"The third benefit is a method to rapidly advance the Heart Aspect!" Nie Kong chuckled. The phantom of the "Purple Luo Illusory Spirit Incense" shimmered out from between his brows, standing erect between him and Pan Hu, its purple light sparkling even brighter under the azure, ethereal glow of the nearby "Prison Fire Nether Spring."

"Heart Aspect?"

Hearing those words, Pan Hu nodded slowly. "That's an apt term. Nie Kong, if my intuition is correct, all the primal powers within this universe can enhance the strength of your Heart Aspect and cause it to grow. In the current Netherworld, the only being possessing primal power is that woman, the 'Great Evolution Spirit Venerable.' On the Tian Ling Continent you hail from, only the Spirit Gods hold such power. Even a Star God like myself, from the 'Great Supreme Spirit Realm,' cannot generate primal power within our bodies."

He paused, then smiled again. "Given your current cultivation, obtaining primal power directly from those Spirit Gods is highly unlikely. However, apart from Spirit Gods, many other things in this world possess primal power. For instance, those refined Nether Pills, and the Nether Beasts lurking in this Nether Sea—they all contain the primal power of darkness. While the primal energy contained within these entities is extremely faint, accumulating it little by little can result in a considerable amount. Now, I will impart to you a technique for directly absorbing primal power."

"Wonderful!"

Nie Kong’s face was alight with joy.

He had initially expected Pan Hu to offer some profound means to elevate the Heart Aspect, as the Heart Aspect was essentially Xiang Xiang’s incarnation; any method to boost the Aspect could surely aid Xiang Xiang's advancement. But based on Pan Hu’s explanation, there wasn't much to anticipate. It was merely about absorbing primal power, something Nie Kong could easily do himself—if only he had access to Nether Pills or the Nether Beasts of the Nether Sea for absorption!

Yet, Nie Kong's delight was not entirely feigned.

The very fact that Pan Hu offered a method for absorbing primal power suggested that the old man had not completely seen through Nie Kong. The more Pan Hu was unaware of, the greater the capital Nie Kong could leverage in the future, which was certainly cause for happiness.

Nie Kong's displayed demeanor satisfied Pan Hu greatly. He smiled. "This is a spiritual art, named the 'Pan Silk Silkworm Absorption Technique'…"

"..."

Pan Hu spoke at length, and Nie Kong listened with rapt attention.

"Enter!"

More than ten minutes later, Pan Hu suddenly raised his hand and beckoned toward the void on his left. From the distant darkness, a fiery red light burst forth, piercing the void. Accompanying this crimson beam was a massive, dark-red silhouette, streaking toward them like a shooting star.

"Fu Ling!"

Recognizing the form of the dark-red figure, Nie Kong gave a slight start. It was the ninth-tier peak Nether Beast, Fu Ling, the one that had fled after being wounded by Zhan Xinzi’s single finger strike. Judging by Pan Hu’s recent action, it was evident that he had pulled Fu Ling into his own body.

"Boom!"

About half a minute later, Fu Ling's immense body crashed heavily onto the ground before Pan Hu and Nie Kong.

"Roar!"

Fu Ling thrashed violently, hoisting its thick limbs, baring its fangs and roaring ferociously. Its huge eyes fixed on the figures of Pan Hu and Nie Kong, filled with rage and hostility. However, before it could launch an attack, a cold snort escaped Pan Hu’s nostrils.

Instantly, the space within several hundred meters seemed to freeze, and an unparalleled pressure descended from all directions. With a resounding thud, Fu Ling’s heavy body slammed back onto the ground, and this ninth-tier peak Nether Beast found itself unable to stir in the slightest.

Fu Ling froze, its eyes locking onto Pan Hu. The rage and hostility vanished without a trace, replaced by undisguised terror. All thoughts of attack or escape fled; it merely bowed its massive head, panting heavily.

