Following the smooth stone path through the mountains, Nie Kong easily sensed the presence of numerous spirit beasts. The vast majority were below the Ninth Grade, though a select few had broken through to the Spirit God realm. However, none possessed the power to compare with the young woman named Gu Xian they had just encountered.
This alone suggested that both the Seven-Colored Grand Venerable and Gu Quan focused solely on their own cultivation, having never sought to build a faction. Otherwise, merely possessing the title of the Seven-Colored Grand Venerable would have attracted countless Spirit Gods to their cause, allowing them to establish a power rivaling the Pill Immortal Sect over several millennia.
Nearly fifteen minutes later, Gu Quan and Nie Kong arrived at the edge of a large lake.
“Master is just ahead.”
Gu Quan pointed with a beaming smile toward the center of the lake.
Nie Kong subconsciously focused his gaze. Hundreds of meters away, in the middle of the water, stood a three-story building that seemed to float like a skiff on the surface. A gentle breeze swept across, causing the water to ripple faintly, and the building swayed softly from side to side, as if possessing no weight whatsoever.
“Whoosh!”
This time, there was no need for Gu Quan to act. The void rippled subtly, and another seven-colored bridge materialized from the building in the lake’s center, rapidly extending toward the shore.
Gu Quan chuckled meaningfully, “Nie Kong, you must walk this final stretch alone.”
“Senior, you are not accompanying me?” Nie Kong inquired, surprised.
“This path was forged specifically for you by my Master; only you may walk it. I follow a different route.” Gu Quan said with a smile, and his figure vanished instantly from the lakeshore.
“Senior…”
Gu Quan’s aura vanished simultaneously without a trace, as if he had never been there at all. Nie Kong paused, stunned for a moment, before turning his attention back to the colored bridge spanning the water.
Since the Seven-Colored Grand Venerable had prepared this path exclusively for him, walking it posed no issue. Judging by Gu Quan’s expression, there seemed to be some profound mystery hidden upon the bridge.
“When in Rome, do as the Romans do!”
With that thought, Nie Kong placed his feet upon the structure.
“Nie Kong, cross this bridge, and you shall be my second disciple.” The instant Nie Kong stepped onto the colored bridge, a venerable, aged voice echoed toward him.
“Seven-Colored Grand Venerable.”
The four words flashed through Nie Kong’s mind. On impulse, he asked, “What if I do not cross?”
“Then you will not be my second disciple.”
On the surface, this sounded like stating the obvious, yet Nie Kong did not take it that way. The Seven-Colored Grand Venerable sending Gu Quan to rescue him outside Panyuan City had repaid the debt to the Wood Ancestor. If he failed to become his disciple, it was uncertain whether he would receive such protection again should he encounter similar trouble in the future.
Despite this consideration, Nie Kong’s heart remained steady.
Becoming the disciple of the Seven-Colored Grand Venerable would certainly be excellent, but if it didn't happen, it wasn't the end of the world.
Given sufficient time, he could ensure that Tai Yan and Yu Long Yue remained completely concealed. Unless the Grand Venerable himself intervened, even if the Spirit Gods of the Primordial Heaven Mansion, the Pill Immortal Sect, and the Sea Clan still held their auras, they would not be able to track them as easily as before.
In that scenario, Nie Kong could still continue to advance his cultivation while maintaining their safety.
To avoid exposure, he certainly could not recklessly refine and absorb the divine power of others as he had in the Divine Void Realm; his cultivation speed would inevitably slow.
Of course, this was the worst-case scenario.
Even if he failed to become the Seven-Colored Grand Venerable’s disciple, given his relationship with the Wood Ancestor and Qing You, he and Tai Yan and the others should still be permitted to remain within the Seven-Colored Divine Realm.
“Regardless of success or failure, it is worth a try.”
With a thought, Nie Kong began to move forward.
One step, two steps, three steps…
His steps were light, and Nie Kong felt a flicker of surprise, yet he did not let his guard down. Since this final path was a test set by the Seven-Colored Grand Venerable, it was unlikely to remain this easy. He shifted his thoughts, maintaining vigilance as he continued forward, his pace remaining remarkably light.
Eight steps!
Nine steps!
The moment his right foot landed, Nie Kong felt an overwhelmingly terrifying pressure surge from within the colored bridge. In that instant, his body seemed utterly unable to move even a fraction.
He was entirely constrained by that pressure.
“Whoosh!”
A soft sound of air being displaced echoed, and a blue leaf ascended from the colored bridge. It rapidly expanded in Nie Kong’s vision and, in the next breath, enveloped him completely.
This was the blue leaf from the “Seven-Colored Spirit Leaves”!
Before this thought had fully formed, the scene surrounding Nie Kong underwent a massive, earth-shattering change. The colored bridge and the structure at its far end vanished. What greeted Nie Kong’s eyes was a vast, cerulean space, where the blue leaf hovered suspended in the void.
A hint of confusion crossed Nie Kong’s eyes. This space must originate from the leaf. He wondered what kind of test it intended to administer by drawing him in here.
Suddenly, the voice of the Seven-Colored Grand Venerable sounded: “Nie Kong, defeat it, and the space will shatter.”
“Good!”
Nie Kong narrowed his eyes slightly, his figure instantly appearing before the blue leaf. He lashed out with a punch charged with Chaotic Divine Power. But just as the blow landed, the blue leaf twisted rapidly, transforming in the blink of an eye into a human-shaped figure of pure azure. Its body was as clear and transparent as a water sphere, emanating an extraordinarily powerful aura.
What potent Water Divine Power!
Nie Kong was slightly amazed. This blue phantom was entirely condensed from Water Divine Power, and judging by its aura’s intensity, it was definitely at the level of a Sixth Grade Spirit God.
“Bang!”
Nie Kong’s attack speed was unaffected. His massive fist slammed into the phantom’s chest. It was like a stone dropping into a calm lake; his fist sank into the phantom’s torso, but the body merely rippled outwards. In a mere instant, the ferocious power surging from Nie Kong’s fist dissipated along with those ripples.
“Bang!”
Immediately following, the blue phantom struck Nie Kong’s chest with a punch.
Its strike was not only fierce but also fluid, wave upon wave of force. Nie Kong was driven backward hundreds of meters before regaining his balance. Fortunately, Nie Kong’s physical body, having been tempered by the Chaotic Heaven Fire, was incredibly tough; he was not injured by the impact, though his chest throbbed painfully.
“Truly extraordinary.”
Nie Kong rubbed the sore spot on his chest, exhaling a long breath. Watching the blue shadow charging toward him again, a surge of fighting spirit rose within him. Even if this was a Sixth Grade Spirit God manufactured by the Seven-Colored Grand Venerable, so what? He had even refined Seventh Grade Spirit Gods; he shouldn't fear a mere Sixth Grade one.
In a space like this, stealth or sneak attacks were useless; they couldn't deceive the figure conjured by the blue leaf. To defeat it, confrontation was the only way.
With a mental command, Nie Kong shot out like a streak of light toward the blue phantom, and the two figures clashed violently…
Hundreds of meters of space were traversed in an instant!
“Boom!”
Nie Kong made no attempt to evade, allowing the blue phantom’s fist to connect with his chest once more. However, at the precise moment of their fierce collision, Nie Kong’s arms shot out and tightly locked around the phantom’s neck. The “Chaotic Heaven Fire” immediately erupted from his palms, pouring down along the phantom’s body.