The actual age is often difficult to discern from appearance; for Spirit Illusionists who have reached the Ninth Order, reversing the aging process is effortless. They had assumed the newly emerged Ninth-Grade Medicine King, though youthful in looks, must be at least sixty or seventy, perhaps even over a hundred, yet to their surprise, he was only thirty-five.

At the mere age of thirty-five, to possess the peak cultivation of the Ninth Order meant that transcending the Spirit Tribulation and achieving Spirit Godhood was almost a certainty. Had they known Tai Shuang’s true age earlier, they would have immediately disseminated this information throughout the "Grandmist Celestial Mansion" to recruit him with every effort.

If that were the case, perhaps in just a few short years, the "Grandmist Celestial Mansion" would boast another Spirit God.

Now, however, it might be too late to say anything.

As those two Medicine Kings from the "Grandmist Celestial Mansion" sighed internally, Tai Shuyan turned his gaze toward Nie Kong, teasing, "This afternoon still requires conducting alchemy to verify the accuracy of the Ninth-Grade Elixir Formulas. Brother Tai Shuang is an expert in refinement; if you try to slack off then, none of us will permit it."

"Tai Shuang will certainly do his utmost."

Nie Kong smiled, his expression genuinely sincere.

Under the guidance of Tai Shuyan and the circle of Medicine Kings from the Pill Immortal Sect, the atmosphere of the midday banquet quickly grew lively, with Medicine Kings occasionally sharing strange tales and anecdotes to spice things up.

At some point, a low table appeared next to Tai Yan.

Luan Yexin slid over and leaned in, whispering low words to Tai Yan from time to time, cheering up the girl who had been sitting sullenly all morning until she was beaming. Nie Kong knew that Luan Yexin was likely trying to pump Tai Yan for information, but he wasn't worried at all; Tai Yan was pure of heart and naive to the ways of the world, but certainly not foolish.

What should be said and what should not be said, Tai Yan understood perfectly well.

Nie Kong conversed animatedly with Tai Shuyan at the side, yet his spiritual consciousness quietly monitored Xiang Xiang's condition.

After departing Nie Kong’s Spirit God Aperture, the little creature had sneakily followed Zhan Tianfeng and Ye Haoran, eventually arriving at a small valley not far from the mountaintop.

The valley was shrouded in swirling mist, indistinct and hazy, clearly concealed by an Illusion Formation.

Zhan Tianfeng and Ye Haoran moved onward without pausing, their figures vanishing into the dense vapor in an instant. The little creature followed, and Nie Kong felt no need to worry about it getting lost within the illusion; with his spiritual thread anchoring it from the mountainside, the little one could find the path out of the formation at any moment.

Several minutes later, the valley suddenly opened up.

Nie Kong then realized that the valley was not small, but in fact quite vast. Zhan Tianfeng and Ye Haoran passed through the main hall standing at the valley entrance and proceeded directly deeper into the valley.

The little creature continued to trail them...

Not long after, Nie Kong spotted a white pagoda, tens of meters high.

Numerous fresh marks were scattered around the tower; clearly, this structure had only been completed within the last few days. At this moment, two Ninth-Order Spirit Illusionists were hovering in the void, meticulously carving streams of illusionary runes onto the tower’s surface, their expressions intensely focused. They were undoubtedly the Rune Masters of the Pill Immortal Sect.

Zhan Tianfeng and Ye Haoran did not disturb them, entering the tower directly.

The area surrounding the white pagoda was open, flat ground with no cover. The little creature grew even more cautious, but fortunately, the two figures in the air were entirely concentrated on the illusionary runes. Xiang Xiang quickly found an opportunity, darting out from an angle invisible to their eyes, shaking loose its root tendrils and sprinting wildly, disappearing into the tower entrance in two or three seconds.

After a short pause, a faint sound drifted from inside the tower.

