Inside the Spiritual Mansion's Illusion Array, Nie Kong watched the Ninth Ring flare brilliantly. His heart soared with joy, but he felt a twinge of annoyance at Hua Pianxian's boasting, so he deliberately snorted dismissively.
"An Eighth-Rank Illusion Talisman Master indeed amounts to little; it’s comparable to the Pill Kings on the Tianling Continent today. However, you still haven't grasped the meaning behind what I said earlier. I only stated that repairing this array requires at least the ability of an Eighth-Rank Illusion Talisman Master; I never claimed that I am one."
Hua Pianxian looked at Nie Kong with a mocking gaze, her expression haughty. "I am a Tenth-Rank Talisman King! Even in the current 'Grand Venerable Spirit Realm,' the number of Talisman Kings can be counted on one hand."
"A Tenth-Rank Talisman King?"
Nie Kong was momentarily stunned. He knew Hua Pianxian’s skill level was high, but he hadn't expected her to be this formidable. On the Tianling Continent, an Eighth-Rank Spirit Alchemist was hailed as a Pill King; perhaps a handful of Ninth-Rank Spirit Pills had been refined in the past, but there wasn't a single Ninth-Rank Spirit Alchemist.
He wondered if the few Spirit Gods who held the status of Spirit Alchemists over the millennia would achieve the level of Ninth-Rank or Tenth-Rank Pill Kings upon entering the 'Grand Venerable Spirit Realm.' According to the records in the Shenkong Zhi Yi, while the Shenkong Realm had never seen a Tenth-Rank Talisman King, there were quite a few Ninth-Rank Talisman Kings.
Compared to the former Illusion Spirit Continent, the current Shenkong Realm and Tianling Continent were indeed far behind.
"Nie Kong, are you terribly disappointed?" A wonderfully curved smile played on Hua Pianxian’s lips, and a hint of teasing entered her eyes.
"Disappointed? No, no, you are mistaken." Nie Kong snapped back to attention and burst into hearty laughter. "My lady has a Tenth-Rank Talisman King as her master—why should I be disappointed? Moreover, this Tenth-Rank Talisman King is currently at my command. I’m overjoyed; how could I possibly be disappointed?"
"You, you..." Hua Pianxian had intended to mock him, but Nie Kong instantly shot back, angering her until her delicate face flushed red and her slender body trembled slightly.
"What 'you'? Hurry up and fix the illusion array, or are your back doors itching again!"
Nie Kong commanded sternly, then patted his forehead with a hint of helplessness. "Those fellows from the Spirit God Hall are causing a ruckus outside again. They never quiet down."
At that moment, the radiant pure light emanating from the Ninth Ring began to fluctuate violently again. Clearly, the Spirit God Hall was bombarding the door that had just sealed shut. Of course, now that the entire illusion array was functioning again, it would take a considerable amount of time for the Ninth Ring to dim once more.
Hua Pianxian's cheeks were flushed crimson. Gritting her teeth, she spat, "Nie Kong, you are shameless!"
Nie Kong grinned broadly. "Thank you for the compliment. However, Hua Pianxian, you’ve already said that once. Can you use a different phrase when praising me next time?"
"..."
Hua Pianxian glared fiercely at Nie Kong. After a moment, she finally realized she could never win against this shameless man in such matters. Like a defeated rooster, she hung her head in dejection and turned, walking back into the Eighth Ring.
The moment her gaze fell upon the illusion talismans, all the negative emotions in Hua Pianxian's heart vanished without a trace. As before, her expression became solemn and focused. Her slender, crimson carving knife moved like a dancing sprite, tracing graceful, beautiful arcs in the empty air.
Nie Kong now understood that Hua Pianxian was deciphering this unfamiliar illusion array in this manner; only after familiarizing herself with it could she begin the repairs.
Having the experience from before, Bao Kong was not in the least bit rushed. Especially since the situation was no longer as perilous as it had been. Even if the Hall Master of the Spirit God Hall and the two Upper Gods intensified the might of the Spirit Intent God Sealing Diagram, they couldn't blast through the repaired Ninth Barrier within two hours.
Furthermore, it was questionable how long the residual divine power of the Spirit God Hall Master and the two Upper Gods could last. By the time their divine power recovered, Hua Pianxian might have already repaired the eighth barrier of the Spiritual Mansion.
"Nie Kong, the Spiritual Mansion is safe now. How about we go check out the Medicine Tower?"
Qing Yue tugged Nie Kong's ear with her little hand. After becoming familiar with Hulu, she knew that most of the herbs cultivated in the Spiritual Mansion were concentrated inside the Medicine Tower. As for the herbs Hulu had previously discarded, those were collected from various parts of the Mansion. It was a pity that they couldn't enter the herb gardens within the Medicine Tower. Now that the crisis in the Spiritual Mansion was past, this self-proclaimed guardian of the herb garden, the little one, was impatient to inspect her territory.
"No rush, no rush,"
Nie Kong waved his hand, smiling leisurely. Although Qing Yue’s suggestion tempted him, he would never feel at ease leaving before seeing Hua Pianxian completely repair the Spiritual Mansion Illusion Array. Besides, the herbs were all inside the Medicine Tower; looking at them a little later wouldn't make them run away.
Qing Yue could only sigh helplessly and sit on Nie Yan's shoulder, occasionally shooting Hulu a glare that made the chubby little elixir spirit jump nervously.
Seconds and minutes ticked by, and then the carving knife hovering in mid-air suddenly descended.
"Screeeech..."
A sharp scraping sound suddenly echoed through the space. Hua Pianxian moved like a colorful butterfly dancing upon a blossom, her posture exceptionally lithe. As the speed of her carving knife increased, wisps of crimson aura coiled around her, making her appear even more captivating.
Watching Hua Pianxian repair the illusion talismans was truly a feast for the eyes.
Even Nie Kong, after his gaze followed the phantom image of Hua Pianxian dancing and the movement of the knife for a while, couldn't help but feel a sense of daze and enchantment...
"Boom! Boom..."
Above the Spirit Sealing Steles, roars erupted one after another. The six Heavenly Spirit Masters controlling the Spirit Intent God Sealing Diagram were continually rotated out for rest.
Heavenly Spirit Masters could recover quickly, but the divine power contained within the Spirit Intent God Sealing Diagram could not be restored so easily. Less than an hour passed before the divine power surging from the six scrolls became quite weak, and their attack showed signs of fatigue, yet the black great door showed no signs of yielding.
"Again!"
Kou Xilai, who had been sitting quietly on the steps for nearly half an hour, suddenly opened his eyes, roared, and sprang up. Purple light shimmered as Thunder God Power surged out from within his body, crashing furiously against the great door. The booming sound intensified once more, relentlessly vibrating against everyone’s eardrums.
The man in black and the blue-robed youth also rose, shaking their heads almost imperceptibly. In the end, following Kou Xilai, they joined the ranks of those hammering the Spiritual Mansion's barrier. At this moment, the six Spirit Intent God Sealing Diagrams had exhausted their final trace of divine power and slowly rolled up.
It would take at least several days for the six scrolls to be effective again.
Without the harmonization of the Spirit Intent God Sealing Diagram, the attacks from Kou Xilai and the two Upper Gods, though fierce, appeared somewhat isolated. However, Kou Xilai seemed utterly determined to clash with that black great door, showing no sign of giving up. His Thunder God Power raged like monstrous waves, shaking the heavens with its might.
"Hum!"
After an unknown amount of time, a sharp humming sound finally emanated from the black great door.
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