As Meng Feiyang and Gu Changgong watched him go, not long after, Nie Kong quietly slipped out of the Ice Cave and left Lingyu City, riding the Soul Eagle King and heading swiftly west.
The reason Nie Kong wanted to capture the Devouring Spirit Flower (Shi Shen Hua) before the Medicine King Palace’s founding ceremony was not solely to free Meng Feiyang from constraint and gain a powerful ally for his side; there was a far more critical reason.
That reason was Hua Mei!
Nie Kong only discovered after returning from the Ice-Sealed Snow Domain that the Devouring Spirit Flower had long been subdued by the Spirit God Hall and was even guarding a secret prison for them.
Only the successive Spirit God Hall Masters and the Grand Elder—a mere two or three individuals—knew of this. Even Hua Mei’s own father and mother were unaware.
Nie Kong came to know this secret largely thanks to Yu Xuan. She had been residing at the Ling Mansion during this period, awaiting her mother’s arrival. Nie Kong overheard her mention these details during a casual chat. And Yu Xuan’s access to such sensitive information was due to Kou Qinglian.
After the two became betrothed, Kou Qinglian frequently traveled to the “Flying Feather Grotto-Heaven” where the Feather Spirit Clan resided.
Although this top disciple of the Spirit God Hall’s Medicine Platform was no longer young, under the protection of his elders, his temperament remained immature. Seeing Yu Xuan’s cold shoulder, he constantly sought to show off, intentionally or unintentionally, in front of her, hoping to win her heart. In doing so, he accidentally leaked the top-secret intelligence relayed to him by Kou Xilai.
Regrettably, the news he revealed only elicited a moment of surprise from Yu Xuan, after which she continued to treat him with indifference.
Kou Qinglian, accustomed to having his every desire met as the Hall Master's cherished grandson, met with resistance from Yu Xuan. This only fueled his determination. He grew even more diligent in visiting the “Flying Feather Grotto-Heaven” to foster their relationship, vowing to win the beauty’s heart and body before their formal marriage. However, his actions only deepened Yu Xuan’s aversion.
Eventually, thoroughly vexed, Yu Xuan fled the “Flying Feather Grotto-Heaven.” She had initially intended to wander aimlessly for a while before returning on the wedding day, but unexpectedly encountered Bai Yuqing in the northern part of the continent. On a whim, Yu Xuan entered the “Ice-Sealed Snow Domain” with her for tempering, and that is how she met Nie Kong.
While at the Ling Mansion, Yu Xuan had merely recounted the matter as an interesting anecdote.
The speaker spoke without intent, but the listener took heed.
When Yu Xuan mentioned that traitors to the Spirit God Hall were imprisoned in the jail guarded by the Devouring Spirit Flower, Nie Kong’s heart stirred deeply. Back in the Butterfly Secret Realm, he had suggested that Hua Chen and Jing Rong might not be dead, purely to comfort Hua Mei. But now, combined with the information Yu Xuan had revealed, Nie Kong felt a strong premonition that Hua Mei’s parents might truly still be alive. Thus, Nie Kong resolved that he absolutely had to investigate that prison.
If Hua Chen and Jing Rong were indeed still alive, he must rescue them before the Medicine King Palace’s founding ceremony. Furthermore, with the “Qian Ji Medicine Disk” unexpectedly obtained from a Spirit God Hall powerhouse, he certainly had to try.
If successful, it would first reunite Hua Mei with her parents; second, it would prevent the Spirit God Hall from holding leverage over him in the future.
“It’s right ahead.”
Five days later, at dawn, deep within the Faluo Mountain Range, a figure suddenly shot out from between the towering forest trees. After a few flashes, he arrived atop a mountain peak thousands of meters high.
This Faluo Mountain Range was situated slightly to the west of the central Heavenly Spirit Continent, stretching across ten thousand miles.
