Within the frozen expanse, Nie Kong let out a breath of relief, a slight sheen of sweat beading on his forehead. Having transmuted the essence of the Spiritual Treasure into the power of Natural Origin, Nie Kong could easily switch between vitality and deathly aura, but transforming such a vast area as he just had still proved somewhat taxing. Fortunately, he had successfully dismantled Bai Yetian’s death throes.

Bai Yetian fell silent for a long moment, then roared like a beast cornered by death: "How could this be? The 10,000-Mile Ice Soul Moon I painstakingly cultivated is useless? I am not reconciled! My goal was to pluck a thousand flowers, yet now I haven't even reached a hundred. I am not reconciled, not reconciled..."

Hearing this, Bai Yuqing showed no reaction, but Tai Yan puffed up indignantly, "Brother, this Medicine Spirit is too wicked, thinking only of plucking flowers even as it dies!"

Nie Kong was momentarily speechless: "With a sinister Medicine Spirit like the Dragon Seeking Grass, adding a lewd **'Immortal Night Sky' is hardly surprising. Do you imagine all Medicine Spirits in this world are like you, Qing Yue, and Xiang Xiang?" As he spoke, Bai Yetian’s cries grew fainter, and within moments, they faded into complete silence.

At this, the little fellow shook its calyx contentedly, then tugged with two strands of its vital medicinal power, dragging out a pitifully small section of the 'Immortal Night Sky' root from within the vine wall. It floated before Nie Kong as if presenting a treasure.

"Good!"

Tucking the root segment into his pet pack, Nie Kong shifted his consciousness, and the vine wall transformed into his Mental Image, sinking into his brow. As for the 'Immortal Night Sky' plant, having been absorbed by the little fellow, it had withered into dead grass, utterly deceased. Before it could fall to the ground, the Gourd snatched it, examining it with curiosity.

"Sister Bai, give me your Spirit Slip. I'll go rescue your companion."

Taking the Spirit Slip from Bai Yuqing, Nie Kong sensed quietly for a moment, then drove his right fist directly into the ice wall. Divine Power surged forth, merging with the physical strength of the Crimson Star Battle Body. With a sharp bang, ice shards sprayed everywhere—the frozen space was instantly breached by a massive hole.

Nie Kong stepped across the threshold and entered the adjacent frozen chamber.

Tai Yan was the first to follow. Bai Yuqing swung her greatsword and also stepped forward, though a flicker of slight astonishment crossed her eyes. She knew Nie Kong possessed the High-Grade Celestial Spirit strength, but she hadn't expected him to be this formidable—shattering such an ice-sealed space with such ease.

"Wait for me!"

The Gourd cried out in a tender voice, tossed aside the dead 'Immortal Night Sky' grass in its hands, and rushed forward.

"Boom!"

The second sealed space was also smashed open by Nie Kong's punch.

Previously, Nie Kong and the Gourd had moved cautiously precisely to avoid alerting Bai Yetian. Now that the elusive Medicine Spirit was eliminated, Nie Kong had no reason for further restraint. A succession of dull thuds and sharp cracks echoed, and wherever they passed, the sealed ice chambers continuously crumbled and shattered.

Under this sheer brute force, Nie Kong and the others advanced at a terrifying speed.

"We're here!"

A few minutes later, Nie Kong turned back and smiled at Bai Yuqing, then struck out again, though his movements were considerably gentler this time.

Accompanied by a light snap, intense golden light radiated from his palm. The ice wall instantly fractured with cracks spreading like a spider's web. With a soft touch, the powdered ice collapsed, and an icy hole over a meter high was instantly revealed. Peering through the opening, they saw a woman in white standing up straight.

This woman appeared to be around twenty, possessing an exquisitely beautiful oval face and a tall, slender figure.

She clearly hadn't expected the ice wall to suddenly break open with such a large hole. After a moment of stunned silence, when she spotted Nie Kong’s figure, her autumn-water-like beautiful eyes filled with shock and wariness. But when her gaze fell upon Bai Yuqing behind Nie Kong, the shock instantly morphed into unconcealable delight.