“How is the Hall Master’s condition?” Nie Kong remembered this voice; it was Zhan Tianfeng’s. Under Nie Kong’s silent command, the little creature’s calyx pressed close to the ground, inching past the doorframe, and the scene inside the tower was instantly revealed to Nie Kong’s mind’s eye.

The first floor of the white pagoda was paved with smooth jade stones, its surface etched with an extremely complex illusionary formation; the crisscrossing lines of illusionary runes were dizzying to behold. At the formation’s center, nine figures sat cross-legged, each faintly radiating the aura of a Celestial Spirit expert.

Besides Zhan Tianfeng and Ye Haoran who had just entered, Kou Xilai was strikingly present among them.

After not seeing him for a period, this once-arrogant Spirit God Hall Master appeared utterly transformed. His robust frame had shrunk by a full circle, his complexion was ashen, his beard unkempt, and his face and eye sockets sunken—his head resembled that of a skull. He sat motionless, eyes closed.

“The after-effects of ‘Divine Concealment Heart Escape’ are inherently severe, and he was grievously wounded by the Dragon Heaven Palace during the escape. It won't be easily healed,” an elder commented with a wry smile. “Even if he recovers, his cultivation will struggle to return to its former standard. Maintaining the Celestial Spirit Realm will be considered quite fortunate.”

He showed no hesitation about speaking openly, given that the two figures carving runes outside were aware they were all from the Celestial Spirit Continent.

The surrounding figures also shook their heads, sighing repeatedly.

“Why don’t we agree to the condition set by Sect Master Tai Shuyan, and exchange it for a favor from that Spirit God of the Pill Immortal Sect to help the Hall Master recover?” Ye Haoran finally asked after a moment of silence.

“…” Hearing this suggestion, the others fell silent, sinking into deep contemplation.

“We’ll reconsider this matter. Tianfeng, Haoran, how did this morning’s ‘Pill Palace Immortal Assembly’ go?” Kou Xilai suddenly opened his eyes.

“The Ninth-Grade Medicine Kings from the Divine Void Realm are indeed formidable; they discerned the medicinal properties of all six herbs. Of the five elixir formulas, two have been perfected, and the remaining three are likely to be confirmed this afternoon through refinement,” Zhan Tianfeng replied, his eyes filled with profound admiration as he spoke.

“In the path of medicine, the gap between the Celestial Spirit Continent and the Divine Void Realm is truly vast. The most powerful there barely reached the Eighth-Grade Medicine King level. That Nie Kong can refine Ninth-Grade spiritual medicine, perhaps already possessing the strength of a Ninth-Grade Medicine King, but here, there are thirty Ninth-Grade Medicine Kings alone,” Ye Haoran added with awe.

“Nie Kong…”

Kou Xilai spat out those two words with a chilling gaze, grinding his teeth until they clicked. The hatred for Nie Kong gnawed at his spirit like a venomous snake, causing his features to twist slightly. The Celestial Spirit experts beside him also ground their teeth in fury.

It was that culprit, Nie Kong, who had mercilessly driven them from their homeland, forcing them to become dependents in this unfamiliar Divine Void Realm.

After a long pause, Kou Xilai finally spoke in a cold voice, “He won’t remain arrogant for much longer! This ‘God-Connecting Pagoda’ is more than halfway complete. Once all the illusionary formations are successfully inscribed, we can activate the ‘Yin-Yang God-Connecting Cauldron’ and establish contact with the High Gods of the ‘Grand Sovereign Spirit Realm.’”

The God-Connecting Pagoda?

Hearing this, Nie Kong’s heart skipped a beat. Kou Xilai and his faction’s first priority upon arriving in the Divine Void Realm was indeed building the God-Connecting Pagoda. With it, they could contact the Dark Night Divine Venerable. If that happened, the Dark Night Divine Venerable would surely find a way to descend into the Divine Void Realm.

It seemed he needed to expedite his plans.

With the full support of the Pill Immortal Sect, the God-Connecting Pagoda would likely be fully operational within a matter of days!