawater surging like mountainous waves.

"Hiss! Hiss! Hiss..."

Sharp, faint sounds rose one after another, punctuated by occasional wisps of azure energy ascending from the sea, shooting like streaks towards the depths of the "Ming Hai Fire Source." In the blink of an eye, the inky black void above the Ming Hai was repeatedly pierced by azure phosphorescence.

This richly colorful spectacle left the few remaining Black Spirit Masters lingering near the shore utterly dumbfounded, their expressions frozen.

What was happening inside the Ming Hai?

After a long pause, the group snapped back to reality, exchanging surprised glances.

The scene they had just witnessed, coupled with the information gleaned from the War Clan members' chatter, made the familiar Ming Hai feel profoundly alien. First, the sudden appearance of numerous Nether Beasts; then, the Fire Source actively devouring Black Spirit Masters; and now, this bizarre activity within the Ming Hai—this string of events left everyone deeply unsettled and full of doubt.

Within the expansive space of Pan Hu’s form, tendrils of azure energy seeped in from all directions, continuously gathering and swirling around Pan Hu. Soon, this azure stream grew as thick as a thumb, coiling and weaving rapidly through the void like a spiritual serpent.

"Such potent spirituality!"

Nie Kong was secretly startled. He now vaguely understood Pan Hu’s intention to strengthen the Prison Fire Undercurrent: to extract the spirituality from the Ming Hai and forcefully merge it into the "Prison Fire Undercurrent’s" core, essentially force-feeding its spiritual essence.

"Boundless Heart Sea... this technique is truly marvelous."

Gazing at the space that had become dreamily beautiful, Nie Kong couldn't help but draw a sharp breath of admiration. No wonder the Three Great Star Clans had dominated the 'Supreme Spirit Realm' for countless years; judging solely by Pan Hu's performance offered a glimpse—first that 'Soul Condensation to Spirit Return,' and now this 'Boundless Heart Sea'—who knew how many more uncanny and mysterious methods he possessed.

If the Pan Star Clan was like this, the Scarlet Star Clan surely wasn't far behind.

Now, Nie Kong felt a rising anticipation for the Scarlet Star Clan's legacy. If he could acquire the legacies of both Star Clans, that would be ideal. However, the benefits Pan Hu had already bestowed were substantial enough; he couldn't afford to be greedy. Furthermore, Pan Hu's true intentions toward him remained unknown.

Time slipped away...

Strands of azure light continuously swept through the golden space, delicate and ceaseless. The gathered azure essence grew ever thicker. Under Nie Kong's watch, the thread, once the size of a thumb, broadened to the thickness of an arm, and by now, it appeared as large as a water bucket.

"Whoosh! Whoosh..."

The sound of rushing air mingled with the heartbeat, incessantly vibrating against his eardrums. That thick, azure luminescence writhed and danced in the golden void like a flood dragon. The spiritual aura emanating from it brought immense joy to the "Prison Fire Undercurrent," accompanied by a constant, rippling sound of water.

"Myriad Spirits Unification!"

Suddenly, a sound note, like a clap of thunder, burst from Pan Hu’s lips. Instantly, the golden space violently warped and undulated. With a loud splash, the "Prison Fire Undercurrent" detached itself from Nie Kong’s shoulder and floated uncontrollably before Pan Hu.

In the next moment, Pan Hu brought his right hand up, pointing his two fingers directly at the "Prison Fire Undercurrent."

"Whoosh!"

The azure essence swirling in the void roared toward Pan Hu.

In less than two seconds, the entire thick stream of azure energy poured in above his head, exited the tips of his two right fingers, and threaded itself bit by bit into the body of the "Prison Fire Undercurrent." The previously small cluster of spring water immediately expanded like an inflated balloon.

Splash, splash...

The crisp sound of water grew increasingly rapid, imbued with an irrepressible sense of delight.

Nie Kong watched intently. About fifteen minutes later, the volume of the spring water had swelled to rival the size of Pan Hu's massive heart.

"Hm?"

A moment later, Nie Kong suddenly let out a surprised, soft exclamation. Just then, he thought he had heard a strange, faint sound emanating from within the gigantic form of the "Prison Fire Undercurrent," but it was immediately drowned out by the gushing water, making it impossible to identify at the time.

Nie Kong strained his ears again. It took a full two minutes before the faint sound reappeared.

"Thump..."

A heartbeat? Nie Kong frowned in astonishment. After hearing the sound two more times in quick succession, Nie Kong was completely certain: this was indeed the heartbeat of the "Prison Fire Undercurrent." However, the sound was too weak and the intervals too long; it would be easily missed without extreme focus.

"Since there is a heartbeat, I suppose the heart of the 'Prison Fire Undercurrent' has taken form," Nie Kong thought happily, staring with wide eyes at the spring water suspended before him. Inside, there was only azure, and more azure; nothing distinct could be seen. Nie Kong probed again carefully, but besides the dense spiritual presence, he discovered nothing else.

