After a long pause, the man in the black robe abruptly turned around, his voice like a wisp of cold wind blowing from hell, his eyes seeming on the verge of spewing forth darkness.

Kou Xilai snapped awake, sensing the situation for a moment, his face instantly clouded with fury. Gritting his teeth, he spat, "Nie Kong! It’s Nie Kong again! That's Nie Kong's aura!"

"Nie Kong? How many Spirit Tribulations has this Nie Kong passed?"

"He shouldn't have reached the ninth rank of Celestial Spirit yet!"

"Hmm?"

"..."

Spirit Mansion, the summit of Cai Mei Peak.

"Hoo!"

Late at night, Nie Kong, sitting cross-legged, finally opened his eyes and let out a long breath.

Not long after returning to the Spirit Mansion, Nie Kong had come here to cultivate, and only now were his naturally recovered Origin Power and Divine Power, depleted at the Soul Altar, fully restored.

Nie Kong sprang up, and in a moment, he was at his pavilion residence.

The top-floor room was brightly lit. Hua Chen and Jing Rong lay side-by-side on the **, completely still, yet their faces held a hint of relief after torment.

"Brother, they still haven't woken up," Tai Yan, who had stayed behind to look after them, couldn't help but worry upon seeing Nie Kong.

"It wouldn't be that easy, would it?"

Hearing this, Nie Kong couldn't help but smile.

When he brought Hua Chen and Jing Rong here, Nie Kong hadn't the strength to heal them; he had only asked the little creature to nourish them with its life essence medicine. Having been tempered at the Soul Altar for several years, their souls were severely weakened and could not awaken in a short time.

Approaching the bed, Nie Kong separated two wisps of spiritual thought and sent them into the brows of Hua Chen and Jing Rong.

If their souls had been towering giants several meters high before they were captured, now they resembled infants still in the womb.

Severing the connection to the Soul Orb, their souls had finally escaped years of torture, sinking into a deep slumber. Even with the nourishment from Xiang Xiang's life essence medicine, there was no sign of awakening. Now, all Nie Kong needed to do was continuously infuse their souls with vitality.

With a thought, Nie Kong circulated the "Yin-Yang Spirit Devouring Art." Vitality surged in from outside the window, flowing along Nie Kong’s hands and into the souls of Hua Chen and Jing Rong.

Minutes later, the top floor of the pavilion was saturated with thick greenery.

When he retracted his hands, the sky outside was dim and hazy—it was already evening the next day. The vitality in the room rapidly dissolved into the void. Nie Kong lowered his gaze to Hua Chen and Jing Rong, a faint smile touching his lips.

"Brother, how are they?" Tai Yan eagerly asked.

"They are better... but it will take at least a month before they can truly wake up." As he spoke, Nie Kong felt something and turned his head.

Hua Mei, dressed in white as snow, beautiful and smiling, walked lightly through the doorway. Upon seeing the scene in the room, Hua Mei froze for a moment, but when her eyes clearly registered the faces on the **, she was struck as if by lightning. Her smile instantly stiffened, and tears, uncontrollably, began to stream down her face.

"Dad! Uh..."

"..."

"..."

When returning to the Spirit Mansion from the Soul Altar, Nie Kong had lifted the Spirit-Sealing effect on the swamp outside and sent a message via spirit slip to Hua Yanlian, who was stationed outside. He hadn't revealed his true purpose to Hua Yanlian, merely asking her to contact the Hua Die Secret Realm and summon Hua Mei to the Spirit Mansion.

The whole point was to give Hua Mei a surprise!

According to Hua Yanlian's reply at the time, Hua Mei was in secluded cultivation and wouldn't be out for another half a month. Nie Kong had expected to wait about ten days but was surprised she arrived today. Seeing Hua Mei collapse onto Hua Chen and Jing Rong, her face ravaged by tears, Nie Kong felt an overwhelming surge of pity.

Only when the Spirit Mansion was entirely enveloped in darkness did the room finally settle.

