A flash of violet shadow swept past, and the "Violet Phantom Spirit Incense" coiled around the spectral mass, drawing the eagle king's clamor into the center of Nie Kong’s brow. Silence fell.

"Nie Kong, that little thing beside you is about to wake up."

Pan Hu’s voice suddenly broke the quiet. Nie Kong swiftly turned his gaze to the palm-sized "Azure Moon Phantom Heart Orchid." The blood-red hue coating Qing Yue’s surface had completely vanished, revealing a genuine herb, no longer merely a shape conjured by soul power.

Soon, Nie Kong noticed the "Azure Moon Phantom Heart Orchid" stir slightly—first the roots, then the stalk, and finally the leaves...

"It really is waking up!"

Nie Kong was overjoyed. Only twenty-eight days had passed by his count, nearly two days ahead of the initial projection.

Qing Yue’s form began to move more violently...

Ten seconds later, the herb-like entity actually started to rapidly contract. First, the roots condensed into two tiny feet, and as the main body continued to transform, calves, thighs, hips, torso, arms, neck, and head gradually manifested, bringing Qing Yue’s petite, exquisite body, once again clad in azure robes, back into Nie Kong’s sight.

"Mm."

With a soft hum, Qing Yue blinked awake as if emerging from a dream. "Done?" She flapped her arms, drifting weightlessly in the air like a butterfly. Immediately, her small face flushed with excitement. "Heavenly Spirit! It really is Heavenly Spirit! Grandma has finally recovered to Heavenly Spirit... Wait, no, no, why is my body still so small?"

She cast her eyes down at her tiny frame, hovering just above Nie Kong’s shoulder, her small azure eyes filled with suspicion.

Pan Hu chuckled, a dry, rasping sound. "Little thing, the physical body I helped you condense is only this large. How big could it possibly be?"

"Impossible, right?"

Qing Yue refused to believe it, grinding her teeth as she demanded, "Big, big, big... Make Grandma big, big, big..."

A potent aura burst from her small form, causing her body to swell slightly. However, after ten seconds, Qing Yue’s face was almost crimson with strain, and then, like a punctured balloon, she deflated back to her original size.

"Changing your form at will isn't impossible," Pan Hu said, stroking his beard with a smile, "unless you become a Spirit God."

"It’s over! It’s all over!"

Qing Yue dropped with a soft thud, dangling limply over Nie Kong’s shoulder, moaning miserably, "Becoming a Spirit God? Who knows when that will happen! I should have made my body bigger when I started!"

Nie Kong couldn't help but smile, lifting her by the waist between two fingers. "There, there, isn't this wonderful? So cute."

Qing Yue in her physical form was vastly different from before, and the most significant change for Nie Kong was the tactile sensation. When she was just a soul, touching her felt illusory; now, she was plump and entirely substantial.

"I’m almost two thousand years old, and you call me cute?"

Qing Yue bared her teeth, wriggling her arms aggressively. After shooting Nie Kong a fierce glare, she was immediately tucked into his embrace. Qing Yue quickly scrambled out. "If my body is small, it’s small, but at least now that I have a body, Grandma can go wander around!"

With a couple of little huffs, Qing Yue waved her tiny arms, drifting this way and that, growing increasingly excited. Her previous gloom vanished in a flash.

Seeing this, Nie Kong couldn't help but smile and sat down cross-legged opposite Pan Hu.

"Little fellow, are you already seeking the fifth benefit?" Pan Hu retracted his gaze to focus on Nie Kong, a kind smile gracing his face.

"Better sooner than later! Besides, with my cultivation improved, I should be even more helpful for our next steps. Elder Pan Hu, surely you don't worry that I’ll slip away after taking the benefits?" Nie Kong asked with a cheerful grin.

Among the five benefits Pan Hu promised, this last one was what Nie Kong valued most: boosting his main body's cultivation to the Seventh Rank and his second avatar to the Elixir Spirit stage. This was Nie Kong's ultimate goal for coming to the Netherworld. Naturally, Nie Kong could have cultivated to that level himself, but Pan Hu’s appearance meant Nie Kong couldn't stay quietly cultivating in the Nether Sea any longer. Since that was the case, a shortcut was necessary.

"Well said!"

Pan Hu squinted and smiled. "However, helping you advance your cultivation must wait until the Water Spirit’s sentience fully matures. Otherwise, it might cause some unfavorable interference for it. The Water Spirit has been asleep for about half a month now; another half month should suffice."

"That's fine; I can wait another half month."

"..."

About a minute or two later, a figure flashed and dissolved into a red mist, returning to the heart. Nie Kong calmed his spirit and began to cultivate. The only sounds remaining in this dimension were the heartbeat of Pan Hu and the "Hellfire Ghost Spring," and Qing Yue’s clear, pleasant, bell-like laughter.

Qing Yue frolicked, darting back and forth through the space, her brow radiating pure joy. When she was only a soul, she couldn't stray far from Nie Kong, but now that she had manifested a body, that restriction was gone.

