Deep within the illusory array beneath the Spirit Mansion Medicine Pagoda, almost everyone simultaneously heard that familiar laughter, the name involuntarily flashing through their minds.

"Master! Master is back!"

"Is that the Lord?"

"Nie Kong has returned at precisely the right moment."

Ling Yanluo, Long Ping, Long Ting, and Qing Yue let out subconscious cheers. Though they only heard a voice, an inexplicable sense of security blossomed in their hearts.

"Kong'er."

Mu Xueyi murmured, excitement rippling in her eyes. A moment later, her expression drastically changed. "Not good!" With a flash of movement, she bolted toward the spatial exit.

"Aunt Xue!"

Her sudden action startled Qing Yue and the others, who followed her without hesitation...

"Nie Kong!"

A white silhouette suddenly appeared in their view. Grand Extinction Spirit Venerable couldn't help but freeze for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure, terrifying killing intent blazing in her beautiful eyes. "Good! Good! Nie Kong, you’ve returned at the perfect time. It saves this Venerable the trouble of hunting down your women, wasting precious time."

Before the words even faded, Grand Extinction Spirit Venerable launched her attack. Countless ghastly white spirit beast skeletons surged out of the blood mist, pressing down upon Nie Kong in a sweeping tide.

However, Nie Kong's body seemed like a wisp of nothingness.

"Hmph!" The whistling skeletons seemed to strike a patch of empty air, passing straight through Nie Kong's body. Not only did they cause him no harm, but many of the bones collided with each other, shattering into fine dust.

The scene was utterly bizarre.

"Hmm?"

Grand Extinction Spirit Venerable frowned, deeply astonished. Behind her, Bai Gu’s eyes widened to their limit upon seeing this strange spectacle.

"Grand Extinction, you are too impulsive."

Nie Kong smiled faintly and flicked a finger toward the high sky. A white sun suddenly flashed into existence, casting warm light downwards. All the skeletons instantly dissolved, and the blood mist that permeated the entire Spirit Mansion recoiled, compressing itself entirely back into Grand Extinction Spirit Venerable's body in the blink of an eye.

"You..."

A look of horror flashed across Grand Extinction Spirit Venerable's face as she cried out.

But before the rest of her words could escape her throat, Nie Kong had appeared before her like a phantom, placing a hand on her shoulder.

The terror in Grand Extinction Spirit Venerable's eyes intensified.

As his hand pressed down, she discovered her entire being was imprisoned within a void of chaos. She couldn't move a muscle, the dark divine power within her was completely inert, and even her soul was shackled within the confines of her mind, unable to drift even an inch away, let alone exert spiritual thought.

"In just a few short years, how could his strength have become this terrifying?"

Though Grand Extinction Spirit Venerable’s body was immobilized, her mind raced. At this moment, her thoughts were filled with incredulity.

"Actually, we could have a very civil conversation. There was no need for fighting," Nie Kong said with a cheerful smile.

"Nie Kong, release my Master!" Bai Wei finally snapped out of her daze. Seeing this scene, she turned pale with alarm and flashed forward, intending to rush over. But the moment her body moved, she froze stiff, motionless as a statue, as if the surrounding space had suddenly solidified.

"What do you say, Grand Extinction?" Nie Kong’s hand slid off Grand Extinction Spirit Venerable's shoulder.

"Nie Kong, you... Are you the Supreme?"

Grand Extinction Spirit Venerable stared hard at Nie Kong, her eyes filled with disbelief.

By this time, both her body and soul had returned to normal, yet she made no move. She understood perfectly that if Nie Kong could control her so effortlessly, he could just as easily strike her dead. Though she hated Nie Kong with a maddening fury, she was not an irrational lunatic.

Nie Kong did not answer, but instead smiled serenely, "Grand Extinction, I am still waiting for your reply."

