Ascending the steps, they quickly reached the third level of the attic, where a graceful figure immediately entered Nie Kong’s sight—it was a woman.

She appeared to be no older than her early twenties.

Clad in snow-white robes, her countenance was exquisitely beautiful, her skin shimmering with the clarity of ice and snow.

Yet, in Nie Kong’s eyes, this woman seemed profoundly strange, as if her entire body were a hazy wisp of air, possessing an ethereal, intangible quality.

What surprised Nie Kong most was that he could not discern her cultivation level.

Upon seeing the woman, Mu Hongling gasped, rushing forward to grasp her arm and chastising playfully, “Master, why are you out again?” “Don’t worry, I merely stepped out for some fresh air.”

The woman offered a radiant smile, her gaze fixed on Mu Hongling filled with undisguised doting affection.

Her eyes then swept past Tai Yan, finally resting on Nie Kong, as she remarked with a gentle smile, “Indeed, remarkably young. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I never would have believed you were of a similar age to Hongling. A Ninth-Grade Spirit God in one's twenties is truly unprecedented in all of history.”

As she spoke, she moved gracefully to the side.

“Senior overpraises me,” Nie Kong replied with a slight smile. Turning his gaze, he then noticed a pure white statue placed beside the woman, intricately carved into the shape of a plump, rosy infant.

“Primal Chaos Immortal Qi?”

Nie Kong’s heart gave a sudden lurch; the sculpture was entirely condensed from Immortal Qi.

Seeming to sense Nie Kong’s scrutiny, the woman smiled sweetly, her figure flickering momentarily, and she dissolved entirely into the infant-shaped statue〖body〗.

Witnessing this act, Mu Hongling unexpectedly breathed a sigh of relief.

“Nie Kong, you must be intensely curious about everything here?” The woman’s clear voice resonated from the statue.

“Indeed.” Nie Kong took a deep breath, suppressing the astonishment in his chest, and sat down cross-legged opposite the statue with Tai Yan beside him. He then produced the jade pendant belonging to Mu Hongling from his robes. “Senior, if I haven’t guessed wrongly, you intentionally let Hongling take this jade pendant out, didn’t you?”

“You guessed correctly,” the woman chuckled.

“If I hadn't deliberately dropped the pendant for you to see, you’d probably still be outside hesitating right now. Who knows how long we’d have to wait for you to finally decide to come in yourself,” Mu Hongling huffed, taking the jade pendant back from Nie Kong and re-hanging it around her neck.

Hearing this, Nie Kong realized that his situation outside had been completely observed by Mu Hongling and her Master. He laughed genially, “The ‘Primal Chaos Immortal Qi’ emanating from the entrance was certainly very tempting, but knowing nothing about this place, I had to be cautious.”

“Caution is warranted.”

The woman sighed wistfully. “Ten thousand years ago, when I entered the sixth layer of the Grotto-Heaven to seek refuge, I used the ‘Primal Chaos Immortal Qi’ to seal the entrance completely. I assumed no one could ever enter again, never expecting a Spirit God like you would appear in the world and absorb over three hundred strands of Immortal Qi in just a few days.”

Ten thousand years ago? Refuge?

Hearing those words, a thought flashed through Nie Kong’s mind—one he could scarcely believe himself—and he instinctively asked, “Senior, could you possibly be…”

The woman smiled broadly. “I am Xian Zhuyin.”

“Venerable Zhuyin!”

Nie Kong exclaimed in shock. The three words—Xian Zhuyin—reverberated like three claps of thunder in his mind. Although he had vaguely suspected this possibility, hearing her confirm it personally sent tidal waves crashing through his chest. Hongling’s Master was truly that Venerable Zhuyin.

After the Divine War ten millennia ago, Venerable Zhuyin of the Immortal Star Clan vanished without a trace. No one imagined she was hidden on the sixth layer of the ‘Primal Beginning Grotto-Heaven’ .

“Venerable?”

Hulu shrieked loudly, but quickly shrank his head back halfway when he saw Mu Hongling’s beautiful eyes glance his way, his little face flushed bright red with excitement.

“Venerable Zhuyin of the Immortal Star Clan from back then?” Tai Yan blinked, her pretty face also etched with astonishment.

Xian Zhuyin teased, “You’ve all heard of this old woman?”

“Who hasn't heard of the Venerable One’s great name?”

Nie Kong slowly regained his composure, glancing at Mu Hongling only to see her grinning mischievously at him, clearly having anticipated his reaction all along.

Xian Zhuyin chuckled softly. “Don’t flatter me. Nie Kong, I haven’t had any news from the outside world in ten thousand years. This girl Hongling only knows of a Tianling Continent; she knows nothing else. You entered the Grotto-Heaven from the Spirit Realm of the Venerables—do you know what the outside situation is like now?”

Her tone grew somewhat urgent toward the end, and Mu Hongling’s eyes also filled with curiosity as she stared unblinkingly at Nie Kong.

Nie Kong nodded. “After the great war ten thousand years ago concluded, the Illusory Spirit Continent split into three parts. The western portion is where Hongling and I reside, the Tianling Continent. The eastern side is the Divine Void Realm. The middle section is now called the Nether Earth, sealed within the eastern sea of the Tianling Continent, where the corpses of many Star Gods are buried.”

Upon hearing this, Xian Zhuyin grew quite melancholic and sighed deeply. “I know. The western and central parts of the Illusory Spirit Continent suffered the deepest impact back then, and most of the fallen Star Gods were concentrated in the central region. I never imagined that after the land fractured, it would be sealed away.”

Nie Kong suddenly smiled. “Oh yes, Venerable Zhuyin, the Great Elder Chilien of the Scarlet Star Clan did not truly die. I encountered him a few years ago when I entered the Nether Earth.”

“I suspected as much.”

Xian Zhuyin said with satisfaction, “The moment I saw you, I recognized the ‘Lingshi Battle Robe’ you were wearing. Furthermore, you bear traces of having cultivated the ‘Scarlet Star Battle Body’ and the ‘War God Star Seal.’ Chilien was only half a step away from ascending to Venerable status back then; he wouldn’t die so easily.”

Nie Kong wasn't overly surprised by her words. He continued, “In the current Spirit Realm of the Venerables, the power of Star Gods and Spirit Gods is roughly equal. The Pan Star Clan has two Venerables, Pangu and Panling. The Spirit God faction has three: Chongxu, Leilong, and my Master, the Seven-Colored Venerable.” “You took a Venerable as your Master?” Mu Hongling’s eyes widened into perfect circles, showing genuine surprise.

“Little Master, if you can take Venerable Zhuyin as your Master, why can’t I take the Seven-Colored Venerable as mine? Also, my Master also originated from the Tianling Continent,” Nie Kong intentionally winked at Mu Hongling. The girl rolled her eyes, but the curiosity on her face was impossible to conceal.

“Pangu, Panling, Chongxu, Leifeng…” Xian Zhuyin slowly murmured the four names once more before asking, “Nie Kong, what about the Immortal Star Clan and the Scarlet Star Clan?”

“This…”

Nie Kong hesitated before replying, “Senior, after the great war concluded, most members of the Immortal Star Clan and the Scarlet Star Clan were forced to migrate to the ‘Outer Heaven.’ Those who remained were integrated into the Pan Star Clan. Currently, the Immortal Star and Scarlet Star Clans together only have two to three million people guarding the Primal Beginning Palace, with only three remaining Star Gods…” …………