Yet, even the newest sensation must eventually settle. After exploring the spatial dimensions of Pan Hu’s body a few times, Qing Yue grew somewhat bored. She would occasionally peer at Nie Kong, shrouded in death energy, or poke at the "Hellfire Ghost Spring" with a finger.

For Qing Yue, the last dozen or so days had passed agonizingly slowly.

"Thump! Thump..."

Unsure how much time had passed, Qing Yue, who had been drowsily squatting before Nie Kong, was jolted awake by a strong heartbeat. She rubbed her eyes and looked up, instantly revitalized, her small face alight with pleasant surprise. "Nie Kong, wake up quickly, the 'Hellfire Ghost Spring' is about to wake!"

"Boom!"

At this moment, the spiritual energy within Nie Kong's second avatar surged like monstrous waves, relentlessly pounding against the increasingly thin, invisible barrier within his Spirit God Acupoint.

Qing Yue had awoken during this period, and with her watching over the "Hellfire Ghost Spring" externally, Nie Kong had devoted himself entirely to cultivation. Twelve days prior, his second avatar’s cultivation had already reached the Second Grade of Void Spirit, and now it was extremely close to the Third Grade.

Normally, advancing from the Second to the Third Grade of Void Spirit could be achieved directly by consuming a spiritual medicine called the "Void-Breaking Pill." However, their current environment was entirely unsuitable for alchemy, and the "Void-Breaking Pill" required eight different medicinal ingredients, which might not all be found in the Netherworld.

"Boom!"

The dispersed spiritual energy reversed its flow, causing a violent tremor within the Spirit God Acupoint. The barrier seemed to weaken just a fraction more. Still, Nie Kong estimated it would take a significant amount of time to truly shatter this final obstacle and reach the Third Grade of Void Spirit.

"Three more days should be enough," Nie Kong mused internally. Just as he was about to press the assault, he sensed Qing Yue's call. His heart stirred, and he quickly dispersed the gathered spiritual energy into his meridians; the death energy swirling around him also rapidly reintegrated into the surrounding void.

Looking up, Nie Kong couldn't suppress the joy on his face.

Over the passing days, the "Hellfire Ghost Spring" had shrunk considerably, now only slightly larger than the initial pool of water. Most captivating was its heartbeat—not only loud but capable of imparting an extremely peculiar sensation.

It felt akin to drifting on a vast ocean: endless, shimmering waves giving an impression of immense grandeur. Yet, in the next instant, towering tides crashed down, a ferocious aura filling heaven and earth. Moments later, the violence subsided into the void, the waves calmed, and the water flowed gently onward, lingering like silk threads.

The very same heartbeat conveyed multiple shifting feelings in rapid succession, like a woman’s temper—one moment clear skies, the next a sudden downpour with thunder roaring. Previously, the "Hellfire Ghost Spring" had never evoked such complex sensations.

"Is this the 'Hellfire Ghost Spring' after its sentience has fully matured?"

Even Nie Kong’s eyes betrayed a flicker of astonishment. Soon after, the "Hellfire Ghost Spring" began to ripple. Staring intently, Nie Kong could actually see the crimson heart hidden deep within its clear form.

"Splash!"

Finally, a clear sound of water resonated.

Like Qing Yue just awakening, the "Hellfire Ghost Spring" twisted its body violently. However, unlike Qing Yue, the first thing it materialized was a head the size of a fist—smooth, without eyes, nose, or mouth.

Moments later, arms, a torso, and legs also appeared.

"Haha, haha..."

Qing Yue couldn't help but put her hands on her hips and burst into laughter. Nie Kong also smiled faintly. The body the "Hellfire Ghost Spring" had formed was terribly disproportionate: the head was as large as a fist, but the torso was only as thick as two fingers, and the arms and legs were slender as bamboo slivers.

"Splash?"

The Water Spirit made a crisp sound, seeming somewhat confused. It raised its head to look at the nearby Qing Yue, then its face underwent a rapid transformation. Eyes, nose, mouth, and ears manifested successively, and even hair sprouted on its otherwise bare head. Its appearance was now an exact replica of Qing Yue's.

"Isn't that Grandma?"

Qing Yue was momentarily stunned, but the Water Spirit’s transformation continued. Its torso thickened, the arms broadened, the legs grew larger, while its head continuously shrank. After ten minutes of non-stop adjustment, the Water Spirit successfully sculpted a body nearly twice the size of Qing Yue’s.

"Splash!" The Water Spirit hovered in the void in a prone posture, writhing its body like a spirit snake as it swam toward Nie Kong.

"This, this..." Qing Yue was still somewhat dumbfounded, drifting after the Water Spirit toward Nie Kong.

"Splash, splash, splash..."

The "Hellfire Ghost Spring" slithered around Nie Kong’s neck and shoulders, the crisp sound of water continuous, though now emanating directly from its mouth. Feeling the intense affection the Water Spirit projected, Nie Kong grinned, unable to resist grasping its body in his hand. It was soft and extremely elastic, like a humanoid balloon filled with air.

...