The top floor of the Immortal Zither Divine Palace. Within the space spanning tens of meters, a single colossal sculpture stood silently at the center. This statue towered twenty to thirty meters high, possessing a somewhat bizarre form; while complete with four limbs, its gender was indistinguishable, and its head lacked any discernible facial features, the entire body surface etched with countless, intricate phantom runes.

Suddenly, the sculpture trembled slightly, and dazzling blue light erupted from the runes.

"Hum!"

A moment later, a gaunt figure separated from the sculpture—a tall, thin man cloaked in black robes, his eyes deeply sunken, pupils as abyssal as the sea, and his long, horse-like face shrouded in gloom.

"Hum! Hum! Hum! Hum!"

Four more resonant tremors followed, and four more figures successively emerged from the sculpture...

On the staircase, several figures ascended in layers.

Nie Kong, Tai Yan, and Yu Longyue walked side-by-side at the front, while Qing You dragged the Sea King reluctantly behind them. Yu Longyue wasn't averse to eliminating this scoundrel, but his Sea King bloodline was necessary to unlock the seal of the "Abyssal Sea of the Earth's Core." If that passage opened temporarily, it would reseal itself within five or six minutes.

This crucial detail had been confirmed by the Sea King.

Nie Kong then realized that the reason the Sea Clan powerhouses outside hadn't entered was likely because once the seal reformed, they were completely unaware of what had transpired within. Having learned the inside story, Nie Kong felt a measure of relief for not having killed the Sea King; otherwise, leaving this place would require considerably more effort.

The group conversed as they climbed. After traversing only four or five palace levels, they had grasped the general situation of the other party.

Yu Longyue looked at Nie Kong with a knowing smile: "Nie Kong, if Auntie Yue hasn't guessed wrong, you must have integrated the Sea God Pearl within your body."

"That's right."

Nie Kong suddenly recalled the matter. "Auntie Yue, I was just about to ask you..." Nie Kong quickly recounted the strange dream he had experienced in the Spirit Mansion Medicine Pagoda.

Yu Longyue merely smiled without speaking, observing Nie Kong with an expression of gentle affection.

Only when he finished speaking did Yu Longyue say with a smile, "Nie Kong, this matter is inconvenient for me to explain. When we return, you should go see Ting Lei; everything will become clear then."

"Very well." Nie Kong could only nod helplessly, feeling that Yu Longyue's smile had taken on a slightly peculiar quality. Unable to ascertain the reason, Nie Kong didn't bother dwelling on it. At least he had found Yu Longyue now; once they left the Immortal Zither Sea, she could guide them to that secret passage back to the Tianling Continent.

Presently, the gate connecting the Tianling Continent to the "Grand Venerable Spirit Realm" had been completely sealed by the Wood Ancestor using a massive amount of soul power. Even if he, Tai Yan, and Yu Longyue—the three Spirit Gods—entered the vicinity of the Tianling Continent, they wouldn't need to worry about being forcefully drawn away by the gate into the "Grand Venerable Spirit Realm."

Precisely because of this assurance, Nie Kong had boldly crossed his Third Spiritual Tribulation while at the shore of the Immortal Zither Sea.

Suddenly, Yu Longyue's expression shifted: "Not good! Nie Kong, it seems a few of us might not be able to return to the Tianling Continent for the time being."

"Why?"

Nie Kong froze for a moment.

Tai Yan also looked pleadingly at Yu Longyue. She disliked this place, the Divine Void Realm, immensely; it was much more comfortable on the Tianling Continent. Her Elder Sister Huamei, Elder Sister Meixian, and Elder Sister Xuechan were all there, and Auntie Xue was there too. She longed to return there to give birth to her baby.

Yu Longyue offered a wry smile: "That passage is not only fragile but also extremely unstable. It simply cannot withstand individuals of excessively high strength passing through it. The author of 'Divine Void Records' perished precisely because of this. Back when I passed through, I carefully suppressed my aura, yet it still caused the passage to shatter repeatedly, nearly burying me beneath spatial fissures. Now that we are Spirit Gods, the moment we enter, that already incomplete passage will likely collapse instantly."

"Then what do we do?" Nie Kong felt a surge of panic. He hadn't expected that after finding Yu Longyue, the result would be like this. His mother, woman, friends, and unborn child were almost all over there, and he had no interest in staying in the Divine Void Realm indefinitely. Moreover, he couldn't remain in the Divine Void Realm for long either.

Next spring, the boundary gate here would open, and all newly ascended Spirit Gods would enter the Grand Venerable Spirit Realm.

"Auntie Yue, can we really not go back?" Tai Yan pouted, looking at Yu Longyue with a pitiable expression.

"Is there truly no other way? We can conceal our cultivation when we pass through the passage," Nie Kong said, his mind racing, unwilling to give up.

Yu Longyue shook her head: "Concealing cultivation doesn't mean the power has vanished; it just means others can't sense it. Humans can't sense it, but the passage can. Therefore, concealing cultivation is entirely ineffective. Calculated by the standards of the Divine Void Realm, an Eighth-Rank strength is most suitable for traversing the passage. Exceeding that level is extremely dangerous, while being below Eighth-Rank means one lacks sufficient strength to sustain passage through the entire route."

Too strong is no good; too weak is no good either!

Nie Kong's face sank, but his heart had already accepted Yu Longyue's reasoning.

Having cultivated the Chaos Divine Power and achieved the Spirit God status, Nie Kong's understanding of heaven and earth deepened. That passage between the Tianling Continent and the Divine Void Realm was, essentially, a relatively thick band condensed from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, wrapped by endless spatial fissures.

Only by walking within this spiritual energy band could one travel between the two sides. Excessive strength would cause violent fluctuations in the spiritual energy band.

It was akin to walking a tightrope at high altitude; once one's weight exceeded the limit the wire could bear, it would snap. If the wire broke, one might survive if safety measures were in place. But if the spiritual energy band fractured, no means of averting disaster could be employed; one would simply be torn apart by the surrounding spatial fissures.

If it were just himself, Nie Kong might have tried it, but he had Lan Ling, Qing You, the Gourd, the Wraith Soul, and especially that girl Tai Yan, who was pregnant, beside him. Even if the chance of the passage collapsing was only one or two tenths, Nie Kong dared not risk it.

Yu Longyue suddenly mused, "Perhaps we have one other way to return."

"What way?" Nie Kong asked hurriedly, as if grasping at the last straw.

"Enter the Grand Venerable Spirit Realm from the Divine Void Realm first, and then return to the Tianling Continent from the Grand Venerable Spirit Realm!"

Yu Longyue stated gravely, "I just heard you mention that the 'Dark Night Divine Venerable' in the Grand Venerable Spirit Realm wants to activate the boundary gate there to deal with you. Although the gate has been sealed by the Wood Ancestor, it can only be resisted temporarily; it will eventually be opened. We can find an opportunity to return then."

"That would still take several years, Auntie Yue. Let me think about it again..."

"..."

Silence immediately descended upon the staircase.

Nie Kong, Tai Yan, and Yu Longyue spoke no more, only the rhythmic sound of footsteps and the dragging of the Sea King echoed back. Unconsciously, the group finally reached the massive central palace floor of the "Immortal Zither Divine Palace," where the figures of the Grand Divine Minister and the Divine Minister Elders were still visible on the ground.

"Hmm?"

At that moment, Nie Kong abruptly snapped back to attention, looking up toward the opposite side with surprise...