Nie Kong observed carefully and noticed that the gaps between the beast's hardened scales were riddled with cracks, and a significant portion of its huge head had caved in. This revealed the astonishing damage inflicted upon the Nether Beast's physique by that single strike from Zhan Xinzi!

Now suppressed by Pan Hu, Fu Ling’s ferocity had drained away. Nie Kong could sense that the beast's vitality was extremely weak; it was a miracle it had survived this long. Even so, it would not last more than a few more days.

Pan Hu turned his gaze to Nie Kong and smiled. "Nie Kong, I have taught you the 'Pan Silk Silkworm Absorption Technique.' I give this Fu Ling to you to practice on."

"Thank you, Elder."

Nie Kong smiled and cupped his hands in thanks. When Fu Ling first appeared, Nie Kong had harbored greedy intentions due to the little creature's excited reaction. After Fu Ling escaped wounded by Zhan Xinzi, Nie Kong had secretly sighed, never expecting that months later, Fu Ling would fall into his hands.

Inside the Spirit God Acupoint, the little creature was also extremely agitated. Had Nie Kong not strictly commanded it to maintain no overtly extreme reactions while within Pan Hu's body, the little creature would surely have thrashed its roots and leaves, crying out in excitement.

"Go ahead!"

Pan Hu waved his hand and sat cross-legged on the spot.

Nie Kong nodded upon hearing this, quickly stepping forward to sit directly beside Fu Ling, placing his right palm against its body. Sensing Nie Kong's move, Fu Ling's eyeballs instantly swiveled over. However, the pressure Pan Hu had exerted was indelibly imprinted upon its soul, preventing it from daring to move.

In the next instant, Nie Kong quieted his mind.

Originally, having the little creature act would have allowed for the complete absorption of Fu Ling’s primal power—once the little creature grew stronger, the Heart Aspect would follow suit. But under these circumstances, it was better to employ the "Pan Silk Silkworm Absorption Technique" diligently.

The little creature was Nie Kong’s greatest secret; Pan Hu must never discover it.

The operational method of the "Pan Silk Silkworm Absorption Technique" flashed rapidly through his mind, and Nie Kong immediately immersed himself in it. The glittering golden Nether Star in his Yao Chi Acupoint began to flicker at a bizarre frequency, speeding up and slowing down erratically, followed closely by the other eight Nether Stars.

Several minutes later, a thin golden filament leaked out from the Yao Chi Acupoint, traversing bone structure, quickly reaching the palm of his right hand, and swiftly penetrating into Fu Ling’s body.

Then came the second, the third, the fourth...

The seventy-second strand!

Seventy-two slender golden threads divided into even ranks, weaving crisscross, forming a dense web, much like that of a spider. In a flash, the frequency of the golden Nether Star in Nie Kong's Yao Chi Acupoint shifted again, and spurred by it, the other eight great Nether Stars followed suit.

As the nine Nether Stars pulsed, the golden net instantly coiled into a single mass, resembling a silkworm cocoon whose exit had already been breached. Immediately, this golden cocoon began to writhe, contracting and expanding, and a fierce, bizarre suction force radiated outward from within the cocoon.

According to Pan Hu's description, this suction was ineffective against other substances, possessing only a fatal attraction to primal power. As expected, after a short while, a wisp of inky-black aura gathered and drilled into the entrance of the golden cocoon.

"Roar..."

As if sensing the loss of primal power, Fu Ling raised its head again and opened its mouth. However, the roar had barely left its jaws when a formidable pressure descended, forcibly choking back the remainder of the shriek that had surged to its throat.

Fu Ling looked fearfully at Pan Hu, lowering its head.

The actions of this ninth-tier peak Nether Beast had no effect on Nie Kong; under the operation of the "Pan Silk Silkworm Absorption Technique," more and more primal power flowed into the golden cocoon. Nie Kong rejoiced inwardly. If calculated based on the content within high-tier Nether Pills, even a thousand top-grade high-tier Nether Pills might not compare to the primal power being drawn from Fu Ling at this moment.