"Brother, how did you find my parents?"

In the adjacent bedroom, Hua Mei clung tightly to Nie Kong, the tear stains on her face wiped clean, but her eyes were still swollen like walnuts. Even after so much time, Hua Mei was uncontrollably emotional, her soft chest pressed against Nie Kong's right flank rising and falling.

Nie Kong affectionately pinched Hua Mei's delicate cheek and recounted the whole story.

"That was too dangerous."

Hearing Nie Kong’s account to the end, Hua Mei’s pretty face paled.

Though she hadn't witnessed it, she could vividly imagine the urgency of the situation. Nie Kong and Lan Ling had nearly exhausted their strength; if the experts from the Spirit God Hall had arrived seconds sooner, he wouldn't have even had time to activate the Spirit Returning Jade. In that case, Nie Kong might never have escaped the Soul Altar.

Thinking of this, Hua Mei couldn't help but shudder, tightening her arms around Nie Kong as if afraid he might suddenly vanish from her embrace.

Nie Kong smiled, "Rescuing my father-in-law and mother-in-law, no matter how dangerous, it was worth it."

Nie Kong had anticipated that deploying the "Celestial Star Absolute Spirit Array" would alert the Spirit God Hall, but he hadn't expected them to traverse half the Faluo Mountain Range in such a short time to reach the Altar. From what he sensed then, there were three individuals—one was the Spirit God Hall Master, and the other two were Dark Spirit Masters. One likely possessed the cultivation of High-Grade Celestial Spirit, but the aura of the other was profoundly strange.

Nie Kong surmised that the latter was very likely the Spirit God himself, the one secretly using 'Soul Sacrifice' on the Celestial Spirit Continent. What was his connection to the Spirit God Hall? Having rescued his in-laws and snatched away the Soul Orb, causing his efforts of over two thousand years to go to waste, that person certainly wouldn't let it rest.

He would likely see him again at the Grand Opening Ceremony of the Medicine King Palace!

"Brother..."

Just as Nie Kong was pondering, Hua Mei suddenly called out softly.

Nie Kong instinctively looked down. He saw Hua Mei’s cheeks flushed crimson, her eyes sparkling with shyness. When her gaze met his questioning look, she quickly averted her eyes, her right hand swiftly pulling the quilt over them both before turning her delicate body to present her back to Nie Kong.

Nie Kong grew more puzzled and was about to speak when he heard the rustling sounds from beneath the quilt.

She was...

Nie Kong's eyes lit up.

Moments later, he clearly saw Hua Mei's snow-white skirt slip away, revealing her sharply carved, alabaster shoulders. Faintly, he could even discern two high mounds beneath the covering. Nie Kong's heart stirred, and his left hand couldn't resist reaching out. The sensation of smooth, creamy softness immediately surged through his fingertips.

Hua Mei let out a soft moan, her body trembling slightly. Her two plump, rounded hips pressed against Nie Kong's lower abdomen, twisting slightly with some awkwardness.

It was as if a scorching flame had violently erupted. Nie Kong felt his blood surge, every cell and nerve in his body becoming intensely excited. His hands, wrapped around Hua Mei's chest and abdomen, involuntarily tightened, as if trying to mold this exquisitely curved, delicate body into his own flesh.

At this moment, Hua Mei suddenly leaned forward, yet she flipped her hands back, trembling as she grasped the fabric of Nie Kong's black robe, pulling him down to press against her back.

"Brother, I... I am truly ready this time..."

After managing to force out this sentence with what seemed like all her strength, Hua Mei could no longer suppress the shyness welling up in her chest, burying her flushed face into the pillow. The heavy pressure beneath her and the hardness probing between her legs made her heart race like a frightened deer, her skin rapidly heating up.

Anyone, even a fool, could understand Hua Mei's intent.

Feeling the soft, yielding heat of Hua Mei's body beneath him, Nie Kong felt an undeniable stirring, both physically and emotionally. Since this didn't violate his promise to Hua Pianxian, perhaps...

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