At this point, Pan Hu suddenly withdrew his fingers, his fiery figure swiftly merging back into the giant heart. Only his voice boomed through the golden void: "Nie Kong, this old man must continue to recuperate. Ten days from now, I will grant you the third benefit."

The instant Pan Hu finished speaking, the golden light filling the entire space vanished without a trace.

"..."

Nie Kong offered no reply, already understanding that whether it was helping Qing Yue condense her true form or augmenting the spirituality of the "Prison Fire Undercurrent," these actions could not be performed consecutively. It was likely that subsequent benefits would also require a period of rest and recovery.

However, at this juncture, Nie Kong could not determine if Pan Hu genuinely lacked sufficient divine power, if executing these techniques consumed an immense amount of divine power, or if this was intentional maneuvering to put Nie Kong at ease.

If it were the first two reasons, it wouldn't matter much. But if it was the third, Pan Hu’s motives became far more suspect.

Nie Kong’s gravest concern was that after his heart attached itself, Pan Hu would seize control of his body or turn him into a puppet.

Pan Hu hadn't acted immediately. Perhaps he genuinely only intended to use Nie Kong to slay the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable, or perhaps he currently lacked the certainty of success and intended to proceed slowly. Given Pan Hu’s strength, even with only a heart remaining of his physical body, taking Nie Kong's life would be trivially easy. But seizing another's body was infinitely more complicated, otherwise the aftereffects would be severe.

Take the ancestor of the Flower Spirit Clan, "Fluttering Jade Butterfly Spring"—even though she was once a Spirit God, she could only use that slow method to gradually consume Hua Mei's soul. As long as Pan Hu couldn't instantly devour his soul and erase his consciousness, there was still a chance of survival!

"I hope this is purely a transaction!"

Nie Kong glanced at the massive heart hanging in the air and let out a soft breath. If he hadn't known that War Soul Child's deployment was also part of Pan Hu's scheme, Nie Kong might not have worried to this extent, forcing him to consider the complexity.

Although War Soul Child's cultivation was extremely close to a Spirit God, he was not a true Spirit God. The Great Evolution Spirit Venerable had achieved Spirit Godhood over countless years; even if his power was declining for unknown reasons, War Soul Child could not easily resist him. If he entered the Ghost Domain and went undiscovered by the Great Evolution Spirit Venerable, the danger he faced was unimaginable.

The War Clan established itself on War God Mountain and cultivated the Scarlet Star Clan’s spiritual arts, essentially making them disciples of Scarlet Lian. For the disciple of an old friend, Pan Hu could convey false information through Scarlet Lian, luring him out of War God Mountain to scout the way for him—that spoke volumes about Pan Hu’s character.

For such an individual, if he harbored any perverse intentions toward Nie Kong, he certainly wouldn't cease simply because Nie Kong was connected to his old friend. Furthermore, while the events of the 'Supreme Spirit Realm' might be true, whether Pan Hu was truly Scarlet Lian's old friend was highly questionable.

Changing his thoughts abruptly, Nie Kong suppressed his suspicions. After checking on Qing Yue's status, he closed his eyes again, centering himself to cultivate. However, now needing to monitor the condition of the two little ones constantly, the duration of Nie Kong's continuous cultivation sessions became much shorter.

"Thump! Thump..."

Time flowed like water. The heartbeat of the "Prison Fire Undercurrent" had shortened from once every two minutes initially to about once every minute. Its volume also increased with the rhythm of the beating heart, so much so that by now, it could be perceived without meticulous listening.

"Eh?"

Nie Kong, having just circled the "Prison Fire Undercurrent" once, let out a surprised gasp. The volume of the spring water seemed to have shrunk quite a bit. This circuit seemed slightly shorter than the previous one. Nie Kong observed it closely, but judging solely by sight was difficult, as the "Prison Fire Undercurrent" wasn't a perfectly round mass; it continuously contorted into various irregular shapes synchronized with the heartbeat.

A faint smile touched Nie Kong’s lips as he drew his gaze back and sat down cross-legged.

Beside Nie Kong, Qing Yue floated perpetually. When Nie Kong moved, she moved; when he paused, she paused, always maintaining the initial distance between them. At this point, more than half of Qing Yue’s body had shed its blood color, revealing her roots and stem.

If the process of the blood color vanishing completely takes one month, then over twenty days had likely elapsed.

"Pan Hu should be waking up soon!"

Nie Kong glanced toward the heart. As if sensing his gaze, a cloud of red mist drifted up from the heart, then coalesced into that familiar figure before Nie Kong, his face wreathed in smiles: "Little fellow, do not fret. This old man is about to grant you the third benefit."