The Spirit God Hall lay at the northern tip of the Faluo Range, and Nie Kong was currently in the central section. To avoid detection by the Spirit God Hall, Nie Kong had separated from the Soul Eagle King before even reaching the mountains, storing its body in his pet pack, and then traversed the void, moving forward constantly.
This area was extremely primordial; not a trace of human activity was visible, and it concealed many powerful spirit beasts.
After traveling for a full day, Nie Kong finally followed the guidance of the “Qian Ji Medicine Disk” into the depths of the range. During this time, he sensed hundreds of spirit beasts above the fifth rank, including three eighth-rank and one ninth-rank beast. Fortunately, Nie Kong moved like a phantom, his aura completely suppressed, allowing him to avoid detection by any spirit beast.
After a brief rest, Nie Kong continued to weave through the mountains.
Since entering the Faluo Mountain Range, the arrow on the “Qian Ji Medicine Disk” in his palm, which had been oscillating like water ripples, was now fluctuating with increasing intensity.
This meant Nie Kong was drawing closer to the Devouring Spirit Flower.
After another score of miles, colossal ancient trees towered around Nie Kong, the mist swirling eerily. Although Nie Kong’s eyes could discern nothing unusual, relying on his exceptional sense of vitality, he had already vaguely perceived that this misty forest was configured with an extremely profound illusion array.
Thankfully, he held the “Qian Ji Medicine Disk”!
A strange smile touched Nie Kong’s lips. If Kou Xilai knew that he was using the Spirit God Hall’s own “Qian Ji Medicine Disk” to locate the Devouring Spirit Flower, would he choke on his own blood?
The further he advanced, the denser the fog became, until finally, even the ground and the surrounding trees were indistinct.
Nie Kong slightly slowed his pace, threading silently through the thick mist like a phantom. Approximately an hour later, the area before Nie Kong suddenly opened up.
In that instant, all the mist vanished without a trace.
What unfolded before Nie Kong was a concave valley spanning several li in circumference. This valley resembled an inverted conical hat—wide at the top, narrow at the bottom—and its interior was bare, supporting not a single blade of grass. Normally, no aura would emanate from the hollow, yet Nie Kong sensed an exceptionally vast surge of vitality at the valley floor.
In terms of both the intensity and sheer quantity of vitality, even the two rare treasures, Dragon Taming Grass and Evernight Bloom, could only muster half of what he sensed here.
“Buzz!”
At that moment, the “Qian Ji Medicine Disk” emitted a faint hum, and the arrow seemed poised to burst through the casing.
Nie Kong clearly understood that this was the core body of the Devouring Spirit Flower reacting with intense attraction toward the trace of azure energy held within the disk. It was like a magnet and iron filings; if the distance shortened enough, the magnet’s pull would draw the filings toward itself like moths to a flame.
If the restraint of the Qian Ji Medicine Disk were absent, that wisp of Devouring Spirit Flower energy would certainly have rushed into its host’s embrace already.
Fire Tree Silver Flower, Evernight Bloom, Dragon Taming, Devouring Spirit, Pian'e...
Of the five rare treasures, the Fire Tree Silver Flower was in Nie Kong’s pet pack; the Evernight Bloom and Dragon Taming Grass had both been absorbed by Xiangxiang, leaving only a single root from each, which Qingyue had planted in the Ninth-Layer Herb Garden, now grown into small seedlings; the Fluttering Jade Butterfly Spring’s main body was dead, its soul bound within Hua Mei’s mind.
“Only the Devouring Spirit Flower remains!”
Nie Kong’s mind stirred, and just as he was about to step into the concave valley, a thick wave of green suddenly surged out from its depths.
“Whoosh!”
A moment later, the green surge erupted violently.
Immediately following, countless vines, thick as infant fists, shot out rapidly. In the blink of an eye, this valley spanning several li was entirely filled with green tendrils. Innumerable vines crisscrossed, densely packed, trembling gently like the tentacles of an octopus. Dozens of these vines were less than a meter away from Nie Kong, seemingly ready to easily brush against his body if they merely straightened.