After about fifteen minutes, as the final wisp of inky-black aura vanished into the golden cocoon’s opening, the primal power within Fu Ling was finally completely drained.

Nie Kong willed it, and the golden cocoon retracted into his right palm, disappearing into Nie Kong's brow, into the Heart Aspect, in the blink of an eye.

The layers of the golden cocoon peeled away, and in less than a few seconds, it reformed into seventy-two golden filaments, retracting into the Yao Chi Acupoint to merge back into that golden, glittering Nether Star. The primal power absorbed from Fu Ling’s body condensed into a perfectly round mass, manifesting within the Heart Aspect.

As per Pan Hu's explanation of the "Pan Silk Silkworm Absorption Technique," after absorbing primal power, it should be sent to the brow for the Heart Aspect to refine. However, Nie Kong was absorbing Fu Ling’s primal power not to advance his own Heart Aspect, but for the little creature.

The reason he sent the primal power to the Heart Aspect, rather than directly into the Spirit God Acupoint, was precisely to avoid arousing Pan Hu's suspicion. That old man was far too astute; he likely possessed the means to sense where the absorbed primal power vanished within Nie Kong's body.

With a thought, Nie Kong's brow vibrated, and under his subtle direction, the little creature tentatively extended a tendril of green energy, quietly approaching the Heart Aspect.

Sensing that Pan Hu remained completely unmoved, Nie Kong finally relaxed.

Nie Kong estimated the time required for the Heart Aspect to refine the primal power. Consequently, Xiang Xiang spent nearly half an hour before completely absorbing all the primal power within the Heart Aspect.

"..."

Having partaken of such fine nourishment, the little creature was extremely excited. A moment later, it twisted its stalk and swung its small flower bud to gently nudge the side wall of the acupoint, seemingly wanting to cry out, but refraining because of Nie Kong’s prior instruction. A thought sparked in Nie Kong's mind; after sensing the connection between them via their spiritual link, he instantly understood.

After absorbing Fu Ling's primal power, the little creature had reached the very peak of the fifth tier and was poised for promotion, needing only one medicinal herb as a catalyst. This was an unexpected blessing. What pleased Nie Kong even more was that, perhaps due to absorbing such a massive amount of primal power, the little creature had no specific demands for herbs this time; any high-quality medicine would suffice.

For Nie Kong, this presented a much simpler task. His pet inventory still contained quite a few excellent medicines. After saving Meng Tianjun, the herbs Lady Lin had gifted—the "Black Vine Fruit," the "Nine-Leaf Withered Butterfly," the "Cold Snow Divine Heart Grass," and the "Yellow Dragon Spirit Dew"—were all stored within.

Among these herbs, the "Black Vine Fruit" and the "Nine-Leaf Withered Butterfly" could serve as primary ingredients for refining seventh-grade spirit medicines, and the "Yellow Dragon Spirit Dew" could be used to forge the eighth-grade "Void Golden Pill," while the "Cold Snow Divine Heart Grass" was essential for refining the eighth-grade "Extreme Spirit Heart Pill." In essence, they were all rare and invaluable treasures!

Were it not for his caution regarding Pan Hu, Nie Kong would have brought these fine medicines out of his pet inventory immediately.

With a thought, Nie Kong tentatively moved the "Cold Snow Divine Heart Grass" within the medicinal box. Pan Hu remained seated with his eyes closed, still showing no reaction.

Thus, Nie Kong willed it, taking the "Cold Snow Divine Heart Grass" out of the medicine container, and then proceeded to do the same for the "Black Vine Fruit" and the "Nine-Leaf Withered Butterfly" sequentially. The little creature, already prepared, sent out a faint wisp of green energy, cautiously slipping out of the Spirit God Acupoint and entering the pet inventory...

... ...