The woman in white broke into a radiant smile: "Yuqing!"

"Yu Xuan, are you alright?" Bai Yuqing stepped out from behind Nie Kong and nodded slightly.

"I'm fine, fine. It’s just that Bai Yetian was truly detestable, every day he..." As she spoke, the woman named Yu Xuan realized there was a man present, her face involuntarily flushed slightly. She quickly cut herself off, though a thread of curiosity had now laced her gaze towards Nie Kong.

"His name is Nie Kong!" Bai Yuqing stated calmly.

"Nie Kong?"

Yu Xuan paused, then said in disbelief, "The Nie Kong who published all the Spiritual Herb prescriptions on the Celestial Spirit Continent and compiled the Compendium of Materia Medica?"

"Authentic. You know me?"

This time, it was Nie Kong's turn to feel a bit surprised. Yu Xuan carried an ethereal elegance that felt familiar to Nie Kong, though he couldn't quite recall where he had seen her before.

Yu Xuan took a deep breath, a novel sparkle appearing in her eyes as she looked at Nie Kong: "A few days ago, I received a message via Spirit Slip from home. It said a Medicine King named Nie Kong not only refined Ninth-Grade Spiritual Medicine but also compiled a Compendium of Materia Medica, driving the entire Celestial Spirit Continent into a frenzy."

"You flatter me."

So they hadn't met before; where did that familiarity come from? Nie Kong decided not to dwell on it. "Yuqing, Tai Yan, let's get out of here first."

"Brother, how do we get out?"

Tai Yan moved to Nie Kong's side, asking curiously. Her appearance instantly drew a look of dazzling admiration from Yu Xuan, who hadn't expected a woman could possess such flawless beauty.

"That's simple!"

Nie Kong laughed heartily, gathering the six layers of the 'War God Star Seal' one atop the other in his palm, then slapped the ice ceiling above them. With a loud boom, it sounded as if ten thousand catties of explosives had detonated simultaneously. A vast hole opened in the ice above, and sheets of ice powder rained down.

However, to Nie Kong's surprise, though the hole appeared, the void was not visible above.

"Crack! Crack..."

Strange sounds echoed continuously from above, causing the group to exchange startled glances.

"Tai Yan, Gourd, get onto me!"

Nie Kong looked up at the ceiling for a moment, his expression suddenly changing, and he shouted loudly. Hearing this, Tai Yan did not hesitate, transforming into her Returning Bloom Flower state, and burrowed into Nie Kong's chest along with the Gourd.

Nie Kong, meanwhile, wrapped his arms around Bai Yuqing and Yu Xuan simultaneously, pulling them close.

Bai Yuqing offered no resistance, but Yu Xuan suddenly found herself slammed hard against the man’s embrace. Her delicate face changed color, and she cried out in embarrassed anger: "Nie Kong, you..."

Before she finished speaking, Yu Xuan felt the man's body rapidly expanding.

"Th-This..."

Yu Xuan stared up, dumbfounded, at the suddenly gigantic Nie Kong. Moments later, she was jolted awake by a thunderous noise. She blinked her beautiful eyes hard, only to see the ice layer above collapsing with the force of ten thousand armies. Sensing the terrifying pressure of the descending ice, Yu Xuan gasped, finally understanding why Nie Kong had acted. In such a situation, without a powerful protector, a Spirit Void Master would surely meet their end.

"Whoosh!"

Nie Kong’s colossal, burly form shot upward like an arrow loosed from a bow, driving hard against the collapsing ice layer.

Yu Xuan instinctively shut her eyes. In the next instant, she felt no ice fragments fall upon her. When she dared to look up again, she saw that both she and Bai Yuqing were enveloped in a golden sheen, while Nie Kong, like an unbreakable sharp sword, pierced through the thick layers of ice, surging upward without the slightest hesitation.

Witnessing this scene, Yu Xuan’s heart trembled slightly, and an inexplicable sense of security washed over her. Beside her, Bai Yuqing, leaning against Nie Kong’s chest, also looked upward, but her dark, clear, and cold eyes held an even deeper shade of bewilderment.