"Not at all!" Bai Yetian's laughter was laced with mockery. "Attacking me stealthily three times, injuring me twice—that is a feud so deep that even if you kneel down and beg for mercy, I won't spare you!"

Nie Kong smiled faintly. "Then that settles it. May I ask, is my sister, along with the two women you captured half a month ago, also held in a place like this?"

"That's right." Bai Yetian chuckled lewdly. "Although they are all in ice-sealed chambers, I am a chivalrous thief of beauty. Their treatment is naturally different from yours, you scum. Don't worry, I will take very good care of your sister. A woman as stunning as her is rare. I never expected to capture three such exquisite treasures in less than twenty days. Tsk, tsk, just thinking about them naked makes me incredibly aroused!"

Nie Kong could almost visualize Bai Yetian drooling behind the ice wall and couldn't help but frown. "Hey, do you really not need to rest for a bit?"

"Nonsense!" Bai Yetian spat another curse and snorted coldly. "But you remind me, I really shouldn't waste time talking to a dead man here."

Silence followed.

Nie Kong let out a soft breath and whispered mentally, "Tai Yan."

"Brother, I'm fine, just trapped in an ice cave."

"That's good then." Nie Kong smiled slightly. During their intimate moments, the origin powers of Nie Kong and Tai Yan often circulated between them, forging an ever-tighter mental connection. Within a radius of several thousand meters, even with spatial barriers, Nie Kong and Tai Yan could clearly receive each other's thoughts.

Nie Kong never worried about Tai Yan's safety.

On the entire Tianling Continent, no one besides the Ancestor of the Yin Ruins Wood could truly pose a lethal threat to Tai Yan—not even the Palace Master of the Spirit God Hall or the High Gods descending from the 'Grand Venerable Spirit Realm.' The reason they were trapped in the Forbidden Spirit Marsh previously was mainly because Nie Kong and Tai Yan wanted to stop them from destroying the Spirit Abode's barrier.

Even though Tai Yan was trapped in an ice cave like himself now, a mere 'Nightless Heaven' Medicine Spirit posed absolutely no threat to her. If he dared to harbor improper thoughts toward her, he might very well be utterly consumed by Tai Yan instead.

This was why Nie Kong had deliberately allowed himself to be trapped by Bai Yetian.

He made this calculated move because Nie Kong realized that if he merely frightened Bai Yetian, with the latter's innate advantage in this frozen snowy domain, hiding would render him untraceable, making the rescue of Bai Yuqing exceedingly difficult.

Normal methods wouldn't suffice; a different approach was necessary.

In a flash of thought, Nie Kong dismissed extraneous worries and began condensing the 'Medicine King Incarnation.'

Previously, Nie Kong had condensed this incarnation twice—once in the Nether Soil and once on Dragon Island. Each successful condensation cost the foundational 'Fire Tree Silver Flower' nearly half of its medicinal power. It was only thanks to the little fellow constantly nourishing it with its life force that it hadn't withered away.

Now that the little fellow had advanced to the ninth tier, condensing an incarnation required draining only three to four-tenths of the 'Fire Tree Silver Flower's' power, and the process was significantly faster.

In less than half an hour, a dark shadow—identical in appearance to Nie Kong—separated from the main body.

"Hoo!" Nie Kong sighed softly and suddenly sprang up, placing his right hand against the ice wall, ready to activate the 'Power of Nature Origin.' However, the Gourd merrily tumbled out, its voice milky and sweet. "Nie Kong, let me do it!"

"You?" Nie Kong examined the little ball of flesh whose limbs were almost negligible and couldn't help but laugh.

"I am the Emperor Snow Gourd, the Dan Yue Spirit! This space is condensed from cold energy, but I am the Emperor of Snow; no cold energy can withstand me when I start sucking!" The Gourd grinned proudly, suddenly opening its mouth toward the ice wall. Instantly, Nie Kong felt a dense white cold energy flowing out from within the ice wall, pouring ceaselessly into the Gourd's mouth. In moments, a small hole, about the thickness of two fingers, appeared in the thick ice.

Nie Kong couldn't help but pinch the Gourd's chubby cheek, feeling a bit astonished. "I didn't expect it, Gourd, you actually have this skill."

"It's innate, can't be helped!" The Gourd greatly enjoyed Nie Kong's expression and grinned widely, though it then added with slight awkwardness, "It's too small. I'll do it a few more times."

"Wait!" Nie Kong quickly called it back. "Gourd, won't this alarm the Great Bai Yetian?"

"No, when I absorb the cold energy, I've already severed their connection to the ice wall." The Gourd opened its mouth, and the cold energy sprayed out again, entering the hole. In the blink of an eye, the ice wall was restored to its original state.

Then, the Gourd proudly declared to Nie Kong, "Well, impressive, right?"

"Not bad. Since that's the case, leave the hole-making to you." Nie Kong couldn't help but smile. The concave valleys he observed outside were actually projections reflecting these ice-sealed chambers. Each valley contained a massive pool of vitality. However, these pools of vitality were not entirely isolated; they were subtly connected by slender threads of life force, anywhere from one or two to three or four connections between them.

To most people, these ice-sealed chambers were isolated spaces, but in Nie Kong's eyes, they were not. Otherwise, how could Bai Yetian traverse between these spaces? Nie Kong’s initial plan was to use the Power of Nature Origin, following those subtle threads of vitality, to create a passage without alerting Bai Yetian, allowing him to quietly reach the other chambers and find the imprisoned Bai Yuqing and the others.

With the 'Medicine King Incarnation' left behind in this spot, as long as Nie Kong was meticulous while forging the passage, he wouldn't have to worry about being detected by Bai Yetian. Once the others were rescued, Nie Kong could unleash his full power in the snowy domain until Bai Yetian was captured or killed.

What Nie Kong hadn't anticipated was the huge surprise the Gourd had delivered.

"However, the spot you just absorbed the cold energy from was incorrect. You should aim for this place; that large channel you made earlier would have been sufficient." Nie Kong extended a finger and gently touched the ice wall. The spot where his finger landed held a strand of vitality connecting to another ice-sealed chamber. Only by following this thread could he exit smoothly; otherwise, the little Gourd would have to suck dry all the cold energy in the entire chamber.

"Oh?" The Gourd blinked its eyes suspiciously, opened its mouth again, and another surge of dense cold energy flowed into its maw. After about ten seconds, the flow of cold energy ceased. The Gourd leaned close to the hole and cried out in pleasant surprise, "Nie Kong, it's connected! It really worked!"

Nie Kong smiled faintly, and his body suddenly transformed into the spiritual essence of the 'Purple Luo Phantom Incense,' coiling tightly into a tiny lump the size of a thumb, which then rolled through the hole. The Gourd immediately shrank into a small, pill-shaped gourd, following closely behind Nie Kong. As it passed, cold energy continuously overflowed.

When Nie Kong and the Gourd had both entered the adjacent ice-sealed chamber, the small hole sealed itself completely.