With a satisfied smile gracing his features, Nie Kong gazed upon the statue-still "Medicine King Incarnation" before him. Though Pan Hu possessed eyes that pierced through illusions and vast divine abilities, he could never have dreamed of the existence of the "Violet Illusionary Spirit Incense," let alone the miraculous incarnation conjured from mere medicinal herbs.

What Pan Hu truly failed to grasp was that his heart was not lodged within Nie Kong's main body, but rather concealed inside the "Medicine King Incarnation."

Generally speaking, the more precious the medicinal herb, the more "real" the resulting "Medicine King Incarnation" would be. Since the "Fire Tree Silver Flower" was a miraculous medicine capable of rivaling the "Fluttering Jade Butterfly Spring," its extreme value was self-evident. This was why, even after so many days, Pan Hu had noticed absolutely nothing amiss.

"If Pan Hu knew about this, he'd probably die of rage?"

Nie Kong chuckled inwardly.

Back in the Nether Sea, his original plan was to wait until Pan Hu and Grand Abyssal Spirit Venerable were locked in furious combat before silently separating the "Medicine King Incarnation," then using Qing Yue and Qing You to mask his aura and flee to a distance.

As long as the main body's aura remained stationary, even if Pan Hu sensed the auras of Qing Yue and Qing You moving away, he would pay them no mind. Once he had put sufficient distance between them, he would immediately employ "Drawing Silk to Reveal Cocoon" to separate the essential origin power of Pan Hu from his body, allowing the little fellow to absorb it.

Following that, he would need to swiftly fuse the main body's Death Qi with the Wood Spiritual Power of the Second Incarnation into Spirit Treasure Essence Qi—a process that would entirely alter his own aura, designed to prevent Pan Hu, should he survive, from using some secret technique to dispatch other Dark Spirit Masters to track him down.

Then, he could summon the "Phantom Eagle King" and head straight for the "God Extinguishing Cave." Barring any major unforeseen circumstances, this escape plan had an extremely high chance of success.

However, after a conversation between the Battle Clan Nether Source and Chi Lian, Nie Kong had changed his mind. The primary reason was the star god memory contained within Pan Hu's heart—it was simply too enticing. Obtaining that memory would be tantamount to acquiring the entire legacy of the Pan Star Clan.

Of course, no matter how important the Pan Star Clan legacy was, it could not outweigh the value of his own life. If a suitable opportunity never materialized, Nie Kong would not press the issue. After all, with the "Phantom Eagle King" in hand, escaping this place should not be an issue, and Grand Abyssal Spirit Venerable would certainly not allow Pan Hu to pursue him relentlessly.

After all, to Grand Abyssal Spirit Venerable, Nie Kong’s importance was far less than Pan Hu’s.

"Boom!"

Another earth-shattering explosion rocked the area; the sea of blood and flames fiercely tangled together, dyeing the entire pale void a blood-red hue.

Nie Kong focused his gaze on the distant concave valley. A battle of that magnitude was beyond his current capability to participate in. However, by monitoring the fluctuations between the blood sea and the flames, Nie Kong could somewhat gauge the general situation: Pan Hu and Grand Abyssal Spirit Venerable were currently locked in an even contest.

"Aiya ya, aiya ya..."

Having cried out for a long time without receiving a response, the little fellow began tumbling inside the Spirit God Aperture, its roots banging against the side wall of the aperture with loud pats.

Nie Kong managed a wry smile, and a thought sparked in his mind: "If I don't let Xiang Xiang out, who knows how long it will keep wailing. It might as well go out and look around. If it doesn't find herbs, it can die in peace. Right now, Pan Hu and Grand Abyssal Spirit Venerable shouldn't have the attention to spare for it."

In a flash of decision, Nie Kong finally relaxed his restraint on the little one.

A streak of purple light flashed, and the little fellow manifested before Nie Kong. With an excited "Aiya ya!" cheer, it brandished its tiny flower bud, dragging a large clump of delicate roots as it scurried towards the concave valley ahead. As its stem swayed, its six small leaves bobbed left and right, making it look incredibly endearing.

"Grandma, I'm coming too."

A wisp of green energy drifted out from the beast tablet at Nie Kong's waist, coalescing into a small form. Qing Yue was extremely cautious; the body appearing now was condensed using only half of her soul power. The remaining soul was anchored to her main body, ensuring that even if this current form met disaster, she would not die.

Thus, Nie Kong did not stop her.

"Splash..."

With a faint sound of water, Qing You actually managed to uncork the stopper and slip out of the Spirit Sealing Jade Bottle. Seeing this, Nie Kong swiftly caught Qing You's soft, pliant form, then abruptly pulled her into two halves. He tossed the upper half towards Qing Yue, while directly stuffing the lower half back into the jade bottle.

This action was also a precaution against the unexpected.

Qing You's upper half writhed and transformed in an instant, growing back her little bottom and two small legs. After running only a few dozen meters, she and Qing Yue caught up to Xiang Xiang. The three little beings lined up, looking endearingly clumsy and swaying as they ran farther and farther away, filling Nie Kong with amusement.

"Pan Hu, I never expected that little ant you brought with you would possess the twin treasures of the Medicine Spirit and the Water Spirit!" Grand Abyssal Spirit Venerable's voice suddenly boomed out from within the valley.

"Do you think the man I chose is just anyone?" Pan Hu laughed heartily.

"This is perfect. Once I deal with you old relic, I can claim both the Medicine Spirit and the Water Spirit for myself."

Grand Abyssal Spirit Venerable sneered, the blood sea surging violently, instantly churning up hundred-meter high waves that battered the mass of flame downward.

