Kouxi Lai's eyes lit up, and a loud laugh erupted from him. However, after just a moment, his laughter caught in his throat, unable to escape, and his face stiffened.

The crowd couldn't help but be stunned, only then realizing that what accompanied the humming sound was not a gap in the door, but a dense mass of purple energy. After swirling briefly before the black gate, this ball of purple energy coalesced into a purple door of equal size, standing suspended in the void, completely obscuring the black door behind it.

Whether it was the Heavenly Spirit powerhouses from the Ling Shen Temple, or the onlookers surrounding them, almost everyone understood: this purple door was the eighth barrier of the Ling Fu.

The sudden appearance of the purple door meant that the Talisman Master inside the Ling Fu had repaired a portion of the Illusion Array. Now that the barriers had increased from one to two, the Ling Shen Temple's hope of blasting through the gate and entering the Ling Fu had become even more remote. Perhaps the Talisman Master would soon repair the remaining barriers as well.

At this moment, everyone finally felt completely relieved. No matter who occupied the Ling Fu, it was better than letting the Ling Shen Temple claim it!

Watching the petrified Kouxi Lai, the crowd felt a touch of schadenfreude mixed with pity. They thought a glimmer of hope had appeared, only for a greater disappointment to manifest instead. Given the Ling Shen Temple Master’s insane craving for that huā spirit, such a blow would likely be difficult for him to endure.

"The barriers will be continuously repaired. This matter is now irreversible!"

The man in black sighed deeply, ceasing his efforts at almost the same time as the youth in the blue robe. Just as he had predicted, over the next few hours, the blue door, green door, cyan door, yellow door, orange door, red door... flashed into existence in the void one after another, layering themselves over the previously repaired barriers.

By late evening, the final barrier, nearly transparent, the white door, shimmered into existence, faintly visible in the air. Immediately following this, the circular, stepped rings surrounding the Jinling Stele slowly sank away, and within mere minutes, the ground around the stele had returned to its original state.

"Buzz!"

With a final tremor, the white door completely dissolved into the void. The characters "" (Jinling) at the stele's location seemed to regain their vitality, their strokes imbued with a lively aura. All nine barriers and the Illusion Talismans of the Jinling Stele were repaired; this Ling Fu was now impregnable.

Even if the Lingyi Fengshen Tu recovered its divine power in a few days, it would be difficult to dismantle the Ling Fu’s Illusion Array guarded by an eighth-grade Talisman Master, since demolition could never outpace repair.

Gazing at the towering Jinling Stele, the dozen or so Heavenly Spirit powerhouses from the Ling Shen Temple all wore complex expressions.

They had been planning for over ten years, even compelling several Ling Shen masters to forge the Lingyi Fengshen Tu. Upon learning the news of the Jinling Marsh, they mobilized a massive force to come here.

Yet, they met with ill fortune from the start: they lost Zhan Song upon arriving at the Jinling Marsh, then Zhu Yuan, and now, at the critical moment of nearly breaching the Ling Fu, more than ten powerhouses were forced to retreat from the marsh. A few days later, the Ling Shen Temple Master and two High Gods led the rest of the group back into the Jinling Marsh.

Unfortunately, first the huā spirit and its owner escaped—the meat about to fall into their mouths was gone. Then, the Ling Fu barrier, which was about to be broken, was suddenly repaired—it was like a cooked duck flying away again... Now, it was even worse; even the slightest hope of breaking into the Ling Fu had been extinguished.

Wave after wave of confidence had only resulted in this outcome.

The Ling Shen Temple had dominated the Heavenly Spirit Continent for millennia; how could they swallow this offense? But the green-robed bandit and the huā spirit were hiding within the talismans and wouldn't come out. No matter how powerful the Ling Shen Temple was, they could do nothing to the pair.

Although the Ling Shen Temple also found itself powerless against Yin Xu, Yin Xu was isolated from the world and almost never provoked the Ling Shen Temple. However, those two inside the Ling Fu had directly snatched a piece of tender, oily deliciousness from the Ling Shen Temple’s very mouth. What difference was this from pulling a tooth from a tiger’s maw?

Yet, with the tooth pulled, the tiger, dripping blood from its mouth, could only roar at the empty air. A profound sense of frustration settled upon all of them.

"This isn't over! Go!"

Kouxi Lai’s mood had already calmed. He stared at the stele with icy eyes, his imposing figure soaring instantly into the high heavens and vanishing into the distant sky.

The man in black and the youth in the blue robe felt slightly awkward. Although the gain or loss of this Ling Fu had no direct impact on them, for individuals of their stature to be thwarted in such a manner was hardly glorious. Exchanging a slight shake of the head, the two quietly followed behind.

Once the Ling Shen Temple Master and the two High Gods departed, the remaining Ling Shen Temple powerhouses silently trailed after them, and in a moment, they were all gone.

Immediately afterward, sounds of relieved exhalations echoed around the Jinling Stele.

Compared to the oppressive atmosphere of the Ling Shen Temple group, their mood was one of sheer delight. For so many years, the Ling Shen Temple, that colossal entity hidden in the shadows, although rarely showing itself to the world, commanded immense prestige before the major Spiritual Master Holy Lands, Sects, and Noble Clans.

Now, to witness the utterly humiliated state of the Ling Shen Temple firsthand, how could they not be thrilled?

Of course, the crowd was also acutely aware that...

...given the Ling Shen Temple’s style of operation, having suffered such a massive loss, they would never let the matter rest. After leaving the Jinling Marsh, the Ling Shen Temple would undoubtedly pour all its resources into investigating the identity of that huā spirit’s owner. As soon as they found anything, retaliation would surely follow.

Except for a few, the majority of the Heavenly Spirit Masters did not pay much attention to the fate of that green-robed bandit. Even if his true identity was uncovered, as long as he remained hidden within the Ling Fu, the Ling Shen Temple could not touch him. However, the Spiritual Masters or factions connected to him would likely face a tragic end.

But those were not matters they needed to concern themselves with.

Not long after, figures soared into the high sky one after another, gradually growing distant. Only Gu Changgong and his group from Lingyu City, along with Mu Xueyi and the six powerhouses from Yin Xu, remained around the Jinling Stele.

"It’s finally done!"

At the edge of the Ling Fu Illusion Array, Hua Pianqian’s carving knife trailed a vibrant streak of red light. Then, the sharp tip snapped sharply into the air, followed by a crisp kacha sound, and the long blade retracted lightning-fast into the hilt. Putting the carving knife away, Hua Pianqian touched her forehead and let out a long, weary sigh of relief.

"You’ve worked hard! So hard!"

Nie Kong also looked immensely relieved, smiling warmly, "Hua Pianqian, do you need me to use my 'Nine Revolutions Golden Needle Technique' to regulate your body?"

"No need!"

Hua Pianqian instantly became wary, staring coldly at Nie Kong.

"That’s fine too!"

Nie Kong adopted an expression of "You are truly considerate of others," looking at her with a beaming smile. "Hua Pianqian, then hurry back and rest. The crisis concerning the Ling Fu is completely resolved now. I need to go out with Hua Mei to pick up my mother so she can see her daughter-in-law."

What? After I just finished my hard labor, you want me to go back to the corner of Hua Mei's soul? Hua Pianqian was so angry her brows shot up: "Nie Kong, you shameless... you bastard!"

"Are you finished?"

"Finished."

"If you're finished, then actively go back. Don't cling to my wife's body and delay the important business for us two!"

"You, you..."

"..."