Resting his right hand upon the sculpture again, as nearly all of his spiritual sense was immersed within the statue, Nie Kong quickly noticed threads and wisps of golden energy appearing from thin air all around him, converging toward the imprint of the divine consciousness within the statue.

These golden wisps were relatively faint, yet their sheer number was astonishing. As time passed, the power of belief swirling around the imprint of the divine consciousness increased drop by drop. With a thought, Nie Kong’s nine Nether Stars within his body suddenly flickered, and five of the golden Nether Stars emitted fierce, bright light. In an instant, the golden radiance enveloped Nie Kong’s body surface, then flowed like water down his right arm, soon enveloping the statue, which was about the same size as Nie Kong, within its glow as well.

Under the operation of the "War God Star Seal," the power of belief condensed within the sculpture was steadily absorbed and refined by Nie Kong.

"Tai Yan, what is Nie Kong doing?"

Mu Wanqing’s figure suddenly tore through the void, appearing directly beside Tai Yan, looking somewhat perplexed. She had initially thought Nie Kong was concocting some new medicinal formula, but upon realizing Nie Kong was actually on Cai Mei Peak, she understood things were not as she imagined and hurried over to see.

Tai Yan smiled sweetly. "Aunt Wan, Big Brother is cultivating divine power."

"Divine power?"

Mu Wanqing nearly popped her eyes out. "With just this shoddy statue?" Nie Kong's actions these past few days had left her completely bewildered. First, although the statue bore a striking resemblance to Nie Kong in both form and spirit, its craftsmanship was extremely rough, as if hastily molded from mud. As far as she knew, one needed to undergo the Spirit Tribulation just to cultivate divine power; Nie Kong was only at the third rank of the Heavenly Spirit realm. To attempt cultivating divine power with such a statue?

However, Tai Yan’s expression was serious and would never lie, and the layer of golden light surrounding Nie Kong’s body indeed radiated a heart-palpitating aura. She had felt a similar sensation when the two High Gods from the "Supreme Spirit Realm" had besieged Nie Kong and Tai Yan during the assault on the Spirit God Hall.

It seemed she had been too focused on medicine. Having stayed in the Spirit Mansion for so long, she didn't know much about Nie Kong's true capabilities. As Mu Wanqing sighed with realization, a faint sense of anticipation also bloomed in her heart. Perhaps in a few years, Nie Kong would not only be the youngest Heavenly Spirit Master in history but also the youngest Spirit God in the world.

Days passed one after another...

Mu Wanqing, Tai Yan, Qing Yue, Hu Lu, Long Ping, Long Ting, and Ling Yanluo came and went, yet one or two people were always watching Nie Kong at the peak of Cai Mei Peak. During this period, even the weakest among them, Ling Yanluo, could sense the aura emanating from Nie Kong gradually strengthening.

"Bang!"

A loud roar resonated through Nie Kong's spirit and mind. After more than a year, Nie Kong's sixth Nether Star had finally completed its transformation. Within the golden Nether Star, divine power surged, seeming ready to erupt.

Immediately afterward, Nie Kong’s bones, muscles, and internal organs began to writhe violently, almost simultaneously.

"Crack!"

A thunderous popping sound suddenly echoed through the Spirit Mansion, shaking the heavens and earth. Tai Yan, who had been meditating beside the statue, striving to control the primal energy within her, immediately sprang up at the sound, her face breaking into a joyous smile. "Brother is waking up?"

"It’s thundering! It’s thundering!"

Hu Lu, lying sprawled like a piglet in the medicine cauldron, was fast asleep but suddenly jumped up, scrambling around in panic, occasionally knocking over medicine cauldrons and racks. After squealing and shouting for quite a while, Hu Lu noticed Mu Wanqing and the others staring at him with strange expressions. His chubby little body instinctively stopped, and he tilted his head to listen, then mumbled in confusion, "It doesn't sound like thunder. I thought the Spirit Tribulation was coming."

Plop!

Hu Lu’s fleshy body dropped back into a medicine cauldron, and soon the sound of snoring filled the room again. Long Ping, Long Ting, and Ling Yanluo, the three little girls, exchanged glances and couldn't help but approach, poking Hu Lu’s belly with their fingers, yet there was no reaction at all.

After a moment, Mu Wanqing couldn't help but laugh. "It's coming from Cai Mei Peak. Nie Kong is causing quite a ruckus, look how scared this child is!"

"..."

The deafening ringing continued unabated until nightfall.

"The Sixth Level of the Scarlet Star War Body..."

Under the night sky, at the peak of Cai Mei Peak, Nie Kong's eyes suddenly snapped open. The golden light on his body surface receded like a tide, but his physique rapidly expanded. In the span of a breath, Nie Kong had transformed into a giant twenty meters tall.

Feeling the terrifying power contained within his body, Nie Kong couldn't help but laugh heartily. In the beginning, the speed at which the power of belief condensed was far too slow to match his absorption rate, forcing him to slow the operation of the "War God Star Seal." But as time wore on, some of the golden energy wisps emerging from the surrounding void became thicker and thicker, causing the rate of faith power condensation to increase several times over, gradually keeping pace with Nie Kong's absorption speed.

Because of this, Nie Kong completed the transformation of his sixth Nether Star and, in one continuous effort, cultivated to the Sixth Level of the "Scarlet Star War Body." Moreover, Nie Kong's cultivation realm broke through from the third rank of the Heavenly Spirit realm to the fourth rank under the agitation of divine power, significantly enhancing the intensity of his primal energy.

Now, even if he encountered the Serpent Lord of the Myriad Serpent Immortal Nest, Nie Kong was confident he could fight him!

"Brother."

Hearing that sweet and familiar voice, Nie Kong quickly lowered his gaze to see Tai Yan looking up at him with a beaming smile. The more than tenfold height difference felt somewhat strange, and Nie Kong instantly exited the "Scarlet Star War Body" state, reverting to his original appearance. "Tai Yan, how long has it been?"

"Six full days!"

Tai Yan’s small mouth immediately pouted. She had originally planned to try a new method learned from Qing Yue with Nie Kong one evening to see if the seed could take root and sprout within her body, but she hadn't expected Nie Kong to immerse himself in the statue, discovering the power of belief, and cultivating for six days straight, forcing her plan to be postponed.

"Only six days?"

Noticing Tai Yan's little mouth turning up even higher, Nie Kong couldn't help but affectionately pinch her rosy lips. He chuckled, "Don't be angry. Has anything happened these past few days?"

Tai Yan shook her head. "Nothing at all."

"That's good..." Nie Kong’s eyes darted around, and he smiled slyly. "Tai Yan, do you still want to try your new method with Brother?"

"I do!"

Tai Yan’s beautiful eyes immediately narrowed, and she nodded happily. Nie Kong let out a hearty laugh, slipped one arm under her armpit and hooked the other under her knee, scooping up her voluptuous and alluring figure. He shot away toward the distance, but the direction was not toward the pavilion, but toward the steaming, vaporous hot spring lake nestled among the mountains.

Just as Nie Kong and Tai Yan were sinking into their pleasures, a rather anxious sigh suddenly arose from the Life and Death Hall of the Nie family in Yao Yang City: "What is that little girl Yu Qing up to..."

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