But immediately afterward, the tip of the scorching flame, like a sharp, piercing sword, broke free from the blood sea's confinement once more, soaring towards the heavens and staining the void a fiery red.

In the next moment, the clash between Pan Hu and Grand Abyssal Spirit Venerable intensified.

Hearing their sudden exchange, Nie Kong was slightly startled at first, then a surge of wild joy swelled in his heart. Neither Grand Abyssal Spirit Venerable nor Pan Hu had detected the little fellow's presence. If even beings of their caliber couldn't notice it, then surely no one else could.

Instantly, Nie Kong completely set his mind at ease.

"I shouldn't have let Qing Yue and Qing You follow along; that way, nobody would know the little one was searching for herbs over there," Nie Kong muttered secretly, narrowing his eyes at Xiang Xiang, Qing Yue, and Qing You, who had now shrunk to three small dots. After scurrying beneath the bone wall, they did not climb up, but instead moved left along the wall. In the blink of an eye, the three small figures vanished from Nie Kong's sight.

Fortunately, through the spiritual connection he shared with Xiang Xiang and Qing Yue, Nie Kong could clearly sense their movements.

Nie Kong closed his eyes and sat down quietly; the scene over there unfolded in his mind like a film. Soon, the three little ones reached the very rear of the white bone palace. The piled-up bone wall there was incredibly steep, and the three little creatures tumbled down behind the hall.

"Aiya ya!"

An excited cry echoed in Nie Kong's mind. The little fellow had found a small crack in the wall of the white bone palace and slipped through with surprising agility. Qing Yue and Qing You also rushed toward the fissure in the skeletal remains, but just as they tried to squeeze through, their small bodies were repelled backward dozens of meters.

The two little ones got up and looked at each other.

"The entire white bone palace is sealed within a powerful force. Qing Yue and Qing You cannot enter, but Xiang Xiang encountered no hindrance—is it because Xiang Xiang is an anomaly transformed from game data?" Nie Kong's thoughts shifted, and his divine sense focused on Xiang Xiang.

The interior of the white bone palace was vast, centered around a triangular, enormous pool of blood, thick and viscous. At the three points of the triangle, a thick, almost transparent bone pillar stood tilted upward, converging together at the palace's apex.

It appeared that after the corpses of the Nether Beasts from the entire Underworld were absorbed into this palace, that blood had been injected into the pool below via these three bone pillars.

"Aiya xu!"

Upon entering the palace, the little fellow acted as if it had found a feast of delicacies. It hopped joyfully to the edge of the blood pool, then leaped directly into the liquid, vigorously swinging its roots as it drifted toward the center of the pool. It was then that Nie Kong noticed a round object floating there, shaped like white jade. And within it, there actually grew a palm-sized, blood-red medicinal herb.

This herb had only one main root, coiled softly like a spiral. Above the root was a dense cluster of blood-red leaves, resembling an inverted umbrella, growing obliquely upward.

At the center of the leaves, a pure white stalk held up an eyeball-shaped flower bud, which was still tightly closed.

Seeing the strangely shaped bud, Nie Kong instantly recalled the blood-red, eye-shaped flower that had appeared when Grand Abyssal Spirit Venerable clashed with Zhan Xinzi.

"This is... the Look-Back Grass!"

A jolt went through Nie Kong's heart. He never would have guessed that the herb Xiang Xiang had discovered was the former physical body, and current incarnation, of Grand Abyssal Spirit Venerable—the "Look-Back Grass"!

The little fellow was incredibly audacious, robbing right from under the Grand Abyssal Spirit Venerable's nose! Realizing that Xiang Xiang's target was it, Nie Kong couldn't help but feel a moment of hesitation.

Having learned the reason for Grand Abyssal Spirit Venerable's weakened cultivation, Nie Kong naturally understood how vital the "Look-Back Grass" incarnation was to her—it was the key to her breakthrough into the Grand Venerable realm. If she discovered the "Look-Back Grass" had been stolen, she would likely abandon Pan Hu immediately and kill him.

However, considering how high a realm the "Look-Back Grass" had cultivated to, reaching Grand Abyssal Spirit Venerable's level, its preciousness was undoubtedly no less than that of the Fire Tree Silver Flower or the Fluttering Jade Butterfly Spring. Such a rare, world-class treasure was right before him, almost within reach, and Nie Kong's desire began to stir once more.

"Aiya ya..."

Just as Nie Kong wavered, the little fellow took action. A surge of green vitality erupted, instantly enveloping the piece of white jade. Then, dragging it, it ran swiftly toward the edge of the blood pool. In mere seconds, Xiang Xiang pulled it ashore without the slightest effort.

"Crack!"

Almost the instant it left the blood pool, the white jade shattered into pieces, revealing the "Look-Back Grass" within. Another burst of green light shot out, and the little one seized the herb, rushing back the way it came. With a swoosh, Xiang Xiang dragged the "Look-Back Grass" toward the crack to exit.

"Haha, there really are herbs inside!"

Qing Yue's crisp laughter sounded in Nie Kong's mind. The two little ones, Qing Yue and Qing You, who were dawdling outside, immediately rushed forward to meet Xiang Xiang.

"Audacious! How dare you steal this Venerable's incarnation!" As Xiang Xiang and the "Look-Back Grass" completely emerged from the fissure, Grand Abyssal Spirit Venerable finally sensed it. The blood sea in the valley, already frenzied, became even more violent, and her furious roar echoed across heaven and earth, clearly showing she was utterly enraged at this moment.