Thousands of meters above the ground, Qing Yue sat cross-legged on the back of the Ghostly Vulture King, her head drooping as she let out another sigh. The blue sky and white clouds, seemingly within arm's reach, failed to spark even the slightest interest in her.

"What is wrong with you?"

Nie Kong pulled his gaze back from the town below and glanced at her with a touch of surprise.

After staying in Jiyang City for three days, Nie Kong had bid farewell to Nie Xingyun and Lian Tianxin and begun searching northward from the western regions of the Great Accomplishment Empire. Counting from then, another two days had passed. In these five days, Nie Kong had personally heard Qing Yue utter such laments thirty or forty times.

If those she uttered when he wasn't listening were added in, the count might exceed a hundred.

Nie Kong had, for a time, wondered if he had done something wrong. But after careful consideration, he couldn't recall treating her poorly. Although she no longer needed to condense her true form or recover her soul power, he still frequently provided her with essence from spirit treasures as sustenance.

He had also repeatedly offered to dissolve the restraint of the Beast Taming Plaque on her, but she herself refused.

Moreover, they hadn't encountered any danger recently, requiring her to fight desperately; she was living quite comfortably. Why the misery?

Qing Yue raised her eyes to look at Nie Kong, opening her mouth as if to speak but hesitating. After a long pause, she let out a sorrowful sigh again: "Grandmother, I truly have such a miserable fate!"

"You're crazy!"

Nie Kong felt a surge of frustration. After spitting out those two words, he couldn't be bothered with her lamentations anymore, re-entering the artistic conception of "Fusion of Heaven and Earth" and allowing his spiritual thoughts to expand outward.

Tai Yan, meanwhile, was nestled in Nie Kong's arms, her little face beaming with smiles. Several times she wanted to peek at Qing Yue's expression but ultimately didn't dare to slip out.

Time slipped by quietly, and in a blink, twenty days had passed.

From the west of the Great Accomplishment Empire to the north, then from the north to the east, and finally turning towards the south...

Nie Kong, riding the Ghostly Vulture King, had surveyed most of the empire's mountains and rivers, yet found nothing. Although the map wasn't perfectly clear, Nie Kong was absolutely certain that once he reached the correct location, he would recognize it instantly. Yet, he hadn't seen a single place that resembled it.

"Only this area remains."

Nie Kong gazed into the distance. Among the distant mountains, a town flickered faintly. If Nie Kong remembered correctly, that should be a fortress on the southwestern frontier of the Great Accomplishment Empire: Lou Tian City.

Seeing Qing Yue looking sickly, the Ghostly Vulture King also appeared somewhat listless, and even Tai Yan in his arms kept whimpering softly. Nie Kong sighed inwardly. Perhaps he had been too anxious during this time, forgetting the axiom that haste makes waste. He couldn't help but chuckle, "Ghoul, let's go down. We'll rest at Lou Tian City up ahead."

Qing Yue froze for a moment, then immediately bounced up, jumping and dancing with sheer delight: "Oh, Grandmother, I truly have such a miserable fate... No, Grandmother, I am just too happy."

Tai Yan chimed in sweetly, "Brother is so good."

"Caw!"

The Ghostly Vulture King now felt like throwing up whenever it saw the surrounding blue sky and white clouds; it didn't want to fly at high altitude for another second. It retracted its wings and descended to the ground at maximum speed.

Nie Kong floated down, Tai Yan landed lightly beside him, and Qing Yue followed. Surrounded by the fresh scent of grass and trees, all three let out a breath of relief almost simultaneously. However, when Nie Kong looked towards the Ghostly Vulture King, preparing to command it to separate its soul and body, the creature scrambled forward with an obsequious grin: "Big Brother, don't recall me. Let your little brother roam outside for a bit."

Nie Kong frowned but finally nodded. "Very well. Don't cause trouble!"

"Thank you, Big Brother! I guarantee I won't cause trouble!"