Though she hadn't heard his answer, observing the calm, untroubled smile on his face only solidified Grand Extinction Spirit Venerable's judgment. Her delicate features shifted between shades of apprehension and displeasure.

"Fine, let’s talk properly."

Grand Extinction Spirit Venerable was, after all, no ordinary figure. In less than two seconds, she gritted her teeth and nodded.

"Grand Extinction, you will soon realize this was an exceptionally wise decision," Nie Kong said with a meaningful smile before turning and heading toward the Medicine King Palace ahead.

"Lord."

As Nie Kong moved, Bai Gu immediately regained her mobility, her eyes full of shock.

"Follow him." Grand Extinction Spirit Venerable took a deep breath. She was, in the end, not an ordinary person, and her expression instantly normalized as she followed Nie Kong forward.

"Kong'er..." A white shimmer flickered, and Mu Xueyi floated before the Medicine King Palace, calling out anxiously. She was surprised to find the atmosphere between Nie Kong, Grand Extinction Spirit Venerable, and Bai Gu surprisingly harmonious, leaving her momentarily stunned.

Hua Pianxian, Qing Yue, Long Ping, Long Ting, and Ling Yanluo arrived moments later. Seeing this scene, they were equally dumbfounded, almost unable to believe their own eyes.

They hadn't started fighting?

Several minutes later, inside the Medicine King Palace.

Grand Extinction Spirit Venerable sat cross-legged on a cushion, her delicate face covered in frost, her gaze icy. Beside her, Bai Li’s eyes betrayed undisguised apprehension.

Nie Kong sat opposite them, smiling lightly. Mu Xueyi and Qing Yue by his side had calmed down, but the excitement in their expressions could not be suppressed.

As for Hua Pianxian, she was submerged deep within her soul; the one currently occupying that body was Hua Mei, who tightly clutched Nie Kong's arm, her cheeks flushed with warmth.

"Tai Yan."

Nie Kong suddenly called out softly.

A red shadow immediately shot out from Nie Kong’s chest. The "Returning Bloom Flower" transformed into an elegantly graceful woman who floated to the ground and naturally settled down on Nie Kong’s left side. Her clear, beautiful eyes curiously surveyed Grand Extinction Spirit Venerable opposite them. "Brother, is she my avatar?"

Before returning to the Heavenly Spirit Continent, Nie Kong had informed Tai Yan about Grand Extinction Spirit Venerable’s situation.

"My avatar!"

The moment Nie Kong nodded, Grand Extinction Spirit Venerable, caught between surprise and joy, was about to spring up. Both she and Tai Yan regarded themselves as the main body, treating the other as their mere projection.

But when her gaze landed upon Tai Yan’s lower abdomen, she froze, then instantly flew into a rage, her eyes seeming ready to spew fire as she pointed a trembling finger at Nie Kong. "You, you..."

She could not articulate the rest of her words, but her face had turned red enough to drip blood.

Mu Xueyi and the others followed Grand Extinction Spirit Venerable’s gaze and were momentarily dazed. Tai Yan’s abdomen was visibly swollen; while not yet extremely pronounced, the signs were clear.

"Kong'er!"

Mu Xueyi was the first to recover, her face immediately beaming with delight.

Hua Mei seemed slightly startled, then noticed Nie Kong’s expression full of apology. She said nothing, merely tightening her grip on his arm and allowing a gentle smile to bloom on her face. Qing Yue’s eyes darted back and forth between Nie Kong and Tai Yan, a strange smirk occasionally twitching at the corner of her lips.

Only the three younger girls—Long Ping, Long Ting, and Ling Yanluo—seemed somewhat confused.

"Nie Kong, how do you intend to talk?" After a moment, Grand Extinction Spirit Venerable took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the anger churning in her chest. She subtly settled her slightly raised hips back down, her beautiful eyes fixed fiercely on Tai Yan opposite her, adopting an expression of heartbreak and disappointment in one who failed to live up to expectations.

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