Those Spirit Masters who had specifically rushed over to join the excitement remained eager, and amidst the endless clamor, dawn descended unnoticed.

At first, only a sparse few figures departed the city heading west, but as the sky brightened, the number of Spirit Masters journeying west grew steadily larger.

When the world was fully illuminated, the edge of the "Spirit-Banning Marsh," where the green-robed bandit had fiercely clashed with the strong cultivators of the Spirit God Palace, was already thronged with a great many Spirit Masters.

By this time, nearly everyone knew that the green-robed bandit was none other than Nie Kong, the compiler of the Compendium of Materia Medica. However, even those Spirit Masters whose herbs had been snatched by Nie Kong and the (Ghostly Eagle King) found themselves unable to harbor resentment toward Nie Kong after viewing that pharmacopoeia.

"Huh?"

A middle-aged Spirit Master, who had just stepped into the marsh, suddenly gasped softly in surprise, then cried out with delight, "I can use my spiritual power even inside the marsh!" As he spoke, the middle-aged Spirit Master couldn't help but surge forward, instantly covering several dozen meters.

Hearing that man's shout, the crowd paused, but upon witnessing his action, hesitation vanished, and figure after figure shot out like lightning.

The miraculous change in the Spirit-Banning Marsh must have occurred because the Master of the Spirit Abode had lifted its "Spirit-Banning" function. This implied that Nie Kong did not object to them witnessing the inaugural ceremony of the Medicine King Palace. Given this, there was nothing left to hesitate about.

Momentarily, the excitement of the crowd surged.

The Spirit Masters who had originally planned to observe the situation from the marsh's edge no longer wavered, instead pushing their spiritual power to the extreme and charging deep into the Spirit-Banning Marsh. With spiritual power available, this marsh posed little obstacle to them; everyone moved as if on flat ground, their speed astonishingly quick.

Around the Spirit-Banning Stele at the center of the marsh, a cheer erupted almost simultaneously.

Those Spirit Masters who had reached this place through arduous trekking let out sighs of relief upon sensing the change in the marsh. They were merely ordinary Spirit Masters, uninvited, having come solely based on Nie Kong's reputation. Initially, they had felt uncertain, worried about being driven away.

Now, they realized their concerns were utterly misplaced.

Freed from the threat of the mire, the number of arriving Spirit Masters increased rapidly. As the morning light broke, several thousand figures were gathered within several li radius of the Spirit-Banning Stele, and at this moment, a continuous stream of Spirit Masters was still pouring in from Lou Tian City.

"Bang!"

When the sun rose to the height of a person, the stele suddenly burst forth with a brilliant green radiance. The words "Spirit-Banning" upon it seemed suddenly imbued with spiritual sentience, and the lines etched on the stone surface appeared to writhe fluidly.

The Spirit Abode was about to open?

Seeing this spectacle, nearly ten thousand people present simultaneously fell silent, the thought flashing unbidden through their minds, rendering the entire area utterly still.

Indeed, only a few seconds later, an almost transparent white shadow manifested in the void, gradually becoming clearer and clearer.

It was a pair of towering white gates!

"Boom!"

Under the intense scrutiny of countless eyes, a long, narrow gap appeared in the gate, and at almost the same instant, a line of red light flashed into everyone's view.

"It's open! It's open!"

"Wonderful! Lord Nie Kong is truly opening the Spirit Abode..."

"Don't push, don't push! I heard there are nine gates!"

"..."

The crowd was utterly thrilled, their eyes fixed on the gap, a composite sound of excited murmurs, heavy breathing, and rapidly beating hearts filling the air.

However, no matter how expectant the crowd grew, the two white gates slowly contracted to the sides without haste. As the gap widened, the red light emanating from within grew increasingly dazzling. After nearly two full minutes, the white gates completely vanished, revealing the red gate hidden behind.

"Boom!"

With another deafening roar, the red gates began to contract to the sides, and through the narrow aperture between them, the third, orange gate could be vaguely discerned.

Next came the yellow gate, the green gate, the cyan gate...

The blue gate! The purple gate!

Under the gaze of the multitude, gates opened one after another. When the purple gate unfolded and a trace of black leaked from the gap, the area around the Spirit-Banning Stele erupted into a wave of cheers.

Previously, the Spirit God Palace had dispatched over a dozen Celestial Spirit experts, deploying the "Spiritual Intent Deification Diagram," which successfully blasted open the first eight gates, yet they remained powerless against the final, ninth black gate. Even the Palace Master Kou Xilai and two High Gods had come personally, only to fail at the last moment, allowing Nie Kong to claim this Spirit Abode, which was more mystical than the Illusionary Realm. But now, they could effortlessly watch the Spirit Abode gates open sequentially.

Furthermore, it wouldn't be long before they could enter the Spirit Abode to feast their eyes.

Another two minutes passed, and the purple gate disappeared without a trace. The black gate began to contract to either side, and a thick wave of green light pierced the onlookers' sight.

At this moment, the crowd on the periphery could no longer restrain themselves, surging forward in a crush.

"Don't rush, we can all get in anyway!"

"Damn it, if you keep pushing like this, I'll kill you!"

"..."

Instantly, shouts of anger, reprimands, and calls rose and fell in succession. Yet, after only a few seconds, these chaotic sounds suddenly dissipated, and everyone stared dumbfounded at the widening gap between the doors. Streams of green light shot out from within, whirling madly in the void.

They were vines, thick as a man's fist and stretching for several li.

Almost every sway of the vines ripped through the air with sharp cracking sounds, making the surrounding crowd's scalps tingle and their hair stand on end.

When the black gate vanished, hundreds of thick vines had completely obstructed the entrance to the Spirit Abode.

But just as everyone dared not even draw a full breath, those vines suddenly interlaced and twisted together with blinding speed. In an instant, a fan-shaped opening woven from vines entered the crowd's view, and deep within the green channel, a blue shadow flickered faintly.

"Is that..."

The nearest Spirit Master froze, then suddenly seemed to recall something. He quickly fumbled in his robes and pulled out a condensed version of the Compendium of Materia Medica, flipping to the catalog of the "Ten Great Marvels." Moments later, he cried out in horror, "The God-Devouring Flower... Everyone, that is the God-Devouring Flower!"

"God-Devouring Flower?"

These three words were like three massive stones thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up a furious tempest in the crowd.

The crowd looked at the green channel before them and the indistinct blue flower within with utter disbelief, their minds deeply shocked. The legendary "God-Devouring Flower" actually appeared here! Just observing the terrifying aura openly radiating from within the passage, they knew this flower must possess strength equal to a peak-grade Celestial Spirit expert! Yet such a marvel was greeting guests at the entrance of the Spirit Abode?

Before the crowd could recover from the shock brought by the "God-Devouring Flower," several figures suddenly appeared in the green channel and walked out as if strolling leisurely...

... ...