The Ghostly Vulture King shrieked excitedly, terrified that Nie Kong might change his mind. Before its words had fully faded, it flapped its wings and plunged headfirst into the dense forest nearby within a few beats.

"Let's go too!"

Nie Kong laughed, shaking his head, then took Tai Yan's arm and dissolved into the void with her.

A distance of several miles vanished in an instant. Before long, two figures—one white and one red—arrived outside Lou Tian City. There were no Sky Spirit Realm experts here, so Qing Yue did not return to her Beast Taming Plaque. Instead, she was nestled against Nie Kong's chest, only revealing half of her small head, her two little cyan eyes darting about.

Lou Tian City was built in an unusually wide canyon, flanked on the north and south by sheer cliffs thousands of feet high. High city walls were only erected on the east and west sides. If one exited the West Gate and followed the canyon for hundreds of miles, they would reach the territory of the Great Chang Empire, where a city identical in layout to Lou Tian City stood.

After entering the city from the east, Nie Kong and Tai Yan were met with an extremely bustling scene.

The streets were thronged with pedestrians, lined with shops on both sides, the cries of vendors rising and falling in waves. The level of activity was hardly less than that of Jiyang City. Furthermore, due to its border location, many merchants from the Great Chang Empire were gathered here, and specialty goods from that empire were visible everywhere.

With the peerlessly beautiful Tai Yan by his side, wherever Nie Kong went, almost everyone turned to stare.

Fortunately, Nie Kong was long accustomed to such attention. Moreover, worried that a situation similar to what happened at the Four Seas Tower in Jiyang City might occur, Nie Kong intentionally released his aura fluctuations. Even if outsiders couldn't discern his true strength, they dared not act recklessly.

After wandering through the city for over half an hour, the sun was nearing its descent.

"Nie Kong, look over there. There's a 'Spirit Treasure Pavilion' here too," Qing Yue's delicate voice suddenly sounded.

Nie Kong quickly followed the direction of Qing Yue's gesture, and a familiar building immediately came into view.

It truly was the Spirit Treasure Pavilion!

Seeing the Spirit Treasure Pavilion in this remote southwestern fortress of Lou Tian City, Nie Kong couldn't help but feel a slight surge of joy. During the three days he returned to Jiyang City, Nie Kong had also visited the Spirit Treasure Pavilion, but regrettably, he hadn't seen a single familiar face; both Mu Xiaoling and Mo Xingtu were gone.

"Let's go in and take a look!"

Nie Kong gestured excitedly and waved his hand. Just as he reached the entrance of the Spirit Treasure Pavilion, a graceful green figure dashed out from within. Fortunately, Nie Kong quickly sidestepped, or they might have collided head-on.

"Sorry, I... Oh?"

The person apologized while running, but before finishing the second syllable, she let out a questioning cry. She was a slender green-clad woman in her early twenties, with a soft, round face of exceptional beauty. Her facial skin, in particular, was as fair and tender as freshly made tofu pudding.

"Mu Xiaoling!" Seeing the green-clad woman, Nie Kong froze for a moment, the three words escaping his lips.

"Nie Kong?" Mu Xiaoling asked tentatively.

"Indeed, it is I," Nie Kong nodded with a smile, his brow brimming with delight. He had never expected to find Mu Xiaoling here in Lou Tian City. If not for Qing Yue, Tai Yan, and the Ghoul being listless, prompting his decision to stop and rest, he might have missed her entirely.

"Nie Kong! It really is you! You’ve changed so much after a few years. Two years ago, Hong Ling mentioned she saw you in the Scorching Sand Wasteland. How did you suddenly end up in Lou Tian City? Oh, I can’t stop now. I have an appointment to pick up medicine, but I'll chat properly with you when I get back..."

"Xiao Yu, please help escort my two friends to rest in the back!"

Shouting toward the interior of the Spirit Treasure Pavilion, Mu Xiaoling rushed forward hurriedly and disappeared into the crowd in moments. Seeing this, Nie Kong couldn't help but shake his head and smile wryly...