Following the little fellow, Nie Kong and Tai Yan slipped into the tower like ghosts, their eyes instantly taking in the scene within: just as barren and dust-choked as the outside.

Glancing around, Nie Kong’s gaze drifted toward the stairs leading to the second floor of the passage on the right. But just as he was about to move, he noticed the little one slinking off to the left.

Exchanging a look of surprise with Tai Yan, the two followed silently.

After walking twenty or thirty meters, the little creature paused, spun its blossom-casing around, and vigorously waved its top two leaves as if beckoning. Drawing closer, Nie Kong saw a circular green ring on the ground before the little one, about two meters in diameter, filled with lively, intricate lines.

These were Illusion Talismans from the Phantom Continent era!

Nie Kong had seen Hua Mei draw Illusion Talismans before; upon seeing this, he instantly recognized it as likely a Passage Illusion Talisman. According to Hua Mei’s description, all types of Illusion Talismans had a talisman node as their core. For a Passage Illusion Talisman like this one, locating the node was the key to unlocking the passage hidden by the talisman.

Nie Kong enveloped the green ring with his spiritual sense and began to probe it meticulously.

After only a moment, a slight smile formed on Nie Kong’s face. Nearly every line within the Illusion Talisman on the green circle contained a faint trace of vitality.

As long as there was vitality, the matter was manageable!

Nie Kong quietly crouched down, his eyes lightly closed, his right hand resting casually on the ground, allowing the power of the Natural Origin to seep from his palm. In the blink of an eye, it had spread across the entire green circle. Instantly, the varying strengths of vitality contained within those lines unfolded in Nie Kong’s mind like a developing scroll painting.

Almost all the lines held vitality of the same intensity, save for one spot where the vitality was slightly stronger than the others.

“That’s it!”

Nie Kong’s eyes snapped open. Sunlight fell directly onto the intersection of the six lines on the right side of the green circle. He gently tapped down with a finger, and a torrent of vast Origin Power surged out. In an instant, the six lines burst forth with dazzling green radiance, immediately followed by all the lines within the circle lighting up.

A moment later, a broad, descending passage materialized silently within the green light.

“Aiya ya!”

A cheer echoed in Nie Kong’s mind, and the little fellow darted inside stealthily. Nie Kong and Tai Yan followed without hesitation, entering almost side-by-side, their footsteps making no sound. The Medicine Spirit, Qing Yue, still had to remain hidden within the Beast Tablet, unwilling to reveal itself rashly for fear of startling the enemy.

The steps were exceedingly short, only about twenty meters long, with a vertical drop likely no more than ten meters. At the end of the staircase was a field of verdant luminescence.

That must be the doorway.

However, before Nie Kong and Tai Yan could approach, a sharp, childish roar of anger rang out: “You, you bad guys! All of you are bad guys! You actually broke through the seven barriers outside the Spirit Mansion in just four days! Now there are only two layers left; at most, they can only hold on for another day. What should I do? What should I do? Those bad guys are too strong! If they get inside the Spirit Mansion, I’ll definitely be caught and eaten!”

Nie Kong and Tai Yan exchanged bewildered glances. It seemed Qing Yue had guessed correctly why the Medicine Spirit had stopped obstructing Nie Kong’s absorption of vitality—it had truly been distracted by the Heavenly Spirit experts who had entered the Forbidden Spirit Marsh. They wondered how many people had arrived and how they had managed to breach the Spirit Mansion’s barriers.

“None of these bad guys are good! The three locked up ahead are, and those behind are even worse! I only wanted to lure some people into the marsh to absorb some vital energy so I could manifest a human form; I never intended to harm anyone! Why are so many bad guys running here trying to scheme for this place? I’m so scared! I don’t want to be eaten! Wuwuwuwu…” As it reached the end, the Medicine Spirit actually began to wail loudly.

“…”

Hearing the cries filled with panic and fear, Nie Kong instinctively glanced over, only to find Tai Yan looking at him with those pure, clear eyes. Nie Kong felt a touch of embarrassment; did this Medicine Spirit need to cry so sadly? It made him feel like a wicked uncle trying to snatch a child’s lollipop.

But considering it from another angle, the Medicine Spirit’s voice was incredibly childlike, suggesting it was likely a young entity whose sentience had only recently reached maturity. And his current goal—to seize the Spirit Mansion where it resided—was precisely akin to that wicked uncle snatching a lollipop.

“Wuwu, bad guys, all of you are bad guys, coming to bully me, wuwu, jiwu…”

“…”

Nie Kong could not bear to listen any longer. He exchanged a look with Tai Yan and stepped across the glowing green threshold, equally soundlessly.

In an instant, Nie Kong felt his vision clear suddenly, revealing a vast, cylindrical space over a hundred meters in diameter. The floor of this space was crystalline, dazzlingly smooth and bright, carved with countless fine and exquisite green lines—some glimmering brilliantly, others already dimmed.

The words flashed reflexively in Nie Kong’s mind, utterly unprepared that beneath the nine levels of the Medicine Tower lay such an expansive chamber, and even more surprised that the core Illusion Formation of this Spirit Mansion was etched into this very space. This suggested the Medicine Tower must be the heart of the Spirit Mansion.

“Wuwuwu, bad guys, I’m not afraid of you!”

As if to bolster its own courage, the childish, weeping voice called out fiercely.

Nie Kong quickly followed the sound, looking toward the center of the Illusion Formation. There sat a small white gourd… no, not a gourd; the little fellow’s head was a sphere, and its body was a slightly larger sphere, devoid of hands or feet. The two spheres were connected, resembling a little white, plump gourd.

“……I’m still so scared, wuwu. You bad guys, don’t eat me, wuwu! At worst, I’ll just give you the Spirit Mansion!”

“Ahem!”

Nie Kong coughed heavily, the sound echoing thunderously in the vast space.

“Ah!”

The little gourd thought it was merely an illusion, its round head swiveling left and right a few times. But when it caught sight of the two figures at the entrance, it shrieked in terror, bouncing from the center of the Illusion Formation to the edge on the opposite side with a ‘swoosh,’ only turning back with its fear slightly abated.

“It’s you! How… how did you escape the Spirit Prison?” In a moment, the little gourd recognized Nie Kong and Tian Yan’s identities. Its round, chubby face was filled with astonishment, its two bright black eyes staring at Nie Kong in disbelief. “You… what about the Tenth-Grade Drunken Spirit Incense you were poisoned with?”

“Haha, haha…”

Before Nie Kong could answer, a mocking laugh suddenly rang out. Qing Yue had slipped out at some point, hands on her hips, laughing so hard she was doing somersaults on Nie Kong’s shoulder. “So you’re that Medicine Spirit. Grandma guessed you were just a little brat the moment I heard your voice that day. Seeing you now, you really are a little brat. You’re killing me!”