Before leaving the Spirit God Temple, Kou Xilai and Lu Rong had already made preparations to eliminate Nie Kong and his Medicine King Palace, and seize the Spirit Mansion. Otherwise, why would they need to dispatch so many Heavenly Spirit experts?

Alas, plans often fail to keep pace with reality.

First, She Qianbian was killed by Nie Kong, followed by numerous major powers voicing their support for Nie Kong, then the Mara Sacred Mountain reneged on its promise, and now even the Night God Venerable who descended has had his soul scattered. If the Spirit God Temple still insisted on killing Nie Kong, it would likely provoke widespread public outrage.

Although the Spirit God Temple possessed the strongest force within the current Spirit Mansion, capable of crushing any Spirit Clan, Great Sect, or Great Noble Family with destructive force, if these factions united, the Spirit God Temple would stand no chance of victory.

The situation had long since exceeded initial projections; staying longer would prove detrimental. It was better to withdraw before the Medicine King Palace’s founding ceremony concluded.

However, Kou Xilai had miscalculated once more.

As Kou Xilai and Lu Rong and the others walked ten meters out, the five young men and women trailing at the rear suddenly broke away from the group and shot toward Nie Kong in the center of the square.

Kou Xilai and the others turned their heads in confusion, aghast at the sight. Mu Xueyi, Long Tiangong, and the others were also shocked, leaping to their feet almost simultaneously.

A thought flashed through his mind, and Kou Xilai understood the consequences their actions might provoke.

"Impossible!"

Kou Xilai roared, but the speed of the five young people was extreme. Before his voice had even faded, the five were already streaks of light, appearing before Nie Kong.

"Boom!"

Five tangible auras shot out from their brows, like blazing arrows wreathed in fierce fire, piercing toward Nie Kong's skull with lightning speed.

"Burning the soul to launch a spiritual thought attack!"

Seeing this scene, the faces of Kou Xilai and the others changed drastically. Mu Xueyi, Long Tiangong, Hua Caidie, Yu Qinglan, and Meng Feiyang suddenly vanished from their seats. The next instant, five figures appeared simultaneously in the center of the square, charging toward the five young assailants.

However, the five seemed utterly unaware of the attacks from Mu Xueyi and the others.

In an instant, terrifying spiritual energy enveloped the five. In the blink of an eye, five bodies were blasted into dust by Mu Xueyi and Long Tiangong and their companions. Yet, the five burning auras merged into Nie Kong's head the moment their bodies dissipated.

At this moment, Nie Kong stood like a statue, eyes closed, body motionless, but within his soul, colossal waves were surging.

As soon as the five moved, Nie Kong sensed the life force within them rapidly draining away. This discovery allowed Nie Kong to vaguely grasp their intent, and he prepared himself in a flash. A spiritual thought attack was unavoidable; at this juncture, he could only meet it head-on.

However, after burning their souls, the spiritual thought intensity of the five Upper Gods had increased several times in an instant—almost all reaching the level of a Second Stage Spiritual Tribulation. Such a desperate, sudden assault from five threads of spiritual thought would severely wound even the soul of a powerful expert like Kou Xilai.

Indeed, the five massive spiritual thoughts instantly shattered the barriers Nie Kong had just erected and poured in like a tidal wave, raging wildly within his soul. Tearing pain surged wave after wave from the depths of his soul, nearly causing Nie Kong to faint.

In that moment, Nie Kong suddenly understood the reason for the five's actions.

It must be that the main body of the "Night God Venerable" in the Grand Sovereign Spirit Realm had issued orders to the main bodies of these five individuals. Their descending souls were closely linked to their main bodies, allowing them to receive instructions with extreme ease. Thus, the five acted against Kou Xilai’s wishes.

"They aren't trying to kill me, but to severely injure my soul and send me into slumber. Their objective might be to prevent the power within the Soul Orb from merging with the World Gate..."

This thought flashed rapidly through his mind. With a stir in his heart, the spiritual imprint within the statue on the peak of Cai Mei instantly hummed, and the golden light swirling around it shot out like an arrow loosed from a string, instantly spanning thousands of meters of space to settle above Nie Kong’s head.

The Power of Faith, thread by thread, rushed into Nie Kong's soul, weaving rapidly, netting the five rampaging spiritual thoughts within. The net tightened, and a golden cocoon rapidly formed within his soul. The indescribable stinging pain began to gradually subside.

At this point, the attention of almost everyone surrounding the square was drawn to the pillar of golden light that bisected the void, shooting down from a distance.

Nie Kong had also absorbed the Power of Faith when confronting the Night God Venerable previously. However, that Power of Faith came directly from the surrounding crowd; it had not been condensed into form by the statue, so others neither saw nor sensed it. But this current Power of Faith was drawn from the spiritual imprint within the statue.

"What is that thing?" Lu Rong cried out in shock.

"..."

Kou Xilai remained silent, his eyes fixed intently on the thick golden beam, his face filled with shock and uncertainty. As an expert who had already passed the Second Stage Spiritual Tribulation and possessed divine power, Kou Xilai felt the phenomenon much more intensely than Lu Rong and the others.

They could be absorbed directly and converted into divine power?

Where did Nie Kong find these things?

Kou Xilai stared at the origin of the golden pillar, horrified, but immediately, a trace of greed unconsciously surfaced in his eyes. He was certain that if he could absorb them, he could easily pass the Third Stage Spiritual Tribulation and become a true Spirit God.

"Pity."

Glancing briefly at Mu Xueyi, Long Tiangong, and Hua Caidie, Kou Xilai’s gaze finally settled on Nie Kong in the center of the square, his expression shifting between gloom and uncertainty.

Nie Kong's tightly furrowed brow had already relaxed.

Supported by the surging Power of Faith, the golden cocoon grew thicker. The five wildly raging spiritual thoughts inside were like fierce beasts trapped in a cage; no matter how they struggled, they could not escape the binding. About two minutes later, as the golden cocoon contracted, layers of fierce pressure squeezed inward. The five spiritual thoughts were continuously compressed, finally condensing into a small mass, completely quieted.

With a movement of his will, the Power of Faith seeped out of Nie Kong's soul, wrapping the golden cocoon and retreating toward the peak of Cai Mei.

"Go!"

Seeing the golden auras fading, Kou Xilai finally withdrew his gaze, forcefully suppressing the greed in his chest, grit his teeth, and whispered the command.

"Stop!"

Before the members of the Spirit God Temple could even move their feet, a cold shout exploded. The next moment, a white shadow flashed, and Mu Xueyi abruptly appeared before Kou Xilai. Her delicate, girlish face seemed covered in a layer of frost, and a deep, eerie green hue surfaced in her beautiful eyes.

Mu Xueyi hated these Spirit God Temple members deeply. Even though Nie Kong was no longer in danger, she could not let them simply leave.

"You think you can stop this old man with just you?" Kou Xilai’s pupils shrank, and he sneered coldly.

"What if you include me?"

A flash of golden light dazzled, and Long Tiangong approached slowly, his movement seemingly languid yet swift, landing beside Mu Xueyi in two steps.