The radiance had transformed into an absolute, dazzling gold. The soul aura emanating from ahead was immensely powerful; even without Tai Yan's reminder, Nie Kong vaguely sensed the profound suffering contained within it.

The golden light at the bend suddenly dimmed. "Hum!" Immediately following, a wave of sound like a thunderous crack of lightning surged out, deafening, accompanied by an intense burst of golden light that once again illuminated the now-fading curve with brilliant, shimmering gold.

"We're almost there!" Nie Kong couldn't suppress the premonition that this must be the final hidden passage. Instantly, Nie Kong stilled his breath, his body feeling weightless, and followed the "Blood Shadow Dharma Form" step by step toward the bend.

After several tens of seconds, Nie Kong tapped a finger, and the inky-green "Blood Shadow Dharma Form" instantly hovered in the void. Then, keeping close to the curve, Nie Kong cautiously poked his head out.

"Hum!" Another wave of violent humming reverberated outward. Nie Kong narrowed his eyes, gazing into the golden light penetrating from the front.

All he could see was a field of piercing gold; beyond that, there were no other colors. "Hiss!" Nie Kong sucked in a sharp breath, quickly retracting his head.

The golden light preceding the bend was simply too intense; the moment he saw it, even Nie Kong's eyes screamed with momentary agony, nearly bringing tears to his eyes. It took a considerable moment for the pain to subside.

Nie Kong gritted his teeth and directly activated the "Yin-Yang Spirit Devouring Art," gathering some "Spirit Treasure Essence Qi" and condensing it in his eyes. After a moment's thought, Nie Kong felt it wasn't quite enough insurance, so he used the "God of War Star Seal" to draw a measure of divine power from the Nether Star, reinforcing his pupils.

Once prepared, Nie Kong widened his inky-green eyes, now flashing with a faint gold, and peered out again. "It really works!" The golden light was still blindingly bright, but this time it caused no adverse effect on Nie Kong.

The scene beyond the bend immediately unfolded in his vision: past this eighteenth curve, the passage expanded sharply, reaching nearly a hundred meters in width after only thirty to forty meters. A colossal golden sphere occupied almost the entire space at the end of the passage, undulating rhythmically with steady pulses.

Amidst the intense humming, billions of golden rays, seemingly material and magnificent, pierced out from the sphere, illuminating the passage in meticulous detail. However, aside from this sphere, there was nothing else in the passage.

The Dragon Ancestor... the Dragon Taming Grass...

neither was present! Nie Kong felt a flicker of confusion.

He tapped the "Blood Shadow Dharma Form" beside him, and the dark green phantom floated further forward. But as soon as it drifted past the bend, under the direct impact of the explosive golden light, the phantom showed signs of dissolution.

It managed to drift forward a few meters crookedly before being pierced by another burst of brilliant golden light, and the "Blood Shadow Dharma Form" finally dissipated into smoke, completing its mission. Although the "Blood Shadow Dharma Form" was gone, its performance was enough for Nie Kong to confirm that the Dragon Taming Grass was indeed ahead.

"Could it be inside the golden sphere?" Nie Kong stared unblinkingly at the golden sphere, this thought suddenly striking his mind. Just then, Tai Yan's buzzing voice sounded near Nie Kong's ear again: "Brother, that golden sphere seems to be a very large space; perhaps the medicinal herb is inside it." Seeing that Tai Yan shared the same suspicion, Nie Kong felt a slight joy, his lips moving slightly: "How do we get in?" "Divine Power!" Tai Yan's response came instantly.

A flash of enlightenment dawned on Nie Kong. The Dragon Ancestor was a Spirit God; this spherical space imbued with his soul aura must also contain divine power.

Regardless of how different the attributes of divine power might be, they all existed on an equal footing, whereas spiritual power was fundamentally inferior to divine power—one in the heavens, the other in the depths below. This was a difference in essence, one that no amount of spiritual energy could bridge.

Of course, this was just Nie Kong's conjecture; everything required action for verification. "Tai Yan, prepare yourself." With a thought, Nie Kong commanded quietly.

"Crimson Star War Body!" In the next instant, Nie Kong's body swelled to nearly five meters in height, the "God of War Star Seal" operating simultaneously, and a cloud of golden light dispersed, instantly enveloping his form. Then, without any hesitation, Nie Kong strode forward, shooting directly toward the golden sphere.

"Hum!" Amidst the humming, brilliant golden light, laced with formidable pressure, surged down the passage like a tidal wave. However, as this pressure approached Nie Kong, it merely slid past the periphery of his body.

The closer he got to the golden sphere, the more terrifying the oppressive feeling became, yet it caused Nie Kong no disturbance whatsoever. The earlier speculation was indeed accurate!

Only divine power could neutralize this violent pressure. In an instant, Nie Kong crossed dozens of meters of space and arrived before the golden sphere.

"Charge!" Tai Yan no longer held back, letting out a loud, clear cry near Nie Kong's ear. Hearing her voice, the lingering hesitation in Nie Kong's heart completely vanished.

Without pausing, his massive body charged straight into the sphere. "Boom!" Like a meteorite from beyond the heavens descending with crushing force, a violent explosion roared the moment his body collided with the sphere.

Innumerable golden rays shot out like arrows loosed from a string, and a huge, humanoid indentation appeared on the sphere's surface as Nie Kong's body continued to bore inward. When Nie Kong's body was completely submerged within the sphere, the golden light on the sphere's surface rippled slightly, like water, and in the blink of an eye, it enveloped Nie Kong's form, restoring the surface to its original state before continuing its rhythmic fluctuation, the brilliant golden light occasionally dimming and then flaring brightly.

At this moment, Nie Kong was enveloped in a marvelous sensation. It was warm and deeply soothing, as if bathing in a hot spring, accompanied by a faint, delicate fragrance that cleared the mind and refreshed the spirit.

"This is the 'Dragon Pearl'!" Suddenly, Nie Kong awoke to the realization. On the way to the Dragon Temple, the information provided by Long Tian Gong included the Dragon Pearl, refined by the Dragon Ancestor.

Perhaps due to the presence of the Dragon Taming Grass, this Dragon Pearl differed immensely from the one described by Long Tian Gong. In Long Tian Gong's description, the Dragon Pearl was only the size of Nie Kong's basketball in his previous life, but this current Dragon Pearl was surely the equivalent of hundreds, if not thousands, of basketballs stacked together?

Furthermore, although the Dragon Pearl was gold, its brilliance was restrained, appearing rather unremarkable, unlike the intense golden light it now emitted! The current Dragon Pearl no longer resembled a 'pearl'; it looked more like a giant fireball.

"Fireball?" These two words flashing through his mind triggered a chilling thought. Normally, the Dragon Ancestor's soul should be condensed within the Dragon Pearl, but now, with the soul aura constantly leaking out, was his soul burning in some way?

"Hum!" Abruptly, a propulsive force squeezed in from all directions. In the next instant, Nie Kong felt the surrounding warmth instantly vanish, replaced by a chilling, surging aura.

... ...RO