Nie Kong stared at the raging, near-mad Tai Shiyan, utterly bewildered. "Sect Master, are you alright?"

"Ah, I'm fine!"

Tai Shiyan finally realized his outburst. His expression instantly calmed, though a wide, irrepressible smile remained. "Elder Tai, I am genuinely overjoyed. What countless predecessors could not achieve over ten thousand years, you have accomplished. How could I, as the Sect Master of the Pill Immortal Sect, not be moved?"

Nie Kong blushed slightly. "The Sect Master flatters me. I have merely drawn in a speck of the 'Chaos Heavenly Fire,' and have not yet managed to refine or absorb it, much less declare success."

Tai Shiyan roared with laughter. "Elder Tai, there is no need for false modesty; this is already a monumental leap forward. Persevere, and I believe it won't take you long to completely refine the 'Chaos Heavenly Fire.' I can hardly wait to see how your Dharma Aspect power will transform afterward."

"I will certainly do my utmost!"

Nie Kong could only sigh in resignation. "Sect Master, after so many attempts, a long time must have passed. I will return now and focus on how to refine this Heavenly Fire. The fire is simply too formidable. It is fortunate that my Dharma Aspect power already contains the aura of Heavenly Fire, which significantly dampens its heat; otherwise, this very palm would surely have been melted away." As he spoke, Nie Kong carefully placed the jade scroll back into the wooden box.

"Indeed!"

Tai Shiyan nodded repeatedly.

If this Chaos Heavenly Fire were not so potent, so many powerhouses would not have lost their lives attempting it. Even with the Spiritual God cultivation of a Martial Marquis, having drawn the fire out, none dared hold it in their palm for long. This was precisely why the experts of the Pill Immortal Sect had placed their hopes on Nie Kong. Based on the current outcome, Nie Kong, possessing the 'Chaos Heavenly Fire Aura,' was indeed capable of enduring the fire's intense heat.

"Elder Tai, hurry back. And don't rush; take your time. When refining, your personal safety must always be the first priority."

"..."

Holding the sphere of fire containing the 'Chaos Heavenly Fire' in his palm, Nie Kong swiftly departed the passage.

The moment he stepped out of the Qianji Hall, sounds of confused murmurs echoed almost simultaneously from Sheng Long City and the dozen surrounding peaks. A moment later, streaks of powerful spiritual thoughts swept over him. Upon sensing the sphere of fire in Nie Kong's hand, astonishment immediately flashed through those penetrating thoughts.

"Retreat quickly! Do not disturb Elder Tai!"

A voice suddenly boomed within the Qianji Hall—the voice belonged to Wu Hou.

Those spiritual thoughts largely originated from the strong cultivators of the Pill Immortal Sect, and they naturally dared not disobey the command of this Spiritual God. Dozens of probing thoughts vanished without a trace instantly.

"Thank you for your concern, Senior Wu Hou."

Nie Kong gave a slight bow toward the Qianji Hall, wasted no more time, and sped back to his pavilion residence on Shenxiu Peak.

There, Tai Yan was still seated exactly where she had been, having not moved an inch.

Nie Kong felt surprised. He had left just as night fell yesterday, and now it was nearly noon the next day.

He cautiously probed her condition and, seeing no anomaly in Tai Yan, finally relaxed. He sat directly opposite her. His gaze flickered to the sphere in his palm, and a hint of playful mockery touched the corner of Nie Kong's lips. The tiny point of 'Chaos Heavenly Fire,' which had been violently struggling within the sphere moments before, suddenly grew quiet.

From last night until he reached the secret chamber beneath the Qianji Hall, Nie Kong had failed a total of ninety-nine times.

These failures had been deliberate. In the process of failing, Nie Kong had mapped out the characteristics of the lower portion of the 'Chaos Heavenly Fire' with absolute clarity. Starting from the eighteenth attempt, just before the fire sphere was consumed, Nie Kong would secretly draw the tiny speck of 'Chaos Heavenly Fire' into his own Spiritual God apertures.

The entire purpose of deliberately staging these failures was to observe Tai Shiyan.

Nie Kong had not forgotten the reminder from that day's encounter.

In over ten hours of probing, from last night until now, Nie Kong had indeed gained considerable insight. Initially, even though every attempt resulted in failure, Tai Shiyan’s expression remained consistently calm. Only after the fiftieth attempt did Tai Shiyan finally show disappointment, and that feeling of letdown grew progressively heavier.

When Tai Shiyan's disappointment reached its zenith, Nie Kong suddenly succeeded.

It was like riding a roller coaster—a sudden leap from the valley floor to the summit. This instantaneous, immense shift easily exposed a person’s true nature.

Indeed, Tai Shiyan became overwhelmingly agitated.

For over ten thousand years, the lineage of experts in the Pill Immortal Sect had attempted to absorb the 'Chaos Heavenly Fire' without a single success, yet Nie Kong had abruptly achieved it. Tai Shiyan, as the Sect Master, had every reason to be excited by this event, but his excitement seemed excessively pronounced.

Though he quickly masked it, Nie Kong’s inner vigilance deepened. It was true that Tai Shiyan desperately wanted him to succeed in refining the 'Chaos Heavenly Fire,' but beneath that expectant facade, he seemed to be concealing something else, which greatly puzzled Nie Kong.

Pondering for a while without finding a clear answer, Nie Kong decided to set the matter aside temporarily. He retracted the fire sphere in his palm and guided the sliver of 'Chaos Heavenly Fire' into his Spiritual God apertures as well. The fire, which had appeared so violent within the 'Chaos Jade Scroll,' became strangely placid upon entering Nie Kong's body.

As the 'Yin-Yang Spirit Devouring Art' circulated, this portion of 'Chaos Heavenly Fire' began to shuttle ceaselessly through the twenty pairs of small apertures spinning rapidly within him.

A strange phenomenon manifested after a brief moment.

Not only did the 'Chaos Heavenly Fire' fail to separate, but it began to absorb a significant amount of Chaos Origin power. Moreover, wisps of Golden Divine Power, Heart Aspect power, and Dharma Aspect power were continuously drawn toward it. After several minutes, the 'Chaos Heavenly Fire' seemed to reach the limit of what it could absorb.

Nie Kong watched in bewildered confusion. He continued to circulate the spiritual art, and gradually, the Heavenly Fire began to emit scorching heat, enveloping itself and the other four types of power.

Immersing his consciousness within, Nie Kong observed intently.

Feeling the intensifying heat radiating from that mass, Nie Kong suddenly experienced a peculiar sensation: the Chaos Origin power, Golden Divine Power, Heart Aspect power, and Dharma Aspect power were like three Yao Cao herbs, while the 'Chaos Heavenly Fire' acted as a small furnace, automatically stoking its own heat, desperately attempting to fuse the Yao Cao herbs into a single mass.

Before long, Nie Kong's feeling became reality. Under the intense scorching of the 'Chaos Heavenly Fire,' the four powers showed definite signs of fusion, and the speed of this merging accelerated rapidly. Even Nie Kong himself was stunned into silence by this bizarre transformation.

"What in the world is happening?"

About fifteen minutes later, Nie Kong gazed at the hazy white aura floating in his Spiritual God apertures. The former Chaos Origin power, Golden Divine Power, Heart Aspect power, Dharma Aspect power, and the 'Chaos Heavenly Fire' acting as the furnace—all had vanished. In their place was this small cluster of white essence.

After observing it suspiciously for a long while, Nie Kong finally could not resist separating a wisp of his consciousness and fully integrating it into that white cluster.