Watching the basin-shaped valley transform into an ocean of vines, Nie Kong’s pupils constricted. Then, he abruptly noticed the central vines undulating like ocean waves, revealing a deep vortex about a hundred meters wide. Next, a ball of azure luminescence rose slowly from the vortex’s depths. Several seconds later, that azure sphere completely dominated the vortex.
It was a majestically blooming Devouring Spirit Flower, its massive, layered petals radiating an azure glow that flooded the entire space with dazzling, hypnotic light.
“So huge!”
Despite his prior preparation, Nie Kong’s heart skipped a beat upon seeing the azure bloom. The diameter of this Devouring Spirit Flower was at least two hundred meters. In the years he had spent on the Heavenly Spirit Continent, the largest tree Nie Kong had seen was the Ancestral Heavenly Divine Canopy Tree, and the largest flower was this Devouring Spirit Flower before him.
Putting away the Qian Ji Medicine Disk, Nie Kong flashed forward and appeared directly above the mass of vines. This action was akin to kicking a hornet’s nest.
“Whoosh!”
The sea of vines below seemed to suddenly churn into a raging tempest. Thousands of green tendrils, thousands of meters long, charged toward the sky, whipping around Nie Kong, the piercing sounds of air being torn apart erupting everywhere. Yet, strangely, no matter how fiercely the vines moved, they never managed to touch Nie Kong.
A low, sharp feminine cry suddenly exploded: “Leave this place, and I shall spare your life!”
“Oh?”
Nie Kong smiled faintly, walking forward with an unhurried, leisurely pace across the void.
“I will say it again: Leave this place, and I shall spare your life!” The resonant female voice sounded again, its tone thick with hostility.
“You wish to negotiate with me, but I have no intention of sparing you!” Nie Kong smiled lightly, his steps never faltering.
“Seeking death!”
The instant these two words echoed, the space seemed to be buffeted by a level-twelve hurricane. The entire sea of vines swayed violently. All the thick green tendrils coiled upward from the surroundings, instantly intertwining to form a massive green cocoon, completely sealing Nie Kong inside.
Simultaneously, a vine as thick as a water bucket shot out, tightly wrapping around Nie Kong’s body.
Nie Kong neither dodged nor resisted. Instead, he yielded to the vine’s contracting momentum, drifting toward the azure Devouring Spirit Flower. In the blink of an eye, the vine dragged him to a position above the blossom.
“Shhhk!”
The green vine flung him out. Nie Kong plummeted like a meteorite from beyond the heavens, crashing toward the interior of the petals. Before his body even landed, the petal occupying the hundred-meter expanse began to close rapidly. By the time his feet touched solid ground, the once proudly open Devouring Spirit Flower had transformed into a giant bud.
A mass of azure energy rose from the flower’s stamen, condensing into a voluptuous, corporeal body.
Her skin was snow-white and exquisitely translucent, but her hair was a striking azure, cascading down her back like flowing clouds and waterfalls. Her facial features were exceptionally beautiful, seemingly carved with meticulous precision. Her eyes, like her hair, radiated an azure luminescence, resembling two ancient springs. She stood lightly upon the stamen, her figure graceful and slender—a full bust, narrow waist, high hips, and long legs—yet a mesmerizing azure shadow adorned the space between her legs, intensely alluring.
“Considering your difficult cultivation, I initially intended to spare you, but you clearly don’t know what’s good for you! Since you insist, you shall serve well as my fertilizer.”
The spirit of the Devouring Spirit Flower arched a delicate brow. Her lush, captivating form dissolved again into a mass of azure energy, spreading wildly. In an instant, it filled the entire interior of the flower bud. At the same moment, the closed petals began to tremble slightly, and a bizarre suction force swept toward Nie Kong.
