The second level of the Grotto-Heaven was also covered in vast stretches of yellow sand, yet unlike the first level, the spatial confinement here was at least twice as strong.
As Nie Kong entered this realm, he immediately followed that ethereal pull, rushing relentlessly toward the entrance to the third level, though his speed was significantly reduced—at least by thirty percent.
“Nie Kong, what an incredible haul!”
The Gourd bounced and hopped on Nie Kong’s shoulder, its eyes fixed on that ‘Viper Sea Serpent Dragon,’ shouting in excitement.
Tai Yan’s ‘Backlook Flower’ also swayed repeatedly, clearly delighted, though its tone carried a subtle note of regret: “It’s a pity the Dark Night Divine Sovereign arrived too quickly; otherwise, Brother would have had time to capture the entire Sea Dragon Divine Sovereign, preventing some of his soul and power from escaping.”
“It wouldn’t have been that easy,” Nie Kong couldn’t help but laugh. “Even if the Dark Night Divine Sovereign hadn't rushed over, I wouldn't have had time to capture the Sea Dragon Divine Sovereign; several others were already extremely close to the entrance.”
As he spoke, Nie Kong did not pause his refining process on the ‘Viper Sea Serpent Dragon’ in the slightest.
This serpent dragon contained the majority of the Sea Dragon Divine Sovereign’s divine power, immense and boundless. If he could fully absorb it, it would not only be enough to replenish Nie Kong’s expenditure in the ‘Primal Grotto-Heaven’ but also lead to a massive surge in his strength—just as the Gourd had said, this was indeed a colossal gain.
“Nie Kong, after absorbing all the divine power, what happens to this serpent dragon?”
The Gourd suddenly brought up this question.
Nie Kong smiled. “‘Viper Sea Serpent Dragon’ is itself an extremely miraculous medicinal material, let alone being the true form of a Ninth-Grade Spirit God. I plan to condense and refine its flesh and blood later. Perhaps I can attempt to forge a Tenth-Grade Spirit Medicine with it; if successful, one single dose might be enough for you to ascend to the Spirit God realm.”
“Really?”
The Gourd was overjoyed, green light practically shining from its eyes as it stared intently at the flame-shrouded serpent dragon. “I knew it; coming to the ‘Primal Grotto-Heaven’ was the right choice.”
This little fellow had already achieved sentience from the ‘Imperial Snow Gourd Elixir,’ meaning it could safely absorb even a Tenth-Grade Elixir without the risk of its body rupturing from the sheer medicinal force.
Nie Kong cautioned, “Don't get too excited too soon; whether the refinement succeeds is still very much up in the air.”
“But you are a Medicine Dao Grandmaster, seen once in ten thousand years; you will definitely succeed.”
The Gourd’s smile was saccharine, its flattery loud enough to shake the heavens, projecting an air of absolute confidence. “Besides, Tai Yan is here too. When the time comes, we can fuse in a bit of the ‘Backlook Herb’s’ medicinal power. If the fusion reaches ten-tenths, maybe we can even give it to Auntie Xue and Auntie Qing!”
“The Gourd is right!” Tai Yan quickly chimed in upon hearing this.
“…”
Nie Kong’s heart stirred as well. Once he had time, he truly needed to ponder carefully how to maximize the efficacy of this ‘Viper Sea Serpent Dragon.’ If he could truly achieve what the Gourd suggested, his mother, the Dragon King, the Flower Emperor, and Xutuo could all certainly reach the Spirit God realm in an extremely short amount of time.
“Whoosh!”
Nie Kong’s figure shot forward like lightning, skimming across the yellow sand, the water-based divine power refined by the ‘Chaos Heaven Fire’ continuously pouring into his body.
At this moment, Nie Kong had already exited the ‘Crimson Star War Body’ state.
As the ‘Chaos Divine Art’ circulated rapidly, Nie Kong’s divine power was not only fully restored, but the skin that had cracked on his body had also healed, shedding layers of blood scabs.
Before long, Nie Kong’s skin was once again smooth and immaculate as jade.
“Hah!”
