Nie Kong’s eyes swept the area rapidly, and a golden space spanning a hundred meters immediately materialized. Yet, an instant later, a bizarre scene crystallized in his pupils: in the center of the Dragon Pearl Space, a colossal golden dragon, over a hundred meters long, struggled violently, its thick tail whipping and thrashing, slamming against the walls of this domain again and again. The luster on its massive, majestic body’s golden scales had faded considerably, with quite a few having fallen off. The strangest thing was that the great dragon’s massive head was fixed immovably to the ground; no matter how much the body thrashed, it could not budge an inch. Coiled around its golden forehead was a vine of golden-yellow grass, bearing only four broad, claw-like leaves. At the tip of the stalk hung a fruit shaped like a dragon’s head, radiating thousands of dazzling golden rays of light, a stark contrast to the dragon’s dull scales. “Dragon Taming Grass!”

Seeing the vine whose shape was so painfully familiar, Nie Kong’s eyes lit up, immediately followed by undisguised astonishment. The roots of this Dragoning Grass were driven completely into the giant dragon’s head, and the long stem acted like a chain, binding it tightly in coil after coil.

“Hm.”

The moment Nie Kong entered the Dragon Pearl Space, a surprised, low gasp sounded. In an instant, the Dragoning Grass loosened its grip on the dragon’s head and shot straight up, towering more than ten meters high. It appeared as if the grass had forced open a fissure in the dragon’s skull and emerged normally from within.

Nie Kong’s pupils contracted as he rapidly retracted the “Lingxi Battle Robe,” which had covered his entire head, down to his neck, revealing his face. The robe’s color instantly shifted to white.

While traversing the passage, he needed the Lingxi Battle Robe to conceal his entire aura, but now that the Dragoning Grass was visible, there was no need for concealment.

“It’s you!”

A sharp, sinister shriek suddenly rang out, laced with unconcealed fury and disbelief. “You were clearly still lingering in the outer reaches of the passage—how are you here? And how can you, a mere little Dan Spirit Master, enter the Dragon Pearl Space, which only Spirit Gods can access?”

As the words fell, a dense, golden-yellow aura ascended from the dragon-head fruit. After twisting and transforming violently for a while, the form of a young man clad in a golden-yellow robe materialized in the void. His figure was slender, his skin as pale as ice and snow, and his face lean, with golden hair nearly matching his height cascading down his back. Upon appearing, he landed barefoot at the apex of the Dragon Taming Grass, staring down at Nie Kong, an icy chill shooting out from his extremely narrow eyes.

“You are the Dragoning Grass?”

Nie Kong first let out a hearty laugh, then feigned distress. “You’ve bombarded me with so many questions; which one should I answer first?” As he spoke, Nie Kong quickly glanced at the giant dragon. From the situation, this dragon was likely the main body condensed from the Dragon Ancestor’s soul.

As the Dragon Taming Grass released its entanglement, the Dragon Ancestor’s body continued to struggle fiercely, but his eyes, which had been tightly shut, immediately opened. Upon seeing Nie Kong’s towering figure, a flicker of tentative joy involuntarily surfaced in his two golden pupils, which were otherwise filled with agony.

“Wrong!”

The young man stared unblinkingly at Nie Kong, his voice thin and sharp. “I am not the Dragoning Grass, but the Golden—the ‘’ of the Dragoning King! And who are you?” Nie Kong’s sudden intrusion into the Dragon Pearl Space had shocked him greatly, preventing him from rashly making any impulsive moves.

“Golden?”

Hearing the name he had given himself, Nie Kong found it quite amusing. “Me? I am Nie Kong! The son-in-law of the Dragon Spirit Clan, and, just as you said moments ago, a mere Rank Nine Wood Spirit Master of the Dan Spirit division.”

The Golden was observing Nie Kong, just as Nie Kong was observing him. He intentionally introduced himself in this manner to sow seeds of doubt in the Golden’s mind.

Indeed, as soon as Nie Kong finished speaking, the Golden began to shake his head, sneering coldly. “How can an outsider without the Dragon Spirit Clan bloodline possibly become their son-in-law? The Dragon Spirit Clan strictly forbids its women from marrying out to maintain blood purity. When did this rule change?”

After a pause, the Golden exclaimed with renewed suspicion, “You cannot possibly only possess the cultivation of a Rank Nine Dan Spirit! Absolutely impossible! Are you already a Spirit God… No, no, that’s even more impossible. If you were a Spirit God, how could I have deceived you with my illusions multiple times? But if you are not a Spirit God, how could you enter here? Furthermore, I seem to sense an aura of divine power emanating from your body. What is going on? What is going on…”

The Golden’s eyes flickered, his expression shifting between grim and uncertain. After a moment, he suddenly let out a sharp laugh. “Nie Kong, I understand! You think these words can disrupt my mind? If my judgment is correct, you are indeed only a Rank Nine Wood Spirit Master of the Dan Spirit division. As for the divine power within your body, it must have been granted by some Spirit God, certainly not something you cultivated yourself!” With that, he stared intently at Nie Kong, trying to discern some clue from his expression.

“How dull, you saw through it so quickly,” Nie Kong said with a helpless shake of his head, smiling. “Golden, I am quite curious. The Dragon Ancestor is a powerful Spirit God. Even though his body has transformed into the Dragon Island, with only his Spirit God-level soul power, you shouldn’t be able to hold him to this extent. How could you, a mere Medicine Spirit with only Heavenly Spirit strength, torment him to this degree?”

The Golden’s mood had greatly relaxed after Nie Kong’s first sentence, but the words that followed immediately caused his expression to darken. A Rank Nine Dan Spirit Master being able to see through his strength, and speaking so calmly without any fear, was truly an outrageous anomaly.

With this thought, the Golden sneered coldly. “Do you think I would tell you?”

“No,” Nie Kong replied with a smile and a shake of his head.

“You’re quite smart,” the Golden mocked in that eunuch-like voice.

Nie Kong casually probed, feigning disinterest. “Golden, are you worried that telling me will reveal your secret, allowing me to rescue the Dragon Ancestor?”

The Golden burst into loud laughter. “You overestimate yourself. This old fellow isn’t far from death. Even if you manage to rescue him, so what? Can you really bring this old fellow back to life?”

Not far from death?

Hearing this, Nie Kong couldn't help but be startled internally, though his face remained impassive, and he smiled calmly. “Golden, aren’t you afraid of exaggerating to the point of absurdity… Oh, I forgot, you’ve been stuck here without going out, so your exposure is limited. I suppose you’ve never even seen an actual ‘cow,’ have you?”

Seeing the Golden’s face sink, Nie Kong smiled sweetly again. “It seems I was right. But never mind that. Didn’t you say the Dragon Ancestor is near death? If that’s the case, why don’t you hand him over to me? I’ll show this ignorant fellow what true ‘resurrection from the dead’ looks like!”