The distance rapidly closed. One hundred meters... eighty meters... fifty meters... Nie Kong's footsteps never faltered. When he was only about twenty meters from the Spirit-Sealing Stele, the spiritual energy elements throughout heaven and earth were suddenly constrained without any warning. The Spirit Sealing had taken effect again! "He's making his move!"

The thought flashed through Nie Kong's mind in an instant, and he felt the ground beneath his feet abruptly vanish. Focusing his gaze, the green ground disappeared, the medicinal herbs vanished, the Stele dissolved, and even the sky was gone. Everything around him was pitch black. It was as if, in a single moment, the vast Spirit-Sealing Swamp had transformed into an endless black hole, swallowing everything in heaven and earth. Nie Kong was consumed along with it, his body plummeting wildly.

At this moment, Nie Kong felt no panic or alarm; his mind was as calm as could be. It was the same old saying: if you don't enter the tiger's den, how can you catch the tiger cub? Since the trap set by the Medicine Spirit had appeared, he might as well step inside for a look. If he hastily tried to jump out now, the efforts of these past few days might be wasted. Most importantly, although he couldn't use spiritual power here, Nie Kong's 'Crimson Star Battle Body' had already reached the fifth layer. Even in a spirit-sealing environment where executing the Battle Body state was difficult, his physical body was tough enough that even an average Heavenly Spirit expert would struggle to penetrate his physical defenses.

Moreover, Nie Kong possessed Divine Power, and he also had Tai Yan protecting him. A resilient physical body, Divine Power, and the formidable strength hidden within Tai Yan's form were enough to guarantee Nie Kong’s survival. As long as he didn't die, even if temporarily trapped, he could find an opportunity to break free.

"Screech!"

Faintly, the cry of the Ghostly Eagle King could be heard, though the sound grew steadily weaker. Perhaps due to the distance, it had not fallen into the trap laid by the Medicine Spirit. In the blink of an eye, the Ghostly Eagle King's cry vanished entirely.

Nie Kong, Tai Yan, and Qing Yue remained silent. For a moment, the surroundings were deathly still, the only sound reaching their ears being the whooshing of the wind. However, all three were on high alert; within Nie Kong's body, the Nether Star flashed rapidly, and threads of Divine Power slowly permeated every corner of his being. Tai Yan and Qing Yue also quietly closed their eyes, striving to sense every subtle movement around them, preparing for any sudden changes that might occur.

"Thud!"

After an unknown length of time, the feeling of solid ground finally returned. The surrounding darkness receded like a tide. When his vision cleared, Nie Kong discovered he was now enclosed by four vibrant red walls, sealing off the front, back, left, and right, as well as above and below. The entire space resembled a perfectly square red box, roughly three meters in length, width, and height.

A red figure flickered, and Tai Yan's tall, slender form appeared beside Nie Kong. The three looked at each other.

Surveying the small space that lacked any visible door, Tai Yan blinked her bright, dark eyes and said, "Brother, we've been locked up."

With things having come to this, there was no need for pretense. Nie Kong managed a wry smile, "Could it be that fellow only intends to imprison us, not kill us?" "Highly likely!"

Qing Yue nodded her small head, her eyes darting around, looking quite thoughtful. "That fellow detests the aura of death so much; he certainly dislikes killing. If he keeps us locked up, he avoids bloodshed and prevents us from causing trouble in the 'Spirit-Sealing Swamp' again. It kills two birds with one stone." Just as she finished speaking, Qing Yue suddenly exclaimed with excitement, "Ah! We can use our spiritual power again!" "Oh?"

Nie Kong sensed it and confirmed it. However, in the next instant, a question arose in his mind. He muttered softly, "The fact that our spiritual power can function again immediately after we entered here could never be due to the Medicine Spirit suddenly taking a benevolent turn. The most probable explanation is that the 'Spirit Sealing' effect of the 'Spirit-Sealing Swamp' does not cover this location. But we three clearly fell in the center of the swamp. If this place isn't part of the 'Spirit-Sealing Swamp,' what could it be?"

The three exchanged a look subconsciously. "The Medicine Spirit Illusory Realm?"

In less than two seconds, the four words burst almost simultaneously from Nie Kong, Tai Yan, and Qing Yue’s mouths, their faces involuntarily breaking into irrepressible joy. If this place truly was inside the "Medicine Spirit Illusory Realm," regardless of being in a cage, Nie Kong’s primary goal would be halfway achieved.

However, after a short while, Nie Kong frowned. In his memory, other than collapsed Illusory Realms, it was impossible for a physical body to enter one that was still functioning normally; one could only transmit one's soul and consciousness in via an Illusion Spirit Stone, and then reform a physical body inside. This "Medicine Spirit Illusory Realm" was clearly not one that had collapsed or been damaged, otherwise, the experts of the Spirit God Temple would have found it decades ago.

"Could it be that this 'Medicine Spirit Illusory Realm' is not an Illusory Realm at all, but rather an independent space similar to the Yin Ruins, the Sea God Palace, the Butterfly Secret Realm, or Dragon Island?" Nie Kong pondered secretly, suddenly recalling the 'Divine Space Annals' he had seen months ago in the Sea God Palace.

"Nie..."

Seeing Qing Yue open her small mouth, Nie Kong quickly waved his hand, his mind rapidly reviewing the contents recorded in the 'Divine Space Annals.' That book from the Divine Space contained records of Illusory Realms as well, and the types of Illusory Realms that appeared during the Illusion Spirit Era were far beyond what the Heavenly Spirit Continent possessed.

Qing Yue quickly swallowed the rest of her words and instinctively glanced at Tai Yan, both looking somewhat puzzled. Seeing Nie Kong lost in thought, they dared not interrupt or wander off. Although all three suspected the Medicine Spirit only intended to imprison them, this was just speculation. If they strayed too far, and the Medicine Spirit suddenly attacked, there wouldn't even be time to rescue them.

"Tai Yan, Qing Yue, I understand!"

After a long pause, a brilliant smile suddenly spread across Nie Kong's face. He looked at Tai Yan and Qing Yue with immense delight. "It turns out the 'Medicine Spirit Illusory Realm' discovered by my father-in-law and mother-in-law isn't called an Illusory Realm at all—it's called a 'Spirit Mansion'! I never imagined that a Spirit Mansion would be hidden within the 'Spirit-Sealing Swamp'!" "A Spirit Mansion?"

Tai Yan and Qing Yue were slightly taken aback. "Exactly."

Nie Kong's tone became somewhat excited. "This Spirit Mansion is even more precious and rarer than an Illusory Realm. While one can only enter an Illusory Realm with soul and consciousness, a Spirit Mansion, like the Yin Ruins, the Sea God Palace, the Butterfly Secret Realm, and Dragon Island, allows entry with the physical body. However, the uniqueness of a Spirit Mansion far surpasses that of mere independent spaces."

Taking a deep breath and slightly calming the emotion surging in his chest, Nie Kong continued, "In the Illusion Spirit Continent, only extremely large sects possessed the capability to construct a Spirit Mansion. A Spirit Mansion not only possesses the function of a 'Spiritual Cultivation Illusory Realm,' but the most miraculous thing is that planting medicinal herbs inside allows their growth cycle to be shortened by at least two times compared to the outside world, and their medicinal potency can exceed the outside by over twenty percent, with the highest even reaching sixty percent." "Brother, it's that amazing?"

Tai Yan smiled sweetly, gazing at Nie Kong, her beautiful eyes flickering. Qing Yue listened, her face beaming with obvious delight.