After traveling through the desert for an unknown length of time, Nie Kong finally exhaled a long, deep breath. By then, all the water-based divine power contained within the ‘Viper Sea Serpent Dragon’s’ remains had been absorbed. Nie Kong’s strength had increased by at least thirty percent, his inner Chaos Divine Power surged like a boundless sea, and his speed of travel picked up considerably.
However, the ‘Chaos Heaven Fire’ clinging to the ‘Viper Sea Serpent Dragon’s’ body had not extinguished; rather, it burned with even greater ferocity.
Crackling!
Heat billowed out, and the void occasionally emitted sharp popping sounds. Under the rampant burning of the Heaven Fire, the serpent dragon’s massive body was shrinking at a rate visible to the naked eye.
In just five or six minutes, the three-thousand-meter-long body had shrunk to mere hundreds of meters.
And the speed of its contraction was still accelerating.
“Done.”
Finally, Nie Kong let out a loud laugh.
The flames vanished completely, and what materialized in Nie Kong’s palm was no longer the ‘Viper Sea Serpent Dragon,’ but a perfectly round, liquid orb, crystal clear, as large as a sea bowl.
Within the sphere, faint light undulated, as if azure oceans were constantly flowing inside.
“That’s all?”
The Gourd had been watching intently as the ‘Viper Sea Serpent Dragon’ was refined, but upon seeing the blue orb, it couldn't help but be momentarily stunned.
“Having this much is quite good; the essence of the ‘Viper Sea Serpent Dragon’s’ medicinal power is all contained within this,” Nie Kong smiled slightly, and with a mere thought, the azure liquid sphere was stored away in his Pet Pack.
Free from the burden of the ‘Viper Sea Serpent Dragon,’ Nie Kong’s focus became absolute.
A pale white mist of Chaos Divine Power diffused outward, swirling rapidly around him, maximizing the weakening of the confining forces constantly surging from the void. Nie Kong’s traveling speed increased again; although it hadn't reached the level of the first level of the ‘Primal Grotto-Heaven,’ it was not far off.
The feeling transmitted to Nie Kong from the unseen depths was growing clearer, meaning the entrance to the third level of the Grotto-Heaven was drawing nearer.
“They’ve all gathered here this time, it seems,”
After a while, Nie Kong’s brow suddenly lifted slightly.
Several potent auras entered his range of perception almost simultaneously: the Dark Night Divine Sovereign, the Ziwei Divine Sovereign, the Dantian Divine Sovereign, as well as the three Ninth-Grade Star Gods of the Panxing Clan…
Including Nie Kong, seven individuals were now clustered within a hundred-mile radius.
The entrance to the third level of the Grotto-Heaven lay just a hundred miles ahead.
“Whoosh!”
His figure tore through the void, Nie Kong’s expression turning somewhat grave.
His luck upon entering the second level of the ‘Primal Grotto-Heaven’ didn't seem great. Of the six individuals he sensed, only the Dark Night Divine Sovereign, the Ziwei Divine Sovereign, and one Ninth-Grade Star God were at a distance from the third-level entrance roughly equal to his own; the other three had all gotten ahead of him.
If nothing unexpected occurred, the Dantian Divine Sovereign and those two Panxing Clan Ninth-Grade Star Gods would certainly reach the entrance several minutes before him.
If they merely delayed him for a moment, Nie Kong would be trapped within the encirclement of six super-powered entities.
“Looks like I have to use that item earlier than planned!” Nie Kong mused secretly, feeling a pang of reluctance.
“Damn you, where can you run to this time?” Over a hundred miles to the east, the Dark Night Divine Sovereign had also sensed Nie Kong’s presence. He could no longer suppress the excitement in his chest, roaring with maniacal laughter, his two eyes flashing with savage intent as they emerged from the black mist.
“Nie Kong…”
The Ziwei Divine Sovereign murmured those two syllables, a cold smile curling the corners of her lips. Though her speed was like a flash of lightning, her posture remained graceful and flowing, as if a celestial fairy had descended to the mortal realm.
…… ……