This sudden suction was overwhelmingly powerful, penetrating directly through Nie Kong’s physical body to touch the soul deep within his mind. At this instant, this sealed Devouring Spirit Flower seemed to transform into a colossal vortex, threatening to completely devour Nie Kong’s soul and spirit.
“Truly worthy of being the Devouring Spirit Flower!”
Sensing his soul power beginning to show signs of dispersion within his mind, Nie Kong’s consciousness shifted subtly.
Faced with this suction force directly targeting the soul, no spiritual technique could be effective; only a soul could counter it. Ordinary Heavenly Spirit Masters, encountering the Devouring Spirit Flower, would likely have no ability to resist; even experts at the high Heavenly Spirit realm could only retreat, just like Meng Feiyang, the Lord of Lingyu City.
In the next moment, the Nether Star within Nie Kong’s body quietly circulated, and a dazzling golden light burst forth from the depths of his soul. The scattered soul power instantly retracted.
“Divine Power! It’s actually Divine Power!”
The Devouring Spirit Flower cried out in shock within the bud. The dense azure energy surged violently like a tide, and the trembling frequency and amplitude of the layered petals surrounding them intensified. The buzzing sound became deafening. For a moment, the suction targeting Nie Kong’s soul multiplied severalfold.
However, no matter how fiercely the suction attacked and attempted to consume, Nie Kong’s golden, brilliant soul remained like a steadying needle, showing no further fluctuation.
“Not even reaching the ninth stage of Heavenly Spirit, yet he cultivated Divine Power—how is this possible?” The incredulous murmur of the Devouring Spirit Flower reached Nie Kong’s ears.
“There are many things you don’t know!”
Nie Kong opened his eyes slightly. Brilliant golden light erupted from within his body, and in the span of a finger-flick, it dispelled the azure energy, bathing the entire flower bud in golden radiance.
“Ah!”
The Devouring Spirit Flower shrieked. The fragmented azure energy quickly reformed at the stamen, manifesting once more as the blue-haired, naked woman, staring at Nie Kong in utter astonishment.
Nie Kong stood with his hands behind his back, observing the Devouring Spirit Flower, and spoke slowly, “You told me to leave earlier, not because you genuinely wanted to spare my life, but because you couldn't gauge my true strength, and coupled with the ‘Qian Ji Medicine Disk’ in my hand which contains your aura, you preferred not to act rashly, is that right?”
“So what if that’s true?”
The Devouring Spirit Flower recovered its composure, her eyes flashing with cold azure light.
Nie Kong leisurely continued, “Now, what do you think of my strength?”
“Very strong,” the Devouring Spirit Flower admitted, her eyes flickering.
“Only very strong?”
Nie Kong smiled faintly, his voice deepening slightly. “You cultivated for several millennia to achieve such perfected sentience. Although you haven't fully manifested a human form, your strength already rivals that of a Heavenly Spirit expert who has passed the first level of tribulation. I held no great enmity toward you, but you shouldn’t have allied yourself with the Spirit G—.”
“Allied?”
The Devouring Spirit Flower’s pretty face tightened, and she sneered, “My relationship with the Spirit God Hall is merely a cooperative one. They provide me with spirit herbs, and I suppress their prison for them.”
“Whether it’s alliance or cooperation, I now offer you two choices,” Nie Kong stared at the Devouring Spirit Flower, his expression cold and unreadable, “Submission, or… death!”
“Submission or death? Heh, heh…”
The Devouring Spirit Flower suddenly laughed, her delicate body shaking charmingly. “What a joke. I may not be able to touch your soul, but do you have the ability to force me to submit or die?”
Before her words faded, her exquisitely sculpted, snowy body and the surrounding petals abruptly dissolved, vanishing into pinpoints of blue light in less than half a second.
The next moment, the Devouring Spirit Flower was completely gone. Surrounding Nie Kong was nothing but endless green vines.